The Future

Hi there Blogmasters,

When I was a young boy, I thought it would be nice to be a teacher. However, that idea only lasted 5 minutes and I soon decided I'd be a footballer, a musician or a movie director. Now, 100 hundred years later, here I am teaching in Chile. Believe me, it wasn't what I imagined I'd be doing. I’ve lived in lots of different places, done lots of different jobs and met lots of different people. So, in my experience, life very rarely turns out how we plan it. In fact, it would be very boring if it did. Just think, when I was your age there were no mobile phones, no commercial computers and the internet didn’t exist. How weird is that!

Anyway, today I’d like you to get out your crystal ball and try and imagine what you’ll be doing in 10 years time.
Say:
Where you think you’ll be,
What occupation you think you’ll be doing,
Who you’ll share your life with (family/partner/children, etc)
What things you will have achieved,
What changes the world will have seen.
Mention anything else you think is important.
Write at least 250 words. Leave a comment on your teacher’s blog and on the blogs of at least 3 classmates.

Long Weekend

Hi Bloggers,

This week I'd like you to write about the long weekend and what you did.

My Friday & Saturday were fairly normal so the highlight of my weekend was Sunday. First,  I watched Liverrpool win their first game of the new Premier League (English Football) against arch rivals Arsenal. Later, at midday I held a Bowieton in my flat that lasted for 12 hours (plus a bit more).

The Arsenal - Liverpool football match was really exciting. Liverpool went a goal behind but then scored 4 great goals that left Arsenal bewildered. Then, after a couple of substitutions Arsenal pulled a couple of goals back making it 3 - 4 so the last 10 minutes was nailbitting.


The Bowieton ran from 12 noon to 12 midnight. I'd invited about 30 people but only half turned up. Anyway, we listened to Bowie songs, watched Bowie films & videos and ate, drank & talked.

This was a get together that I'd been talking about doing for the last couple of months but I just didn't manage to organise sooner. To coincide with the event, I posted Bowie songs on Facebook from all the letters of the alphabet throughout the day (from Aladdin Sane to Ziggy Stardust).

I really had a great day. I listened to lots of wonderful music, hung out with lots of fun people and paid homage to my hero. I think I'll have to organise Bowieton 2 for Bowie's Birthday on January 8th. However, this time I'd like to find a bigger space & invite more people.

Write about what you did last weekend:
Say:
What things you did,
Who you saw.
What you enjoyed most.

Mention anything else you think is important. Write at least 200 words. Leave a post on my blog and on the blogs of at lease 3 classmates.

A Classmate's blog

Write a review of the blog of the classmate below you on the blog list on your teacher’s blog.

Say:

Who it is,

How many posts they have written,

Describe the page design & layout

How many pictures/photos/videos there are.

Choose one post:

Say:

What it is about,

How many words it has

Why you chose it.

Review the language using the Revision Code.

Publish the revision on your blog & leave a comment on your classmate’s blog telling them you have revised their blog. Leave a similar comment on your teacher’s blog.

A Family Member

Good Morning FAU Bloggers:

Today I'd like you to write about someone from your family. It could be a brother or sister, one of your parents or another relative (uncle, aunt, cousin, etc). I'm going to write about my brother Adrian. Well Adrian, or Ady (AD?) as we like to call him, currently lives in New Zealand with his wife and 2 kids - Ella and Freya. He was a happy child, always joking and trying to make people laugh. He had a good temperament and rarely got angry. He learnt carpentry when he was a teenager and now works repairing violins and chelos and making groovy furniture. Ady is 18 months younger than me and we've always had a great relationship. He is someone you can depend on and is always ready to help out if things are complicated or you have a problem. The rest of the time he loves fooling about and playing music. He is a very good guitar player and an excellent violin player. He taught himself both instruments when he was younger. He is very perseverant. When he starts something he makes sure he keeps working on it until its right. Mostly, he just makes me laugh.

Here's a mix I did of one of Ady's songs:

https://vimeo.com/39607719

Write about someone from your Family.

Say:

Who it is,

What they do,

What they are like,

What sort of relationship you have with them.

Mention anything else you think is important. Write at least 200 words. Leave a comment on my blog and on the blogs of at least 3 classmates.

Long Weekend

Dear FAU Bloogers:

This week I'd like you to write about what you did over the long weekend. In my case it involved a lot of football, music, food & family. My weekend actually began on Friday at about 3pm. I had been having some trouble with one of my music making devices over the last few days - I think the hard drive is dying - so I mixed down a few tracks I'd been working on. Later in the evening I had a nice meal with my wife and we watched a bit of TV. On Saturday morning I went to the market and did the weekly fruit and vegtable shopping. At lunch time my wife and I have a dinner engagement at a friend's house. There were about 9 adults and 10 children. We all cooked something different (I prepared a Prawn & Aubergine Curry) and we shared food, drinks and stories for a few hours. In the evening, we went to visit another friend before getting home at about 10.00. I just rekaxed at home for the rest of the evening. On Sunday I played a bit of music and then went out for lunch with my wife. We went to a soup restaurant in Barrio Italia called Cilantro. Later we did things a home until the football game between Chile and Argentina. I'd have lots of invitations to meet up with friends but I prefered to watch it at home with my wife and a few beers. It was a great result for Chile who deserved to win.
On Monday, which was a holiday, my brother-in-law and nephew came for lunch. I also managed to watch Italy beat Spain and England loose to Island in the Euro Copa. In the evening I played some more music and then watched a movie with my wife.
A nice relaxing weekend:)
Write about what you did last weekend.
Say:
What you did,
Who you spent your time with,
What enjoyable things you did,
What you did on the holiday Monday.

Mention anything else you thing is important. Write at least 200 words. Leave a comment on your teacher’s blog and on the blogs of 5 classmates.

The First Cd You Bought or Where Given

Hi there blogheads!

As I think most of you know, I'm a big music fan. I've been buying music since I was 9 years old when my eldest sister, Terri, got me to contribute my pocket money to buy a record by Scottish group The Marmalade. However, as I'm a very old man, that record was a vinyl single (or a 45). I think the first CD I ever bought was Mezzanine by Massive Attack although I didn't actually have a cd player at the time.

I remember I bought it in a record shop in Preston where I was studying. My wife (girlfriend at that point) encouraged me to buy it because we were both big Massive Attack fans. I thought it was a great album (and still do) but not as good as their first 2 albums (Blue Lines and Protection).

My favourite tracks are Angel and Risingson. The music is quite dark and not very “up” (happy). Massive Attack are well known as pioneers of trip-hop, a mix of hip-hop and psychedelic sounds, but I think this album isn’t a good representation of the genre. The band was using real instruments (guitar & drums) for the first time and this makes it fairly experimental. Most people like this album because of the song “Teardrop• sung by Elizabeth Frazier from indie band the Cocteau Twins.

Write about the first CD you ever bought?

Say:

Who it was by,

When and where you bought it,

Why you liked it.

If you still like it now,

Which songs you like best and why.

Mention anything else you thing is important. Write at least 200 words. Leave a comment on your teacher’s blog and on the blogs of 5 classmates.

A Place to Eat

Hi Blogheads:

When I was younger, I loved to go out clubbing or to parties. However, in recent years I tend to go out to eat rather than to dance. Santiago has some great restaurants and you can eat out quite cheaply. There are "picadas" like Golfo di Napoli or slightly more expensive places with wonderful International cuisine like Thai House or Olan (Peruvian). My wife and I are Pescatarians, we eat fish and seafood but not meat (of any kind) so that is always a factor when we eat out.

My current favorite restaurant is Rishtedar, an Indian restaurant in Providencia (Hollanda with Pio X). Rishtedar serves authentic Indian food that, whilst not cheap, is reasonably priced given the quality of the dishes it serves. Many of the dishes are spicy hot and there is a scale of spiciness from 1 to 6 (from mild to blow-your-head-off). I love spicy food but grade 4 is as hot as I can stand. 

Actually, nowadays, Indian food is the most popular food in Britain so, for me, going to Rishtedar is like getting a taste of home. My favourite dish is Goa Machi Curry with basmati rice and nam bread. 

This is the website if you fancy checking it out http://www.rishtedar.com/. I highly recommend this restaurant. Try to get your mum and dad or boyfriend/girlfriend to treat you to a meal and discover the wonderful delights of Rishtedar.

Write about somewhere you like to eat out.

Say:

What it’s called,

Where it is,

What it serves,

What you like to eat there.

Mention anything else you thing is important. Write at least 200 words. Leave a comment on my blog and on the blogs of 3 classmates.

A Beach

Hi Blogheads:)

Chile has hundreds of great beaches so I thought it would be nice if you could write about a beach that you like. Beaches are also important for geographers so this task ia also related to your studies.

I'm not really fond of sitting on the beach sunbathing. If I go to the beach I prefer to walk and look at things. One of the beach walks I like is from Maitencillo to Colchagua. I haven't done it for a couple of years but I have fond memories of the times I've done it. If you set off from La Laguna in Maitencillo walking North along the coast it will take about 2 hours or so to get to Colchagua. Some parts are a little difficult and they may be cut off by the tide depending on the time of the year. Also, if you do this walk in the summer you need to take drinking water and sunblock.

The beaches at the beginning and end of the walk are both long sandy bays. In between there are some beaches with pebbles and others with large boulders. Often you can see sea otters and lots of interesting seabirds.

If you don't like walking, the beach at Maitencillo is good for surfing, horse-riding, kite-flying or just sitting in the sun. It gets quite crowded in the summer so I tend to go out of season.

Write about a beach you like.

Say:

Where it is,

How often you go there,

What you do there,

Whay you like it.

Mention anything else you thing is important. Write at least 200 words. Leave a comment on my blog and on the blogs of 3 classmates.

A Country You Would Like to Visit

Hi Blogsters!

 Today I'm going to write about a country I'd like to visit: Japan. I have been fascinated by Japanese culture since I was quite young and I guess the Japanese tech-boom in the Eighties (1980's) added to the intrest. An old friend of mine gave me a book called Japanese Pilgrimage as a birthday present and that really captured my imagination. I was amazed as to how the High-Tech, Sci-Fi culture managed to co-exist with one that was thousands of years old. In recent years I've become interested in manga and anime. I actually learnt a lot of Spanish reading Dragonball with the son of an ex-girlfriend's sister when I lived in Spain. Nowadays I am a big fan of Japanese author Haruki Murakami and visual artist Chiho Aoshima. I also eat authentic Japanese food once or twice a month (in Yoko in Lastaria -Japanese Chef married with a Chilean) so it would be great to eat the real thing in Japan. I'd like to go with my wife who is also a big fan of Japan (well, Japanese food at least!!). I think the best time of the year to go would be spring. I think that's when the cherry trees blossom. Obviously, I'd like to visit Tokyo, but also Kyoto and some of the more traditional places.
















Write about a country you'd like to visit.
Say:

What country it is,
Why you'd like to visit it,
Who you'd like to go with,
What you'd like to do there.

 Write at least 200 words. Leave a comment on your teacher's blog and on the blogs of at least 3 classmates.

London Calling

Today in class we did the London Webquest. Please write about one of the places you learnt about on your blog.

Say:

Where it is.
How to get there.
How much it costs to get in,
What you can do there,
Why you would like to visit this place.

Write at least 120 words. Leave a message on my blog and on the blogs of 3 classmates.

A Building

Today I'm going to talk about a building I like. I think this is an interesting topic because apart from housing people, buildings are often used as land marks. In Santiago, people are always making reference to buildings like The Torre Entel, The Telefonica Building, and, of course, La Moneda. Obviously, La Moneda has historic relevance but the other 2 are modern constructions. Anyway, I'm going to talk about the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao which I was lucky enough to visit a couple of years ago. I first caught a glimpse of the Guggenheim in 1997. I was staying in San Sebastian with some friends and we went to a party in Bilbao. I saw a quick view of part of the museum as we drove down a street close to the museum. The vision lasted about 2 seconds. Actually, this is one of the things I like about the Guggenheim, the fact that it has lots of different view points. It doesn't dominate the skyline but when you get up close you can view it from lots of different perspectives. The building is like some strange silver craft - half boat, half spaceship! It is a work of art that houses smaller works of art. When I finally got to see inside last September I actually thought the building was more than most of the art work impressive than 99% of the art work it contained. I think the people of Bilbao are proud of the building. It is an internationally famous piece of architecture and an important tourist venue. I think it symbolises the modern Bilbao. It blends in very well with the surrounding architecture because it isn't too big or too fancy. I suggest you visit it if you ever get the chance.
Write about a building you like.
Say:
Why you like it,
What it is/was used for,
When you first saw or heard about it,
What local people think about it,
How it blends in with the surrounding architecture (if there is any).
Write 200 words and leave a comment on your teacher's blog and the blogs of 3 classmates.

A Piece of Art

I can’t say I’m a big art fan, I just like what I like. However, I was lucky enough to attend the BIGGEST EVER DALI EXHIBITION IN THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE which took place at the Tate Gallery London in 1980. I hadn’t really seen much art up until that point and I didn’t have a favourite artist. This changed as soon as I saw Dali’s work up close. I knew a few of his famous paintings but at the exhibition I also got to see things like the Lobster Telephone and Mae West Lips Sofa. The painting I liked most was” Dream Caused by the Flight of a Bee around a Pomegranate a Second Before Awakening”. Actually, I think I was just as impressed by the name of the painting as I was by the painting. The painting demonstrates Dali’s vivid imagination as well as his eye for detail and painting ability. I’m also a big fan of tigers so maybe that’s another reason for me liking this painting. Additionally, I liked the elephant with long legs and the fact that the colours are so loud. I’m a terrible artist and the fact that Dali paints in such detail is another reason for liking his work.
I went to the exhibition with a friend called Anne. We hitch-hiked from Chester to London went to the exhibition and then hitch-hiked back to Chester all in the same day which is a round trip of 700 kms. It was a very memorable day.

Write about a piece of art you like (a painting, sculpture, CD cover, etc):
Say:
Who it’s by and what it’s called,
When you saw it for the first time
Why you like it,
What makes it better than other art work.
Mention anything else you think is important. Write at least 200 words and comments on your teacher’s blog and the blogs of 3 classmates.

Here's a picture of me at the exhibition.

A Song You Like at the Moment

Hi Blogheads;

Today I'd like to talk about a song I like to listen to at the moment. Music has been a huge part of my life and the one musician who has been a constant part of it is, or, sadly now, was, David Bowie. The song that I can't get out of my head at the moment is "Blackstar", the title track of Bowie's latest album of the same name. It is an amazing piece of work, as good as anything he's done in a 50 year-long career. It is the work of someone at the very top of his game. Bowie peaked as a "pop musician", not doubt, long before any of you were born, yet, he continued to push the bounderies of modern music until his dying day. He died of liver cancer  on January 10th, 2016, 2 days after "Blackstar" was released, 2 days after his 69th birthday.
The first time I heard the song was on November 19th of last year (2015). At first, I didn't know what to make of it. I found the video quite distracting and I missed out on a lot of the musical twists and turns. Actually, I'm quite sure that is the type of reaction Bowie would be happy to recieve, to make you think about what was going on through abstract expression. I like this song because, musically, it mixes so many styles and emotions. Pop, Jazz, Hip´Hop, Rock n' Roll, and Electronic combinde to create something new and edgy. Lyrically, the song is Bowie at his best, mixing truth and myth with humour and mystery. The more I listen to the song, the more it amazes me.
 So, as you can gather, I'm a Bowie fan. However, I love lots of musical styles and love getting recommendations of new bands or artists to listen to.

Write about a song you like listening to at the moment.
Say:
What it's called,
Who it's by,
When you hear it for the first time,
Why you like it.

Mention anything else you think is important. Write at least 200 words. Leave a comment on your teacher's blog and on the blogs of at least 3 classmates.

A Photograph

Hi FAU Bloggers,

Today I’d like you to write about a photograph you took. I’d like to show you a photograph that I took that I really like. I took it in Valparaiso 5 or 6 years ago. It was taken at the exit of El Peral elevator which takes passengers from Plaza de la Justicia up to Paseo Yugoslavo en Cerro Alegre. I’d gone there to give a mini-tour of Valparaiso to some of my family who were here in Chile on holiday. I’m quite a fan of street art when it’s harmonious with the surroundings and when I saw the figure with the birds on his arms I thought it was just what you’d expect to find on “Happy Hill”. I think the artwork has real charm. I especially like the effect from the different sized eyes. I guess I’m proud of the photo, not because of any special technical ability, but simply because I created a better than average image. I use this image as the screen saver on my PC and as the background on my Facebook page. I went back to Valparaiso about a year ago and this figure had been defaced and it was in bad shape. I did however find another piece of art by the same artist. It was on a stairwell in the same neighbourhood. I think it was just the little “little prince” and one bird.
Write about a photograph you took or appear in.
Say:
Where and when the photograph was taken,
What the photograph shows,
Why you like the photograph,
Write at least 200 words. Write a comment on your teacher’s blog and on the blogs of 3 classmates.

A Special Place in Santiago

Hi Blogheads.

Today I'd like you to write about a special place in Santiago that you like to go. Although I don't go that often, I really like visiting La Vega. I only discovered it about 5 years ago and I realised that I spent many years believing that La Vega Chica was La Vega. The first time I went to the real Vega I entered from the west side which is quite seedy as there are a few dirty, run-down "locales" with a few tables and chairs outside that sell litre bottles of Escudo. There is also a big sign telling you the different fines for pissing or defecating in the market. It's not very well lit and on the first impression it is quite a daunting to enter. However, 20 metres further on everything changes and you encounter the hustle and bustle of market life. It's a noisy, colourful place which is full of weird and wonderful sights and smells. In my opinion, the best thing about La Vega is the quality of the fruit and vegetables that you can find, and all at a fraction of the price you find in the supermarket. In the last 2 years more Peruvian stall-holders have appeared and I think this has made La Vega more interesting. What I don't like is that more and more cafes and restaurants are opening which means it attracts more tourists and leaves less space for selling fruit and vegetables. I usually go with my wife. I think the last time I went was during the strike in the first semester. I had lots of free time then (unlike now!).

Write about a special place in Santiago you like to go.
Say:
Where it is,
How often you go there,
Who you go with,
What you do there,
When was the last time you went.

Mention anything else you think is important. Write at least 150 words. Leave a comment on my blog and a comment on the blogs of at least 3 classmates.

A Subject You Enjoy Studying

Write about a subject you enjoy studying.

Say:

What subject it is,

Why you enjoy studying it,

What you have learnt so far,

Why this subject is important.

Mention anything else you think is interesting. Write at least 150 words.

An Architect You Admire

Hi Fau Bloggers:
Today I'd like you to write about an architect you admire. Everybody has been talking about Zaha Hadid after her untimely death and I guess she is one of the most high profile architects in recent years. She created some interesting designs but, maybe curves aren't everyones cup of tea. Actually, I'm no expert on architects but I think Gaudi has to be the architect whose work I've most enjoyed. I've been lucky enough to visit Barcelona on a number of occasions, the first time in 89, and it's impossible to visit the city without some reference to Gaudi. His works, the Sacred Heat and the Parque Guell, are more than enough to imortalise the man, the other exhibits are icing on the cake. It's hard to pinpoint exactly what is so appealing about Gaudi's work but it's obviously effective. It's pleasing to the eye but not not 100% uniform. To a certain extent, it's the fact that things aren't totally symmetrical which is most impressive. Actually, Gaudi's architecture seems to share elements of Leonard Da Vinci's design, which is a pretty amazing feat. I think it shares a sense of movement that enhances the visual experience.

Write about an architect you admire.
Say;
Who it is,
What works they are known for,
When you saw the architect's work,
Why you like it.

Mention anything else you think is important. Write at least 150 words. Post a comment on your teacher's blog and on the blog's of at least 3 classmates.

Intro Post

Hi, my name's Simon, I'm your English teacher this semester. As you might have gathered, I'm British, I was actually born in a tiny Welsh village called Gwernaffield many, many years ago. However, I don't really think of myself as Welsh. My parents were English (from Liverpool) and my grandparents were Irish. I think I have more Irish characteristics to my personality but I guess I'm really a "Kiltro Britanico". Both my parents have passed away but I have 5 sisters & 3 brothers (& millions of nieces and nephews).

I've lived in Chile for about 18 years and I also lived in Spain for 5 years at the beginning of the 90's. I have lots of hobbies and things I like to do in my free time. I've been an avid reader sice I was a young boy so I spend lots of time reading. I also love playing music & writing songs, I play guitar & keyboard but use a sampler to make a lot of music nowadays. I guess I'm quite sporty. I love playing (& watching) football and go swimming & cycling frequently. I also do a bit of yoga from time to time. Other hobbies include: cooking, walking, taking photographs, making time-lapse videos, watching movies and drinking Chilean wine:) Occasionally I find time to work!!!