Mona Lisa Smile

Yeay!This is another great movie to watch..Mona Lisa Smile,an Academy Award winner starring Julia Roberts wholeads an all-star cast featuring Kirsten Dunst, Julia Stiles, Maggie Gyllenhall and Marcia Gay Harden. It is a funny, inspiring and uplifting film about an art history professor with a lot to teach about life and much to learn about romance.

In 1953, Katherine Ann Watson(Julia Roberts),30 something grad student from California, takes a position teaching "History of Art" at Wellesley College, a conservative women's private liberal arts college in Massachusetts because she wants to make a difference and influence the next generation of women.This is a story whereby young women are struggling with their youth especially in making decision in their life.I wish to be someone like Mrs Watson,a great teacher who inspired all her students!

Winston Churchill vs Adolf Hitler

Do you know how a great leader is defined? In my opinion, a great leader is defined by his subject. How big is his subject? Who is his subject? And most important things are how they persuade their subject? Adolf Hitler and Winston Churchill is an example of a great leader. Both of them have high skills and confident when delivering a speech in other word they are a great orator. When delivering the speech, they show what they are capable of; they exhibit their power by criticizing their enemy. Using history as a guideline to show how bad is their enemy. All the things that they did are indeed working; all of their subjects are influenced by the way they gave their speech.

Winston Churchill

Adolf Hitler

Animal Farm

George Orwell is a genius in writing, he have created a masterpiece that reminds us about a world; the world of politics. In politics propaganda is a common thing, in this story I am attracted to Squealer; a minor character that have crucial part in this story. He is one of the pigs that created the seven commandments. Although he does not have any authority or became a leader in this story but he play the role of propagandist. When Napoleon takes over the Animal Kingdom, Squealer became a medium between Napoleon and his subject. Every action that Napoleon makes, Squealer will be there to explain why such action is done. He manipulates the fact and led the common animal to be loyal to Napoleon. Squealer is the main reason why Napoleon can be a leader. The question that hovering in my mind is; will there be any difference if Squealer have the authority instead of Napoleon? My opinion regarding this question is; it would not be any difference because Squealer is a manipulator; he lies and changes the fact for negative intention. His action that helps Napoleon to rule Animal Farm will be the same if he were a leader. Instead, if he had the power, the damage that he will cause will be more than the damage that Napoleon did.

Movie Review:Lean On Me

 

 After earning rave notices for powerful supporting turns as a pimp in Street Smart (1987) and an alcohol abuse counselor in Clean and Sober (1988), actor Morgan Freeman began his ascent to stardom with this, his first lead role in a major motion picture. Freeman is real-life high school principal Joe Clark, a tough, harsh educator and administrator who in 1987 is given a nearly impossible task by his old friend, school superintendent Dr. Frank Napier (Robert Guillaume). Clark is asked to reform inner city Eastside High School in Paterson, NJ, a hotbed of delinquent kids and drug dealers. Considered the worst school in New Jersey, the state is threatening to take control of Eastside away from the local school board. If Clark can straighten out Eastside in time to get the school's basic-skills test scores up, he can have the job permanently. Although Clark's tyrannical approach and hard-line policies alienate many members of the staff and the community, his uncompromising campaign gets results and even makes him famous, much to the chagrin of his powerful enemies.

 

 

 

Freeman, however, is truly the heart and soul of this picture, and his work in it would serve to open all of Hollywood's eyes to his often under-appreciated talents. While Lean on Me is a pleasant human interest story and well-made film, it will largely be remembered as the picture that helped to herald Freeman's arrival as a major player on the big screen.This movie gives a big impact on me as teacher to be.A great teacher is someone who knows to make changes in education and the students.

Lets Sing!Hold On by Good Charlotte

This world
This world is cold
But you don't
You don't have to go
You're feeling sad, you're feeling lonely, and no one seems to care
You're mother's gone and your father hits you
This pain you cannot bear
But we all bleed the same way as you do
And we all have the same things to go through
Hold on if you feel like letting go
Hold on it gets better than you know
Your days
You say they're way too long
And your nights
You can't sleep at all
Hold on
And you're not sure what you're waiting for, but you don't want to no more
And you're not sure what you're looking for, but you don't want to no more
But we all bleed the same way as you do
And we all have the same things to go through

Hold on if you feel like letting go
Hold on it gets better than you know
Don't stop looking, you're one step closer
Don't stop searching, it's not over
Hold on
What are you looking for?
What are you waiting for?
Do you know what you're doing to me?
Go ahead...What are you waiting for?
Hold on if you feel like letting go
Hold on it gets better than you know
Don't stop looking, you're one step closer
Don't stop searching, it's not over
Hold on if you feel like letting go
Hold on it gets better than you know
Hold on 

Good Charlotte is an American Rock band from Waldorf, Maryland that formed on April 1, 1996. They took their name from the children's book Good Charlotte: The Girls of Good Day Orphanage written by Carol Beach York.The band members are Dean Butterworth – drums, percussion (since 2005),Joel Madden – lead vocals (since 1996)Benji Madden – guitar, backing vocals (since 1996)Billy Martin – guitar, keyboards, synthesizers, piano, programming (since 1998)Paul Thomas – bass guitar (since 1996). Source:Wikipedia.org

 This song is clearly trying to convey the message to young people that suicide is not the answer when it comes to the point of your life, where you feel depressed and there is no one to turn to. “This world is cold, But you don't, You don't have to go, You're feeling sad, you're feeling lonely, and no one seems to care, You're mother's gone and your father hits you, This pain you cannot bear.”  The lyrics are also trying to say that, there are still people who care out there, experiencing the same things as you do and still hold on to their lives. “But we all bleed the same way, as you do, And we all have the same things to go through” It also says that you have to be positive towards life and if you encountered any problems you should deal with it patiently, thinking that every problem has a solution. 

Death is supposed to come naturally, not by forcing it. If we choose to end our life  so soon just because we are having problems and thinking  that there is no solution to it, we will miss so many things in life and hurts the ones who actually care about us without we realizing it. Sometimes when we face a problem, we tend to get depressed and sad because we feel that we cannot get a hold of our selves. These situations, if we react emotionally and irrationally towards it, it will get us more sad and depressed thus lead to suicidal thinking. Sometimes we are just not sure of choices in life and we tend to follow feelings without thinking about the consequences on the latter day. “And you're not sure what you're waiting for, but you don't want to no more” 

We need to have a foundation in our lives so that when things get rough in life, we still have something to hold on to. In addition, everyone has special people whom they adored and loved through out their life. So, these people can give us support, love, and inspirations to make us stronger and full of spirits. We must always have strong faith in our everyday life. God has arranged things beautifully for each and every one of us. 

Problems that rose are just a way of telling us, how much He wants us to know that He is always there to guide us through thick and thin.In conclusion, there are always solutions to every problem. Suicide is not a solution. We live only once and we need to really appreciate life and live life to the fullest. 

SO,HOLD ON GUYS AND NEVER GIVE UP!

=)

A Great Injustice vs The Merry Maid

MOTHER'S LOVE IS UNCONDITIONAL. Do you agree with this statement?I bet all of us will definitely say yes.No doubt,our mother is the best,their love is eternal and unconditional.Their love is not for sold and you can't buy their love even with the gold.So here we look at these two stories;A Great Injustice by Heah Chwee Sian and The Merry Maid by Jayakaran Mukundan.Hey,that's Dr Jaya! :)

What is uncondtional,people?  It means to love someone regardless of their actions or qualities.In this context,it shows a mother's love for her newborn.Besides that,unconditional love is to describe love between parents and children,family members,friends in highly committed relationship.Mother's love places no limits or boundaries,expects nothing back and last but not least,does not set any terms and conditions on what it should be.Hey,it's free and pure!

Lets take a look at The Merry Maid story.The love shown by Lakshmi,a mother who had
abandoned her own daughter but actually she did not have the intention to "throw" away her
daughter.She has strong reason why she decided to give away the baby because at that
time,her boyfriend went to prison and she is poor and still studying.Therefore,she had nobody to
depend on and take care the baby.In my opinion,she did not do something that can harm the
daughter and she was willing to give away the baby to Johan's family.

She had registered herself at the maid employment agency so that she can meet with her 

daughter after she had left her about 17 years ago.It shows that she never forgets her 

daughter and did anything that would be so that she can meet her.Lakshmi is a rational 

woman.After she had worked at Johan’s family,at first she had decided to take back her 

daughter,Sakinah@Savitri.However,she did not do that.It would be the most selfish thing a 

mother could do if she took the daughter back.It was not unfair for Datin.A caring,loving 

and kind-hearted woman who had raised her daughter so well.

When Ah Nya told her mother about the pregnancy,she did not get angry like her husband.She

defended her daughter to be calm.For her,”Everyone makes mistakes.What done is done”.

She is supportive eventhough Ah Nya had committed a big mistake.Besides,she had promised

to take care of the baby together.

 

 

Akeelah and The Bee....

Yeay!This is our first movie to watch for this EDU 3234 class..The title is Akeelah and The Bee..It sounds like my name,Aqilah..Hehe..So,why Akeelah and The Bee?Does she own a bee as her pet?Definitely a big no no...

This is a 2006 American film written and directed by Doug Atchison and has won a lot of awards.The film is about an eleven year old girl named Akeelah Anderson who participates in Scripps National Spelling Bee.She is from South Los Angeles.She has been discovered by the teacher at school to have a talent of words.Without the permission from her mother,Akeelah enters the contest and when her mother discovers about it,she objects her from entering it.In my opinion,I don't see why the mother should object her.This is where Akeelah can show her talent in front of other because she has low self esteem but actually she is such a brilliant and genius girl.

On the way, she is helped by a forthright, mysterious teacher, Dr. Larabee, and other members of her community.It is sad to see Akeelah who has to face so many obstacles just because to enter the competition.But because of her determination and strenght,she manages to face them and she is the winner of herself!That is the most important thing.As i look into myself as an English teacher-to-be,I found that this movie can be a good movie to show to my future students.They will learn how to get something is not easy otherwise they have to work hard and be strong.The success comes with the hardwork and determination.Not forgotten,people around  you especially family and friends should give their moral support so that you would not feel alone.

SO,IF YOU WANT TO SPELL,SPELL-IT-RIGHT! 

Gruffalo???

Hey,what's that?A buffalo?Another species of buffalo or maybe another name for buffalo?Phew!Actually this is another story introduced by Dr Jaya,again.Yes,he has so many interesting books to be shared with us after Edwina The Emu.Lets take a look of what gruffalo is about and how does it look.

Hye,meet me Gruffalo!

This book is written by Julia Donaldson and it has won the award for children's book which has sold over 10.5 million copies since 1999.Here comes the story....It tells about a mouse who takes a walk in the woods and he encounters with three animals of a fox,an owl and a snake along his journey.Each of them invites him to come to their home with the intention of eating him for dinner!What a poor mouse...

However,this small tiny and brilliant mouse declines their offers by saying that he is having dinner with his friend named Gruffalo.To make it more interesting,the mouse says to each of them that they are Gruffalo favourite's food.The mouse is also imagining how does Gruffalo look that make the fox,the snake and owl become more scared and frightened.The mouse actually creates his own imagination and he believes that the Gruffalo does not exist..But who knows,right?

So how shocking for the mouse to encounter a real Gruffalo the terrifying creature that he had invented. The mouse tells the Gruffalo that he is the scariest animal in the forest and tells the Gruffalo he can prove it. So to show how feared he is the mouse and the Gruffalo take a walk through the forest where in turn they meet up with the fox, the owl and the snake who run away terrified. The gruffalo is very impressed by the mouse's scary reputation until the mouse threatens to eat him and he flees too!

What is the moral of the story??

NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE SMALL CREATURE BECAUSE THEY

MIGHT CHEAT YOU BACK! :)

Edwina The Emu

Edwina The Emu.I never heard this story before until I was introduced in Dr Jaya's class.What a funny story!I have search this book in the internet and 

this 32 pages book is the sequel of Edward the Emu.It is a really cute and wonderful book and suitable for all ages especially pre-schoolers.Though it can be seen as children storybook,but it is also recommended for adults to read it.

Poor Emu

The illustrations and pictures are amazing and fantastic  that will capture the kids to read it and it is very entertaining.The hilarious illustrations by Rod Clement make this an entertaining picture book that is sure to find a place in the hearts of readers everywhere.The books shows  how two birds can work together for their babies and for adults,if you read this,it can melt your heart!

The book has a lot of repetition with the rhyming storyline.It is recommended for kids because it is easy and they kill not have problem in understanding it.A very funny story and must read!But still have messages that the author tries to portray in the story.

My Favourite Childhood Story

For the first tutorial,I was assigned to select one children story that I love most during my childhood and tell the story in front of the class.As far as I could remember,my favourite childhood story is Little Red Riding Hood.During this class,I discovered that some of my classmates had chosen this story as their favourite children story.Well,I guess everyone knows this famous fairy tale but I do not know whether kids nowadays know about it.

So,the reason why did i choose this story is because during my primary school,i was told by a teacher to enter a story telling competition.Gosh!I wasn't expected to enter this competiton because I did not interested at all.However,I agreed and then I had asked my mom to buy the book for me to memorize before the competition.Day by day,I forced myself to memorize the storyline and did the actions too.Somehow,I did not realize whereby I had fallen in love with the story.I like the illustrations in the book which captured me most and I wondered if I can be like Red Riding Hood girl!

I think that there are some elements in the story to make it interesting.The story is easy and simple for the children to understand.The author used the familiar vocabulary with simple sentence and it is suitable for young children.The use of symbolism also appears such as the gurl is wearing red hood and the message is very clear in this story.The wearing of red hood is to bring the mood in the story and capture the children's attention.The easiest message for children to understand is do not easily trust the strangers.The clear message can give big impact to the children when they read the story so that they can remember and bear it in their mind.

There are four characters;the little red riding hood(a girl),a wolf,a grandmother and a woodcutter.Each of the character represents their characteristics.The girl can be seen as a weak character because she can't protect herself from talking to a stranger after she had been told by her mom not to do so.She is also naive whereby she did not recognize that her "grandmother" is actually a wolf.Some of us might say that a story like this might not help girls to be independent but from here female readers can learn something.The woodcutter is seen to be the hero when he comes and cuts opens the wolf's body.This is unexpected character because he comes at last to save the girl and also the grandmother.I can say that the wolf is a tricky character because it tricks the little red riding hood very well and seems to be friendly at first when they meet.The different characters make the story more enjoyable.

Personally,I would say that this story is suitable for all young children and parents should read this story to their children.The story teaches them how to be more alert and careful with the surrounding and the most important is do not talk to the strangers!