Farewell....

Hi there! I guess it’s time to say goodbye! Or as the looney toons put it, actually as they funnily stutter it, “it’s all folks!” lol!

Before leaving I’d like to say a few words :(!. Well, to begin with, I’ve found this blog experience most enriching. It proved a really useful tool to me, and I’m pretty sure, to most of us, since the fact that we’ve been sort of forced, in a way, to write a piece every single week improved the quality of our writings heaps. On the other hand, we may also say that our writing skills got much better not only in terms of accuracy, but also in terms of speed and thinking skills. I reckon what most of us usually find really hard is to grab a chair, sit down and warm up our brains to start writing, let alone gathering our thoughts in a split second to decide on the skeleton of our piece, and then be able to say something intriguing about a trivial matter. To my mind, I think, or at least I hope, we’ve pulled it off! So.. what’s left to say is goodbye and.. keep it up girls!

xoxo

Spanglish

I know some of you may think this is an absolutely mind-numbing, run-of-the-mill movie which does’t communicate much, though to me, this is actually a terrific movie in that it so perfectly and neatly depicts Mexican's reality in the United States. It gives us insight into how Mexicans lead there lives there as immigrants, what their feelings are, and how integrated they feel in the American community.

There are 2 sorts of Mexican personalities that can be identified throughout the movie. On the one hand we’ve got the “homesick Mexican type”, this role is fulfilled in the movie by the Mexican mother. This lot felt compelled to emigrate to The States due to economic reasons. This mainly why they completely alienate themselves from the American culture. One of the main sources pf alienation is definitely the language. This kind of Mexicans, having their culture deeply rooted in themselves, feel totally reluctant to learn the English language, a fact which makes Mexicans outcasts in the United States. These Mexicans are then not worthy of any qualified, well-paid job, consequently, they are confined to work as cleaning ladies and , if they get lucky, as babysitters. It goes without saying that these Mexicans have a more than miserable life.

On the other hand there’s the “superior Mexican kind”, this role is played by the Mexican little daughter. This group of Mexicans actually have, to my way of seeing it, a huge inferiority complex. They reckon their native culture is worthless and inferior in comparison to the American. Besides, they feel, as Americans do, that Mexican immigrants are the scum of the American multiracial society. These Mexicans madly crave for Americans’ social approval to be fully integrated in their society. The mere thought of picturing themselves as Mexican castaways greatly torments them. In light of this, Mexicans of such a type strive for a native-like American pronunciation and try really hard to closely resemble them in every possible way. They do whatever takes to mingle with Americans, even if this means obliterating their customs and traditions from their memory.

This movie strikes me as a true- to- reality portrayal of the Mexican culture per se. It gives us a quite illustrative picture of how differently some Mexicans react and adapt to the American environment.

Being Young – It’s Not Fun !

It is with an overwhelming sense of outrage that I am writing to air my views on the fact that being young it is not fun at all – personally, it is not only because I am young (17), but also because I am THE youngEST in my family that my life is so miserable.

One might think that being the last born is, by far, better and easier than being the first born: once your parents have already experienced how to raise the first ones, by instilling discipline into and imparting good manners to them, your parents may feel like the job is done, so what might be left for the youngest one is eternal bliss – though this is by no means the case when you are the youngest girl in a family of four “machos” above you. Believe me, there’s no room for whatsoever opinion you’d like to voice. From choosing which T.V. show to watch during dinner time, to what you’d like to wear to hang out with your best girls, you can never have the last word on anything!

This goes so far even to the point that my family is intruding with my future plans in terms of my studies and my boyfriend. Next year, I’d like to enrol on Graphic Design and, if everything goes according to plan, in the next three years, I’d love to get my degree and, then, move in with my boyfriend. Naturally, my parents won’t approve of this, my dad’d go like: “ you should follow in your father and brothers’ footsteps and study law”... “ you won’t move out with him till you get married and I put my foot down!”

Being 17 is a tough age. One feels so mature when handling some situations, but then so helpless when coping with others, especially those that involve shouldering higher responsibilities such as making crucial decisions, as it is choosing a career you want to pursue for the rest of your life. Our frame of mind is constantly changing as is our emotional sense of being. At this point in life, we are still unstable, vulnerable persons, and all this situation is made even worse when your closest surroundings, namely your family, put stumbling blocks in your way. Therefore, I’d like to conclude saying that, from my experience, being young is neither fun nor easy.

Useful Vocab!

Hi there! I came across some interesting vocab that's worth taking a look! I've here copied their definitions from the oxford dictionary (not the virtual one!) and provided my own examples ;)! check them out! Hope you find them useful! Here you go!

To give chapter and verse: the exact details of sth.
Eg: I hate calling my friend Sarah to know about Saturday’s plans! – she gives chapter and verse, eating up all my credit!!

At a pinch: possible if you try very hard or if it is absolutely necessary
Eg: if I had to pick one of my friends to to go out with, I’d definitely choose Marta at a pinch, she’s such a good laugh!

To screen off sb/sth (from sb/sth): to hide or protect sb/sth by placing sth in front of or around them.
Eg: Being fed up with my entire family, I locked myself in my bedroom, listening to music, reading a book, screened off from them, from whatever could disturb my peace and quiet.

Exasperating: extremely annoying.
Eg: I find his behaviour absolutely exasperating!

To disclose: to give information about something, especially something that was previously a secret.
> to be disclosing > eg: Even though I’m hand in glove with my mum, I’ not that disclosing as I am with my mates when it comes to my boyfriend.

Backlash (from sb): a strong negative reaction by a large number of people, for example to sth that has recently changed in society.
Eg: scientists robuslty defended their theory of evolution in spite of a religious backlash from Catholics.

CAPITAL PUNISHMENT

Capital punishment is one of the most controversial issues nowadays. It appears that everybody fiercely claims what they feel are strong, let alone “righteous” arguments about such an issue: “ an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth! ” some might say. But are we being serious about how we are judging this situation? I am posing this question with a view to raise readers’ awareness on the seriousness of this thorny subject, hoping that those who view such punishment in a good light may change their views.

Those in favour of death penalty wholeheartedly believe that it is the right thing to do seeing that putting the actual criminal to sleep will definitely act as a deterrent to possible, subsequent murders. In fact, as most people agree, this will for sure prevent the assassin from taking the lives of more victims – but then, aren’t we deterring murder by actually committing the same crime? That would turn US into murderers and, is this the sort of example we want to set to criminals? Even though both killings are carried out for different reasons, I hold that murdering someone is never right whatever the reason. No one is “entitled” to do such a thing. Besides, what if we end up murdering a completely innocent person?

On the other hand, I feel that we should analize the different reasons that may have led a criminal to take someone else’s life before we arrive at such a verdict. There are plenty of psychological variances that come into play which could lead us not to necessarily kill the assassin, but to punish them in other ways. Other sorts of punishment may eventually help criminals to recover from possible mental disorders which might have prompted the killing. For instance, it could be the case that a pyromaniac sets fire to a building, murdering lots of people due to their mental illness. In the light of this, the crime should, to my way of thinking, be judged from a different perspective.

All in all, personally, I reckon capital punishment is an issue we should give a second thought.

Retro Style, Retro Language!

Are only clothes from your granny’s closet coming back into fashion? I reckon the retro trend is so pervasive that even old-fashioned words are hip these days!The English language is really great in that it’s constantly recycling itself, I mean, there are expressions aplenty that had been trendy in the past, then, naturally became old-fashioned, and now are becoming fashionable again. The fact that these expressions sound a bit outdated is what actually make them catchy nowadays, because they sound funny and therefore nice to the ear. Here I have included some words which seem to have caught on lately, whenever you turn on the T.V. to watch a movie, a series , or a reality show, prick your ears and see if you can spot these words being used! Here you go!

Streetwalker: a prostitute, especially a cheap one, who finds customers by walking in the street. This word is nowadays used to talk about women’s tacky dressing style, which consists of wearing very revealing clothes. There’s then a comparison being made between prostitutes’ dressing style and some women’s outfits.

Preposterous : used to refer to a situation that is absolutely absurd or ridiculous, it’s synonymous with ludicruous.

Wicked: this word is used mainly, not to say in all cases, all around Britain. It means cool, awesome, terrific.

Bob’s your uncle: it means....” and there you go!”, I particularly love this expression :)!
Eg : Can you please tell me where the flag memorial is?
Well, you have to take Cordoba street, carry on until the very end of it, then you’ll bump against the cathedral, you turn on your left and... bob’s your uncle!

Euthanasia

Euthanasia has engendered a lot of controversy all over the world.The origin of the word euthanasia can be traced back to the seventeenth century, it was a term actually coined by Francis Bacon, and the meaning it used to have was quite opposite to the meaning some people nowadays seem to give to it. Traditionally, euthanasia meant a painless, happy death, though in modern times, some seem to translate euthanasia as the intentional killing of a terminally ill patient by their doctor’s means. To my mind, the modern view some people wholeheartedly support is totally unfounded.

It is only natural that patients suffering from an unendurable, excruciating pain choose to engage in euthanasia to hasten their death . After all, terminally ill patients have the right to determine what could be done to their bodies. Or else, similarly, people would not be allowed to choose whether they would like their corpses to be buried or cremated, since a doctor would be the only person entitled to take such a decision. Both issues are definitely comparable due to the fact that bodily integrity is in both cases at stake. Will then the doctor be charged with a crime if he decides to cremate the corpse? The obvious answer seems no. So, why doctors should be penalised if they administer medications to put an end to a patient’s life, when it is actually their patient who has conscientiously decided to abstain from any life-saving treatment?

Doctors have long been regarded as healers. Some may hold that it is contrary to the vocation of doctors to intentionally cause a patient’s death. Though there is some truth in this, it cannot be denied, however, that in circumstances where patients are facing a certain death, it is beyond the power of medicine to revert those situations. There is nothing else to be done but to wait until the patient passes away. If the same fate is to be met all the same, then prolonging a patient’s death would be inconsequential.

Personally, I believe there are no downsides of euthanasia. I can only view it in a good light since it spares the suffering of a terminally ill person who seems not to be able to endure such pain any longer.

Pages I've visited: procon.org

Does climate shape people's personality?

Even though some may find the claim that climate affects people’s personality as completely unfounded, I dare say that climate, on the contrary, plays a decisive role in moulding people's personality traits.

Needles to say, there’s a sharp contrast between people inhabiting the north hemisphere and people inhabiting the south hemisphere in terms of character and attitude to life. In the main, people who live in cold places,usually in the north hemisphere, are said to be restrained and to have a more down-to-earth view of life, while people who live in warmer counries, mainly in the south hemisphere, are belived to be hot-blooded and to have a happy-go-lucky attitude.

Some may say that those assumptions are misguided and that are only based on what are stereotypes, that is, generalisations about people from different countries that foreigners make about them. For instance, people from Italy are believed to be lazy, self-indulgent, though, I am afraid this is only true for people from the South of Italy and not for the entire country, or else why is it then that northern Italians are considered hard-working and perseverant? So are we talking about stereotypes for a whole country? I reckon this difference is not a matter of stereotypes, least a matter of north versus south, but a matter of weather conditions, the milder the weather, the more amiable and easy-going the people are . To further illustrate my point, we could take Spain, or even Argentina as other examples. People living in the south of Spain and people living in the north of Argentina, more closely resemble people from the south of Italy, and this is so due to the fact that the weather conditions of those areas are warm.

To sum up, it is only natutal that the climate has a bearing on people’s personality. People that live in countries where they barely see the daylight are naturally confined, throughout the year, to enclosed places and this can only make them introspective and completely dedicated to their work or studies. While, on the other hand, it is only reasonable for people that live in places where the sun shines all day long to spend more time socializing than being secluded.

Serial Production - A Great Invention?

By and large, one of the most significant inventions mankind has ever come up with is serial production. Such a manufacturing system, also known as mass production, precisely, consists of a flow of production that assigns each worker a particular task, consequently production becomes repetitive, more organised and, therefore, faster and more effective in making a larger amount of items than other more traditional manufacturing methods. Though, while serial production has been of a great advantage for some people, because of what has just been mentioned, it has been a nightmare for others, who have had difficulty in learning new working skills, not to mention others, who have been made redundant, since within such a system, their working contribution became no longer necessary. In the same way, while some believe that mass production has succeeded in producing a tremendous amount of affordable items, others hold that , while this is true, it is also true that mass production has not been very good at responding to the demand for variety, in connection with the aesthetic design of the products.

On the one hand, the benefits serial production has brought are obvious. Above all, it has saved time, it has reduced the probability of human error, it has increased the rate of production, and it has slashed the costs of production. There were tons of time-consuming tasks that can now be performed very simply by operating a machine . As tasks are now predominantly carried out by machinery, the margin for error has decreased. Time has also been saved because the tasks that traditionally used to be carried out altogether by one single person, have been divided into smaller tasks. Each worker is now assigned a different task in the line of production, which has eased the work load of each employee and speeded the whole process up. Evidently, this has resulted in a greater amount of production. In addition, the fact that vast quantities of items can be produced in a matter of minutes, coupled with the fact that a good amount of products can be now made by a small number of workers, both point the great value of the items.

On the other hand, however, there have also been some disadvantages. As a result of machinery being applied to the process of production, most workers needed to get to grips with how to operate them. The worst consequence of this production mode has been the staggering unemployment rate, since machines came to replace the labour force. Most workers were therefore dismissed from the factories without giving them the possibility of occupying any other position – they were left in the lurch .Another negative implication of mass production has been the lack of diversity of the items produced. As products were made by machines, there was no room for customizing them according to the buyers’ particular needs or tastes. Products were identically made in a series.

On balance, serial production could be consider neither the best nor the worst invention humanity has ever designed. Rather, it should be seen as a complex system , which has proved to be effective in that has managed to increase the rate of production at a low cost, but ineffective in that it has not succeeded in keeping all workers in the system . All in all, it cannot be denied that mass production has denifinitely been revolutionary to mankind.
Pages I've visited: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_production

The 80s!

Haven’t you ever stopped for a moment to think about what would your life have been like if you had lived your youth in a different decade? Which decade can you best picture yourself in? How different would that be from the way you currently lead your life? Well, all these questions quite often flood my mind and, after doing a lot of thinking, I came with the following answers.

If I had the chance to choose when I would have liked to live my youth, I would most definitely have chosen the 80s, mainly because of the many positive changes society experienced: the 80s was a vibrant ecclectic period, which became the age of rebelliousness against the established mandates of society; it developed as a time of self-indulgence; and it represented the beginning of the computing era. All these changes were so pervasive that they featured in many aspects of life such as fashion, shared beliefs, entertainment and music. The implications these changes had on such aspects are what I find particularly beckoning about this decade.

As regards people’s unwillingness to conform to the conventions of the time, this idea was mainly reflected in connection to the outrageous fashion that characterised the 80s, a trend where excesses were the rule and not the exception. People didn’t accessorize – they “excessorized”, and I’m really keen on this trend, due to the fact that people did so in order to express their creativity and individuality- something we lack nowadays. Indeed, people were not fashion victims, they were just themselves!

On the other hand, self- indulgence was linked to open-mindedness in terms of sex and travelling. People no longer regarded sexual intercourse as a taboo subject matter to be dealt with delicacy, during the 80s ,sex was openly addressed in many songs . As the interest in getting to know other cultures grew increasingly, travelling around the world became much more common, this also featured in loads of songs as a recurrent theme. As the straightfoward and outgoing person I myself believe to be, I reckon this two changes are more than attractive to, again, lead me to choose this decade as the most suitable for me to live in.

Finally, thanks to the technological advancements related to the computing field, new forms of entertainment were created, such as video games! This rise of technology was also significant in the field of music, since MTV and other music channels came into existence, giving birth to another form of entertainment – what on earth could be better than inviting your mates round to have a coke while having pacman competitions and then watching your favourite videos and singing them along?

There’s nowhere near a decade that’s packed with style, a chilled out atmosphere and fun, all in one! Though nowadays youngsters are by no means restricted in terms of what society dictates, even if they are totally free to talk whatever they wish, with no regard whatsoever for the place and the people they are talking to, and even if they have access to a wider variety of entertainment, I would always still prefer to have lived my youth during the 80s!

This Season’s Must- Have Accessory : Designer Babies!

-Yes, they are all the rage! Designer babies are the ultimate shopping experience! Now, thanks to gene therapy, you can choose your baby’s eye and hair colour and its height, so as to match it with yours! – isn’t it just great!?

- RUBBISH! In such a shallow society used to a shopping frenzy and plastic surgery, designer babies were bound to be the next trend. Not so long ago, babies’physical attributes and gender were pretty much a hit-or-miss affair, which nobody would dare complain about. And, even if gene therapy was ultimately conceived of, it was merely with the sole purpose of having it applied to an embryo to ward off a possible disease. Within a decade or two, however, not only will parents be able to choose from a wide range of physical attributes but they will also be able to pick out their babies’ IQ and personality type.

Doesn’t it strike you as sick and evil the fact that parents would go to such extremes in order to produce what they consider a “perfect and beautiful” human being ? I challenge these parents- if they deserve to be called parents- to please define the concepts of “perfect” and “beautiful” from an ethical point of view, and to ask to themselves if beauty and perfection truly make us “better people”, before making hasty decisions about gene therapy. Or else, two controversies may stem from this issue.

On the one hand, fears exist that we will breed a race of super humans who look down on those humans without genetic enhancements.Consequently, discrimination against those whose genes have not been modified may rise, and this could contribute to create a gap in society.On the other hand, the genetic modification of humans can pose an ethical debate about the rights of the baby. It seems that if genetic modification takes place, parents, in effect, would then be entitled to choose, over their babies to be, from attributes which are by no means likely to ever be reversed in the future.

All things considered, techniques for making designer babies should only be applied when it comes to disease prevention, not to “improve” what nature has dictated. We need to grapple with the above serious implications designer babies may have on us if we do not want mankind to meet its doom.

I hope this article gives food for thought on such a thorny issue.

Comic Strip...My Reflection

....women dieting - classic!

I have never before written a comic and, to my surprise, I came to like it. I reckon it’s a very witty way to put down your thoughts concerning trivial as well as controversial matters. Witty though, at the same time, tough, mainly because you need to, first, think of the ideas you’d like to share with others,and then, you should also carefully select the way you’re going to express them successfully through humour. Not that I have achieved it – hopefully I did,but humour is something very hard to achieve when writing since many variables come into play, namely the target audience, register,onomatopoeic words, and the like, and the comic writer has to keep them all in mind.
All things considered, I have found this experience most enriching and fun mainly because the task proved to be very different from what we’ve been doing, which definitely made it all the more intriguing and exciting. It certainly struck me as a really cool task to work with since it felt as a more relaxed task than other more formal ones, I guess this may be due to the fact that we were allowed to use informal language,which comes out more naturally, and of course, humour.

Names

Hiya! How’s it going!? The other day I came across this expression : “ a jack of all trades” (which is used to talk about someone who is not particularly skilled at a job, i.e. someone that doesn’t have a degree in sth, but that may know a little about everything, because he has learned or studied a bit of every subject.), and by chance, I’ve found that English speakers, mainly Americans, use names to label people due to their personality traits or their physical appearance. In the main, Americans make use of such names so as not to sound obvious that they are feeling attracted by,getting at,or speaking ill of certain people. Of course, these expressions are used when the register is informal. If this piece of information catches your fancy, check out the meanings below! Hope you enjoy it :) !

A Kyle : Kyle is a way to describe a man (or a way to call a man) who is favored by most and many women for obvious reason. How to spot a Kyle: Looks. He is insanely gorgeous, and normally would have brown/black hair with bright brown eyes. Personality? He's cruel to people he doesn't know, but once you get in his inner circle, he's the nicest man in the world. He is generous, but knows when he's giving too much. He is funny, but knows when to be serious. He knows exactly how to make people smile, no matter how serious you might be. If you ever bump into a Kyle, try to get him. Because it will be the best thing you'll ever do in your entire life. He's worth everything you've got to offer, but he won't ask for it.
E.g. : My friend is definitely a Kyle. I want him so bad!

A Kevin: a person who is dirty, smells of B.O. (Body Odour), or never takes a shower.A jocker, a person with no friends. A lame person in general
E.g. : Damn, your dog’s a kevin!

A Joey: Brit slang. Insult. Term used to denote someone who has performed an act of unparalelled stupidity. The name is an abbreviation of a highly publicised sufferer of cerebral palsy in the 1980's called Joey Deacon. His name lives on in playgrounds and workplaces across the country everytime someone fails to engage their brain. Insult often combined with a forcing of the tongue firmly into the lower lip with an accompanying "mmmmmmmuuhh" sound.
E.g. :"Mate, you won't believe what Dave just did"

"What?"

"He just sent a naughty text message to his girlfriend Monica"

"So?"

"He sent the message to the other 'M' in his phone book by mistake. He's on the phone to his mother now trying to explain."

"Hahahaha. What a f****** Joey."

www.urbandictionary.com

A pain in the neck!

Has it ever happened to you that you’re watching the juiciest part of a movie, all very frightened, interested or excited when the movie, out of the blue just comes to a halt for...the bloody advertisements?! Oh boy, it’s just so irritating that I cannot take it. I cannot get used to watching a movie after so many breaks. I’m pretty sure you can totally put yourself in my shoes, after all, who enjoys a movie in such a way? But the bottom line is that these breaks are for commercials to hold the floor, do you have an idea of how negatively they can influence us? Let me share my views on this matter with you!

They have become part of our lives. Either on the T.V, radio or even on the streets, we are constantly bombarded by them. We can not escape from them - advertisements are everywhere. Let’s face it . They have serious consequences on us, having an impact on our private lives, our culture, and on the way we take in the information they transmit to us.

Advertisements are flooding into our private lives. Doubtless, it happens to most of us that while watching our favourite T.V show, comfortly sitting on a sofa at home, our hilarious, conflicting or mysteriously intriguing programme is disrupted by a string of annoying, never-ending commercials. Or even worse, while watching a movie that is reaching its climax, what happens then ? Advertisements! This may have a negative influence on people’s mood as it takes away from them the only moment they have to unwind and leave all worries behind. It is just NOT fair.

Apart from breaking our concentration, or ceasing our sense of adrenaline rush when watching or listening to something, advertisements also intrude with our culture. They try to mould our preferences into what is most convinient for big firms to persuade us to buy their products. Corporations launch products into markets which never before used to consume them, trying to change in this way the customs and tastes of different societies all over the world just for companies’ only benefit.

Finally, as to the way we make sense of the underlying message they so subtly provide us with, advertisements are responsible for evoking certain images or patterns of behaviour that appear to be the right models to follow. Imposing such models as unique forces people to change their looks and their minds , and if this is taken to extremes, without a doubt, it may absolutely do away with our essence : individuality and uniqueness.

Buenos Aires takes our breath away

Hi girls! Hope you’re enjoying your pseudo–holidays! Lol! Here I am again, this time writing to tell you that last week I thought I needed a break from my family and my studies, so I asked my boyfriend what he thought about the idea of running away somewhere just for the weekend, and he totally agreed it was a great idea, and he went on asking me which destination was the most suitable for such a short trip, and, as usual, we certainly coincided that, by far, Bs As was the best getaway! Every so often, we catch a bus to Bs As to spend the weekend, we just love it ! Let me here tell you why we are so fond of Bs As ...!

What we find particularly attractive about the capital city is its stimulating culture, youthful energy and its vibrant nightlife. Bs As is a massive city, bustling with life and energy 24/7! So it doesn’t matter if you stop off during the week or by the weekend, you can always find interesting things to do and places to visit! During the day we usually pop quickly into the Malba museum to whiz around the current exhibition, which is, in the main, worth seeing. This time there was an over-the-top collection of paintings, sculptures and photographs, all concerning the 20th century Latin American Art - absolutely dazzling!

No matter how many times we do it, whenever we go to Bs As, we never tire of taking a stroll up the San Telmo market on a Sunday morning, where we can browse the great variety of hip and funky items, sold at the many stalls that are standing in line, on both sides, all along Defensa Street. The atmosphere here is very lively and cheerful, always charged with excitement; streets are mainly packed with hordes of young tourists who seem to be having great fun with their friends as they are exploring the so intriguing Latin America culture. At mid-day, we usually give ourselves a treat by ordering a roast beef like no other at one the many cosy spots San Telmo offers! Afterwards, we may head down to La Boca neighbourhood, just to chill out while listening to tango and having some coffee.

Bs As nightlife is, to our way of seeing it, one of the main highlights of any visit to the capital. We reckon it’s the underground bars, with their own different style, that make hanging out at Bs As so very special. For a guaranteed choice, if you’re big on rock music, we heartily recommend that you check out these places: Salon Pueyrredon, Acabar and Sugar. They are all nearby Palermo Hollywood neighbourhood – I know this neighbourhood sounds like a fancy, swanky place, though those pubs are by no means posh or stylish. If you head to these places, you’ll definitely rock the night away!

I hope after reading this Bs As will start growing on you ;) ! Just give it a chance, and go visit it for a couple of days, you’ll see you’ll find it such a great city too!

Jealous vs Envious

Sam: Which country on the Planet is most hated?

Pat: I don't know, which?

Sam: The United States. Which country do most people list as the most desirable place on the planet to live?

Pat: I don't know, which?

Sam: The United States.

Pat: How can that be?

Sam: Obviously they're.....(envious or jealous??)

Which option would you choose to complete the above dialogue??
Well, the correct answer is that you may actually use both! This is the exact point of my post today!The use of these 2 words really caught my attention once, so that's why I was keen on making a comment about them. Hope you find this helpful and interesting!

To my surprise, I heard that many times natives tend to use the word jealous in the same contexts in which we may have expected the use of the word envious instead .I looked them up in the dictionary to find out in what they differ. Then the meanings I found are the following:

Jealous ( of sb/sth ): feeling angry or unhappy because you wished you had sth sb else has ( Oxford Dictionary )
Eg: she’s jealous of my success
Children often feel jealous when a new baby arrives
Envious ( of sb/sth ) : wanting to be in the same situation as sb else ; wanting sth that sb else has. ( Oxford Dictionary )
Eg : they were envious of his success.
everyone is so envious of her.

.... Still, you may wonder then what the difference between them is. Even though their meaning, as you see, is very similar , we may even say they are synonyms, I ‘ve noticed that they mainly differ in the fact that jealous can also be used in a positive way. Jealous would then be like our “envidia sana “ . Check out these example that’ll help grasp this meaning of jealous:

Your hair looks shiny and smooth, I’m so jealous!
I’m so jealous you had the chance to travel all around the world! You ‘re just so lucky!

In addition to this meaning, jealous also means “being threatened by a rival in a romantic relationship or losing something of value to another person which happens to be yours already “,according to the urban dictionary. Certainly, this meaning is not shared with envious. An example of jealous in this sense would be :

She was really jealous of his boyfriend’s gilrfriends.


To sum up, jealous and envious can be used interchangeably when the meaning is negative and when it implies “feeling hatred/bitterness towards another person for having an advantage that YOU don't have(urban dictionary)”. Though when we mean we like or want something we lack, in a positive, friendly-like way, or when such a feeling is connected with a love relationship, feeling hate or bitterness towards others we may consider rivals, in any case, the term we use is jealous and NOT envious.

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=jealous

Muggles Away

If you are a Harry Potter fan, as I am myself, this juicy piece of news which I came across a couple of days ago may then absolutely catch your fancy! Guess what! The sooo awaited Harry Potter theme park has just opened in Florida!I couldn't believe my eyes when I read this article on the Guardian website, so I thought it as a more than interesting topic to share on my journal with you :)! Read it and spread the word to other fans!

Yes, fantasy became real. At this park, you can embark on the most thrilling voyage of discovery to unravel some of the intriguing mysteries of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardy by engaging in one of the most nerve-racking ride ever : the GCI ride through scenes from a Harry Potter movie. According to the Guardian's article, in this 3D ride park-goers may fly over the forbidden forest, play Quidditch with Harry and Ron and come face-to-face with hollowed-eyed dementors.

An intense experience, huh? Well, there's more to it! Over and above, this impressive theme park replicates Harry Potter's world in EVERY way you may possibly imagine. For instance, if you are hungry while at the park, you can only buy food or beverages that are authentic to Harry's wizarding world. This means that you can grab a bite of porridge, cournish pasties, not to mention that you can have pumpking juice and butterbeer . I know all these things may have once sounded either inedible or undrinkable, but the fun part though is that you might end up acquiring a taste for them!

For more information about this FUNtastic theme park click on the link bellow! Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did ;)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2010/jun/18/harry-potter-theme-park

Glastonbury Festival

Mates, what would you say if I told you that you had the opportunity to buy a ticket that would stand you a chance to go and see the sweetest legendary bands ever in just 3 days? Wouldn't this be the hottest ticket in the world??! Well , you're just a click away - scroll down your mouse and find out!!

It is one of the largest world attractions. Glastonbury Festival is an interesting blend of open-air music and performing arts festival. The event is generally held every last week of June (lasting 3 days), in the village of Pilton, located in Sommerset, England. It precisely takes place on a farm called Worthy Farm, which, for a week, gets loaded with tents and motorhomes as festival-goers arrive to make their 3-days stay.

Glastonbury Festival, A.K.A. Glasto, is an unforgettable experience which is best known as a fun-packed fest of, mainly, music. What might struck you as the best festival of all times is that Glastonbury is like lots of different festivals converging all on the same venue. Then, no doubt there's nowhere near a festival as unique as Glastonbury. Festival-goers get absolutely drawn to different music bands or singers, ranging from independent rock to mainstream pop, all of which perform simultaneously across 9 main stages. And this is not all - the Glastonbury experience is not at all complete if you haven't given a shot at the myriad of other attractions at hand! The area where the festival is held is split into several subareas, each featuring its own special attractions. So there's THE DANCE VILLAGE, where you may join ravers and disco dancers at one of the many dance tents to dance the night away; there's THE GREEN FIELDS, delivering gripping talks on alternative therapies and natural food as well as various kinds of workshops; there's THE CIRCUS AND THEATRE FIELDS, which offer kid-friendly entertainment such as puppet shows; there's THE CINEMA FIELDS, which, naturally, shows all manner of films; and last but not least, there's THE PARK, which includes stalls selling whatever you may imagine from food to crafts.

...Sounds like Glasto is really a must for the winter holidays, I even dare rate it as THE unmissable opportunity of a lifetime. Providing you have the chance to stop off in England by the end of June, would you like to have a Glastonbury experience?

I have here attached the link if you want to know more about this awesome festival!
http://www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk

Good Neighbours

As we're dealing with the topic neighbours I thought it'd be a good idea to tell an anecdote related to such topic - it's not a real anecdote though :P!

" Because you never know the day when you might need your neighbours' help - fingers crossed you never do,you should always be kind and helpful to them " , my mom used to say. And that day came.

I was home alone for the whole weekend while my parents were away, gallivanting around Europe for their wedding anniversary, when the most terrible incident happened to me.It was early in the evening when I had just started to get ready myself to hang out with my mates for a couple of beers. I took my time - slowly picked out what I was going to wear, had my hair done and cooked some dinner. Only after glancing at my watch did I realise I was going to be awfully late. Frantically, I put on some make up, took my purse, locked the door and dashed to the lift. Funnily enough, it wasn't working so I decided to take the stairs. As I was hurrying my way down them, I couldn't help stumbling on those bloody high heels which eventually led me to fall- and break my left leg!I was shaking with fear as I saw the gush of blood coming out of my veins . Desperate as I was, the only thing that crossed my mind was calling my neighbour Barbara to come to my aid. I picked up the phone and punched in her number. She immediately called the ambulance and came where I was lying to comfort me till the doctors came. Without giving it a second thought, Barbara accompanied me to the hospital and stayed there with me until the doctor made sure I was fine and able to return home. I will never forget what she did for me, and ever since then I started giving my mother's words weight in gold .

I reckon that empathising with others, being willing to help them, even though that might imply devoting some of your time, makes you a good neighbour,and above all an excellent person, and Barbara definitely was one.

My iDeAl hOmE !

Hi there! Lately, I've been toying with the idea of moving out on my own, so ever since, I've been daydreaming about what my ideal home would be like, since, in the main, our homes tend to match our personalities and likes. Then I thought why not sharing this with my classmates?! So..here's a thought!

To be honest, I have never been too fusy about my home decoration. I am by no means one of those persons that likes splashing out outrageous amounts of money when it comes to decorating your place - after all, I neither spend too much time at home to care about it, nor do I have "fancy friends" to invite for dinner. Sumptuous , state-of-the -art furniture and ornaments aren't my cup of tea, since I hold that they are just chosen by snobbish people who like to show off.

Personally, if I have to choose a kind of ornamentation, providing I have enough budget to spend on, I'd definitely go for a cosy style. A good way of achieving this style, I believe, is by buying mostly wooden furniture. This, together with the use of plants, gives a kind of "enclosed nature" touch, which I find particularly soothing and, therefore, appealing. Moreover,painting the walls in light, pastel colours also contributes to create this homely, relaxing atmosphere. I reckon this decoration style is the one that suits me best because I label myself as one of those peaceful, easy-going persons for whom eternal bliss just means laying on a couch with a riveting book and a mug of hot chocolate - soya if possible.

Apart from this, I'm really into big, open spaces, loaded with gigantic windows without any curtains whatsoever. I feel that this quite reflects my personality as well : " what you see is what you get " I usually say. As genuine a person as I am, I don't have anything to hide from others, I always show myself the way I am. This might be the reason why, to my view, people who choose to live in houses filled with lots of small rooms, with lots and lots of walls and doors that separate each room, may have something to conceal from others.

To sum up, I would then decorate my ideal home accordingly to my personality and the way I lead my life. My ideal place would be spacious, cosy, woodenly like and lightly coloured. Homes are inevitably a mirror of ourselves.