Learning English

Do you like learning English? Is it difficult or easy? Why? Is it useful to know English? Why? Why not? Will English be useful in your future profession?

Tell us what you think.

Write about 250 words and leave a comment on at least 3 of your classmates' blogs.

A Perfect Day

Listenen to the song Perfect day by Lou Reed.

Think about your idea of a perfect day.

Say:
Who you would spend it with and why,
Where you would go and why,
What you would do and why.

Say whether or not you have ever spent a day like this. Mention anything else you think is important. Write at least 250 words. Leave comments for your teacher & at least 3 classmates.

A shop you like

I'm not a big fan of shopping, but I love going to second-hand shops. I don’t always buy anything but I still like looking. When I was younger, in my Punk days, I used to buy a lot of second-hand clothes. When I first started to live on my own I bought a lot of second-hand furniture or things for my apartment. I also used to love buying second hand records (vinyl) and found a lot of bargains and rare records. Nowadays, I buy a lot of second-hand books, especially when I travel back to Britain. There is a big culture of second-hand shops in Britain and this is one of the things I miss about not living there any longer. I can spend hours and hours looking for books or other things that people had decided they don’t need any more. If you look carefully you can find some wonderful things.
Write about a shop you like to visit.
Say:
What it sells,
Why you like it,
When you went there for the first time,
How often you buy something,
What the last thing you bought there was.
Also say why you think you like this kind of shop.

Include any other information you think is important.

Write about 250 words, Don't forget to write comments on at least 3 of your classmates' blogs!

Childhood Memories of Fiestas Patrias

Hi there blogheads,

Although there's no class we agreed that you would blog. Here's today's task:

Write about your favourite Fiestas Patrias memory from when you were a child.

Say:

What you did
Where you went,
Who you spent the day with,
Why it was so memorable.

Finally, compare your view of Fiestas Patrias as a child with how you feel about Fiestas Patrias today.

Write at least 250 words and leave comments on your teacher's blog and the blogs of 3 of your classmates.

I don't really have much of a politcal past. As a teenager, My band played a Rock Against Racism gig, I demonstrated against Apartheid outside the South African Embassy in London, and I also went to lots of benefit concerts (I saw some great bands! The Smiths, The Style Council, Ms Dynamite, Manic Street Preachers and lots more). The last demonstration I took part in was in 2003 when an estimated 1,000,000 people marched through London to protest against the invasion of Iraq (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/2765041.stm).
Unfortunately, Bush & Blair didn't listen to the voice of the people who they were elected to serve.

So much for modern politics!

Write about the student demonstrations from your point of view.
Say:
Why students were demonstrating,
Whether or not you agree with the demonstrations,
Whether or not you took part in the demonstrations.

Mention anything else you think is important. Write at least 250 words. Leave a comment on your teacher's

A Good Book

I've read quite a few good books this year. Over the summer holidays I read "Snow" by Orhan Pamuk, "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini, Haruki Murakami’s "What I Think About When I Think About Running" and two novels by J.M.Coetzee ("Disgrace" and "Slow Man"). Since then I haven't had that much time to read but I managed to work my way through "The Time traveller's Wife" by Audrey Niffenegger, the epic "Underworld" by Don Delilio, a couple of novels by Kurt Vonnegut (The Sirens of Titan" and "Bluebeard"), "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" by Stieg Larsson and "The Travelling Hornplayer" by Barbara Trapido.

Nevertheless, none of them compare with the book I'm currently reading: "The Thousand Autumns of Jacob De Zoet" by David Mitchell. I'm about 2/5ths through and I'm loving every minute. I read whenever I can, even if it's for a couple of minutes. On the Underground, on the toilet, at work, between classes, first thing in the morning and last thing at night. Mitchell is my favourite living author and this is his 5th novel. I've been a huge fan of his since I read his first novel "Ghostwritten" 6 or 7 years ago. He's a young writer (younger than me!) but he has already been nominated for a number of awards. His second book "Number 9 Dream" is a crazy, daydream of a book that is like a manga without the pictures. His 3rd novel "Cloud Atlas" starts in the past (1800's) goes to the future and then goes all the way back. "Black Swan Green" is about a schoolboy with a stutter in the 1970s. It doesn't sound that interesting but Mitchell creates an incredible tension that makes reading the story a joy. His latest novel, the one I'm reading now, is about Dutch traders in Japan 300 years ago. It's fab!

Write about a book you've read recently.
Say:
What it was called and who it was by,
Why you choose to read this book,
Whether or not you enjoyed it,
Where you like to read,
Whether or not you think reading is a good hobby.

Write at least 250 words. Leave a comment on your teacher's blog and on at least 3 of your classmates' blogs.

An Exhibition, Concert or Sporting Event

One of the most memorable gigs (concerts) I ever went to was the first time I saw David Bowie live. It was 1978 and I was 17 years old. I'd been a Bowie fan since I was 12 so seeing him live was one of the highlights of my teenage years.
The concert was in an old farm type complex near Birmingham (UK). I went with my girlfriend (Pauline), my sister (Moe)and her boyfriend (Ollie). The concert was at 8pm but we arrived at midday and there was already a big queue of hardcore fans.
The doors opened at 4pm and we got a great place right at the front of the building. The concert was all standing which was why I wanted to arrive so early.

When Bowie came on stage the crowd when beserk. It was an amazing feeling to actually see my hero in person. The whole concert was amazing from start to finish. Most of the material came from Heroes & Low, Bowie's most recent albums, but he also played songs from The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars and Station to Station.

The first 2 songs were quiet electronic songs but the 3 one was faster. At the point the place exploded with energy and I danced myself from the second row to about 8 rows back. The crowd was like a sea of bodies and you just had to flow with the current. Everything about the show was brilliant. The sound quality, the light show, the musicians and most of all Bowie's voice.

Obviously, I really enjoyed this event and even though I've seen Bowie in concert 5 or 6 times since then nothing can beat the sensation of that first concert. I think I spent the rest of the year with a smile on my face just thinking about it.



Write about an Exhibition, Concert or Sporting Event that you went to.

Say:

What, when & where it was,
Whether you enjoyed or not & why,
Why you decided to go to this event.

Mention anything else you think is important.

Write at least 250 words then leave a message on your teacher's blog and at least 3 of your classmates' blogs.