Today, The Grandma has met her new family: The Jones. She hasn't arrived alone to Barcelona because two Beans, Ana and Cristina, have decided to join her in this new adventure. They have wanted to continue enjoying adventures with The Grandma because Hong Kong was too hard for them: too much rice, everywhere, everytime.
The day has been full of surprises. Another old friend Merche Addams-Holmes has joined to this travel. The family isn't completed because we are waiting new members but, for the moment, The Jones have started to work with adjectives and its position, definitions, Saxon genitive and some questions to know a little of everyone of them.
I'm Ana Bean. I was born in Sintra, Portugal, a place considered a Heritage by the UNESCO. I love classical music, especially Maria Callas, a person who I admire a lot. I'm an influencer. It's not an easy job because your opinion is important for your followers. You must be very responsible and honest with them. Life is a great theatre and it's important to be a good actor to avoid bad things, and a good spectator to learn good ones. I'm a Bean and I hope that I had influenced them with my sense of humor and shyness. Follow us with our hashtag #TheBeans.
-Good morning, Ana Bean, and thanks to attend us.
-Good morning. It's a pleasure.
-It's difficult for me, as an interviewer, to sum up some questions about you.
-Why?
-Because of your job.
-Well, I'm an influencer, a person who creates opinion over other people.
-You create opinion, you explain stories, you recommend places... how can I be sure that you are who you say you are?
-You will never know it. It's a risk that you have to choose: believe me or not. Being an influencer is a job. It doesn't mean that you believe in your critics, it means that you defend your position and your point of view because there's an important objective: earn followers and create a positive or negative opinion about something, somewhere or someone.
-How is the life of an influencer?
-A normal one like other people. Influencing isn't only a pleasure or hobby for me, it's also my profession, and then, I must try to do my best every day, even these days when I'm not very inspired.
-What happens these days?
-Well, you must choose your position, maybe an opinion, maybe a suggestion, maybe a negative critic and then you take another look to check if you still think the same about them. If they like you, you use the social net that you consider the best and express these opinions, if you don't like them, you change them and you start again.
-How many times have you started again?
-Every day. Every new day is a new beginning and you must start doing things to fill your life with your interests and hopes.
-Portugal isn't a big country... How can a Portuguese influencer arrive to be the best and the most followed and survive against the Anglo-Saxon competence?
-Creating good contents and writing interesting posts. I don't agree about the idea that Portugal isn't a big country.
-Why?
-Portugal is a great example of surviving and resilience. We suffered a terrible economic crisis and we got over it with public policies which helped the poorest citizens. The rate of unemployment was a shame and now the country is growing again, the unemployment is going down and we're creating workplaces and new opportunities for our young people. This kind of things makes big a country, not the extension or the number of inhabitants.
-How has this success been possible?
-We are great administrators of our resources. We trust in the potential of our citizens because we believe that people are the most important active of a country.
-How do you feel being a member of The Beans?
-It's the same that Portugal. The most important active in our family is every member of it. We're people with great energy and creativity and we must believe in ourselves.
-How is a normal day with The Beans?
-A normal day is a day full of happiness and effort. We laugh a lot but we work very hard. You learn better if you spend good time. It's easier.
-How long have you been studying English?
-Since I was in the school. English has a great presence in Portuguese schools, in our TV and even in the cinema. All the films are offered in original version and this is something that helps people to learn English.
-Then English is not difficult to learn for a Portuguese?
-Well, it's difficult because English comes from German and Portuguese from Latin but if you learn a language in the school when you're a child you have advantage because it's easier for you although we haven't got English spaces to practice it. Perhaps, this is the main problem because if you don't speak a language, you forget it. It seems impossible, but it's true.
-What can you explain about your life with The Beans?
-It has been a great experience, a great source of inspiration to write something in the future, to take profit of our experiences and try to influence in other people.
-Which is your best memory with the family?
-It's impossible to choose only one but I remember two special days: the first, when I met Maria, an old friend, after years of absence. It was the most exciting day with The Beans. There was also another day when I decided to invite my family to eat some cookies that I had prepared. It was very important for me. I must admit that food and sweets are also very important for this family. We appreciate good food.
-Which character would you like to influence?
-Maria, my friend. I would like that she returned to sing again because she has the most beautiful voice ever listened.
-Do you like music?
-I'm an influencer. I'm curious. I need to know. I need to discover new things. I love music. Music is the result of the human soul, a mix of feelings and geniality.
-Which is your next project?
-I'm working in the next campaign for Katrina & The Beans in Hong Kong. It will be a success.
-What's the worst nightmare of an influencer?
-I suppose every influencer has his/her own demons, his/her own Frankenstein. The worst nightmare is to have a mistake in an opinion that can damage other people. Likes and follows are an important part of my job but they are only statistics. The most important is that you must influence people in positive things not in negative ones.
-You're an influencer. Can you create a slogan for The Beans?
-Creating happiness.
-Why?
-Because The Beans are much more than a family, they are a tool to forget bad moments and discover that you can return to do things that you loved and you believed that you weren't going to do again and this thinking is a big mistake. Never is too late to do something that you like.
The Beans are still enjoying their victory in the last Eurovision Song Contest. The family did a great interpretation demonstrating a great teamwork and coordination, skills that you need if you want to success in the labour world.
Their amazing interpretation was TT immediately and fans around the world expressed their admiration about The Beans and their wonderful song. One of them was Katrina Leskanich, winner of this contest in 1997 representing the UK.
Katrina has offered The Beans the possibility of joining her in her next tour in Hong Kong. The family is astonished with the news and after some hours of deliberation, they have accepted. Then, it's official that The Beans are going to leave their lifestyle, their travels and their parties and they're going to join Katrina in this new adventure.
The Grandma is very happy with this decision because she has always trusted in her family and she knew they were the best candidates to do whatever they wanted because, yes, they can do it! She isn't going to stay with them in Asia because she prefers to return to Barcelona and start new business with new partners. She thinks that she has already done all her work with the family and now she's going to be in contact with them thanks to the 2.0 technology.
The secret of The Beans's success is easy to explain: sacrifice, effort, happiness, teamwork, partnership and commitment.
All of them have got this common success thanks to their individual efforts which applicated to a common goal have been the best way to reach their objectives. If you want to be a good candidate, you must have an elaborated CV, a good resume and especial communicative skills that allow you to get an interview over. These are the most important clues in labour insertion and these are the keys that have helped The Beans to reach the victory in this contest.
Katrina Elizabeth Leskanich (born April 10, 1960) is an American musician, author and former lead singer of British pop rock band Katrina and the Waves whose song Walking on Sunshine was an international hit in 1985 and in 1997 won the Eurovision Song Contest for the United Kingdom with the song Shine a Light.
Katrina Leskanich
Leskanich was born in Topeka, Kansas. She is of Irish, German and Czech ancestry. Her father was a colonel in the United States Air Force, and Katrina and her five siblings (four sisters and one brother) moved frequently as children. After she was born, they moved from Kansas to New Mexico, and then California, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Massachusetts, Nebraska, Stuttgart, in (then) West Germany, and the Netherlands before arriving in the United Kingdom in 1976.
The band's earliest incarnation was as The Waves, a group that played in and around Cambridge, England, from 1975 to 1977 and featured guitarist Kimberley Rew and drummer Alex Cooper. For the first Capitol album, the band re-recorded, remixed, or overdubbed 10 songs from their earlier Canadian releases to create their self-titled international debut album in 1985.
The Katrina and the Waves album was a substantial critical and commercial success, and the group had a worldwide hit with the song Walking on Sunshine. A Grammy award nomination for Best New Artist followed, as did constant touring, both of which helped to spur sales of new releases.
The Beans during their winner performance
In 1997, after having somewhat faded into obscurity, the band won the Eurovision Song Contest 1997 for the United Kingdom with Shine a Light, the same song that Katrina has chosen, this time, to sing with The Beans.
The first video of this song is now avalaible and we can offer the exclusive of its premiere. Under the direction of Antonio Bean and The Grandma's production, Katrina sings with Paqui, Elisabet and Cristina Bean with a chorus formed by Ana, Nereyda and Natalia Bean, a choreography created by Carol Bean and a fantastic melody performanced by Tania Bean with the drums, Anton Bean with the keyboards, Óscar, Edgar and Estefanía Bean with the guitars and Manuel Bean with the bells. The result is a beautiful and unforgettable version of the 1997's hit Shine a light.
The new version is stronger than the older because every Bean offers his/her colour to it and as a result, you can enjoy a powerful song with deep lyrics full of commitment, energy, happiness, effort, teamwork and coordination, an amazing song mixed of gospel, folk and pop rythms which is going to steal your heart and you mind.
C'mon, the version is also now avalaible in ITunes and Amazon Music. Download it now and enjoy with us!
Teamwork requires some sacrifice up front;
people who work as a team have to put the collective
needs of the group ahead of their individual interests.
Today is Saint Valentine. Saint Valentine, officially Saint Valentine of Rome, is a widely recognized 3rd-century Roman saint commemorated on February 14 and since the High Middle Ages is associated with a tradition of courtly love.
All that is reliably known of the saint commemorated on February 14 is his name and that he was martyred and buried at a cemetery on the Via Flaminia close to the Ponte Milvio to the north of Rome on that day. It is uncertain whether St. Valentine is two different Saints. Several different martyrologies have been added to later hagiographies that are unreliable.
The Roman Catholic Church continues to recognize him as a saint, listing him as such in the February 14 entry in the Roman Martyrology, and authorizing liturgical veneration of him on February 14 in any place where that day is not devoted to some other obligatory celebration in accordance with the rule that on such a day the Mass may be that of any saint listed in the Martyrology for that day.
Saint Valentine is commemorated in the Anglican Communion, as well as in Lutheranism. February 14 The Lutheran Service Book, with its penchant for the old Roman calendar, commemorates Valentine on this date.
The Beans have just arrived to the Hotel Palace in San Francisco where they're going to stay during their visit. For the moment, they're going to rest a little and take enough force to continue their visit in this wonderful side of California.
Old memories of The Grandma with Janis Joplin
The Grandma has decided to visit Vesuvio Café, a long-time city favourite, place that has welcomed authors, musicians,
artists and other free spirits through its doors since 1948, artists like Janis Joplin, someone who The Grandma adores. Drawn to
the Beat movement, and later to psychedelic rock, Janis Joplin was just
another patron who loved to hang out and chill behind its doors.
Some members of the family are remembering their firsts dates, something very special in a day like today, meanwhile The Grandma is evokating the past again and thinking strongly, that French is the most beautiful language to sing love songs.
Manuel & Cristina Bean
I remember my first date with Cristina. We met in a fantastic restaurant in the downtown and I was waiting for her very nervous. Suddently, Cristina appeared. It was like a dream. She wore a beautiful long white dress -she seemed a bride- and all stopped. Time stopped. World stopped. The waiter stopped. It was an incredible sensation. I was flying. A big scream returned me to the real world. It was a Cristina's scream. Her dress had become red and she was angry. The waiter had fallen over her and the Rioja wine finished on her beautiful dress.
I don't remember a lot about that day. I only remember that Manuel had asked for me a date thousands of times. He was very heavy, very persistent. At the end, I accepted and I wore the most beautiful dress I found inside my wardrove. I was a little nervous but I kept calm when I saw him, just before that waiter fell over me. We had dinner. At the beginning, it was a little uncomfortable to wear that red wine dress but finally, I only had eyes for Manuel. It was like a dream. Since that moment, he is my Cari.
I was visiting another little town in Denmark. Denmark is a wonderful country full of beautiful tales and nice people. I was travelling with some friends and we decided to visit a little church. When we entered in the religious place, an intensive light focused on him. Antonio was there, at the end of the central corridor, with the Holy Bible in his hands, reading Apostle John. I remember his words: 'And it is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is truth' (1 John 5:6). It was like a dream.Since that moment, I knew I wanted to stay the rest of my life with that handsome man, although I realized it wasn't going to be easy to share my life with a Protestant preacher. I'm Portuguese. I'm deeply Catholic, but as Apostle John says: 'The Spirit is the Truth'.
It was another day in the church. There's an enourmous crisis of faith in European citizens nowadays and Danish people aren't an exception. There weren't a lot of people in my little chappel but suddenly, the door opened and Ana appeared rounded by a sacred light. She was like an angel, a God's revelation. She was a God's present. I knew it immediately. It was like a dream. Since that moment, I realized I could follow the paths of God in different ways, it wasn't necessary to explain the God's words inside an empty church. I must go out and explain them around the world, but I wasn't going to do it alone: I wanted to share the rest of my life with Ana. She's a God's blessing.
I'm a professional football player and although I'm French, I'm a great fan of Real Madrid, perhaps because one of my favourite players has been Zinedine Zidane. It was the first time I visited the Santiago Bernabeu. I was very lucky because I was going to watch a derby: Real Madrid against Futbol Club Barcelona. I was very excited and happy. The anthem sounded and everybody stood up and started to sing and wave their flags. Everybody? No. In one of the corners of the stadium, near me, a beautiful woman looked the scenery with incredible open eyes. It was like a dream.It seemed that she wasn't very comfortable there and I felt a strange feeling of helping her to stay better. I left my seat and walked between dozens of people to arrive to her. I embraced her. I embraced Eli. Since that moment, we share our lives and two wonderful kids. By the way, my team won 2-1. ¡Hala Madrid!
I was scared. Thousands of thousands of people were shouting and singing to cheer their team. All the stadium was covered by an intensive white colour except me. I was very proud of wearing my blue and maroon t-shirt, which symbolize the colours of my football team. Yes. I'm a Futbol Club Barcelona's supporter and I was watching the Derby in the stadium of the rival thanks to a contest that I had won eating a packet of fried potatoes. I was alone and I have to confess that I didn't feel very well. Suddenly, Edgar appeared from the crowd and embraced me. It was like a dream.Since that moment, we share our lives, our football discussions and I demonstrate everybody that to love someone is not a question of age but heart and feelings. I don't remember the final score. It doesn't matter. Visca el Barça!
Today, The Beans have left Venice. They have been in the city during few days enjoying the Carnevale and the most important, enjoying the kindness of Venetian people. Once you have visited Venice it's impossible to forget it for the rest of your life.
It has been a special visit, especially for Ana Bean, who is a great lover of the city, and for The Grandma who lost her lover in this city some decades ago and she has never found him. The search continues and she won't give up but time is running against her and because of this, she's sad and a little depressed and she has bought tones of Super Glue and Bitumen of Judea-nobody knows why, things of old people...-
By the way, The Grandma has received a great surprise from AnaBean that she will never forget. She has recovered her lost faith and her interest in continuing her particular search of Corto Maltese.
How sad Venice can be. It's too lonely to bare,
when you have lost the love
that you discovered there.
Charles Aznavour
Lights...
The family is happy because they have spent some unforgettable days in the capital of the Veneto and they're going to visit Rio de Janeiro, another must, if you're talking about spectacular carnivals.
They have been practising some English to try to full their time. It's a long flight again and they must fight the jet lag with their better guns: reading, cinema and expositions. They have revised Past Simple (To Be and To Have) and some Social English before Carol Bean had explained her experiences in Rio de Janeiro some years ago.
It has been an incredible exposition accompanied by some typical Brazilian music and food. The Beans have received their first classes of samba thanks to Carol Bean, who is an excellent instructor, and have tasted some chocolate delicatessen thanks to Natalia Bean.
Finally, the family has chosen The Queen of The Beans and Carol Bean has won this recognition meanwhile, The Grandma has started to remember again and full of nostalgia has remember one of her favourite actresses of her childhood, Carmen Miranda, the Brazilian star, singer and dancer whose sister, Aurora Miranda, participated in Walt Disney's film The Three Caballeros.
The Beans have been talking about their favourites films and the list is long: Pinocchio, Fantasia, The Aristocats, Lady and the Tramp, Dinosaur, The Beauty and The Beast, Mulan, Brave, Peter Pan, Aladdin, Bambi, The Lion King, Balto, The Princess and the Frog... everyone has a favourite film joined to special memories of it.
The Beans are in Venice enjoying the city and its people. Before going to the reception offered by the City Hall, the family has continued its English classes. Today, they have been talking about some conditional structures: Zero and First Conditional.
It's a special visit for Ana Bean, who is in love with the city and for The Grandma who has great memories of her past with Corto Maltese in this wonderful place. Venice is being a great experience for all the members of the family: Tania and Paqui Bean has fallen in love with a gondolier, a Venetian boatman.
Moreover, The Grandma has been talking about sustanaible houses and buildings that avoid pollution and energy consumption, something very important for cities that are under danger of collapsing like Venice.
The Carnevale di Venezia is one of the most famous carnivals around the world, and a charming characteristic of the city. Its origins are centuries old, and it still attracts thousands of tourists each year who arrive in Venice to admire the sumptuous costumes and masks parading in the streets and squares. Creating masks is, indeed, an art in Venice, a tradition dating back hundreds of years, making the carnival of Venice truly unique.
Paqui and Tania Bean with a handsome gondolier
The carnival became a public festivity in 1296, with an act of the Senate of the Republic of Venice, but its origins are even older. Already in 1094, official documents brought traces of public celebrations in the last days before Lent.
At this time, and for the following centuries, the carnival consisted in several weeks of festivity and fun in the whole city, during which people could indulge in music, dances and parties, barely working. Wearing masks and costumes made it possible for people to hide any differences of class or status, and it was even allowed to make fun of the aristocracy. This time of regulated social outburst was a way for the Most Serene Republic of Venice to maintain order and power throughout the rest of the year.
Public shows and exhibitions were organized everywhere in the city, with musicians, dancers, acrobats and jugglers. At the same time, parties and raffish performances also took place in private houses and cafés, and theaters hosted a growing number of masked plays.
The carnival became internationally famous and prestigious in the 18th century, when it reached its widest fame. It was in this period that the writer Casanova spent his life in Venice between wild parties and love affairs. At the end of the century, with the French conquest of the Republic first and the Austrian occupation later, the tradition of wearing masks was forbidden, and the carnival survived, even though reduced, only in some island of the lagoon. It was only in 1979 that the ancient tradition was restored, in the form still seen today.
The magic of carnival gives to Venice an enchanted atmosphere. Masked people fill the streets with smiles and laughter, and several events are organized all around the city. The carnival usually lasts a couple of weeks, but the most important days are those between the last Thursday and the very last day, Tuesday. These are called giovedì grasso and martedì grasso, literally ‘fat Thursday’ and ‘fat Tuesday,’ in opposition to the following Ash Wednesday that marks the beginning of Lent, a period traditionally dedicated to fast. However, the weekends are usually the privileged time for tourists and visitors.
On the last Sunday and last Tuesday of carnival, a big wooden stage hosts the award ceremony of the best masked costume, which is elected after several parades that take place during the central days of the festival. This stage is also the theater of different plays, where traditional masked characters like Arlecchino interpret comic adventures. It is also possible to participate to sumptuous masked parties in 18th century style, organized in ancient Venetian buildings, but the dimension of the squares and streets is the most popular one.
Taking care of the nature is a very important thing and the family has
been talking about animals and their protection. Paqui Bean has talked about
two important centres: the CRAM in El Prat de Llobregat and the CRARC in
Masquefa. Both of them are near Barcelona, and both of them work strongly to
save animals. She has also talked about the Zeehondencentrum in Pieterburen.
Then, the family has listened carefully Ana Bean's speech about Maria
Callas, her lovely friend. They have discovered a lot of secrets about her and
her difficult and successful life and about the connection between Ana and
Maria. It has been a very important moment for The Grandma who has appreciated
a lot Ana's effort and work.
Óscar Bean and Temperance Brenan's Team
After talking about Asperger Syndrome, The Beans have visited Temperance
Brennan and her scientific team in the Jeffersonian Institution and they have asked her
some questions about the skeleton that was found by Óscar Bean in the
Georgetown University Campus yesterday.
Dr Brennan has answered all the
questions of the family and has been very interested in answering Anton Bean's
questions about the Piltdown Man while The Grandma, fascinated by the
laboratory and imitating Salvador Dalí, has lost her head and her idea of time
and has started to live in a parallel universe until The Beans have waken her
up.
This afternoon, the family has visited the
Natural History Museum founded in 1846 as part of the Smithsonian Institution. It is a natural-history museum
administered by the Smithsonian Institution, located on the National Mall in
Washington, D.C. It has free admission and is open 364 days a
year.
Tempus Fugit for The Grandma
Opened in 1910, the museum on the National Mall was one of the first
Smithsonian buildings constructed exclusively to hold the national collections
and research facilities.
The main building has an overall area of 140,000 m2
with 30,200 m2 of exhibition and houses over 1,000 employees. The museum's collections contain over 126
million specimens of plants, animals, fossils, minerals, rocks, meteorites,
human remains, and human cultural artefacts. In 2016 it was the second most
visited of all of the Smithsonian museums. It is also home to about 185 professional
natural-history scientists, the largest group of scientists dedicated to the
study of natural and cultural history in the world.
