last post translation

A few of you have asked what the song from my last post was actually saying, so here's a "more or less" translation. :)

I'm about to start travelling

toward the unknown

I don't know if I will see you again

It's not easy to accept having lost.

Chorus:

No matter how much I begged you not to leave me,

you said, "It's not me, it's destiny."

And then I understood that even though I loved you,

I had to choose another road.

What good does life do me

if I don't live it with you?

What good does hope do me

if it's the last thing that dies

and without you, I've lost it [hope].

What good does life do me

if you are what I want / ask for

I go after your tenderness

but I don't have a single doubt

that you leave me without your kisses.

Listen well, love, what I tell you

because I don't think I'll have another chance

to tell you that I'm not sorry

that I gave you my heart.

Chorus

"De qué me sirve la vida," por Camila

This video is one of my favorite reminders that every single person - whether or not we know them, no matter their opinions or whether we agree - is a person, just like me.  Every person has hopes and dreams and fears and worries, just like I do.  It's easy to see people just as other humans walking around; it takes more effort to remember we're all so alike.

Basically it says, "What good is life to me if I have to live it without you?"which can be interpreted as just a love song, but I think it also applies to people around us.  What good is life if we have to live it without each other?  The point of this life is to learn to love and serve, to make families, and to learn to be Christlike.  If each of us were isolated with no human contact, what good would living do?  We need each other.

Yes, most of the examples in this video are sad.  That's not to say that every person is sad or has some depressing secret.  I, personally, am pretty happy.  I have bad days, too, though.  You never know if it's someone's good or bad day.  All the people in the video look "normal" and have something sad in their lives.  To me, it says that everyone has their own struggles and we don't always know each others', so we should be kind to everyone, no matter what.  "Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle."

Edit: Some of you asked what the song was saying.  Here is a "more or less" translation. :)

English translations of the posters people hold up:
"Your words are knives."  "I have AIDS. Don't be afraid of me."  "Listen."  "My family abandoned me. I have nothing."  "I am addicted to suffering."  "No one loves me. I am worth nothing."  "I have AIDS. Don't be afraid of me." (again)  "I also dream. I also am human."  "My name is Martín. My dad makes me rob people in the streets. I am not a criminal. What am I supposed to do?"  "My name is Julián. I am gay. I was kicked out of my house. They tell me I am a punishment, a curse / damnation."  "My name is Ana. I see myself as fat. Ugly. Horrible. I am disgusted by myself."  "My name is Beatriz. I am 13 years old. My stepfather raped me."  "They wrote this for me. I am illiterate."  "[Beatriz] And my dignity?"  "I am an alcoholic. My only friend is the drink. My family left me. I have nothing."  "Don't discriminate against me."  "[Beatriz] Will you also sexually abuse me?"  "They killed my brothers and now, who will protect me?"  "I am also gay."  "What did I do to you? Why can you not accept me as I am? Why can I not love without hiding?"  "I am María. I am 16 years old. I am pregnant. My parents don't know."  "I need love, too. Don't make fun of me."  "[María] My boyfriend left me. What do I do now? I am afraid."  "My husband hits me. I live terrified."  "In this second, a woman dies because of domestic violence.  She could be your friend, your mother, or even you."  "Should I tell that he hits me? Or should I be quiet? What would you do?"  "Respect others."  "Yes. I'm fat. Obese. And?"  "If you see or know about familial abuse, do something. Report it."  "Don't give up hope. All will be well."  "Don't waste time. Ask for help. Now."  "Don't hurt. Don't kill."  "I'm Julie. They shut me up in an asylum."  "Accept."  "[Julie] I carry solitude with me as I live."  "I live in a nursing home. I am a nuisance to my family.  Please don't ignore me."  "I want to commit suicide."  "You're not alone."  "I feel for you."  "Fight!"  "Don't be quiet. Break the silence."  "Don't ignore others' pain. Help!"  "Accept those who are different and think differently."  "I'm Esteban. I get beat up at school. My teachers and parents ignore me."  "Have hope."  "Open your mind. Open your heart."  "Never stop dreaming."  "Never stop acting / doing something."  "Learn. Change."  "Open your eyes to the soul."  "I also have rights."  "Share. We need you."  "Enough with violence."  "Live without fear. Love exists."  "Participate."  

"All children, except one, grow up."

Joel got me this beautiful leather-bound copy of Peter Pan for Christmas, and I love it.  The copy, but also the story.  I learned the "true" story when I was younger and my dad read it to us at bedtime.  I loved it then, and I love it now.  If you've never read it, you should check it out.  J.M. Barrie's writing style is fantastical in a way that seems like it should be real.  It reminds me of other fairytale recorders / writers, like Hans Christian Andersen or Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm.  

---

John's [Neverland], for instance, had a lagoon with flamingoes flying over it..., while Michael, who was very small, had a flamingo with lagoons flying over it.

washi tape

If any of you are into crafting, I'll let you know that pickyourplum.com is currently having an awesome deal on washi tape, making it $1.50/roll.  Hurry, though! They're a "daily deal" website, and each deal is only available while supplies last.  I may or may not have just bought one of each color available. :)

(Washi tape is like colored / patterned masking tape.)

not with an iron

Why, yes, we did go curling last night! 

And it was sooooooooo fun.

We paid $20 (total, for a 2-hour class and equipment for both us) and boogied on over to this rink where we learned how to curl, practiced, and then played a game.  It was so fun!  We're definitely going back.  

They give you that white handle for balancing when you go into the lunge.

You drag your leg/toes behind you, pigeon-toedly. Hey! I'm good at that!

Joel, gearing up for the launch.

He did a really good job!

Concentrate...

SWEEP!  Hurry hard!

And, for your viewing pleasure... 

(Watch the first minute if you don't have time for the full 22:22.)

The Naming Ceremony

(reference to The Giver, by the way)

Well, we've all known this day would come - the day when I finally change my blog's title from my online name at school (since this blog was started as an assignment) to something cooler.  I've been thinking about this for weeks, people, and I'm coming up blank!

Requirements:
- have something to do with me and/or my family
- not be lame

Possible nickname to throw into the mix:
- She

Possible "catchphrases" to throw into the mix:
- "I'm sure I don't know."
- "I hate to break it to you, but ____(compliments myself)_____."
- "Whaaaaaaat."

Thoughts based on friends' blogs' titles:
- J and my names don't start with the same letter, so there goes a "squared" title.
- This is not a crafty blog, so it can't contain "made" or "sew(s)," etc.
- Also not a teaching blog, so although that's what I do, I don't want the title to reflect that.

Favorite quotes:


Other:
- something based on the URL? No - requirement 2 (to be referenced from now on as R2).
- My favorite color is orange.
- This blog has no specific topic - optimism, spiritual stuff, teaching, babies, husband, the Beatles, movie reviews, recipes... It's mostly about what I do and whatever I'm thinking about.
- I do not live in a big city.
- I love fairytales.
- "Family name: Established ___."  R2.  Some people can do it; not me.
- I speak Spanish.

Moral of the story:
The title of this blog will probably change all the time now, until I finally find something that works. Wish me luck!