
THIS blog post is from two points of view – from a woman and from a man. From a woman’s point of view, I can say that English men are really hot. Think of someone like Orlando Bloom who talks to you in a non-rhotic accent. Now that’s really hot and suave, right? Now imagine yourself dating Orlando Bloom on Valentine’s Day in a very nondescript convertible with him driving down the thoroughfares in London on the right side of the road. That’s really awesome. Orlando Bloom is not just hot because of he starred in both the Lord of the Rings and the Pirates of the Caribbean series. He’s hot because he braved the cold winter of the North Pole in early 2007 to film the falling glaciers in the area to underscore the presence of global warming in our world.
Another hot actor that I like is Cillian Murphy. Cillian’s breakthrough movie if you may recall was 2002’s Danny Boyle’s cult hit 28 Days Later. Of course, Danny Boyle is a very hot British film director and it may be nice to date him as well although I gather that he is married. Anyhow, he doesn’t talk much about his personal life in press interviews but since the guy is already in mid-life, I guess he is married. Either that or he’s as gay as Michael Stipe, the frontman of REM. But then again Danny is still hot even though he is gay. But let’s focus on Cillian. There’s not much that Cillian else did except playing the cold-blooded villain in Wes Craven’s Red Eye opposite Rachel McAdams (remember her from The Notebook?) in 2005.
Now with the women. There are two English actresses that I will forever admire and dream to be my Valentines Date this February 14, 2008 – Keira Knightley and Kate Winslet. Keira emerged first on the world scene as Natalie Portman’s lookalike in The Phantom Menace. Back then, Keira wasn’t yet emancipated from her parents and her mom then was her bouncer. When she was emancipated, even at the tender age of 17, she grabbed the role of a corpse which required her to do full frontal nudity in The Hole. Wow! After that breakthrough role, Keira was cast in The Pirates of the Caribbean series and that became another turning point of her career. Because of that role, she was able to negotiate and grab the role of Queen Guinevere in the Antoine Fuqua-megged picture King Arthur. Then the rest is history. Keira actually coveted the roles which made people see her as a serious actress – roles in such movies as Pride and Prejudice and Atonement.
And then there was Kate Winslet. Who could forget her in the immortalized Titanic. But beyond Titanic and before Titanic, Kate is already adorable. She was cast in Ang Lee’s Sense and Sensibility as one of the Dashwood sisters. Sense and Sensibility is all about the dilemma on whether to do the right things or to do things right.

ONE of the more fascinating people that I admire in the United Kingdom is Orlando Bloom. Yes, you heard that right. And you were thinking that I was about to mention the names of Gordon Brown or Richard Dimbleby. Of course, they are equally fascinating but what I like in Orlando Bloom is his being an environmentalist. In fact, he has traveled to the North Pole at the peak of winter in early 2007, braving the cold just to capture on film the real effects of global warming. That’s one feat that I like to replicate in my lifetime.
Indeed, England is peopled with beautiful persons who can truly move to change the world. That’s why it is fascinating to visit the country at least once in your lifetime and have a vacation for one whole month. That’s one whole month and nothing less. You surely can’t immensely enjoy if you just scrape your bottom at some Hilton in London for three days. You must be here in a month. Demand that from your employer if you think you deserve it.
But first, you need to prepare for your visit. If you are from Salamanca for instance, you may want to hone your English-speaking skills so you can mingle with the locals in England once you’ll be there. Only by that time that you can book your flight, hotel and tour deals to England.
However, one of the cheapest ways to go to England is to take a holiday swap. You will surely save on hotel deals as you don’t need pay for hotel bills. All you need is a month off from work and a spic-and-span house in Salamanca for your English contact that is your swap.
Where Orlando Bloom is concerned with maintaining the preservation of our world, other English folks who are equally commendable are more concerned against the evil of illegal human trafficking. For the last decade, it has been noticed that there’s an influx of illegal aliens coming from China to the United Kingdom. These poor Chinese are victims of human smugglers who sneak them into cargo ships and dumped at English beaches to work as slaves to their contacts here. This situation has been illustrated extensively in Lethal Weapon 4 although the setting of that is the United States. But it is admittedly prevalent in the United Kingdom. To end this horrific practice, the government of Prime Minister Gordon Brown has increased coast patrols throughout the archipelago and not just in the Island of Great Britain itself. There are also stiffer penalties for smugglers as long as they are within United Kingdom waters.
Enough of the morbid news. Let’s go to the fun side. This year, more NFL games will be coming to Wembley Stadium. It can be recalled that in 2007, there was a big game between the Miami Dolphins and the New York Giants at the Wembley Stadium. The NFL has seen that bringing the league to the United Kingdom is lucrative because there are lots of NFL fans here and NFL sponsors are likewise looking for potential customers in this part of the world across the Atlantic.

HAPPY new year to one and all in the United Kingdom! There are indeed lots of things to look forward to in the United Kingdom in 2008, one of which is MEDTEC UK, a convocation of all medical technology companies in the country in Birmingham in February. You don’t have to be a medical technology connoisseur to be in this event. Just pass yourself off as a blogger and if you have a sponsor, the chances of yourself getting into events such as this will be better. You can surely learn lots of things in events such as this which may have practical applications in your life.
And then there is also the Sign & Digital UK, a convocation of the printing industry in the United Kingdom this April also in Birmingham. Mind you, Birmingham is already shaping to be the convention destination in the United Kingdom this year. Birmingham, a predominantly Anglican city with a growing number of Catholic residents, is a melting pot of religions and some of its awe-inspiring structures are the Birmingham Buddhist Center, Birmingham Central Mosque, Birmingham Central Mosque, Birmingham Peace Pagoda, Ramgarhia Sikh Temple, St. Chad’s Cathedral and Shree Geeta Bhawan. Before you leave Birmingham though, you must taste its balti food which is Indian-inspired.
Meanwhile, Aquaculture UK will take place somewhere in Scotland by May. It will be a convocation of all aquaculture entrepreneurs and enthusiasts in the United Kingdom. Another conference that is happening in the United Kingdom this year is the RNA Conference happening this January 18 to 20 at the Lake District National Park. It will be a nationwide gathering of all geneticists in the United Kingdom although foreign bloggers who wish to cover the event are also warmly welcome albeit it has a registration fee of 200 pounds but which is already inclusive to bed and breakfast in the entire duration of the event. Luncheons and dinners are of course served at the lecture hall.
On the other hand, archaeology experts the world over will be happy to note that York will be sponsoring a conference on the matter come February 1 to 2. This may be an interesting convocation for people who are archaeology enthusiasts and that is surely one thing to look forward to in the United Kingdom this 2008. Meanwhile, the Internet World 2008 – touted as the largest Internet show in the United Kingdom for this year – will be happening in April at Earl’s Court in London. Exhibitors include such bigwigs as Microsoft, Google, AOL, BBC, among others. If you are an equestrian or a horseriding enthusiast, then how about visiting the Gen Con UK 2008 set at the campus of Reading University in Berkshire.
Moving now to economic news, industry and other financial analysts are predicting a very vibrant economy in the United Kingdom for this year especially its equities. So come enjoy the United Kingdom and have fun visiting various conferences and convocations this 2008.