I Believe
I believe-
That we don't have to change
friends if we understand that friends change.
I believe-
That no matter how good a friend is,
they're going to hurt you every once in a
while and, you must forgive them for that.
I believe-
That true friendship continues
to grow, even over the longest distance.
Same goes for true love.
I believe-
That you can do something in an instant
that will give you heartache for life.
I believe-
That it's taking me a long time
to become the person I want to be.
I believe-
That you should always leave loved ones with
loving words. It may be the last time you see them
I believe-
That you can keep going long after you can't.
I believe-
That we are responsible for
what we do, no matter how we feel.
I believe-
That either you control your attitude
or it controls you.
I believe-
That regardless of how hot and steamy a
relationship is at first, the passion fades and there
had better be something else to take its place.
I believe-
That heroes are the people who do what
has to be done when it needs to be done,
regardless of the consequences.
I believe-
That money is a lousy way of keeping score.
I believe-
That my best friend and I can do anything
or nothing and have the best time!
I believe-
That sometimes the people you expect to kick you when
you're down, will be the ones to help you get back up
I believe-
That sometimes when I'm angry I have the right to
be angry, but that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.
I believe-
That just because someone doesn't love you the way you want
them to doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have.
I believe-
That maturity has more to do with what types of experiences
you've had and what you've learned from them and less to
do with how many birthdays you've celebrated.
I believe-
That it isn't always enough to be forgiven by others.
Sometimes you have to learn to forgive yourself.
I believe-
That no matter how bad your heart is
broken the world doesn't stop for your grief.
I believe-
That our background and circumstances may have influenced
who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.
I believe-
That just because two people argue, it
doesn't mean they don't love each other, And just
because they don't argue, it doesn't mean they do.
I believe-
That you shouldn't be so eager to find
out a secret. It could change your life forever.
I believe-
That two people can look at the exact
same thing and see something totally different.
I believe-
That your life can be changed in a matter
of hours by people who don't even know you.
I believe-
That even when you think you have no more to give, when a
friend cries out to you - you will find the strength to help.
I believe-
That credentials on the wall do not make
you a decent human being.
I believe-
That the people you care about most in
life are taken from you too soon.
I believe-
That you should send this to
all of the people that you believe in.
I believe-
I just did.
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
Friday, February 02, 2007
Blog feedback
Some creative work here, particularly photo imagery and creative writing.
Aim to work closer as a group (I know you do in the flesh, as it were, but more evident in the blogway).
Very successful interviews. When you add film clips, say a bit more about them so people know what they are about to tune in to.
All the best with building on this next semester.
Aim to work closer as a group (I know you do in the flesh, as it were, but more evident in the blogway).
Very successful interviews. When you add film clips, say a bit more about them so people know what they are about to tune in to.
All the best with building on this next semester.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Monday, January 29, 2007
Sunday, January 28, 2007
My Life
I was born in Angola, exactly in the same house as my mum. I find that particularly interesting, because my mum had left Angola at the age of 5. After 25 years she goes back married and a mother of 3 children, get’s pregnant and ends up having her 4th child at the same house she was born! Like my mum I left Angola with my parents and my brothers at the age of 5!
As a family we started life in Portugal, but when I was 19 years old, I went to England. I think I needed a new challenge in my life, just like now, enrolling in University at 37, full time job and 2 children!
In England I worked mainly in restaurants, starting just by cleaning cutlery to management jobs. During this time I did enjoy some of the best years at my life, I travelled a bit, got married and had my daughter Sophia and my son Tiago. When my children start to grow up without any family around and away from their roots, I and Paulo decided to return home for good. We now feel that our children are happier than ever before and that shows us we have made the right decision.
I now work as a secretary and enjoying life in its full, because not only I love my job but I also have the opportunity to do lots of things I wished all my life and never had the courage or support to accomplish them.
My favourite sentence is:
“This is the 1st day of the rest of my life.” and I really try to live upon this idea of regardless of anything else we just have to do what our heart tells us!
As a family we started life in Portugal, but when I was 19 years old, I went to England. I think I needed a new challenge in my life, just like now, enrolling in University at 37, full time job and 2 children!
In England I worked mainly in restaurants, starting just by cleaning cutlery to management jobs. During this time I did enjoy some of the best years at my life, I travelled a bit, got married and had my daughter Sophia and my son Tiago. When my children start to grow up without any family around and away from their roots, I and Paulo decided to return home for good. We now feel that our children are happier than ever before and that shows us we have made the right decision.
I now work as a secretary and enjoying life in its full, because not only I love my job but I also have the opportunity to do lots of things I wished all my life and never had the courage or support to accomplish them.
My favourite sentence is:
“This is the 1st day of the rest of my life.” and I really try to live upon this idea of regardless of anything else we just have to do what our heart tells us!
Tea with the Birds
You never find out what the loners of this world do at home, here you’ll get a better idea!
A story with very sharp observations of life!
The story tells us about a foreigner woman who lives by herself in a bedsit of a crowded neighbourhood, but she feels as lonely as anyone can ever feel.
She lives in her solitarily world until a newcomer rents a next door bedsit. Mr. Tamaoki, a clean and neat Japanese man. They lived the encounters of estrange neighbouring life and due to his silent living style she wonders what would that man would do for his living? She’ll find out the day Mr. Tamaoki invites her for tea at his home!
A short, wonderfully observed and skilfully written story that will have you glued to it until its last word!
I as a foreigner and having lived in England for a few years can very much relate with the woman in this story. I’ve felt the odd one out for months, because unlike her I was the only foreigner living in the street, so most of my neighbours had, not just curiosity about my life, but a story about it too! I just started fitting in that community from the moment I requested driving lessons from one of my neighbours. This driving instructor was the link between the English community and me. After a couple of years they actually confessed that despite of al things, I wasn’t much different of them!
I really enjoyed “Tea with the Birds”, as you probably already realise.
Reviewed by Ana Luisa Xavier
A story with very sharp observations of life!
The story tells us about a foreigner woman who lives by herself in a bedsit of a crowded neighbourhood, but she feels as lonely as anyone can ever feel.
She lives in her solitarily world until a newcomer rents a next door bedsit. Mr. Tamaoki, a clean and neat Japanese man. They lived the encounters of estrange neighbouring life and due to his silent living style she wonders what would that man would do for his living? She’ll find out the day Mr. Tamaoki invites her for tea at his home!
A short, wonderfully observed and skilfully written story that will have you glued to it until its last word!
I as a foreigner and having lived in England for a few years can very much relate with the woman in this story. I’ve felt the odd one out for months, because unlike her I was the only foreigner living in the street, so most of my neighbours had, not just curiosity about my life, but a story about it too! I just started fitting in that community from the moment I requested driving lessons from one of my neighbours. This driving instructor was the link between the English community and me. After a couple of years they actually confessed that despite of al things, I wasn’t much different of them!
I really enjoyed “Tea with the Birds”, as you probably already realise.
Reviewed by Ana Luisa Xavier
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Here's another photo, this one taken from my kitchen's window. (Could'nt find the way of posting it with the original, better resolution)First Written Assignment
The path to enlightenment or a twisted faith.
by Rui Freitas
It was a bright sunny day, not a single cloud in the sky, not even the slightest breeze in the air, it was one of those summer days were the only place your body allows you to be is in the beach, or somewhere near the water.
Well that’s what Jackie and her girlfriends were thinking of doing that afternoon, yes, they weren’t that kind of girls who get up at dawn to seize the day, in fact they couldn’t care less what time they woke up, specially when the past night had been quiet tough, they certainly wouldn’t be out of bed before 2 p.m.
So as I was saying, the sun was shining, it was desert hot, they were awake, it was time to go to the beach and heal the hangover under the blazing sun.
On their way to beach they stopped to buy a couple of bottles of water.
Behind the shop’s balcony there was a greasy old man, brown teeth, rotten breath, lascivious looks in his eyes.
They got out as fast as they could, living the man to his dirty thoughts.
Finally they got to the beach. It was so crowded that not a single grain of sand had been left unoccupied, still, it was an evenly sight compared to their close encounter with that greasy bastard.
In the precise moment Jackie was stepping into the last square cm available on the beach, her phone rang.
- Hi mom…Kay mom…bye mom… -
What her mom said and what made her go back home, remains unknown, what is known though, is what happened along the way…
It all happened so fast that she thought it was a hallucination, one of those you get from having the sun hitting your head for too long, like a mirage.
As she was walking down the street, a car appeared out of the blue, something was wrong, the car was out of control and before she could have noticed, the car crashed, twisting and turning, ending up in an unrecognizable mass of metal, oil and blood.
Has she approached the car she was literally swept of her feet, it was an image that would be carved in every bit of her for the rest of her life.
Looking down to the mutilated body of what she reckoned to be a young woman, probably not much older than her, she didn’t scream nor cried, she kept her eyes wide open, almost as if absorbing every sordid detail of that grotesque scene, and right before she fainted, overwhelmed with a feeling unknown to her until now, she mumbled three words to herself, “Now I understand”…
ASSESSMENT TASK 1 TELLING LIVES
Stage 1. RESEARCH
1. The digital story I chose is: “Colours” by Eve Green in the Challenge section.
Why did you choose this particular story?
I chose this particular story because I’ve always been interested in the conflicts, doubts and assumptions that grow up inside people’s minds, in this case an “innocent child” with absolutely no idea about what it means to have mixed racial backgrounds, having one of the parents of a different colour. And just out of curiosity, back in April when I had to write a small story for my application to the school of cinema, I focused on a character’s intern conflict very much like this, one finding his own identity, when his parents don’t share the same skin colour.
What did you find interesting?
What I found most interesting was the fact that Eve’s son; whom represents children line of thought in general; instantly connects colour to religion, brown people, his mum Eve, are Muslims and white people, himself and his father, are Christians. I think it illustrates beautifully how young, innocent children think, however it leaves us thinking that maybe they think like that because of the racist, xenophobic mentality of the society we live in today.
What did you find out about the life/community of this person?
I found that she comes from Yorkshire, has an East London accent and at the time being is living in
What did you find out of cultural interest?
Of cultural interest, I believe that everything I said before is valid, the way of children thinking, their instant connecting between colour and religion, their assumptions and doubts that reveal “our” narrow minded society, on a global scale of course. All that little nuances that said by little children reflect just the way everyone thinks in this world of ours, were colour and religion are the most used arguments for starting wars. The difference is that the kids don’t know what they’re saying.
Are there any similarities between you and this person?
The similarities I found between me and Eve are for the most part in the fact that we are both keen on creative writing. Well, she’s passionate about it, I’m just starting to devote myself to it.
What do you know about
I found that the
I also found that the Roman influence is hugely marked in
Wales are also known for being the “
This small country squeezed into the west shore of the Isle of Great Britain is well known for it’s world class writers, Dylan Thomas and Roald Dahl ( Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) as well as their Myths and Legends; their said to be excellent storytellers; in which we find the tales of King Arthur and Merlin the Magician, of kingdoms lost beneath the sea and battles between dragons, of haunted castles and knightly deeds; whose origin doesn’t come only from the fertile Celtic imagination, but also by the inspiration given by Wales beautiful landscapes and seascapes.
About the Welsh language, what can I say? It’s the most distinguishing feature of the country, seen and heard every where, this language, (which has ancient roots and is related to the Breton tongue of northern France as well as the Irish and Scottish Gaelic) one of the oldest in
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, usually shortened to the
The constituent countries of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland are England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Great Britain (abbreviation: GB) is the largest of the British Isles and the political union of three nations, these being:
The word "Great" simply means "larger" (no connection with "greatness" in other senses is intended).
Albion is the most ancient name of
Britain is a shortened form of Great Britain
The
The British Isles is the traditional term used to mean the island of Great Britain plus the island of Ireland and many smaller surrounding islands, including the Isle of Man and, in some contexts, the Channel Islands (Jersey and Guernsey, which in turn includes the smaller islands of Alderney, Herm and Sark). However, the Channel Islands are often not included in this designation, as they are located approximately
Due to the changes in the common usage of the word "British" (to mean "of the
Stage 2 WRITING
I would risk to say that our lives are made of passions, passions that move us, passions that compel us to lose our minds, blinding passions, passions that become the reason of our existence.
I’m no different, and from all the passions I have, for the most diverse things, be it a girl, a great book, something given by our grandfather, etc., I’d say that Cinema is one of the most significant, or at least it is at this precise moment the one that has the biggest impact on me.
I’ve always loved movies since I was a little boy, of course I didn’t know that it would play such an important role back then, it was a latent passion, still asleep.
But it grew on me and soon I would no longer be the boy that was just fascinated by that world of make-believe, where our most amazing and wildest dreams can come to life, no, I would now be that same boy with the will to bring to life those same dreams himself.
Because that’s what Cinema is to me, the ability to illustrate dreams, to take you on a journey on that couple of hours where in that dark room it’s just you and the movie, just you and those images that come pouring into your eyes, you sort of become one with it, everything else shuts down, disappears, when the lights are out and the opening credits begin. And it already happened, before you could know it, there you are, immersed in that visual poetry.
That’s what Cinema is to me, a journey, the gift to touch someone’s life at some point, an inspiration.
That’s what I want to do, to touch someone, make them cry, laugh, think, wonder, travel, etc. I want to fascinate and amaze the little boy I once was. I want to make someone passionate.
Because what is life if not one passion after another?
What are we if not passionate beings?...
INCONCEIVABLE – Ben Elton
A Skilfully Constructed and Eloquently Delivered Book!
An intelligent and minutely plotted book! It deals with an infertile couple and the ups and downs of married life. It shows the opposite thinking of men and women. It shows that men can be insensitive and very basic and that women often see the negative side too much... Added to this is a superb humour, which will have you laughing for hours after you read the book, just like only Elton can do it!The book deals with the couple that stars in the novel. Sam and Lucy are desperate to have a baby, and their hilarious, yet fruitless attempts to conceive are often graphically described by Elton. Sam is a BBC executive, yet his career turns for the worst when he is moved to radio broadcasting. He dreams of becoming a writer, but when is chance arrives, he has to deceive and disobey his wife, in order to achieve his dream.Lucy works in an office dealing with celebrities, including actor Carl Phipps, who Lucy almost has an affair with but stops at the last moment. She sees Sam as quite insensitive towards her feelings and not very understanding. However, deep down Sam does care, but like most men, can't show it very well.The plot twists and turns, dealing with the often sad and distressing subject of infertility and its various ways of treatment. It deals with marriage and it's problems. It is one of the very few fiction books that deal with a taboo subject as infertility. Do you want to know more?? Just read the book!
Given to me by an infertile couple, “Inconceivable” is the funniest book I’ve ever read. Inconceivable is definitely the next book you should be reading.
Reviewed by Ana Xavier
English at 10 class
End Credits
Writer: Ben Elton
Genre: Comedy
Publisher: Black Swan Books
Publishing year: 1999
Country: UK
Other reviews’ headlines
“Extremely funny, clever, well-written, sharp and unexpectedly moving…this is brilliant, chaotic satire merits rereading several times.”
Mail on Sunday
“This is Elton at his best-mature, humane, and still a laugh a minute. At least!”
Daily Telegraph
“A very funny book about a sensitive subject… Ben Elton the writer night be even funnier than Ben Elton the comic.”
Daily Mail
“A tender beautifully balanced romantic comedy.”
Spectator
“Moving and thoroughly entertaining.”
Daily Express
Reflections
1. How did the reviews help you with writing your own review?
All the reviews I’ve read helped me develop new vocabulary, especially in this type of text. There were quite a lot of new words unknown to me.
2. What did you learn about the subject you were researching?
I’ve learnt that like me there are many people that loved the book and wanted to mention it. Also the film based in the book wasn’t properly directed and didn’t make justice to such good book. Some people that seen the film before reading the book, weren’t interested at all to actually start reading the book! Those people were obviously well impressed with the book.
3. How did this help you with your writing?
I can actually say, without the reviews I’ve read and the ones the teacher gave us, this assignment would me the most difficult one! The wording is very specific and one that I don’t use in “every day” speech/writing. I now can guaranty that my vocabulary enriched a good few words…. (I know you are expecting that my vocabulary enriched more than a good few words!). I’m trying my best!
An intelligent and minutely plotted book! It deals with an infertile couple and the ups and downs of married life. It shows the opposite thinking of men and women. It shows that men can be insensitive and very basic and that women often see the negative side too much... Added to this is a superb humour, which will have you laughing for hours after you read the book, just like only Elton can do it!The book deals with the couple that stars in the novel. Sam and Lucy are desperate to have a baby, and their hilarious, yet fruitless attempts to conceive are often graphically described by Elton. Sam is a BBC executive, yet his career turns for the worst when he is moved to radio broadcasting. He dreams of becoming a writer, but when is chance arrives, he has to deceive and disobey his wife, in order to achieve his dream.Lucy works in an office dealing with celebrities, including actor Carl Phipps, who Lucy almost has an affair with but stops at the last moment. She sees Sam as quite insensitive towards her feelings and not very understanding. However, deep down Sam does care, but like most men, can't show it very well.The plot twists and turns, dealing with the often sad and distressing subject of infertility and its various ways of treatment. It deals with marriage and it's problems. It is one of the very few fiction books that deal with a taboo subject as infertility. Do you want to know more?? Just read the book!
Given to me by an infertile couple, “Inconceivable” is the funniest book I’ve ever read. Inconceivable is definitely the next book you should be reading.
Reviewed by Ana Xavier
English at 10 class
End Credits
Writer: Ben Elton
Genre: Comedy
Publisher: Black Swan Books
Publishing year: 1999
Country: UK
Other reviews’ headlines
“Extremely funny, clever, well-written, sharp and unexpectedly moving…this is brilliant, chaotic satire merits rereading several times.”
Mail on Sunday
“This is Elton at his best-mature, humane, and still a laugh a minute. At least!”
Daily Telegraph
“A very funny book about a sensitive subject… Ben Elton the writer night be even funnier than Ben Elton the comic.”
Daily Mail
“A tender beautifully balanced romantic comedy.”
Spectator
“Moving and thoroughly entertaining.”
Daily Express
Reflections
1. How did the reviews help you with writing your own review?
All the reviews I’ve read helped me develop new vocabulary, especially in this type of text. There were quite a lot of new words unknown to me.
2. What did you learn about the subject you were researching?
I’ve learnt that like me there are many people that loved the book and wanted to mention it. Also the film based in the book wasn’t properly directed and didn’t make justice to such good book. Some people that seen the film before reading the book, weren’t interested at all to actually start reading the book! Those people were obviously well impressed with the book.
3. How did this help you with your writing?
I can actually say, without the reviews I’ve read and the ones the teacher gave us, this assignment would me the most difficult one! The wording is very specific and one that I don’t use in “every day” speech/writing. I now can guaranty that my vocabulary enriched a good few words…. (I know you are expecting that my vocabulary enriched more than a good few words!). I’m trying my best!
Carlos Paredes
Carlos Paredes was born February the 16th of 1925, in
Carlos Paredes was one of the main guitarist and composer to show the world the beauty of Portuguese guitar.
Was the typical
He started his guitar studies at the age of four with his father, also a famous guitarist, but his main cultural influences were his teachers of piano and violin.
In 1934 he moved to
In 1962 was invited by the producer Paulo Rocha to compose the music from the film “Os verdes anos”.
In 1967 he recorded his first album “Guitarra Portuguesa”, and played with many artists, including Charlie Haden, Carlos do Carmo and Adriano Correia de Oliveira.
When the regime’s prisoners were freed and seen as heroes by the Portuguese people, Carlos Paredes refused that status and when referred to his time in imprisonment always said: “There were many people that suffered much more than I did”. At this time he returned to his job in public services filing x–rays in one of Lisbon’s main hospitals), performing at the same time in cultural and political demonstrations, but always taking a very low profile. Various works of Carlos Paredes are recorded and we can find them in a collection of 8 CDs published in 2003.
His passion for his guitar was such that he confessed to a friend that one day during a trip his guitar got lost and he thought of committing suicide!
In the last eleven years of life didn’t play due to a nervous system disease. He died on June 23rd 2004, in a rest home and a national mourning day was declared.
Some of his works include:
- 1957 – “Carlos Paredes”
- 1962 – “Verdes Anos”
- 1967 – “Guitarra Portuguesa”
- 1971 – “Movimento perétuo”
- 1980 – “O oiro e o trigo”
- 1983 – “Concerto em Frankfurt” (recorded live in
- 1988 – “Espelhos de sons”
- 1992 – “Asas sobre o mundo”
- 1996 – “Na corrente”
- 2000 – “Canção para Titi”
- 2003 – “O mundo Segundo Carlos Paredes” (complete career)
Ana Luisa Esteves Pereira Xavier - 20444
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
CARAPACE
Two years after speaking with Vijay for the last time, I was married with Anura Perera. After his visit he invited me to go along with him, I regret accepting that invitation every single day of my life. At the beginning he turned out to be quite less interesting than I imagine, still, I was having the life I never had before.
I never really understood Anura’s business here in Australia I just noticed he worked mostly at night, and slept during the day.
One day he took me out for lunch, he went to “Shells and Spines”, the famous seafood restaurant downtown. The waiter came to our table and asked if we had already chosen, I wasn’t really interested in the food- I just like to go out so I can see new people, and most important of all, so new people can see me- so I asked Anura to order for me, it was then I heard a word long forgotten but suddenly familiar again. “We will have Loku Isso, what do you think darling?” “I don’t know Anura, I guess it sounds fine… yes, yes let me just go to the ladies room and ill be right back ok honey?” I spent the next half hour crying like a baby sitting on toilet!
We moved out to a larger house during summer, it had a wonderful garden and was worthy of being called “Palace”. Again I was happy and home didn’t seem so good.
Two months after Christmas, on a dark cold night I heard Anura screaming at the gates, it was awful, and you could feel the pain spreading across the air along with the long, loud and sharp sound of Anura’s scream. I wouldn’t dare going out to check on Anura, so I called the police and waited on my steel-marbled kitchen holding a knife. When the police finally came I stepped outside and I found Anura’s cold body lying on the ground with blood all around. “We think some thugs might have tried to rob your husband and he fought back, so he was stabbed to death. I am sorry madam.” Said a detective to me, but stabbed thirteen times? What kind of a beast would do that?
A few days later our lawyer Mick Phelps came to my house so we could discuss how my fortune would be spent. “I am sorry madam but all I have from Anura are debts.” I responded “debts? How much? What kind of
debts?” I answered, to which he replied
“The kind no one wants to have, the kind that cost your husband’s life! He owed the local gambling mob around five hundred thousand dollars!”- I was astonished I fell on me just like a bomb- “What? What about his business?” I asked.” It has been a long time since Anura gave away his business, he was living on bets and thefts.” Mick Answered.
I fled in panic and I left Australia never to come again. I went home but I didn’t find anyone so I called my friend Lakshmi to know what happened wile I was away- “Don’t you know? I am so sorry but there was a terrible tsunami a few years ago and you entire family disappeared” told Lakshmi voice on the phone- “I am sorry” it seemed all I heard was “I am sorry”!- “what about Vijay” I asked. “He went after you to Australia, didn’t he meet you there?” replied Lakshmi. I hung up the phone, I just couldn’t listen to anything else.
My life was over, so I might as well leave this world.
I took a ride to the beach where the hut on which Vijay used to work used to stand, and I just sat on the golden sand waiting for some angel to come and say to me- “I am sorry but you have to come with me!”
A voice came from behind me and it said “I am sorry…” – “you have got to be kidding” I interrupted. – “… may I sit by your side?”
I turned back and there it was, that simple smile so powerful it was able to make the entire world go away making you feel all it maters is that very special moment in which you are caught, and which you don’t want to end.
I was speechless and finally, after sitting and holding me like no one else but he ever had, Vijay said “You didn’t answer my question. Do you want to go to the pictures tonight?”
Two years after speaking with Vijay for the last time, I was married with Anura Perera. After his visit he invited me to go along with him, I regret accepting that invitation every single day of my life. At the beginning he turned out to be quite less interesting than I imagine, still, I was having the life I never had before.
I never really understood Anura’s business here in Australia I just noticed he worked mostly at night, and slept during the day.
One day he took me out for lunch, he went to “Shells and Spines”, the famous seafood restaurant downtown. The waiter came to our table and asked if we had already chosen, I wasn’t really interested in the food- I just like to go out so I can see new people, and most important of all, so new people can see me- so I asked Anura to order for me, it was then I heard a word long forgotten but suddenly familiar again. “We will have Loku Isso, what do you think darling?” “I don’t know Anura, I guess it sounds fine… yes, yes let me just go to the ladies room and ill be right back ok honey?” I spent the next half hour crying like a baby sitting on toilet!
We moved out to a larger house during summer, it had a wonderful garden and was worthy of being called “Palace”. Again I was happy and home didn’t seem so good.
Two months after Christmas, on a dark cold night I heard Anura screaming at the gates, it was awful, and you could feel the pain spreading across the air along with the long, loud and sharp sound of Anura’s scream. I wouldn’t dare going out to check on Anura, so I called the police and waited on my steel-marbled kitchen holding a knife. When the police finally came I stepped outside and I found Anura’s cold body lying on the ground with blood all around. “We think some thugs might have tried to rob your husband and he fought back, so he was stabbed to death. I am sorry madam.” Said a detective to me, but stabbed thirteen times? What kind of a beast would do that?
A few days later our lawyer Mick Phelps came to my house so we could discuss how my fortune would be spent. “I am sorry madam but all I have from Anura are debts.” I responded “debts? How much? What kind of
debts?” I answered, to which he replied
“The kind no one wants to have, the kind that cost your husband’s life! He owed the local gambling mob around five hundred thousand dollars!”- I was astonished I fell on me just like a bomb- “What? What about his business?” I asked.” It has been a long time since Anura gave away his business, he was living on bets and thefts.” Mick Answered.
I fled in panic and I left Australia never to come again. I went home but I didn’t find anyone so I called my friend Lakshmi to know what happened wile I was away- “Don’t you know? I am so sorry but there was a terrible tsunami a few years ago and you entire family disappeared” told Lakshmi voice on the phone- “I am sorry” it seemed all I heard was “I am sorry”!- “what about Vijay” I asked. “He went after you to Australia, didn’t he meet you there?” replied Lakshmi. I hung up the phone, I just couldn’t listen to anything else.
My life was over, so I might as well leave this world.
I took a ride to the beach where the hut on which Vijay used to work used to stand, and I just sat on the golden sand waiting for some angel to come and say to me- “I am sorry but you have to come with me!”
A voice came from behind me and it said “I am sorry…” – “you have got to be kidding” I interrupted. – “… may I sit by your side?”
I turned back and there it was, that simple smile so powerful it was able to make the entire world go away making you feel all it maters is that very special moment in which you are caught, and which you don’t want to end.
I was speechless and finally, after sitting and holding me like no one else but he ever had, Vijay said “You didn’t answer my question. Do you want to go to the pictures tonight?”
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Assessment Task 2
Reflections
I based my review on all the ones I researched. My research was only based on the internet, I used the addresses provided in class as well as in google and wikipedia.
I didn’t find any negative review on “Big Fish”, the closest I found where some comments of site visitors whose opinion wasn’t the best. I would have liked to find a professional bad review on the film so I could compare it to all the other ones and then draw my own conclusions from it, since that didn’t happened, my own review has only positive influences (including myself).
During my research I found details that I wasn’t aware of, some of them I chose to left out of my review, although they are indeed important. I chose not to mention the producer John August because I considered Tim Burton influence far more significant than the producer himself. I tried to imagine myself reading a review on “Big Fish”, and I would sure like to see a film by Tim Burton, but I think I would pass on the John august production. I also based my opinion on the reviews I saw, the name John August rarely appears; the film was nominated for several awards, including 4 golden globes and 1 Oscar. I left this fact out of my review because one usually writes a review before the nominations; the soundtrack is very good, it granted the film a nomination for an Oscar. I decided not to talk about the musical work of Danny Elfman and Eddie Veder because I consider the contend of the plot to have a bigger impact than the soundtrack. I also based my decision on the fact that the majority of the reviews didn’t mention it; I was surprised by discovering the original novel in which the film was based on, I will surely read it soon. I decided to leave out this information because I was reviewing the movie, and since I don’t know the original novel “Big Fish- a tale of epic proportions” by Daniel Wallace, I considered that mentioning any relation between both would be misleading; I found numerous reviews that related “Big Fish” to another film that I really admire – “Forrest Gump”. After thinking for a while I am forced to agree with the proximity between these movies. I also didn’t mention this fact because I considered to be reviewing “Big Fish”, and not “Forrest Gump”.
During assessment task 2 I was able to develop my writing skills. The reason I say this is that I read numerous different writing styles and I had to transfer them all into my own, so I guess I had to create my own style, and to do so I was required to acquire a more profound knowledge in the English language. I have to say that one thing I developed for sure was my ability to use adjectives, it may not show in my review, but in order to use those on the text I had to search for the one which suited the most.All and all I consider that the 3 stages of my work were positive to my knowledge in English.
Reflections
I based my review on all the ones I researched. My research was only based on the internet, I used the addresses provided in class as well as in google and wikipedia.
I didn’t find any negative review on “Big Fish”, the closest I found where some comments of site visitors whose opinion wasn’t the best. I would have liked to find a professional bad review on the film so I could compare it to all the other ones and then draw my own conclusions from it, since that didn’t happened, my own review has only positive influences (including myself).
During my research I found details that I wasn’t aware of, some of them I chose to left out of my review, although they are indeed important. I chose not to mention the producer John August because I considered Tim Burton influence far more significant than the producer himself. I tried to imagine myself reading a review on “Big Fish”, and I would sure like to see a film by Tim Burton, but I think I would pass on the John august production. I also based my opinion on the reviews I saw, the name John August rarely appears; the film was nominated for several awards, including 4 golden globes and 1 Oscar. I left this fact out of my review because one usually writes a review before the nominations; the soundtrack is very good, it granted the film a nomination for an Oscar. I decided not to talk about the musical work of Danny Elfman and Eddie Veder because I consider the contend of the plot to have a bigger impact than the soundtrack. I also based my decision on the fact that the majority of the reviews didn’t mention it; I was surprised by discovering the original novel in which the film was based on, I will surely read it soon. I decided to leave out this information because I was reviewing the movie, and since I don’t know the original novel “Big Fish- a tale of epic proportions” by Daniel Wallace, I considered that mentioning any relation between both would be misleading; I found numerous reviews that related “Big Fish” to another film that I really admire – “Forrest Gump”. After thinking for a while I am forced to agree with the proximity between these movies. I also didn’t mention this fact because I considered to be reviewing “Big Fish”, and not “Forrest Gump”.
During assessment task 2 I was able to develop my writing skills. The reason I say this is that I read numerous different writing styles and I had to transfer them all into my own, so I guess I had to create my own style, and to do so I was required to acquire a more profound knowledge in the English language. I have to say that one thing I developed for sure was my ability to use adjectives, it may not show in my review, but in order to use those on the text I had to search for the one which suited the most.All and all I consider that the 3 stages of my work were positive to my knowledge in English.
André Fachada
Assessment Task 2
Review“Big Fish”
The movie tells the tale, in flashback, of a man’s life of discovery on the road in the south of the United States, exploring the relationship between father and son. Edward Bloom (Albert Finney/ Ewan McGregor) is a great story teller who is very sick and about to die. His son (Billy Crudup) visits him and doesn’t have a clue that his sceptic view of his father’s adventures is about to completely change in a touching ending capable to shake even the bravest souls. Throughout the wonderful life of Edward Bloom we can find it all, from giants and witches to bank robbers and naturally… a big fish. The director Tim Burton has in “Big Fish” his greatest work ever; he has created the ultimate fairy tale.
Not only Ewan McGregor has a impeccable performance, but also the supporting cast is fantastic, with Helena Bonham Carter, Danny Devitto and Steve Buscemi (among others) playing their roles in a such seducing way that makes you wish the movie never ends.
The plot is very intelligent; one can never distinguish reality from fantasy, in what is and always was Tim Burton’s unique style (even though in this film Burton’s usual dark side is replaced by a genius positive way of looking at life.).
The characters are found in any fairy-tale, nevertheless Burton managed to create originality in what we know since childhood and made his characters unique.
“Big Fish” is an adventure as big as life itself, it is a masterpiece and everyone in any age should see it.
I have no negative comments and I only regret not to be able to always face life as Edward Bloom.
André Fachada
Review“Big Fish”
The movie tells the tale, in flashback, of a man’s life of discovery on the road in the south of the United States, exploring the relationship between father and son. Edward Bloom (Albert Finney/ Ewan McGregor) is a great story teller who is very sick and about to die. His son (Billy Crudup) visits him and doesn’t have a clue that his sceptic view of his father’s adventures is about to completely change in a touching ending capable to shake even the bravest souls. Throughout the wonderful life of Edward Bloom we can find it all, from giants and witches to bank robbers and naturally… a big fish. The director Tim Burton has in “Big Fish” his greatest work ever; he has created the ultimate fairy tale.
Not only Ewan McGregor has a impeccable performance, but also the supporting cast is fantastic, with Helena Bonham Carter, Danny Devitto and Steve Buscemi (among others) playing their roles in a such seducing way that makes you wish the movie never ends.
The plot is very intelligent; one can never distinguish reality from fantasy, in what is and always was Tim Burton’s unique style (even though in this film Burton’s usual dark side is replaced by a genius positive way of looking at life.).
The characters are found in any fairy-tale, nevertheless Burton managed to create originality in what we know since childhood and made his characters unique.
“Big Fish” is an adventure as big as life itself, it is a masterpiece and everyone in any age should see it.
I have no negative comments and I only regret not to be able to always face life as Edward Bloom.
André Fachada
Collaborative Research Task
Vinho da Península de Setúbal
Within the Setúbal peninsula we can find three different kinds of denominations that ensure the quality of the wines produced in the region, the D.O.C. (Controlled Denomination of Origin) Palmela, the D.O.C. Setúbal and the regional Terras do Sado.
These wines have always been appreciated, first by the Romans, later on by the English and nowadays the rest of the European and American continents are also surrendering to such magnificent qualities making the production and exports to grow in the last decades.
The climate in which the production takes place is typically mediterranian originating red, white, rosé, generous, licorous and sparkling wines of supreme quality with a unique “bouquet” (nose, taste and colour).
The main varietals used are the “Castelão”, “Aragonês” and “Periquita” for the reds and the “Fernão Pires” and “Arinto” for the whites.
Located south to the Tagus River, the Setúbal peninsula produces some excellent prize winner wines, among the reds we can find the “Periquita”, “Special Reserve Domingos Soares Franco”, “Terras do Pó” and “José de Sousa Mayor”, in the white wines the “JP”, “BSE” and “Albis” and finally dominating the rosés and sparkling wines we have “Lancer’s”.
The skill and craft of this region wine producers is unquestionable as well as the superb quality of the wines. Each glass of wine is a wonderful journey that takes you through centuries of experience in wine production, and the variety of unique wines is an invitation to this region.
Vinho da Península de Setúbal
Within the Setúbal peninsula we can find three different kinds of denominations that ensure the quality of the wines produced in the region, the D.O.C. (Controlled Denomination of Origin) Palmela, the D.O.C. Setúbal and the regional Terras do Sado.
These wines have always been appreciated, first by the Romans, later on by the English and nowadays the rest of the European and American continents are also surrendering to such magnificent qualities making the production and exports to grow in the last decades.
The climate in which the production takes place is typically mediterranian originating red, white, rosé, generous, licorous and sparkling wines of supreme quality with a unique “bouquet” (nose, taste and colour).
The main varietals used are the “Castelão”, “Aragonês” and “Periquita” for the reds and the “Fernão Pires” and “Arinto” for the whites.
Located south to the Tagus River, the Setúbal peninsula produces some excellent prize winner wines, among the reds we can find the “Periquita”, “Special Reserve Domingos Soares Franco”, “Terras do Pó” and “José de Sousa Mayor”, in the white wines the “JP”, “BSE” and “Albis” and finally dominating the rosés and sparkling wines we have “Lancer’s”.
The skill and craft of this region wine producers is unquestionable as well as the superb quality of the wines. Each glass of wine is a wonderful journey that takes you through centuries of experience in wine production, and the variety of unique wines is an invitation to this region.
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
The Last Samurai
Movie review:
by Carlos Moreira
The Last Samurai: Bushidou
By: EDWARD ZWICK
“The director of "Legends of the fall" and "Glory”
*Here you got the trailer
Websites Explored
I made some research in some websites and there are some of them:
Internet Movie Data Base = http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0325710/
Rotten Tomatoes = http://www.rottentomatoes.com/
Joblo’s Movie Emporium = http://www.joblo.com/
Wikipedia = http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Ken_Watanabe
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiroyuki_Sanada
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nakamura_Shichinosuke_II
Google = http://www.google.pt/search?hl=pt-PT&q=last+samurai&meta
Stage 3. Reflections1.
How did the reviews help you with writing your own review?
They help me a lot because I was able to see different types of reviews, some of them as more a critic side, other are more like my own review they prefer start to explain the story and show an appellative side. This helped me a lot because I didn’t know who to put the plot, the actors and the other characteristics in a text and so I went research and I discovered that in many movies the reviewers prefer to resume the story and after give an opinion of it.
But this method has a catch if it’s a new movie it’s not appropriated because it will spoil the surprise to the viewer but if its movie that already went to sail and already as been shown in TV, I think it’s the best method to make a review.
2. What did you learn about the subject you were researching?
I found that it’s an interesting area that is given a low attention, because most of the people don’t take time reading the reviews (speaking with personal experience), and I found out many things not only about the movies, but also about the director’s and there work, and I was presented with a lot of new actors not to much known that will be in the future the next Brad Pitt or Samuel L Jackson.
3. How did this help you with your writing?
I taught me to express my opinion about something and also, it help me showing me a new type of resume that we have to transcribe a short resume not from a already written story but from images that appear in the movie, in that way we can do a resume according with what we reacted, like or dislike from the story.
The Cast:
Tom Cruise As Nathan Algren
Ken Watanabe
As General Katsumoto
(Winner of prize
Best supporting actor)
Shichinosuke Nakamura
As the Meji Emperor
Hiroyuki Sanada
As Ujio, Leader
Of Katsumoto Army and
The Sword master.
Koyuky
As Taka
The mysterious widow
Shin Koyomada
As Nobutada the son of Katsumoto
And friend of Algren
Sosuke Ilkematsu. As Higen, Taka older son and nephew of katsumoto.
by Carlos Moreira
The Last Samurai: Bushidou
By: EDWARD ZWICK“The director of "Legends of the fall" and "Glory”
*Here you got the trailer
Stage 1: Research
Websites Explored
I made some research in some websites and there are some of them:
Internet Movie Data Base = http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0325710/
Rotten Tomatoes = http://www.rottentomatoes.com/
Joblo’s Movie Emporium = http://www.joblo.com/
Wikipedia = http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Ken_Watanabe
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiroyuki_Sanada
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nakamura_Shichinosuke_II
Google = http://www.google.pt/search?hl=pt-PT&q=last+samurai&meta
Stage 2: Write a Review
The story begins with a guy named Captain Nathan Algren (Tom Cruse), has a good rifleman and an expert in training. In the movie Algren is called to Japan to train an army to fight a battle against a group of samurai rebels led by the samurai general Katsumoto (I can say that is brilliantly played by Ken Watanabe).So he arrived in Japan and he met the Japanese Emperor (Shichinosuke Nakamura). The emperor facing the progression of is nation asked Algren to train his army to teach them the new methods of war.
So Algren start to train them and begins his studies concerning the samurais, almost immediately that he knew what is army was capable of, he was forced to enter in a fight. In the battle, the samurais win and Algren was captured after killing one of the samurai leaders himself, is taken as a prisoner to an isolated village, where he gradually recovers from his wounds. Without knowing he is taken on a strange world that will at first find strange but that he will fall in love, eventually.He lives with the family of the samurai he killed, namely his widow Taka (played by Koyuky, her two sons (Higen and Magojiro) and Katsumoto son Nobutada (Shin Koyomada).
So with a lot of pain Algren gets better and begins to live with this strange people with their strange habits and language so he starts to learn swordplay from a skilled sword master named Ujio (Hiroyuki Sanada) and converses with the local residents of the village to be able to learn more and more from them. With the arrival of spring, Nathan begin to like his peaceful way of life but he’s taken back to Tokyo, where he learns that the army is now better organized and outfitted with cannons. So like he fell in love with the samurai’s way he declines the Japanese government's job offer.
He also witnesses the brutality of the Japanese soldiers who enforce the new laws. Forbidding samurai to carry swords and have long hair in public, on one of his friends the samurai leader Katsumoto is arrested, but Algren rescues him. During the rescue mission, a very important character (I’ll not say who) is killed. So they return, Algren and katsumoto create a force of swordsmen and warriors to fight against the emperor army and Algren receives a samurai sword of his own. He is also given, by Taka, the armor of the samurai he killed. The samurai plan, with the assistance of Algren, is to make their final stand and to try to “open all Japanese eyes”. When the Japanese army confronts the samurai's forces to put down the rebellion, the samurai start to fight better than the Japanese, and kill many of them. After a savage battle that leaves many samurai and infantrymen dead, the surviving samurai resolve to make a final charge. They charge through the infantry, but it was a suicide attack and it killed almost all samurais. Katsumoto, obeying “bushido” in order to keep his honor, commits suicide, ending his life. The Emperor's soldiers, many of whose comrades have also been killed, show their respect by bowing to the fallen samurai. So Algren, after surviving, went running to the emperor to convince to decline the American ambassadors' offer and the emperor rejected it and like that continued Katsumoto dream to have a unified Japan. Algren then supposedly returns to the samurai village where he was imprisoned earlier and to Taka that he fell in love with.
So now I can say that The Last Samurai is a great movie that as Honor as principal subject because the small resume I wrote is only the story that Edward Zwick shown to you in this movie. But the real aspect of the movie is about a man who have seen it all and that is disturbed by dreams he thought he would never get reed of, finds his own paradise in a foreigner land with strange people that live by a code that he started to criticize but that in the end he totally understood and adopted the samurai way instead of the occidental culture and his new inventions. In this movie the director show the spectator not only image but also feelings like honor, duty, compassion, courtesy and others.
Concerning the actors Tom Cruise, for me, gets here his best role-play since the beginning of his career, and we have a fantastic role of Ken Watanabe and also I liked the graciousness of Hioryuki Sanada. And for those who are interested to learn more from the Japanese culture, this is a great movie either way I strongly recommend it to everyone...
So now I can say that The Last Samurai is a great movie that as Honor as principal subject because the small resume I wrote is only the story that Edward Zwick shown to you in this movie. But the real aspect of the movie is about a man who have seen it all and that is disturbed by dreams he thought he would never get reed of, finds his own paradise in a foreigner land with strange people that live by a code that he started to criticize but that in the end he totally understood and adopted the samurai way instead of the occidental culture and his new inventions. In this movie the director show the spectator not only image but also feelings like honor, duty, compassion, courtesy and others.
Concerning the actors Tom Cruise, for me, gets here his best role-play since the beginning of his career, and we have a fantastic role of Ken Watanabe and also I liked the graciousness of Hioryuki Sanada. And for those who are interested to learn more from the Japanese culture, this is a great movie either way I strongly recommend it to everyone...
Stage 3. Reflections1.
How did the reviews help you with writing your own review?
They help me a lot because I was able to see different types of reviews, some of them as more a critic side, other are more like my own review they prefer start to explain the story and show an appellative side. This helped me a lot because I didn’t know who to put the plot, the actors and the other characteristics in a text and so I went research and I discovered that in many movies the reviewers prefer to resume the story and after give an opinion of it.
But this method has a catch if it’s a new movie it’s not appropriated because it will spoil the surprise to the viewer but if its movie that already went to sail and already as been shown in TV, I think it’s the best method to make a review.
2. What did you learn about the subject you were researching?
I found that it’s an interesting area that is given a low attention, because most of the people don’t take time reading the reviews (speaking with personal experience), and I found out many things not only about the movies, but also about the director’s and there work, and I was presented with a lot of new actors not to much known that will be in the future the next Brad Pitt or Samuel L Jackson.
3. How did this help you with your writing?
I taught me to express my opinion about something and also, it help me showing me a new type of resume that we have to transcribe a short resume not from a already written story but from images that appear in the movie, in that way we can do a resume according with what we reacted, like or dislike from the story.
The Cast:
Tom Cruise As Nathan Algren
Ken Watanabe
As General Katsumoto
(Winner of prize
Best supporting actor)
Shichinosuke Nakamura
As the Meji Emperor
Hiroyuki Sanada
As Ujio, Leader
Of Katsumoto Army and
The Sword master.
Koyuky
As Taka
The mysterious widow
Masato Harada
As Omura the emperor
Instructor.
Shin Koyomada
As Nobutada the son of Katsumoto
And friend of Algren
Sosuke Ilkematsu. As Higen, Taka older son and nephew of katsumoto.
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