Consider Yourself

As we mentioned in a previous post, Survival is the theme song of the London Summer Olympics. But I think a more fitting theme song would be Consider Yourself from the 1968 British musical Oliver! based on the Charles Dicken’s classic Oliver Twist. After all, it’s a song about hospitality. This scene comes at the point in the story when Oliver Twist becomes friends with Jack Dawkins, otherwise known as the Artful Dodger, the leader of a pickpocket gang. The recreation of the 1830’s London streets is incredible, and the choreography is very entertaining too!

Consider yourself at home
Consider youself one of the family
We've taken to [1] you so strong
It's clear we're going to get along [2]
Consider yourself well in
Consider yourself part of the furniture
There isn't a lot to spare [3]
Who cares?..What ever we've goin we share!

If it should chance [4]  to be
We should see
Some harder days
Empty larder [5] days
Why grouse [6]?
Alsyas [7] a-chance we'll meet
Somebody 
To foot the bill [8]
Then the drinks are on the house [9]!
Consider yourself our mate
We don't want to have no fuss [10],
For after some consideration, we can state
Consider yourself
One of us!

---

[1] cogido cariño, [2] llevarse bien, [3] de sobra, [4] por casualidad, [5] dispensa vacía, [6] refunfuñar, [7] "Alls you has", [8] para pagar la cuenta, [9] cortesía de la casa, [10] alboroto

Big Brother...You Decide.

Big Brother has proved to be one of the global TV hit shows of the 21st century and the same is true of reality pop shows like Pop Idol (Operación Triunfo in Spain)  and The X Factor which were British inventions but are now replicated around the globe.Millions of people in the UK watch these shows  and more people  vote in reality television finals than in many elections. The democratisation of fame or just a way for untalented people to get famous ? You decide.

Here is some indispensable vocabulary for fans of the show:

A live eviction  (expulsión en directo) 

To be up for eviction. ( estar nominado)

Housemates ( compañero/s de piso/casa )

Nomination day (día de nominaciones)

The Diary Room ( habitación del diario personal ,en  españa, el confesionario )

Watch part of an episode of this years show (Big Brother UK. Day 38 ).

Survival

The official song of the London Summer Olympics is called Survival by the group Muse. Perhaps in homage to the Royal Jubilee, the style of this song resembles the rock anthems of the rock band Queen. The video that accompanies this song shows a variety of Olympic athletes performing and triumphing in their sports.

Race, life's a race
And I'm gonna win
Yes, I'm gonna win
And I light the fuse [1]
And I'll never lose
And I choose to survive [2]

Whatever it takes
You won't pull ahead [3]
I'll keep up the pace [4]
And I reveal my strength
To the whole human race
Yes, I am prepared

To stay alive
And I won't forgive
Vengeance is mine
And I won't give in [5]
Because I choose to thrive

Yeah we're gonna win !

Race, it's a race
And I'm gonna win
Yes, I'm gonna win
And will I light the fuse
I'll never lose
And I choose to survive

Whatever it takes
You won't pull ahead
'Cause I'll keep up the pace
And I reveal my strength
To the whole human race
Yes, I'm gonna win !

Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!
Win! Win! Win! Win!

Yes, I'm gonna win!

[1] Y enciendo la mecha, [2] Y elijo sibrevivir, [3] no me adelantarás, [4] mantendré el ritmo, [5] no me daré por vencido

Office Humour

Jokes about the funnier side of working in an office can help relieve stress at the workplace . Why don't you take the time to enjoy some office humour ? 

Jokes:

Question - How many people work in this office?      Answer - About half of them. 

Usually the staff of the company play football. The middle level managers are more interested in tennis. The top management usually has a preference for golf. Finding (Hallazgo)- As you go up the corporate ladder (escalera) , the balls reduce in size. 

Some memorable lines: 

 Never be indispensable. If you can't be replaced, you will never get promoted.

 Statistics are like a lamp-post to a drunken man - more for leaning on ( para  apoyarse)  than illumination.

 When I want your opinion, I'll give it to you.

 To err is human, to really foul things up ( liarlo todo )   requires a computer.

And finally some corporate terminology ! 

Competitive salary : We remain competitive by paying less than our competitors.

Casual work atmosphere: (ambiente de trabajo informal )  We don't pay you enough to expect that you'll dress nicely.

Some overtime required : Some time each night and some time each weekend.

Apply in person: If you're old, fat or ugly you'll be told the position has been filled.

Seeking candidates with a wide experience (buscando candidatos con amplia experiencia)  : You'll need it to replace the three people who just left.

Problem-solving skills a must: You're walking into a company in perpetual chaos.

Requires team leadership skills : You'll have the responsibilities of a manager, without the pay or respect.

                                                                                                     Author(s) unknown .

I Wish That I Could See You Soon.

For its 2011 summer campaign, Estrella Damm decided to film on the Catalan coast using the restaurant El Bulli, by the renowned Catalan chef Ferran Adrià, as the backdrop [1]. This time the French group Herman Düne provided the music with their 2007 hit I Wish That I Could See You Soon. Of course, many here in Spain had never heard of the song until the beer company decided to use it for their commercial, when it became one of  the "songs of summer". Below the video of the commercial, you can find the lyrics and the original video.

I had to leave you and go away,
But I think about you every day,
In the morning and in the afternoon
I wish that I could see you soon.

And when I held you I felt so fine,
It was like there was nothing left on my mind,
It was like Rockaway Beach in the month of June,
I wish that I could see you soon.

I have no plans to meet you babe,
I had a million things to do babe,
But it hit my heart with a harpoon [2],
I wish that i could see you soon.

The angels go
How long till you can see her?
And I'm like - the sooner the better.
Do you really think she'll wait for you?
Well, I have no way to say and there's nothing I can do.
Well, I have no way to say and there's nothing I can do.
 Go!

(Not I see?)
Now that I'm across the sea,
I wonder if you're gonna wait for me,
Or if you're gonna find a new boy to spoon [3],
I wish that I could see you soon.

And if you wait a little, my pretty friend,
Until I come back to hold your hand,
Will be like bugs [4] when they break through [5] the cocoon [6],
You know, I wish that I could see you soon.

It has been a while since I felt like this,
And now I've found someone I really miss.
Under the sun, under the moon,
I wish that I could see you soon.

Angels!
How long till you can see her?
And I'm like - the sooner the better.
Do you really think she'll wait for you?
And I'm like -
There's no way to say and there's nothing I can do,
And there's no way to say and there's nothing I can do.
-- go!

How long till you can see her?
And I'm like, well, the sooner the better.
Do you really think she'll wait for you?
And i'm like -
There's no way to say and there's nothing I can do,
And there's no way to say and there's nothing I can do,
And there's no way to say and there's nothing I can do,
No way to say and there's nothing I can do.

[1] telon de fondo, [2] arpón, [3] liarse, [4] bichos, [5] atravesan, [6] capullo

The Sphinx Without A Secret (Part 3)

"I wanted to get to Picadilly..."

     'When Monday came round I went to lunch with my uncle, and about four o'clock found myself in the Marylebone Road. My uncle, you know, lives in Regent's Park. I wanted to get to Piccadilly, and took a short cut through a lot of shabby little streets. Suddenly I saw in front of me Lady Alroy, deeply veiled and walking very fast. On coming to the last house in the street, she went up the steps, took out a latch-key, and let herself in. "Here is the mystery," I said to myself; and I hurried on and examined the house. It seemed a sort of place for letting lodgings. On the doorstep lay her handkerchief, which she had dropped. I picked it up and put it in my pocket. Then I began to consider what I should do. I came to the conclusion that I had no right to spy on her, and I drove down to the club. At six I called to see her. She was lying on a sofa, in a tea-gown of silver tissue looped up by some strange moonstones that she always wore. She was looking quite lovely. "I am so glad to see you," she said; "I have not been out all day." I stared at her in amazement, and pulling the handkerchief out of my pocket, handed it to her. "You dropped this in Cumnor Street this afternoon, Lady Alroy," I said very calmly. She looked at me in terror, but made no attempt to take the handkerchief. "What were you doing there?" I asked. "What right have you to question me?" she answered. "The right of a man who loves you," I replied; "I came here to ask you to be my wife." She hid her face in her hands, and burst into floods of tears. "You must tell me," I continued. She stood up, and , looking me straight in the face, said, "Lord Murchison, there is nothing to tell you." - "You went to meet some one," I cried; "this is your mystery." She grew dreadfully white, and said, "I went to meet no one," - "Can't you tell the truth?" I exclaimed. "I have told it," she replied. I was mad, frantic; I don't know what I said, but I said terrible things to her. Finally I rushed out of the house. She wrote me a letter the next day; I sent it back unopened, and started for Norway with Alan Colville. After a month I came back, and the first thing I saw in the Morning Post was the death of Lady Alroy. She had caught a chill at the opera, and had died in five days of congestion of the lungs. I shut myself up and saw no one. I had loved her so much, I had loved her so madly. Good God! How I had loved that woman!'  'You went to the street, to the house in it?' I said. 'Yes,' he answered.

" She sat in the  drawing room..."

 'One day I went to Cumnor Street. I could not help it; I was tortured with doubt. I knocked at the door, and a respectable-looking woman opened it to me. I asked her if she had any rooms to let. "Well, sir," she replied, "the drawing-rooms are supposed to be let; but I have not seen the lady for three months, and as rent is owing on them, you can have them." - "Is this the lady?" I said, showing the photograph. "That's her, sure enough," she exclaimed; "and when is she coming back, sir?" - "The lady is dead," I replied. "Oh, sir, I hope not!" said the woman; "she was my best lodger. She paid me three guineas a week merely to sit in my drawing-rooms now and then." - "She met some one here?" I said; but the woman assured me that it was not so, that she always came alone, and saw no one. "What on earth did she do here?" I cried. "She simply sat in the drawing-room, sir, reading books, and sometimes had tea," the woman answered. I did not know what to say, so I have her a sovereign and went away. Now, what do you think it all meant? You don't believe the woman was telling the truth?
     'I do. 
     'Then why did Lady Alroy go there?
     'My dear Gerald,' I answered, 'Lady Alroy was simply a woman with a mania for mystery. She took these rooms for the pleasure of going there with her veil down, and imagining she was a heroine. She had a passion for secrecy, but she herself was merely a Sphinx without a secret.'

     'Do you really think so?'

     'I am sure of it,' I replied.

     He took out the morocco case, opened it, and looked at the photograph. 'I wonder?' he said at last.

Translation

El lunes fui a almorzar con mi tío,  y alrededor de las  cuatro me encontraba en  Marylebone Road. Mi tío, como sabes, vive en Regent’s Park. Yo quería llegar a Piccadilly y tomé un atajo por muchas callejuelas miserables. De repente , vi delante de mí a lady Alroy,  tapada con un velo túpido y andando muy deprisa. Al llegar a la última casa de la calle, subió la escalera , sacó una llave y entró en ella. "Aquí está el misterio", pensé; y me acerqué presuroso a examinar la vivienda. Parecía ser una pensión. Ella había dejado caer un pañuelo en el último escalón. Lo recogí y lo metí en mi bolsillo. Entonces empecé a pensar  sobre lo que debía hacer. Llegué a la conclusión de que no tenía el menor derecho a espiarla así que me fuí en carruaje al club. A las seis aparecí en su casa. Se hallaba recostada en un sofá, con un elegante vestido de tisú plateado sujeto con unas extrañas adularias que siempre llevaba. Estaba muy hermosa. 

-No sabe cuánto me alegro de verlo -dijo-; no he salido en todo el día .

La miré sorprendido, y sacando el pañuelo de mi bolsillo, se lo entregué. 

-Se le cayó esta tarde en  Cumnor Street , lady Alroy -dije muy tranquilamente.. 

Me miró horrorizada, pero no hizo ninguna tentativa de coger el pañuelo. 

-¿Qué estaba haciendo allí? -pregunté. 

-¿Y qué derecho tiene usted a preguntármelo? -replicó ella. 

-El derecho de un hombre que la quiere -contesté-; he venido para pedirle que sea mi esposa. 

Ocultó el rostro entre las manos y se deshizo en un mar de lágrimas. 

-Debe contármelo -continué. 

Ella se puso en pie y, mirándome a la cara, respondió: 

-Lord Murchison, no tengo nada que contarle. 

-Fue usted a reunirse con alguien -afirmé-; ése es su misterio. 

Lady Alroy palideció terriblemente y dijo: 

-No fui a reunirme con nadie. 

-¿Acaso no puede decir la verdad? -exclamé. 

-Ya se la he dicho -contestó. 

Yo estaba loco, enfurecido; no recuerdo mis palabras, pero le dije cosas terribles. Finalmente, me precipité fuera de su domicilio. Ella me escribió una carta al día siguiente; se la devolví sin abrir y me fui a Noruega con Alan Colville. Regresé un mes más tarde y lo primero que leí en el Morning Post fue la muerte de lady Alroy. Se había resfriado en la ópera, y había muerto de una congestión pulmonar a los cinco días. Me encerré en casa y no quise ver a nadie. La había amado tanto, la había amado tan locamente.Dios mío.  ¡Cuánto había amado a esa mujer! 

-¿Y nunca fuiste a aquella casa? -le interrumpí. 

-Sí -replicó. 

Un día me dirigí a Cumnor Street. No pude evitarlo; me torturaba la duda. Llamé a la puerta y me abrió una mujer de aire respetable. Le pregunté si tenía alguna habitación para alquilar. 

-Verá, señor -contestó-, en teoría los salones están alquilados; pero, como hace tres meses que la señora no viene y que nadie paga el alquiler, puede usted quedarse con ellos. 

-¿Es ésta su inquilina? -quise saber, mostrándole la foto. 

-Sin duda alguna -exclamó-, y ¿cuándo piensa volver, señor? 

-La señora ha fallecido -contesté.

-¡Oh, señor, qué pena! -dijo la mujer-. Era mi mejor inquilina. Me pagaba tres guineas a la semana sólo por sentarse en mis salones de vez en cuando. 

-¿Se reunía con alguien? -le pregunté. 

Pero la mujer me aseguró que no, que siempre llegaba sola y jamás veía a nadie. 

-¿Y qué diablos hacía? -inquirí. 

-Se limitaba a sentarse en el salón, señor, y leía libros; a veces también tomaba el té -respondió ella. 

No supe qué contestarle, así que le di una libra y me marché. 

-Y bien, ¿qué crees que significaba todo aquello? ¿No pensarás que la mujer decía la verdad? 

-Pues claro que lo pienso. 

-Entonces, ¿por qué acudía allí lady Alroy? 

-Mi querido Oswald -replicó-, lady Alroy era simplemente una mujer obsesionada con el misterio. Alquiló esas habitaciones por el placer de ir allí tapada con su velo, imaginando que era la heroína de una novela. Le encantaban los secretos, pero no era más que una esfinge sin secreto. 

-¿De veras lo crees? 

-Estoy convencido. 

Sacó la cajita de tafilete, la abrió y contempló la fotografía. 

-Sigo teniendo mis dudas -exclamó finalmente.

You Can’t Say No Forever

Every year, Estrella Damm’s summer advertising campaign, features  an idyllic, youthful commercial with a catchy song. This year’s song is called You Can’t Say No Forever by the Swedish group, Lacrosse. Below, is the Estrella’s commercial with the Serra Tramuntana, recently named a World Heritage Site, in Mallorca as the backdrop.  Further below are the lyrics and the band’s official 2008 video.

There are still some things I’d like to say to you
Some things you should see
but since we're not that close no more
I’m gonna have to let it be [1]

Although it’s really annoying,
and is bugging [2] me a lot
I'm just gonna be quiet,
and maybe you will work it out - but i doubt it

You cant say no forever, no no no,
sometimes you should let it slide [3], ah ah ah aaaah,
I know I’m not so clever [4], no no no no,
but you’re not the picky [5] kind.

Sometimes when I call you,
I just feel like hanging up [6]
You’re not getting any older
and it never seems to stop.

Now if I was you’re boyfriend/girlfriend,
I would tell you all of this
But since we’re not together
I’m not saying anything at all

You cant say no forever, no no no,
you have to let me in, ah ah ah aaaah,
You are really stubborn [7], no no no no,
but in the end I always win

Badadaaddadaddadaaaaaaa bada da ba da da

[1] dejarlo estar, [2] fastidiando, [3] haz que te resbale, [4] listo, [5] quisquilloso, [6] colgar, [7] tozudo

The Road To Independence

In addition to the British, the French also wanted colonies in the Americas. They started to settle in Canada and a series of wars were waged [1] between them. In the end the British won, but at the cost of the United States. The French wars were very expensive and the British government decided to tax their American colonists to pay for them. 

The colonists didn’t like this, especially since they had no representation in the British parliament, and so they protested. A popular slogan was “No taxation without representation!” In December 1773 they attacked a ship carrying tea and threw all the tea into Boston Harbour, an incident called the Boston Tea Party. Tension grew and the colonists declared their independence from Britain on July 4th 1776. The war lasted [2] until 1783 when the British were finally defeated and America was free. 

America was now a country made up of [3] 13 colonies. In 1787, representatives from these states met and wrote a constitution for the new nation. They didn’t want a monarchy so they asked George Washington, the commander of the American army in the war against Britain, to be President. They decided to have a Congress like the British parliament, but the Senate had two elected representatives from each state and no Lords! The old colonies kept [4] a lot of their powers as individual states. The nation’s new capital was called Washington and the White House was built for the President and Capitol Hill for the Congress. 

[1] se hicieron guerras, [2] durar, [3] hecho de, [4] conservaron