Amy Winehouse Foundation

Last week I noticed Amy Winehouse's Youtube account had uploaded a new video and I thought "there is no way she has released a new song!. Then, I clicked on the video, and realised that it was Back to black, one of her most famous songs. I was confused at first, but as soon as I red the description box I knew what it was all about. Amy Winehouse Foundations decided to create a new album with covers of Amy's songs in order to celebrate the 10th anniversary of its release, which is an amazing idea to honour Amy and to raise founds for the foundation.

Amy Winehouse was one in a million. She was an incredibly talented artist with an unique voice. However, she was a very inestable person. Drugs and alcohol destroyed her career and eventually destroyed her too. Therefore, the goal of this foundation is to educate young people on drugs and alcohol misuse to avoid ending up like she did. They give conferences at high-schools and promote different initiatives to concern teenagers and support them through music among many other things.

If you haven't listened any of Amy's songs, I encourage you to give them a go. They help you understand her situation and this whole project, which will definitively help people who are in the same situation as she was.

Description of the best first scene of a movie

1. The bell sounds and a woman goes to open the door.

2. As soon as she opens the door, she sees a woman in a black and yellow suit holding a katana.

3. A loud alarm starts ringing, she has just faced her worst enemy.

(Bridge) 4. That is how the movie "Kill Bill" starts, and it can be very confusing since we don't know who the characters are.

(Thesis statement) 5. However, this opening is very good because is incredibly shocking. 

Outline number two

Topic: university study.

Thesis statement: people should decide what to study according to their interests.

My outline:

I. Introduction/Thesis statement: students should decide what to study according to their interests, and not to what other people think is best for them.

II. During the degree

   A. Lack of interest and motivation

      1. It is harder to study something you don't like

      2. More probabilities to drop out college

III. After de degree

   A. Work in something you don't like for the rest of your life

      1. No motivation to wake up in the morning

      2. Life happier because you spend most part of your time at work

IV. Once retired

   A. Wondering why

      1. What could have happen?

      2. Would I be happier?

V. Conclusion: for all these reasons, everyone should have the will to decide what they want to dedicate the rest of their lives.

Reader's outline:

I. Introduction: However, students should decide what to study according to their interests, and not to what other people think is best for them.

II. Lack of interest and motivation.

   A. It doesn't create interest to you.

   B. More likely to drop out college.

III. Once they are finished, they start working

   A. They won't like their job.

      1. wake up early everyday

      2. No motivation to work

   B. They aren't happy at their job, and therefore their life isn't happy either

IV. Once they've retired

   A. Start wondering

      1. Did I study what I really liked?

      2. Would I have been happier?

V. Conclusion: for all these reasons, everyone should have the will to decide what they want to dedicate the rest of their lives.

Thesis statement and outline of an essay

Erasmus as a tool for students.

I. Thesis statement: Erasmus is the most rewarding experience an student can live.
II. More laboral opportunities
   A. Learning a new language
   B. More independence and self-confidence
III. Helps your personal growth
   A. Meet new friends and cultures
   B. Get out of your comfort zone
III. An unforgettable experience, it is not all about studying
   A. Exploring your destination country
   B. Partying
IV. Conclusion: If you have the opportunity, it is definitely an experience worth living, which will help you not only in your professional future but also in your personal growth.

Problem/Solution paragraph

Question 5. Should schools have a common core curriculum? If so, what should it include? What does every student need to know?

Problem: The low English level at school.

The level of English among students in Spain is rather low. Even though children start learning English at the age of three, once they have finished high school, most part of them isn’t able to maintain a basic conversation. Therefore, they need to take up English classes in the afternoon, because speaking English is essential to get a job nowadays.

One solution to overcome this problem is to change the contents and the way English is taught at school. English subject can too repetitive, because every year we study the same and with the same studying technique: memorising. In fact, learning languages by memorising is unnatural. Languages should be learnt by listening, reading or speaking. Changing the contents would imply making the classes more dynamic and funny, instead of never-ending lectures as they are now. 

Government Surveillance

Although it may sound like the plot of a dystopian book, the government would be able to place a camera at the corner of every street, recording whatever we do, in order to keep everything under control. It would be an invasion of our privacy, and the government would have to spend a lot of money on it, because, apart from the installation, CCTVs would probably have to be constantly fixed because of vandalism. In addition, the information recorded by these cameras could be stolen by hackers who might use it to blackmail people.

A poem

Shall I compare you to a cloud?
I can see you from the ground
But as I search for you on the crowd
You are nowhere to be found.

Tears try to run from my eyes
As the drops that fall from you.
Though I am trying them to disguise
You know that they are true.

I am trying to reach for you again and again
But the closer I get, the farther you seem.
I am trying to get you out of my brain
But the longer I try, the darker my gleam.

Living in a big city vs in a small town

Living in a big city is very different from living in a small town. I have always lived in a small town, but this year I have moved to Murcia, which has been very difficult for me. That's why I think I am experienced enough to compare both of them.

On the one hand, big cities as are more crowded, there are more things to do. For instance, here in Murcia, there are a lot of shopping centers, etc. This also means that you don't know everyone, and that there is always someone new to meet. However,there are alarming levels of pollution in big cities because of the cars, industries, etc.

On the other hand, as small towns aren't so crowded, there is nothing to do and you already know everyone. Moreover, in smal towns there aren't as many cars and we can actually feel how the air is cleaner.

In conclusion, they both have advantages and disadvantages. But as I said, living in a big city is more interesting since there are more things to do.

Comparing two images

These pictures are very different, but we can also see some similarities. For instance, both are pictures of musicians. The first one is a picture of a punk band and the second one is a picture of a cellist. They all form part of a band, but the cellist's band is known as an "orchestra". One of the members from the band knows how to play an instrument, the guitar, but the musician also knows how to play an instrument, the cello. Another similarity is that they are men in both images and that they are focused on playing music. However, neither the first nor the second shows if there is someone listening to them, but it looks like they are performing a concert. In addition, they are both properly dressed for the occasion. Whereas the band members dress in a more scruffy and informal way, the musician wears a suit. Maybe their music styles are completely different, but they have music in common, which is a universal language able to connect people from all over the world.

Internet for refugees

Providing Internet to refugees is a great idea. Refugees are men, women and even children who were forced to leave their country because of the war (like we could have to do some day). They abandoned all their belongings at home, and now they can't continue their journey because we don't let them get in Europe. They have already ran out of food and water and they have no choice but to stay at refugee camps under awful conditions and surviving thanks to initiatives like this one.

At first, we may think this is an stupid idea or just a marketing tactic. However, we must consider that these people are totally isolated and that they have no way to keep up with the news or to keep in touch with their families. Their families know that they once left, but now they have no way to know whether they are alive or not. Therefore, if they had Internet, they could contact them, because, unless the situation gets better, they won't be able to come back.

To sum up, I think Internet would be a great tool for refugees, since they would be able to keep in touch with their families and they could be aware of their current situation thanks to the news.

Describing someone: my new roomate

I moved into residence this month and I met Jesús, my new roommate. He is eighteen years old and he is twice as tall as me. He is such an annoying person. He is always interrupting me while I am studying. In addition, he is a liar and he is always lying. For instance, the other day he told me that he had washed the dishes, but when I arrived home I realised it was not true. Furthermore, he is the messiest person I’ve ever met. As soon as I finish tidying the house up, he starts messing everything up again, but he never tidies anything up. He is also a thief. Last time I caught him stealing food from my fridge shelf. I wouldn’t have minded lending him some food if he had asked me, but he didn’t tell me anything. Also, even though I’m the one who should be angry, he frowns all the time. Even when we try to talk about anything, he is so impatient that he just leaves and shuts the door. He is incredibly impolite. I hate living with him and I doubt we will ever be friends because we are nothing alike.

Guernica

Guernica painting reflects the cruelty of humankind. The pain these innocent victims suffered makes me feel ashamed of myself because I can understand how we let barbarities like these happen all the time. It is because we are selfish and we don't mind these catastrophes until they affect us. Moreover, war is a disgusting way to solve any problem and shouldn't even be an alternative. If we solved all our problems by fighting the world wouldn't even last two days. In addition, this painting perfectly captures the chaos and violence of a war and it makes you feel as part of it. Thanks to this painting we are able to feel the desperation and the agony of an inevitable death upon us as if we were the victims. Even though we think this could never happen to us, we have to consider that they probably thought the same and yet it happened. Therefore, we shouldn't ignore these barbarities as we always do and try to put an end to them.

Doctor Who

Yesterday I talked about Doctor Who and the TARDIS in class, but no one seemed to know them. So I've decided to talk a bit about it on this post.

Doctor Who is a science-fiction series produced by the BBC. It is about the adventures of The Doctor the only Time Lord left, which were aliens who travelled through time and space using the TARDIS, their time machines and fighting against different villains. The series was first aired by the BBC in 1963 and since then there have been more than twelve different doctors. Each one played by a different actor. In addition, The Doctor never travels alone. He always picks a companion or an assistant, by accident or by design. His companions eventually leave him, and they number more than twenty. Below you can see a picture of some of the different actors who played The Doctor:

http://exiledingeeksville.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/2QTV3Fn.png

Furthermore, a fun fact about this is that a concept was invented to explain the Doctor's different appearance. It is known as regeneration. "When a Time Lord becomes very old or is mortally wounded, his body undergoes a transformation, gaining a new physical form and a somewhat altered personality. This is why you will often see references to, for example, the “Fourth Doctor”, referring to the Doctor in his fourth body or incarnation". (Definition found here: http://www.shannonsullivan.com/doctorwho/begin.html#3)

In my opinion, Doctor Who is one the best series I have ever watched. It is not only very interesting, but also very funny. The Doctor's sense of humor is great, although it is a bit weird. The best part is always the ending, when he always manages to solve the problem and defeat the enemy. Enemies are also a very important part of the show. In every chapter, wherever The Doctor travels to, there is an enemy. Some of his biggest enemies are the Daleks, a race of hostile aliens who exterminated all the Time Lords except for him. These are the Daleks:

My first week at university

This has been such a hard week. Not because of the amount of homework, which has been rather small, but because I still havent get used to anything. City life. Univeristy. It all seemed too much for me. However, these last days have been so much better, I'm starting to like university. I know it is always hard for me to leave "my comfort zone", but I would have never thought high school was "my comfort zone".

Although I confess going to high school never was my favourite thing to do, I guess I ended up liking it. Being with my friends. That is probably the part I miss the most. But I also miss my teachers. This may sound weird, but this last year some of them were just like friends to me.

I thought I would never say that, but I miss high school... However, I'm sure something even better is waiting for me here, at university.

Freewriting: "Friends"

Friends are a very important part of our life. We spend a lot of time near them and they stay with us no matter what. When I am with my friends I feel better, because they make me feel better. Being surrounded by people who shares your same interests and hobbies is what makes it great. It's like they always know what to do, whether you are happy or sad, they will know what to do to make you feel better.

Friends may be hard to find, but once you have found one, you will have it for life, unless some of you have changed. That is why it may be hard to find a friend, we are constantly changing, not always to better, but always changing.

Finding a friend might be the hardest part. They may be right next to you, but if you dont go find them, you might never get to know them. But they are here, they are in some part of your world, waiting for you to find them.