Here Comes The Summer!

Here comes the Summer! Write about your plans for this Summer. Say: What you will do, Why, Where, When, Who with. Write at least 200 words and leave a comment on my blog & on the blogs of 3 classmates.

A Game You Played As A Child

There are lots of games I played as a child that I really enjoyed and because I have lots of brothers (3) and sisters (5) there was always someone to play with. We enjoyed indoor games like Monopoly and cards or outdoor games like "hide & seek" or "Tic" (where whoever is "it" has to chase and touch someone so that they become "it"). I have also played football all my life but that is a sport rather than a game so today I'm going to write about chess. I started playing chess when I was about 6 or 7 years old and loved it straight away. I liked the figures and the way that they all moved in a different way. Obviously my favourite piece was the Queen because she was the most powerful - being able to move in any direction - put I also liked the Rook (or castle) because it seemed more solid than the other pieces. My father taught me to play chess and he was the person I played against most. I actually got to be quite good and I got to the final of a school chess tournament when I was 11 or 12 years old. I think the most difficult part of the game was the end game - the part of the game when each player has very few pieces. I was never taught how to control that part of the game and I know there are certain moves that can simplify it. Unfortunately, I never learnt them. I think I reached my peak as a chess player when I was about 28 years old. I used to play very long games with a friend often via phone (internet and mobile phones didn't exist at that time). I got to the point where I could think 5 or 6 moves ahead and then force victory (or recognise defeat!!). I think chess is useful for keeping your brain sharp. It involves maths and strategies and I think all children could benefit from learning to play. The last time I played was about a year ago with my 10-year-old nephew. He isn't good enough to beat me yet but I'm sure it won't be long before he is. Write about a game (not a sport) you enjoyed playing as a child.
Say:
What it's called,
How old you were when you learnt it,
Who you played with,
Why you enjoyed it,
When you last played.
Mention anything else you think is important. Write at least 250 words. Leave a comment on my blog and on the blogs of 3 classmates.

A Job You Would Like to Have

Actually, I'd done a lot of jobs in my time. When I was a young boy I did several part time jobs. I did a paper round, then I worked in a Butcher's shop cleaning dirty refrigerators and finally I worked in a Clothes' Shop selling jeans. My first full-time job was as a Laboratory Assistant and 3-months later I was promoted to Laboratory Technician (Wow!!). Since then I've worked running a rehearsal studio, as a photographer, a photographer's assistant, a DJ, a lorry driver's assistant, a waiter, a musician, a warehouse technician, a barman, a Language Learning Centre assistant, a Course Director, a summer school teacher, a High School teacher, an examiner and no doubt some other things that I can't remember at the moment. However, I think the job I would like to do most is to be a free-lance music producer. I love to work with music and creating new things in the studio would be a great way to spend my time, especially if I was getting paid for it. I think the main quality you need for this job is to have a good ear for music. However, you also need to hear what isn't there, as well as being able to imagine how a song or piece of music would sound with different arrangements. Unfortunately, I never had the chance to work in a professional studio with me being in charge although I have recorded independently in smaller studios or using non-professional equipment. Currently I'm learning to use software like Ableton Live so maybe I'll get the chance to produce something after all!!!
Write about a job you would like to do.
Say:
What job it is,
Why you like this job,
What qualities you need to do this job well,
Why you think you would be good at this job,
Which person who does this job is your inspiration.
Write at least 250 words. Leave a comment on my blog and on the blogs of 3 classmates.

A Walk You Would Like to Do Again

Write about a walk you did that you would like to do again.

My family is a family of keen walkers. When I was a child, my parents would often take us out for walks at the weekend. One of my favourite walks was up a Welsh hill called Moel Famau. Normally we would start from home in Mynydd Isa and walk about 5 kilometers through Mold to Loggerheads. Depending on the weather or how much time we had, we would then decide whether to do a walk up to the summit of the hill or to do a full trail. The walk up the hill is about 6km and the full trail is about 17km.

My favourite was doing the full trail because part of it was though a country park called Cat walk because it was a very narrow path that was quite high (especially for a young child!). Also, this part of the walk was through woods and along a river, the other part was pine forest and bare grassland at the top of the hill. I must have walked up that hill at least 50 times in my life. One of my aunties lived in a farmhouse at the foot of the hill and I often stayed with her in my summer holidays from school. She had a son who was a year older than me. However, when I was about 10 years old he had a car accident and lost one of his legs and so, unfortunately for him, his walking days were over. I think the last time I climbed Moel Famau was in the 1980’s but I’d love to do this walk again as it would bring back all my childhood memories. There’s a website with information about the country park here:

http://www.walkmag.co.uk/walks/wales-loggerheads-country-park-flintshiredenbighhire/

It even has a Facebook page!

Obviously, these didn’t exist when I was younger but at least you can get an idea of what it’s like.

Write about a walk you would like to do again.

Say:

Where it is,

When you did this walk before

Why you enjoyed it,

Why you would like to do it again.

Mention anything else you think is important. Write at least 250 words. Leave a comment on my blog and on the blogs of at least 3 classmates.

Free Post

Hi there Blogheads:) Today you have to write a 250 Word free post. Here's mine. Don't forget to comment on my blog and on the blogs of at least 3 classmates! So, last night I went to Blondie for the first time. Lots of my friends go on a regular basis but I'd never been before. Although I like to listen to some of the music they usually play there, it's not the music I like to dance too - I prefer to dance to House, Soul or Reggae or Drum & Bass even Salsa or Cumbia but not rock music. Last night I went to Blondie because I went to see a group called CocoRosie. It was a great gig, quite strange and whacky but very enjoyable. CocoRosie is two sisters, a pianist/keyboard player and a human beatbox. The sound is quite original as the band mix different styles such as electronic, folk and hip-hop. There were elements of performance to the show. The band swopped instruments and clothes. They also painted each others faces while they were performing. Original the concert was going to be in Subterraneo in Providencia but I think they sold too many tickets and had to switch the concert to a bigger venue. Blondie was a good place to see this band. There can't have been more that 1,000 people and there were only about 600 when the show started. The sound was good. In fact, I enjoyed CocoRosie more live than the recorded tracks I've Heard. The personalities and energy of the 2 singers is an important part of their charm and it's hard to feel this from their recordings. Here's a link to one of their songs. Happy Friday!

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.

27F

27F was my first (and hopefully only!!) experience of a full-blown earthquake. I was awake when the earthquake started despite the fact that it was the middle of the night. My wife and I had got back from a holiday in New Zealand visiting one of my brothers a couple of days earlier and our internal clock was still in another time zone. We went to bed at midnight but woke up at 2am. Neither of us could sleep. I was reading and my wife was on her computer. When the quake started I made a joke about being pulled out of the rubble naked and started to get dressed. As the intensity increased we both became alarmed and a little frightened. However, we both remained calm. After what seemed like a million years the quake subsided and we hugged each other. My wife tried to ring her mother and I went out to check that the neighbours were ok. There was no real damage in our flat (we live on the 3rd floor).A lot of books fell from the shelves and some other bits and pieces but luckily nothing valuable was damaged. Obviously we had no electricity or water for the first few hours but by midday everything was back to normal in our sector. We listened to the radio for news about how the quake have affected the rest of the country and tried to contact our friends. Some of my family from the UK managed to get in touch via mobile phone but the battery on my wife’s phone ran out quite quickly and mine wasn’t charged. If I remember rightly there were a lot of aftershocks which was a little worrying but after a while we got used to them. It was a very strange experience and I hope I don’t have to experience it again.
Write about your 27F Experience.
Say:
Where you were,
What you were doing,
Who you were with,
What you did,
How the quake affected you, your family and your friends.
Mention anything else you think is important. Write at least 300 words. Leave a comment on my blog and on the blogs of 3 classmates.

A Pet you have (or you would like to have)

I've had lots of pets in my time. I guess the strangest were my lizards, they were cool but not much fun. The pet I have at the moment is Kat, my wife's cat. We got him from a neighbour who found him as a kitten. He had been abandoned and attacked by dog, and had a bad paw, one closed eye and a crooked tail. At the time we lived in a flat so I was reluctant to bring an animal to live there but my wife insisted (promising to look after it....Huh!). So, Kat has been with us for about 13 or 14 years now. He's a bit of an oddball but I think it's because he doesn't realise that he's a cat. He has no social skills when mixing with other animals and spends a lot of time meowing to my wife or I to do things for him (usually to give him food but also to open the door or close the door or give him water or let him sit on our lap). He used to do tricks when he was younger but nowadays he spends most of his time sleeping and eating. For a long time he didn't leave the flat because he had a fear of going outside. However, since we moved home about 8 years ago he's been going out most evenings for a couple of hours. He chases other cats and can be quite sneaky (he hides behind a bush and ambushes other cats from the neighbourhood!). Kat loves eating, rolling in the dirt, and getting under my feet. He's a bit of a strange animal and I think he thinks I'm his mum!
Write about a Pet you have (had)
Say:
What it is,
Where you got it,
What it does,
What you do to look after it.
Mention anything else you think is important. Write at least 200 words. Leave a comment on my blog and on the blog of at least 3 classmates.

A Special Meal

One of my favourite family memories was the year my family had Christmas dinner in an India restaurant. I honestly can't remember how old I was maybe, 12 or 13 I think. Family meals were always fun because I have 5 sisters and 3 brothers. If you include my mum and dad that was 11. Enough for a football team! Anyway, I don't really remember that much about the meal except that, in spite of the fact that we were eating Indian food, we kept all the usual traditions. We wore paper crowns and pulled crackers, although I don't think we went as far as to sing Christmas carols. I'm pretty sure I ate Chicken Korma, a mild curry made with coconut milk. Obviously, we all ate poppadum and nan bread and I'm almost certain we had banana fritters and ice-cream for dessert. At that time, we didn't eat out very often, I think because my parents couldn't afford it so that's why it's such a clear memory. Write about a special meal you remember.
Say:
Where you were,
What you were celebrating,
Who you were with,
What you ate,
Why you remember this occasion.
Write at least 200 words. Leave a comment on my blog and on the blogs of at least 3 classmates. Here's a photo of my Mum and dad

Write about a Beach or Lake you have visited

I love getting out of Santiago and going to the coast. I love seeing the sea and getting some fresh air. Over Fiesta Patrias I went to Isla Negra. I'd been there before but I'd only really passed through, stopping by the beach close to the Neruda museum and then going on to Algarrobo or El Tabo. Anyway, this time I stayed with a friend and her family who live near a place called Cantaleo which is a piece of land owned by the Neruda Foundation which is a little park. I'd never been there before and I thought it was really nice. There were lots of birds: Loicas, Lapwings (Queltehue, hawks and some others whose names I'm not sure of. The day we went and walked along the coastline was beautiful, clear blue skies and warm spring sun. Later we went into the town centre and bought empanadas from Donde Florencia which were really (really, really good). I ate a seafood one and a Cheese and Olive one accompanied by a few glasses of wine. All in all it was a wonderful day that helped me forget stressful Santiago:) Write about a beach or lake you have visited. Say: Where it is, When you went there, Who you went with, What you did there, Why you remember the visit. 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.

Something you would like to learn to do

Hi Blogheads, Today I'd like you to write about something you would like to learn to do. Personally, I'll like to learn to play the Saxophone. I already play a little bit of guitar and keyboard and I think it would be really cool to learn the sax. When I was younger I tried to learn clarinet which has the same fingering and a similar blowing technique to the sax but I didn't get beyond playing "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" very badly. My school leant me a clarinet because they didn't have a sax. I didn't have a place to practice and I didn't have a proper teacher. After about 6 months I gave up and taught myself to play the guitar (badly!!).

 I think David Bowie was my main influence for wanting to play sax. He played when he was younger and did a very cool photo-shot that came out when I was aged 13, a time when I was a big fan of his. Anyway, I bought a sax earlier this year but I haven't found time to get lessons yet. However, I am on the look out for a good teacher...

Write about something you would like to do:
Say:_

What it is,
Why you would like to learn it,
How difficult it would be to learn,
How long it would take to learn,
What equipment you would need,
What difficulties you would face in trying to learn:
Mention anything else you think is relevant.

Write at least 200 words. Leave a comment on my blog and on the blogs of at least 3 classmates.

Here are 2 of my favourite saxophone pieces:)

Fiestas Patrias

The only Fiestas Patrias I remember well is one year I spent in Algarrobo. I went with my wife, two Chilean friends, and a friend from Liverpool. I think it must have been in 2004 or 2005. I enjoyed it because the Fondas were small and there weren’t too many people. We played the typical games, ate empanadas and drank chicha. We also danced a lot, mainly cumbias if my memory is correct. I think we spent 3 or 4 days in Algarrobo and we went to a Fonda every night. They were held in some big tents on the road that leads into the town so there was no problem with noise late at night.  During the days we were there we lazed about drinking and eating and going for the occasional walk (either to Canalillo or along the coast to El Quisco). It was a very enjoyable and relaxing holiday and I remember that the weather was very good that year so I even got a bit of a tan. Actually, I’m not a big fan of Fiestas Patrias and I never celebrate here in Santiago. I think I went to Parque O’Higgins the first year I was in Santiago but it was very crowded and quite expensive. This year I plan to rest and home, see some friends and make some music. Tikki-Tikki- TiJ

Write about a Fiestas Patrias celebration that you remember.
Say:
Where you were.
Who you were with,
What you did,
Whether you enjoyed yourself or not.
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.

Class 1: Free Post

Today is a Free Post. Write at least 200 words on a topic of your choice. Leave a comment on your teacher's blog saying which versión of Friday on my mind you like best, Bowie's cover or The Easybeat's original.