Tuesday 5 June 2012

Final post

I think my best post (even though it hasn't been the longest one) has been 3 experiences I've already had and 1 I want to live in the future 
I think so because I remember it to be the post which I put most effort in. I really thought carefully about what I wrote and I started to remember many things from the past and about what I want for the future. So it's definitely the post with the best content. But to talk about the language, I actually think that all my posts are very similar. The language level should be more or less the same in all the posts.
Maybe the teacher's comment also influenced in my decision, at least a bit ;)

And now I've talked enough about myself, it's time to award someone else! And the winner in the contest "Best English in 4th of ESO" is...

Well, in fact, they are. I really can't decide. The two blogs I like most are Lena's and Noa's ones. They two have a very good English level, their posts are gramatically correct, interesting and don't seem to be just traduced automatically. Sincerely (well, you've surely already guessed), I like more Lena's style of writing. It gives me more the feeling that she writes her actual thoughts and that she puts her heart in her writings, it's more "intimate", more elaborated, we could say. I don't get this feeling when I read Noa's posts. But Noa has already completed the blog. So I would say they two have to share the prize ;)

Monday 4 June 2012

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Tourist interview

When we were in Figueres to do our interview to a tourist we met a very nice Scottish man and we gathered some interesting information. Unfortunately, he didn't want to appear in the video, so we only recorded his voice... and some images of our shoes.




 Interviewer: I; Scottish man: S

I: Where are you from?
S: I'm from Scotland but I live here.
I: Ah, you live here, OK. Where do you live?
S: I live in Barcelona but I work here.
I: Oh, OK. Do you speak Spanish or Catalan?
S: Castellano, but not Catalan... and French.
I: And you work here but you live in...
S: I live in Barcelona. I'm a guide to the Dalí Museum.
I: And you come here everyday to the work?
S: Yes, yes, yes...
I: Do you think people here speak good English?
S: Emm, in Figueres, not, but... Are you from Figueres?
I: (Many answers at once which mean: No)
S: Well, the young people yes. The old people more French.
I: Which place did you like best?
S: In Empuriabrava, ehh, emm, Cadaqués, Portlligat, Cap de Creus...
I: And what do you think about the museum?
S: Ahh, well. Hahahaha. Yeah, it's... chaotic, it's busy. Emm, it's interesting, but it's not- is doesn't show the best of Dalí. It's an experience rather, it's a different type of museum. Emm, probably too many people inside, but I have been there, it would be, 30/40 times in the last two months so... It's a lot... it's a lot to take. I prefer the house... in Portlligat. It's a much different experience. Much better.
I: Are you very interested in the art of Dalí?
S: Ehh, yes, because I studied art history. Emm, so I'm interested in Dalí, the person, but the art... yes. Some things, but some things not.
I: Do you like Catalan or Spanish food?
S: Yes, hahahaha. And Chinese! Hahahaha.
I: Have you visited other places in Spain?
S: I've been all over Spain, all over Spain... many times... and I like Spain.
I: Okay, thank you for your time!


Friendship

A friend is someone who helps you out of situations in which you can't find any exits. He is the light to guide you when you're lost in dark and can't see. They open you the eyes and make you notice that things aren't going as bad as you think.
A friend is someone who will always leave everything for you if you need his help. He'll always do everything to get to you and listen to your problems. If you ever stuck in the middle of the sea, he'll sail the world to find you!
A friend is someone who you really are very important to. And your friend will always make you know that he needs and likes you just because you are the way you are. If you ever forget how much you really mean to him, everyday he will remind you.
A friend is someone who's always at your side, in good moments and in bad moments. If you want to laugh he will laugh and enjoy the time with you. But in bad times, you'll always have his shoulder when you cry. He will give you his support and he will make you know you're not alone and that there's someone for you.
A friend is someone who will find out what he's made of when he's called to help his friends in need. He will realize his own talent for helping other people when he'll listen to your problems and does his best for making you find the solution and feel better.


Schrei nach Liebe

Since it's been a long time I haven't done any post of a song, I'm going to close my "myworld" series for this year with a German song by Die Ärzte. My best friend in Germany showed me this song a week ago and I really can't stop it's melody playing in my head. I will post here the lyrics traduced by myself into English with it's German original lyrics on the side:



 Du bist wirklich saudumm / You are really damn stupid
Darum geht's dir gut / That is why you're fine
Hass ist deine Attitüde / Hatred is your attitude
Ständig kocht dein Blut / Always your blood's boiling

Alles muss man dir erklären / Everything's needs to be explained to you
Weil du wirklich gar nichts weist / Because you really don't know anything
Höchstwahrscheinlich nicht einmal / Mostly probably even not
Was Attitüde heißt / What attitude means

[Chorus:]
Deine Gewalt ist nur ein stummer schrei nach Liebe / Your violence is just a silent shout for love
Deine Springerstiefel sehnen sich nach Zärtlichkeit / Your jump boots yearn for endearment
Du hast nie gelernt dich zu artikulieren / You never learnt to articulate yourself
Und deine Eltern hatten niemals für dich Zeit / And your parents never had time for you
Oh oh oh, Arschloch! / Oh oh oh, asshole!




Warum hast du Angst vorm Streicheln / Why do you fear stroking
Was soll all der Terz / What's this naggling about
Unterm Lorbeerkranz mit Eicheln / Under the laurel wreath with acorns
Weiß ich, schlägt ein Herz / I know, there's beating a heart

Und Romantik ist für dich / And romance is for you
 Nicht nur graue Theorie / Not just a gray theory
Zwischen Störkraft und den Onkelz / Between Störkraft and the Onkelz*
Steh ne Kuschelrock LP / There is a soft rock gramophone record

[Chorus]

Weil du Probleme hast die keinen interessieren / Because you've got problems that don't interest anyone
Weil du Angst vor schmusen hast / Because you are frightenend of cuddling
Bist du ein Faschist / You are fascist
Du musst deinen Selbsthass nicht auf andere projizieren / You don't have to project your self-hatred on others
Damit keiner merkt was für ein lieber Kerl du bist / For making no one know what a nice guy you are

Deine Gewalt ist nur ein stummer Schrei nach Liebe / Your violence is just a silent shout for love
Deine Springerstiefel sehnen sich nach Zärtlichkeit / Your jump boots yearn for endearment
Du hast nie gelernt dich artizukulieren** / You never learnt to articulate yourself
Und deine Freundin, die hat niemals für dich Zeit / And your girlfriend, she has never time for you

Oh oh oh / Oh oh oh

Arschloch! / Asshole!

Arschloch! / Asshole!

Arschloch! / Asshole!


* Störkraft and Onkelz (the whole name: Böhse Onkelz) are two German rock groups which are well-known for their affinity to far-right politics.
** Artizukulieren is a gramatically incorrect word. The preposition zu equivals to "to" in English. In German sometimes the prepositions can appear included into verbs that are formed by combining two words.
Example: I began to go down. -> Ich begann runterzugehen. (runtergehen is derivated of runter, down, and gehen, go)
But in this case artikulieren isn't a verb that is formed by combining words, so the zu in the middle of the word is incorrect.



Women's intuition

Women rule the world. You can discuss that as much as you want, it's impossible to refuse this fact. At least in the western world, women are who really decide. Just think about it! We men, we love women. They are so beautiful, they are so intelligent and they know what they want (attention at this point: I talk about WOMEN, not little girls). We men often think everything is OK, our life is going well, everything is so easy... But then SHE steps into our life and everything is even better. Well, despite the last one, life will be more difficult! But it's worth it! Women show us what we don't know yet. They make us feel good, they make us learn things that we men just don't learn by ourselves. The women have many things they do better and men, too. But everyday I doubt more what this may be for the men, sincerely.

But well, what has been the actual theme: the feminine intuition. Sometimes it's really frightening. My mother, for example, is one of the clearest cases. I give her a little piece of information about my actual situation or the one's of my friends and she tells me what's going to happen next. And so many times I don't believe her but she is right almost without exception! George J. Nathan, an American drama critic, once said: "What passes for woman's intuition is often nothing more than man's transparency." This may be partially true. But the frightening about this is, if men are so transparent and women understand other women because they're women... Then they know everything!
So everyday I ask myself more and more: who ever said men are stronger than women? I mean, intelligence and knowledge is might. Might is strength. 

Then the question is: What is the sense of the men? Are we just here to live our life and playing with our comrades and think we are better and just, well, help to give children to the women? I don't think so. Maybe the women just need someone who needs them. It's a bit ironic, but maybe that's the truth. Maybe the women have to train their mother instincts. Maybe without something to love and protect they just can't live. 
But maybe we men also have got something that women don't have. What? Well, perhaps you will read this in my blog in 10 years... 

Sunday 3 June 2012

3, a devil's number?



And now this to close my (spontaneously called) Trilogy of Numbers. I will talk you about the number 3. So the number 3 of the three posts is called 3. Yeah, I know, a bit lame.

Some say it's a magical number. You know what I mean: Three little pigs, Three will rock you, Snow White and the three... Wait, no!

However... In German there is a proverb which says: "Alle guten Dinge sind drei." Well, this means literally "All the good things are three". But is this really true? I would say NO!
Do you really need more evidence that 3 ISN'T ALWAYS GOOD? Well, in this case, 1 and 2 neither.







A few days ago I went to Barcelona because I had to buy many things (birthday presents, books for school, etc.), one of them: Naruto mangas. Yes, you remember? I'm a huge fan of Naruto. And I just started to collect the mangas. In fact, I bought my first one in Italy! Isn't that a nice souvenir? :D

Well, the point is, I was about to buy the third book of the series because I already have number one and two. So we went to a library in Barcelona. 1, 2, 4... so the third isn't here, OK, no problem, next one.
1, 2, what the... another then. 3rd library, the same, 4th and 5th, yes you guessed it: NOT THERE.

Everywhere I went, there were the 1st, the 2nd and the 4th manga but not the 3rd. What happened there? I mean, are there people who dedicate their life to buy ONLY the 3rd book of all manga series?
Now, my theory: The 3 is a devil's number. I mean, think about it. They always talk about 666, which are three numbers! Yeah! And now, turn the number 90° to the right, what do you see? Exactly: The devil's buttocks! Yes, you heard right, he's laughing at us with the number 3. So, I recommend you:

1. Don't give birth to your child on the 3rd day of the month (and NEVER in march). In case of emergency, try to stop your child from coming out!
2. Never put a mark to an exam which can be divided by 3! Always put the mark one number higher! If it's a 6, put a 7! If it's a 9, put a 10!
4. Never write a third advice!

So, here ends my series Trilogy of Numbers! Wait... Trilogy... Tri... of three? NOOOOOOOOO!

(children under 4 years may not read this text, basically because they haven't passed the third year of life yet. and because, usually, they can't read. 
please don't understand this as a serious post, the author hasn't got any mental disorder... really!)









1984




Talking about numbers. And interesting stories. And the work I have to do.
Now I want to introduce you the book I'm reading right now for the Catalan class: 1984 by George Orwell.
The lecture was optional, well, not at all. We MUST read a book, but we can choose which one. I've decided to take this one because we once read Animal Farm in the Spanish class, another book by George Orwell and I liked it a lot.


File:1984 fictitious world map v2 quad.svg1984 was written in 1948 (ironic, don't you think?) and tells us the story of a futuristic world (even in our time we could say it's still futuristic) where three huge states, Oceania, Eurasia and Eastasia have got the power and are in permanent war. The protagonist, Winston Smith, lives in London, Oceania, and works for the totalitarian government with their ideology called "Ingsoc". Everywhere there are big telescreens (a word of the "Newspeak", the new simplified English) which show a face of the dictator, the Big Brother, who watches and observes everyone at any time at any place (actually the TV programme "Big Brother" is based on this novel... sad that they make truth what was an not so much absurd futur vision...). In Oceania, every news, every book, every film, anything that says something about the government what disgusts the dictator is changed to fit his wishes. This is Winston's work: He rewrites newspaper articles. But Winston isn't as stupid as many other people. He knows the things are going wrong. He wants to escape from that world but at the same time (after years and years of brainwashing) he makes him think he must obey the government.
I've just read about 100 pages of the book but I can already say it's very interesting. And I just learned about the World War II and about the nazism and the fascism, so it's has a good relation for me to the History classes right now.

999

This post's title will surely have attracted your attention, am I right? Well, in my case, it did. 
I want to talk you about a game I've played recently (even though I REALLY don't have much time) which is called 999: Nine hours Nine persons Nine doors
It's a visual novel game (you could say it's like an interactive book) which explains a very interesting story and makes you think really what you'd do if you would be in the same situation. I play this game in English, so it's a good training for me!

http://static.3dsconnect.com/2011/08/999-Nine-Hours-Nine-Persons-Nine-Doors.png 

 The 9 victims


 A person (we don't know if it's a man or a woman... or anything else, because he's completely covered) who names himself "Zero" has abducted 9 persons, all at midnight by attacking them with a special gas, and brought them into a cruiser. They all wake up in different rooms when the water suddenly starts to raise and they have to find out how to open the door. When the protagonist (who you play), Junpei, comes out he meets up with the other 8 victims in a higher deck of the cruiser. While they talk, the deck where they all woke up ends up completely underwater but the water level stops raising anymore. 
In that moment, from a speaker in the hall, sounds a machine-like voice: Zero speaks to them. He starts to explain them the rules of the "Nonary Game". Every person has received (not really voluntarily) a special bracelet which cannot be removed without the necessary tools. Everyone has his own speficic number from 1 to 9. Junpei has got the number 5. There are 9 doors in the ship which have got a number painted in red on them. They have to seek the door with the number 9 to get out of the ship. But this isn't so easy. Every time they want to go through a door they have to do in groups of 3-5 persons. To open a numbered door, the group needs the digital root which is on the door. This sounds complicated, I know. Here is an example:

Our group is of 4 persons with the numbers 2, 4, 5, and 9. Their digital root would be: 
2 + 4 + 5 + 9 = 20 -> 2 + 0 = 2 
So they could pass the door with the number 2.

Now they have to organise themselves in groups to get through the ship and try to escape. And this always having in mind to not break any rules: they've got a little bomb in their body. 

I think it's a very interesting game and not the same like the "Jumping, shooting, driving, etc." of the other games. For this one you need to think. And it really fascinates you just like a good book.