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

-----

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!!

Mythology (or something like it)

When I turned 19, my best friend from school, who at the time was studying at university with me and now is working with me here, teaching the other section of Argumentative Writing, gave me a very special birthday gift. 

We had class that morning, and she arrived and told me that, as a birthday gift, she was giving me and her matching tattoos of our favourite band as a sign of our friendship (and a token of our madness about the band).

She brought a series of images of some drawings made by the band's singer and his artist friend which we liked a lot and we had already considered getting tattooed. I had to choose one and we would both get it tattooed on the same place of our body. 

It was a sudden decision that was going to last for the rest of our lives, so we discussed it a lot (I think). The thing is that I chose this drawing which is supposed to be a crying minotaur... And that's how we both ended up having something which looks like a Pokemon tattooed on our arms. But it is not a Pokemon, it's a Minotaur!! ¬¬

And that's pretty much everything I know about mythology xD Although I must confess I also looked it up on Wikipedia and I found out some other stuff but I forgot it immediately. 

However, this is an extract about the Minotaur so you understand why it is mythology and not my invention (joking! I know you know I know and we all know it is mythology, we're not that uninformed):

"In Greek mythology, the Minotaur was a creature with the head of a bull on the body of a man or, as described by Roman poet Ovid, "part man and part bull". He dwelt at the center of the Cretan Labyrinth, which was an elaborate maze-like construction designed by the architect Daedalus and his son Icarus, on the command of King Minos of Crete. The Minotaur (SPOILER!!) was eventually killed by the Athenian hero Theseus." (taken from "the Bible", aka Wikipedia)

Now, this week you have to write about mythology. Whatever that means... 

In your post you can mention:

- a specific mythological story you find interesting

- why you find it interesting

- what it consists of

- whatever else mythological you can think of

• Please, write at least 180 words on the topic.
• Leave comments on 2 of your classmates' entries.
• Include a photo or something we can look at related to the topic.

Atrocity Exhibition

I have been to a few concerts that have been really important for me (and I meant REALLY), for example the two by Radiohead and the four by Morrissey I've been to. However, one of the shows I have enjoyed most in my whole freaking life was Jarvis Cocker’s. That show was amazing, mostly because the guy is amazing. He’s funny, he interacted with people in the funniest way (making references to Chilean slang when introducing his songs), and he is just the best performer I have ever seen live. Seriously, he’s the best performer ever. He beats grumpy Morrissey, Thom Yorke, amazingly-cool P.J. Harvey and the oh-so-stylish Brett Anderson singing Suede’s first and second album’s marvellous songs.

Just so you have an idea of how powerful his performance is, let me tell you about my friend Felipe.

When we had just entered university, my friends and I had a study session at one of our houses. I don’t know why, but I took a Pulp video (yes, a video!) to that study session, so at one point after all the studying (yeah, right) we decided to watch the video. I think that’s when Felipe saw the light, because after that he wanted to be just like Jarvis, straight like Jarvis and all (though that didn’t go very well), he downloaded Pulp’s albums and listened to them all the time, probably imagining Jarvis twitching on stage whilst he listened. I’m sure he agrees Jarvis’s show was the best ever, even when he didn’t sing any of Pulp’s songs (I love his solo work so that wasn’t a problem) that is a show I wish I had videotaped or engraved in my brain or something (I think I have it in mp3 somewhere).

Today we have two options for the task, but you only have to write about ONE, just like I did.

You can write about a singer/band you like or a concert/exhibition you've been to.

If you write about a band/singer, you have to include:

- name
- what do you know about them?
- what type of music do they play?
- why do you like this artist/band?
- what's your favorite song? why?
- publish a picture or video
- 180 words minimum
- make 3 comments on your classmates posts.

If you write about a concert/exhibition, you have to include:

- what was it?
- when did you go?
- where was it?
- why did you like it?
- mention more details about it
- publish a related picture or video
- 180 words minimum
- make 3 comments on your classmates posts.

Let me know if you have any questions!!

Working for the Man

When I was 16 or something, all I wanted to do in life was to go to Britain and live there and speak English and work doing dishes. Seriously! I had no other ambition or plan. In fact, with my best friend from school (who's teaching this course also) we had this plan where we would go to the USA and do the cleaning there, save money and then go to Britain and meet our favourite artists and marry them all and have their thousand babies. Sometimes I think I would like to have a job like that, you know, and I don't mean having babies, I mean cleaning or doing dishes, without having to worry about studying, marking tests, preparing lessons or writing blogs for the argumentative writing course xD I would spend my weekends relaxing and having fun to start a week of cleaning on Mondays. I'd like that, maybe one day I will do it... or maybe not :S

What about you? Do you have an ideal/dream job you would like to have? For example, as a game tester? Or a wine taster? or an American sitcoms watcher? Maybe you dream of not having a job, like I also do, but we don't really care about those boring not-doing-anything dream jobs, we want to know what you would do if you could do anything you wanted in terms of working somewhere and earning money. 

In your entry you can mention:

- What your position would be

- What your job would consist of

- Where in the world it would be

- Who you would work with

- How many hours a week/day you would work

- Anything else you can think of related to the topic

Write at least 180 words

Post comments on 2 of your classmates' entries

Include a photo or video related to the topic

Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others

For me, the best TV show of all time has to be Buffy the Vampire Slayer. This TV show tells the story of a girl who suddenly becomes the slayer, a girl in charge of protecting the world from all the demons and vampires on it.

Buffy’s story is very sad, as she had to struggle with a responsibility she never wanted in the first place, having to do things she doesn’t really want to do and being considered as a trouble maker even by her mother, who doesn’t know the truth about Buffy’s behaviour, that is, the huge responsibility she has on her shoulders.

However, that’s not all there is about Buffy! The plot thickens when she falls in love with a vampire, the only vampire who has a soul (hence, he doesn’t kill people). His name is Angel (or Angelus when he becomes an evil vampire). Angel is one of the oldest vampires in the world, who was known for being really evil until he made the mistake of killing a gipsy princess. When that happened, the gipsies put a spell on him giving him his soul back, which made him feel really bad for all the evil things he had done in his past. Because of this, Angel spends his never-ending life looking for the slayers and helping them fight the evil in the world. That’s how he meets Buffy, and eventually falls in love with her. Now this bit is really terrible, as they love each other but there’s nothing they can do about their love, first, because she’s supposed to kill him, secondly because he’ll never die and Buffy will, and third because even when they love each other they cannot ‘consummate their love’ as that is the only thing that can take Angelus soul away, which would make him extremely evil again.

I really liked Buffy! Lots of things happened on this TV show, things that could make you think about life, what’s real, responsibilities, and other things. When I was in my teens, my sisters used to watch this TV show and I would laugh about them because I thought it was terrible, but when I started watching it that completely changed. I became addicted to it. For me, Buffy was a real inspiration, especially when I witnessed unfair things happening around me. For example, one day these people were making fun of a Japanese boy on the bus and I defended him feeling all Buffy. Another day this guy started telling me really gross sexual things on the street and I kicked his ass and hit him real hard feeling all Buffy. Buffy rocks! She was a girl and she fought against evil monsters, she killed vampires, demons and trolls. I really wanted to be like her (even if instead of trolls I had to fight horny men on the street, or racist people on the bus). Buffy is the best and I cried my eyes out when she died (SPOILER). I didn’t even want to eat my hamburger that night and I never lose appetite (especially when there are hamburgers for supper). In the end I ate it anyway (but I didn’t enjoy it, OK? Because I was really sad).

Is there a TV Show you really like? I really hope there is one because today you have to write about it. In your entry, you could include the following things:

- What’s the TV show about

- Why you like it

- How it is different from other TV shows you’ve watched

- How it made you feel

- What the characters were like

- Etc.

• Write at least 200 words
• Please, leave comments on 2 of your classmates' posts.
• Include a photo/video/something visual on your entry.

TV Movie

There are many films that I like, so I really couldn't choose one. I could mention the first movie I saw that made me feel something different from what I had ever experienced watching films, though.

It is probably kind of cliché, but I was about 10 or 11 years old which means I was allowed to feel things with cliché stuff. My 'first' film (which is not really the first movie I saw, but it is the first one I loved) is called Cinema Paradiso (1988), by Giuseppe Tornatore, with Philippe Noiret (heart). I remember I watched it one night on channel 13, when the rest of my sisters where at my parents' bedroom watching something else with them. I remember they used to show that film on TV every year and I had never felt the need to watch it before, but that year it was different.

When I was watching that film I realised movies could make me feel really strong feelings, things I had never experienced before. I loved the story, even when it's a very common concept to explore and it's been done many times in film history up to these days.

This is the typical story about an adult and a child and how this adult influences and changes this kid's life. I remember I cried my eyes out! I loved it so much. I loved what this cinema meant to the people who lived in this village, how they showed it as a place with a history, where different events that where part of the history of the village took place. I still love that story, to be honest. It makes me feel something deep inside my stomach which always ends up making me cry. But it's a different kind of crying; it's a mix of happiness, and melancholy for something I have never experienced. Probably that's the reason why I like this movie so much, because it made me realise movies were more than a story on a screen, as they can also be something you cannot even name, deep inside your stomach that gives you the goosebumps.

Well, this week you'll have to write about YOUR favourite movie or movies in general.

Whatever movie/film/genre it is, you have to:

- Leave a comment on 2 of your classmates posts

- Write about: 150 - 180 words

- Include a photo/video, you know, something we can look at.

The Clash

But not any clash, a culture clash.

Do you know what that is?

Don't worry, because today you'll have to search the web for information on what culture clash is and provide an example of a culture clash that called your attention, that is, the one that you found more interesting/weird/shocking of all the ones you read about on the web.

It's really important that you:

- Explain what a culture clash is

- Provide an example of one

- Say why you chose that example

- Mention if you have experienced a culture clash yourself (and narrate that experience, as well)

• Word count: 200-280 
• Leave comments on 2 of your classmates' entries
• Include a photo or video or anything catchy related to the topic.

Music is my Radar

Music means a lot to me. If it wasn't for music I wouldn't be here writing in English, I wouldn't be the person I am... Who knows where I would be if I hadn't discovered music!

When I first started listening to the music I like now I was 13 years old. Back then I discovered my first favourite band, and they are still one of my faves. I remember I used to listen to them every morning and, as we only had one radio at home, everyone was obliged to listen to them too. That's the reason why my parents and sisters at home know them so well and like them too, even when back then they used to complain because I would take over the radio and wouldn't let anyone else listen to other music at all. They hated me, but I didn't mind.

Anyway, I guess you voted 'music' because it means something to you too, so that's what this week's post is going to be about.

What you have to do is write about Music and how it affects your life. You could mention:

- What music means to you

- When you first started listening to the music you like

- Why you like it/What it makes you feel

- Your favourite band/musician/singer/album/genre

- Who first introduced you to your favourite band/singer

- etc...

In this post you MUST:

- Write 180-200 words.

- Include a photo or video of your favourite band/singer/musician.

- Comment on 2 of your classmates' posts.

Speak in Tongues

Hi all and welcome to another blogging session. We hope the computer 'gawds' are with us today ¬¬.

Today's topic is an interesting one, in a theoretical sense. Maybe for you it's boring, but we don't really care because this is university and here boring is good.

Now, for this topic we won't say much, we'll only give you the theme and you have to find out about it on the Internet to later write about it on your own blog, using your own words. You could, for example, include your personal opinion and experiences related to it, besides referring to what the topic is, of course.  So we could say this is more like a research type of task and what you write about the topic is up to you, just make sure it IS related to the topic, i.e., it's not nonsense or dada.

Well, this week you'll have to write about Bilingualism, something we have also dealt with previously (in last week's assignment, in case you wondered :P)

Please, do your research and write on! 

• Do so in about 150-200 words.
• Include a photo or video or anything visual (and legal) related to it, in order to make your post more eye-catching.
• Don't forget to leave comments on 2 of your classmates' entries.

Thank you and good luck!

Paperbag Writer

Hi all and welcome to this new term!

As you may already know, this term we will be using the lab to work on blogs. The idea is that you express yourselves and interact using them.

The blogs system is quite simple. Each week you will have a task which you will have to carry out. There will be a topic and a specific number of words that you will have to use to develop this topic. Additionally, you will have to post comments on your classmates' entries. This last part is also obligatory!

If you do the whole task during class you will get 2 points for the corresponding blog session. If you do it at home, you will get 1 point*. And if you never do it you'll get 0 points. These activities are part of the portfolio mark, so it is very important that you do them.

In order to start working with the blogs, you will have to create your own blog and customize it. 

To create your blog, go to www.blogger.com. Your blog has to be ENTIRELY in English, so make sure you select that language in the settings of your blog.

Once you have created your blog you can customize it, using your favourite pictures or photos on the background, special fonts, colours, etc.. If you don't know how to do this, explore! This is also a useful way of getting familiar with the blogger's language in English.

Is your blog ready? Send your blog's address to the course e-mail argumentative2012@gmail.com.

Now it's time to write this week's task.

Since this is the first week of the Argumentative Writing course, we want you to write about....

WRITING!! Yes, it took us ages to come up with this idea ;) No, but seriously, this is an excellent way of getting in the mood for what's coming this term.

You can cover these points as a way of helping you develop this topic:

- Do you like writing? Why?/Why not?

- How do you feel about writing in English? Is it easier/more difficult for you than writing in your mother tongue? Why?

- Have you ever had to write an essay or paper in your mother tongue? What about English? How did that go?/How do you think it would go (if you haven't already done it)?

- What do you expect to learn in this course? Do you think it will be useful knowledge? Why? What for?

- Etc.

• Your entry has to be written in 120-150 words. 
• Leave comments in 2 of your classmates' entries.