CHOCOLATE!!

Have you ever wondered who invented chocolate?

Well in this case I’m going to talk about one of my delicious addictions, chocolate, but not only about its sweet taste or the perfect sensation of happiness it produces when it’s in your mouth, today I’m going to talk about its origins.

“Scientists have discovered that chocolate was invented at least 3,100 years ago in Central America and not as the sweet treat people now crave, but as a celebratory beer-like beverage and status symbol.” (#1)

Chocolate was first created by two of the cultures that existed in the Mexican territory and other countries, the Aztecs and Mayans, it was used to celebrate good things that have happened to elite people, just like we use beer nowadays. This luxury beverage was made with the cacao produced by these cultures.

The chocolate consumed by Mayans and Aztecs civilization was made as I already mention from ground cacao seeds, producing a spicy, frothy drink like beer. Then the Spanish took cacao to Europe in the 16^th century and with the time many chocolate innovations have occurred. Christopher Columbus can claim the credit for being the first person to take cocoa, after this chocolate drinks became popular in Spain. Then 100 years later that the flavor spread to other parts of Europe.

In 1657, a Frenchman opened the first chocolate house in London.“The Coffee Mill and Tobacco Roll”, but, because of its price, chocolate could only be enjoyed by the upper class. After this Joseph Fry of Bristol, England, made the next big step, with the invention of a steam engine for grinding the beans, that allowed chocolate to be manufactured on a larger scale, which means more chocolate in less time.

In 1929 Dutchman Conrad J. van Houten invented a hydraulic press, used to create cocoa powder, this process in now known as "Dutching."

“From there, chocolate took off. Richard Cadbury is said to have created the first known heart-shaped box for Valentine's Day in 1861, and Daniel Peters of Switzerland produced the first milk chocolate bar in 1875, using powdered milk that had been invented by Henri Nestle a few years earlier.” (#2)

Now chocolate is part of our daily life, who hasn’t tried chocolate? Chocolate now exists in any type of flavors milk, white, dark, with nuts, cherries, strawberries, etc; and with any kind of shape and sizes, from the ones you it in one bite or the enormous kiss that I used to ate in just one day!

Here’s a video I enjoyed doing with some friends last year for Christmas!

HOPE YOU ENJOY IT!

#1: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-493335/Chocolate-invented-3-100-years-ago-Aztecs--trying-make-beer.html

#2: http://www.squidoo.com/who-invented-chocolate



 

My Favourite Movie!

50FIRST DATES

Well in this post I’m going to talk about my favourite romantic comedy named 50first dates written by George Wing and directed by Peter Segal. The protagonists are Adam Sandler as Henry, who is a womanizing marine-life veterinarian and Drew Barrymore who plays the role of the lovely Lucy, a local art teacher that after an accident suffers of short-term memory, she can’t remember anything after that day, it’s like she is stock in one day forever.

The movie starts with scenes of Henry’s conquests, but then one morning he meets Lucy and basically falls in love with her, but what he doesn’t know is that the next day she won’t remember him.  After he understand Lucy’s illness he tries to make every day special for her, everyday with different details and ideas he conquests her, everyday he makes her fall in love with him, over and over again.

 I think this movie shows how LOVE can overpass any barrier because even knowing what he was dealing with he tried. Even Henry had a dream of having a boat and making investigations in the sea he abandons this goal to be with her. He makes a video in which they explain what happened to her and everyone close to her, so she can keep going with life.  But when Lucy finds out of what he wanted to be, she tries to get him out of her life by erasing everything she wrote about him in a diary and taking him out of the video, so he’ll have the chance to pursue his dream. When he started his daily conquest Lucy’s father and brother didn’t like the idea but when they realized that he was Lucy’s inspiration they convinced him to go back with her.

At the end he keeps going with his everyday conquest, they get married and they have a beautiful child, the last they show in the movie she wakes up and has to wear warm clothes! Because she’s in the sea with everyone she loves.

I love this movie! and even I would like to give you every detail it’ll take me too long, so I hope after reading this, you’ll watch it! So here’s trailer of the movie!

“Contra tiempo” (against time)

This post is named as my band J because today I’m going to talk about the “Song Festival” that is made every year in my high school in Mexico. Well I’m not really going to talk about the whole festival; I’m just going to talk about my band and our participation that was prepared in 24 hours.

First we started with no name, I didn’t know I was participating until my friend told me: -Ilia, we have to practice, because I wrote a song and I want you to change some little parts of the lyrics and sing it with me,  I was shocked and I asked when? He said: -Tomorrow babe! We have to win this festival! After he sad this we decided at what time will our rehearsal.

We met in the school and started practicing and changing the lyrics, and I was putting all my effort to learn the lyrics, he was adjusting the tone of the guitar to my voice, and it was incredible how in two hours with made it. I still didn’t know the lyrics, but the song was ready and sounded amazing.

The next day we had to meet in the general rehearsal, I was so nervous I couldn’t remember anything, and when our turn came, I got on stage and try reading the lyrics, we weren’t sounding good, so the staff stopped us and said to me “If you don´t know the lyrics in your second chance of rehearsal your band won’t participate” I was sad because I knew we could win.

So I kept working and practicing and trying and by the second rehearsal I could sing without the paper, I was so happy but I needed to practice more and I just had 3 hours to prepare for the concert and I live half of our far from school, that left me just 2 hours to get shower, dress up, put on my makeup, practice and go back. And I did it! I arrived a little late, so I couldn’t be in the picture of all participants but when I got on stage with my friend, we rocked, I really enjoyed what I was doing, I danced, jumped and sang like I never had, everyone was  clapping and screaming at the end, and I understood that every effort was worth it.

We won the third place, we were so happy, because our fight against time won the third place, with just 24 hours of rehearsal, by the way our song was called “Dime Que” which means “tell me that” and it talked of how someone likes somebody so much and it was so incredible that he/she thinks is a dream, so he/she asks the other person to tell her/him everything he/she wants to hear, in order to fall in love.

Ps: Is obvious why we called our band “against time” right? We didn't have the time to think about something else :P

 Hope you liked it!

And here is the video of the winning song of this year in case you want to hear some music created by friends of mi MEXICAN High School! :) The song is named "Alas de Cera" (wax wings) by "Se Busca" (sought).

Watch video :P



One special song :'(

Well in this post I want to talk about a song that represents a little piece of me. “Si tu no vuelves” by Miguel Bose or the cover made by Chetes & Amaral, in English “If you don’t come back”. This song talks about someone that leaves and how a person cannot live without that someone. The song explains exactly what’s going to happen if that really special person doesn’t come back. How everything would be dark and how things just can’t keep goin’ without that special somebody.  I think I’m feeling really into this song because I’m far away from home, and I’m lucky to have persons that feel this way for me.  My favorite part of the song is the chorus:

Y cada noche vendrá una estrella

A hacerme compañía

Que te cuente como estoy

Que sepas lo que hay.

Dime amor, amor, amor

Estoy aquí ¿no ves?

Si no vuelves no habrá vida

No sé lo que haré...

This basically means that every night a star will come to be the company of the person that stayed, and that this start will travel to tell the other one how she/he feels and how's he/she doing. The end of this chorus says that if he/she doesn’t come back there’ll be no life and he/she won’t know what to do. I love this song, I know it makes me sad but at the same time it reminds me of how much I want to be with the ones that are truly missing me, and the effort I need to do to make the proud of me, and not only them but myself too. I think that if you hear it, maybe you’ll get another meaning or you'll feel something different, because that that's the way music works. It can mean infinite things to infinite number of people. You will enjoy hearing this song and maybe reading a translation, so here a leave you a video with the first version of this wonderful song and the lyrics in English.

Watch video :)