Write about places you would like to visit and why thus making a travel guide of interesting places all over the world. You can attach photos and videos of the places.
Here you can write reviews of your favourite songs and music video clips. You can refer to specific lyrics and include the actual video or audio clips.
Write reviews of books you have read. You can include information about the plot of the book, its characters and its style. Express your opinion mentioning what you liked or disliked about the story.
My Favourite song is "STEREO LOVE" by Edward Maya and Vika Jigulina. I have chosen this song because I like the beat and I can express my feelings. When I listen to it, my senses are on a high and can’t avoid dancing to the beat...
"STEREO LOVE" is the dance hit heard 'round the world by Edward Maya, a Romanian musician and producer, and guest vocalist Vika Jigulina. The theme of the song is a common one. It’s about two people in love, one of whom asks the other to make a mature effort to work out their problems and issues.
It's easy to understand why "STEREO LOVE" has reached the top in less than a year: the song's hypnotic beat, Vika Jigulina's plaintive vocals, and the digitized accordion tone make the tune sound somewhat other-worldly, haunting your thoughts and your senses. The beat remixes of the song add more or less intensity to the track, depending on your mood. I love this song!!!
Here's the video clip of the song:
By: Maria Katsarou
1st Year, Halki Secondary School
My favourite film is Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”.
This film talks about a man, Willy Wonka, who when he was young his father would not let him eat sweets. When he grew up he decided to make his own chocolate factory and so he did. Willy Wonka had the factory working for some years but then he closed it because some people stole his chocolate recipes. But one day Wonka decided to open the factory again and allow five children to visit his factory. He put five golden tickets inside five chocolate bars and the children who would find the tickets would visit his factory. One of the children would win the great prize in the end.
CHARLIE was a child who was very poor and his grandfather happened to work at Willy Wonka’s factory sometime in the past. When Charlie heard about the tickets he wanted to buy a chocolate bar but had no money. Charlie’s grandfather wanted to help somehow, and so he gave his petty cash to Charlie to go and get a Wonka chocolate bar.
In the meantime, Charlie heard on television that a girl whose name was Violet won the first LUCKY TICKET. Violet was very happy to win it. Violet had broken the record in chewing chewing gum a few years back and she really wanted to win the Willy Wonka big prize.
Again on television Charlie saw that the second TICKET was won by Augustus and Charlie got worried once again… Augustus really loved chocolate. He would eat one chocolate bar after the other!
CHARLIE's efforts did not stop here! Charlie with the help of his grandfather bought another chocolate bar but once again he failed to find one of the LUCKY TICKETS. As the time passes Charlie heard on television that the third TICKET was won by Veruca who was a really spoiled child.
Within the next days the fourth TICKET was won by Michael. Michael used to play video games all day long and hated chocolate. Charlie got really anxious as he might not have had the luck to win one of the LUCKY TICKETS.
But that was not the end! As Charlie was walking back home one day he found some money on the street and then he went to the nearest chocolate shop to buy a bar and see if this time he would win the last TICKET and indeed he did. Charlie went home and ran screaming to his parents that he won the last TICKET.
The world was begging Charlie to give them the ticket in exchange for money but Charlie did not give his ticket away. Instead he started getting ready for the visit to Willy Wonka’s factory. When the day came for this famous factory to be re-opened only the five lucky kids along with a companion would be allowed in. Charlie went to the factory with his grandfather. While they were in the factory the other four children ignored Wonka’s advice and had a series of accidents. So the only one who won the big prize in the end is CHARLIE. And the prize is nothing else but Willy Wonka’s factory.
I like this movie because it gives hope to the poor about not giving it up and always trying to make their dreams come true like Charlie did! I also like the setting of the movie. It is all imaginary and you get the impression that you are in a different world. And this world is more colourful and more fun for children.
Here's the trailer of the movie! Enjoy!
By: Rafailia Argyriou
2nd Year, Halki Secondary School
Istanbul is one of the most historical places in Turkey. It is between Bulgaria, Asia Minor, the Prince Islands and the Bosphorus. I love it because I believe that it is one of the most important and most beautiful places in all Europe!
Istanbul, formerly Constantinople, was built by Constantine the Great in 337 A.D. It was the capital of the Byzantine Empire. The Turks took it in 1453 A.D.
Ιn Istabul you can see museums, mosques, churches, palaces, pavilions, fortresses, statues, monuments, towers and castles. Aghia Sofia is a must see. It used to be a Greek Orthodox church but now it serves as a mosque - museum. Other places of interest are Topkapi, the Blue Mosque and the hippodrome. Istanbul is the ideal place for those who love shopping as there are lots of bazaars and some big shopping centres. Capalicarsi or the Great Bazaar - as it is called in English - is the biggest bazaar of all as it includes at least 4,000 shops!
Turkish cuisine is one of the most important among the cuisines of the world. You should try delicious pies stuffed with meat, cheese and potatoes called “Bureks”. “Pilavs” and “kebabs” are also worth trying. As for sweets “baklava” and “kadayif” are well known. Istanbul’s nightlife is also very interesting as it offers thousands of options.
I really hope that one day my dream will come true and I will be able to visit Istanbul, that beautiful city!!!
Here is a video about Istanbul that I found on YOUTUBE. Watch it! I believe that you’ll like it!!!
By: Vagjelica Seganakou
1st year, Halki Secondary School
The poem “You start dying slowly” by Pablo Neruda is one of my favourites. Despite its pessimistic title and the mention of death in it, the poem itself is a reminder that we should really start living our life in all its simplicity and without any unbearable conventionalities...
They die slowly…
They die slowly, those who don't permit themselves, even just once in a lifetime, to run away from sensible advice.
They die slowly, those who don't turn the tables when they are unhappy at work, who don't risk the certain for the uncertain to run after a dream.
They die slowly, those who don't travel, who don't read,
who don't listen to music,
who don't find grace in themselves.
They die slowly those who destroy their own love,
who won't accept help.
They die slowly, those who pass their days complaining about their bad luck or about the incessant rain.
They die slowly, those who abandon a project before starting it, never asking about a subject they are unfamiliar with, never responding when asked about something they know.
We avoid the smooth dues of death by always remembering that being alive demands an effort much more than the simple action of breathing.
That only through our most ardent patience will we conquer a splendid happiness.
by Pablo Neruda
I am also attaching a video about this poem but the verse is in Greek.
The Hound of the Baskervilles, by Arthur Conan Doyle is an excellent story that takes place in London and Dartmor. This fascinating book is about the famous detective, Sherlock Holmes, who with his trusted assistant, Watson, tries to solve the mysterious death of Sir Charles Baskerville.
The mystery begins when Dr. Mortimer, sir Charles' personal doctor, relates the circumstances surrounding his patient's death to Holmes and Watson. The doctor believes that his death has something to do with the legend of the hound, which is an enormous, evil hunting dog that terrorises the people of Baskerville. Soon, it becomes clear that Sir Henry, who is Sir Charles' nephew, and the only surviving heir to the Baskerville fortune, is also in danger. Holmes and Watson have to move quickly in order to protect Sir Henry's life and to solve the mystery.
The book is full of thrilling moments as the author creates tension with unexpected twists and vivid descriptions. What gives the book its dark atmosphere, however, is the silent, evil presence of the legendary hound which dominates the story throughout.
I thoroughly recommend the Hound of the Baskervilles. Readers will have a difficult time putting this masterpiece down as they are kept in suspense until the very end of the book.
I really love the song Beautiful Day by U2. In my opinion, it is one of the most beautiful songs ever written. It is impossible to stand still to, I don't mean as a dance song, you can't dance to it, but you have to be walking, or driving, just watching the scenery outdoors go by, to fully appreciate it.
The song delivers some really powerful message about the simplicity of happiness and its ellussive nature. Every day can be beautiful if you just pay attention to all little things like a blue sky or a bird with a leaf in its mouth . Happiness can be found in little things and after all as the song says:
"What you don't have you don't need it now..."
From a literature point of view, the song relates to the famous Irish novel "Ulysses". The plot of Ulysses takes place all in one day hence the "Day" in the song title. The main character in the novel is Mr. Bloom and the opening line to the song is "The heart is a bloom" - maybe that's a clue. Also, the lyrics "You're on the road/But you've got no destination/You're in the mud/In the maze of her imagination" totally make sense: Bloom spends most of his day just wandering around Dublin with no real destination in mind. The last line of those lyrics also could refer to the end chapter of "Ulysses". In that chapter, Bloom's wife thinks about her and her husband's past, but the whole thing is in a continuous, unpunctuated stream. It's really hard to read and I can see how it could be thought of as a maze.
Equilibrium is one of the best movies I have ever watched. I have watched it a few times and I still like it. It is a futuristic movie starring Christian Bale. It's actually the first movie where I saw Christian Bale and I thought at that time that he did a fine job with the lead role.
The movie is set after the 3rd world war in the city of Librea and humanity is struggling to prevent another war. So they have created the Gramaton Cleric, a highly skilled soldier whose task is to implement the law and to eradicate all things that stir human emotions. They have concluded that the origin of all human suffering and war is human emotions, thus they have created drugs to suppress it and laws to destroy things that trigger human emotions like arts and poetry.
The concept of the movie is interesting. We all want war, struggle and poverty to end yet the very essence of humanity is the root of all human problems. Family, relationship with people, love, hate, sorrow, anger and all human emotions is the cause of all wars and misery. So in the movie, they created methods and drugs to control human emotion which in the end proved to be ineffective. In the end, as it is with reality, no drugs, laws can supress human emotion and we humanity will always be faced with wars, anger, death and misery.
The movie although futuristic does not show any futuristic robots and machines. It also does not show any computer graphics. It only shows upgraded and modified versions of what we presently have like guns and cars. I think it is quite realistic. What I really love about the movie are the fight scences. The Gramaton Clerics are masters of martial arts employing guns as their main weapon. The concept and the moves are quite interesting since its something new. Over all the movie is worth watching. I will still watch this movie once and awhile.
Located on the shores of lake Constance just over the Swiss and German borders in western Austria, Bregenz is the perfect place to spend your holiday. A truly peaceful and picturesque city, Bregenz attracts thousands of tourists without losing its unique charm.
This small city is well known for its impressive medieval city walls and stunning architecture such as the old town hall and St Martin’s Church. However, it is probably most renowned for the Floating Stage where the Bregenz Festival is held every year. The Floating Stage in Bregenz is definitely one of the interesting places to visit, mainly because of its resemblance to an ocean oil refinery but it also serves as an outdoor opera stage so, one may be able to catch a night of opera during the warm months.
A visit to this Austrian city is recommended to those who are in search of a peaceful holiday and the opportunity to enjoy some of the most beautiful scenery in the world. Not to mention, one can enjoy water activities like swimming, boating and cruises by Lake Constance. As well as hiking visitors can take the cable car to the summit of Pfander Mountain where they can enjoy breathtaking views of the town and Lake Constance.
I would definitely like to visit Bregenz and the surrounding area of Lake Constance. Hopefully, one day my dream will come true!
Here's a video about Bregenz, which I found on YouTube. Watch it and let me know what you think of it. I'm sure you'll be mesmerised like myself....Njoy!
