Blog review

This semester, some blogs were more interesting than others were. Writing is fun in Spanish, but writing in English is a little complicated. It helps the fact that we have to write about a personal topic like a toy, a hobbie, a tv programme. In “a tv programme you enjoyed as a child”, I talk about Naruto and I realized that was very important to me in my childhood (I had never stopped to think about it). This blog was very interesting to reading, because we all saw similar tv shows like anime and cartoons. I remember reading the christi’s blog when she talk about Pokémon. The Chilean culture spin around the tv, so we all understand each other when we talk about it. In the same way “A toy” makes me to remember things that I completely forgot.

I think the most complicated post was talk about a city, because it was the least personal blog. I had to read about it in Wikipedia and it was not fun. When we had to talk about a phone app, there was few possibilities and everyone talks about Instagram or Spotify.

The thing I disliked was writing the comments because nobody finished their post at time or always the same people did it. Whatever, I think the blog is a good tool to learn English, because without the pressure of writing about a boring topic, I can prove myself how much I can understand this language week to week (each time easily).

A toy: Max Steel.

When i was a child i had not many toys, because we was tree brothers and one new toy means the war between us. But some day when i was eight (christmas maybe) a fríend of my dad gave him the favourite toy of all kids: Max Steel. A muscle man, caucasian, stereotype of an awesome guy. For some reason, he gave it to me. I was fascinated.

I remember playing with Max Steel in the school. I had a friend who was only son, so he had many toys. One of its was the historical enemy of Max (the f*ckin “Action Man”) so we met in my house and fought in the yard. My friend had many accesories. A completly arsenal. I could not buy it, so, i made my own weapons and accesories. I made a lot of guns with plastiline and some sticks. With an egg carton and color paper i made a kind of spaceship. A failed experiment was the parachuted. I  sewed some nylon bags and tied to Max to finally threw it to the emptiness, but the system never worked L

Probably Max is in a dirty box in a dark place in my house in the south. I do not know really.

A phone app: Aldiko Book Reader

Until 2011, when i wanted to read something, i had to go to the library and get a book. Sometimes big or heavy books. But one day, a friend of mine told me about a new application, a really confortably e-reader: this was Aldiko Book Reader.

Aldiko is a free app who use a format called “epub”. The epubs are small archives who contains entire books. The difference with the PDFs is the versatility of the archive. You can move easily between the pages, to adjust the size of the characters and save the interesting parts. It is like to have an entire library in the cellphone. The first month i read the entire saga of “the song of ice and fire”. I traveled three hours every day to my previous university, so i could read a hundred pages every day approximately, for many years. My younger brother installed the app when he was a Little kid, so you can imagine how many e-pubs he read. I like it because there are a lot of interesting books, the classics and the news and there is not excuses to not read it.

Currently i have not many time, so is difficult to me try to read, but i keep trying. Last night i was reading Julio Cortazar’s “Rayuela” and i could not to do it without Aldiko. I ignored if there are more apps like that, but should be difficult to me to change my favourite app <3

A special place: The Ñielol Hill

Temuco has its own natural treasure. A kind of metropolitan Park who not everyone knows. It is located in the north of the city, crossing an avenue, with a half-hidden access. The Ñielol hill is the biggest hill in the city (there are others, but they aren´t a natural reserve) and the most beautiful.

I remember I had no idea where it was located, until when I was in high school and I went to explore with my friends.  Since that day, I climb the hill in many special times with friends and my girlfriend.

The climbing is hard. You can walk by a central path and lose yourself in many parts of the way. This is the interesting part. In that moment, the Selva Valdiviana shows its entire splendor. An infinite forest of giant coigues, climbing plants and colihues. All in green. Like no other place. In some locations, there are evidence of the mapuche’s history. The most important I think, is a group of chemamull near of the top. This giants and anthropomorphic totems remember the day where the Chilean and mapuche people agree to found the city of Temuco in 1881.

The Ñielol Hill had many balconies to rest, child games, a little museum and a restaurant at the top. But how I said, the best form of know it is losing on it.

Something i like to do outside: the street photography

I always like the photography, but i had not a good camera “a professional camera”, so, for a long time, i just feed my eyes with referents. A couple of years ago i saw a documentary about the Street photography. The art of go out, look in the city and captured it. Does not matter to have or not a expensive camera. Only matter the moment.

The hard part of the street photography is dealing with the people. With people that you don’t know. Taking pictures with a cellphone is a good idea, because its are in all places. People can deal with it. Sometimes is difficult pay attention and at the end of the day, i don’t even have one good image. Sometimes the image arrives alone. “the photographic moment” and i only have to captured it.

I like the Street photography because it makes you walk a lot around the city, to know its alleys, the different perspectives of the same place. The last time i walked without direction for Santiago Centro, a place full of life and movement. To walk for the Alameda or Persa is terapeutical when open your eyes. Even in subway or microbus you can do it. If i buy a camera, probably i will do pictures with better resolution

A rat's hobby

When i was in high school, a group of friends usually played computer games in recess. They always played something different, but this game impressed to me in the way that i never played another one after it. This game is called Age of empires II. I always said that is like playing chess, but more complex. On this game, you are the King of a medieval civilization, like persian, england or japanese. You command your people to collect nature resources, to explore the map, to build your city and to prepared they weapons. All its against time, because the enemy (the computer or another guy) eventually is going to attack you. The design of the game recreates a mediaval war. You can see horses, swordsmen, castles, catapults even  elephants! Like in the lord of the ring or game of thrones.

I always plays age of empires in summer, in the days that i have nothing to do with my life. Usually a game envolves a couple of hours, so is not very healthy playing every day. Sometimes is a really headache trying to keep your Civilization alive, but every time its easily. You learn about strategy and history, so, this game is not completly a waste of time.

A TV Programme i enjoyed as a Child: La ley de la Selva

i always liked the documentaries about the animal life, but in the open TV there was really few programmes about it. In 90' there was a programme called Maravillozoo, but it was cancelled when i was very young. Lately, in 2000 (more or less) in Megavision started one of the most popular tv show in the decade: La ley de la Selva. The programme had four animators: three vets and one model. They talked about animals in different ways. Sometimes they traveled around the world showing the nature, in other episodes they went to the zoo or examinated some random animals in the studio. I liked how they tought about animals in a funny way.

At the end of the decade, the programme was dying gradually. First, they started to talk frecuently about pets. They did not even tought something, they just spoke and spoke about cats and dogs. Second, the programme incorporated ufology in its contents. This destroyed the scientific responsibility of the programme. At the end, La ley de la Selva just showed a group of men competing in archery, force or balance.

However, i will never forget how much they tried to teach us about the danger of the insects, the nature’s respect and its beauty in general.