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.