Galileo

I believe Galileo is a good initiative to teach things differently and it can be fun. In fact at first I was enjoying myself, but it all went pear shaped when I found out the numerous problems and obstacles I was about to face.

So I thought about an excellent proposition that would have solved everybody’s problems at once… But it was turned down because we were told that it was impossible to change the arrangements that were set at the beginning of the term and now no one is happy. As a compromise, we were offered a chance to state our concerns at the final project, in other words to humiliate each other. Obviously it was the last thing I wanted. So overall my experience was not exactly a pleasant one. Galileo could have been much, much more productive if it wasn’t such an inflexible, rigid system.

Galileo is based on teamwork. Teamwork is a concept that has been drummed into our heads since we were little. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not completely against teamwork, but I know it only works when people are united by common interests. Unfortunately in Galileo we aren’t put in groups that have common interests. Now when I mean interests I’m not talking about aviation, but I’m talking about goals or things we would like to achieve. We also get criticised if the team project doesn’t work, like as if it was our fault. I believe that there should be more flexibility in these groups.

I am writing this as there are some serious flaws in the system. Someone could do no work at all for the whole term, and give themselves 100 on everything at the final exhibition and get away with it.

Mis vacaciones en el sur de América, 13 de octubre 2014

En mi viaje por Latinoamérica fui a Ecuador. Yo miró muchos lugares como el mercado de Otavalo, el volcán de Cotopaxi, las islas Galápagos y la cascada de San Rafael.

Ecuador o la República del Ecuador es un país situado en la región norte de América del Sur. El Ecuador es el cuarto país más pequeño de América del Sur. La población de Ecuador es de 16 millones de habitantes. La República del Ecuador es el octavo país más poblado de Latinoamérica. La capital del Ecuador es Quito pero la ciudad más grande es Guayaquil. La lengua oficial de Ecuador es el español. El 94% de la población habla español. El otro 6% son idiomas indígenas.

En el mercado de Otavalo hay muchas cosas típicas de Ecuador como artesanías y comida. La comida de Ecuador es muy buena y rica. El mi plato favorito son Llapingachos con chorizos. ( Los Llapingachos son como pasteles de papa frita y todos saben que es un chorizo.) La zona de el volcán es muy bonita. El volcán ha un paisaje guapo. Me gusta ver mucho la nieve y la vulcanología me interesa. Mi parte favorita de las vacaciones fueron las islas Galápagos. Me gustan mucho las tortugas grandes y la natura de esas islas preciosas. La cascada de San Rafael fui también muy bonita.Fue una experiencia que nunca voy a olvidar. Ser abajo de la cascada de San Rafael es muy relajante.

En las ciudades hay muchos niños que juegan a fútbol. En Ecuador hay muchas playas. En Quito (la capital) hay muchas fuentes. Sobre esas fuentes hay muchos pájaros rojos. Ayer alguien me robó el paraguas. Pero no es un problema porque en Ecuador hay muchos paraguas.( Puedo comprarlo al mercado Otavalo.) Fui sorprendido que en Ecuador usan los dólares de la América de el norte. Ecuador es un país que me gusta visitar para mis vacaciones, pero no me gusta mucho el clima. Es demasiado tropical para mí. Ahora soy feliz porque mañana ira a La Iglesia de la Compañía de Jesús. Y pasado mañana voy sobre el tren de la “nariz del diablo”. A la nariz del diablo se pueden ver muchos paisajes lindos. El puesto se llama la nariz del diablo porque un montón de personas murieron  en la construcción. Ahora estoy escribiendo desde el hotel en Quito donde me estoy quedando. El hotel se llama “El Albaricoque” es un hotel muy limpio y espacioso. Hay también el desayuno y el almuerzo. Yo recomendaría venir a Ecuador.

Muchos Saludos,

tu amigo García

Is it hard to be healthy in Melbourne?

– Critical Question of the week –

I believe it is not hard to be healthy in Melbourne. There are many facilities and parks where one can exercise. Even the city’s air quality is reasonably good. Melbourne also has some great markets that sell quality fresh fruit and vegetables. Although Melbourne is a big city, I think that it is easier to be healthy in smaller cities like the capital Canberra.

Among the numerous exercise facilities in Melbourne there are more than 82 gyms in the city centre alone. There are also many parks where one can jog or have a walk and there are bike trails. The biggest parks would include Batman park, Alexandra gardens, Carlton gardens and Faulkner park. When I compare Melbourne to Rome, in Italy I realise how much easier it is to be healthy here in Melbourne. For example: I could never ride my bike in Rome as I didn’t live near a park and I did not feel safe riding it on the road; as I am only an amateur and Roman traffic is dangerous. Also Roman apartments are very small so I would’ve had a tough time storing it.

Melbourne’s air quality is also good. It’s not great but still well in the safety zone. In fact it is 6 times better than the air in Beijing and 10 times better than the air in Delhi. Then again Delhi has twice as many people and Beijing has three times the amount of inhabitants.

Melbourne also has a lot of markets with good quality fruit & vegetables for an affordable price. Some of the best markets include the Victoria market, the South Melbourne market and Prahran market. ( The Prahran market also has a great website worth checking: http://www.prahranmarket.com.au/)

Even if it is relatively easy to be healthy in Melbourne, I believe smaller cities are healthier. The facilities might not be as numerous, but they are cheaper as there is less competition. There would also be less pollution in a small city. I believe that living in a city like Canberra would allow you to have a healthier lifestyle than living in Melbourne. I do also take into account that if you lived in a remote country town, that has a terrible medical service, then you probably would be better off in Melbourne. (A city with state of the art hospitals).

In conclusion I believe it is easy to be healthy in Melbourne as there are numerous facilities, parks where you can exercise, good hospitals, markets and clean air.

Fly by Night

 

 

 

 

Fly by Night is story based on the English Civil war. It is a fantasy book written by Frances Hardinge. Mosca Mye and her murderous pet goose escape the mill where she was locked up by her nasty uncle. She meets a scammer named Eponymous Clent that helps her reach the capital city. Mosca has the rare ability to read in a world where books are dangerous things. Insane rulers in silly wigs, highwaymen, cut-throat criminals, secret societies are all encountered by Mosca in this book.

I recommend this book and I rate it 3/5

Quotes worth reading

“It’s true hard work never killed anybody, but I figure, why take the chance?”
-Ronald Reagan-

“When tempted to fight fire with fire, remember that the Fire Department usually uses water.”
-Anonymus-

Stuff about Heinz that you probably didn’t need to know

  1.Heinz sells two sachets of ketchup each year for every person on Earth.

  2.Heinz baked beans were first sold in Britain at Fortnum & Mason as an exclusive luxury imported from America.

  3. Every Heinz baked bean passes through a laser bean, to check that it is the right colour.

Random fact #3ish

Nokia once made gas masks, the Finnish army used until 1995

Nokia M61 model below:

 

 

We as human bei…

We as human beings need to be entertained, even in our sleep.
Our mind is like, “We just gonna lay here for 8 hrs? Boring, here’s a dragon!”
-Not Will Ferrell-

“I am always sa…

“I am always saying “Glad to’ve met you” to somebody I’m not at all glad I met. If you want to stay alive, you have to say that stuff, though.”
― J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye

The Matrix

I’ve finally seen the Matrix trilogy. Very good, especially the first one; the Matrix is probably the father of most action movies. From its wardrobe to its special effects and its facial expressions. But what makes it different is the script (which is pretty good) and its special effects (excellent for their time.) So… the matrix is one of the only action movies that has a script. Also the soundtrack was pretty good and the names of the characters and ships weren’t exactly original but fitted in perfectly in the storyline.

e.g Avatar (the movie with blue people) and The Last Air Bender were movies that were great for 5 seconds but now they’re history.(even more than Gangnam style)

I wish I could say the same for the acting. Neo the one, can only do one facial expression. Morpheus does better acting in the ad for bet 365  than in the Matrix. The best actors were: the man in charge of the defense in Zion and the evil agent Mr Smith who was so good that they made 6 billion versions of him.

If I had one regret for the Matrix it would be: “Why didn’t Will Smith act in it?” I mean he was in the world’s most disappointing movie “After Earth” why didn’t he act in a respectable movie like the Matrix?

Anyway  in total I judge it as the epic movie of doom.