What do YOU love about Dublin?

Digital Fortress

This book, from the same author of the best-sellers Angels and Demons and The DaVinci Code was published in 1998 and, actually, has the same quality of his other novels.

Basically, this book is a thriller about a person who is threatening the American Intelligence Service. That it to say, that even being his first novel, Brown catches the attention of the reader. On one hand, we have had similar books published before. On the other hand, the author used his ability to create a really attractive plot and characters.

As far as pace is concerned, the book is fast-moving and is totally plausible and gripping. In other words, you will fell as if you were one the characters and you will not want to stop reading.

To sum up, I would really recommend this book if you had enjoyed books from the same author or same style.

Pre-Advanced

I can’t believe how this week went so fast. A new class, a new book and of course, tomorrow I have test. So, let’s check the new grammar and vocabulary of this week. It’s good to me review it and it might be good for you guys.

- Know you mind: to know what you want or like
- Stick to your guns: (informal) to refuse to change your mind about sth even when other people are trying to persuade you that you are wrong.
- In a sense: in one way.
- Comfort zone: (colloquial) the working or living environment in which we fell safe and unthreatened.
- Grit your teeth: be determined to continue to do sth in a difficult or unpleasant situation.
- Fill sb in on: to tell sb about what has happened.
- Catch up: (with sb) to reach the same level or standard as sb who is better or more advanced.

Shot-term contracts, work-life balance, working environment, line manager, staff turnover, competitive salary. Staff turnover is the in and out of staff of the working environment.

Nuclear family, step-parents, half-brother/sister, stepbrother, stepsister, single-parent, father figure, distant relative, only child, alike, close family, good relationship, relations/relatives, ancestors, descendants.

- Grow up: only about child. Plants, trees and other things, just grow.
- Extended families:
- Spread out: cover a big area…
- Great-grandparents: the parents of my grand-parents.
- Takes after: same personality of one of your parents.
- Bring up: to take care of a child when he/she has nobody else.

- See eye to eye: have different opinion
- Be not on speaking terms: We avoid to talk to
- Wear the trousers: the Boss in the family, lol
- Runs in the family: the common characteristic in the family 
- Have a skeleton in the cupboard: Something that happened in the pas and they would prefer to keep secret
- Own flesh and blood: related to each other.

Cautious, conscientious, curious (opposite: nosy) , easy-going (too e-g: pushover or to walk over sb), independent, logical, loyal, mature, quiet, rebellious, self-sufficient, sensitive.

- Stand up for: defend who you like. Always be there for sb.
- Face sth head on: Face things.
- Go with your gut feeling: Feeling for something

The grammar this week is about Discourse Markers, Have and Pronouns, but this I’m not going to publish here.

Big Day Out

As far as I know, the Big Day Out was a special celebration organized on Merrion Square Park and it was on of the celebrations that came with St. Patrick’s Festival. There was a amusement park on the Merrion Street (W) with Ferris Wheel and other ride toys.

On the Merrion Square E and S there was activities for the kids and their family, like people making magic, painting faces and playing Irish songs. I could see a taste about how beautiful will be spring in Ireland. There were big checkers and mini golf inside the park and I could see a lot of people enjoying the bright and warm sun that was on the sky.

I could see (and take a picture with) the statue of Oscar Wilde.

See ya!

Test

Today I was studying for my test and almost all students of Atlas Language School are going to do this test tomorrow and it’s about changing your level. I was thinking what would be the best way to remember all the things I have been studying since I arrived in Dublin. So, I decided to write, at least one sentence using the grammar from whole book.

The trip to Porto was a bit of a nightmare. We could hardly get out of the hostel.

Jane needs to have her hair cut. Phill had his car fixed this month.

I was going to the supermarket when started raining. Then I noticed that I had forgotten my bag and my umbrella at home.

Someone must had seen the accident. I should do my homework in the afternoon.

If I buy chicken, I’ll have something to eat for dinner.

0 – If you leave your house while it’s raining, you get wet.
1st – If he doesn’t study enough, he won’t be able to finish his college.
2nd – I had parked my car in a safer place, it wouldn’t be stolen.

You are studying since 4pm, aren’t you?

He was supposed to be at school at 9am. He shouldn’t be so late.

As far as I know…
From what I’ve heard…

I had studied…
I had been studying…

The school was closed by the director.

Prefixes:
Dis – Opposite
Mis – Wrongly
Non – Not
Over – Too Much
Pro – In favour of
Semi – Partly
Ex – No longer
Multi – Many
Out – More or better than
Pre – Before
Re – Again
Super – Extremely

This is, unfortunately, just a piece of cake! I hope I do a good test tomorrow. Wish me luck.

Atlas Gourmet

This week, we have been studying about Food. The name of a lot of vegetables, fruits, seafood and verbs related about cooking. I confess that the grammar this week was so difficult. “I wish/I hope” and and “linking words” made me confusing me a lot. However, this week I learned a lot of verbs that I’d like to post in here for you:

To peel: When you remove the “skin” of some fruit or vegetable;
To soak: You keep something coverd with a liquid for a period of time;
To melt: Change solid into liquid, like when you melt chocolate;
To squeeze: When you press something firmly with your fingers and hands;
To chop: To cut in little pieces;
To crush: To press something so hard that it breaks or is damaged;
To steam: To cook something in steam = boil;
To stir: Move a liquid or solids with a spoon to get them together.

We talked a lot about internacional foods this week. The most weired thing that I’ve heard, came from Woo, my corean flatmate. He said that once he tried live octopus and he didn’t like it. Ok. It sounds disgusting for me as well.

Bray

I hadn’t heard about Bray before coming to Dublin. At the begging of March, Sheila put the schedule of March. There was a trip to Bray on a Saturday. I went online to get more information about the place, and after this I decided that, that trip would be great.

We went by train. So, my first trip by train! When we arride there we went to the beach and I can not find a word to describe my feelings at that moment. It was my first time at a real beach! We went to the Sea Life of Bray and after we climbed a moutain and the view from the top is, so far, one of the most beautiful overviews I’ve ever seen.

New Direction

In fact, there is no a new director here. It’s me, Willyan. Since I arrived in Dublin, I had been thinking what would be the best way to improve my English skills. For sure, listening is the most important for me, but then, I noticed that I’m forgetting to training my write skills. So, I decided that I’m continuing to use this space to write about Dublin, but using the English language. I think it will be good to me because this way I can write short texts about my daily life in Ireland. I hope you undertand it. However, you can use a translantor if you still want to know what I’m writing about. See ya.

Despedidas

O problema é que a despedida não é feita de uma só vez. Por mais que 1 ano passe muito rápido, dizer tchau pra'quelas pessoas que você ama é muito difícil. E me conhecendo, sei que vou sofrer muito pela distância, mas quem não sofre, né?

Ontem, 26, foi aniversário do meu Vô. Juntamos algumas pessoas da família e fomos lá. Na hora de ir embora aproveitei pra poder me despedir dele e da minha Vó. Não foi fácil ver as lágrimas saindo do olho do meu vô. Nunca vi uma lágrima no olho dele! Nesse momento, meu coração amoleceu, e olha que venho preparando meu psicológico pra esses dias. Fui abraçar minha Vó que já estava com os olhos marejados e não consegui conter as lágrimas. Vou sentir falta demais deles. Aproveitei e despedi dos primos e tios que estavam lá também.

Enfim, despedida não é fácil, mas faz parte desse processo.

Educação na Irlanda

Olha só esse vídeo que achei sobre a educação na Irlanda:

Além de falar sobre o sistema de ensino irlandês, dá pra ver várias paisagens que encantam os turistas e intercambistas que vão pra Dublin ou qualquer outra cidade da Ilha Esmeralda.