Saint Patrick, Ireland’s patron saint

>> Who was St. Patrick?

He was a missionary and priest with a dual mission: his aim was to care for the Christians living in Ireland and to convert the non-Christians. He used the three-leafed shamrock with its green color to explain that there are three people in one god. Since then the shamrock is an important symbol of St. Patrick’s Day.

In Ireland there is a holiday in honor of St. Patrick, the holy patron. I remember that I was in Ireland at exactly that time when St. Patrick’s Day was celebrated.

The holiday takes place each year on March 17^th, and the people decorate everything in green (color of the rebirth and the spring) and wear green clothes. It’s quite amusing to watch them with their green hats, singing and dancing and celebrating in honor of St. Patrick.

It’s not only celebrated in Ireland but also in many countries all over the world. Wherever the Irish are at this special day they celebrate it- no matter where or when. Even at my hometown in Wolfsberg this day is celebrated at a small pub. I was there last St. Patrick’s Day and I experienced nearly the same feeling and atmosphere as when I was in Ireland… ;-)

The pursuit of happiness

Many people would associate that headline with the film starring Will Smith and his son Jaden (which is by the way one of my favorite films) but in this case I want to talk about happiness itself.

Happiness is important to everyone, a life without it nearly is not possible, and everyone would be sad and depressed all the time. But- there are still people who chase happiness because they are unhappy with their life and situation.

But chasing happiness will not make anyone happier; they might get even sadder. Happiness can’t be bought and you can’t actually earn it just at the time you need it.

The secret is that you have to wait for it until it comes to you. You have to be patient and remain waiting in silence. And then, at a moment when you expect it the least, happiness will come to you.

I don’t want to sound kitschy at all but that’s just the way it is. So many people are unhappy because they take things too serious and then wonder why they are not happy. Deep inside everyone of us has got the strong desire to be happy- so why not throw all the worries away and just have a good time?

For some people it might sound more difficult than it actually is, especially when they are having a down. But you should keep in mind that there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel!

I myself am a very optimistic person and I love to infect others with that cheerfulness.

Don’t give up and keep being patient- maybe happiness is just around the corner! ;-) 

... and here's a great song of Pharell Williams that always cheers me up- listen to it and you will notice how your happiness is growing! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6Sxv-sUYtM

Nothing but the truth

A documentary novel by Avi

The book "Nothing but the truth" is one of my favorite english novels.  I was about sixteen years old when I first read it, and I remember that I was absolutely thrilled by the book. It was my English teacher in school who drew my attention to the novel. He knew that I liked English books a lot and so he lent me this of his.

The story was so captivating for me so that I still think about it sometimes today. This really is a book worth blogging about!

 About Avi:

Avi was born in 1937 into a family of writers. He was raised in New York City.

He is named Avi, because his twin sister was either unable or unwilling to use the name his parents had given him. He discovered his desire to write at quite a young age. Unfortunately, he had symptoms of dyslexia, which is a frustrating problem that makes writing difficult. Although, he did not give up and he kept trying to be a writer.

Avi started his career by writing plays while he was working as a librarian. After the birth of his first child he started to write for young people.

His books have received many prizes and he has also won many children’s choice awards.

Avi is the cofounder of ART, the Authors Readers Theatre, which is a group of writers who perform theatrical adaptions of their books. He lives with his wife and family in Denver, Colorado.

The story:

The story is about Philip Malloy, a ninth- grader at Harrison High School in Harrison, New Hampshire, who has got a passion for running.

Because he is doing very poorly in the class of his English teacher, Miss Narwin, he is given a D for his grade and so he is not allowed to try out for the track team (=Leichtathletikteam). He does not tell his parents that it is all because of his dislike for Miss Narwin and his bad marks. Instead he pretends that he no longer has an interest in trying out for the track team.

Philip causes many offences in his class by singing the National Anthem, which is not allowed at Harrison High. Because of this incident he is suspended from school by Dr. Joseph Palleni, the assistant principal, for a couple of days.

When Philip tells his parents that he was suspended for singing the National Anthem, they are very upset. Ted Griffen, a friend of Philip’s father who is , gives Philip an interview with a reporter who is interested in Philip’s story. The reporter then talks to Miss Narwin and the principal, but none of them wants to talk about the incident.

 The story then is printed in a local paper and Mr. Griffen uses it as a campaign issue about being suspended just because of being patriotic.

As a result of that, the story  becomes a subject of national media attention and the school is flooded with telegrams and letters which are against Miss Narwin and in support of Philip.

 The school tries to calm the media, but everything gets worse. Their statements have become half- truth and they blame Miss Narwin for all the mistakes. Philip is despised (=verachtet) by his colleagues for forcing the removal of Miss Narwin.

At the end of the story Miss Narwin goes to Florida to live with her sister. Philip transfers to a school in Washington. When his new teacher asks him to sing the national anthem, Philip starts to cry and confesses: “I don‘t know the words.“

I can really recommend this book to everybody! It is also easy to read and understand and the story is rather exciting- I read it all at once!

The i-Generation

We definitely live in a fast and modern world. Technical gadgets are important to us, we actually couldn’t deserve a life without them. Of course, there is no doubt that it would be possible, but the fact is that we just don’t WANT to live without those gadgets!

Nearly everyone has got a cell phone with internet access; it’s almost not possible anymore to buy a phone which is made just for sending text messages and telephoning someone. But- as being mentioned earlier in the text, it’s a modern world and we somehow have to keep up with it.

But the whole thing turns around when also children do possess a cell phone. There are even kids who get their first phone at the age of 6! And they do not just get any phone, no, they get the latest iPhone! Is that really necessary?

The phone I had at the age of 6 was a toy and not a real phone. What should I have needed a cell phone for? I think that a phone steals a lot of the time you could spend with your family and friends, and, when being a child, it steals a part of your childhood…

The next thing is that the kids are confronted with social media networks at quite an early age and that might be harmful for them. Through social media they are faced with violence and pornography and things that are way too brutal for them. The children then are forced to grow up fast and this is a problem which may affect their later life.

I got my first cell phone at the age of eleven, but I actually didn’t need it. It really became important to me at the age of thirteen, when I started to become more and more independent. But I would never ever have needed a phone when I was a child.

In today’s life it’s the least that could be done that children have their own cell phone. It’s actually shocking, but it has become a part of everyday life. Technology has got a huge impact on our society and has changed it a lot. It’s actually very sad, but I don’t think that anything could be done about it.

Let’s just not forget about that: Children should be children and they deserve to grow up in a natural and save environment with REAL friends. The childhood is far too short, anyway…  

Register

Writing is not just about producing a coherent text. Writing affords a lot of effort, thoughts and planning. Come up with a smart plan before you start writing a text; list your ideas, what is more important, what is less. Also the style of writing should be questioned: Is it formal or informal? Whom do I write do? What is my purpose?

But one after the other…

>> Formal and informal:

Formal and informal is a hot topic of register. We might say that the difference between these two seems obvious, but actually there are many varying degrees of formality. The English used in newspapers or magazines is situated somewhere between formal and informal, but letters or emails with job applications for example are rather formal. It always makes a good impression if the writer knows how to find the right words and how to use them in an appropriate way.

>>Impersonal constructions:

In my opinion, I would say, from my point of view, …

Me, myself and I- this is one of the most common register mistakes. Many writers use these expressions because they think that that the reader might accept their ideas easier if they are stated from a personal point of view. It’s okay to use impersonal constructions in a blog for example, because it’s YOUR blog and YOU tell your followers about YOUR life or YOUR activities.  

But this chatty style would be inappropriate in an article of a newspaper or in a formal letter, because it might even appear offensive to the reader.

When writing a formal text the author should always keep in mind that he doesn’t know the reader so it appears strange if he uses the word YOU all the time. It may offend the reader because he might feel involved in an unpleasant way. The author should be aware of this tiny little word because it can cause a lot of misunderstandings.

See now how important register is for your writing? I have to admit that I myself sometimes don’t think that carefully about the text I’m going to write, but I’ll keep that in mind for the future. A text is not just about writing, it’s also about finding the right words to express your intentions in a clear but also polite and thoughtful way.

My beloved Venice…

Venice is romantic. Venice is exciting. Venice is unforgettable.

 FOR ME Venice is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever been to. I have already been to Venice many times so far, but I still remember what it was like visiting the city for the first time…

I was about ten years old and as excited as only a child can be. When packing my suitcase for that journey I was wondering all the time what Venice might be like: “A city without cars? But how does that work? How do we then get to this city?”  

Of course, we got there by boat. I was very excited during the short ride from the port of Tronchetto to Venice, and as soon as I saw the colorful houses and the “Markus Square” with the “Campanile” I had fallen in love with the city immediately.

It took us quite a long time to find the right way to our hotel, because the narrow streets and many bridges seemed like a labyrinth to us. I was rather impressed of how big the city actually was. Our hotel was quite small, but the rooms were comfortable and clean. From the window of our room we could see the canal with the “gondolas” passing by.

After a quick lunch at a small restaurant we started our “sight-seeing tour” at the “Markus Square”, the biggest and best-known square of Venice. We went up the “Campanile” from where we had a wonderful view of the city.

I was rather impressed of the liveliness and beauty of Venice; I had never been to a city like this before. We were just walking the alleys, not knowing where we might end up. It was like an adventure where you always discover something new. I liked the small squares with the cafes, hidden in the sea of houses.

Everywhere we went we were accompanied by lots of pigeons; Venice is famous for these animals, they seem to be everywhere you go. On our way through the city we went past “Ponte di Rialto” and “Ponte dei Sospiri”, which are the two best-known bridges of Venice.

On the third day of our journey we went to Murano by “Vapporetto” (the water taxis of Venice). Murano is a small town not far from Venice which is famous for its colorful houses and glassworks.

On our last evening we decided to visit the “Teatro La Fenice” to see the performance of “Madame Butterfly”. I was very excited because I had never been to such a big theater before!

It was even more impressive than I had expected: The theater was gigantic and imposing and decorated with golden-colored ornamentations.

We really enjoyed the play and as it was over we went back to our hotel, knowing that it had been a unique experience for all of us.

Venice is a city that will always remain irresistibly attractive to me- I am still in love with its beauty and its charming atmosphere. I hope that I will soon be able to see my beloved Venice again…

Turkish Delight

Describing myself as a globe-trotter would be far-fetched, but I have to admit that I have already been to many countries all over the world. A journey I never ever will forget was our trip to Istanbul in 2009.

 My brother, my father and I went there by plane and for me the adventure started right at the airport of Vienna. I was very excited and looking forward to this trip so I was in a good mood. During our flight to Istanbul I made the acquaintance of a same-sex couple which were really nice people and good to talk to.

Arriving in Istanbul was like getting to know a whole new world. The smells, the people, the houses and lifestyle- everything was so different from my home country! The taxi driver who drove us to our hotel was a man in his fifties, very friendly and funny. Though his style of driving was quite adventurous and a bit risky…  ;-)

As we finally arrived at our hotel, called “The Orient Express”, we were quite tired and decided to take a nap before starting to explore the city. But we were too excited and curious to wait that long.

When first entering the city of Istanbul I was overwhelmed. “Awesome, this place is awesome!” I thought to myself, just standing there and looking at the amazing skyline with the mosques and the high-rise buildings.

 I had never been to a mosque before and I have to say that it’s totally different from our churches.  When visiting the “blue mosque”, which is the best-known mosque in Istanbul, we had to put off our shoes before entering. The floor inside the building was covered with carpets and everywhere there were people kneeling and praying. We just remained in silence and admired the special atmosphere.

We were very lucky because we got the chance to discover the city in an absolute “non-tourist” way. At that time a good friend of my father had an apartment in Istanbul with his wife, she was working as a teacher in a German school. They both knew the city quite well and so they showed us around.

One of the most amazing moments for me was enjoying the view of Istanbul by night. We had a wonderful view from the balcony of the apartment of my father’s friend, watching the ships passing by on the “Bosporus” and listening to the chant of the muezzins.

 On the last day of our journey we visited the “bazaar” of Istanbul, which seemed like a whole new world to me. I was overwhelmed by the huge range of goods and by the variety of the many different shops. Merchants were standing in front of their shops, trying to get attention of the tourists.  The smell of the spices being sold filled the air and it was stuffy and crowded.

 I was very sad when we had to leave. When thinking of our trip to Istanbul today I still feel the special atmosphere of the city- for me it was an unforgettable journey. I would love to go back to Turkey one day to feel the magic again…