Friday, December 21, 2012

10 December Human Rights Day- 2

Today we celebrate a special day which is Human Rights Day. What are human rights? Well, human rights are the rights you have, simply because you are a human.
A very famous man came up with the idea of human rights around 539 BC, his name was Cyrus the Great. He was a king. He gave freedom to slaves.

Many great people fought hard for human rights such as; Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela and Gandhi. At the end of all their actions, on 10th December 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was accepted.
Although it was signed by many countries, it is not followed by all of them. There is still discrimination and racism in the world.  

Brindha

What are human rights? Every single person should have the right to chose how their lives are going to be. They have the right to be free. All people should have equal rights. Even kings and queens are humans, just like everybody else. So they also should have the same rights and punishments like the others.  
YiHeng

Monday, December 17, 2012

10 December Human Rights Day- 1

Today is a very special day for us because all humans are created equal. Many people fought for human rights such as; Cyrus the Great, Mahatma Ghandi, Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela. These people tried to bring rights to everyone but people like Hitler didn't care and killed many people during 2nd world war.
Magna Carta was the first human rights agreement and  one of the most famous.

Universal Declaration of Human Rights is very important because it gives the equal rights to all.
In my opinion all countries should follow Human Rights but there are people who are treated very badly and they don't know about their rights.

Bachi





Today we celebrate a special day because it is 'Human Rights Day'. Humans have right to education and right to live. All humans are created equal. Universal Declaration of Human Rights has 30 articles which explain our rights. Before that Cyrus the Great gave freedom to slaves and right to chose their religion. 
All humans should have equal justice and punishment as we say in Portuguese; ' Even if it's a King.'
In my opinion, The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is great because it helps people to understand their rights.

Johnys


   

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Our mentor Mr. Mark Ruffalo has his birthday today!

Many happy returns Mr. Ruffalo. I wish you to have a nice life with fun. I hope you act in the best films.
All the best from Piruntha


Dear Mr. Ruffalo,
I am so happy that you were born on the same day as me. I wish you a big Happy Birthday and I hope you will have a great life. One day I would love you to make a movie about me:)   

I send you and your family lots of love!
Giorgiana


Hello Mr. Ruffalo,
Happy Birthdaaaaay! Wow! I never knew that I would have the chance to wish you a great birthday but since I am, I'm here to make sure you receive my wishes; I wish you all the best today and the rest of your life.
Aisha

Dear Mr. Ruffalo,
Happy happy birthday! You have been great to us this year. 

Michelle

Happy Christmas! Oh no, wait I forgot! Today is not Christmas but I remember it's still a very special day...Oh yeah! It's your birthday. Happy Birthday Mr. Ruffalo! Have a nice day and best luck to you and your family.

Carlos


Dear Mr. Ruffalo,
Happy Birthday to you. I wish you all the best!

Marian


On this very special day, I am sending my best wishes to you and your family. I also wish you health for the rest of your life!

Sergio


Happy Birthday Mr. Ruffalo! I wish you all the best. I hope you will act in many movies and stay the person as you are!

Bachi



Dear Mr. Ruffalo,
I'm so happy to write this letter to wish you a happy and marvellous birthday! May this day be the best of all the birthdays you've ever had. I wish God to protect you and your wonderful family!

Your sincerely,
Brindha    

Monday, November 19, 2012

Letter to Malala by Giorgiana

19/11/12

Dear Malala,

I saw your video and it really shocked me. I am very sad about what happened to you. I think you are right and every single girl has a right to go to school. If it was me, I would have done the same.

I believe that every child has a right to education and safe life. A world without a school is a world without hope.

Do people think about the girls' lives? I don't think so. They just want them to be good wives. I think people who force their daughters to be married instead of sending them to schools when they are children, should be punished.  


I send all my love to you and I hope you will get better soon!

Giorgiana 

Letter to Malala by YiHeng

19/11/12

Dear Malala,

I admire you seriously because of you, more girls may be allowed to go to school now.

61 million children are not in school at present. They are child labourers.

Many children around the world love you.



Thank you Malala, for doing this.

YiHeng    

Letter to Malala by Johnys

19/11/12

Dear Malala,

I am very sorry about your story. I think that you are an example for all the girls, because of you more girls will go to school.

A world without a school is a world without hope. And I believe that every child has a right to education, health care and a safe life.

Thanks to the charity which was established in your name called I am Malala more children will be able go to school.

Thank you for doing this.

Johnys

Letter to Malala by Michelle

19/11/12

Dear Malala,

Many people are proud of you. You are very brave and thoughtful. You are a gift for all the children around the world who can't express their emotions.

We all know that a world without a school is a world without hope. Many children would like to go to school but they have lots of problems. But I know that you are going to make big changes in these children's lives.

Thank you Malala. We are hoping for your good health.

Best wishes from,
Michelle 

Letter to Malala by Marian

19/11/12

Dear Malala,

I am very sorry for what happened to you. What you did was good. I also believe that every child has a right to education. I have seen your video clips and made me very sad. It is not fair that so many children are not allowed to go to school. A world without school is a world without hope!
Malala, your speech has really touched me and all the other people around the world.

Thank you Malala. I hope you will get well soon!

Marian

Letter to Malala by Carlos

19/11/12

Dear Malala,

We know your story. I didn't know that kids of our age or younger were having so many problems nowadays.

I imagined myself waking up one morning and being in these very difficult conditions. I know I am not a girl but I support you and your ideas about education, safey and life.

I hope you get well soon, keep strong and continue sharing your ideas with the world because we all are with you. We realise the importance of education and teachers. Education is the way of getting a better life.

Carlos

Letter to Malala by Bachi

19/11/12

Dear Malala,

I am very sorry about what happened to you but you should know that you are a symbol for a lot of people because of your strong mind.You  helped many people who want to study.

When I watched the videos of you, I felt very sad, because there are so many children who want to study but they can't. It's either because they don't have schools or their parents would not allow them.

Education is very important for everyone. Thank you very much for all you've done. 

Bachi

Monday, November 12, 2012

Cambridge IGCSE E2L Coursebook 2, Unit 19: Competition entry to win a techno jacket 2

Hi,
My name is Brindha and you may wonder why I want to win this techno-jacket competition.
I am fan of Mr. Conte because he designs fashionable clothes. I wear clothes that he designs. Sometimes these clothes are easy to afford but since he designed the techno-jacket, I didn't have the opportunity to get myself such an expensive jacket.

I think I should win because my birthday is soon and it will be a very nice present.

The techno-jacket has high technology and it will be very useful at home, because I will only need my jacket to receive calls or phone others. I can also listen to music with my jacket. This jacket will really make my everyday life easier.

I'm certain that I deserve this prize because I deserve a good present for my birthday and you will help a fan of Mr. Conte.

Thank you,
Brindha

_______________________________________________________________________________

Hi,
I want this new techno-jacket because it plays music. If I win this jacket all the others will have eyes on me when I wear it, because it is very different than any other jacket.

If I designed this jacket, I would put another function to change the colour like D.I.Y, I would put pictures on the jacket and a touch button to change these pictures.

Thank you,
YiHeng
_______________________________________________________________________________

Hello,
I want to win the techno-jacket, because if I want to buy myself, I have to spend a lot of money. I am writing this article to tell you the reasons and what I will do with this jacket, if I win it.
The techno-jacket looks nice and it's a designer work. He worked really hard to make it.
If I win the jacket, I'm going to use and look after it very carefully. I like that I can listen to music with this jacket.

I think I deserve to win the prize but there are many people who write to your company to win as well. I would like your company to give the prize to someone who really deserves this jacket.

I wish you all the best!
Piruntha
______________________________________________________________________________


Hi,

The main reason I want this jacket is that, it is really cool. Nowadays, there aren't many shops selling techno jackets, so I think this is a good opportunity, to get one and enjoy the new, fresh and cool features.

I'd make a good use of the new built phone and mp3 player technology. First of all I'd show it to all of my friends and then I'd listen to music and receive calls from my friends.

Finally I deserve to win this prize, because I am the number 1 fan of clothing technology. I am really interested in this kind of staff, and I find it awesome.

Thank you,
Sergio

____________________________________________________________________________

Hello,
Techno-jacket is the most wanted future clothing. It is a new way of making clothes. It looks like a normal jacket but includes technology inside it. All this technology would make life easier. It contains mobile phone and mp3 player.
The reason I want to win the competition is that, if I have children in the future, I can control them when they go out. It has a micro-chip that connects with 'maps phone application'. I can also listen to music outside without carrying a seperate mp3 player.

Thank you,
Carlos
 





 

   

Cambridge IGCSE E2L Coursebook 2, Unit 19: Competition entry to win a techno-jacket 1

Hi,

I am Michelle and I am entering the competition to win the techno jacket. I am interested in the things that other people don't have and also expensive to buy.

The new techno-jacket sounds unique and fashionable, isn't it? I would love to own this special jacket and take good care of it as if it is a friend.

I am sure this jacket would mean a lot to me and I would have the benefits of using for the rest of my life. I hope you would give me the priveledge to experience the new techno-jacket.

Thank you,
Michelle
_________________________________________________________________________________


Hello,
I am writing to tell you my reasons why I should win the jacket and how it would be useful for me.

Why do I want to win it? Because it's a really amazing and fashionable item. I love the fact that technology is mixed with a normal jacket. I know that people will be really amazed and I will feel proud of my jacket. I also want it because having a phone in my jacket makes things easier, so I don't have to worry all the time about where my phone is.

How will I use the technology on it? I will use it when I walk on the street alone because while the jacket is keeping me warm, I can listen to music and if my mum calls me, I don't have to worry because the music will stop playing when the phone rings.

I strongly believe that I need to win the techno-jacket, because I would let people know how amazing it is, so they will also buy one.

Thank you,
Aisha
_________________________________________________________________________________

Hello!
My name is Giorgiana. You are wondering why I want to win this techno-jacket. I am a techno-jacket person who deserve to win this competition. If I am the winner, I will be so happy! Because I wished for this jacket for a long time. It will be very useful to me because I want to show my friends and I will be proud of my jacket. 
Maybe you are wondering how I will use the technology in the jacket. This jacket will make my life easier because I will be able to receive phone calls and messages while listening to music.

Thank you,
Giorgiana

_________________________________________________________________________________

Hi,
The techno-jacket will be the highest selling item because it will be very fashionable and everyone will want to buy it. I am the trendiest boy in my little town, so I think I should get the prize. I love to wear new things.
With this jacket I can inset my mobile phones or MP3 into the jacket. It also has a head-phone, so I can listen to music.

If I win it I will use and look after it very well.

Thank you,
Bachi








Monday, November 5, 2012

Global Warming and Ozone Layer by Brindha

Today I learned about Global Warming. Global Warming happens when the global temperature increases. It causes increase in the sea water. The Ozone Layer protects the Earth from dangerous ultra-violet radiation of the sun. However, it is destroyed If countries don't stop polluting, after 100 years all the ice in the North Pole will melt. The Climate Change is due to human activities. China and America are the world's two biggest emitters of carbon dioxide.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/datablog/2012/jun/21/world-carbon-emissions-league-table-country

The North Pole is melting for the first time in 55 million years. The meltdown could also counteract the gulf stream.

Global Warming and Ozone Layer by Giorgina

Global Warming causes increase in the temperature, melt in polar ice and Green House Effect. It also causes increase in water levels. The Ozone Layer protects us from the sun  and made of oxygen but it is now broken by carbon dioxide emissions.   

How can we stop Global Warming? Does Global Warming affect animals? What will happen if there is no ozone layer left? Is Global Warming going to effect us? How do Green House gasses affect us?


The North Pole is melting for the first time in 55 million years. Green House emissions must be reduced. Greenland icecap has not only started to melt but also will disappear unless Global Warming can be halted.

Friday, October 19, 2012

Jumping off the edge of the space: Felix Baumgartner

Felix Baumgartner is an Austrian skydiver, daredevil and BASE jumper. He set the world record for skydiving an estimated 39 kilometres, reaching an estimated speed of 1,342 kilometres per hour, or Mach 1.24, on 14 October 2012. Wikipedia  

Felix Baumgartner made me feel proud because of his bravery and achievement. Doing that was very risky but he stepped on the ground successfully. ~ Michelle

Felix Baumgartner made me feel brave and scared at the same time. ~ YiHeng

He made me feel proud to be a human being because now I know that I can do whatever I dream of. ~ Bachi

This event made me feel shocked, because he could have died. I think that there is no point on jumping from the space risking your life. But also I have to say that I am proud of his bravery and the fact that he made his dream come true. ~ Carlos
 
Felix Baumgartner made me feel more confident about myself. He is a human being, so am I. He made his dream come true after 4 years. Therefore, I feel braver because I can make my dreams come true, no matter how long it takes. I just need patience and I should never ever give up! Also it gives me courage to stand up for my dreams, even though I have to work really hard, it is worth it! ~ Aisha

When I saw the clip of Felix Baumgartner, I felt like I was there. I felt very scared. Thank God, he is a very strong and powerful man who followed his dream and he made it. So it also made me think that if I work hard, I can make my dreams come true as well.~ Sergio

Felix Baumgartner made me feel really scared because he lost his balance during his jump. I think he is a very courageous person who shocked people with his bravery. It must be nice to jump from the space to Earth. I don't think many people would do that. ~ Giorgiana

Felix Baumgartner prepared himself for a long time to jump from the space. I can't do it. I think it is very scary.~ Piruntha
Felix Baumgartner made me feel scared because I can never do what he did. I think that he is very brave. ~Marian
Felix Baumgartner made me feel brave and also made me think that life was too short. He has lots of courage to do that. I learned that we are very small in the entire universe. When he jumped, he looked very tiny and invisible. It's a big honour for him to be able to do that. I was surprised because there are only a very few people who could do what Felix Baumgartner did. ~ Brinhda
       
   

Saturday, October 13, 2012

Water facts & Water Defense 2

"My opinion about water is that, we are the ones who are making it decrease. Only one tenth of the world's water is safe and available for us. In countries like US, industries and drilling (hydro fracturing) are polluting the water. I am very glad that we have charities like Water Defense, because they are trying to reduce water pollution. We know that we can't live without water." ~Sergio

"We should be aware of the condition our world is in today. Only less than one tenth of  world's water is safe to use. Global carbon emission is rising. If we don't reduce the pollution, humanity will face the most serious crisis in the history. Water Defense is making us aware of these facts and also helping people understand the dangers of mining and drilling in America. They need our support!" ~ Michelle

"Water is our most precious resource. We have very little water available for us to use. In many places, drinking water is full of methane, benzene. lead and other unknown chemicals. In my opinion Water Defense is a great charity because people need others to defend them. Especially children need protection. I think Mark Ruffalo and Water Defense are doing a great job because they are raising awareness of the people about the dangers of fracking." ~ Giorgiana

"In my opinion Water Defense is a great organisation because it helps everybody around the world, since we all need water. Those people who poison the water should know that in the future, if we don't have water, all the money they are going to earn will not matter. Because without drinking water, we can't survive. All these organisations like Water Defense are doing the right thing and if I was older, I would join them. All of us should really fight for water. Hydro fracturing kills people. We are in this world not to kill but to provide them a good life. We all deserve clean water. We should think about the new generations, their lives are in our hands." ~ Aisha

Water Facts & Water Defense 1

"People waste water. They don't even think about their future. One day we will lose all the water." ~Marian


"The world is surrounded by water but 1.2 million people don't have access to clean water. In US 150 gallons of water per day is used. In the UK, this number is 66 gallons per day, while in African Sahara it is only 5 gallons per day. America uses most of the water because they have big industries. I think charities like 'Water Defense' is very good to make people understand about these facts." ~ Brindha

"Less than one tenth of one percent of all the water on Earth is safe. The rest is full of carcinogens and deadly toxins. Parents are worried about their children's future. On the other hand many people waste water while many don't have enough water. If I was working for the government, I would help all people to understand why water was important. If they don't have clean water to drink, they will die eventually. We need to help charities like 'Water Defense', so they can help others. ~ Piruntha

" Nowadays water in the world is decreasing and less than one tenth     of people have access to safe water on earth. Water sustains resources for good life. Countries like US are wasting a lot of water and polluting the water with their industry. We have to do something. I think we should support charities like 'Water Defense' to raise people's awareness." ~ Carlos

" I think water is very important because dirty water can make us ill. To have charities like 'Water Defense' is great because they can teach us about the facts. We need to think about future. If I was in the government, I would build more charities like that. People should donate money for them to survive." ~ Bachi

" Water is a human necessity. However, some people waste water because they don't think water is important. Try to imagine a day without water!" ~YiHeng

" Water is our precious resource. One in five people worldwide doesn't have drinking water. As global carbon emissions continue to rise and we move towards climate change, charities like Water Defense are very important because they make people aware of the dangers of losing water." ~Johnys

http://waterdefense.org/




    

  

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Our students' responses to Mr. Mark Ruffalo...


Message from YiHeng;
Dear Mr. Ruffalo,

Thank you so much for taking time to send me this very special message. I will listen to your advice to make myself better. 

Message from Carlos;
Dear Mr. Ruffalo,

Thank you for your message. It means a lot because it made me think about my future and life. There are also some people around me to tell me that I can’t do things. Because of your message if I want to make things, I will make it happen.

Message from Sergio;
Dear Mr. Ruffalo,

Thank you very much for your message. I’m really pleased that you have bothered to write such a lovely letter to us. It has made me think about my future and what I want to do when I grow up. From now on, I’ll follow my heart to make my decisions.

Yours sincerely,
Sergio

Message from Bachi;
Dear Mr. Ruffalo,

Thank you very much for your message. I think it is true that we need to follow our heart and follow what we want to do.

Message from Piruntha;
Dear Mr. Ruffalo,

Thank you very much for your lovely letter and your advice. I will follow what you said. I appreciate when you are caring and think about us personally.


Message from Marian;
Dear Mr. Ruffalo,
Thank you very much for writing us this lovely message and for giving us advice.

Message from Michelle;
Dear Mr. Ruffalo,

Thank you so much for your adorable message for us. I’m really flattered that you had time for us to give such a lovely message in between your very busy schedule. We appreciate it. It gives a meaning to us young students. We’ll keep supporting you.

Yours sincerely,
Michelle

Message from Aisha;
Dear Mr. Ruffalo,

I would really like to thank you for taking time, even though you are very busy, to write a letter to us.
Your message really touched me. It was helpful, especially the quote.It is normal to feel that the world is against me and have hard times, but it will not continue like this forever.
I would also like to tell you that I love your acting and the small things you do, makes you even nicer to my eyes.
Thank you Sir!

Yours sincerely,
Aisha 

Dear Mr. Ruffalo,

I would like to thank you for your nice message that you took time to write. This message is so rich and emotional. You are really good to write these nice things to teenagers you’ve never met. I’m sure you care about us.
I’m going to follow your instructions and I appreciate what you said in your letter.

Thank you so much!
Brindha
  

Mr. Mark Ruffalo's words of wisdom for our students...


Life seems impossible sometimes when you are young. The world seems so vast and challenging and it’s hard to imagine how one can find the way. I was always deathly afraid that I would be homeless. I was so frightened that I would not find a calling, a respectable profession or a way of making a living. These fears tormented me when I was young. Secretly, I wanted to act, perform or create somehow but that seemed silly and everyone around me told me so. I was a mediocre student. 

The fact is; we can only do as much as our gifts and capabilities. Being a mediocre student does not bar you from doing great things in the future, so don’t get too hung up on that. Certainly don’t let it be the deciding factor on what you will become, just realise that it is only one part of successful life. There is much that is out of your control. The one thing we have in control is the direction we set for ourselves and how we approach difficulties. Your life will end where you point it. 

If you point your life toward destructive behaviour, I can assure you will end in a destroyed life. Addiction, early pregnancy and violence are the fruits of destructive behaviour. 

There was a quote I heard when I was young that meant so much to me. It was said by a great man named Joseph Campbell. He dropped out of college and moved to a cabin in the woods and did what he loved to do more than anything. Read… He spent a decade reading all the books that interested him: mythology, religion, poetry, philosophy, fiction and anthropology. After a decade of reading, he came out of his cabin and became one of our greatest thinkers and teachers. He used all his knowledge and came up with whole new way of looking at the world called ‘Comparative Mythology’.  He inspired movies and teachers and story tellers as well as the culture of the world. He did this vast amount of study on his own simply by following his curiosity and interests. Much of his work centred on the ‘Hero’s Journey’. He had one key thing he would repeat again and again. That one thing was music to my ears and remains that way to me even today. He said to me and anyone who had the spark of their heart’s joy still intact and to those who had lost and longed for their heart’s joy: “Follow your Bliss!”

That’s what I would say to my teenage self if I came upon that squirrelly, insecure kid covered with pimples and half-caved in on himself. I would say “Even though so little of how you feel or what the world seems to be saying to you at this point gives you confidence in yourself or the future, within you, within the depths of you, lies everything you need to sustain an authentic and well lived life.  There will be difficulty no matter what. There will be pain, sadness and loss but if you follow the part of you that quietly leads you to your joy; if you can drown out the unceasing noise of what people think you “should” be doing, and sometimes that includes your parents, teachers, even people you trust and admire; follow your curiosity, your interests and what makes you feel alive and joy, then you will always be safe. You’ll be shielded from much of the stifling grief that the world has to offer. You will become a master of that thing that gives you joy. In the end dear one, it is not about money, nor fame, nor popularity and not even love for that matter; all those things are secondary and will naturally bloom out of following the golden thread your soul has laid for you.

Follow that which presents you a challenge, hold on to it and follow it onto the treasure that lies at the end of that thread. That is who you ultimately are and what you are ultimately meant to do.”     

So, ‘Follow Your Bliss’ young people!

Mark Ruffalo

Sunday, June 17, 2012

100 Word Challenge: 'Suddenly I saw...' by Brindha (Year 10)


Suddenly I saw a fox. His eyes were fixed to mine. I felt like I couldn’t move. My body was shaking. Then the fox looked a little scared and that reassured me. When I was backing away from the animal, he closed his eyes. He looked like he was going to attack me. At this moment a car arrived very fast and the driver did not see the fox. The driver hit the fox and killed it. The blood squirted from the fox's body and it was all over my clothes. I just stood there like a statue, completely shocked. 

100 Word Challenge: 'Suddenly I saw...' by Marian (Year 10)


Suddenly I saw that my friend was crying. I approached her and asked her why she was crying. She told me that she did not feel well. I asked her to go and tell the teacher. She told me she could not explain the teacher so I had to help her. I learnt that she was being bullied by a group of girls at school who were saying nasty things to her at break and lunchtimes.  She felt lonely and worthless. I took her by the hand and convinced her to speak to the Head of Year. The bullying stopped. 

Saturday, June 16, 2012

100 Word Challenge: 'The Final!' by Carlos Year 10)

Suddenly I saw the ball hit the post. Just 10 minutes to the end of the match, all players were tired but they did not give up. The other team was playing hard. I was sitting with my father on the couch very nervously. There was extra time when it was 0-0 for both teams. They’d make the whole country so proud if they scored. 
Fabregas threw the ball to Torres, Torres crossed it to Miesta, Miesta shot it... Goaaaaaallll! Spain scored against Holland. It was the final of the World Cup and, they scored in the last four minutes.
 

100 Word Challenge: 'Suddenly I saw ...' by Aisha (Year 10)


Suddenly I saw her.. She was as beautiful as I had imagined her my whole life. Her blond hair shone like the sun. Her azure blue eyes could hypnotise everyone. The moment she looked at me, my heart started beating as it had never happened before. She smiled and at the same time I could see tears coming from her eyes; that are when I realised she recognised me as well. I ran to her as I once did when I was a baby, before my dad took me away from her. After twenty years I saw my mum again...

100 Word Challenge: 'Suddenly I saw...' by Sergio (Year 10)


Suddenly I saw people running towards me. I was staring at them trying to find out what was happening but I couldn't see anything. The crowd was yelling horrified. And then I heard a 'Boom!' It sounded like a bomb. Then I saw it. A skyscraper was collapsing. I realised someone bombed the building. So when the people heard it, they started running. I also ran for my life. The police sirens were very loud. Now people were running towards all directions. The police force tried to keep them calm but they were not enough so they couldn't manage it.

Thursday, June 7, 2012

PLFC EAL Students Interview the 'Hulk'...


We had a great opportunity to do a distance interview with Mr. Mark Ruffalo and asked some questions about his role as The Hulk, in the movie...

Questions to Mr. Mark Ruffalo
  1. Was it hard to act as Hulk? (Michelle)

MR: Acting the Hulk was very hard because I was always by myself. As an actor I really like working with other actors. I get very lonely working on my own. Plus it’s hard to be angry all the time. But it sure beats digging ditches.

  1. Would you have liked to be Hulk in real life? (Carlos)

MR: No, I like being who I am for the most part. It makes me happy that I get to be the Hulk while I am shooting the movie though.

  1. How many days did you spend preparing for your role as Hulk? (Bachi)

MR: Actually, one of the ways I prepare for a role is to day dream. That can take weeks at a time. Another way I prepared for Banner/Hulk was to write down my dreams. I also rehearsed a lot with Joss Whedon.

  1. Did you like playing Hulk or would you have liked to be another super hero in the film? (Aisha)

MR: When I was a boy I always loved the Hulk. I liked the Dr Jekyl/ Mr Hyde quality of his persona. I also always liked Iron Man when I was a kid. I loved playing the Hulk. It was a little difficult finding the balance between Banner and Hulk and I was nervous about making it believable because it is so fantastical.

  1. Was it hard pretending that you were hitting someone when in fact; there was no one next to you? (Aisha) 

MR: I was actually happy I wasn’t really hitting someone. I had to use my imagination a lot. I was alone during all the Hulk part of the shoot. 

  1.  How did you feel when you smashed Loki? For me it was the best part of the film... (Giorgiana)  

MR: It was a lot of fun and they gave me a little piece of foam about the length of my arm. I flung it and smacked it around in so many different ways. We were all actually laughing while we were doing it.

  1. Are they planning to make the Avengers sequels? (Marian)

MR: Well, no one is supposed to know this yet but because I trust that you will keep it to yourself until they announcing it… I can only say this. They are not planning on not making another Avengers in 2014

  1. Did you enjoy working in that movie? Why? (Piruntha)
MR: I enjoyed working on Avengers quite a bit. I was with a great group of people. I had already worked with Robert Downey JR and liked him. We really had a good time together and he was so kind to me. I was kind of the new kid to the group so I was very intimidated when we started. Robert made me feel welcome and comfortable. The rest of the group are just fantastic people and fine actors. I also really loved our director Joss Whedon.

  1. How do you feel to represent this big, enormous monster? If in real life you had this extra ordinary power, how would you control yourself? (Brindha)
MR: It was a little scary for me to do the Hulk. So many people love that character and so many others had already done a great job playing it in the past. The one thing that was exciting to me was that I would actually be able to play the Hulk and Bruce Banner. No one had done that in the past. It was kind of intense the day, I filmed turning into the Hulk. There is so much anger and rage in there and as an actor sometimes you have to get in touch with that side of yourself. It never feels too good after we get angry and raged. The same is true with the Hulk. Except this Hulk is so much fun to watch but there are scary moments with him too. If I was really the Hulk I would meditate to learn to control myself. When you meditate you learn to watch yourself before acting. You get to think before you move. When you meditate you become more self aware and you learn to reflect on yourself and your actions. So you learn to be able to control things like anger and sadness.

  1. What type of clothes did you wear, when playing Hulk? (YiHeng)
MR: I had to wear a spandex outfit when I played the Hulk. It was grey and black and very silly looking. It was the most unHulk like thing they could have possibly imagined to put me in. So much of my job was getting over feeling totally foolish while having to be so big, mean and fearless. Funny that.

Thank you all for your wonderful questions. I appreciate you taking the time to think them up. I wish the best to each and every one of you. Be the best you can be and treat the world the way you would want the world to treat you and your life will be a great work.

MR

Thank you very much for your great message and answers Mr. Ruffalo.We are looking forward to watching the next Avengers movie! 

PLFC Students' independent writing 2


Teenagers’ lives today
The life of teenagers today is very different than their parents’ teenage years. Today teenagers can’t live without technology. Everything they do is always related to technology.
When you get on a bus, you can see girls and boys on their phones talking for hours.   The only similar thing that some youngsters still do is reading books. I love reading books. When I read books they take me to other universes. I appreciate reading when I understand what the writer means.
Teenagers also still go to the movies with their friends to have fun. However mostly they prefer to talk on the Facebook, Twitter and other social network sites.
Nowadays when teenagers fall in love, they only love the appearance of the other person. They don’t care about their personality or sharing something in common. I think you should love a person not for their appearance but for something you find special within them.  
However, I think there are still sensible and interesting teenagers out there.

By Brindha

Teenagers

I am going to write about teenagers because I am one of them and it’s complicated to be a teenager.
Teenage years are between 12 and 21 which is a long time.  Everyone knows that a lot of things change and teenagers experience different things.
Firstly you have changes in your body and every new thing feels weird in the beginning until you get used to it.
However, I want to write about emotional changes such as behaviour and the way you get on with friends. For example, sometimes I ask myself why my mood changes so often… Then I realize that it doesn’t just happen to me. One minute you are in a perfect mood and then something little happens and it can make you feel like the world is crashing down on you.
In addition, all teenagers start thinking a lot about love and flirt with each other. They also like going parties and meeting new friends. They enjoy these parties so much that sometimes they don’t realise they can become addicted to drugs, alcohol etc. in these parties.  Youngsters should be very careful in these parties.
The thing is that the age is very important and during teenage years parents should be careful with their teenage children. We really feel things very strongly and it may cause some problems between us and our families.

By Aisha

PLFC Students' independent writing 1


Music  
Music is very important part of my life but it is also more than that. It expresses happiness and sadness. Without music I could not live. Music can have lyrics but can also be instrumental.
Music opens a new world for our ears and minds. What is described as good or bad music depends on the taste of its listeners. A good piece of music takes away boredom or relaxes you before sleep.
I like pop music and my favourite singers are Bruno Mars and Nicky Minaj. I like the songs; ‘Just the way you are’ and ‘I got feelings’.
So thanks to music my life is better.
By Carlos

Spain
I want to write about Spain because I was born there and lived there until I was 14. I love Spain.
Spain is situated in the south-west of Europe. The main language is Spanish. There are other languages such as Catalan, Basque, Valencian, Galincian, Occitan.  The capital of Spain is Madrid. Spain’s President is Mariano Rojay. Spain has an area of 504,030 square kilometres. The population is 46,030,109. The Spanish currency is the Euro. Spain is divided into 17 communities.
I think that Spanish food is one of the healthiest and tastiest in the world. Typical foods of Spain are paella, chorizo, churros and ocado.
You need to visit Spain because it has got beautiful sandy beaches. Particularly the ones situated in the Southern Spain are the best.
By Sergio


Mobile Phones
I use my mobile phone to communicate with my friends. Nowadays all the teenagers have mobile phones to connect with others.
I think the best mobile phone is the iPhone because it has got a very fast internet connection and the best applications.
The second best is the Samsung but I don’t think it as good because it has got a very big screen.   
By Bachi