The Asylum

2010 - anything is possible

2010-03-08T23:39:00.002+01:00

Hello again after so long.

So as I told you I graduated from interpreting school a couple of months ago, then I moved out, and to top it off, I got a good job offer with a kick-ass starting salary!
And I am still with my bf 6.5 years later, soon to end the long distance part of our relationship.

I have a feeling this year my life is starting and anything is possible.

I hope I am right.

2009-12-31T15:46:00.000+01:00

Good God, two years already? Wela t least I accomplished stuff and got out of the interpreter school with a degree! That's something!!
See you guys again in 5 years maybe!! haha

reading

2007-04-29T22:16:00.000+02:00

AHHH, so much to read....!

Drama

2007-04-26T01:26:00.000+02:00

Recently I started watching a lot of Asian series. I really enjoy it, and it seems to be the big thing these days. Of course I should do my homework instead, but who knows I might become a specialist in Asian studies?

Also I started a new book, "This pen for hire" by Laura Levine, hopefully it'll be good.
Ah, so many things I started a year or two ago and I should finish reading!

But as the French expression goes "petit à petit l'oiseau fait son nid" so I guess I'll do everything, just one thing at a time!

Interpreting school ahoy

2006-12-08T12:52:00.000+01:00

I haven't posted in a long time but here I am right before the end of the year, with all the things that happened between my last post and now. I finally got in the Interpreter school I wanted, and I have lots to read. Right now I am doing a research on NATO. Have any tips to read faster? ^^;

read online

2006-05-14T17:15:00.000+02:00

remember how i wrote a post about how the internet is better than paper? well i got news for you guys! if you read slowly (like me!) then try to read more stuff online, like newspaper articles etc! i noticed i read faster now because since the web page seems small, the article seems short, whereas really it's like 5 normal book pages or something! you should give it a try!

New books

2006-04-03T01:13:00.000+02:00

I started 2 new books:

"Who are we, America's great debate", by Samuel Huntington (ISBN: 0-684-86669-2)

"Le nouveau nationalisme américain", by Anatol Lieven (British guy who knows French politics and is trying to analyze American politics - pretty interesting so far) (ISBN: 2-07-031975-X)

I also started reading Le Monde Diplomatique and there is an interesting article about Colombia and Ingrid de Bétancourt who's held hostage by the FARCs in April's issue.

Of course, to read the whole article you have to buy it, but here is a link to Le Monde Dipomatique in case you want to read excerpts:

in French: http://www.monde-diplomatique.fr/

in English: http://mondediplo.com/

Spanish edition: http://www.monde-diplomatique.es/isum/

Chilian edition: http://www.lemondediplomatique.cl/

Italian edition: http://www.ilmanifesto.it/MondeDiplo/ (i think the link is broken)

German edition: http://www.monde-diplomatique.de/pm/.home

Hmm and also here is a link to Le Monde (daily newspaper): http://www.lemonde.fr

Artemio Cruz - FINISHED!!

2006-03-29T00:24:00.000+02:00

At last I finished "La Muerte de Artemio Cruz"!! I read the end in French because it was faster than Spanish!! I should have finished it a month ago lol! I can be such a procrastinator XD

English Phonetics

2006-03-25T21:18:00.000+01:00

Here is a good book for French speakers who want to learn English phonetics:

"Règles et exercices de prononciation anglaise", by Lionel Guierre (Ed. Armand Colin Longman)

ISBN: 2-86644-078-1

La Muerte de Artemio Cruz, Part II

2006-03-20T00:57:00.000+01:00

Yeah well, March 20, still got 100pp to go... I shall finish it but i wanna do other stuff... sometimes it's hard to concentrate... that's why i haven't read it yet... But ya I'll read now and tomorrow, and hopefully finish it before Wednesday! Since tomorrow I have no class due to the riots here in France (yeah they blocked the schools...)

Hmm so I'll let you guys know what happens! I have loads to read! I also have "Windows on the world" by Frédéric Beigbeder to finish! A friend lent it to me a long time ago XD

OK reading! Hehe :D

Done with Chomsky

2006-03-17T23:37:00.000+01:00

OMG I am done with Chomsky's book! w007!

Hegemony or Survival

2006-03-17T16:08:00.000+01:00

I have been reading Chomsky's Hegemony or Survival since October. It was so boring at first that I didn't feel like reading it but I had to get some knowledge and I had to start somewhere!

I finished the book a few days ago and just have 10 pages left (the author's Afterword). I am planning on finishing it this weekend! I will let you guys know if I made it!

La Muerte de Artemio Cruz

2006-03-08T01:40:00.000+01:00

Recently I have been reading a book called "La Muerte de Artemio Cruz", by Carlos Fuentes. It's in Spanish, so it's a little hard for me to read it quickly, because there are so many words I don't know, and also because of the author's writing style! In this book, you don't know who speaks, or what's going on, you have to guess many things.

Not long ago I had found an interesting blog called "a book a week", where the guy said he would post the book he intends to read during the week... I wanted to do that too, but I failed! I have been reading Chomsky since October and still have about 50 pages or so to read from that book! Been on Atemio Cruz for like 3 weeks and haven't finished it (I must say the lack of interest didn't help lol, plus I was busy doing other important things).

I have a friend who studied English so hard that he is now fluent and writes like a native! That's impressive, because when I met him, although he could speak English, he made mistakes he doesn't seem to make anymore... I am kinda jealous... I see everyone around me make progress, and I feel like I don't... Well, ya I speak English fluently but I mean apart from that? <.< Can't rest on my laurels now, can I?

Time flies, and I feel like I have time to do nothing... Man gotta finish that book this week!!!

Kk, gonna read! *reads*

Songs to learn languages!

2006-02-06T22:06:00.000+01:00

One of the best ways to learn languages is to learn songs, because you know them by heart, and you learn bit by bit what the vocab means and depending on the song, you might learn useful or funny vocabulary that'll make you feel like going on learning. It's good practice, and it's good for your accent too.

Well, anyway, just thought I would share that thought with you!

2006-01-24T19:14:00.000+01:00

Buongiorno a tutti quanti!!! [test]

Links

2006-01-22T00:33:00.000+01:00

Here is a cool site (online dictionary): www.wordreference.com

Here is another one I just discovered: www.englishforums.com

Japanese - English Dictionary with examples.

2006-01-21T20:07:00.000+01:00

Hi, everyone.
I found a new website for learning Japanese.
This one is a dictionary that also gives you example sentences!!!!!!!!
Check it out!

http://japanese-to-english.online-dictionary.biz

Heisig

2006-01-21T05:48:00.000+01:00

Hi, everyone.
For everyone struggling with Japanese kanji, I found an interesting site on the internet.

Heisig Method

For some kanji, it gives you the real historic meaning behind why the kanji are drawn a certain way. But a lot of the time the stories are fake to help you learn the kanji. So, for anyone looking for better insight into kanji, I suggest giving that site a good read.

Enjoy!

Yahoo! groups

2006-01-20T12:25:00.000+01:00

I have found some interesting YAHOO! groups to learn languages. Some are associations that meet in cafés, some are just people who want to learn english, and some are unknown to me because i didn't click their link lol.

well anyway, I think it's a good idea to go to an online group and see what they suggest, because different people have different methods.

Japanese

2006-01-20T12:21:00.000+01:00

So like I said, Joel is going to join this blog. We are both learning Japanese, so I expect him to post about his experience, and his improvement. If you want to explain some things on here, honey, you can!

Well, Joel and I met because we were both learning Japanese, so I guess it is fair for us to talk about languages here, since it is partly why we are together today.

Joel's joining!!!!

2006-01-20T02:52:00.000+01:00

Joel is going to join this blog I think. It's cool to have a common blog, although he doesn't post much...

Well anyway! that's all for today folks!

Rest is important

2006-01-20T02:22:00.000+01:00

In an email, a friend told me this, and I think she is right: in order to work efficiently, you need to rest well so your brain can work at its best. And you also need to get rid of stress so you can focus better.

Technical words

2006-01-20T01:04:00.000+01:00

Wanting to be an interpreter, I have to know all sorts of technical terms.... Yet it is strange to think that words such as asbestos, that I know in French, are still unknown to me (at least some of those words) in English...

Well anyway, so I looked up "Asbestos" on Google, to see what explanation I would find, and I got the word "Mesothelioma" as the first link/result.

Then I looked it up for more precise info, and I now have a definition!

The generic name "asbestos" belongs to a group of minerals called "asbestiform" minerals. Asbestos is a fibrous material which is mined from serpentine rock. Basically, rock was mined and crushed. When the rock was crushed, fibrous stands of asbestos were extracted from the rock. The strands were put in bags and shipped to manufacturing facilities where the asbestos was used as an ingredient in insulation and other materials. The three most commonly used forms of asbestos in product manufacturing were chrysotile, amosite and crocidolite.

as for mesothelioma, it is a malignant tumor of the covering of the lung or the lining of the pleural and abdominal cavities, often associated with exposure to asbestos. (i.e. form of asbestos cancer)

well, now i have to learn it by heart O.O *dies* imagine me translating that type of stuff into french lol XD <.<

2006-01-11T16:56:00.000+01:00

For the people who need to learn legal vocab, I recommand Ally McBeal (original version is way funnier than the french version by the way, cuz the puns are sometimes not translatable)

change of mind

2006-01-11T16:41:00.000+01:00

Well so here it goes, I finally know what I am gonna write about in my blog!
Instead of writing random thoughts like I did in the beginning, I am going to write about the one thing I can do pretty well, that is learning languages. I dont know if it'll help you guys or what, but I mean, if you have questions, doubts, need advice, leave a message I'll get back to you asap! :D
good browsing!

Lo intento en español

2006-01-09T23:36:00.000+01:00

Hoy tuve una prueba, pienso que no salí mal...
Hmmm... Acabo de leer un post en un blog y me dio deseo de escribir un libro, pero no sé dónde empezar ni de qué hablar XD si tenéis ideas, dejadme un comentario!

2006-01-08T13:01:00.000+01:00

Well, i changed back to the blogger skin. i think it's easier to browse, although the other one was cuter...
When i started this blog i wanted to write something meaningful for the world to read, but i realized i didnt have much to offer or i didnt feel like spending hours writing about stuff while i could be out with friends or having fun doing something else...
weird huh?
well anyway, if u guys wanna know between my last post and now, i got a job, my contract ended, and i found a new job XD so yeah... just letting u guys know.
also i wanted to make a webpage, but same problem, about what?
maybe i should just give up?
for Xmas i got Ally McBeal the whole series, do u like it?
What should i write about? i have no clue.... what do you guys want to see up here?

sadness

2005-11-22T17:09:00.000+01:00

yesterday i had to face the sweet memories from the summer, cuz when i went to visit my bf, we went to the beach and picked up seashells. and i had put them in a bag i wanted to use yesterday so i had to get all the seashells from there and put them in another bag. no need to say my little heart began to bleed... it was sad to be able to hold the seashells that reminded me of the summer, but not his hand :(
now, today, i went to SUBWAY, it's new here, it opened not long ago and there are still very few SUBWAYS here. and i sat there on my own, ate and stuff and had a soda with it. honey bread, honey mustard, and teriyaki, like with him during the summer. i remembered how sweet it was to be together, and my sandwich didnt feel as good on my own as it did with him across the table looking at me and laughing with me.
but anyway, i guess time will pass by soon enough now and i'll see him again soon! ^-^

First Day Of School Tomorrow!

2005-10-30T23:38:00.000+01:00

Hey tomorrow is my first day of school after my gap year, which is almost a year and a half after my last class! So I feel a little weird... By the way, check out the cute picture I posted just for you ^^

Loneliness

2005-10-30T11:23:00.000+01:00

It's not fair that my bf has to choose between being with me or with his friends.... I know that college is once in a lifetime and I should be happy for him and stuff.... But it hurts though... Cuz lately he has been busy...seeing friends! >.< so it's like, idk, he's not even busy studying *criez* And since I am going back to school, I won't even be able to see him as muc, considering I'll have to go to bed pretty early...

I know he cares about me, he sent me this really cute card for our 2 year anniversary >.< but I wish I was there for real >.< it sucks >.< well of course it doesnt suck as much as being single! lol so I guess I should just hang in there until I can actually move to the US and live with him! It seems so far away... Maybe now I am dreaming about it, and in the meantime bad things will happen and I will think I was silly to wanna be in the future... Like, maybe I will fail at my test again, maybe my mom will die (I hope not >.<) or maybe idk what will happen... But for now, I wanna believe that everything will be ok, and that we will be happy and our families will be around ^^

Well that was the thought of the day lol.

Oh, btw, honey if you read this! I know how things will happen! If we get married I can apply for citizenship, then we will be bothered for 4 or 5 years by random inspections... then after that they'll leave us alone! and i think i can have double citizenship or sth ^^

so no need to worry about that ^^o! WOOT! ^^o! and maybe you can do that same idk ^^o i'll investigate the matter!

errrm...

2005-10-30T01:59:00.000+02:00

Well, so I tried to make a counter for this page, but it is not working, idk why. o.o

New Skin!

2005-10-29T15:29:00.000+02:00

hey guys! I edited my blog! I chose the "precious moments" skin from www.blogskins.com and edited it a bit.
do you like it? or do you like the blue and sand skin from blogger better? ^^ let me know!

talking about passion...

2005-10-29T14:07:00.000+02:00

talking about passion, (I love you Joel! ^^ *cuddles*) well take me for example.... how am i supposed to know what passion feels like? i am 22 and still a virgin, got my first boyfriend at 20 and my first kiss at 21... so i compared to what i saw on TV! that was a mistake! for instance, i didnt realize a certain number of things were great the way they were, until i asked my friends, or didnt have these things anymore! most of the time, things are better in your memories because u remember AND miss them! but really they ARE great the way they are ^^o! if u just take time to enjoy them ^.^
*throws pillow at joel* teehee! i win ^^o!

what do you guys think passion is?
i used to think u had to BE HOT to have the right to have a passionate affair with someone. thank you TV for making me think so until i was 20 or so. of course, as a teen i didnt think i was hot, so i thought passion would only be for others, not for me. i was wrong. lol
well it's true that u dont always feel that way, sometimes u just feel normal, so the "omg im about to faint" feeling doesnt remain as strong ALL the time! but like... it's ok ^^ it's one of the phases of love i guess ^^ like at first u faint everytime they look at you. then comes the time when u start dating, and then again, u faint everytime they say "i love you". i remember i asked my bf to repeat it a couple of times because it felt so good to hear somebody tell u that at last! lol
then comes the time when you dont feel that way anymore in your daily life, because it has stopped being new!!!!! but you still feel good when they kiss you ^^ sometimes they kiss you just the right way and u feel like u wanna faint ^.^

ok joel take notes: if u want me to faint, turn ur head just a little to the right, yeah that's right, then grab me and kiss meeeeee ^^o! *dies* EXACTLY! u got it babe! lol XD

well seriously... it's ok not to feel like ur fainting all the time lol... it's good to be able to stand up sometimes LOL but! you can still feel that way ^^ just let them know what u want ^^o! or tell them to surprise you or sth! ^^ OK????? *shake shake slap slap* OK??? TELL THEM! I'LL BE WATCHING YOU AND IF YOU DON'T.... you'll regret it ^.^

(end of the article) XD

passion

2005-10-29T13:50:00.000+02:00

hey guys! i was just reading this blog about this girl who doesnt seem to believe in passion, you can check it out here.
well here is what she said in her post:

Saturday, October 29, 2005

Passion

Passion. One of my favorite words in the English language. It's often confused with love...But I think passion is different. It's an element of love.

Of course, I also believe the the definition changes from person to person......

For me passion is a unquenchable desire for something or someone. You either have it or you don't. It's strong and undeniable. And once you've felt it; you'll never want to let it go.

Often the word passion is used in the lovely phrase we made hot passionate love. Why is it always said that way?

I just always have the snag on the passionate part.

There would have to be a yearning...Perhaps these lovers have never experienced each other before...Perhaps they're just new to their feelings for each other. When they finally decide to express their love on a physical level....That would define hot passionate love, to me at least.

Never had it. Just been nameless, faceless, joyless....Just numb. And yet, there's still that bleak realization that the only person I could ever feel anything close to love/passion/unconditional surrender with....I could most likely never posses.

How dreadful. Love. Passion. It can really mix up your thinking....

Why can't it be easier....My cat shows me she loves me by bringing me dead mice....Right in front of my door, so it will grab my attention.

Hmm, maybe Naomi has the right idea......

posted by Nicole Wallace @ 7:25 AM

and here is what i replied:

Well, i think maybe you missed the point.... Like... have you ever felt like you were going to faint when you are close to the one you love? kind alike the feeling you have when you love them but you don't know yet if they love you too? and also, this feeling like u wanna jump on them lol

I guess that would be passion ^^

before, i thought those feelings had to be much stronger, u know, the way you feel and stuff, according to what people say about it. but then i talked to friends and had them describe their exact feelings cuz i thought i didnt feel like everybody else, but much worse (disappointment when i compared to what others said). and you will never guess what XD i found out that i felt as good as what other ppl say! so maybe you're a bit too hard on yourself/the way u feel

maybe you should just enjoy ^^ otherwise you might end up getting bored/disappointed and wasting the chance u have to live a real love+passion

do u think i missed the point?
well idk i learned not to compare with others too much... they feel a certain way, we feel about the same way, just not expressed with the same words! i think if you compare, u'll end up thinking the grass is greener for your neighbor.

am i fat????

2005-10-29T13:28:00.000+02:00

we bought an exercice bike the other day... first time i try it on, i ask it to calculate my body fat... it finds i am composed of 30% of fat! O.O what is that supposed to mean?
So i look up stuff about the body fat rate on the internet and i see the average girl is made of 18-22% of fat! so i panic like omg i am obese XD then i read some more, and other sites say a girl is made of 27% of fat average! so i am like ok.... then on another site they ranked it.
athletes, this to that, fitness 18-24 or so, acceptable 25-31, obese 32% so i am 2% from being obese XD so i am "acceptable" HUH? O.O *throws chocolate bars away* XD
*exercises on der bike* yeah so if i exercise a bit i'll get fit and kick that bike's ass cuz it'll find i only got 18% of fat! go meeee ^0^
ok i gotta go eat breakfast no cuz i got up late XD yum chocolate *drools* XD lol :P

SCHOOL!

2005-10-28T18:11:00.001+02:00

Today I finally went to get my schedule at the University office... But guess what? XD i had forgotten what subjects I don't have to take!!! XD So eventually I'll have to go back with the schedule I chose on the list on Monday, and go to my first class on Monday too... Can you believe I'll only have 10 hours of class per week? Although it's a bit far and all 50 minutes or so. But I mean classes started a month ago!!!! >.< well, 10 hours a week times 4 is like I missed 2 normal weeks, so I guess it's doable! ^^
So yeah, first Spanish class on Monday! I don't know if I should be happy or bored XD <.< *enjoys her last free weekend!* XD

español

2005-10-27T00:45:00.000+02:00

Today I had an opporunity to practice Spanish, which is pretty rare for me... I know I should practice more, but it's a little difficult since I don't have many Spanish-speaking friends, and I am BUSY, and so are they! lol XD so yeah XD another boring post. I'll try not to be as boring next time!

Fwd:

2005-10-19T03:26:00.000+02:00

test

2005-10-19T03:16:00.000+02:00

i just cant stand ppl who leave stupid messages with links to breast enhancement pages and such. if this goes on i'll just disable comments, but then it's bad cuz i cant see what REAL ppl think!!!!!!

errrr <.<

2005-10-17T03:47:00.000+02:00

I just read an article on Salon.com, which says this:

"Across the globe, it's the same story. In France, DSL service that is 10 times faster than the typical United States connection; 100 TV channels and unlimited telephone service cost only $38 per month."

I guess they are referring to Free.fr. Well, it is only theoretical, and I disagree. In France we have a lot of ISP problems! And after what I have heard about America, you guys have less problems! So if you need 20 megs to just load ur email, then envy France, but honestly (unless u download illegal stuff <.<) our ISP's suck ass. So I was just letting my voice be heard since I couldn't say anything on the Salon.com site in response to that article!

PS: You might wanna check this image, it's funny!

2005-10-16T23:49:00.000+02:00

I just found a very interesting article about the British political system: here.

2005-10-13T18:33:00.000+02:00

why wont it refresh faster XD i always feel like i have to type my posts again cz they dont show up XD

^^

2005-10-13T18:30:00.000+02:00

^^o!
today i started doing articles with my mom to improve my memory. It's still a little hard but oh well XD
anyway I am still looking for info about ur countries XD but yeah i kno wi should go to wikipedia etc and look stuff up, which i will do but not right now cuz i am busy! ^^;

Inside Europe: Iberian Notes

2005-10-12T01:30:00.000+02:00

Inside Europe: Iberian Notes

My Second Post

2005-10-12T01:09:00.001+02:00

grrrr I just wrote a whole thing and it didnt post XD

Basically I wanna know what is going on in English and Spanish speaking countries (political and social matters mainly) I am interested but idk where to start so yeah if u guys have good books or blogs or newspapers of other stuff i can read, please post links/references! thanks!

My First Post

2005-10-12T01:09:00.000+02:00

Hey guys!

I don't really know where to start. I was told that a good way of knowing ppl's opinions is to read their blogs. I mean "opinion" as in what is really going on in a foreign country for example. So yea I mean if you guys wanna let me know what's up in Spanish or English speaking countries go ahead I wanna know all about it! Cuz I tried looking up "blogs en español" but i got a lot of stuff and dunno where to start with it, seems like mainly personal blogs XD I kinda wanna know what's up with, for instance, politics or society problems.

Well I am just curious so post ahead and if u got good books i can read or references (newspapers etc) post on thanks!