You won’t find many people in the world more stressed out than me at the moment. I am 5 weeks away from completing my undergraduate degree and still have 8 exams and one 3,000 word French essay to complete! This year at uni has been so busy and has gone so quickly, I don’t know where the time has gone. But it is equally important to know how to relax, something which I find difficult to do. So here are a few tips on how to relieve stress;
1. take a walk, clear your head.
2. drink tea.
3. meditate, take deep breaths.
4. do yoga.
5. laugh.
6. talk to a good friend.
7. realise that you are only human.
20 Jahre Mauerfall : Existiert der Osten immer noch?
Umfrage
Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren,
Ich studiere Deutsch an der Universität Leeds, England. Dieses Jahr schreibe ich eine Dissertation über das vereinigte Deutschland. Ich werde verschiedene Generationen ihre Meinungen Fragen, um herauszufinden, ob Deutschland 20 Jahren nach dem Fall der Mauer immer noch geteilt bleibt. Ich wäre sehr dankbar, wenn Sie diese Umfrage ausfüllen könnten. Ihre Meinungen und Erfahrungen wären für meine Forschung unschätzbar.
Mit freundlichen Grüßen,
Catherine Wintrip
Können Sie mir helfen? Wenn ja, geben Sie mir Ihre EMail Adresse, und ich werde Ihnen die Umfrage schicken. Vielen Dank! 
Wednesday saw the first day of the 22nd Leeds International Festival. The festival runs until 16th November, and the programme is jam packed with interesting, thought-provoking and sometimes off the wall independent cinema. There are some independent short films and some full length which made the main stream cinema in their respective countries. The films are being screened in various locations around the city centre, including; The Carriageworks, Hyde Park Picture House and The Light.
Here are my top 5, which I will definitely be going to see;
1. Versailles, with Gerard Derpardieu’s son, Guillaume, who sadly died on 14th October 2008 at the age of 38, just after shooting the film. The French Heath Ledger? Watch the trailer here; http://www.leedsfilm.com/films.aspx?id=45
2. 7 Accidents, Investigating Ordinary Crashes A fascinating and emotionally engaging documentary by emerging talent Alexis Taillant, taking car crashes as its theme. The filmmaker deftly pursues and brings to light the huge implications on society, psychology, emotions, the body and even philosophy of one of our society’s biggest maimers, which is continually presented to us in a cotton wool clad safe package as our ticket to freedom. With impressive candour, the interviewees help us understand more about the enormous impact of those bodies of steel.
3. Berlin Calling Berlin Calling stars Paul Kalkbrenner, one of the most famous and innovative DJs of the German electronic music scene. He plays DJ Ickarus who, at the peak of his career and on the release of his new album, starts to pay the price for years of drug abuse.
4. Fear eats the soul (Angst essen Sele auf) - Fassbinder classic! http://www.leedsfilm.com/films.aspx?id=101
5. Weltstadt Based on a true event, this powerful new voice in German cinema superbly examines German society with a critical and questioning eye in this excellent drama with utterly convincing performances. Reminiscent of The Edukators (LIFF 05), Weltstadt brings us two teenage boys living in a small village who battle with unemployment and despair at living the same frustrating life every day, over and over again. Their growing angst leads them to start taking risks and seriously pushing social limits - until there’s no going back.
Rev Jesse Jackson, fought for Civil Rights, probably thougt this day would never come. After doubting Obama in the beginning, he was speechless last night. This picture for me sums it all up.
Barack Obama is leading the polls in the States, but would
Just one day before the world finds out who will be the next president of the United States of America Barack Obama seems to be the hot favourite, being significantly ahead of his competitor John McCain in the polls. But amongst all this tension and excitement, it is worth reflecting this scene onto the other side of the pond. Would this election race ever have taken place in the
There are many reasons why we Brits are perhaps not ready for a black man to lead our country. It comes down to demographics. According to a recent article in ‘The Guardian’, 13% of the American population are black, compared to only 3% of
So it would seem that it is not just about demographics. It’s about more than that. It’s about class and identity.
For
Thanks to the person who sent me this email. I thought the words were so true and poignant that I wanted to publish them here.
“As we grow up, we learn that even the one person that wasn’t supposed to ever let you down probably will. You will have your heart broken probably more than once and it’s harder every time. You’ll break hearts too, so remember how it felt when yours was broken. You’ll fight with your best friend. You’ll blame a new love for things an old one did. You’ll cry because time is passing too fast, and you’ll eventually lose someone you love. So take too many pictures, laugh too much, and love like you’ve never been hurt because every sixty seconds you spend upset is a minute of happiness you’ll never get back. Don’t be afraid that your life will end, be afraid that it will never begin.”
Sometimes we all feel like we are stuck in a rut. Like we want to move on and snap out of it, but can’t. Little things can bug you; bad manners, the weather or a stain on your favourite top. But you don’t need to let these things get you down. I have decided to take action against this depressive state and start having some fun! As a wise fellow once said, “Don’t take life too seriously, you will not get out of it alive!”
Watch this video for some excellent life advice. http://www.eightprinciples.com/ (The French version is available here http://www.eightprinciples.com/?lang=fr)My favourite comment was, “What legacy do you want to leave?” How do you want people to remember you when you are gone? I want to be remembered as an ambitious, life loving, trustworthy person who never lets people down. I think I am doing quite well so far. But we all have room for improvement. So I am going to start acting like a 21 year old and start having some serious fun, before it’s too late!
Learning languages in the 21st century is a far cry from staring at a dusty old text book or fiddling around with a dodgy tape player! With this cool new website www.edufire.com both teachers and students can turn their own home into a learning environment. I have just started teaching English, French and German on there. It is great because you set your own fee and are paid through paypal. The advantages are obvious for teachers; no travel expenses to private lessons, one set fee and no chasing up late payments! For students too, edufire.com has its advantages. You can search a huge database of teachers to find the price and specifications right for you. Take a look for yourselves - this is impressive stuff!
It is life enhancing.
It doesn’t chat you up.
You have to make it.
A cheese and pickle sandwich
is never disappointing.
You don’t lie there thinking:
Am I too fat?
Too fertile?
Too insecure?
Your thoughts are clear,
your choices simple:
to cut it in half
or not to cut it in half,
how thin to slice the cheese
and where you should place the pickle.
From a cheese and pickle sandwich
you do not expect flowers,
poems and acts of adoration.
You expect what you get:
cheese… and pickle.
You want, you eat,
and afterwards you have eaten.
No lying awake resentful,
listening to it snore.
Safe snacks.
It comes recommended.
This is a poem by Mandy Coe. I love the penultimate line - very clever indeed!
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