Entry N°10 - English Language Challenges

To be honest, I enjoyed learning some english using or writing my own blog. It’s an easy way to practice your written and read english. It was quite easy to word up my ideas. Blog format is also quite modern so you can feel you’re just writing on your Facebook page or just tweeting to someone else

I do not want to sound cocky or arrogant, but I think one of the aspects of my english level I must improve is vocabulary. Still, nowadays I'm using words like ‘nice’, ‘good’, ‘bad’, etc. for describing things. Which are general adjectives, don’t get me wrong, learning through these words will help you a lot, but if you really want to improve, you need to know more words. Sometimes when you are in a situation, you need to say the exact word that you need according to that. In order to be better and learn some vocabulary I must interact with foreign people, also I must read more books or magazines, check out the lyrics of my favorite songs and be aware of the words I do not know in movies or tv series.

I’m always using my english to interact with people, although is a low interact, I'm always thinking in english. For example, one of the activities I like to do the most is playing online video games. In these cases, when the online server is hosted like in North America or Europe you know that the main language is english. In order to achieve goals and make things happen, you must be aware and have the skill to communicate with others using the language.

So, even playing video games it’s a fine way to practice your english, you guys, go and play some Overwatch or Starcraft. See you there!

Entry N°9 - Changes to my study programme

This is surely one of an interesting topic to write about. I think the University of Chile has one of the most successful and iconic schools of journalism here in this country. The Communications and Image Institute (or ICEI in spanish) is a place where you can learn some useful skills, not only in terms of mere journalism, but also in terms of cinema, image culture, sociology, etc.

This career curriculum is about the new students learn about everything involving the process of creating a text, an image, an audiovisual piece, which is more than the mere fact of creating those, it’s about the critic paradigm. In that case, I think the focus of the school is appropriate, but I think 5 years is way too long and tedious in this particular case of the journalism career. I think four years is an accurate time length to finish it.

In terms of infrastructure and use of technology, I think this point is the weakness of the Institute. The ICEI needs to receive more economic resources in order to supply the students with cameras, tripods, sound equipment, etc. And also, which maybe is more relevant than the point before, is the recondition of key rooms of the Institute, which are: The television studio, the radio studio and the library. That should be the main focus of those non-existent/short limited economic resources.

To finish, I think the Institute should re-evaluate their hiring policy. In some cases, some teachers don’t have the proper approach to make the students learn and apply the knowledge. This is bigger and more important when you think about the audiovisual subjects, which are more practice than theory. Teachers must know how to apply their knowledge to students and at the same time, considerate the nature of his/her class.

That’s a lot of stuff to change honestly. I hope our Institute will get better and better in the future, regarding of the University’s economic distribution policy. 

Entry N°8 - Summer plans!

Sweet, sweet summer. I can imagine in my head those sunny evenings drinking beer at the pool with a bunch of friends, those warm nights walking through the city. Yup, summer is great; weather makes me happy, even if we are having like 40°C of temperature.

Unfortunately this time I have to accomplish my practice period, at least from january until march. I have to work. It's quite sad, but in other way, I pretend to learn as much as possible in this first journalism work approach. I hope to get a job in radio broadcasting or be part of an advertising agency. I think both jobs will give me some nice experience in terms of learning teamwork and how the business moves in and out. 

Nevertheless, and as I’m planning to work in Santiago, I have some possibilities to make a short trip here nearby. Maybe go camping to Cerro La Campana, some kilometers towards north of Santiago seems to be a fine plan to escape, at least for 2 o 3 days, of the city and job stress. I’m a big fan of camping, I have my own kitchenette, my pots, my tent, everything. I think go camping make people go back to the origin. Like gather wood for the fireplace, learn the value of fresh water or distribute the food are activities which we don’t do everyday sitting in our comfortable sofas and beds.  Go camping is like an alternative way of life.

Anyway, not everything in life must be work and journalism and make money, isn’t?  Even if you have to work this summer, it is imperative that you must run out the city in some point.

Have fun and learn things this summer!

Entry N°7 - Back to the Past

Since I watched ‘Back to the Future’ film I’ve dreamt with traveling through both space and time and reach new or old ages which meant for all human kind. One of those periods, is the decade of the eighties. Since I was a child, like 10 years old, I felt that I was born in the wrong era, I disliked the music of my time which was reggaeton and some boring pop songs, I disliked the clothing and the way of life of many of my congeners.

My dream was to travel to the past. Live the decade of the 80s while I’m like 18 or 19 years old at that time. The age is important because I need it in order to do the funny stuff, like going to concerts, do drugs and alcohol and be able to survive on those times. Don’t get me wrong, 21^st century is an age where most people have privileges, life is quite comfy and it’s safer all-around so I’ll be trading, exchanging ways of life and I must be aware of that.

Anyway, I’ll stay in the 80s a long time; maybe I’ll stay there to live my whole life. I’d like to be a rock or punk musician and have my own band, doing tours, creating music and writing the music history while I’m living in an old house or flat in London or New York or California. I'd like to help Van Halen to write their new album at that time, that experience would be an eighties dream come true.

If you’ve seen that movie ‘Almost Famous’ where a young journalist is sent to cover a band for Rolling Stones magazine, the way of life I imagine living in that time is exactly like that. I could even be a journalist too in that decade, but I’d prefer to be a musician.

Entry N°6 - Postgraduate Studies

In my near future is kind of hard to obtain a postgraduate course because of economic reasons, mostly them. But if for any reason, I get one of those scholarships to go to foreign countries to study some subject, that would be awesome. I think some government program called “BecasChile” allows you to try and postúlate to get one postgraduate program.

Well, in that case, I’d like to study something related to communications or sociology. I’ve heard that Barcelona has one of the few Internet Research Center in Europe. Inside that place, many professionals like sociologists, anthropologists, journalists, and many other humanism disciplines converge and analyze and break down some of the newest and most striking phenomenon in the modern society like e-sports, social media, flash communications, etc.

I’d like to study at L’idem, a creative arts school in Barcelona. The institute shows how to start making 2d and 3d animations, which is related to video games and social media and also, the institute teaches you skills in graphic design and communications. That last one seems to be the best way to start a postgraduate course since my journalism formation and my interest in developing and study the electronic sports or e-sports subject from a sociologist perspective.

I hope one day to get one scholarship to travel to Barcelona. I’d like to study fulltime for 1 or 2 years duration of the postgraduate course in order to obtain as many new information is posible for me. 

Entry N°5 - My future job

Honestly, my dream job isn’t related to my current career at this University. Don’t get me wrong, I love journalism, not as a profession, but as craftship. Writing or photographing seems to be a way of expression, creating narratives, telling stories, cover passionate histories, meeting new people every day. All of them seems to be nice, a completely achievable journalist job    

In a very idealistic way, my dream job would be having my own pizza restaurant or foodtruck or streetpost or something like that, mobile so I can travel across the city selling pizza slices and drinks. Like 2 or 3 years ago I started to cooking and trying some dough and tomato sauce recipes, then I just realized that I just liked so much cooking for my friends, family and myself.

Therefore I think if I can truly get that happy feeling each time I cook and also get paid for that, I can really say that is a dream job. 

Entry N°4 - Favorite Movie

Just like the “my favorite book” topic, I have not seen many movies as I would like. Regarding that, I can say with property that at least two of my favorite movies were made by the same director, which is Christopher Nolan. One of the first movies he made, Memento, talked about the life of a person with short-term memory problems, involving some blood and revenge. I think is one of my favorite movies not only because of the amazing photography or the colors which give life to the scenes but also because of the topic itself. The fragility of the mind.

My other favorite movie is, without a doubt, Interstellar. A sci-fi history involving global warming problems, human exodus,  space technology development and the best of all: lightspeed travel around the universe. This movie is able to mix all of those elements, being able to narrate a passionate and hopeful story about humankind survival through space and time. Also, the soundtrack is just delightful, composed by Hans Zimmer.

The last movie I watched in a theatre was Mala Junta. A chilean movie which narrated a story about a couple of kids who met each other at small town in the Región de la Araucania. I totally recomend it, such a simple but visceral movie about the conflict in that region.

Entry N°3 - My favorite book

I have not read many books in my life, less than 100 for sure.  But my favorite authors are Mario Vargas Llosa and Albert Camus.  My kind of books is generally fiction novels, with detail descriptions and wild character frames. One of my favorite books is ‘The Stranger’, by Camus. It’s a well narrated short story of a man who’s feeling an outsider not only in the society he lives, but in his own life. Showing sorrow and desperation in a calm and soft way, Camus is able to display the modern life across all of us.

The last book I read was ‘The Lost Head of Damasceno Monteiro’. It narrates the story of a young Portuguese journalist who has to report and investigate a horrible murder of a man who’s head was taken off. The novel combines both mystery and police investigation across it chapters. The way it is written allows to the reader to flow inside its pages and enjoy the book without much effort.  I recommend it totally, it’s a fun, easy digest investigation novel written by Antonio Tabucchi in 1997. 

Entry N°2 - Best concert ever

It was a sunny day on march, 2012 when I entered the Ohiggins Park at Santiago. It was my first Lollapalooza festival ever, I was so excited about it.
I remember the best show there, It was A Perfect Circle show. It's an american band created by the famous musician Maynard James Keenan (Tool band frontman). I remember the atmosphere, everyone was expecting a great show and it was just... perfect. Even some girls on sitting on some man shoulders showed her boobs for the camera and everyone went crazy.
I remember to stood on a wood box trying to see every detail of the stage and the band members and it was amazing. I was with my girlfriend (at least in that time) and watch her face, screaming and singing the songs, such an emotional moment.
James Keenan is one of my favourite musicians in nowadays, watch him perform in front of such a great crowd was an amazing experience, I always dreamt to watch him live, A Perfect Circle's songs were part of my youth and the way I felt that concert will be always on my mind.

Entry N°1: Which country I'd like to visit

When I think to travel the world and know many cultures and people as possible, my first thought is always visit Europe. In that case, one country grabs my attention, Netherlands.

I'd like to visit Netherlands and in particular, it's capital city, Amsterdam because many reasons. One of them is the architecture. Since I was an adolescent I've always wanted to travel there. The old buildings together making narrow alleys full of history, the bridges across the Amstel rivel, the combination between old and modern is what I know most about the city.

If someday I get to travel to Amsterdam, the first thing I'd do is visit the Amsterdam Arena, the home of the city's football club, Ajax, which is my favourite european football club ever. Hope to see one home match someday, feel the heat of the crowd, watch the clean green grass of the field. I'd be amazed.

Also, as I'm interested in cannabis culture and everything that implies that, Netherlands is one of the first countries which legalized the plant. Building a strong industry not only in legal terms, but also in a material way. Coffee shops around the city invite me to try every strain created by this people. Im intersted in visit as many seed banks as possible, including Dutch Passion, Netherland's most famous and know in detail how the industry works. I'd be so happy to talk to every person who works there in order to be aware of what is the peoples image around the plant and its implications.

Finally. maybe today it's kind of difficult to concrete this trip. But if I can save some money around a single year, I'd be easy to achieve this little dream. To be honest I only have plans to visit Amsterdamn as a tourist, know it's culture and people and take photographs. In legal terms would be kind of difficult to stablish a life there, since the goverments have put barriers to inmigrants. But one never knows if the city makes you fall in love with it and choose it as a place for living, regardless the barriers.

Entry N°0

First time writing on this platform. Seems really nice since Google bought it.