Mockingjay pt II

Last Friday I went with some friends to the cinema to see the last part of The Huger Games saga, which is Mockingjay part two. I was really excited about seeing this movie because I have been a big fan of the series since I started reading the books when I was about twelve years old. However, the film was way beyond anything I would have ever expected.

First of all, the comparisons between the first and second part of Mockingjay are not fair in my opinion. The original book was full of content and it would have been too hard for the script writers to adapt everything into a two hour movie and maintain all the main plot moments that fans want to see. The reason why the first part was slower is because the first half of the book is too, but that doesn't necessarily have to be a bad thing. It actually helps to build tension and expectation for the action that comes at the end.

One of my favorite parts of this film is the fact that nobody is represented as completely evil or completely good. I believe this series does a great job portraying the stages of how a civil war develops and how propaganda works in a fascist government. Another thing that I enjoyed was how the characters were treated as real people suffering from a heavy trauma caused by the war instead of the unrealistic invincible heroes that we're all used to.

Moreover, the cast's performances are also wonderful, specially Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss, who in my opinion does an excellent job as the main character of the film and should receive a second Oscar award (or at least a nomination) for her contribution to this series.

Overall, the movie provides excellent entertainment and is a great ending for the saga since it keeps the essence of the books and it represents a kind of story that is still relevant, especially nowadays. To sum up, The Hunger Games series has come to its end in the best way possible.

Be alert but don't be afraid

We are all very aware of the terrorists attacks that took place in Paris last week. The news crossed the whole world and everybody still feels upset about it. After something like this happens people start feeling unsafe and being scared that they might be attacked next. Consequently, they enter a state of paranoia which I think is not healthy at all. For example, I have received multiple text messages in the past week "warning" people against travelling to big cities because of the threat of another bombing. To be honest, I believe all of them are totally false. It is pretty unlikely for an attack to happen so directly after another, since security has been extremely reinforced and people are alert. We shouldn't put an end to our plans or start acting differently out of fear because if we do, we would be giving the terrorists what they want. To summarise, their strenght partly consists in everybody being scared of them.

Introduction & conclusion

For a long time, fashion seemed to be something only accessible to rich and snobby people. I remember growing up the only times I would see a fashion show on television was whenever a model fell down on the runway. In general it was not taken very seriously for most people. However, nowadays with the rise of social networks like Instagram and bloggers, more of us are starting to pay more attention to the way we look and dress. Since appearance is the first thing we perceive of others, image is a very important aspect to take care of. Therefore, fashion works as a very effective way to express our style and individuality.

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To sum up, you don't need a Chanel bag or the latest collection from Yves Saint Laurent to look good or be stylish. Any outfit that you like works in order to make you feel confident since there aren't really any rules. Fashion, just like any other type of art, is a way of expression and you can use it to choose how you want other people to perceive you.

November 13th, Paris

Yesterday I found out about a terrible attack that happened in Paris. Millions of people around the world inmediately stepped forward to show their solidarity with France. It was everything that news programmes talked about the whole day. And although I personally feel very sad about it too, I also believe that the way this has been portrayed in the media is very unfair.

The sad truth is that things like these happen everyday in places like Syria and Iraq. However, they barely discuss it on TV and when they do it's only a small headline in a big summary of world news. It seems like we only care about the victims when they come from a rich white European country. On Friday there were also terrorist attacks in Beirut, Libanon and earthquakes in both Mexico and Japan, but they probably didn't get more than two minutes in television.

A negative effect of this event is the reappereance of islamophobia and racism. I heard the expression of "islamic terrorism" far too many times yesterday. It seems like religion is only related to terrorism when it comes to ISIS. Whenever a white American boy walks into school and starts shooting people there is no talk of religion, and if he happens to be christian we just assume that it has nothing to do with the act itself.

Terrorism has no religion and terrorists don't represent islam, they just choose to believe what they have to in order to spread horror. Implying that all muslims sympathize with ISIS or Al-Qaeda is the same as saying that all Germans are nazi or that all christians are part of Ku Klux Klan: it is an unfair generalization.

Nowadays more than ever we must also show solidarity with muslims all over the world who have to live their lives everyday facing the prejudice caused by a few who find pleasure in seeing others suffer, as well as those in Paris who were directly affected by the massacre and are still afraid. They are all victims.

Whoever kills an innocent, it is as if he has killed all humankind - Quran 5:32

Connect yourself

We live in the digital era which means that wherever we go we are constantly surrounded by technology. Everyone around us has a smartphone and most people spend considerable amounts of time on the Internet everyday. And with all of that comes a question - is technology affecting the way people interact with each other?

I have to say that almost everybody that I've ever heard complain about modern ways of communication was an adult or older than that. That leads me to believe that it is the people who haven't grown up in such a digital environment who refuses to accept the growth of the Internet, smartphones, etc. As we know, people critisise what they don't understand.

While it may be true that sometimes you're at a restaurant and there are people sitting on a table with their phones and not really speaking or looking at each other, new technologies bring way more good things than bad things like that. Everything has its disadvantages but when it comes to communication and social relationships I find that the Internet helps a lot of people in different ways such as keeping in touch with loved ones who live far away, helping shy people interact in an easier way, keeping track of what your friends are doing, and also discovering new and interesting things.

In conclusion, I believe we should accept the changes that are happening in society in order to evolve and be better.

Essay outline

        I.            Introduction. Thesis statement: Taylor Swift is the biggest and most powerful artist in music nowadays.

      II.            Music achievements

A.      Had three consecutive albums sell more than a million copies in their first week of release.

1.       Speak Now (2010)

2.       Red (2012)

3.       1989 (2014)

B.      Her album 1989 spent more than a whole year in the top 10.

C.      Is the youngest person to win the Grammy award for Album of the Year in 2010 at 20 years old. She currently has seven Grammy awards.

D.      All of her songs are written by herself.

E.       Two of her music videos reached more than a billion views on YouTube.

    III.            Influence

A.      She labels herself as a feminist and supports women’s rights.

B.      She supports smaller artists.

1.       She wrote an open letter to Apple Music criticizing their decision of not paying artists for streaming their music on the trial version of their app and the next day, as a result, they changed their policy.

2.       Sometimes she invites other people to sing with her at her concerts, exposing them to thousands of her fans.

    IV.            Character

A.      She has a direct relationship with her fans.

1.       She often interacts with them on social media, especially on her tumblr blog.

2.       She has a special free meet and greet after her concerts where she invites random people who were chosen during the concert.

3.       In 2014 she held “secret sessions” in which some fans got to listen to her album for the first time in her house before it was released.

B.      She is committed with a lot of charities and organizations.

      V.            Conclusion

Halloween

Halloween is a festivity that takes place the 31st of October every year. It's the night before All Hallows Day when people dress up as something scary and sometimes even go out asking their neighbours for candy (trick or treating). Where I live most people know what Halloween is about but not everyone is willing to participate in these celebrations. Personally, I've celebrated Halloween very few times in my life. However, this year my friends and I decided to do something special but relaxed. We went to my friend's house to have dinner and we had a little Tim Burton marathon because my friend loves his movies. I personally think he is a little overrated but we had fun. Because we stayed up very late watching those movies we all spent the night at my friend's house. To resume, it was a really fun sleepover and I had a great time this Halloween.

Should people watch reality shows?

Reality shows are a very popular type of television that is highly enjoyed by some people and heavily criticised by others. There are many arguments that imply that people who watch this kind of programmes are often less smart and also influenced by the characters’ bad behaviour. I personally think they are a good entertainment option sometimes when you just want to turn on the TV, relax, and not think too much. It’s true that some people in reality shows play a character more often than they act “real” or “natural”, but most of the time they are a good representation of human interaction. Moreover, they offer funny moments when you need them. That being said, the fact that you watch Big Brother or Keeping Up With The Kardashians doesn’t mean that you are suddenly going to start acting and talking like they do in those series. The reason why reality television is so successful is because sometimes we feel identified with the people who appear in them and we understand how they’re feeling. To sum up, and even though it sounds bad, if you’re feeling sad sometimes one of the few things that can help disconnect is to change channels and see someone who has it worse.

Contrast paragraph

It's pretty safe to say that, in the world of music, classical and rock are very different from each other. The first aspect in which they differ are the instruments used. Rock bands usually consist on guitarists, bassist and a drummer. In contrast, in a classical orchestra it is more common to hear violins, flutes, cellos and other string instruments. In addition, rock music usually has a lead vocalist who sings the lyrics to the songs, while classical pieces are mostly only instrumental. Another difference is the way they perform their music. Classical musicians are trained to play every note perfectly and they rehearse a lot to make everything sound good. On the other hand, rockers are not that worried about the technical aspect of the performance. This doesn't mean that they don't care about playing well, but not as rehearsed as classical bands. They're more focused in connecting with the audience and having a good time. To sum up, both types of music appeal to different people because at the end of the day, it is a matter of taste.

Opinion paragraph

Concerts shouldn’t have age limitations. There have been a couple of times in the past when I haven’t been able to go a venue and see a band perform since I was still underage. Sometimes this doesn’t even have anything to do with the artist in question. Age limits vary from one place to another. The main reason why this happens is that most venues are also bars or clubs who already have to follow strict rules that don’t allow minors to drink. But should teenagers miss watching live music just because they’re not allowed to drink? This is an unfair decision. Actually, there are a lot of ways to prevent underage people from buying alcohol inside the venue, like giving them a special bracelet at the door or just simply asking for their ID before selling them a drink. Music is universal and everyone should be allowed to watch their favorite band anywhere, regardless of age.

Description of a place

In the picture we see an example of a very interesting landscape. It is located in the coast, where the waves are hitting an estructure of rocks. Each rock is a different height, which give the shore a very unique appereance. The motion of the ocean makes the atmosphere quite relaxing. It looks like a place where you could sit from afar and watch the movement of the sea for hours. However, I wouldn't go swimming there, since the waves are quite heavy and it could be dangerous. Overall, the scenery serves for a very beautiful photography.

Fear the Walking Dead (season 1 review and personal opinion)

Fear the Walking Dead is a spin-off prequel based on the very popular series The Walking Dead and last Sunday we got to watch the action-filled first season finale.

One of the main differences between this and the original show is that there isn’t that much zombie presence. Instead, this time the plot is more focused on the fall of civilization and the beginning of the apocalypse rather than the struggle of surviving afterwards. The show introduces a family formed by two siblings (one of which is a drug addict), their mother and their stepdad. More characters like the stepdad’s other family will appear later on. Everything in their lives changes when an unknown virus starts making people come back from the dead. This is actually the purpose of the show, since the original The Walking Dead started when the world had already been taken by zombies. Now we get to see how it got to that point and how people reacted in a different location such as Los Angeles.

The first two or three episodes in my opinion were kind of slow, which makes sense in a new series like this when you have to introduce characters and set the tone for the rest of the episodes. That being said I think the dynamic between the characters is good and their reactions to the zombie apocalypse, such as denial, disbelief, fear, etc. were quite believable and understandable. It was a short season compared to most American television series (only 6 episodes), however the ending manages to give you enough answers to make you feel satisfied but still leave you wanting more. It was also a very clever move from the directors to set the premiere of the main show The Walking Dead only a week after Fear’s finale, as it works to build up more anticipation for its sixth season.

The success that Fear the Walking Dead received affirms that the zombie trend isn’t over yet, and instead it has become a separate genre that continues to grow with time.

Fear

Fear of my parents being dissapointed in me.

Fear of people I love forgetting about me.
Fear of changing.
Fear of staying the same.
Fear of not being good enough.
Fear of not being happy someday.
Fear of pigeons.
Fear of awkward conversations.
Fear of having a job I don't like.
Fear of suffering an injury.
Fear of what I don't know.
Fear of not having enough money.
Fear of not being able to sleep.
Fear of anxiety.
Fear of the alarm not sounding in the morning.
Fear of drowning in the sea.
Fear of my family not being there.
Fear of sadness.

Living in Spain or abroad?

I’ve wanted to live abroad for a really long time. I like the idea of learning another culture and meeting new people. However, I think moving to another country in the future would be very difficult and expensive. Finding a job abroad could be even harder than doing it here in Spain and my parents wouldn’t be there to support me if I ever needed help. I would also miss my friends and family. In conclusion, I think a good alternative would be to spend a year studying abroad with a scholarship such as Erasmus to see what it’s like living away, and then I would have a better reference point to decide in the future.