Personality is an illusion

Throughout generations, people have always found various ways to generate, maintain, or even break personal relationships. Attitudes, behaviour and personality traits are all synonyms to define one individual in relation to another. Whether these attributes are fictitious is still to be revealed.

To begin with, the first social circle toddlers are introduced to is family. They are nurtured not only with basic needs such as food, clothing and hygene but also with values which involve behaving accordingly in certain situations with different social groups. These characteristics will accompany them during their early elementary school years when they are exposed to diverse personality types and start to be influenced by some more than others.

Furthermore, children continue growing up both physically and emotionally and, as a result, their bodies as well as their feelings change - wat they used to feel and how they used to behave at an early age are no longer a reality. This is the time when they develop into teenagers and as such they experience a wide range of emotions that they had not been aware of before - the interaction with parents changes dramatically whereas the close-knit group of friends becomes sacrosanct.

Finally, with the coming-of-age, young adults begin a new challenge when they step out of high school, and delve into university life and, in some cases, working life as well. While their basic feelings and personal traits remain, society at large makes these individuals adapt to a rapidly-evolving world where major fluctuations occur in their attitudes towards their families, friends or peers.

To sum up, even if we as individuals carry a set of traits with us from our early years, our social surroundings will inevitably force us to decide how we need to behave which, in turn, will create, preserve or destroy who we are supposed to be.

The use of technology in current relationships

Following the sequence of Essays being written for the IELTS course I attended in London last January, I give you my... third one?  Or is it the fourth one? I've lost count already. I hope you enjoy it. Share it, like it, comment on it or just let it be... LOL

Nowadays, the way many people interact with each other has changed because of technology. In what ways has technology affected the type of relationships people make? Has this become a positive or negative development?

The introduction of technology in our everyday lives has deeply influenced not only how the world is seen but also how individuals affect one another.

One way in which people have been changed is by the use of personal computers, smartboards and even mobile phones in the classroom. The number of schools implementing these devices as learning tools is growing exponentially. This means that, more and more, teachers and students are both becoming active participants in the classroom, giving the opportunity for students to debate or even challenge sources regarding a specific area of knowledge.

Another way in which these developments have modified people's behaviour towards each other is in the field of family relationships. Even though technological devices such as mobile phones can bring families together, they can sometimes cause family feuds which may result in drastic outcomes such as leaving the family home. What's more, online gaming has been gaining adepts at such a young age that it makes it even more complex for parents to have a simple day-to-day conversation.

Finally, students at university or even young adults who are beginning to become more independent find, in the use of smartphone applications, an outlet to socialise and, eventually, on some occasions, to find a life partner.

Overall, considering the dangers that technology may pose in people's lives, the benefits outweigh the limitations.

Being involved in the Arts makes people feel better.

As promised, my beloved blog readers, here I am (come and take me... LOL https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OVIPgbFh6M) giving you my second Essay Assignment while attending the preparatory course for Cambridge IELTS Exam.

Nowadays, people get too stressed trying to make ends meet every month. The opportunity for participating in activities outside work creates a sense of fulfillment that changes people's mindsets. Art can be said to have amazing effects on most people. What needs to be considered is  "the remaining few".

Let's start by stating that any kind of artistic expression is always welcome when the need to release energy is present in any individual. Examples can be found in several famous people such as Van Gogh, Poe, Da Vinci, to name a few. They didn't have an easy life so they discovered that channeling their emotions through Art would help them feel better.

Conversely, the constant criticism, being in the spotlight, or even having the feeling that it is never enough, makes other people feel frustrated or even depressed leading, in some unfortunate cases, to fatal outcomes. Such are the cases of famous celebrities either on TV or in films.

All being said, given the fact that Art is considered a positive outlet for expressing feelings and boosting self-esteem in people, there are still some issues that need to be taken into consideration as well. Nonetheless, I still encourage the promotion of Art as a means to develop people's confidence and a sense of bliss.

BENEFITS AND DRAWBACKS OF SINGLE SEX EDUCATION. HOW YOUNG PEOPLE SHOULD BE EDUCATED IN THIS CONTEXT?

Beginning with this post  - and through the following 3 posts - you, my beloved blog readers, will read a series of first-draft essays on various topics as a result of my preparatory course for the IELTS Exam in London this last January. I will not include my professor's comments because you might get bored but you are DEFINITELY free to comment on anything you want. Thank you very much in advance.

DRAFT 1.

We live in a world where gender differentiation is still controversial. Even though, equality has been achieved in education for both men and women, there are still schools which foster single-sex education. This can have advantages and disadvantages.

To begin with, one of the advantages of single-sex education is that children at a very young age may find it easier to interact with their classmates. This means that they will build more self-confidence, which, in turn, will result in better communication skills with others. Another mentionable benefit is less distraction in the classroom. This refers to the idea of feeling less anxious to know what the opposite sex is all about, to say it vaguely.

Nevertheless, there are some drawbacks to this type of instruction. One limitation is the struggle they may have t face when they finish school and go out into the world. The coexistence of men and women is out there and this type of segregation means a new adjustment for both sexes to live together. Another disadvantage is the type of curriculum both genders learn at school. Considering the fact that women tend to mature faster than men, it is difficult to create equality in this area.

All in all, young people, in my opinion, should have the opportunity to develop as many skills as possible no matter the gender. They should be given the same academic knowledge together with tools that might help them cope with the opposite sex.

A Harrowing Evening

This is the first draft of a short story I'm starting to write as a result of a Course in Writing Fiction I'm currently working on. There is still much to work on and more details and editing need to be given but I wanted to give it away anyway. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it.

"I dragged her as if I were carrying a chair around" the TV news anchor reported from interviewing HIM.

Those words resonated in my mind for hours. Awful images popping in my head. The utter horror of it all. The desperate screaming for help. The excrutiating anguish - but, most importantly - the bitter feeling of complete paralysis not knowing what to do next. It was him - a middle.aged man with a hoarse voice - and me - a woman in her thirties, struggling to survive. I remember that dreadful evening very vividly now.

It was late. I was coming back from work feeling knackered. I took the subway, as I always did at that time, and managed to sit for the whole journey home. What followed next changed my life completely... forever.

I got off the train and was heading towards the escalator when I suddenly felt someone grabbing my bag from behind. I froze... five seconds. It only took him five endless seconds to pull me down and drag me to a dark alley. I finally came to. I shouted. I kicked. I punched. Nothing. No use. He was in charge. He grabbed my wrists and tied me to a lamp post. I couldn't find strength within me anymore.  

"This is it", I thought. "This is how I'm going to go".

Feeling helpless and with nothing else to hope for, I gave in...


WAIT. HOLD ON. HELP IS ON THE WAY. Whispers everywhere. HOPE. Life was filling my bones again.

A month latet - while still in shock - I can honestly say: PEOPLE STILL CARE. HUMANITY IS NOT LOST TO VIOLENCE, NOT LOST TO CRUELTY, NOT LOST TO HATE.

The writer, the speaker and the giver of ideas

The following is an incomplete first draft for a short story derived from many teaching workshops two colleagues and I attended a few years ago. I wrote it a couple of years ago as a result of an inside joke the three of us used to share. 

It was a hot Friday afternoon in November. A group of English teachers were gathering to discuss the latest trends in Education and how to bring technology into the classroom.

Patty, Connie and Charlotte were not only great colleagues but also good friends. They went to all meetings together, sat in all meetings together and left all meetings together. They were well-organised and ellaborated about every little topic they were given. They had specific roles in each meeting without even thinking beforehand what each one of them would do or how they would participate. They managed to keep the same tasks every time they attended the workshops.

Connie, the writer, was the one who always brought a notebook with a pen and jotted down everything the lecturer explained; Charlotte, the speaker, always willing to express loud and clear what they had been discussing earlier in the assignment; and, finally, Patty, the one who had the right thing to say and knew exactly how to say it and when to do so. 

They worked at the same school with different age groups sharing both passion for teaching as well as disdain for misbehaving children.