Finishing the semester

This is my last post for this semester. The true it is hard for me to write a free topic. I really prefer when the teacher give the topic. However, I enjoyed many of my writings. In addition, tomorrow is the last class. I can say   that it was one of the best course I have taken. Everything in this course was very good, the writings and the readings. I really enjoyed. When people ask me about the teachers of the NCC I say without dude than Robert is one of the best teachers. I hope that the next semester the course will be as good as this semester. The semester is gone and the summer is coming so lets enjoyed the weather.

My birthday is coming...

Next Wednesday will be my birthday. I really don't care too much that date. Everyone ask me about what I am going to do and I really don't know. When I was in my country all my friend always do for their birthdays a big parties. On the other hand,  I prefer something like go out to dinner and couple wines. Here I feel the same I prefer to do something like that. I really don't like big parties for my birthday. In addition, I think that is date to share with family, my parents and my sister. So let's way to Wednesday to see what happen. I think the most important think is look back to analyze the past year and look forward to make plans for the next year. I think this year that is passing was good, but I can not complete my plans so I hope I can do it by next year.

En Coma

The last post I talked about Colombian movies. Nowadays there is a new movie in the cinemas named "En coma" which is about my city and what is grow up in there. Colombian director Juan David Restrepo has decided to premiere his new film "En coma" in the same Medellin neighborhood where the filming took place, rather than in a national theater.The entire cast of the film will be present at the Thursday May 5 showing, in the southwest Medellin neighborhood of Antioquia, which will also consist of a pig roast and a concert involving all of the musicians featured in the movie, among them popular vallenato musicians Daniel Calderon and Los Gigantes."En coma" is a story set amidst the trials of life growing up in Medellin, and originated from the necessity to bring global attention to the city and say "look what happens here".

Colombian Movies

One of the things I really miss is the cinema in Colombia, not for the Hollywood movies because I can watch them here, I really miss the Colombian movies they are really good. The production, the actors, the topics, everything about them is amazing. In fact, Colombian movies have won many international awards. There are many Colombian movies that are about interesting topics of Colombia.

Tony Hawks

In the last post I mentioned Tony Hawks who is the best skater of the world. I mentioned him because he is the motivation of my nephew. So I would like to talk a little be about him.  Anthony Hawk known as Tony Hawks is an american professional skater who is known as the best of the world. Hawk gained significant fame for completing the first 900 as well as his licensed video games titles. He is widely considered one of the most successful and influential pioneers of modern vertical skateboarder. Raised in San Diego, California, Hawk was described as being "hyperactive" as a child. His parents supported his skateboarding because it served as an outlet for his excessive energy, and as Hawk's skills developed, he became a professional skateboarder at age fourteen. In 1999, he became the first skater to land a 900 in competition. In 2002, he created the Boom Boom Huck Jam, an extreme sports competition in Las Vegas. Throughout his career, Hawk has made numerous appearances in films and other media, as well as his own series of video games.

Jacob and his skateboard

Jacob is my older nephew,  he is five years old and he is so smart and he has a great ability. Weeks ago I gave him an skateboard because he always play the game of Tony Hawks on his Wii. I thought that it will be like the other toys, but it is not. Now he so enthusiast   with that sports. Every day I drive him to the skate park in Norwalk beach. In there everyone is much older than him, but he doesn't pay attention of that. He is practice so much and everyday is better. Sometimes I am afraid or accident or something like that because that is an extreme sport, but he has to try what he wants. I will support him on everything.

Christmas in my country

This post is to tell you how is the celebration for Christmas in my family. My family is catholic for that reason we celebrate Christmas on december 24. All my family go to the gran mother's house at the evening. In there we have a dinner. Before 12 am, around 20 minutes before, my grand mom with all the children go to the patio of the house and they start to pray to God. At the same time, the adults are hiding the gifts for all family. Then when is 12 am everybody runs around the house to search gifts. In this tradition, all members of the family have any task to do. The meaning of the tradition is basically that baby Jesus comes at 12 am to give gifts for everyone. The children don't know that the adults are who hide the gifts, they think that while they are praying with grand mom baby jesus comes from the sky and he leave the gifts.

The United States

I believe that come to The United States changed my life. I believe that because many important aspects of my life changed in good way since I came here. In addition, I have learned a lot of things that make my life better and I have known a lot of people that make me see the life from different points. I believe that because I have seen that the world is full of opportunities and I can get them. For these reasons I believe that come to U.S has changed my life. Coming to this country has changed my life in different ways, one of the most important is the relationship between my family and I. Before I came here, I lived in Colombia with my sister and my parents lived here. It is obvious that now we all are together and our relation is closer, but it is not just for that, here everything is different than in our country. For example, when my parents, my sister, and I lived in there we had a lot of problems which were obstacles between us. In addition, when I was in my country I had everything. For example, I studied in a great school, I went to the best university of my city. I always had everything that I wanted, such as cars, bikes or another material things that are really not important. I could have everything, but my happiness was never completely and I spent a lot of time of my life doing bad things. For example, I spent a lot of time in parties. Now, however, I think I am a better person and I can say that I am so happy. Of course, I have problems like everybody has, but my relationship with my family is much better and that makes me feel so good.

Netflix, Blockbuster, Amazon movies, Itunes.

I use to watch movies a TV shows by Netflix. However, I am suscribed to Blockbuster too. Weeks ago I needed a movie for the college, so I went to Blockbuster because I needed the DVD. When I got to the store I discovered that they were closing. I couldn't believe Blockbuster was closing. I have known Blockbuster for long time, in fact I used Blockbuster when I was in Colombia. When I asked they guy why he told that not too much people were usong blockbuster because now most of the people Rent movies online. I know that it is tru because I do. There are many services, such as Netflix, Amazon movies and Itunes where people cant rent movies online and these services are easier and cheaper. For example, Netflix, I pay 15 dolars per month and I can watch unlimited movies and tv shows. In addition, you can wat h the movies, in laptops, Ipad, Ipod, Iphone, by Wii, PS3, in fact the new TVs come with Netflix already installed. So lets watch the movie.

Mother's day

Today is mother's day, it is a special day not only for mothers, it is especial for everyone. People celebrate this day with their mothers and the mothers around. In my house has two mothera, my mom and my sister. Today my brother in law and I cooked for them. We did a meat lasagna. This is the recipe.


Ingredients

1 pound sweet Italian sausage
3/4 pound lean ground beef
1/2 cup minced onion
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
2 (6.5 ounce) cans canned tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
12 lasagna noodles
16 ounces ricotta cheese
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 pound mozzarella cheese, sliced
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

In a Dutch oven, cook sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until well browned. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Season with sugar, basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons parsley. Simmer, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain noodles, and rinse with cold water. In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, remaining parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
To assemble, spread 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Arrange 6 noodles lengthwise over meat sauce. Spread with one half of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with a third of mozzarella cheese slices. Spoon 1 1/2 cups meat sauce over mozzarella, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers, and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil: to prevent sticking, either spray foil with cooking spray, or make sure the foil does not touch the cheese.
Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Cartagena Colombia

Cartagena is a large Caribbean beach city on the northern coast of my country and is the capital of the department of Bolivar. Cartagena is the fifth largest city of Colombia and it is a centre of economic activity in the Caribbean, as well a popular tourist destination. Cartagena played an important role in the development of the region during the Spanish. In 1984, Cartagena's colonial walled city and fortress were designated a Unesco as World Heritage site. I really recomend this city for cavaction. Its beaches are so beatiful and its colonial archicture is amazing.

House Music

I really like to listen to music, especially house music. House music is a style of electronic music which is originated in Chicago Illinois in the early 1980s, for that reason is known as House of Chicago.. It was initially popularized in 1980s disco clubs of the African-Latino-American, first in Chicago and then in many cities such as NY, Montreal, Toronto, Los Angeles and Miami. It then got to Europe. While house music does not have a direct predecessor in genre, it is considered by some to be strongly influenced by disco with elements of soul and funk. House music is based on four-by-four dance structure, popularized by disco, frequent use of a prominent bass drum on every beat, and may feature a prominent synthesizer, bass, electro drums , and vocals. I really recommend House Music for relax or for party.

Osama's pictures

After the death of the most dangerous terrorist of the world, Osama bin laden, people are asking the president to show to the public the pictures of the body of Osama. The president said that no pictures will be shown. The family of the victims are angry about it because they say the want to see the body of the person who killed their family members. In addition, people say that they need proves to believe that Osama is death. President said that show the pictures could cause revenge by the Al Quaida. I really agree with the president. First of all, I think that show the pictures could cause more problems. Moreover I think that the pictures are prove of nothing because these days technology permits do whatever we want of pictures. In fact, I can do a picture of Osama with couple shoots on his face. So lets relax and believe he is death.

From hapiness to sadness

Since the president Obama announced last Sunday the death of the terrorist Osama Bin Laden most of the people in The United States have been very happy. Some people is happy because they think that is justice for their death family members. Some other people is happy because they feel now is nothing o be afraid of. However, that is not completely true. There is a big possibility of revenge by the Al Quaida terrorist group. In fact, today the group confirm the death of Osama Bin Laden the leader of the group and they said "people of The United States will pass from the happiness to the sadness". In my opinion, this is really scared. We know what this group is capable to do. In fact, the government found on the documents of Osama that they were planning to attack the trains of the U.S on the anniversary of 09/11. Nowadays we are noticing that the airports, train stations, and many important places have more secure than normal. So my questions are: Is this only precaution? Does the government know more than we know? Should we know everything that government knows? I think we sould.

Facebook as a marketing tool

Facebook is the biggest social network in the world. At the first people used to use Facebook to be in touch with friends and families, share pictures, videos, information or simply to say happy birthday or hello. Facebook has had a great development on the last years. Now Facebook is not only a social network, it is also a business network. Most of the companies around the world has a page on Facebook. Most of the brands advertise on Facebook. In addition, a lot of people are using Facebook to run small business or simply to trade. Facebook is a very good way to be in touch with costumers because people visit the Facebook page everyday and many times per day. So it is easier make people visit a Facebook business page than visit the business website. For small business is a very good tool because they can advertise, be in touch with costumers, get new costumers or get a data base for free. I studied Administrative Engineer that is like a business management and I really recommend Facebook as a marketing tool.

Blackberry or Iphone

Some people always ask themselves this question. I asked my self this question months ago. I had an Iphone before but it was so bad so I upgrade my line and I was confused about which phone buy. I bought a Blackberry torch that is supposed to be the best Blackberry. I don't know if it is the best Blackberry or not, I only know that it was big mistake. Blackberrys don't have any point of comparison with Iphone. This phone get frizzed so frequently and I have to reboot it. In addition, the apps that the app store offers are much better than the apps of the Blackberry world. For example, Skype is not possible in Blackberries and Skype is one of the best apps you can text, you can talk, you can have video calls, and all for free. Moreover the service that you get from the Apple store is very good. So my suggestion is if you can don't have any dude in buy an Iphone.

MTB

My favorite sports is mountain biking. Since I was a child I always have liked bikes and motorcycles. In fact, I have a Suzuki SV650 which is my baby. When I was a child I used to practice BMX that is a races on a bike on dirty trial. Now I am practice mountain
biking only for have fun. Here in Connecticut is many nice places to practice the sport, for example Old Mine park in Trumbull and Miaunus River park in Greenwich. Both places, have many trials for every kind of difficult level. I like MTB because is an sport which you can enjoy with the nature, such as forest or desserts. In addition, the sport has many levels like downhill or uphill. However, the sport cold be dangerous if you don't use the correct protection like helmet.

My City

My native city Medellin is located in a valley called Aburra valley in the department of Antioquia. My city is so beautiful and is called the city of the eternal Spring because all the year the weather is like Spring season between 70 and 80 degrees. Medellin is the second largest city of Colombia and the second biggest economy of the country. Medellin has a combination of old and new architecture that makes the city looks so nice. The Medellin has a variety of industries. However the most important industry for the city is the textile and fashion industry. In the city takes place two of the most important events of the industry in South America they are Colombia Moda and Colombia Text. In addition, the city is known for its gastronomy and its party. The city has a lot of restaurants of native and international food. In fact, there is one of the best gastronomy universities. The party in there is amazing you can find beautiful bar, clubs, and many other places to have fun with friends and family. So I really recommend my city. Ohhhh I almost forget like all the places in my country there is the best coffee in the world.

English class

This semester the English class has been very nice. We don't learn only English, we have learned many things. I always have thought that when something is fun or interesting is easier to learn. I think this class is a good example of that. We read two books, both were very interesting and helpful. This semester we have learned too much about, global warming, sources of energy, green buildings and other interesting topics that are very important nowadays. Plus the books, the articles of the book of the class are very interesting, some of the articles are history, some are about actual topics. More over we have had couple conferences of interesting topics. So in general, I think this combination of things is the best way to learn English.

Osama dead.

The worst tragedy for United States after Pearl Harbor was the 09/11. When the Twin Towers were  destroyed by the forces of Osama Bin Laden. After 10 years of war, two countries almost destroyed (Afghanistan and Iraq) and thousands  of dead soldiers. The U.S forces killed Osama Bin Laden. The Americans are feeling very happy, they feel that the justice is done. Thousand of people are celebrating in NYC and Washington DC.

Spring BBQ time

The weather is getting very nice. One of my favorite activities in this time is making BBQ. I am very good to do it. I use a traditional BBQ of charcoal because the flavor of cooking with charcoal is very very good. I really don't like the BBQ by gas, for me that is same than cook at the home kitchen. My favorite recipe is the ribs. Make a BBQ ribs take me around three hours. I wrap the ribs with aluminum paper and cook them very slow with low fire. Then when I can take the bones with any difficult I unwrap the ribs and put the sauce. I use to cook three class, original BBQ, honey mustard, and honey BBQ. In addition, I prepare a BBQ sauce by myself.
How the ribs take long time, while them are ready I cook another food such as small burgers and shrimps. So lets cook It is spring time.