Cool Under Heat

Just the other day I was thinking about this... I've always claimed that I prefer autumn and winter over the other seasons. However, I think that's changed. Being now in winter I've come to realise I hate it. I hate feeling cold and how quickly my dogs get smelly... I also hate the fact that when it's cold I never feel like playing with them because I never want to go outside... I hate not being able to go for drinks with friends outside, at the terrace or something. 

Nevertheless, this does not mean I like the summer either. I hate the summer more than I hate the winter... I hate sweating so much, and I do sweat! I hate not being able to take naps without the fan on... I hate having to be slim (xD) so as not to look bad in my clothes (I'm shallow, I know). I hate eating salad. 

I think if I had to choose my favourite season I wouldn't even choose autumn or spring. Autumn, for me, is kind of the same as winter, to be honest. Not nice. Spring is crazy, it's cold and sunny and you cannot leave the house without a sweater anyway... I think the perfect season for me would be something like summer nights, but when they're normal, not extreme like the ones we have today. Being able to go out without a jacket and without feeling too hot you can't stop sweating and stuff. A season which is not windy, so my bangs stay in their position all day long (shallow!!!). Besides, if the world had only those seasons homeless people would not suffer sleeping on the streets (deep!!) and that would definitely be great. 

What about you? Do you have a favourite season? Tell us about it now. 

In your post you can mention: 

- What it is and why you like it 

- What is the good/bad thing about it 

- What do you usually do during that season

- Etc. 

Write about 190 words. 

Leave comments on 3 of your classmates entries.

Hairdresser On Fire

I hate going to the hairdresser's. When I was little, I think I was in kindergarten or something, I went to the hairdresser's with my mom and sister. I remember the hairdresser gave us some magazines to look at and choose a haircut. I chose one that looked really good on the model in the photo. I guess in my little-girl head I thought the haircut included the face or something, because when the hairdresser finished cutting my hair it ended up being quite different from what I had in mind. As a consequence I started to cry… That was the first of a series of awful haircut experiences. 

The thing is that I hate going to the hairdresser. I always want to wear a hood and disappear from the face of the earth when they finish doing their business. However, the worst part for me is when people see you with your new hairstyle. I remember having to go to school after getting that horrible haircut I told you about, and how traumatising it was (OK, maybe not traumatising but definitely uncomfortable). I remember I didn't want to go inside the classroom that day and I stayed outside for like an hour (in little-girl time, probably 5 minutes in real world time).

Anyway, now I'm back to my Willy Wonka/Principe Valiente hairstyle due to the fact that the other day I cut my hair myself and as a consequence it needed to be fixed. In general I like this hairstyle, even when I feel like the aforementioned characters at times. I think this is definitely the best hairstyle I've got. Pity I have to iron it every day… I hate that, but still… when they invent hair surgery my shallow life will be a lot more different… that day I'm sure my hairstyle will rock and the world will be a better place (yeah, right).

Today you have to write about hairstyles (you voted for this topic, so don't blame me!). In your post you can mention:

- What is the best/worst hairstyle you've got?

- Any good/bad hairstyle experiences you've lived

- Whatever related to hairstyles you can think of

Write about 150-180 words.

Leave comments on 2 of your classmates' entries.

Strange News from Another Star

Hi all! This week you'll have to write a summary of a newspaper article. So don't get confused and remember that a summary is what in Spanish we call a 'resumen'. :P

Now, here's the task:

First, go to: http://www.guardian.co.uk/

Then you'll have to:

* Select a piece of news connected to your area of studies/future career
* Write a summary of it.
* In the entry you must include the link to your piece of news, so I can check it.
* Do all of this in 200 - 230 words

* Leave a comment on 2 of your partners' posts.

Disney Time

When I was little cartoons were very different from the ones you find nowadays. Back then they used to be mostly about orphans and children who had to work and suffer and stuff. However, there were also happy cartoons about investigators or cats with super powers and other crazy things like that... I don’t really know what my favourite cartoon was when I was a child. I used to like Inspector Gadget a lot, because I really loved his gadgets and how stupid he was. I also remember I really liked the Thundercats and I wanted to be Cheetara but my sister always chose first and I ended up being the uglier and not-that-cool one. That happened all the time and I hated it.

I can also tell you about the last cartoon I really liked. It was about a sand dwarf who ate tyres and made dreams come true. His name was Samed and I remember I really enjoyed watching it before going to school every day, mostly because I liked the fact he made dreams come true to people, so every episode was different and fun,. You never knew what was going to happen. That was great :)

Anyway, today you have to write about your favourite cartoon when you were a child (or now if you still enjoy them). In your post you can include:

- When did you watch it?
- Who did you watch it with?
- Why did you like it?
- What was the best thing about it?
- What do you think about that cartoon now?
- Etc.

Write between 200 - 250 words and remember to leave comments on 2 of your classmates’ blogs.

Techno D-Day

I love technology.

Seriously! When I was little I liked Barbies and then, when I probably should have started liking clothes, handbags and shoes, something happened and I started liking technology. I think it mostly has to do with the fact that I like music, films and the like, instead of looking pretty... or tidy... (I know it's silly, but I'm just trying to find a reason here, I'm no specialist, OK?)

As I was saying, I love technology. Whenever I bought something new my father told me to wear it when it's cold (as a way of saying I should have bought clothes instead). And I think he is right (unfortunately), because I haven't got many nice clothes to wear for work...

Anyway, my favourite piece of technology has to be my iPod. It's so snob! But I always wanted to have one and now I have it and I can even play solitario on it. I hate solitario, but I love my iPod so I play it anyway because it's in it. And the iPod is so cool! It makes playlists with the songs I like most, which is like the coolest thing ever, because the mp3 player I used to have, said it did the same thing but in the end it played songs I didn't even know why I had put in it in the first place...

This week you have to write about your favourite piece of technology. If you don't like technology you could tell us why (because you have to write something whether you want it or not).

You have to mention:

- What it is.

- When you got it.

- How you use it.

- How often you use it.

- Why you like it.

- What life would be like with out it.

>> 180 words minimum.

>> Include a picture.

>> Comment on at least 2 of your classmates’ blogs.

People Take Pictures of Each Other

I like this picture a lot. I think it really captures they myth that has been created around the person in it. 

That person is Ian Curtis, the singer of one of my favourite bands, Joy Division.

I don't know if you know who he is or if you have heard this band. They were an English band formed in 1976. They only released 2 records, the first one while Ian was still alive, the second one after he had already died. 

His life story is quite interesting. He got epilepsy and that is believed to be one of the reasons why he decided to commit suicide back in 1980 (since the medicine he had to take to keep his disease under control is supposed to have caused him depression) among other things, such as the fact he had a lover and no longer wanted to be with his wife, or something like that (the essence of those troubled times can be felt in one of their best songs: Love Will Tear Us Apart). 

When he died, the band continued to exist, but they changed their name to New Order, in case you know them. However, Joy Division's music is really different from New Order's. Joy Division are considered a Post-Punk band, while New Order played electronic, synthpop music.

Anyway, this photo was taken by Anton Corbijn, a Dutch photographer, music video and film director. He is famous for having worked with U2 and Depeche Mode, so maybe you have seen some of his work... or maybe you haven't xD

The story of the photo is simple, it was taken during one of Joy Division's rehearsals, when Ian was taking a break. That was back in the 70s.

Today, you'll have to choose one of your favourite photos and tell us about it.

In your post you can mention:

- Who took it
- What it shows
- When it was taken
- Why you like it
- Any other information you think is important.

Write a minimum of 200 words.
Add comments to at least 2 of your classmates’ blogs

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If you want to know more about Joy Division and Ian Curtis in particular, you can watch Control, a movie directed by the same Anton Corbijn about Ian's life with the band. This is the trailer:

Down in Albion

You'll never find me in this picture

When I was 16 all I wanted in my whole life was to learn English, go to England and work there doing the dishes at some bar or restaurant. Seriously, with my best friend from school we used to daydream about this (well, I'm not sure she daydreamed about the 'washing the dishes' part, because she's never liked doing dishes in the first place, but she certainly dreamt about being there with me).

We were so silly, really, because we had this strange idea that life there would be different and funnier than life here (as if there were no Sundays in England or something) and that we would meet Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon, and Thom Yorke so easily just because we were Chilean, hence, exotic (yeah, right) and we would have their thousand babies and all.

Well, our original plan didn't really include the washing the dishes bit as part of our goal, really. What we wanted to achieve once there was higher education and stuff. We wanted to study film making and become film directors and make movies and meet Ewan McGregor and have his babies also (OK. We didn't really want to have their babies, but we wouldn't have minded...) I know we were kind of desperate back then, but that's one of the things that can happen when you study at a girls school xD

For us, England was a dream. We were young and shallow (the latter I still am, though), we didn't care about imperialism and things like that, we thought our lives would change if we spoke English, we wanted to go to England and visit all those places we'd heard about...

I think we were quite silly, really, but one is allowed to be silly when she's in her teens, I think... so I don't feel embarrassed about it at all.

Now, what you have to do today is tell us what country you'd like to visit. In your post, include the following:

- Which country would you like to go to? Why?
- What do you know about it?
- What would you like to do there?
- Would you like to study/work/live there? Explain.

Remember to:
- Make comments on 2 of your classmates’ posts
- Word Count: at least 180 words

Ask me if you have any queries!!