教城网志 EdBlog
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Mona Lisa Smile

2007-12-04 18:01 by miss_ng
views: 42

Mona Lisa Smile, December 9, 2007 9pm on ATV World

Synopsis:

1953 America was a time ripe for change for women and when Katherine Ann Watson (Julia Roberts) arrives to teach Art History at Wellesley College, she finds the institution drowning in outdated mores. While the nation struggles with the fears that accompany a shifting political culture, the powers that be at Wellesley seem to want to re-corset the women who had been the backbone of the World War II workforce just a few years earlier. A passionate educator, Katherine takes on the establishment and in doing so, deeply affects her students who in turn lead her to alter the course of her life forever.

Learning English through watching films works for me as I enjoy movies so much. Also I can learn a lot of slang expressions and colloquial English that interest me a lot. Learning a language could be a very difficult and straining process unless you find out the optimal way that suits you best.

Back to this film. I like it a lot after I have first seen it in cinema. A very liberal teacher is opening up her students’ world through contemporary Art and her own liberal way of teaching. I admire the teacher a lot as it is not easy to be liberal and be your own way among the group of people with “legitimate” orthodoxy in the world of tradition. I especially like its idea of chasing after your dreams and doing what you are capable of against just staying at home and looking after a bunch of kids. If you have the talent, you should try your best to self-actualize yourself and push your potential to the fullest. However, being a stay-at-home mom and housewife is not that bad either. It can bring you the greatest feeling of achievement. Other people might give you a lot of ideas of what you should or are supposed do in your life and you might feel confused at times. After all, life is about finding out your true self. You can just take your time.

Remarks:
1. Check out another great film (another of my favorite) about an unconformed teacher who inspires his students to think, appreciate Art (poetry to be precise) and to dare to dream and aspire with a vision, Dead Poets Society. This film inspires me so much.
2. In the film, the teacher shows her students a huge painting by Jackson Pollock, my favorite painter. Read more about him at Wikipedia if you are interested. To me, his paintings have so much power that could just suck me in his (what seems to be) chaotic swirls of oil colors. And I haven’t even seen his real paintings! I’ve only seen them on TV and already the effects are so overwhelming.
3. Wellesley College is a very well-established liberal arts college in the United States. Famous alumni include Madame Chiang Kai-shek - Soong Mei-ling 宋美龄, former First Lady of the Republic of China.

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Other edu blogs

2007-11-28 12:24 by miss_ng
views: 49

屯门裘锦秋教师周记

裘锦秋中学(屯门)网上墙报陆老师

Miss Shum

KT’s Room

裘锦秋中学(屯门)图书馆BLOG

English Web Blog

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BBC to film all 37 of Bard’s plays

2007-11-20 13:10 by miss_ng
views: 53

This is an exciting news for me.

BBC is going to re-film all 37 of Shakespeare’s plays, with stars like Jude Law, Kate Winslate and James McAvoy (!!!).

Read the details here.

BBC’s classics series mean quality! I especially like its versions of Pride & Prejudice and Wives & Daughters. They are true to the original stories.

Remark:
Why are Shakespeare’s plays called Bard’s play?
Read this article in Wikipedia to find out more.

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Aussies fear for ‘white fella’ as whaling fleet gets ready

2007-11-19 21:20 by miss_ng
views: 56

Aussies fear for ‘white fella’ as whaling fleet gets ready

(STANDARD) 11月 14日 星期三 05:30AM

The world’s only known white humpback whale could be slaughtered as Japan’s whaling fleet prepares to embark on its annual hunt in the Southern Ocean, Australians fear The male whale, named Migaloo - an Aboriginal word for “white fella” - has become a celebrity in Australia since first being seen in 1991. Each year, Migaloo - along with thousands of other humpbacks - migrates from the seas of Antarctica to the warm shallows of the South Pacific and the Great Barrier Reef. A few months later, the females leading their newly born calves, return to Antarctica.

Conservationists fear 14-meter-long Migaloo is so accustomed to whale watching and fishing boats, that he will be easy pickings for Japanese hunters.

With the southern hemisphere summer approaching, the Japanese whaling fleet is preparing to leave port within days. It refuses to say exactly when, but has declared that for the first time it will kill 50 humpbacks, as well as 50 fin whales and hundreds of minke whales.

The Japanese argue that the international ban on whale hunting means fin and humpback whales have recovered to sufficient levels that they can now withstand being harpooned again.

The Fisheries Agency in Tokyo refused to rule out killing Migaloo yesterday, with officials offering a blunt “no comment” to media inquiries.

Instead, the agency called on Australia and New Zealand to ensure that the Japanese fleet would be protected from anti-whaling ships operated by a militant environmental group, the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.

Last year, Sea Shepherd threatened to ram the Japanese fleet with a ship fitted with a bulldozer-type blade.

The group has been branded environmental terrorists by Tokyo.

But the society says the law is on its side because whale hunting was illegal.

Japan uses a loophole in International Whaling Commission laws to hunt around 1,000 whales each year in the southern hemisphere, ostensibly for the purposes of scientific research.

Scientists are uncertain whether Migaloo is a true albino, or simply has white pigmentation.

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH

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Protected: testing for password-protect post

2007-11-06 15:08 by miss_ng
views: 50

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I just joined HK Marathon 2008

14:48 by miss_ng
views: 66

For a person who loves sleeping so much and regards it as her favorite pastime, I really can’t imagine myself joining the HK Marathon 2008. However, ever since I have watched the news on TVnews about the new route of 10km marathon, my heart itches. For 10km route, participants won’t have to run on the deadly Western Cross Harbor Tunnel. Instead, they can run on the Eastern Corridor this year, with fresh air! This good news is calling me to join. I am never a sporty person. But an impulsive one. My impulse orders me to just do it. My impulse orders me to click that “register now” button.

And I clicked.

Maybe your impulse is calling you too?
http://www.hkmarathon.com

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