The Whale in Me

The Whale in Me

[On the boat]

Here I am. My fins are on, and the air tank is on my back. It’s time for Steph and Stacey to put their weight belts on. Ohh the weight belt! Ha, I guess I didn’t need one because I have enough weight on me already... how ridiculous! They were told that they will float if they didn’t have the weight belt on.
The wind is cool and I love the way it brushes my face, it’s like feather. The waves twist and roll over the surface hitting the edge of the boat. This is it; the time has come. I’m ready... I’m definitely ready. What if I lose the group? – What if my legs go numb and I can’t swim anymore? – What if I get eaten by sharks? Deep breaths. Deep breaths. Deep breaths. You are a strong woman Lucy! You can do it. My counsellor was right. I am a strong woman and I can do this.
Wow! Ooo, who’s that? That body! Ahhh, look at that six pack, wow. So tanned, bronzed and so muscular. I want to eat him! Ahaha! He will never look at me. Phhh. Look at me. All I have is a three podginess pack. 

Ohh God help me! I’ll need to read the instruction booklet again. Perform a deep water entry appropriate to the environment. This could be a back roll, a giant stride entry or controlled seated entry. Ohh, how I’m I meant to do this... a backroll. No way. I’m just not built for that. When you’re in the water check all equipment is in place and signal that you are okay. Is something meant to happen? Why do you need to signal if you’re okay? What if something happens to me? Try to not go near the seaweed, they might attach to your fins and cause them damage. Ohh... okay. I will keep that in mind.
I’m so close to the sea -- my toes are clinging on the edge of the boat. Like birds clinging for their life. They don’t want to move! I’m feeling very ill Steph. I don’t think I can do this... okay, okay don’t get mad. I didn’t want to be a scaredy-cat in front of the hot instructor, what would he think of me?
I feel like I’m Rose Dewitt Bukater from Titanic. I’m the king of the world! [Lifts arms up] All I need is a man by my side and that’s all... That’s all. Is it that easy, I really want one. Would the hot instructor grab me by the waist and kiss me passionately? No. He has Steph so why would he come to me.
Okay. I’m ready... no going back. No bailing.

[Flashback begins]

You know, when I was in the changing room, I just stared at my costume and was thinking that how on Earth I’m I putting this on. It’s like putting on an extra layer of skin. I couldn’t believe Steph and Stacey made me put this on. Of course, they look amazing but I – let’s just say, asking for a bigger size did not help. No matter what size I get, I was going to look like an elephant. I’ve been tugged, pulled, stretched and squeezed for ten minutes, now. I felt like a...? Piece of meat! Dough being kneaded.
When I was looking in the mirror my stretch marks looked like millions of worms trying to escape from my flesh. Just like little red pathways taking over my whole body! I looked like a mother of two, when I’m really only just twenty-nine. Ahhh, perhaps I’m just lazy, and can’t be asked to get up on my feet from the fat ass of mine. Aaaah! When I finally got it on, it was time for the zip. It was so tight against my neck... it was choking me! Ohh my, I needed to loosen it up a bit. I asked; does it matter if I go like this? Okay, I needed to put it up. But there was no space for my double-chin to fit in. My spare tyres were bulging out. It was so embarrassing. But, I couldn’t hide them anyway, they were enormous! I can’t believe I have actually put that on; I looked like a whale that is trying to escape from a fisherman’s net.

Right. That unpleasant business was over. It was time to find the girls. Oh My God! Where are they? Did they leave me? They were there, over in the stern. The hot instructor was talking to Steph; he was helping her put on her wetsuit. Oh well. For Steph it’s absolutely fine, she doesn’t need to hide like me behind every available corner. Steph and her curvy, toned, and sexy figure can pull over any guy, even if she looks like a seal!

Ahhh! When I jumped off the boat, in a seated position. I just moved gently forward, over the wild and beautiful, unexplored world below me. I was drifting in silence. Above me there was nothing but shimmery light, the place where I had come from. I was diving. I was going past the dark rocks and wrinkled seaweed into the deep blueness, where a school of gold fish swim through us. I was swimming deeper, and deeper, and deeper... bubbles burst through me like little jelly fishes as they got higher. Blue, green, yellow, purple, orange, and red are all the colours that I could see. It was a different world. A totally different world.

That one precious tropical fish will never get out of my mind. It was just beautiful, alluring, attractive, pretty, gorgeous, and stunning. No words can describe the beauty in words; you would just need to see it. The glowing, neon green tropical fish looked absolutely amazing in its skin. It had polka dots on it like Dalmatian puppies. It was fascinating. When it went camouflaged, I didn’t know where to look. OH, and then I found it. It was just in front of a large rock.

I gradually moved up towards the shimmery light. I was just spending my time floating around, and feeling so light! Yes, light. I have never been this light before. I felt super skinny. I wish I stayed like this forever. I didn’t mind if any guy holds me at that moment, I was just light. Light. When I checked my air; there was only a little bit left. Even if I stayed here for a week I’d never see everything. But that’s what makes it so special.

Love Magazine - Nita Murtezi

 

 

Hello all, welcome to the Love Magazine interview day. Today we have a special guest with us and it's........... Nita Murtezi. We are sooo excited to have a interview with her and her giving a chance for us. This is her first interview after launching out her first album called 'Peace & Love'. This is a chance for you guys to ask her questions and to just know about her.

We will be asking on Twitter some questions that the fans have for her.

Question 1: How old are you?

Nita Murtezi: I am 20 years old, and thanking you for tweeting.

Question 2: How did you start the music business?

Nita Murtezi: I started the music business by creating my own music so songwriting, and then I auditioned for many places that will record my song and even publish it. After that I was successful in the GoFor company and recorded my first song in the studio. The whole process was really fun to create and just to hear my song played was the best feeling ever!

Question 3: How old was you when you first started to sing or song-write?

Nita Murtezi: I first started to sing around the age of 5 years because my mum kept on recording me whenever I sang. I started to song write at the age of 8 because I had the tools in writing because of school and I| just used this. I remember my first song was called Teddy and it was seriously about this teddy that I owned - it was hilarious. 

Question 4: Do you have a boyfriend?

Nita Murtezi: Yes I do indeed. I love him very much!

Question 5: Who would you like to make a duet with?

Nita Murtezi: I would love to make a duet with many artists, but - the person who I would want the most would be Ella Eyre. She is amazing!

Question 6: What music genre do you like to listen to?

Nita Murtezi: I love every music genre because I am an artist and I would like to listen to a variety of songs that have different rhythm because my mood changes a lot in a day, probably like other girls do as well.

THANK YOU Nita Murtezi! We Love Magazine had an amazing time with you and thank you for excepting our offer on being featured in our magazine.

 

Here's a photo that you all probably wanted to see!

 

 

Can television really develop your child's language? - Seda - A2 English Language coursework

Can television really develop your child’s language?

Picture the scene – it’s late, you’re tired, and the kids are all wide awake in the middle of the night. So, you switch on a show and let your child watch until they fall asleep. Is this bad? No its not. You’re actually helping your child with learning! But – you still feel guilty? Don’t you?

As parents we always want the best for our children. Even though children are taught in school, home is the first and greatest environment for our children to learn in. Isn’t it? Do you teach your child at home?

Fortunately, there are so many attributes that are available for you and your child that will support your child’s literacy. Jerome Bruner claimed that ‘child’s environment plays a big role in their language development’. One characteristic is TV shows because children learn with the help of others ‘More Knowledgeable Other’ (MKO) and watching educational shows will help them with learning and engaging with others. Television in this case will be like MKO?

So what’s the evidence? According to Heather L, et al (2008) “findings suggested that well-designed, age appropriate, educational television programmes and toys can be beneficial for children and enhance their ability to learn further”. Television can really teach our children with spoken and written language. If you need further convincing, Mumsnet is a website that shows articles and topics about children. I advise all parents to check this and take in the key information on children’s learning.

So is it that simple? Well… choosing the right program is essential. The most effective children’s TV shows are Peppa Pig, Dora the Explorer, Magic Hands, and Alphablocks. Magic Hands is a show that teaches young children poetry and British Sign Language. Therefore, children will learn sign language that will later benefit it they meet someone that requires this. These programs are all classified as educational shows because they teach children even without you knowing.

Dora the explorer is a good way to teach your children language as it features some Spanish phrases. This way not only your child will be learning English they will also learn a foreign language that will later benefit them. Wouldn’t you want your child to be step ahead when learning a language is school? Yes? Noam Chomsky states that ‘it will be harder for an older person to learn a foreign language however; learning a new language from an early age will be more effective’. Start now, so that your child can be fluent when they are older.

Finally, Peppa Pig is a great show for children as they can learn the main aspects of life, going to the playground, school, bike riding, and family time. This will help your children to be interactional and help their self-esteem while talking with others. Peppa with her cheeky smile and even cheekier attitude has become a hit with children because children like to follow her around and be in her story. This will help children to be more creative and imaginative when they create their own story. This is a great tool when starting school or whether your child is in school already. Wouldn’t their teachers be impressed?

So the next time you’re up in the middle of the night. Switch on your child’s favourite TV show and just relax. You are helping!

Nita Murtezi - a2 Media Studies

Digipak for Nita Murtezi

 

 

The images below shows the album Peace & Love digipak.

 



Media Studies Kodaline All I Want analysis

Artist - Kodaline
Track name - All I Want
Genre - Indie rock


I will be analysing this music video because I would want to know what narrative is used in this particular genre, also because of the lyrics as it is meaningful/ emotional. The video starts before the soundtrack starts to play, which allows a short introduction to the story that’s going to be played. It starts with a young women photocopying and then we hear her scream, she then starts to laugh, this is something you would not normally associate together. The music later begins and we can see what caused her to scream. A male character then appears who has a deformed face, which suggests that he is judged based upon his appearance. The music goes on and the video cuts between shots of him working, however it focuses in and out where it shows workers watching him.

 

There's a variety of different types of camera shots and angles used throughout the music video. The most common one is close-up where it’s used on various characters faces. The main character is shown to be isolated and sad in the office scene. The other characters expressions show how judgemental they are towards him. Establishing shot is used at the beginning of the scene to show the audience the location and the character living a normal life. There is an over the shoulder shot when three men are harassing his love interest. The character then goes in to protect her, which shows that the protagonist had enough with the bullies. Hand-held camera is used during the fight scene, which portrays a chaotic fight. Low angle is used on the male character to make him look more superior. The video ends with a long shot of the man running down the street in joy, giving the video a happy ending.

 

 

Mise-en-scene has been used greatly throughout the music video. The important objects used are art equipment, guitar, dog, clothing, lighting, and mug. The art equipment and the guitar shows the creative side of the male character. The male characters home is shown, which continues to show the normality of his life despite having a deformed face. The main character also owning a pet shows that this might be the only friend of him as they have a close relationship together. The clothing is in a business attire where the male character the male characters wear a suit. His love interest is dressed in a more stylish clothes with natural make-up. The lighting throughout is quite dark and dim, setting the mood for the music which is sad. There are various props used, the most important being a mug which had its words scribbled off to “World’s Greatest Freak” conveying how the character is criticised for the way he looks.

Both non-diegetic and diegetic sound is used throughout the music video. Non-diegetic sound is used in the video, this being the soundtrack. Diegetic sound is used at the beginning of the video before the soundtrack starts. This is the phones ringing, printers, papers, keyboards, and footsteps. This shows a typical of what you would find within an office. The lyrics begins with “All I want is nothing more, to hear you knocking at my door”. The lyrics implies that the male character is referring it to the female character. The chorus “To find somebody, I’ll find somebody like you”, suggests that this might be the dog as the scene shots the male character hugging the dog. This could imply that the male character found a dog to remind her with.

The editing used in the music video are filters, slow motion, and jump-cut. Filters are used during the park scene were it makes the scene look calm. Jump-cut is used during the fight scene to speed up the pace of the narrative, causing his actions to look more chaotic. Slow motion is used when the dog is running in the park to show ease, simplify and love. This also represents how the dog is one of the main sources of true happiness.

Overall, creativity is represented greatly within this music video, through the use of mise-en-scene, sound, cinematography, and editing. The lyrics has relation with the visuals as the narrative brings the lyrics alive.

Dramatic monologue - English Language (a-level)

That time of day is here again... it’s time to wake up. Sometimes I wish I could stay in bed forever dreaming. Dreaming about all the things I’m too chicken to do in real life. Like jump out of a helicopter, swim with sharks and just have fun. I don’t really know why I’m like this. I just am. I was always that kid at the party who stayed with her mum. I guess it’s because society has a clear image of what a women should look like, and I don’t have any of it! I get told I am pretty by Steph and Stacey, but most of the times I just think people say it as a joke or to make me feel better.

Well, I’m twenty-nine years old and I’m finally going to experience some kind of adventure. Spain. Me and my best friends. They’re a lot prettier than me and a lot louder too, but they’re like my sisters. Until then, I think I’ll just get ready and try and look decent for a holiday. Lots of things to do... must wax legs, must lose at least three pounds, and must go shopping. Wait... oh my god! Is that a grey hair? Yes. Must dye hair too.

[The time has finally come]

Have you ever waked up and just got that feeling that this was going to be your day? I did. Today. Now. Never have I felt like this before and if this is what being adventurous feels like, I know I will do this more often! I couldn’t sleep today, you see – so excited! – Maybe that’s why... [Sings favourite song] so come on, spin me around. Now I don’t wanna go home. Cause when you hold me like this you know my heart skips, skips a beat—

I pulled the curtain wide open and admired the warm, sparkling sun that was shining on my not-grey-now-burgundy hair. [Sings] you should be dancing, yeah, dancing, yeah. I’m so happy. Sorry for keep saying that. But I’m really happy. I don’t normally do things like this. I just put them on hold in my bucket of things to do before I turn thirty. Well, this is it. I have seven months to turn my life around. I’m finally putting me before maths. I love maths! I was that kid in class who got an A on every subject because I was capable of it...

Being self-conscious is horrible. I’d rather have my toes chewed on by Alsatians than feel like this 99.9% of the time. I’m happy...

Waiting for Stacey and Stephanie could take a very long time... they are the real girls! They told me they packed – gosh. Why is this cab driver staring at me? Is there something on my face? No. I washed. Come on girls. Come on. Please hurry before this man eats me. I’m murmuring this as though they can’t hear me.

Finally your here girls! I’ve been waitin- No! This can’t happen. No. No. OMG No. What? How? What do you mean? --- You better be kidding! They didn’t even apologise.

So my friends... I love them dearly but I might sound a bit snobby here – Stacey is a beautiful girl, who is not very intellectual and who lets guys treat her how they want. So she was in a relationship with a guy who she fell in love with and when she first told him she loved him, when she finally opened up, he told her he was seeing three other girls and he asked for her blessing. Yes, blessing! Stupid Stace gave it. Yep. Stephanie, my lovely steph. Everyone loves her. She’s very clumsy and she’s beautiful. She’s fun and unlike Stacey, she actually has a brain. – Although she acts stupid to gain Stacey’s affection. Don’t ask why. I always tell Steph to be herself but she never listens. I guess because her baby sister died when she was little and she always had that desire to be someone’s sister. I love her as a sister but the fact that she hides how smart she is, annoys me...

We are finally at the bloody airport, after that long journey with the cab driver staring. No Steph we are not meeting any guys. Oh wait... aren’t you dating Jack? OMG What? What happened? No way! OMG! Bastard! --- You’re not dumb! You see I hate when she acts like this. I know this will sound selfish but I’m trying to enjoy myself and I’ve got one friend crying in front of me and another blowing smoke to my face. Like seriously! Okay no. I’m happy. I’m happy. I’m happy. The more I say it the more I believe it.

Come on photo time! Photo! Why are you not in the mood? Come on guys. Come on cheer up. This is our first time. Forget the guys, forget debt, and forget work. Let’s enjoy ourselves. No. No! I can’t do that. OMG no way [giggles] –-- Fine. I will. I never knew taking around forty photos would be harder than solving an equation. How do you manage to take over sixty? Like, what?

Where’s our gates! Still not up. Mmmm --- taking its time! – Ohh finally! Chop chop! Quickly. Come on. Follow me!

This is it, we’re finally boarding. This holiday could change everything. Imagine. Omg what if I meet my future husband here. I could win the Spanish lottery! Do they have the lottery there? They have to. I’m really happy. Here we go again. This is it. This is the start of my new life. I’m super duper excited.

Summary

The language web is about the way people speak and the informality of a language. It also talks about  how are society has come to  talking differently, for example speaking less slang. People use "so sick" this means "it's great". This shows how society uses a more informal language than before.