viernes, 2 de diciembre de 2016

POST 9: CHANGES TO MY STUDY PROGRAMME

Hello everyone! This week I'm going to talk about the possible changes that I would make to my study programme if I have the opportunity.

To start, I think sociology, my career, at my university is a bit abstract. I feel the focus is on the classic theory (which is important, but no fundamental, in my opinion) and very little in the contemporary reality. I'm particulary interested in current problems like "Hikkomori" (coming from Japan, but now spread all over the world, even in Chile), the social networks and the despersonalization.

On the other hand, the workload of studies is sometimes a little hard, but in general it's tolerable. At least I have time to enjoy my hobbies and see movies. However, althrough there are times when I find it annoying to study (I'm very disorganized with that), I think the thoroughness is necessary.
The people don't go to college to be given the degree as a gift. "If I study what I want, it will no matter to me that the teachers demand me" said one person in a TV commercial.

As for the faculty irself,  I would like to have better the lack of space. The cafeterias, for example, fills very quickly at the lunch time. The same thing happens with the libraries. It's as if the campus was like Kowloon.

In spite of this, the kind of people you meet is fantastic and really interesting. From teachers to classmates. Being in my faculty is like being in my second home. Beyond the structural problems, I think the important thing is that, the human environment, and in that my faculty has nothing to envy to any university in the world.

Well, that's all to have to say.
Bye!






jueves, 10 de noviembre de 2016

POST 8: SUMMER HOLIDAYS



Hello everyone! This week I'm going to talk about my plans for my next summer holydays.

To be sincere, I seldom plan my panoramas for my holidays. I always end up improvising. The last summer, for example, luckily I went to the beach for 3 or 4 days. I spent the rest of the time watching movies and series, usually in the early morning, until 4 or 5 AM. It's not a big deal, but for me it's fine.

However, for this summer the things be a bit different. With my dear friend Alejandro we plan to go camping to some hil for one or two weeks.We still don't know exactly which hill, but we will probably go to San José del Maipo. The truth is that I have not been camping since I was a child, so I have to admit I'm a little anxious. Getting away from the comfort of my house is not something I do often. In spite of that, I have the faith that it will be an unforgottable trip, and more especially if I go with Alejandro, who is a great person.

On the other hand, when I'm back in the city, I plan to attend "house concerts", many "house concerts". Some people say that music is a fuel for the soul. Here, in Santiago of Chile, there are a lot of masterful musicians (some of them of a world class, in my opinion) that are presented at very cheap prices and in front of very few people. It's a waste of talent.


Well, that's all I have to say.
Bye!




POST 7: FILMS

Hello everyone! This week I'm going to talk about the films that have impacted me the most and the movies in general.
 
Usually I don't go to cinema or rent DVDs.
The films that you can find there are habitually very commercial. Instead of that, I prefer to download it on my computer and see it in my house. Sometimes I meet with my loving friends in the house of Daniel and we watch movies all night, we drink soda and eat cookies. Yummy!

I like dramatic movies and animations. Some of my favourite directors are David Lynch, Sharunas Bartas and Pete Docter.

The last movie I saw was and iranian mini-documentary called "The House Is Black", which is about the life and sufferind of a leper colony. It's a really disturbing work but quite recommendable. You can find it in youtube.

On the other hand, the worst movie I've seen this year (and probably one of the worst I've seen im my entire life) was "Deadpool". I wish I could forget it.

Also, I think talking about only one favorite movie is ridiculous. I have seen many good movies that are not comparable to each other, so I couldn't tell you which one is better than another. However, "Sill Life" (2013) it's one of the most shocked me in the last time. The protagonist, John May, is a very corteous man. It's about a lonely man who is in charge of contactig the realtives of people who die in lonesomeness. I like this movie because it has a good ending (which I will not tell you for not to ruin the story). In spite of this, I've only seen it 2 times. I know pleople who have seen their favorite movies 10 or 15 times... Is not my style. I recommend it to you with eyes closed. It's a masterpiece.

To finish, one of the movies that I would like to see again is Up (of Pixar), one of my favorite childhood films. It simply fascinates me, drom beginning to end. The story, the dialogues and the characters are fantastics.

Well, that's all I have to say.
Bye!

viernes, 4 de noviembre de 2016

POST 6: POSTGRADUATE STUDIES


Hello everyone! This week I'm going to talk about a posgraduate course that I would cosider taking in the future.
 
Among my main options I consider studying sociomusicology.

As I said in my other posts, the music for me is a magical and amazing thing. Without it my life would be empty. And when I realized that there was a subfield that combined sociology with music, I felt like I arrived to heaven. It's as if it had been created for me.

Among other things, the sociology of music is responsible for studying the social aspects of musical behavior and the role of music in society.

Some of the most important exponents of this subfield are Georg Simmel, Alfred Schutz, Max Weber and Theodor Adono. The latter focused his studies in jazz and classical music.

Personally, I'm interested in studying Latin American folklore and the evolution of Cueca (national dance of my country) over time.

Here, in the faculty where I study,
there is a course about sociomusicology taught by professor Rodrigo Baño, but unfortunately it's only an introductory course. If I intend to delve into this subfield, I will have to leave to study elsewhere.

For the same reason, I would like to take this posgraduate course outside Chile, ideally in USA or Europe, because in my country is a very underdeveloped matter. Besides I have never visited other countries, so I think this would be a very good opportunity to leave. Also, I would like to have classes in a room, mainly to share with teachers and students from other cultures.

Well, that's all I have to say today. 

Bye!

jueves, 20 de octubre de 2016

POST 4: ART

"The painting has a life of its own. I try let i come through." - Jackson Pollock

Hello everyone! This week I'm going to talk about the importance of art and paintig for me.

To start, as it happened to me with music, my closeness to painting started when I was a very young person. When I was about 7 or 8 years old, my father gave me the chance to enter a oil painting academy, to which I attended until I left high school.

Even though I (and my teachers) usually painted realistic images, I always felt a intense admiration for abstract art. For example, for me always it was always a delight to appreciate paintings of Joan Miró or Vasili Kandinski.

Another artist who recently caught my attention enough (which reminds me a little of the works of Jackson Pollock) is Ushio Shinohara, a Japanese Neo-Dadaist painter who often do his work with boxer gloves, by which he hits the canvas. In 2013, he with his wife and director Zachary Heinzerling filmed a documentary about their crazy marriage in New York and the ways in wich both work together.

Here a trailer of the film, which I recommend you see:



To my taste, passionate and chaotic artists like him makes the painting has a real meaning. For me this is the true art.

Well, that’s all I have to say today.

Bye!

jueves, 13 de octubre de 2016

POST 3: MUSIC

"The only love story I ever had was the music." - Maurice Ravel
 
Hello everyone! This week I'm going to talk about the meaning that has had the music in my life.

To start, my relationship with the music began when I was a child. I could say that has always accompanied me. At present it's like a refuge for me.

In my family there are many musicians or music teachers: cousins and uncles, so much for the maternal side as on the paternal side. All of them very talented.

In fact, a cousin taught me to play drums when I was 10 years old. However I was never very good like him and I never training enough, so I only know the basic moves. 

I think it's not for me play music. I simply enjoy listening.

As most people, throughout my life I liked different music genres. In the last time I've been very fascinated with the instrumental and atmospheric music. For me is a very intense experience listening to bands like Sigur Rós or This Will Destroy You. I like that the melodies can be emotional and peaceful.

An example of this can be the OST of the last chapter of "Hey Arnold!" (one of my favorite animated series of my childhood), composed by Jim Lang.
Oh god! Everytime I hear this song I stay shocked.




Definitely my life without music would be empty, and more especially with this kind of music.

Well, that’s all I have to say today.

Bye!

viernes, 7 de octubre de 2016

POST 2: THE BEST CONCERT I'VE HAD

Hello everyone. Today I'm going to talk about the best concert I've had: Zorbas Crisol + Dayanandrea.

Actually it wasn't a big concert as Lollapalooza or other massive festivals. This was more like a "house concert", in a little basement. It happened on April 8 this year.

Zorbas Crisol is a band of Santiago of Chile founded in the summer of 2008. It's composed of 4 members: Tomás Burgos (a guitarist), Rafael Estrada (a bassist), Vicente Pangolin (a drummer) and "Mel Odioso" (a saxophonist. They are a very masterful music players.

The name "Zorbas" came from a character (a big, black and fat cat) of the book "Historia de una gaviota y del gato que le enseñó a volar" of Luis Sepúlveda and their supreme inspiration is the band Mr. Bungle from Californa, United of States.

On the other hand, Dayanandrea is a band founded in 2002, also from Santiago. It's composed of 6 unknown members, but they use nicknames: "Nub Shigurath" (a clarinettist), "Arcoiris" (a saxophonist), "Karmagedon" (a bassist), "Astralopitecus" (a drummer) and "Kaskada" (another saxophonist). They, like Zorbas Crisol, wear masks and disguise themselves when they take the stage. It's crazy.

The atmosphere during the event was very "bizarre" but at the same time comical. The two bands are very strong in their musical styles, so I felt very powerful. I enjoyed it because I love this kind of music and I went with some of my best friends, like Alejandro Múñoz.

Here a live presentation of Zorbas Crisol and Dayanandrea respectively:





Well, that's all I have to say today.

Bye!