Christmas time is here...

Christmas time is here, and if it leaves Charlie Brown miserable and sad, we can bet it can leave many people feeling like Charlie did.

"English Lines" is saying 'good-bye' to 2007 with a very different tone. Forget all the carolling and the "Merry Christmas" tunes. Joni Mitchell's 'River' is a very nice melody and it goes with the mood we left FCSH; few days of rest, and tons of homework, the perfect recipe for a gloomy and blue season.

Nevertheless, EL is going for holidays with a sweet sugary treat - Christmas recipes!!
Jamie Oliver's site is a good place to start, and I leave you all with a very easy dessert ;)

Maltesers and Ice Cream

• 2 packets of Maltesers
• a tub of good vanilla ice-cream
Bash the Maltesers and sprinkle over a generous serving of vanilla ice cream.


Para todos um Santo e Feliz Natal e um Próspero Ano Novo!

Silence

“It’s going to be a stormy night”. That was the thought running through my mind while trying not to fall on the bus. It was not the only one, but probably the major thought. There was no place to sit down, but after such an awful day, the idea of turning into a piece of carton prepared to go to the recycle bin did not bother me at all, but it was not a reassuring one, either.

“These guys are pretty bad at organizing the buses, don’t you think? I mean, there’s a big one for the next schedule, but we have to travel in these conditions… You’re not listening to me, are you?” In fact, I was not. Anyway, why in the world should I pay attention to someone I had never seen before in my entire life? It is insane, what people do for a bit if attention.

Back in my world. For a second, I imagined what it would be like to be on a bus with live music. I pictured a symphonic metal band. I turned the back of the bus into a stage. There would be two guitarists, one bass player, a drummer and a female singer, probably wearing a magnificent dark-red or brown and cream renaissance-like dress. Now, she would be singing “Silence From Afar” by After Forever. What an awesome voice… Suddenly, I burst out laughing. How could I? I mean, I was reduced to some 25cm² square, where I could not even reach into my own pockets to hide my hands from the cold night. I was freezing in there, despite everything that was going on!

“Let me think of something else. Maybe this cold feeling will go away if I don’t pay attention to it!”. “Revolution Calling” by Queensrÿche started playing on my MP3 player. I followed the lyrics in my mind. “And now I see the chaos/ Everywhere I go…” Thank you very much, Geoff! I was trying to forget this entire situation. I was trying to forget that I am reduced to 25cm², that the guy in front of me needs a bath, not to say that he stinks, and that my wrist hurts from all the effort I have been trying to make just not to fall! Thank you so much, Geoff!

I guess I had never noticed how long that bus ride was! Worst of all: it was a 2N, which meant that I had to walk home for twenty minutes. “Well, at least I have my MP3 player!” Or so I thought!

“I can’t believe it! You’re getting out here? Me too! That has got to be destiny…” yeah, right… whatever you say, honey! I just want to go home… Would you please go away? Why, thank you! Now that is destiny! Gosh… I guess I had never noticed how ridiculous some people can be when seeking attention.

A bit of peace, finally! “Hopefully, it will last for the next twenty minutes or so.” But the storm just got worse. There was no rain, but the early blackened sky was turning white every now and then. “Ok, I know that the only achievement we have for sure in our lives is death, but I really want to live, say, some extra fifty years? God, twenty minutes in the middle of nowhere with no music? Well… it’s for the greater good!”

MP3 player off, well hidden inside my bag. “It can’t be that bad. I mean, I walk this path at least twice a week, what could happen today? Besides being hit by lightning? Seriously, I should consider using fewer accessories. Or at least fewer metal ones. Oh, and I should also consider choosing another way to go back home. I mean, all those pine trees, the lack of light… what the… is it… oh my god!”

It was the same guy I saw earlier on the bus. That one that I just did not pay attention to…

- Is it destiny or what?

- How is it possible that you are already here?

- I fled…

- Yeah, right…

- Don’t you believe me? Do you want to see with your own eyes?

- You know what? I believe you should watch less TV!

- Do you?

- Ok, now you’re creeping me out! Why don’t you go home?

- I’m trying…

- Your family has got to be worried about you.

- Well…

- What?

- Did you notice that you haven’t left yet?

- And…

- Your family has got to be worried about you!

- What do you mean?

- I need a family…

- Ok, now that’s official… you’re watching too much TV!

- … and I want you to be part of it…

- What are you going to say next? That your skin burns in sunlight? Well… give me a break, would you? I’m out of here

- Are you?

- Yeah, you’re insane… Have you considered a mad house?

- It isn’t me who’s dreaming about supernatural creatures, miss…

- Then, who is?

The next minute I was right in front of my place. Back home, finally!

"Cherries for my Grandma"

The 2 part interview with Geoffrey Canada (author of the excerpt we read in class), about his Harlem centre.
Oprah.

Part 1 -



Part 2 -

Second Chance

I knew all about death then because in dreams I had been there.* Nonetheless, it was scary to think about what could happen there, in that place where time does not go by. Everything seems to be timeless and lifeless at the same time.
Uncertainty brings out my inner fears. ‘What is that?’ I ask to myself after spotting a strange shape. It is coming towards me. It is so fast, fast as a panther. But I still cannot understand what that shape is.
The air is heavy and the sky is getting darker. I cannot breath.
‘Run!’ I scream but I cannot move. My feet are glued to the ground.
The dark shape is coming. Everything dies around it. It seems to be fed by life. No plant, tree or insect survives.
I must run… but I am…
‘I am late…’
The most important game of our lives was about to begin and it was imperative for me to be there.
While opening the door of my house…’Almost forgot my mask!’
I could not afford to let myself get contaminated before the game. So I start running. The street is empty as always, it reminds me now of my dream, only the shade is missing. However, I must focus on the game.
‘Password?’
‘My soul belongs to destiny.’ I answered.
‘Good luck.’ said the guard of the gates but I knew that he, like the rest of the surviving group, had already lost hope.
I am prepared, I think… The team is already there: Suli, Oaja and Sandy.
Fear dominates us but on the opposite side the other team seems confident.
Suli is first. The faces of the other team’s members are covered. I can only imagine them: transparent skin and hollow eyes… It gives me the creeps.
Anyway Suli played. His opponent was stronger so Suli was defeated by the poisonous skill of the other.
Sandy was next. She fights the second player using the power of the purple light. The other is temporarily blinded.
‘Oh no Sandy, look out!’
With a stake made of ice the other took the life of Sandy.
We ran to help her but it was too late. We only heard the last breathe of her life.
Oaja responded with a beam of blue light, which was rapidly blocked by the third member. He returned the beam to her and she fell on the ground.
Now everything looks darker than before. I am lost, my mind betrays me. Some strange sensation is growing inside me… ‘Where am I?’
I realise that I was dreaming. I remember now that we lost that battle (the game) for the survival of mankind. We destroyed our planet and we tried to win our second chance in order to continue living somewhere else. Maybe on some other planet. At least until we had destroyed it again.
Now I am being swallowed by the black shade just like the other lives were.


*Love Orange

The Photo

I’ve always thought that we were the same and only now do I realize that this smiling girl in the photo and I are no longer the same person. How can someone change so much without noticing?
I hold in my hand the black and white photo that one of my neighbours took one day when I was playing with my friends in the street near my home. Looking at this photo, I wonder… who is the real me? Is that girl with the vibrant eyes my genuine self? Perhaps... or perhaps she’s just the happy and carefree version of myself. The girl, whose mind was full of dreams, knew nothing about what was already taking place in the remote forest, in the other part of that country that was 14 times bigger than Portugal. Without even suspecting that a war had started, the girl in the photo played with her dolls and planned her future. “I want to be an airhostess”, she repeated with conviction. But, now she has grown up and her life is totally different from what she had dreamt. Few dreams could resist the war! She, or maybe I should say I, well… I am not an airhostess and, actually, I began to hate aeroplanes, since one of them transported my dying father to South Africa and returned him in a coffin. It was from the window of one of those planes that I saw my country for the last time.
I close my eyes and I can see the streets of Luanda, my friends, my neighbours and my house. All of that has ceased to exist and only the power of imagination can reunite those people and recreate the atmosphere of those times. Times so far way and yet so vividly remembered.
I open my eyes and, from this cape, the westernmost point of Europe, I see the Atlantic, the ocean that separates my homeland from this country; the ocean that unites the European, the African and the American continents; the ocean that stands in the middle of different countries and cultures, just like me and thousands of people in this world. I listen to the wise ocean and to the sound of its waves and waters in continuous movement and constant renewal.
Nothing not even the oceans stay the same!

More Cartoons

Paula Joana and I, went to the cartoon exhibition at Caixa Geral de Depositos.
The number of cartoons on display was not impressive. The atrium of the building was badly used. With a mixture of cartoons and themes without any coherent coordination. None the less, some of the cartoons were very good, and the majority had a common theme or title that aloud us to identify them.
The main subjects were:
Globalization;
Racial discrimination;
Franchising;
Weather and end of natural resources;
Socio-economic differences;
Religion;
New technologies.

Some of the artists were quite good, and we all agreed that Tommy Thomdean and Ernani Cousandier were our favourites.

For more cartoons just visit www.cartoonvirtualmuseum.org

The pics are here!!!

Sorry for the delay, but I only finished the slide show a couple of hours ago.

It does look good, and although there are few photos I think it gives the idea of how we were really into it.

Hope you enjoy.

Cartoons - powerpoint

Well, as I promised, my ppt.I tried to post it on Mynoteit, but for some reason it isn't working properly with me. So, I tried via myyearbook, but if it doesn't work for you just tell me and I'll post it through sendscape :)

http://www.myyearbook.com/backpack/download.php?file=2007/11/05/18/document472fa1dfac85d.ppt&perform=view

We've got to do this mega group powerpoint on cartoons!! So, the first person to download my little version should put here a comment saying they're going to be next, so that the next person waits for theirs powerpoint instead of downloading mine, if you know what I mean... *I know it sounds confusing* And don't forget editting the last page, to put your names and numbers as well. It will look messy, but as a presentation it's looking good :)

A whole batch of more cartoons

Here are a couple of cartoons that I've been saving, or that I've used in other blogs making a small contribution to our "stash" of cartoons.

A topic that I am quite fond of is 'education' or 'non-sense' but the themes presented here are also very interesting, so without further a due, here they are:

Even More Cartoons!

http://www.seashell.com.au/CartoonGallery.asp
http://www.borg.com/~rjgtoons/toon.html
Those two websites have some interesting cartoons on some different themes from the usual ones, but not less important.

eg:
Education and Technology

Vanity and Health:

More Cartoons...

Check these websites for more cartoons:


http://editorialcartoonists.com/index.cfm

http://www.halltoons.com/

Assignments and updates – bitter sweet!

1. Wednesday 7th – class assignment 1 – with dictionary.
The work and preparation you did for the class debates will help you in writing either an opinion or argumentation article. Question suggestions on pages 18 and 19 of the coursebook Reason to Write will be worth thinking about in advance. Also read the article in the book on pages 2, 3, 4.
2. Feedback from debates coming on Monday. Congratulations to you all for last week.
3. Creative writing – Either continue on from the debate topics or escape!!! ….. To post in your group blogs (not assessed, but corrected). How about for Monday 12th.

Some ideas:
i.) Play around with a sentence taken from a screen play in your short stories: “With each step farther from the Donor Processing Center, Derek feels his movements ease, his pace quicken, his stiffness loosen. A concentrated and increasing happiness sweeps across his face.”
ii.) Finish the sentence… “……and I really thought he would do it.”
iii.) Start with " I always thought we were the same ......."
iv.) Ideas from Bruce Holland Roger’s Creative Writing workshop will also be valuable. Read the specific stories he has suggetsed in his replies to the workshop notice.
4. Cartoons. If anyone has the time to create a PowerPoint with a few well-selected cartoons for use on Monday 5th (short notice –sorry), but will also be of use for the following Monday.

Cartoons

Msnbc has an excellent website with new and old cartoons. Go to http://cagle.com/ and you'll be surprised at the variety of cartoons.



Here are some of the most interesting cartoons about global warming:

Rhys Hughes and his "mermaid from Curitiba" at FCSH

Surreal. That is the first word I want to use to describe the whole experience.
Amazing, overwhelming and fantastic are all the other words that spring to mind when I think of the chance and the privilege we had on this last Wednesday.
Rhys Hughes graced us with his charm his storytelling and his witty tricks with words. Pirates were the main theme, but we gained much more than simple "crimson sails and hidden islands", we got, alien horizons, water deities and their worshippers , treasures, psychotic 'cavaquinho' players and so much much more!

The room was full. Full of people and full of curiosity. And even though the question and answer part started with baby steps it gradually became a rapid movement with questions lashing from every side of the room, we were unstoppable and Rhys was quick to gives us answers.
A delightful afternoon, one to remember for a long time.

Debates - Postponed dates

Since there has been some reports about difficulties accessing our class blog, I decided to inform and post the new date for our debate here on our blog:

31st of October, Wednesday @ 2.00pm

If anyone needs help with their arguments or have any questions regarding speakers orders or any other subject, please comment here so that we can help each other.

Have a nice weekend, and don't forget - Rhys Hughes will have a post dedicated to him with pics included, exclusively in our "English Lines".

Our new "get together"

In order to share and pass on some information I created an account (for free of course), in "my note IT".
It's a web space that allows you to store your class notes, important dates, and it also comes with some interesting tools, like calendar for important information and a group management, where you can share your notes and informations with users you have invited.

My suggestion to all is; create an account, and tell me your account's name in order for me to add you to the class group I created.
As soon as you're in the group we can share lots of notes related to our class assignments and even create other class notes!

Don't forget access the link for "My Note IT"

Let’s clone a mouse!

Last week, we learnt so many things about cloning with Diogo that I think we turned professionals. So, we can start by cloning Mimi in the mouse cloning laboratory of the University of Utah. Try it yourself!

http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/units/cloning/clickandclone/

I-Debate Part 3 (free round and conclusions)

If you've manage to survive the interpolations without wanting to slap both parties then the free round videos are going to drive you insane!
These are the last ones hope you enjoy them.
Again, Topic: "Is a free country better than a secure country?"
St. Scholastica's Academy (SSA - the girls in BLACK) vs. University of Negros Occidental -- Recoletos (UNO-R - the girls in BLUE)

Free Round Debate - 1


Free Round Debate - 2


Free Round Debate - 3 (conclusion)


In the end, the results are clear,the Judges overrule 4-1 in favor of SSA.

I Debate - Part 2

As promised, here are the second clips of I-Debate 2007, St. Scholastica's Academy (SSA) VS University of Negros Occidental - Recoletos (UNO-R)
The topic is "Is a free country better than a secure country?", and these videos are the interpolations, after the opening arguments.

Interpotalions - 1


Interpolations - 2

I Debate, do u?

I-Debate series is actually a program in Philippines TV network that has schools and Universities competing in debating contests. Quite amazing they are, and although it is a contest it is quite interesting seeing how the students create their moots, investigate their arguments and explore in further dialogues.
I am leaving the first 2 videos for the opening arguments, the topic is "Is a free country better than a secure country?", not much connected to our own moot but the way the talk and rebut is conducted, looks interesting... Hope you like it!


Opening arguments - 1


Opening arguments - 2

Debating in Mongolia

Class debating, how glorious!
How wondrous!
How fantastically interesting! Actually, Debating without the shouting and the kicking just isn't any fun... Nevertheless, rules are rules and here is the video with "experts" from Oxford and Cambridge teaching us how to DEBATE.

Take a look:

Summer time, equals reading time!

Summer is here. Actually it's been here for a whole month now, but with all the exams and expectations of final marks there has been no time for anything else...

So, despite our lag in updating our blog, I decided to brush it up a bit, give it a fresher look and post what I've started reading...
"Moll Flanders" By Daniel Defoe.

Class Presentations - Highlights

I must be influenced by those eurosports news to do this right know, but the truth is that I also found a little bit of time to do so.

Anyway, I've been waiting for so long just to have two minutes to post the highlights of the class presentations, that I'm feeling a little bit ashamed of myself for doing this after our English classes ended for this semester. Still, I'd love to know, as well, what did you think about them ;)

Just a quick remember:

• Class presentations - Day One: ENGLISH LINES (06/06/07)
  * First off went Zé. He explained us the history of Short Stories and gave us their characteristics
  * Then it was me (Sandra). My Short Story was an excerpt of Bend It Like Beckham. I decided to compare the excerpt of the story with the excerpt of the film, and got so excited that almost forgot that there were still three to present.
  * Artur went third: he picked up "Hello/Goodbye (which turned out to be his favourite short story, am I wrong?) and gave us the vision of death present in that Story. e also added what he thought to be the differences between the vision of death and the funerals in the country and in the city.
  * Taking the "Slow Mirror" Short Story with him, Bernardo was the fourth one to go. He told us who Richard Zimler was, and then told us the key moments in that Short Story (I shouldn't probably say that, but it wouldn't be fair of me if I didn't: helped by Luís)
  * Finally, to close the presentations day in the best way ever, there came Luis with his traditional depressing but way too beautiful powerpoint from the ghost story that is told in "The horse in the snow". In fact, what he did was to addapt the chinese puppets technique to the powerpoint, which turned out to be wonderful ;)
  
  
• Class Presentations - Day Two: Bozena from ENGLISH LINES and THE NAMELESS FIVE (11/06/07)
  (tell me it is just me, but I guess it sounded like a poster from a rock concert, didn't it?)
  *First off: "our" Bozena. She picked "Breakfast at Tesco's" and compared it to "Breakfast at Tiffany's". Then she compared and analysed some of the characters from both stories
  *Moving on to The Nameless Five, their first "victim" was André (sorry guys, but I still can't define which one was that). He presented (one of the best short-stories ever:) "The Tale-Tell Heart" by (my favourite author:) E.A. Poe. After some problems with the missing "brain" of the pen, we were able to hear a small biography of Poe, the key moments of the story itself and the description of the characters. Finally, he showed us a small animated film about the story
  *Then it was Sara's turn. She presented us a Short Story by Fernando Sorrentino: "There's a Man in the Habit of Hitting Me on the Head with an Umbrella". She told us a little about Sorrentino, then her interpretatiom of the story. Finally, we all discussed the theme, which started up as being just conscience and suddenly turned up to be conscience or love.
  *Third off: the other Andre, who brought us "Spirit of Emulation", also by Sorrentino. He also told us some details of Sorrentino's life, then we heard what was the story all about and what was his interpretation.
  Milton went next, who showed us "Zippo". He told us a little about the plot, and compared it to the film "Déjà Vu"
  *Closing up the second day, we had Joana. She brought us "Fishing for Jasmine" by John Ravenscraft. She told us a little bit of his life, the plot of the story, analysed it, gave us her reaons for her choice and finally, a pretty theatrical reading, which I was loving, but unfortunaltely I couldn't hear to the ens :(



• Class Presentations - Day Three: RIPATASIRANA (18/06/07)
  (first of all, sorry if I got the name wrong)
  *They came most as a group and showed us some examples of students who and been part of, not only the Erasmus program, but a change of country for studying, for their own reasons. They told us its story, the objectives, the origin of the name and finally, the interviews of people studying here from Italy and from Germany. We had a live interview with Bozena, to compare her situation with that of a portuguese girl studying in the Czech Republic

Ok, so those were the highlights of our personal summer festival, a sort of Presentations Festival. I tried to be as impersonal as I could, but I couldn't avoid some of the comments.

Anyway guys, share your Presentations Festival experience with me :) I know it's almost over, but we won't let the blog die, will we??

So long....

Goodbye, or rather “so long and thanks for all the fish”!! (from the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy).

There are many very special creative contributions here from you as a group. Congratulations on working well together. I really do hope you keep your blog alive over the next two years, or for even longer, who knows? -creativity – memories – thoughts – comment and opinion.

I wish you all the very best in your next two years. I have enjoyed working with you this year and seeing your creativity flourish. May it continue to grow with energy, passion and caring.

Allyson

A concert in Lisbon - not to be missed 23 June CCB

http://www.ccb.pt/ccb/cgi-bin/ccbnav.php?CurCatId=7&CurTemId=4&CurEveId=2933, At the LX concert Glass is playing solo.
Allyson

Class Presentations - part 2

It is finally true. They are done, finito, we have finished our class presentations, and has we should, we could post a little bit of them here don't you think?

Class Presentations

So, as all of us know, we have got this oral presentation to do. Our day is going to be the 6th June and our theme is the Short Stories.

Now I really need your help to put all the parts together. And I guess we should decide in which order ar we going to present, I mean, we already know that Zé is going to be the first, but who is going to be next?

I am trying to remember our choices from today's "meeting", but I guess I need your help. As far as I remember, it is going to be something like:

Zé - a sort of introduction, talking about the importance of the short stories in nowaday's life

Bernardo - the relationship between the author and the characters/narrator/story (choose the right answer, please)

Bozena - it was something about "Breakfast at Tesco's" and the relationship with the "real" world (am I wrong?)

Artur - I don't quite remember, but it had something to do with "Hello Goodbye", right?

Sandra - the relationship between the film and the chapter we have from "Bend It Like Beckham" (by the way, tomorrow I am going to look for the dvd around the video-clubs here. If I cannot find it, I will buy it from amazon. To be honest, it is so cheap that I am thinking in buying it right now)

Luís - we are waiting for your project. What is it going to be? :)

Corrections are wanted!!!!!

7th May class

And as the poetry classes continue (which is amazing, by the way), I guess today all of us have something to put here :)

I am talking about the "When I am an old woman I shall wear purple" poem we had to "re-invent".

For me it was particularly hard to begin, as I am not the kind of person who likes to think about the future, but once I started I admit I didn't want to stop O_O

Here is my version (each one of us has a different one)

 

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple

I shall be as open-minded as I've been taught

And teach those around me to do the same

My life stories shall be tolded to my grandchildren

Who shall know they had a tough grandmother

Who just loved her life

That should inspire them to never give up,

And tell them to always be themselves

Teaching them that life's what we make of it

I shall help others to be raised happily

And to share their love.

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple

Another Haiku

It would be fun to have here all the "Haiku poems" this group managed to create. As I am no exception (and there are already two posted by my friends), here is mine:

Certain summer nights

Are just as dark as our fights

Trying to keep alive

Free association Poem

As Luis said on the 2nd of May, that class was indeed amazing! He talked (and posted) one of our poems, which means there is another one by us (Luis and Sandra). So here it is:

I love to sleep in the afternoon

I just take the pillow and hold it tight

I don't need a bed, I just turn off the light

And cover me with the covers, I'll fall asleep soon

I forget my book on the loo

And now nightmares are coming

I won't sleep till night comes

Showing it's stared sky

Like a movie on the telie

That I'll watch with some popcorn's company

:-)

I didn't see the preview before publishing... I will put it again here...sorry for that mess:-)

walking the fence line/falling into your safe arms/leaving all the world/on the other noisy side/a bit of courage/needed to look firmly down

Now, my haiku looks more beautiful :-)

HAIKU

walking the fierce line
falling into your safe arms
leaving all the world
on the other noisy side
a bit of courage
needed to look firmly down

Free Association - 2nd May 2007

Our lesson of today was filled with the most amazing brainstorming, free association, fun mixture ever made! From Haiku poetry to paired poems, all was game, and here is the first of our poems. By Sandra Amaral. and Luis Monteiro.

"When curiosity arrives/
I do my research on wives./
I run to the laboratory of the church/
Where I get into my scientist outfit/
Look at the insane look it gives me/
At the hospital I shall be/
Or so it seems with this bleached suit/
But I want to go to the beach and eat some fruit./
And walk on the sand warmed by the sun/
With my feet on dry land all I see is my burned bun."

We also managed to create an Haiku poem.
In order to respect the ancient syllable order 5-7-5 we rearranged it:

"At our last parting/
Leaves yellowed with our grief/
Winter drew closer."

"Death by Scrabble"

This short story has a very interesting premise, and, although a bit strange, I think it is well written and it builds tension along the way.
So, as I don't want to spoil the story to the readers, I just recommend it to anyone who enjoys a weird but at the same time funny story.

Here is the link to "Death by Scrabble"

http://eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/DeatScra.shtml

"Life goes on Wainaina. Remember!"

I took my time, but finally decided on my short-story. "The tale of Princess Laughing Dove". A story that shares African-fable backgrounds, a tale of love, life and goodness. A beautiful and inspiring account, which I hope you will also enjoy.


http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/PrinLaug.shtml


"The Tale of Princess Laughing Dove" by Tish Farrel

Some Magic Realism...

Dear Friends,

Here is my suggestion for a short story: "Eva Is Inside Her Cat": http://www.classicshorts.com/stories/eva.html.
Some of you probably have heard something about Magic Realism and Latin American writers related with this style of literature. I adore! García Marquez has an amazing gift of telling us these magic, unbelievable stories and making us believe in them at the same time. He is for me a kind of a word genius. The one and only! Enjoy and start exploring all the rest. His work is really worth of it!

Cora

After some statistics about high rate of unwanted pregnancy what about a story of sex with strangers and no condom?
Is it just that? Or is it something else, something more? in a time overshadowed by the fearfull possibility of contracting aids, whith no away of straddling our emotions and run towards the horizon this story may feet quite well and make us think. Or maybe not.

http://www.short-stories.co.uk/

On the razzle! (on Netherlands)

Amsterdam.
city of art, culture, Rambrant, bicycles, Van Gogh, rivers like roads but with no traffic, that particular exquisite light of the golden period (still visible!), Anne Frank, red light district, tall girls, green parks, wild young people.
At least, recomendable!

Easter Holidays - a time for reflection

During my easter holidays I went to see an amazing movie called "The Namesake". Directed by Mira Nair this movie talks about two generations, the clashes of two different cultures and the lives that intertwine and revolve around the modern vicissitudes of change, conflict and disaster.
A perfect adaptation of London-born novelist, Jhumpa Lahiri's best-selling novel. "The Namesake" is a film that will win the heart of every viewer.

Official site:
http://www.foxsearchlight.com/thenamesake/

"homeofrenic"

Difficult to define by words or ideas, difficult to define by realistic paintings or sketches, home is this mass of lines, remenbrances, flavours, colours and feelings... maybe a window, maybe a labyrinth, maybe nowhere, maybe nothing, maybe everything

ps- I asked some people to give me a good definition of home, and they told me about this guy who knows it like no one else. I promise you that after my meeting whith him I'll publish a new post with my last achievements on the subject. I'll be waiting till then. By the way, his name is Godot. Have you seen him?

Good to see you!

Confirming your group is Luis Monteiro, Buzena, Bernardo, Sandra Amaral, Tom ( who are you?), and is there anyone else? Let me know.

Keep in touch with the class blog re short stories and post your contributions re HOME in this blog. Do read each other-s words and reply.

See you Wednesday 11th.

Allyson

Tobermory

Looks like I am the first one to recommend a short story in my group.

The one I chose can be found at www.eastoftheweb.com/cgi-bin/version_printable.pl?story_id=Tob.shtml

Literally talking about "Tobermory", it is a funny relaxed story about what could happen if cats were able to talk.

Home?

What does the word “home” mean? This is a question for which everyone believes they know the answer, but when asked, they stop and think. Is it the object, the building? Is it a matter of feelings? Is there any need to be luxurious to be a good home? Can it be just cosy? Or is there any need to exist physically?

In fact, it depends on the person.

Some say it is where they find protection. Others confess that home is where their memories, secrets and needed things are. There is also a group of people who reveal that home is where they can show their feelings without fear. And the group of those who believe that home is their family, no matter what.

In my opinion, “home” is not the object. In fact, for me, it is the place where you feel like you belong. I mean, you can be at the place where you live and feel like you do not belong there. So you won’t feel comfortable there. And I believe it is not fair to call home to a place where you cannot find your inner peace. I will easily feel at home on natural spots, I mean in the woods, near the sea or on a mountain, than with people. And if I had to pick three objects to have with me, I would dare to answer my MP3, my guitar and some batteries (so that the MP3 worked).

And what about you... what do you think on that matter?

Home - Our gigantic and crowded home.

Our 'not-so-spacious' home.
There is no other place like this yet, we tend to forget this quite often.