DATURA.: January 2014

Reflection 3: The Person Of the Year

Cassandra Chou, member of jury committee, announcing "The Person of the Year".

Erik Schneider: Good afternoon world! My name is Erik Schneider and today we will learn a name of the “Person of the Year”. Good afternoon, Ms Chou, we have been waiting for this day nearly for one year, now we all are looking forward for your proclamation! We ready to celebrate "Person of the Year"!
Ms Choi: Good afternoon Ken, good afternoon our guests. Choosing person of the year is an old good tradition, which will, I hope, come to an end. All these we were forced to nominate a man of the year, but our real decision was always ignored. Today we decide to announce it.
First of all an initial idea of choosing one man from out of 7 milliards and name him/her as the best person of the year is confusing. In our world concepts like good and bad are too abstract. Being chosen from 7 milliard people means to be the best one - person who makes major contribution to the world, which is not possible. Our life is like a gigantic engine where people are bolts, big and small, but all are equally useful. Duty of every bolt is important, of all bolts will move an engine. Choosing one bolt and saying that without it gear will not work is meaningful, because all bolts are equally important. Absence of any bolt can lead to collapse. We used to choose most famous and most active during the year person, but it is unfair; doctors, firemen, policemen, teachers, bakers, cook and other ordinary people save thousands of lives annually. Their contributions are more valuable and worthy candidates should be chosen from ordinary workers. Due to these reasons we decided that all people are “Person of the Year”. Our sincere congratulation!

Reflection task 2a: Problem of our century.

Internet, perhaps the world's greatest invention, irreplaceable way of communication and information exchange, is the most often used and easy accessible sources of knowledge. People of different ages use it every day without facing any barriers; information of huge spectrum can be transmitted without any control easily. Does internet have advantages only?
Disadvantages of internet always were topic of discussions; well known how deeply it can defect human’s personality, sight of looking at the world. Everyone is familiar with growing up generation of Facebook, Twitter and online games addicted children. What can children learn from environment where everything is done for gaining likes and having more followers? All this generation shares are pictures with feigned facial expressions. Outside games are not actual anymore, instead of playing games together children play with virtual “friends”. Children have to learn life from each other, share one childhood but nowadays children prefer to live in virtual world with virtual friends; is not it a big problem? Talking about addictions, how many people lose themselves in the network? Trying to escape from reality people find new world where everything is easy and simple, but this world is fake, and real life with its problems and difficulties is place where people should overcome own weaknesses and try add own contributions to make this world better. There is no need to escape because life has a lot of happiness too. Other burning issue is censure, or its absence. From early childhood they have access to films and games full of violence, perversion, blood, death and other things that children would better not to see: people under particular age have very fragile psyche and negative information can damage it. Seeing death and blood becomes something usual. Children get used to violence and grow up into hardhearted, indifferent people. It is a colossal problem, because children are the future of civilization.

Seeing only advantages of inventions that make our life easier, people do not notice disadvantages they bring. As result of carelessness people suffer from serious problems. We all should think deeply about these issues and find solution.

Reflection task 2b: The most beautiful abandoned places

We live in a huge world; so many interesting and beautiful places are there. Unfortunately our lives are too short and eventful that is why a lot of places we will never see. Luckily we have internet that helps us fill this gap. I found following video on YouTube and like it very much. Title of the video is “The Most Beautiful Abandoned Places in the World” and it presents 10 uninhibited places. Video has own enigmatic impression, that is why I choose it.

I think maker of this video was inspired by cryptic idea of abandoned places and decided to share it with other people. The topic of the video is exciting and bewitching but contrary to expectations video is not extended and explanatory. Author could make video longer and add more information about these places, but he did not. Instead of it he gave minimal information and only one picture for each place. I think his aim was to draw watchers’ attention and impact them to do own research; I appreciated it a lot. After watching this video I searched presented places in internet. I was so curious; my head was full of questions: Why these places abandoned? How many years ago they were build? Are there any accidents related to the closing of these places? I am sure others asked these questions too. Additionally music was very properly selected - mysterious but not obscure, it just adds enigmatic atmosphere.

I liked this video a lot, it is short and simple in term of structure, but in terms of meaning and purpose is unique and significant. It opens us world’s hidden parts and excites our curiosity. People got used to world they see every day, but there are so many stunning places forgotten by civilization.

I found some marvelous picures ♪(┌・。・)┌:

The Abandoned Wonderland Amusement Park, Beijing, China

Abandoned Ufo House

Crist of The Abyss at San Fruttuoso

Tunnel of Love, Ukraine

Reflection task 1a: Call me Alika! ƪ(˘⌣˘)ʃ

My name is Aliia (but you can call me Alika:). I was born in 1995, on 17 of December. I was very weak child and did not attend kinder garden. Instead of it, I had a baby sitter. I still remember her reading us tales. I went to school very early, so at age of 6 I was a student of second grade. In Kyrgyzstan we have 11 years of scholar education, that is why when I was 16 years old, I came to Turkey to study English Language Teaching in METU. I love my university, for me METU is a place where I feel myself safe and relaxed.

Drums, my dream...

Now I am Linguistics addicted second year student. I really enjoy this course and would like to do my master degree on this field. I am not very hard working student and sometimes it becomes very problematic. I am lazy and dreamy and I have a huge number of things that interests me a lot. First of all I adore Music. Music has an irreplaceable part in my life. Sometimes I imagine life without music; it probably would be a torture for me. I do not listen to popular music and often I cannot hold conversations about popular (especially American) singers. I try to listen to old or less known artists: it adds some mystery into their being and music.

My favorite dress (Valentino I guess).

Secondly, I love art and fashion. I love watching fashion shows and photo shoots. In the future I am planning to attend dressmaking courses and sew my clothes by my own. (*‿*✿) Also I am interested in the folk, culture and traditions of different nationalities; traveling around the world is my dream. Every culture is so unique and magnificent, I adore different languages, cuisine, and especially clothing and music.