LONELINESS

I don't remember ever really suffering from this, though I know others who do. It really is terribly sad to discover that a lot of people ARE lonely. But what IS loneliness? Who suffers from it? What causes it? When does it occur? Can it be cured?

I can't honestly pretend to be able to answer all these questions, and quite frankly I'm not sure I'm qualified to try and do so. I have done a little research on the subject, though, and I'm convinced that you can deal effectively with loneliness by increasing your physical and social activities. Join a club, any club, or an association, any association. Take up a new activity, a new hobby, such as painting, or pottery, or solving puzzles, or making small models. Design your own clothes, write a book, or a diary, or poetry. Read, and read, and read: other people's experiences will undoubtedly make your own suffering lighter. Chat on the internet, or by sms. Send e-mails. Look for information on the internet - there are literally millions of interesting webs you can browse through. Reach out, with your hand, with your phone, with your mind. There's always someone out there waiting for YOUR call.

But above all, BELIEVE IN YOURSELF. You probably don't think it's true, but you are the object of admiration of more than one person. Other people really do like you. Other people love you. Other people think you're great, fun, interesting. DON'T LET YOUR SELF-ESTEEM GET LOW. Try looking at yourself in the mirror every morning and say to yourself over and over again: "I AM SPECIAL, I AM SPECIAL" Because you really ARE special. I think, I really do think, you're very special.

Although ultimately commercial, these links seem interesting.
http://www.selfesteem4women.com/index.php?ad=
http://www.retirement-matters.co.uk/gparchive/loneliness.htm
http://www.seniors.gov.au/internet/seniors/publishing.nsf/Content/Loneliness+and+social+isolation
Spanish speaking readerswill find these links quite useful.
http://revista.consumer.es/web/es/20011001/interiormente/
http://www.elmundo.es/magazine/m64/textos/soledad1.html

Some songs that tackle "loneliness are:
Goodbye my loneliness by Zard (will really make you feel on top of the world!)
Loneliness by Tomcraft / The loneliness by Babyface / Killing loneliness by HIM /
4 seasons of loneliness by Boyz II men / love steals us from loneliness by Idlewild /AND MORE

Here's one song, though, that stands high above the rest. The lyrics are beautiful, the music is lovely, the voice is so special - Gladys Knight - Help me make it through the night. I just Love it! She starts by dedicating it to "especially for all of you out there...." . (Try Elvis Presley's version too - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2yMPsAsHQY

APOLOGIES and PEACE CONCERT

First of all, I want to apologise publicly to Georgina for spelling her name wrongly. I'm sorry georgina, I thought it was spelt the Italian way.

Next week - on Thursday 26th, to be precise - we're holding a peace concert at the FIAC Escola d'Idiomes in Sabadell. (C/Fortuny - touching near Plaza d'Angel). The occasion is the end of the course. Some of the teachers there thought we could also pay a tribute to all the students who demonstrated against war and injustice in 1968 (Paris, especially).

One of the songs we'll sing is a 1963 Bob Dylan classic: "Blowing in the wind".

Here's a video from youtube.com. It's an original version sung by Bob Dylan and Joan Baez - two giants of the protest song movement. The lyrics are on the left.

WA, YEAH

A few days ago, while zapping, I stumbled across a pop concert at the Liceu. I thought they were singing in English, at first. The group was backed by an orchestra and the tune was quite catchy. Before I could make out the words, the song had ended. However, after a short pause, they sang it again, this time in Catalan (I say Catalan, but in fact it was the Catalan spoken in Majorca, which is only slightly different, I think).

Anyway, I checked up and, to my great surprise, nobody had heard of this song until Giorgina, one of my students said:"Antonio Font". In fact, their name is Antònia Font - a curious name for an all-male group! The song was great and I really enjoyed it. I hope you enjoy it too. Video on the left. Lyrics below

WORDS AND MUSIC BY - JOAN MIQUEL OLIVER
Jo cant sa lluna i s'estrella, sa jungla i es bosc animat,

es tren, es vaixell, s' avioneta i es teu submarí aquí aparcat.

Jo cant es cafè i sa galleta, quan dius tu podries ser meu,

què sexy, que dolça i que freda, wa yeah!

Sa zebra que passa un semàfor i com se desmonta un bidet,

cosmètics i Margaret Astor, ja sé com s'escriu Juliette.

Jo cant sa rosa i es cactus i moltes més coses també,

un llapis d'Ikea, un pistatxo, wa yeah!

Què divertit lo que escric quan estic avorrit,

per exemple es teu cos, es jersei destenyit,

es carrer blanc de sol, es meu cos a damunt,

per exemple, es teu llit de penombra i llençols

amb es termo espenyat, per exemple dormits ...

Jo cant sa lluna i s'estrella, sa jungla i es bosc animat,

es tren, es vaixell, s'avioneta i es teu submarí aquí aparcat.

Jo cant sa fruita vermella i quan acabi riuré,

calàpets, nenúfars, princeses, wa yeah!

REPEAT TWICE - from "Què divertit ..... to .... dormits ..."

On the death of BO DIDDLEY

The great man has just passed away.

Most of my younger readers have probably never heard of him. He created the rythm: TUM - tu - tum -TUM - space - TUM TUM (also known as the Bo Diddley beat and copied since by a large number of groups and singers).

You can read his full biography in English at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bo_Diddley

and in Spanish at:
http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bo_Diddley

Here's a great video (posted by "fredys" on youtube.com - thanks, fredy) taken from the 1972 or '73 film "Let The Good Times Roll". It shows Bo Diddleys in great form; a truly unbeatable sound.

Lyrics: With a beat like that...... WHO NEEDS LYRICS!