After long hours of work and the daily routine each of us need some relaxation or at least some recreation activities.
Every person should pay a little attention and grant themselves with a little free time doing something that they love, and doing so they will feel better psychologically and physically.
All you have to do, it is to organize very well your time.
In my opinion, group activities are the best as they offer you the oportunity to spend a pleasant time, as well as,to make new friends,solialize and at the same time to develop certain skills doing something new.
Dance clases , it is for me, the most enjoable of all the activities.Not only to keep you fit but also to have fun. I love dancing, I enjoy it, I find it amazing .I can't help dancing as soon as the songs or beats start . I feel that I have to dance.I hear the music and I just want to move.I don't care who is watching me.
I put my emotions away and the only thing that gets my mind away from other things.
Dancing burns more calories than most sports and it is not as boring as the Gym.
Try it and you will likely feel the well being in you.-
miércoles, 18 de febrero de 2015
We are getting some really good pieces of writng on here now....
...and I'd like to encourage you to read what your classmates have written, and to comment on their pieces.
There are good reasons for this: one is the theory of the Zone of Proximal Development in language learning theory. Essentially this means that you can only learn what you are ready to learn, which is to say things that are a little beyond your current level. Whether or not this is exactly true, like most things in education, hasn't been conclusively proved, but I know from my experience as a language learner and teacher that it's often easier to learn from other foreign speakers than from native speakers.
By reading your classmates' work you are going to a) see some interesting uses of language in terms of interesting words and expressions, ways of organising a piece of writing and uses of grammatical structures that you can use for yourself in future
and b) spot some mistakes that you probably make in your own writing, but don't always notice when you make them yourself.
So, read, and react- not just because your classmates are interesting people who write interesting things, but also to boost your learning this year!
There are good reasons for this: one is the theory of the Zone of Proximal Development in language learning theory. Essentially this means that you can only learn what you are ready to learn, which is to say things that are a little beyond your current level. Whether or not this is exactly true, like most things in education, hasn't been conclusively proved, but I know from my experience as a language learner and teacher that it's often easier to learn from other foreign speakers than from native speakers.
By reading your classmates' work you are going to a) see some interesting uses of language in terms of interesting words and expressions, ways of organising a piece of writing and uses of grammatical structures that you can use for yourself in future
and b) spot some mistakes that you probably make in your own writing, but don't always notice when you make them yourself.
So, read, and react- not just because your classmates are interesting people who write interesting things, but also to boost your learning this year!
martes, 17 de febrero de 2015
Jane Austen At The The Golden Globe Awards
This is Emma Thompson at the Golden Globe Awards in 1996 when she received her Golden Globe award for the best writing screenplay based on material previously produced or published in the film Sense & Sensibility. She spoke as she were Jane Austen for expressing her gratitude. She, Jane Austen, described the ceremony as excessively crowded and warm, she saw a lot of libertine people, the clothes were acceptable, the film director, Ang Lee, of foreign extraction, who seemed to know her better than herself, Miss Kate Winslet as a lovely person, the producer as someone that owed her a great deal of money and a woman named Emma Thompson as the person to whom she didn’t want to meet because she had stolen her novel and added some new things.
The Bag of Excuses
Have you
ever missed the bus minutes before your most important exam? Maybe you are so used to
first-date-slap relationships that you don’t even try to arrive on time. Maybe
you just love to stare at the front car, stuck in a traffic jam.
Guys, here
I bring you the answer to your prayers: The ETYSAEPHOTO!
Every Time
You See An Excuse PHOTO!, better known as The
Bag of Excuses. No matter the day, nor the time, as soon as you see a good
excuse take a picture (PHOTO!) with your mobile phone. Even if you are kissing
your girlfriend in a lovely park, if you see a car crash: stop immediately and
take a good picture of it (PHOTO!), even a close video if possible. Trust me,
there might be other girlfriends but you may never see another car crash.
Anytime you
need an excuse, you just need to pick up your phone and choose the one you
think it’s better for the place and time. It’s a piece of cake.
Jesús Javier Rey Samper
Homework: watch TV (on the internet)
As we talked about in class I'd like you to find a video, film or TV programme (of at least ten minutes duration), in English, that you are interested in watching, watch it, post a link to it on here with a brief description of what it is, and be prepared to tell your classmates about it tomorrow.
Simple!
I mentioned these in class:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbwvhDtjOWo (American Ninja Warrior- a competition where people try to complete an insanely difficult assault course)
https://www.youtube.com/user/scamschool (A show about the way con-artists use psychological tricks, and how to use those tricks in a fun way)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysIzx_wtrFw (Brain Games- a fun look at various brain-related phenomena)
Some alternative sources of English-language news:
http://www.france24.com/en/ - they have an interesting series of environmental documentaries here: http://www.france24.com/en/tv-shows/down-earth/
http://www.aljazeera.com/
Science and Engineering related stuff: http://www.insidescience.org/
Enjoy watching.
Simple!
I mentioned these in class:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbwvhDtjOWo (American Ninja Warrior- a competition where people try to complete an insanely difficult assault course)
https://www.youtube.com/user/scamschool (A show about the way con-artists use psychological tricks, and how to use those tricks in a fun way)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysIzx_wtrFw (Brain Games- a fun look at various brain-related phenomena)
Some alternative sources of English-language news:
http://www.france24.com/en/ - they have an interesting series of environmental documentaries here: http://www.france24.com/en/tv-shows/down-earth/
http://www.aljazeera.com/
Science and Engineering related stuff: http://www.insidescience.org/
Enjoy watching.
lunes, 16 de febrero de 2015
Don´t say it, do it!
“Be positive, be positive…”
Probably, each one´s reaction when opening
a newspaper these days is very different, but I may not be wrong saying that at
least once, we all have had the same thought: What the hell is wrong with the
world??!
It seems increasingly hard to be positive
these days; we look around and we only fancy going to bed and not getting up. It´s
not weird that there have never been so many adverts and recommendations about
how profitable positivism is than now; almost every week we can read a scientific
article that tells us about the effects of positivism and negativism on our working
output, our relationships or even our physical health. And it´s true! Many studies
have proved that our emotional state or the way we see ourselves and our life
can affect us more than our diet or the place we live in. We can even increase
our problems just by having a negative point of view to them.
We live in a society that worries so much
about eating healthy, doing exercise and being well-prepared to face the
incredible competitiveness; we want to be happy and get as much as we can. But
none of these matter if we don´t have the attitude to do it. It´s very easy
to complain and say “I would love to do that”, but the hard thing is not to
start it –as you can think-, but falling down and trying again. And that´s only possible
with a positive and decisive personality... today more than ever.
Contradictorily, some of the humanity´s
biggest achievements were got in the hardest moments and with the fewest facilities, but it´s been proved that, the more difficult it is, the better we do, because it is then when
we realize how strong we really are. Maybe it´s not so contradictory
after all…
Like someone said once, “life is not about waiting for the storm to pass, but learning to dance in the rain”. Now, more than ever, do it!
Second Progress Test
We will be doing a second progress test on Wednesday March 11. Please make sure you can attend on that day. If you know that you will not be able to, let me know as soon as possible so as to try to find an alternative time with one of the other groups at this level.
miércoles, 11 de febrero de 2015
“Be strong!” … And be happy
No. I'm not
talking about Rajoy and Bárcenas relationship. I'm talking about healthier
habits for overall health than corruption.
I have to start by saying that, for a healthy life, not only you need hours of gym and a Mediterranean diet, but also you need to rest from those unbearable routines and, why not, give you some ‘little whim’.
I have to start by saying that, for a healthy life, not only you need hours of gym and a Mediterranean diet, but also you need to rest from those unbearable routines and, why not, give you some ‘little whim’.
With this in
mind, it is clear that the secret of life is in our hands: "Don’t worry, be happy!" as Bobby McFerrin said on his song. In life we have some troubles, but
when we worry we make it double. Don´t do that! It is just another stone on
your way.
Friendship would
be another of the key points in all this; if you have good friends, you will find
happiness. Be healthy with your body and your spirit too, and you will take the results that we all demand.
Cheers to
that!
lunes, 9 de febrero de 2015
HOW TO BE HAPPY ... WITH YOURSELF!
As Carrie
Bradshaw asserts in the popular serie Sex and the City, "the most
important relationship in your life is the one you have with yourself. Because
no matter what happens, you will always be with yourself".
In these two
simple steps, not only can you find out how to get on well with yourself but
also how to be happy with yourself:
First: Love
yourself
Every
morning before leaving home, I often look myself in my bedroom´s mirror, check my body
and feel really happy of inhabit it. It´s one of the greatest gifts the life has
given me. Therefore, you should pamper and love carefully every part of it. You
only have one and, regardless of how it is, it´s perfect. So, remember, first
love yourself before you can be loved.
Second: Overcome
yourself
I like to
forget the others -just for a moment, please you should not misunderstand me as
if I were an egocentric-. Obviously, it´s nice to have idols, but I´ve always
liked to compete against myself. I propose you that, every month, you set yourself
a viable challenge and try to reach it. There isn´t a greater reward than
complacency: to win is to overcome others, victory is to overcome yourself.
Do you dare
to try it? Do you dare to be happy with yourself? To be your best friend?
domingo, 8 de febrero de 2015
The Destructors
The story unfolds in the mid-50s, in a poor suburb of London, when UK is recovering from the negative effects of the Second World War. There are many buildings destroyed by bombs, and people lack of many basic things.
The characters of the story are a gang of boys who tray to amuse themselves by playing mischief like taking the bus without paying for the tickets. This gang use to meet on a building site used as a car-park. They decide what to do by voting the ideas presented by their leader, Blackie. It’s interesting this way of deciding what to do. I think that democracy was very appreciated at those days, even by the boys, after a War that, if lost, could have ended with this political system.
It’s interesting to see as new ideas can change the leader. So the new recruit, Trevor, known as T. (Trevor is a name used by high class and sounds funny in that poor suburb) replaced the ancient leader, Blackie, by proposing a new and attractive activity: to destroy the house leant on one side of the car-park. The house is owned by Mr Thomas, known as Old Misery, and is an old house built by the same architect that built Saint Paul Cathedral in the eighteenth century. Old Misery is a constructor, but he doesn’t want to spend anything for conserving his house. So he hasn’t current water in the house because he hasn’t abilities as a plumber. So he has to use a loo situated in a corner of the garden, perhaps it is a septic tank.
T. knows that Old Misery is going away for two days during the August Bank Holiday, and they will have enough time for destroying the old house. As T.’s father was an architect, he has some notions of architecture, and otherwise he has visited the house and knows it well. They need some tools and each of them will take some. They work very hard and the house is destroyed at the end.
Which is the reason for destroying the house? I think the boys are bored, they haven’t anything to do. No money, no cinema, no sports, nothing to do. To destroy the house will be a big action. They will reach the fame, they will be important, known in their suburb. As the author says, destruction after all is a form of creation. They are looking for their self-affirmation, finding themselves, by doing an important thing.
I’ve liked the story because is an interesting point of view about the boyhood and the needing of doing something important as a way of auto affirmation in a world that offers so limited possibilities to people. The boys don’t want to do crimes (they think to destroy a house isn’t forbidden), so they don’t want to pinch anything because they’re not criminals.
I knew the meaning of loo before as an informal way of saying toilet or bathroom. I didn’t know the word “pinch”, but I could deduce it by the sense. The down platform is the platform of the underground, where people went down during the aerial attacks. The Blue Boar is perhaps the name of a pub. I think The Wormsley Common Empire was the humoristic name of the poor suburb. Bomb-sites was the place where felt bombs during last war. Incendiaries are bombs that produce fire. The blitz is an aerial attack. Southend is a town on the cost on the estuary of the Thames, not far from London, used as a holiday village. Nowadays there is there one of the airports of London.
The characters of the story are a gang of boys who tray to amuse themselves by playing mischief like taking the bus without paying for the tickets. This gang use to meet on a building site used as a car-park. They decide what to do by voting the ideas presented by their leader, Blackie. It’s interesting this way of deciding what to do. I think that democracy was very appreciated at those days, even by the boys, after a War that, if lost, could have ended with this political system.
It’s interesting to see as new ideas can change the leader. So the new recruit, Trevor, known as T. (Trevor is a name used by high class and sounds funny in that poor suburb) replaced the ancient leader, Blackie, by proposing a new and attractive activity: to destroy the house leant on one side of the car-park. The house is owned by Mr Thomas, known as Old Misery, and is an old house built by the same architect that built Saint Paul Cathedral in the eighteenth century. Old Misery is a constructor, but he doesn’t want to spend anything for conserving his house. So he hasn’t current water in the house because he hasn’t abilities as a plumber. So he has to use a loo situated in a corner of the garden, perhaps it is a septic tank.
T. knows that Old Misery is going away for two days during the August Bank Holiday, and they will have enough time for destroying the old house. As T.’s father was an architect, he has some notions of architecture, and otherwise he has visited the house and knows it well. They need some tools and each of them will take some. They work very hard and the house is destroyed at the end.
Which is the reason for destroying the house? I think the boys are bored, they haven’t anything to do. No money, no cinema, no sports, nothing to do. To destroy the house will be a big action. They will reach the fame, they will be important, known in their suburb. As the author says, destruction after all is a form of creation. They are looking for their self-affirmation, finding themselves, by doing an important thing.
I’ve liked the story because is an interesting point of view about the boyhood and the needing of doing something important as a way of auto affirmation in a world that offers so limited possibilities to people. The boys don’t want to do crimes (they think to destroy a house isn’t forbidden), so they don’t want to pinch anything because they’re not criminals.
I knew the meaning of loo before as an informal way of saying toilet or bathroom. I didn’t know the word “pinch”, but I could deduce it by the sense. The down platform is the platform of the underground, where people went down during the aerial attacks. The Blue Boar is perhaps the name of a pub. I think The Wormsley Common Empire was the humoristic name of the poor suburb. Bomb-sites was the place where felt bombs during last war. Incendiaries are bombs that produce fire. The blitz is an aerial attack. Southend is a town on the cost on the estuary of the Thames, not far from London, used as a holiday village. Nowadays there is there one of the airports of London.
The problem of the "stereotypes' war"
Nowadays society is focused on something that I've decided
to call "stereotypes' war". Not only do we have to have the thinnest
figure, the most perfect smile and the most successful job, we also have to
know about fashion, popular sports and it's important to have the last
technology. On the other hand it's the social life. People of today should have
friends of a specific thinking way and very rarely do we socialize with other
people. We are becoming robots serial facts.
This situation is getting out of hand. Under no
circumstances should we forget where is the stop. Above all we are humans and
we have to enjoy life, in my case I've not finished my exams when I start
thinking about the next semester projects and this mixed with my healthy plan
of food and gym, of course I'm not apart on the "stereotypes' war".
Despite of this I have an advice for you, It's easy to follow
and It takes a few time from the week routine. First of all you have to propose
to take a day for you, we'll call it 'my own special day'. Well, during all 'my
own special day' you only have to dress yourself like you want, eat whatever
you want (reading the ingredients of the food is not the right way) and after
this you change the gym evening by a long walk around a village, a park or
wherever open air place. Having done this once every one or two weeks you'll
feel better with yourself. I wish this would be useful to you and good luck fighting
against the 'stereotypes' war'.
miércoles, 4 de febrero de 2015
THE DESTRUCTORS
All of us are "destructors” in some period of our lives. When we are
adolescents and we don’t have our own "identity", we tend to look for
this in our friends , in the gang, in people with the same feelings.
Not only identity, but also some element of protest in every form of
vandalism or destruction.
Some of the reasons for this behaviour may be:
- Neglect or lack of recognition in the parent’s home.
- Lack of self-awareness and the need to be recognised: "The fame of
Wormley Common car-park gang would surely reach around London".
- Unfair treatment by institutions, and the need of taking
‘revenge on:" There would be headlines in the newspapers"
- Identification problems and the need to draw attention to one's protest
or action:"Driven by the pure, simple and altruistic ambition of fame for
the gang".
The influence of the group is huge in this period, teenagers are caught in
the transition between child and adult status. Under no circumstances are they
expected to behave as children. They denied the full responsibilities of adults
but at the same time they are brave enough to dare with everything in the new
life.
The group can provide some support for identity and independent status,
along with the need of new experiences,
and why not, some fun.
Nowadays we have a lot of destructors: graffiti gangs, sloppy
tagging, scratching car, breaking car windows...and in the same way, they
just want attention, recognition of our community, that's all.
Vandalism gives a voice to those who challenge institutional norms.
My question is: Is destruction a necessary component of society as long as
we are humans or not? Is it after all, a form of creation?
How to achieve well-being.... a writing assignment
Hello All
In class last Wednesday I asked you to complete a writing assignment, on the theme that we had been looking at during the month of January; well-being.
You should write a short article about how to achieve well-being or improve your life skills in one way or another- it could be about health (diet, fitness, etc); about 'success' (whatever that means) in terms of your career or studies; about dealing with problems such as stress or negativity; about some aspect of having a healthy or 'successful' social life; about dealing with difficult people in your work, family or social life; or about any other topic you feel fits in with the general idea.
You should write about 200 words, try to include some aspect of your personal experience and use relatively informal language. Remember, it's an article so you have to make the reader want to continue reading after the first sentence- rhetorical questions, first person descriptions, and fronting or inversions are different techniques that writers use to engage the readers' attention.
http://lifehacker.com/ has examples of the kind of thing I am thinking about, though a lot of their articles are quite specialist- try to think of a topic that most people in our class might be interested in- we are your audience!
I'm looking forward to some good ideas for how to get better at this living business!
In class last Wednesday I asked you to complete a writing assignment, on the theme that we had been looking at during the month of January; well-being.
You should write a short article about how to achieve well-being or improve your life skills in one way or another- it could be about health (diet, fitness, etc); about 'success' (whatever that means) in terms of your career or studies; about dealing with problems such as stress or negativity; about some aspect of having a healthy or 'successful' social life; about dealing with difficult people in your work, family or social life; or about any other topic you feel fits in with the general idea.
You should write about 200 words, try to include some aspect of your personal experience and use relatively informal language. Remember, it's an article so you have to make the reader want to continue reading after the first sentence- rhetorical questions, first person descriptions, and fronting or inversions are different techniques that writers use to engage the readers' attention.
http://lifehacker.com/ has examples of the kind of thing I am thinking about, though a lot of their articles are quite specialist- try to think of a topic that most people in our class might be interested in- we are your audience!
I'm looking forward to some good ideas for how to get better at this living business!
How to... make a 'candle from an orange'
Hey! What's up friends? Are you getting tired of the week? Take it easy, we are going to relax with this simple way to make... Candles from oranges.
Today I
bring you something simple, quick and decorative to make your home has a
more modern look and with a nice smell.
What are
you telling me? Many of you will think. Well, this technique to create
candles from oranges is very easy, and I'll show you how:
Only you
will need an orange, oil, scissors and a lighter. Formed elements that we find
in our kitchen, we can now take the orange and make a cut in half, taking care to only remove the skin and also bringing the tail that is inside.
Done, we take a
small amount of oil above the stalk and letting it fall into the skin. Not only can we use "virgen extra oil", but also "sunflower oil". Then, with the scissors, we have to cut off the stalk remaining.
Finally, the only thing missing would be ignite
the stalk wtih the lighter and ... we will get our elegant and great smell candle!
I hope you
liked my advice and we will find us at the next "how to ...". See
you soon!
jueves, 22 de enero de 2015
The Destructors, by Graham Greene
In yesterday's class I gave everyone copies of a short story called The Destuctors, by Graham Greene. It's one of my favourite short stories by one of my favourite authors, and was my introduction to Graham Greene when I had to read it for an English class, 22 or 23 years ago. It's from a book called simply 'Twenty-one Stories'
I asked you to think about the questions
I asked you to think about the questions
- WHO
- WHERE
and
- WHEN
as a basic starting point for comprehending the story. After getting those things clear, I think the question here is WHY. Why do the boys behave the way they do? There are no 'right' answers here, but what impression does the story give you?
Also, did you work out the meaning of 'loo' and 'pinch' before checking them?
There are also some intesting 'sets' of vocabulary that appear in the story: Firstly, there are a number of words to do with houses, architecture and tools. These words might be of interest to you. Secondly, there are several nouns, including proper nouns (names of specific things) that relate to the setting, in terms of the time and the place that in my opinion give the story a sense of authenticity. What are 'the down platform', the Blue Boar, the Wormsley Common Empire, incendiaries, bomb-sites, the blitz, and Southend?
I hope you enjoy the story. If not, don't worry about it! Horses for courses! But I would be interested to know why.
miércoles, 7 de enero de 2015
A PLACE YOU CAN'T MISS IN CANADA
First of all, happy new year to everybody!!!
As I hadn't received until now an invitation to the blog, I wrote my writing in the post called "Invitation to the blog".
See you soon! :)
A PLACE YOU CAN'T MISS IN CANADA
Two years ago, I had the chance to travel to Canada where I visited one of the most beautiful and breathtaking places in the world: Niagara Falls. The sights, sounds and experience of the mighty falls are something I will remember forever.
Niagara Falls created by glaciers about 10.000 years ago is Ontario’s biggest tourist attraction. As a point of interest, Niagara is a native word which means “thunder of water”. There are actually two waterfalls. Goat Island splits the Niagara River into the American Falls and the Canadian Horseshoe Falls. The best view of the Falls is the Canadian side.
If you want to experience an up-close and very personal connection with the thundering water, awesome power and incredible mist of the mighty Horseshoe Falls, you can’t miss a ride into the heart of the Falls aboard a catamaran.
In order to avoid the winter below-freezing temperatures, I visited this place in summer. However, some natives told me that winter brings an added dimension of beauty to Niagara.
Having seen the natural wonder of the falls, there’s a wide variety of attractions like the Butterfly Conservatory, the Floral Showhouse, the Oakes Garden and the Brock's Monument.
In conclusion, having had such a good experience there, I strongly recommend you to visit this place. It’s well worth it.
As I hadn't received until now an invitation to the blog, I wrote my writing in the post called "Invitation to the blog".
See you soon! :)
A PLACE YOU CAN'T MISS IN CANADA
Two years ago, I had the chance to travel to Canada where I visited one of the most beautiful and breathtaking places in the world: Niagara Falls. The sights, sounds and experience of the mighty falls are something I will remember forever.
Niagara Falls created by glaciers about 10.000 years ago is Ontario’s biggest tourist attraction. As a point of interest, Niagara is a native word which means “thunder of water”. There are actually two waterfalls. Goat Island splits the Niagara River into the American Falls and the Canadian Horseshoe Falls. The best view of the Falls is the Canadian side.
If you want to experience an up-close and very personal connection with the thundering water, awesome power and incredible mist of the mighty Horseshoe Falls, you can’t miss a ride into the heart of the Falls aboard a catamaran.
In order to avoid the winter below-freezing temperatures, I visited this place in summer. However, some natives told me that winter brings an added dimension of beauty to Niagara.
Having seen the natural wonder of the falls, there’s a wide variety of attractions like the Butterfly Conservatory, the Floral Showhouse, the Oakes Garden and the Brock's Monument.
In conclusion, having had such a good experience there, I strongly recommend you to visit this place. It’s well worth it.
Suscribirse a:
Entradas (Atom)