A Job You Would Like to Do

Hi FAU Bloggers

Today I'd like you to write about a job you would like to do. Actually, I'd done a lot of jobs in my time. When I was a young boy I did several part time jobs. I did a paper round, then I worked in a Butcher's shop cleaning dirty refrigerators and finally I worked in a Clothes' Shop selling jeans. My first full-time job was as a Laboratory Assistant and 3-months later I was promoted to Laboratory Technician (Wow!!). Since then I've worked running a rehearsal studio, as a photographer, a photographer's assistant, a DJ, a lorry driver's assistant, a waiter, a musician, a warehouse technician, a barman, a Language Learning Centre assistant, a Course Director, a summer school teacher, a High School teacher, an examiner and no doubt some other things that I can't remember at the moment. However, I think the job I would like to do most is to be a free-lance music producer. I love to work with music and creating new things in the studio would be a great way to spend my time, especially if I was getting paid for it. I think the main quality you need for this job is to have a good ear for music. However, you also need to hear what isn't there, as well as being able to imagine how a song or piece of music would sound with different arrangements. Unfortunately, I never had the chance to work in a professional studio with me being in charge although I have recorded independently in smaller studios or using non-professional equipment. Currently I'm learning to use software like Ableton Live so maybe I'll get the chance to produce something after all!!!
Write about a job you would like to do.
Say:
What job it is,
Why you like this job,
What qualities you need to do this job well,
Why you think you would be good at this job, 
Which person who does this job is your inspiration.
Write at least 200 words. Leave a comment on my blog and on the blogs of 3 classmates.

London Calling!

Today in class we did the London Webquest. Please write about one of the places you learnt about on your blog.

Say:

Where it is.
How to get there.
How much it costs to get in,
What you can do there,
Why you would like to visit this place.

Write at least 120 words. Leave a message on my blog and on the blogs of 3 classmates.

An Ambition

Dear Bloggers,
Today I'd like you to write about an ambition you have for the future. It could be a trip you would like to make, a sport you would like to try, a person you would like to meet or a job you would like to do. It could be almost anything! Personally, I have always wanted to travel to the Far East. I think I gained this ambition because of books I read when I was younger. As a child I remember reading a book called Missee Lee by children’s author Arthur Ransome. The book was about some young children who were captured by Chinese pirates and taken to China after the boat they were sailing in sank. It mentions many Chinese customs related to food and the Dragon Festival and I was fascinated by the description of such an exotic place.
Later on, as an adult (!!), I read a book called Japanese Pilgrimage which is a true story of a North American man who spent a year travelling around some Japanese temples on the island of Shikoku . Many people in Japan who are followers of the Zen religion do this as spiritual journey. They leave all their possessions behind for a year and do a pilgrimage of 88 temples. Local people leave food for the pilgrims every day and the people who make the journey walk and meditate. I was really impressed by this idea and it is something I would love to do (though I doubt I ever will). The other book that made me want to travel to the Far East is my favourite book Titus Groan by British author Mervyn Peake. Peake’s parents were missionaries in China at the turn of the 20th century. Peake lived there until he was 7 years old and his books are filled with oriental imagery. All of these books fuelled my desire to visit China and Japan. I hope that my wish comes true one day!
Write about an ambition you have.
Say:
What your ambition is,
Why you would like to achieve this ambition,
Who or what inspired your ambition,
What it would mean to you to fulfil your ambition.
Write at least 200 words. Leave a comment on your teacher’s blog and the blogs of at least 3 classmates.

A TV Programme You Watched as a Child

Good Morning Bloggers!
Today I'd like to tell you about a TV programme I watched as a child. The show I'm going to write about is called Dr Who. I started watching it as a child from about age 8 years old. It is about a person who travels through time and who has different adventures in different parts of the universe or at different points in Earth's history. The Dr (or The Doctor) travels in a spaceship that has the appearance of an old Police phone box. It's called the Tardis and although if looks small it's actually bigger on the inside. When I was a child the show used to be broadcast on Saturday at 6pm. The Dr fought against many enemies, the most notorious being the Darleks (pictured below). I remember that I used to spend half of the show hiding behind the sofa because I found it so scary. The series ran from 1963 until 1989. It was revived again in 2005 and there have been 6 new series since that date. The show had lots of followers and it had a very recognisable theme tune. Many artists have recorded versions of the theme tune. A song called "Doctorin the Tardis" by The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu which featured a sample of the tune reached Nº1 in the British singles chart in 1988. As well as being a great series, the show is a big part of British culture.

Write about a TV programme you enjoyed watching when you were a child:
Say:
What it was called,
What it was about,
When it was on,
Why you enjoyed it.
Mention anything else you think is important. Write at least 200 words. Leave a comment on my blog and on the blogs of 3 classmates.

A Photograph

Hi FAU Bloggers,

Today I’d like you to write about a photograph you took. I’d like to show you a photograph that I took that I really like. I took it in Valparaiso 5 or 6 years ago. It was taken at the exit of El Peral elevator which takes passengers from Plaza de la Justicia up to Paseo Yugoslavo en Cerro Alegre. I’d gone there to give a mini-tour of Valparaiso to some of my family who were here in Chile on holiday. I’m quite a fan of street art when it’s harmonious with the surroundings and when I saw the figure with the birds on his arms I thought it was just what you’d expect to find on “Happy Hill”. I think the artwork has real charm. I especially like the effect from the different sized eyes. I guess I’m proud of the photo, not because of any special technical ability, but simply because I created a better than average image. I use this image as the screen saver on my PC and as the background on my Facebook page. I went back to Valparaiso about a year ago and this figure had been defaced and it was in bad shape. I did however find another piece of art by the same artist. It was on a stairwell in the same neighbourhood. I think it was just the little “little prince” and one bird.
Write about a photograph you took or appear in.
Say:
Where and when the photograph was taken,
What the photograph shows,
Why you like the photograph,
Write at least 200 words. Write a comment on your teacher’s blog and on the blogs of 3 classmates.

Technology

I'm a big fan of technology and I try to keep up to date with new electronic gadgets. I love playing with photographic cameras, video cameras, computers and that sort of thing. I guess these appliances have had a big effect on my life. When I was a child my parents brought their first television (black & white!) when I was 6 years old. The Higginson family got its first record player when I was 11 and digital watches and electronic calculators became common whilst I was at secondary school (I could never afford either!). Many of the appliances that people nowadays take for granted have become common during my life time, things like digital cameras, cell phones and computers didn't exist when I was a boy. I think the first piece of technology I owned was a synthesizer, a Korg MS10 which I bought in 1978. I never really learnt to use it properly and I must have sold it a few years later when I  moved to London. 

My favourite piece of technology nowadays has to be my sampler. I bought it in last year and, although I still haven't had time to learn all it's functions, it gives me hours of fun. It's an Akai MPC 5000 which is the biggest sampler in the MPC series. It has 16 in pads in 4 banks which means up to 64 samples can be loaded and then played into sequences. Each sequence can have up to 99 tracks. The sequences can then be programmed into songs. Traditionally, the MPC is used to make hip-hop but I experiment will lots of other styles too.
Here's something i produced with a friend:
Write about your favourite piece of technology. 
Say: 
What it is, 
When you got it, 
What you use it for, 
Why you like it.
Mention anything else you thing is important. Write at least 150 words. Leave a comment on your teacher’s blog and on at least 3 of your classmates’ blogs.

A Subject You Enjoy Studying

Write about a subject you enjoy studying.

Say:

What subject it is,

Why you enjoy studying it,

What you have learnt so far,

Why this subject is important.

Mention anything else you think is interesting. Write at least 150 words.