Course assessment

I finished the course and the truth is that I haven't learned so much. I have studied what I had studied last year in fourth of ESO. I think we should do more theory of grammar, vocabulary, improve the organization and practice more exercises. And I have improved my speakings because we did too many and I feel less nervous when I had to talk in English in front of the class. 

Film Review 2: Walking on Sunshine.

This movie came out about a year ago. However recently, it was released V.O.D. I had a chance to watch it, and here is what I think. I would warn you that this review might be a little biased. I simply love me some chick flicks. Therefore, you can take what I am about to write as a grain of salt. Just know, I enjoyed this movie a lot more than I care to admit.

The story was way better than I thought. I am not saying that I expected it to be lousy, but I was not expecting anything spectacular. What I did get was a plot line straight from General Hospital. The main character’s old summer love is now engaged to her older sister! But, it does not stop there. The older sister’s ex-boyfriend reappears in the picture to win her heart!! Add a wacky assortment of friends and that’s how a great chick flick is born. The characters for the most part are light hearted and relatable, except one. His name was Doug. He is literally one step away from being Peppy Le Pew. Obscene comments, he makes them. Respect for personal space is non-existent. Taking advantage of a girl, while drunk, is his forte. He is simply, a sleaze, with a dash of charm. You find yourself slightly rooting for him to win over the heart of the older sister. But, if does not work out, it is okay because he is, what he does best, and that is be a sleaze.


Overall, I was pleased with Walking on Sunshine. It does have a few things working against it like: cheesy lines, dancing numbers and, a U.K. filming style (which you can tell out the gate). Not to say these  qualities are terrible, but the film like sushi. Requires an acquired taste, and is not for everyone. But, for the people whom it is intended for, it is not going to matter as much. If you are a fan of musicals, definitely give this a try. If you are not, just stay clear. All this movie is going to do is give you a headache and hemorrhoid.

Film Review: Fifty Shades Leaves Little To The Unknown

Fifty Shades of Grey has been a worldwide box office phenomenon. Now the movie is available on DVD and Blu-ray, and it comes with a lot of bonus features.

Anastasia Steele is your regular college student occupied by school, work, and spending a night out at the bars. She seems so average that she has to become the object of affection for billionaire playboy Christian Grey. Anastasia or Ana, meets Christian as part of a school assignment. How many college students have this sort of access to corporate moguls? Initially Ana isn’t impressed with Mr. Grey, after all the interviewed him on the behalf of her roommate. Instantaneously, Christian takes a liking to Ana. Her seemingly simple and shy persona must be what appeals to a man who has it all. Mind you that Christian is barely older than Ana.
 Christian doesn’t waste any time pursuing Ana. Arriving at her work (hardware store), now what’s a auspicious guy like him doing at a hardware store? Kinda odd. Ana is eventually swayed and becomes smitten with Christian’s pursuit of her. The courtship turns into an all-out sexual affair. The innocent virgin soon becomes a sex vixen, with Christian’s sexual fetishes becoming part of their relationship arrangement. A plethora of sex-filled romps occur. From whips to blindfolds, all leading to the red room (not a room filled with Xbox games). This all-out sexual marathon doesn’t let up.

Overall, Fifty Shades isn’t just a movie for women. I think men can find some fun in it (not only for the sex). It’s not a great movie by any means, claims have been made that it’s mommy soft-core porn, but it’s not necessarily that. An expensive Lifetime movie, with added glitz, glamour, and sexuality. The movie has made money for a reason- the concept sells. If you haven’t read the books or seen the movie to this point and are curious what the hoopla is all about, it’s worth checking out the DVD. The Blu-ray features might give you better insight than the movie itself, so get the Blu-ray combo instead.

Being a mum is great

Being a mother is a natural fact. Most women want to be mothers, by having the oportunity to feel a life developing within you. Obviously I want to be a mum, but like everything there are pros and cons.

 

On the one hand, mothers have to deal with a lot of fight with their sons. For example, when they don't want to eat the food, to take a bath or to do homework. In fact, mothers have to try hard to make their children obey and make the right things. Furthermore, sometimes they have to focus on their children and aside their working life.

 

On the other hand, mothers can be very proud of being a mum, In this respect, when their sons are playing a sport, an instrument or doing an activity is the time to be proud of them. Kids count on their mothers and trust them to help them to overcome problems. And that can be a motivation to be a mum.

 

I think that the experience of being a mum can be very awesome, inspiring and enriching. What's more, one of my objectives in my life is being a mum and be proud of my sons whatever they do, whatever they think, whatever they say and whatever they are.

Violence on TV makes people violent

 

Violence on TV is a popular debate nowadays because parents are worried about the reaction and the effect on their children. TV and media have an important role. But, do we have to worry about its effects on us?

 On the one hand, many people think violence can be controlled between reality and fiction. In this respect, it could be argued that violence on TV is to have fun and violence can't affect the behaviour and the knowledge of children.

 

On the other hand, we can also say that some kids develop the belief that violence is a way to solve problems because their TV models act violently. As I see it, violence introduces children to the adult world of drugs, sex, murders, rapes, crimes, etc. In fact cartoons show violent characters who aren't punished for their acts.

 

However, I strongly believe that parents have to put limits on the kind of cartoons their children watch and the amount of hours they spend on TV. If this doesn't change, next generations will have problems with behaviour and learning.

Assessment of oral presentations

NAME & TOPIC: Malala's interview and FCE speaking with Alex

 Presentation        10%

Do you use any resources: powerpoint, video, images, sound, real material...? No, it wasn't necessary.
Is the timing 5- 10 minutes? Yes (more or less I think it was fine). 

 

Body language & eye contact         10%

Are you looking at your audience most of the time? Are you reading occasionally from your notes?   I try not to look at my notes but sometimes I read something which I don’t remember. However I look at my audience most of the time.
Are you doing any gestures/movement to hold the attention of your audience?   Yes, but not many times… I have to improve the body language.

 Structure             10%

Do you organize your ideas in order of importance?  Yes, I do.
Do you use discourse markers to make your ideas more clear? (First, then, secondly, on the one hand, on the other, finally…)   Yes, I try to link all my sentences.

 

Content         30%

Do you introduce new information to your audience? Is your information detailed, clear and...? Do you give/show examples?
Yes, I do. I try to say everything clearly and easily.

 

Language        20%

 Is your grammar correct, complex? (verbs, word order, tenses learnt in class) Yes it is.
Is your vocabulary rich, varied (synonyms, idioms, expressions, phrasal verbs, topic-related)
Yes it is. And I try to add vocabulary learned in class, too.
Do you use sentence linkers? (and, but, moreover, also, furthermore, although, however…)
Yes, it helps me explaining everything better.
Do you use fillers? (well, you know, for example, one second, repeating a word…)
Of course! They give me seconds to think!

 

Pronunciation & Intonation         10%

Do you know how to pronounce all your words? Did you check the pronunciation?
I checked the pronunciation of the most difficult ones but I still don’t know how to pronounce perfectly all the words… It’s a bit complicated.

Do you change your tone of voice or use a monotone tone all the time? Do you speak in a fluid continuum or with breaks and interruptions?

I try to change my voice in order to call the attention of my audience.

 

Self-Evaluation

You are your teacher! :-)                                 FINAL MARK: 5

 

2- Think :-) : What have you done well ? What do you need to improve?

I have organized my presentation very well. In general everything was fine except my pronunciation and my nerves. I have to learn how to stay calm and improve my pronunciation.

Beyonce - Listen

"Escucha"

Escucha
La canción dentro de mi corazón
He comenzado una melodía
Pero no puedo completarla
Escucha el sonido que viene de mis adentros
Esto solo esta comenzando
A encontrar su libertad

Oh, ha llegado el momento
Para que mis sueños sean escuhados
No serán hechos a un lado
Y transformarlos en tuyos
Solo porque no quieres escuchar

Esucha
Estoy sola en una encrucijada
No estoy en casa, en mi propio hogar
Intente una y otra vez
Explicar lo que hay en mi mente
Tu deberías de haberlo sabido
Ahora ya no te creo mas
Tu no sabes lo que estoy sintiendo
Soy mas de lo que tu me haces parecer
Segui la voz queme diste
Pero ahora debo encontrar mi la mia propia

Debiste haberme escuchado
Hay alguien en mi interior
Alguin que creí muerta
Hace tiempo

Ahora grito, para que mis sueños seas escuchados
No serán hechos a un lado
O transformarlos en tuyos
Solo porque no quieres escuchar

No sé de donde pertenezco
Pero seguiré adelante
Y si no, Y si no quieres.. Escuchar
La canción dentro de mi corazón
He comenzado una melodía
Pero no puedo completarla

Tu no sabes lo que estoy sintiendo
Soy mas de lo que tu me haces parecer
Segui la voz creiste haberme dado
Pero ahora debo encontrar mi la mia propia
Mi propia voz.

Book Review 3: The 100

I read The 100 when I was in a happy and generous mood. I was enjoying the book, for the most part. I was actually liking the multiple points of view. I liked how readers were able to follow the story down on earth AND yet remain to see what happened up on the colony ship as well. I liked how the stories were unfolding. A few plot details I was able to predict. That is not a bad thing, by the way. It can be good OR bad. It can feel satisfying now and then to guess right. It is only when a reader guesses all the plot ahead of time that it becomes too much. Another thing I was mostly enjoying is how flawed all the characters were. Seriously flawed. Big mistakes. Big issues. It was interesting to see the characters relate to one another. To see them come together...or not.

My only hesitation with recommending this one is the ending. The problem I had with this book is that I was enjoying it (perhaps not ABSOLUTELY LOVING it, but still, a good solid enjoy) until I started picking up on Wells mysterious act of "devotion." The ending. Perhaps it fit with the book perfectly. Perhaps there were hundreds of clues indicating the truth. It isn't that I was surprised that Wells did something stupid, it is just that I didn't guess it would be so completely over-the-top ridiculously stupid. 

Book Review 2: HEARTBEAT

Heartbeat is definitely an intense read with the potential to stay with readers. The heroine of Heartbeat is a young woman, Emma. She is in shock, in grief. She's angry; she's sad; she's all over the place. She wants things the way they were before, but, slowly oh-so-slowly coming to terms with the idea that something good could come in the future. The one person she wants to talk to most, of course, is her mom. She can physically go to her mom's room and talk, but, there will never be an answer again: her mom is on life support, she's being kept alive by machines for the sake of her unborn baby. Those ten weeks or so seem IMPOSSIBLE to young Emma. For better or worse, she can't bring herself to admit that her stepdad might be making the best decision, the right decision, the decision that her mom would make if she could. Seeing her mom alive-but-dead breaks her heart every single day. Yet, to the hospital she continues to go day by day. For the sake of her mom, or, so she tells herself. She feels that her mom is forgotten, that the unborn baby, is all. But readers don't just meet Emma. They also meet Olivia, Emma's best friend, and Caleb, a bad boy who might possibly understand the pain of loss better than anyone else in town. Emma and Caleb come together in Heartbeat, and, it's something.

Definitely recommended!

Book Review: Placae of Spies

Peggy Fitzroy lives with her aunt, uncle, and cousin. She knows she's not wanted, her aunt and uncle have made that clear. But she gets along quite well with her cousin, Olivia. The novel opens with Peggy in a difficult position. Her uncle has arranged a marriage for her. She's not thrilled instead more than a little hesitant. Her hesitation only increases AFTER she meets him at a ball. Her intended isn't the only person she meets there, however. One other mystery man makes her acquaintance. He offers her a way out. He tells her that he knew her mother. He wants to make a deal with her, of sorts. He wants her to spy for him, to impersonate one of the Queen's maids. (Ladies-in-waiting?) He leaves her with his card. She's curious but just as hesitant about that option as well. If only she could have some control over her own future...

With a title like Palace of Spies, it's obvious what her choice was. She will become Lady Francesca Wallingham. Can she learn enough from Mr. Tinderflint and Mr. Peele? Do they know enough about her to tell her everything she needs to know to pass as this lady? Is either man trustworthy? What are their intentions? What will they do with the information she provides? Who can she trust at court? Did Lady Francesca have enemies? How will she be able to discern who her friends were and who her enemies were? Will she fool anyone? Will she fool everyone? Will she ever get a minute to call her own? How long will this deception last?

I enjoyed this one. I think I enjoyed it even more having read Lucy Worsley's The Courtiers: Splendor and Intrigue in the Georgian Court at Kensington Palace earlier this year. I was familiar with several of the characters. It was quite entertaining with a nice balance of danger and romance.