New Year

New Year's Eve or Old Year's Night is observed on December 31, the final day of the Gregorian year, the day before New Year's Day. New Year's Eve is a separate observance from the observance of New Year's Day.

 

New Year's Eve is celebrated universally December 31 according to the year numbering of the CE (Common Era), or AD (Anno Domini) convention, even in non-Christian nations. Traditional and religious celebrations for e.g. the Muslim and Jewish new year, which occur on different dates, are still celebrated separately in the cultures that observe them, on the appropriate dates each year.

In modern practice, fireworks, music, alcoholic beverages and other forms of noise making is part of the New Year's Eve celebration. New Year's Eve is celebrated with parties and social gatherings spanning the transition of the year at midnight.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Year's_Eve

Now enjoy the lyrics and the music of one of the most important bands of the last century.

New Year's Day by U2

Yeah...

All is quiet on New Year's Day

A world in white gets underway

I want to be with you

Be with you night and day

Nothing changes on New Year's Day

On New Year's Day

I will be with you again

I will be with you again

Under a blood red sky

A crowd has gathered in black and white

Arms entwined, the chosen few

The newspapers says, says

Say it's true it's true...

And we can break through

Though torn in two

We can be one

I...I will begin again

I...I will begin again

 

Oh...

Maybe the time is right

Oh...maybe tonight...

I will be with you again

I will be with you again

And so we're told this is the golden age

And gold is the reason for the wars we wage

Though I want to be with you

Be with you night and day

Nothing changes

On New Year's Day

 

 

To all my pupils and colleagues a Happy New Year!!!

Ana Paula

New Year´s Resolutions

Hi there!

In spite of being on Christmas holidays, I'd like to share some ideas with you all about New Year's  Resolutions.

At the end of each year we all tend to formulate some New Year's resolutions we intend to follow. The top ten resolutions use to be:

1- spend more time with the family and friends;
2- get fit and practise more exercice;
3- loose weight and get into shape;
4- quit smoking;
5- enjoy life more;
6- quit drinking;
7- get out of debt;
8- learn something new;
9- help others;
10- get organized.

From this list, women find resolution number 3 the most difficult one. Here is a funny video explaining why. Enjoy yourself!

Santa Claus is coming to town

The following letter was sent to the editor of 'The New York Sun' and was written by an 8 year old Virginia O'Hanlon. It was first printed in 1897.The correspondence has now become part of Santa Claus folklore. I've included only excerpts of the response, which is somehow long.

“Yes Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus!“

We take pleasure in answering the communication below, expressing at the same time our great gratification that its faithful author is numbered among the friends of The Sun:

Dear Editor

I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says, "If you see it in The Sun, it's so." Please tell me the truth, is there a Santa Claus?

And the response:

Virginia O'Hanlon

Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except in what they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. (...)

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! How dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus! (...)

Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies. You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if you did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. (...)

 Ah, Virginia, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding. No Santa Claus! Thank God! He lives and lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay 10 times 10,000 years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood."

Wishing you and all your family a very happy Christmas with this inspiring letter!

P.S.: A very Happy and Loving Christmas is what your English teacher desires to you all and your families.

Advertising: ads from my pupils

Dear readers/viewers,

today I'm going to post some ads which were built by my pupils from 12th grade, professional course of Clinical Analysis. We were discussing and analysing the theme The Young People and the Consumer World and I suggested that they should built they own personal ads, integrating the items that they had learnt in classes. Their ads should contain a brand, trademark, logo, slogan, a small text and a suggestive picture. Here are the results. Enjoy the final product as much as they had enjoyed it in the process of their making.

Ana Paula Amaro