NEW - Quizlet Flashcards: click here for link to vocabulary cards from this episode
Transcript:
[00:00:05.590] - Oliver (Host)
Hello everyone, and welcome to English and Beyond, a podcast for intermediate to advanced learners of English as a second language. If you're here for the first time, welcome. And please know that you can find a transcript for all of our episodes online at www.morethanalanguage.com, in case you find anything hard to understand. I'm also pleased to say that we have now started doing Quizlet flashcards, where you can practise the most difficult words from each episode. So far, I've only done them for this episode and the last one from 2024, but I hope to go back and add them for previous episodes if I have time. You can also find them on www.morethanalanguage.com.
[00:00:50.230] - Oliver (Host)
It's 2025, a new year. I've only taken one week off the podcast, but somehow it feels like that break has been much longer. It's been, in fact, just a short break from brainstorming ideas, that is, coming up with fresh ideas for topics, just a short break from recording, editing, and everything else that comes with making this show. However, that break, that respite has left me feeling reinvigorated with new energy, as if I'm approaching the project with fresh eyes.
[00:01:23.610] - Oliver (Host)
Isn't it fascinating? Isn't it interesting how even a brief pause can make things feel brand new? That said, I must confess that this is actually the second attempt at writing this episode. My first draft was remarkably negative, surprisingly so, given how much I enjoy this time of year. But if you've been following this podcast for a while, you'll know that I have a tendency towards pessimism, towards seeing the worst in any given situation. That's not always necessarily a bad thing. Some might call it pragmatism or realism. But more to the point, I think I'll never be able to change completely. Perhaps my aim should be to embrace that self-awareness while also trying to channel it into something more productive. Returning to the main topic of today's episode, New Year's Eve, or Hogmanay, as it's called in Scotland, has always been really significant in my family. My mum, coming from Glasgow, Scotland, often reminisces about how much bigger Hogmanay was than Christmas when she was growing up. While Christmas barely registered in her childhood, that is, it was hardly celebrated at all, New Year's was a massive event. The entire country essentially came to a stand with celebrations lasting for days.
[00:02:48.240] - Oliver (Host)
Whole families would gather and neighbours would visit for first footing, a tradition where the first visitor in the New Year brings good luck to the whole household by presenting you with certain gifts when they cross your the threshold, the front door of your house. Though times have changed and Christmas has grown in relative importance, Hogmanay remains an important cultural fixture in Scotland. I like to think that some of that reverence, some of that respect, for the turning of the year has filtered down to me. It's one of the reasons I love this time of year, the symbolism of an ending and a beginning, a clean slate, a chance to start afresh.
[00:03:28.600] - Oliver (Host)
Another reason that I cherish, that I value, New Year's, is the atmosphere that winter creates. For those of us in the northern hemisphere, New Year falls right in the heart of winter, in the middle of the winter season. Even if you're the type to throw a huge party, to go clubbing or to dance until dawn, the cold overcast skies, the cold cloudy skies of January, have a way of slowing things down. They encourage introspection, an opportunity to pause and reflect on yourself and your current situation in life.
[00:04:04.010] - Oliver (Host)
In Britain, I find that the summer months are a bit of a frenzy of activity. July and August are spent rushing to barbecues, beaches, and festivals, making the most of the fleeting sunshine, of the temporary sunshine. Winter, by contrast, is quieter. It invites you to sit by the window to sip a warm drink and look out at frost-covered flowers, the icy stillness of nature minding you to be calmer and more serene as well. That's why I think that there's a peacefulness to January that I find deeply appealing. It gives me the time and space to think about what went well in the past year, what didn't, and how I might improve. Not everyone sees it this way, of course. Many people view New Year's as the year's best excuse to go wild, to drink excessively, and celebrate in a way that's perhaps at odds with their sober January resolutions to live more healthily. But that's a very human tendency, isn't it? When we feel like something's about to change, whether it's a lifestyle choice or the year itself, we want one last indulgence. I've had my fair share of New Year's celebrations like that, but more often, I prefer to spend this particular evening working hard or enjoying a calm night with my family.
[00:05:24.070] - Oliver (Host)
For me personally, New Year's is less about external festivities and more about internal reflection. I guess I also generally believe that I should begin the new year in the same way that I mean to go on. I begin with working hard because I want to be motivated throughout the year. Now, if you've been following this podcast, you'll know I have a rather unusual way of motivating myself. For years, I've relied on very negative self-talk, telling myself I'm not good enough to push myself forward. I think it's pretty universally accepted by therapists and psychologists that this is not the healthiest method of self-motivation and my teachers at school, in particular, always found it both confusing and baffling that I did this to myself. The trouble for me is that while it's probably quite unhealthy, I've also found it hugely effective. Virtually everything I've done in my life that I'm proud of has included many hours of telling myself that I won't be good enough unless I achieve whatever goal I've just set for myself. Of course, these goals always change. The sad key to this motivation is that you will never be good enough. But this year, I want to try something different.
[00:06:39.020] - Oliver (Host)
I feel like my current motivational strategies are very 1950s, and I guess I could try something a little bit more 21st century. Instead of tearing myself down to build myself back up, I'm going to focus on what we can call accountability. And here's how. I'm going to use this podcast as a tool to hold myself accountable. That means that I'm hoping that by sharing my goals now with you, my listeners, I will create a sense of obligation. After all, it's much harder to abandon a resolution when you've announced it to an audience, isn't it? Could there be anything more 2025 than creating accountability with your own podcast? I feel ridiculous for even saying these things.
[00:07:23.800] - Oliver (Host)
In any case, what are my goals? Well, I have a list of resolutions for 2025, a list of promises of things I want to improve, and I'll share them with you now. Number one is to continue learning French. I've made really good progress with French this year, but I want to say consistent. I've had periods where I've worked hard and periods where I've done comparatively little, so I'd like to get into more of a daily pattern. In addition, I'm also debating whether to return to German, a language I studied years ago while I was living in Germany, but I have totally neglected since then.
[00:07:59.880] - Oliver (Host)
My good sense, my common sense, is telling me not to be silly, not to start learning German again, but I suspect that my heart will win out over my brain. Number two, finally, to get a tattoo. This has been on my mind for years, and I think it's time to take the plunge. I spent so much time overthinking it, what design to choose, where to place it, whether I'm going to regret it, that I've talked myself out of it countless times, but not this year. Number three, start videoing the podcast. I want to begin recording video versions of these podcasts for YouTube, which is no small challenge given my desire to remain anonymous. Still, who doesn't love a good challenge? And César promises me that it will be worth the effort. Number four, expand my teaching horizons. While I've taught and enjoy teaching many students from Spain, I'd like to work with learners from even more countries. Teaching people from different backgrounds will not only enhance my teaching skills, but it'll also give me a great insight into other cultures. Number five, read more for pleasure. It's a bit of a cliché this one, but I often read for work or study.
[00:09:15.370] - Oliver (Host)
And I want to make more time for books that I genuinely enjoy, whether they're novels or memoirs or something completely unexpected. If you have any book suggestions, let me know. Number six, start journaling regularly. Writing down my thoughts, even if it's just a few lines each day, seems like a great way to reflect and decompress. It's a habit I've attempted before, but I've never fully committed to. I tend to vent, to complain a lot to a certain few very unlucky people in my life, and it would be good to be able to minimise that to times when I really need it, and to save their sanity in the process.
[00:09:54.580] - Oliver (Host)
Now, I also know that shared accountability works both ways. Here's where you come in as well, dear listener. I'd love to be able to hear about your New Year's resolutions. What are your goals for 2025? Email me at oliver@morethanalanguage.com, and share what you're hoping to achieve this year. You could also add them to a comment on Spotify or on our brand new Instagram account, BritishEnglishandBeyond, where I currently have, wait for it, I think, 61 followers. Hopefully, this number won't have gone down by the time you check it out.
[00:10:29.830] - Oliver (Host)
On this Instagram account, I'll be sharing language learning tips, embarrassing videos of César, and some cultural quirks from Britain. But returning to the resolutions, obviously, I can't promise to hold everyone accountable. That might be a bit ambitious, but I genuinely really enjoy hearing about your journeys, and I suspect that quite a few of you will have English learning in your lists. And who knows? Sharing your resolutions might give you that extra motivation to stick to them. After all, if I'm using this podcast to keep myself on track, it's only fair that you do the same. So, fingers crossed, we're going to have a fantastic year ahead. May 2025 be full of growth, learning, and new experiences. Thank you.
[00:11:20.710] - Oliver (Host)
So, César, Happy New Year.
[00:11:24.010] - César (Guest)
Happy New Year. Happy 2025.
[00:11:27.300] - Oliver (Host)
Do you have any resolutions?
[00:11:31.260] - César (Guest)
I'm a weird one with that one in the sense that some years I'm really keen and enthusiastic about setting for myself some New Year resolutions, but this year I don't really want to write anything down. So I got in my mind some stuff like be more confident. It's probably one of the worst kind of resolutions that you can set for yourself because it's not specific, it's not
[00:12:03.341] - Oliver (Host)
Measurable.
[00:12:03.350] - César (Guest)
Measurable. So I'm just like, since yesterday, when I was, for example, overthinking about something, I was like, No, you have to stop doing that. But no, I don't have any specific one. I just want to be a human and do my best.
[00:12:21.930] - Oliver (Host)
Well, that sounds like it's going to be real tough to achieve. You want to be human.
[00:12:25.930] - César (Guest)
Well, I feel since we moved in October last year, we had to modify many habits and routines that we had already quite established in the UK. So I feel like we were working quite hard since the move to Spain to create new habits. And that's a resolution by definition, creating a new habit and make it stick.
[00:12:55.280] - Oliver (Host)
Well, I think that for most people, resolutions is something more aspirational than just getting a habit. I mean, if your habit that you're talking about are positive habits, that kind of thing, or you're looking to give up a bad habit, then I think that that would count as a resolution. But what I think that you're saying is that you feel like you've got your hands full just adapting to Spanish life.
[00:13:16.560] - César (Guest)
The plate is already full. Plus not only moving to Spain, but also reconnecting with sports. I've already done it. I did it when we moved here and changed the gym I was attending and be more careful with the, - with food because of my little health condition. I need to be more careful with food. I started the moment the doctor told me, You should be more careful with your lifestyle, especially food, and become a weight watcher. I'll be more mindful about my weight because I have something called - It's not funny? I've got something called fatty liver. It's like a non-alcoholic fatty liver. Basically, my liver has more I mean, all the organs have some fat, some degree of fat. It's important. It's protective. But mine, apparently, has more than it should have. I need to be careful with that.
[00:14:27.850] - Oliver (Host)
Yeah. Okay, fine.
[00:14:30.000] - César (Guest)
Do you want to disclose any health condition of your own?
[00:14:33.020] - Oliver (Host)
Do you know, I actually... Because I also have some health conditions. I think everyone has some health conditions by the mid-30s.
[00:14:39.100] - César (Guest)
I got asthma as well. And that's quite limiting-
[00:14:44.020] - Oliver (Host)
It's not "Health Conditions Anonymous" or something, César. You don't have to disclose everything that's wrong with you. I actually am going to talk about my one later on in an episode because I think it's quite interesting.
[00:14:57.210] - César (Guest)
Yeah, and sometimes it's quite limiting as well.
[00:15:00.050] - Oliver (Host)
Yeah, exactly. I will talk about that later. Sounds like we're building hype for what is not actually that exciting. It's vaguely interesting. I will actually do that at some point because as you say, as you get older, you get more and more of these health conditions, and they can actually, depending on the health condition, they can be quite limiting. I don't think your asthma, for example, actually impacts your life very much, provided that you have the inhaler.
[00:15:30.170] - César (Guest)
Yeah, exactly. That's what makes me anxious, actually, being dependent on the inhaler, because I'm like, What if I get lost in a forest for a couple of days?
[00:15:39.990] - Oliver (Host)
Do you regularly go trekking in forests? When was the last time you saw a forest?
[00:15:45.100] - César (Guest)
In real life.
[00:15:47.300] - Oliver (Host)
Yeah. I don't think that the park in Valencia counts.
[00:15:52.550] - César (Guest)
No, it doesn't count.
[00:15:53.530] - Oliver (Host)
César's lost for three days in Valencia, one of Valencia's larger parks. I think you'll be fine. But, you know, fingers crossed. When you have had resolutions in the past, what drives you on to stick with them? Because you're saying now it sounds like you're setting "a very low bar" for yourself, we can say. I can't remember what you said, but you want to be human and you want to... I can't remember the second part of it, to live. But you want to be human. That's a low bar, we could say. You're going to always be human, at least in 2025. So when you've had resolutions in the past that are a little bit more challenging because you have been very hard with yourself, very tough with yourself with the resolutions in the past, do you notice a difference between the ones that have paid off, that you've had success with and the ones that you have failed with? Can you pick up any resolutions from recent years which you failed to keep?
[00:16:59.510] - César (Guest)
Well, the list is quite long. Is this question asked for... Like, do you want me to say any specific resolution that I set in the past and I failed dramatically to do?
[00:17:13.660] - Oliver (Host)
Do I have anything in mind? Do you mean?
[00:17:15.090] - César (Guest)
Yeah.
[00:17:16.070] - Oliver (Host)
Not especially.
[00:17:17.080] - César (Guest)
Okay.
[00:17:19.630] - César (Guest)
Well, probably things like meditating would be one of them.
[00:17:23.780] - Oliver (Host)
I think that's a really typical one, isn't it? And I actually, maybe for the first time ever, because I said that I have "start journaling", which I've never had anything like that in my resolutions. I'm not someone normally who, like, "I want to be more mindful" or something. Normally, I'm much more concrete and harsh with myself. So journaling, a little bit like your meditation.
[00:17:46.870] - César (Guest)
I've done that in the past for, like, over a year, actually, and then I stopped doing it. It was really good. I did the morning pages. First thing in the morning, write one page, write down anything that would come to mind.
[00:17:59.920] - Oliver (Host)
I think I would fail to do it, if I decided, if I had the delusion that I would do it in the morning, that would be a definite failure, because I'm not sure that I've ever met anyone who's less of a morning person than me.
[00:18:11.610] - César (Guest)
I think your morning pages would be quite negative.
[00:18:15.310] - Oliver (Host)
I actually, very briefly, for a few months, I had an app that let you... Let me see if I can find it, actually. I still have the app. I get a daily reminder to write down what I'm grateful for.
[00:18:27.230] - César (Guest)
In the morning?
[00:18:28.170] - Oliver (Host)
I used to do it in the morning on the way to school, so I can actually probably find you some examples of my gratitude. It gives you a prompt, so that it's not just the same thing every day. Write down something that makes you grateful. This was-
[00:18:48.320] - César (Guest)
An indication.
[00:18:49.230] - Oliver (Host)
Yeah. In May of this year, write about a movie that touched your heart. I wrote, "I'm not grateful today. I don't care about a **** movie that touched my heart. I don't give a ****. I'm sick and bored of the same boring ****."
[00:19:05.210] - César (Guest)
Then the film was "La vida es bella"?
[00:19:09.130] - Oliver (Host)
Exactly.
[00:19:10.200] - César (Guest)
What is the name of that film in English? "Life is beautiful"? I'm talking about the Italian film.
[00:19:15.830] - Oliver (Host)
The Italian one. I'm not sure I've seen. I think that it's "Life is beautiful". I'm not sure I've seen it translated. Most of the time I wrote down positive things anyway, even in the morning. But I am so... I mean, I'm just in the morning, very not articulate. That's my best attempt at being meditative or thoughtful and grateful in the morning.
[00:19:45.760] - César (Guest)
Maybe one day we should record an episode early in the morning, five minutes after you wake up. People can see the real you in the morning.
[00:19:55.350] - Oliver (Host)
But it's not the real me. It's a part of me.
[00:19:58.450] - César (Guest)
In the morning.
[00:19:58.450] - Oliver (Host)
In the morning, fine. Okay.
[00:20:01.570] - César (Guest)
The good thing about being a morning person, because I'm a morning person, is that I'm not moody in the evening because I just fall asleep. I don't have the time to be...
[00:20:09.310] - Oliver (Host)
I was going to say... You're not awake, so it's hard to be moody. No, I think that is an unfortunate thing for us about our relationship that you are such a morning person, and I'm such an evening person because I drag myself out of bed almost always later than you. I get nothing done. I'm totally helpless, like a spoiled child in the morning. Then in the evening, you're asleep. You're asleep on the sofa, you're asleep in the bed, you're asleep everywhere. I'll be awake potentially for a good couple of hours just lying there thinking with nothing to do. And instead of accepting that I am not a morning person, and instead, we'll go to bed quite early, set an early alarm, and just hope that I will fall asleep and wake up refreshed, but it's just not what happens. Maybe I should just accept it, but we'll end up on, like, different shifts of the day, almost.
[00:21:05.880] - César (Guest)
I think you can have a go, you can try and give up and accept your nature.
[00:21:12.010] - Oliver (Host)
Yeah. For maybe one month, I could do it and see how I do. Can you imagine if I just became a completely different, positive, optimistic person?
[00:21:21.160] - César (Guest)
But the reality is, can you see yourself working after dinner, for example, after 10:00 PM?
[00:21:28.760] - Oliver (Host)
People work after lunch.
[00:21:31.440] - César (Guest)
Yeah, but it's different.
[00:21:31.960] - Oliver (Host)
Why not?
[00:21:31.890] - César (Guest)
I don't know. I feel like-
[00:21:33.610] - Oliver (Host)
But it's different for you because you fall asleep, whereas I'm there wired for three hours after you are dead to the world. So maybe it would work. Okay, well, let's go back to the questions because we always go off piste, but this is maybe quite extreme. As you know, César, I'm going to try to be more positive with myself. Done a great job so far in this podcast. Are you positive with yourself or are you more similar to me with the negativity? It's like I don't know you. I'm asking questions I don't already know.
[00:22:12.740] - César (Guest)
I can't remember how I was when I was little. I mean, I was very shy, very timid, but I didn't really have an idea of the concept of myself. I didn't really think about myself that much, I think. During my adolescence, I was a very negative image of myself.
[00:22:30.900] - Oliver (Host)
You had a very negative image. Yeah.
[00:22:33.300] - César (Guest)
And then I shifted that. I worked on that because I was like, Okay, this is not a proper way of living. I don't want to continue like that. So now I would say that generally it's positive, positive enough. But sometimes I go through crisis where I think I'm not very worthy. I'm not very happy with myself. But I think, can you say "it falls down in the normality of being a human"?
[00:23:08.470] - Oliver (Host)
It sounds like you've moved to LA, Los Angeles, not to Valencia. I have no idea what you mean then, but it sounded very LA podcast. Okay.
[00:23:22.650] - César (Guest)
No, I just said, generally, I have a positive concept of myself, I would say.
[00:23:28.600] - Oliver (Host)
Yeah, that's good. That's nice. I'm happy for you.
[00:23:31.470] - César (Guest)
But not always. I'm happy for you. Talking about resolutions, I do have resolutions. It's just I started my resolutions when I needed to start them. And some of them, it was two, three months ago. I just continued because I'm like, "Am I going to put more things on top?" Like becoming a, like becoming - start climbing mountains, for example?
[00:24:00.060] - Oliver (Host)
Well, I suppose a lot of the stuff that I've chosen - I actually have a longer list than what I put in this podcast.
[00:24:05.430] - César (Guest)
I think yours made complete sense, made complete sense at this point of your life.
[00:24:11.030] - Oliver (Host)
Yeah, some of them are ones that I've, for various reasons. I mean, things like getting a tattoo or starting to video the podcast, they're both things that I have doubts about or resistance to for various reasons. And so I think that the new year is a good, arbitrary division of time to make you say, OK, I'm actually going to do that. And I think from that perspective, it's quite good.
[00:24:34.500] - César (Guest)
But one thing, I think it's, getting a tattoo as a resolution, it's cheating because it's like saying, I want to go to the theatre in Valencia. It's like a one-off thing. You just need to decide which tattoo you're going to get.
[00:24:50.180] - Oliver (Host)
Resolutions don't have to be long-term everyday decisions. They can be a one-off. You can resolve to go to Australia this year. Finally, you've been wanting to go for years, and for various different reasons, you haven't prioritised it, but this year is going to be the year. I don't know. Maybe someone listening will say, No, that's not what a resolution is. But I think that it's just a, to resolve to do something is just to take that decision to do it and say, I'm going to do this. I have wanted to get a tattoo for ages, but I've never actually forced myself to do it.
[00:25:27.930] - César (Guest)
But please don't get that one you showed me today. It was really ugly.
[00:25:31.490] - Oliver (Host)
Well, it's my body.
[00:25:32.840] - César (Guest)
Yeah, but no.
[00:25:35.350] - Oliver (Host)
We'll see. Is there anything that you want to add to this as well?
[00:25:43.190] - César (Guest)
Well, I would say -
[00:25:44.990] - Oliver (Host)
Is this going to be LA?
[00:25:47.680] - César (Guest)
It's going to be the same thing I said on my Spanish podcast, Intermediate Spanish Podcast by Spanish Language Coach. So I said that I think it's really positive to set up some resolutions, be realistic. I think our life cannot become a to-do list, cannot become a list of hacks to be more productive, more efficient all the time. I think it's important to have resolutions, things that make us being engaged with life, but at the same time, enjoy as well. Maybe my resolution should be more hedonistic this 2025. Enjoy, pleasure.
[00:26:29.600] - Oliver (Host)
Well, I mean, mine is a little bit like that, but as I said, I haven't put all of my resolutions in this episode because I think that would be, one, inappropriate, and two, incredibly boring for people to listen to. But I think that both of us could benefit from prioritising
[00:26:49.302] - César (Guest)
Pleasure.
[00:26:49.950] - Oliver (Host)
Pleasure. Like the song, there's a really good, really good singer I really like her called Self Esteem. So I really recommend.
[00:26:57.920] - César (Guest)
Love her name.
[00:26:58.280] - Oliver (Host)
You know her, though.
[00:26:59.270] - César (Guest)
I know her.
[00:27:00.280] - Oliver (Host)
Some really good songs, a listener. And I think that she's got a very clear English as well. So worth listening to her songs. One of them is almost spoken word as well, so I really recommend it. Okay, so I think we should probably sign it off there César.
[00:27:14.960] - César (Guest)
Thank you.
[00:27:16.580] - Oliver (Host)
We've got so many different things to remind the listeners of that I feel like it's getting ridiculous. But follow us on Instagram, BritishEnglishandBeyond. Well, actually, that's it. I can't think of anything else.
[00:27:30.590] - César (Guest)
Well, I would say that they should say their resolutions. Write a comment on YouTube or Spotify. You can leave a comment as well.
[00:27:39.340] - Oliver (Host)
I did ask them to do that.
[00:27:40.380] - César (Guest)
Okay.
[00:27:40.690] - Oliver (Host)
Yeah. So hopefully, at least one person will not leave me...
[00:27:45.980] - César (Guest)
I can do it if you want to.
[00:27:46.970] - Oliver (Host)
Yeah, exactly.
[00:27:47.300] - César (Guest)
If you want me to.
[00:27:48.240] - Oliver (Host)
Yeah, exactly. César will kick it off. Okay, lovely. Thank you very much, César, for coming, as always, to your own house. And until next time.
[00:27:57.630] - César (Guest)
Chao.
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