My bedroom

My favorite place in the house is my bedroom because it’s the room that I spend more time in. When I was young I shared the bedroom with my little brother, but now I have my own room. The room is near the bathroom and the livingroom.

My bedroom is spacious and warm. There is a big window. Ther walls are painted in blue and white, and there is a big yellow smile that I painted, under the smile there is a mirror that I use to look at myself before I go out. My bed is so big, so I sleep very well, infront  of the bed there is TV wich is such a convenient thing because I can watch TV in the bed. When I wake up I turn on the radio to get up in a good mood and I start dancing in the morning. The desk is so big up there, there is a telephone and the computer. In one wall I have a photo mural with presents and photos. The closet i cramped but I don’t mind because I have no got many clothes, but I have a lot of shoes.

I love my bedroom!!! Because I feel confortable when I’m in there.

A Nightmare journey

One of my worst day journeys was last August. One day when I was surfing on the internet I saw an ad, the announcement said “Go to La Rioja and save the storks” the project was of Cruz Roja, so I decided to go to La Rioja. I had never been there and I really wanted to go. My parents and I talked and they thought it was a good idea.

I was excited and nervous, I wanted to get to visit the city and the countryside. Although we just arrived, we all knew. Monitors taught us where we would sleep, it seemed a jail. The next day we worked in the field. It wasn't looking good... We worked ten hours every day, it was the third day and nobody had seen any stork.  

I had never been so afraid, but I couldn't call my parents because there wasn't any mobile phone. Finally I decided to flee from that "concentration camp". When I was out I called my parents to take me home and never again get back.

An opinion essay (2nd of Batx.)

You can choose one of the following options or propose a different one:

1. Hunting animals: a sport or a crime
2. Men should do 50% of housework.
3. The possession of marijuana must remain illegal.
4. Do you think people in your country are eating better or worse than they used to?
5. Playing video games is a waste of time. What do you think?
6. The best things in life are free. What do you think?
7. After school activities are important for students. 
8. The future of Catalan
9. What would you do to change the world? In your opinion, what are the most important problems? What would you do to solve them?  

Once you have written your first draft, go throught our "Writing Checklist" to see that you have not made any of the most common mistakes for a Catalan student. 

Some useful expressions to express you opinions:

• Personally, I think.....
• Personally speaking, I believe....

• In my opinion,......
• In my view, .........
• From my point of view, ........

• As I see it, ..............
• It seems to me, .......
• As far as I'm concerned, ...................
• I strongly believe, .........

Happy writing!!!

"Someday we'll all be free"

Dear all,
Remember Sharif from last week? Exactly as he promised us, he has just released a second video about his series on the Catalan issue.
I thought I would share it with you here and spread the word.
Bye for now!



Someday We'll All Be Free from Sharif on Vimeo.

Related posts: A trip to Barcelona

DYNAMO

On Saturday 25th June 2011, crowds gathered on the banks of the River Thames as an extraordinary feat unfolded. A man in a red jacket was seemingly ‘walking on water’, striding out across the great river under the iconic backdrop of the Houses of Parliament. As pictures emerged, the news travelled fast with initial coverage across the British mainstream media and later, pickup as far afield as China, Australia and South Africa. 
This had been one of the biggest and most audacious illusions in history, on a par with David Copperfield’s vanishing of the Statue of Liberty and Houdini’s great escapes… but this wasn’t the work of one of Vegas’s elite It had been performed by a young magician from a tough part of Bradford who went by the name of Dynamo. 

Tipped as the most exciting British magician to emerge in decades, Dynamo had stunned audiences and celebrities around the world with his genre-bending cocktail of large-scale illusions, incredible sleight of hand and innovative street magic. 

The 28 year-old’s list of celebrity fans now reads like a ‘who’s who’ of the Hollywood elite. Will Smith, Diddy, Jay Z, Coldplay, Russell Brand, Gwyneth Paltrow, The Black Eyed Peas and Paris Hilton are just a few of the names who’ve raved about his unique talent. 

Dynamo stunned Tinie Tempah by pulling a chain through his own neck and amazed US celebrity power couple Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore by eating a piece of string and pulling it down the length of his torso. Billionaire Richard Branson physically bowed down to him after watching one of his performances and Lindsay Lohan was left speechless after he levitated her from a chair. 

Growing up on the rundown Delph Hill housing estate in Bradford with a father who spent large periods of time away in prison, Dynamo (real name Steven Frayne) suffered with a debilitating form of Crohn’s disease as a youngster. Having been introduced to magic by his Granddad, the young Steven Frayne developed his skills as a means to fend off the bullies who teased him about his disease, quickly gaining a reputation as a unique talent within his local community with his incredible sleight of hand. 

Many years later Steven appeared at the New York Hilton during Houdini’s centenary celebrations where he performed in front of his peers, including acclaimed magicians Aaron Fisher and David Blaine. After a stunning display someone in the audience shouted “this kid’s a f***ing DYNAMO!” . The name stuck and a new era in magic was born.

From an early age, Dynamo was inspired by the impact of hip-hop culture. He was strongly influenced by local breakdancers who fused together a variety of styles and MC’s who promoted themselves through the use of the mix-tape circuit in order to create something new. Steven planned to modernise the magic scene by combining his skills with elements from the urban dance scene.

In 2004, after moving to London, Dynamo set out to fulfill stage one of his plan; the creation of the first ever magic ‘mix-tape’. Along with a small team he filmed his performances on the streets of London and backstage at events, where he managed to blag his way in front of the stars by impressing doormen and tour managers along the way.

2007 started with a bang. Actor Will Smith presented Dynamo with an award on behalf of the Prince’s Trust for his success after receiving a start-up loan from the charity. During his acceptance speech, Dynamo started to choke on a polo mint and without warning pulled a chain through his neck with the Polo attached. The audience were amazed, including Will Smith, who gave Dynamo a glowing endorsement, proclaiming “that man just pulled a lifesaver out of his neck! You scared my son with your magic tricks but that was absolutely stunning!” 

His debut TV series ‘Dynamo: Magician Impossible’ was broadcast on Sky Channel Watch on the 7th July 2011 and quickly broke all viewing records with over 1m viewers tuning in to the first episode in a slot which normally only commands an audience of 100K, total viewings now exceed 18 million. Series 2 starts 5th July 2012.

First video is in English, if you want it in Spanish check the video that's below.

Cristina Ibern Aguilar i Selena Rodriguez Castro

Acceptable or not

In groups discuss the following issues:

1. Smacking a child
2. Using a position of power to help a friend
3. Smoking marijuana
4. Nor paying your fare on the bus
5. Eating meat
6. Sentencing a serious criminal to death

Those issues that you decided were not acceptable, can you think of a particular situation when they would be acceptable? 

A trip to Barcelona 11/9

Hi there,
Today's listening practice will be a video by this New Yorker who found himself in the middle of Barcelona on 11th September.
Thanks Sharif for telling the world about us.
(Thanks Elena Romero for sending me the link)



A trip to Barcelona from Sharif on Vimeo.