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COOL

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Reading lists I went through about digital media, culture and education and think it might be useful for my dissertation or future study; they're all my fields of interest anyway. I will update the list from time to time and may review some separately in more detail as well. Hope this will be more organised and make it easier when refering back.

It might be better to write some reflexive idea under each item. Well, I might do that later (not at the moment when the deadline is coming! LOL). If you're interested in any, please feel free to look through it. They're all worth reading! (It's what you can call 'authoritative' lists in the field, I suppose :P)

Digital Media

Bordwell, D. & Thompson, K. (2008). Film Art: An Introduction (8th ed.), NY: McGraw-Hill.

Buckingham, D., (2003). Media Education: Literacy, Learning and Contemporary Culture, Cambridge: Polity Press.

Buckingham, D. (2007). 'Digital Media Literacies: rethinking media education in the age of the Internet', Research in Comparative and International Education, 2(1), pp. 43-55.

Burn, A. & Durran, J. (2006). 'Digital Anatomies: analysis as production in media education', in Buckingham, D & Willett, R (eds) Digital Generations, NY: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Burn, A. & Durran, J. (2007) Media Literacy in Schools, London: Paul Chapman.

Castells, M. (2010a). The Rise of the Network Society (2nd ed.). Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell.

Furstenau, M. & Mackenzie, A. (2009). 'The promise of "makeability": digital editing software and the structuring of everyday cinematic life', Visual Communication, 8(5), pp. 5-22.

Lister, M. (2009). New media: a critical introduction (2nd ed.). Abingdon: Routledge.

Manovich, L. (2001). 'The Language of New Media'. London: MIT P.

Sefton-Green, J. (2005). 'Timeline, Timeframe and Special Effects: software and creative media production', Education, Communication & Information, 5(1), pp. 99-110.

Walter, M., (1943). In the blink of an eye: a prospective on film editing (2nd ed.), Los Angeles: Silman-James Press.

White, D. S., & Le Cornu, A. (2011). 'Visitors and Residents: A new typology for online engagement', First Monday, 16 (9).

Culture

Buckingham, D. (2008). 'Introducing Identity', Youth, Identity and Digital Media. Cambridge: The MIT Press, pp. 1-24.

Butler, J. (1990). Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity. London: Routledge.

Castells, M. (2010b). The Power of Identity. Oxford: Wilay-Blackwell.

Giddens, A. (1991). Modernity and self-identity: self and society in the late modern age. Cambridge: Polity Press.

Goffman, E. (1990). The presentation of self in everyday life. London: Penguin.

Kress, G., & Van Leeuwen, T. (2001). Multimodal discourse: the modes and media of contemporary communication. New York: Oxford University Press.

Merchant, G. (2006). 'Identity, Social Networks and Online Communication', E-Learning, 3(2), pp. 235-244.

Potter, J., & McDougall, J. (2017). Digital Media, Culture and Education. London: Palgrave Macmillan.

Storey, J. (2015). Cultural theory and popular culture: an introduction (7th ed.). London: Routledge.

Education

Cukurova, M., Bennett, J., & Abrahams, I. (2017). Students' knowledge acquisition and ability to apply knowledge into different science contexts in two different independent learning settings. Research in Science & Technological Education, 1-18.

Dede, C. (2008). Theoretical perspectives influencing the use of information technology in teaching and learning. International handbook of information technology in primary and secondary education, 43-62.

Kirkwood, A., & Price, L. (2014). Technology-enhanced learning and teaching in higher education: what is 'enhanced'and how do we know? A critical literature review. Learning, media and technology, 39(1), 6-36.

Kirschner, P. A., Sweller, J., & Clark, R. E. (2006) Why minimal guidance during instruction does not work: An analysis of the failure of constructivist, discovery, problem-based, experiential, and inquiry-based teaching. Educational Psychologist, 41(2), 75-86.

Taber, K. (2011). "Constructivism in Education: Contingency in Learning, and Optimally Guided Instruction."In Educational Theory, edited by J. Hassaskhah, 39-61. Hauppauge, NY: Nova Science Inc.Tobias, S., & Duffy, T. M. (Eds.). (2009). Constructivist instruction: Success or failure?. Routledge.

Mayer, R. E. (2004). Should there be a three-strikes rule against pure discovery learning?. American psychologist, 59(1), 14.

Mayer, R. E. (2008) Learning and Instruction. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Merrill Prentice Hall.

R. Keith Sawyer (2006) The New Science of Learning, The Cambridge Handbook of the Learning Sciences, Cambridge University Press.

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Reading lists I went through about digital media, culture and education and think it might be useful for my dissertation or future study; they're all my fields of interest anyway. I will update the list from time to time and may review some separately in more detail as well.

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I can see you're a determined person, knowing what your aim is and know exactly how to get close to it. Keep going!

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Media and Education are two areas I am interested in as my previous degree is in communication; meanwhile, I have worked as a personal tutor since I was a sophomore and after graduation I become a full-time teacher along with doing advertorial jobs in my family's school. And now I am here, in London, studying my Master's degree to further study and expand my view in both fields, with a strong question in mind 'how can I use media to improve education?'.

Studying at Master's level is not easy, especially in completely different educational system. There are a small number of class sessions but there is outside class learning, thing called 'independent learning' which, for me, is mainly about READING and KEEP READING because hundreds of books will be your key resources of study and you can (or have to) independently manage it: What, when and how to read.

WHAT: Tutors might provide you some suggested lists (which already a lot!) but you have to further your reading by yourself as well like exploring to other related articles in a filed of study that you would like to focus.

WHEN: Time manangement is soooo important! I think I am quite a quick reader myself even in the second language but academic papers are not easy to read since every page needs time to consider, to reflect, to situate and to connect them with other ideas. It is not similar to other light reading which requires no deep concentration (you can try it like that but you will find that after finishing you understand nothing!).

HOW: Since Master's degree reading is not easy, students have to use their individual strategies to accomplish their missions and decide how to finish those hundreds books! These strategies includes which book to start, which article should be paid more attention than others, which effective reading strategy will work for you, where is the place that will be best for reading (perhaps, not bedroom!) and many other factors affecting reading conditions to consider.

More importantly, ' independent' or ' individual' learning does not mean 'alone' in my opinion. There are your friends who face the same situations as you! Group work might be able to help you finish those massive reading lists incredibly easier and quicker. Also, sharing ideas about reading can help you understand more about the articles and get other views to build on.

To beome Reading Master, you need to find your individual effective reading approch.

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Media and Education are two areas I am interested in as my previous degree is in communication; meanwhile, I have worked as a personal tutor since I was a sophomore and after graduation I become a full-time teacher along with doing advertorial jobs in my family's school.

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happy Chinese new year!

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Yesterday was the traditional Chinese New Year!
The introduction of Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, is the most important festival in China celebrated at the turn of the traditional lunisolar Chinese calendar which is a calendar based on the monthly cycles of the Moon's phases. The date of New Year varies each year, so one of the most interesting parts of this festival is to check the calendar and count down the date of the festival when I was a child.

Celebrations traditionally run from the evening preceding the first day, to the lantern festival on the 15th day of the first calendar month. In this period, all the people are supposed to have a seven-day holiday to come back to home and to celebrate this festival with their family. In this case, you can see big cities in China, like Beijing and Shanghai, become kind of "empty city" during the festival because all the people who are not local go back to their hometown. This phenomenon even becomes the largest annual mass human migration in the world. Lots of people even have to stand for nearly 30 hours or even more on the train because there are not enough tickets.

We have several customs to celebrate this festival and they vary according to the different district of China. For me, as a person who grows up in the Northeast part of China, we usually thoroughly clean the house before the festival which means to sweep away the bad things happened in the last year and to welcome the coming year with a new start. The most important part of this festival is to have a reunion dinner on New Year's Eve with the CCTV New Year gala. At midnight, our family is used to eating dumplings and lighting fircrackers to end the whole day. Also, our windows and doors must be decorated with red color paper-cuts and couplets with themes of " happiness" and " good fortune".

(The picture below is the paper-cut I put on my window which costs 6 pounds. In China, it normally only cost 5 RMB, around 50p.)

Another interesting custom of celebrating Chinese New Year is to give money in red paper envelopes and this is also the part I look forward most when I was a child. Only children or teenagers can receive this envelope and adult are the ones who give money. In our family, as long as you do not get married you can still receive the money from parents and other relatives. Although I am turning 23 this year and I do not celebrate the festival with my family together, I still receive the red envelopes by Wechat online.

( The red paper envelope I received last year)

These are the basic information about Chinese New Year. As for how I celebrated this festival in London, I will post it later. Please look forward to it!

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Yesterday was the traditional Chinese New Year! The introduction of Chinese New Year Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, is the most important festival in China celebrated at the turn of the traditional lunisolar Chinese calendar which is a calendar based on the monthly cycles of the Moon's phases.

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interesting!I'll go to see this movie!😊

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I have been a Marvel fan for years, but I never watched any of the Star War series before. Recently, I watched the latest one 'Star War: the Last Jedi' in BFI Imax. If I say that I was attracted and moved by Marvel's stories, I would say that I fall in love with Star Wars dead beauty. Its color of the settings, its effects, its music, its brilliant cinematography and breath taking editing.

01:50:00 to 01:52:00 10s of silence to show the explosion

To be continued...

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I have been a Marvel fan for years, but I never watched any of the Star War series before. Recently, I watched the latest one 'Star War: the Last Jedi' in BFI Imax. If I say that I was ...

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Viva La Vida and Liberty Leading the People are a very interesting combination between the stylish pop-music and the famous classical painting. As such, the song was illuminated more realistically while the artwork was given a new annotation.

Viva La Vida is the second single from the album of Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends , which composed by British band and released on 12 June 2008. The name of the album was originated from a Spanish phrase that means Live the life or Long live life . As mentioned before, one of the three covers of the album for the standard edition is the painting Liberty Leading the People (French: La Liberté guidant le peuple [la libɛʁte ɡ id ɑ̃ lə pœpl]) , by Eugène Delacroix, showing French July Revolution of 1830 (Wikipedia).

Including the Viva La Vida , this British album contains series themes with high sense of humanistic and social outlook, such as war, love, power and revolution. Just because of this distinct point, using the famous painting that symbolizes the struggles from different social classes masses is an admirable idea and conducts the harmonious combination. On market data, in its first week of release, it debuted at number one in 36 countries (Paul, 2008). Of course, the world-wide success and popularity of this album proves that classics could also shed new light in ingenious and innovative ways.

References

Paul, S. (2008) ' New Coldplay Album Sells 300K In Three Days ', Billboard. [Accessed 12 January 2018]

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Viva La Vida and Liberty Leading the People are a very interesting combination between the stylish pop-music and the famous classical painting. As such, the song was illuminated more realistically while the artwork was given a new annotation. 'Viva La Vida' is the second single from the album of 'Viva la Vida or Death and...

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Last weekend I went to Manchester, the second largest city of the UK, with my best friend.

Transport: Train

price: £58 (with young person card discount), ordering via Trainline, a phone app, is really convenient.

cost 2 hours from London Euston to Manchester Piccadily

Accommodation: Friend's student accommodation in Liberty Point

we stayed one night in our friend's accommodation since she is moving out and her room is free for us to live. So, this save us a large amount of money.

Eat: Cha-ology: really popular Japanese tea and dessert shop. Every thing worth a (or more) try!!!

tips: come early or things will sold out and avoid Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays when they are close.

Try Thai: Thai food in China Town. Nice food and acceptable price~ Thai Tea is recommended.

Alabama's All American Eatery: Brunch time~~ pictures talk

Visit: The Art Gallery, The Lowry. This is a city filled with art~

I made a video of my trip in Manchester, click the link below and view it

I am SURE you will love this city~

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Last weekend I went to Manchester, the second largest city of the UK, with my best friend. Transport: Train price: £58 (with young person card discount), ordering via Trainline, a phone app, is really convenient. cost 2 hours from London Euston to Manchester Piccadily Accommodation: Friend's student accommodation in Liberty Point we stayed one night...

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My only question is... how did you travel so much? The pictures are amazing!

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The most common questions about London that I ever heard are that "Is it foggy in London? Does it rain all the day?" I would say that the weather here is better than I thought, but I hardly see the blue sky the whole day long in London. On the contrary, Barcelona is sunny and warm even in the winter, therefore, I made my decision to visit Spain because it was so cold in London.

We stayed in a hotel near the sea for the first day. I planed to walk through the beach and have lunch there, and go to the city centre in the rest of the day. However, the seaside was so beautiful, so that we actually spend the whole day enjoying the sunshine. Even in the early morning, we could see many athletes doing exercise nearby, and some young people dancing with some famous Spanish songs. In fact, I am quite lazy and hardly go to the gym in my spare time, but I am 200% willing to exercise everyday if I can enjoy such fantastic view.

The next stop is the Sagrada Família, a masterpiece designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí. Gaudí's work on the building is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and in November 2010 Pope Benedict XVI consecrated and proclaimed it a minor basilica, as distinct from a cathedral, which must be the seat of a bishop. You must be amazed by every detail of the building if you see it in person.

We went to the Park Güell. Güell and Gaudí conceived this park, situated within a natural park. They imagined an organized grouping of high-quality homes, decked out with all the latest technological advancements to ensure maximum comfort, finished off with an artistic touch. They also envisioned a community strongly influenced by symbolism, since, in the common elements of the park, they were trying to synthesize many of the political and religious ideals shared by patron and architect.

The Casa Milà and the Casa Batlló are located in the same street, so we visited them one by one. There is voice guide in the building, which introduce each design in the rooms and the functions of them. Gaudí's design is not only artistic, but also very practical, he has considered the warmth, the water system very carefully.

Even though there are still many places to visit in Barcelona, and all of them were so interesting and worth-going, I believe the highlight of our journey is the works of Gaudí!

Instead of modern cities, I prefer visiting natural areas, which make me relaxed. The Lake District is in North West England is a good choice, especially for international students who do not have Schengen visa.

Windermere is the largest natural lake in England. It is a ribbon lake formed in a glacial trough after the retreat of ice at the start of the current interglacial period. It has been one of the country's most popular places for holidays and summer homes because of its lakes, forests and mountains.

We took the boat that operate along the whole length of the lake to visit the whole area. The boat starts from Lakeside railway station, bay near Ambleside in the north. Intermediate stops are made at Bowness and, by smaller launches only, at Brockhole.

The mountains were so imposing, that I was totally relaxed and forgot all the worries when I saw them. (But it is cooler than in the city centre, remember to bring a coat with you.)

The last destination of our journey is the Orrest Head. It is one of the Lake District's shortest and easiest walks, it took us about 25mins to reach the peak. Perfect for those whose joints are no longer capable of strenuous fell walking and for families with small kids who just want to get out into the fresh air and experience one of the most spectacular Windermere views.

Portugal is the most interesting country that I have been to in Europe. Even though it doesn't have that many magnificent architectures compared to the other countries, azulejos on the outer wall make them so unique and amazing. The word azulejo stems from Arabic roots, meaning 'small polished stone'. Originally they were fairly simple structures cut into geometric shapes in neutral tones. After their introduction by King Manuel I, simple geometric shapes were replaced by more ornate decoration. It was (and still is) typical for the Portuguese to tell stories about their history, religion, and culture through this decorative means; they soon became pieces of public artwork. You can see many stores selling fridge magnets in a variety shapes of azulejos, they are such a good choice as souvenir.

Tuk Tuk is another symbol of Portugal, an auto rickshaw with only three wheels. Most of them are decorated with azulejos, the drivers will drive you to the main tourist spots and introduce the city for you.

We hired a tuk tuk when we became so so tired after climbing the mountain, it was an interesting experience!

Being a country located near the sea, seafood becomes a highlight of it. This is one of the most famous seafood restaurants in Lisbon, there were so many people queue for it, we could see more than 50 people outside the restaurant when we left. There are quite a lot of choices, and the food are so fresh. The only shortage is that they only steam things...

Egg tarts must be the best dessert in Portugal! This is a cafe near our hotel, many citizens came and just order a tart with coffee in the morning as breakfast, there weren't any seats in the cafe, people leave very quickly after they enjoying the tart. It was such a nice start of the day!

I visited Italy during the summer holiday, in July. It was so so hot there, but thanks to the sunny weather, we took lots of fantastic pictures there. We started our journey from Rome, and went to Florence, Venice and Milan. I would like to introduce Florence, the city I love the most in Italy in this post.

Personally, the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Flower is the most beautiful architecture that I have even seen in Europe. It is the main church of Florence, Italy. The exterior of the basilica is faced with polychromemarble panels in various shades of green and pink bordered by white and has an elaborate 19th-century Gothic Revival façade by Emilio De Fabris. I am sure that you will be amazed if you see the buildings in person.

This is a photo that I took from the "Old Bridge", Ponte Vecchio. It is a medieval stone closed-spandrel segmental arch bridge over the Arno River, noted for still having shops built along it, as was once common. Butchers initially occupied the shops; the present tenants are jewelers, art dealers and souvenir sellers. We did a great window shopping on the bridge.🤩

The next destination is the Michelangelo Square. It must be the best place the see the full view of Florence.

Mercato Centrale is definitely a wonderful place to go, if you want to taste a variety of delicious Italian food, and to feel the market atmosphere. Also, you can find many stores selling leather products nearby, it is worth looking if you have spare time.

You cannot miss Gelato in Italy! The most famous Gelato shop in Florence is called 'Vivoli', queueing is necessary whenever you visit the shop. However, their Gelato was too sweet for me, I prefer the shops on the streets.

Thank you for reading my post, and please put Florence into your schedule if you are planning to visit Italy, you won't regret!

My friend and I went to Santorini on November, although it was already quite cold in London, it was still around 20°C on the island, the weather was warm and nice and the sky was so clear that we could see lots of stars at night.

Santorini is famous for the perfect combination of the whitewashed buildings and the blue roofs. I was a little bit disappointed because I expected more blue roofs than I have seen. However, the small buildings in all kinds of colours were so cute, that we took lots of pictures there.

I was attracted by the drawings on the wall of this bookstore at first, but I loved it so much because of the wonderful view on the second floor. Visitors are encouraged to leave their books on the two bookshelves on the picture, so that the others are able to read books from all over the world, and I liked the feeling that I was somehow connected to the owner of the books.

Personally, Greek food is quiet salty for me, but the view from the restaurant was excellent!

You should definitely go to Oia, it is the best place to see the sunset!

The thing that my friend and I enjoyed the most in Prague is the Christmas market, which is routinely ranked as one of the best in the Europe. As it is my third year living in Covent Garden, huge Christmas tree with beautiful red lights cannot surprise me any more, but the one in the old town square was still amazing. It was approximately 22 metres tall, the tallest in recent year. The decoration lights on the tree are in the shapes of the landmarks of Prague or items related to the traditional Christmas custom in Czech Republic. The tree house next to the Christmas tree was a good place to see the whole view of the market, the stores are not much different from the ones in Winter Wonderland, but it was still really interesting to walk around.

We could see some "chimney cakes" everywhere in Prague, which is called trdelník, a tradition pastry in Czech Republic. It was interesting to watch them be prepared; thick dough coated in sugar is wrapper around a thick pole which rotated slowly over a fire until the sugar caramelises over the outside to a golden-brown colour. There are plenty choices of favour, including chocolate, ice-cream, ham and cheese, and so forth.

The Charles Bridge is most famous bridge in Prague, The bridge is decorated by a continuous alley of 30 statues and statuaries, most of them baroque-style, originally erected around 1700 but now all replaced by replicas. They depict various saints and patron saints venerated at that time. The most notable sculpture to me is the statuaries of John of Nepomuk, it has been polished to a shine by countless people having touched it over the centuries, because people believe that can bring good luck and make their wishes come true.

There were still many places worth visiting in Prague, it was a pity that we didn't spend more time to explore the city. I wish I could visit it again, and see the Christmas market in white snow next time!

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The most common questions about London that I ever heard are that "Is it foggy in London? Does it rain all the day?" I would say that the weather here is better than I thought, but I hardly see the blue sky the whole day long in London.

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This is the #Lumiere London# I went to the Trafalgar Square and the West Minster to catch the beautiful light show. I have to admit that the white bubble lights are really romantic when they twinkling with the music, Especially watching them from the water. The most GORGEOUS show is the West Minster's, the lights decorate the single colour church into colourful and stratified. I never thought that churches can be sooooo beautiful!!!

Love this city MORE~~~

From left to right and up to buttom

pics 1 and 2 are shoot at the West Minster. I personally think the light decorates the church into a mid east Asia style with a mysterious oriental atmosphere around the whole building. This is a fantastic combination of west and east.

picture 3 is the bubble lights on the Trafalgar Square. The lights will 'dance' with the music. People around the square just look at the light dance quietly. Isn't it a romantic place for couples? I couldn't stop imagining a couple of lovers make their proposal there~~

picture 4 is the London Eye shooting from the West Minster. I love the blue colour of it, showing a peaceful and gentle aspect of this busy city.

picture 5 my personally favorite!!! The telephone booth reminds me the first imagination scene of the UK where I got from an old popular TV series called Doctor Who. In that TV play the doctor travel in time and space via the telephone booth, which leaves me an impression that telephone booth has magic power!

So, which picture is your favorite? comment and tell me~~

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This is the #Lumiere London# I went to the Trafalgar Square and the West Minster to catch the beautiful light show. I have to admit that the white bubble lights are really romantic when they twinkling with the music, Especially watching them from the water. The most GORGEOUS show is the West Minster's, the lights...

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Like the way how you design your home page. Looks neat and pretty.

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Belgium is the first European country I visited after studying in the UK. Within a short period of 5 day in 3 cities, this country was etched deeply in my mind.

Brussels, as the capital of Belgium and the seat of the headquarters of the EU, is different from what I expected it to be. In my imagination, Brussels should be a crowded and bustling kind of city like other capital cities around the world. However, the broad streets, the spacious square and the sparse crowd all tell me that this city is so tranquil. Moreover, find food, rich aromas of chocolates and laissez faire locals also help to add the city's casual atmosphere. A laid-back city is my first impression of Brussels.
A bilingual country
When you go to Brussels, you will find all signs and instructions are in two languages, Dutch and French. On the way from the airport to the hotel, the taxi driver told us, with some degree of pride, that he could speak 4 languages, English, French, Dutch and German. In the conversation, I learnt that Brussels is officially bilingual (Dutch-French) and most people here can speak at least 2-3 languages. Among so many languages, French is the dominant language. When walking on the street, I always hear the welcoming cry of 'bonjour' from enthusiastic shop assistants. However, language will not be a barrier for travel if you can only speak English, especially in the tourist areas. From personal experience, everybody working in the tourist industry, including restaurants, hotels and shops has some knowledge of English.
Graffiti
When roaming the city streets, I couldn't help but notice abundant graffiti. Graffiti are almost everywhere in the name of art, rebellion, expression and voice. The colorful graffiti works can help visitors have better understanding of the charms of the city.
Fries, Mussels, Waffles and Chocolates
Dinning is a big part of the travel experience. Fries, Mussels, Waffles and Chocolates are the must try food when traveling Belgium.

Did you know 'French Fries' were actually born in Belgium? I didn't know before I went there. My fellow traveller told me that French Fries were named by American Soldiers during World War I who wrongly assumed that the potatoes being served were 'French' because the locals were speaking French. Compared with British Chips, French Fries are smaller and thinner and always served with thin mayonnaise. For me, the French Fries in Belgium maybe the best I've ever tasted

Mussels are the national dish of Belgium. This dish is on the menu in almost every restaurant in Brussels. Dozens of Mussels presented on a black pot, which are enough to eat my fill. Mussels can be cooked in different flavour, but I highly recommend the one with sliced and minced garlic.

I ate waffles almost every day during the trips. Every time before waffles, concerns about calories and sugar often get forgotten. There are two types of waffles, one is the Brussels waffle (rectangular and flaky), and the other is the Liege waffle (round and soft and sweet). I love both types of homemade waffles with any kind of topping from fruits to ice cream.

Chocolate is another enemy for losing weight, especially Belgium chocolates. Besides those famous brands like Godiva, some handmade chocolates in small shops should not to be missed.

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Belgium is the first European country I visited after studying in the UK. Within a short period of 5 day in 3 cities, this country was etched deeply in my mind. Brussels, as the capital of Belgium and the seat of the headquarters of the EU, is different from what I expected it to be....

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wonderful colors

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Last Friday, I went to Westminster&Piccadilly area with my friend to take photos of Lumiere London 2018. Actually this exhibition was not very impressive as I had great expectations, although it has bright colors and passionate audiences.

The pink London Eye

A light ball, as if in a disco...

Westminster Abbey, my favourite one.

Piccadilly Circus. This spot showed moving images, telling a fantasy story.

It looks like a cell nucleus, maybe it is the origin of the World Bubble?

The audiences. Sweet or expectant.

After all, it is a festival.

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Last Friday, I went to Westminster&Piccadilly area with my friend to take photos of Lumiere London 2018. Actually this exhibition was not very impressive as I had great expectations, although it has bright colors and passionate audiences. The pink London Eye A light ball, as if in a disco...

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I am no expert in intergalactic wars and do not claim to be, but there is a thing I was genuinely admirative of in 'The Last Jedi', and this was Laura Dern's impersonation of Admiral Holdo.

When I saw that Laura Dern would be in Star Wars, I knew that any character she was taking on could not but be a powerful and complex woman. Holdo certainly did live up to these expectations. The Admiral is a renowned war hero respected for her wisdom and warmongering knowledge. Exactly the kind of role that you'd expect a white old guy to fill, right? And yet, by choosing Laura Dern to impersonate the Admiral, Disney both gave to the character a panache only she could bring and made a powerful statement.

'I was not expecting Admiral Holdo to look like that' says a sneery pilot when the Admiral shows up for the first time. Why he should say this is easy to imagine. Not only is the Admiral a woman, she has also donned extravagant garments : purple hair and dress with assorted jewelry that form a sharp contrast with the more functional attire of Princess Leia. In the mind of the pilot, a woman cannot be powerful and feminine : powerful women should make forget that they are women.

Yet Holdo is unapologetic about her looks and still rules with might and intransigeance. The only reason her plan fails is because a man refused to obey her orders, to respect her hierarchical position, and blabbed about her ideas. Sounds familiar again? That's sadly what too many of us have to endure at work.

Before Holdo's heroic death to save what remains of the resistance, she exchanges with Leia a heart-wrenching goodbye. The two women who hold the most powerful positions in the resistance share a moving and genuine moment of sorority, each acknowledging the other's worth and strength. As cheesy as it sounds, it did bring tears to my eyes because only by standing up for each other will we overcome the patriarchy the way they overcome evil forces threatening the galaxy.

So yeah, maybe galactic feminism IS a thing.

Categories

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I am no expert in intergalactic wars and do not claim to be, but there is a thing I was genuinely admirative of in 'The Last Jedi', and this was Laura Dern's impersonation of Admiral Holdo. When I saw that Laura Dern would be in Star Wars, I knew that any character she was taking...

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I want to visit this place now!

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When you text me on a Thursday night to ask me where I am, my answer will always be the same.

A small, and unknown to most, hookah bar sitting on the quieter side streets off of Edgware Road. And.. what is so special about it you may ask. For me, it is a certain sense of familiarity. Sitting outside, with a warm glass of mint tea. The strong smell of strawberry shisha reminds me of the busy streets of Ortakoy in Istanbul, where I grew up.

In the background, there is the clacking of dice on the backgammon board. The lively chit-chat of the familiar faces and the sound of my friends counting their checkers. The weekly backgammon tournament- not to be taken lightly. Every week there is a winner, crowned as the "King" or "Queen".

There are the lingering traces of scented smoke in the cold air, making beautiful patterns unlike any other. But most importantly, I'm surrounded by friends who have become my family, my closest people, and suddenly La Rose is no longer a place, but a sense of security, of comfort. Upon closer inspection, Thursday night shisha has become sacred.

The night air may be cold, but the coal from the hookah warms my hands- and my heart.

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When you text me on a Thursday night to ask me where I am, my answer will always be the same. "La Rose" A small, and unknown to most, hookah bar sitting on the quieter side streets off of Edgware Road. And.. what is so special about it you may ask.

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Interesting view on brother's school presentation

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Interesting view on brother's school presentation

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Nicely written post that actually tells a story and which is interesting to read. Read more if you're interested in marketing mixed with feminism :)

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Yesterday, my 16 year old brother proudly announced that he had finished a school project he had been working on since September. In the work, titled 'Is L'Oréal a Feminist company?', he and his classmate proceed to show that the brand's 'feminism' is mostly a marketing argument. I felt really proud of him for tackling this subject.

Their study follows a unsurprising unfolding : they point out that even though make-up can sometimes be an empowering tool, the brand only care about women's rights as a marketing argument. They analyze a variety of ads and show that diversity of race or age is mostly a kind of tokenism meant to sell more products rather than change the world.

But something was striking. They had left something out, something so big that I could not even believe they would not mention it. AT NO POINT in the 20 pages work do they question - or even mention that we live in a society where beauty is an injonction and where women are primarily judged on their physical appearance. The endeavor of women to constantly look their best passes as normal. Being a high-school project written by 16 years old, it is not surprising that the work should have been flawed, but there were girls in his team and I can't imagine teenage girls not being aware that society demands they should be good-looking always.

Why then not mention the problematic aspect of enforcing unrealistic beauty standards? I have no explanation to offer. I pointed that to my brother and he went 'Oh yeah, we discussed it but decided it was not the most important thing to talk about'. And as proud of him as I can be for his interest in gender equality issues, I cannot but wonder : if a boy working on this subject along with girls still does not realize that the injonction to beauty is problematic and a source of pressure, then what will make him aware of that?

Categories Tags

Personal Anecdote Beauty Standards, Brother, Family, Feminism, L'Oréal, Teenager

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My Brother, L'Oréal, and Beauty Standards

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Yesterday, my 16 year old brother proudly announced that he had finished a school project he had been working on since September. In the work, titled 'Is L'Oréal a Feminist company?', he and his classmate proceed to show that the brand's 'feminism' is mostly a marketing argument.

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Really interesting post about the Lion King! 

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Really interesting post about the Lion King! 

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The Lion King is a Disney movie, released in 1994, in which iconic music figures such as Hans Zimmer or Elton John have contributed to. Taking place in the kingdom of lions in Africa, the story was also highly influenced by Shakespeare's . It is common that Disney movies actually make allusions to certain textual references. The scene we are going to analyse is the opening of the movie, commonly known as the Circle of Life, in which the Bible is often alluded.
It's the Circle of Life And it moves us all Through despair and hope Through faith and love Till we find our place On the path unwinding In the Circle The Circle of Life.
The movie instantly starts with the sun is rising, along with music. It is the beginning of the day, therefore it belongs to the circle of life which is made by beginning, middle and end, and repeats itself constantly. All animals seem to be called and they all run towards one direction: the sun. Here, all kinds of animals are represented, from giraffes to ants.

The colours used - orange, yellow, and pink - have a signification: it is the beginning of the day, and the warm colours announce good news and positivity. When the music lyrics are "It's the circle of life", all animals go in harmony towards the Lions kingdom. There, we notice a lion - Mufasa, the current Lion King - who is standing in majestic position: we understand he is the King of the Pride Lands. It seems like all animals were told to come at this particular time for a reason, and the reason might be related to Mufasa. All animals seem to have a kind of respect for the King.

The King looks quite strict, with a serious facial expression. Thanks to an over the shoulder shot, we can see a bird curtsy to the King, but then his softeness is highlighted through a low angle close up of the Lion smiling with gentleness. The two shots are emphasizing two of his personality traits: his authority as a King and his kindness as a person.

Following this, we can see a mandrill coming, in which is definitely in reference to the Bible and to Moses parting the Red Sea. When Rafiki, the mandrill, arrives in the shot, there is an excess of light on him, which could make us think of God's support. He arrives and naturally sepeartes the crowd of animals into two parts while holding a stick. This is clearly a recreation of the Bible's reference. This could be supported by the fact that the Lion, who could be the personification of God, is standing higher-up than the rest of the population and is illuminated by the sun.

As soon as Rafiki has reached the Lion kingdom, he hugs Mufasa. Then, Mufasa looks over his shoulder and meets his wife who is holding a baby lion: it is the Royal's couple's new-born, Simba. Could Simba represent Jesus as he is Mufasa's (God) son? We could see it that way.

Then, the baby lion is presented to the crowd by the mandrill holding him towards the sky. This highlights the new-born's royalty and superiority comparing to the other animals of the Pride Lands, which is emphasized by a close up of Simba for 9 seconds. We understand that he will be the protagonist of the story.

Right after this, the sky let some light get through to enlighten Simba. We could see that as God blessing him, just as God shined light on Jesus after he was baptized.

The Circle of Life is kind of a symbolic term for the series of events that happens on earth naturally: it has to happen. Birth, life, death. Here, it refers to how events repeat themselves. Simba is born, will grow up and become the Lion King. He will then have a son who will have the same destiny.

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The Lion King is a Disney movie, released in 1994, in which iconic music figures such as Hans Zimmer or Elton John have contributed to. Taking place in the kingdom of lions in Africa, the story was also highly influenced by Shakespeare's . It is common that Disney movies actually make allusions to certain textual references.

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Useful and funny tips on how to write the perfect bio on Tinder! You must visit this blog:)

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Useful and funny tips on how to write the perfect bio on Tinder! You must visit this blog:)

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1.or (((*°▽° *）八（* °▽°*)))♪: My first impression strategy on internet

It was in primary school when I first time having exposure to social media and I was absolutely no idea that my world and the world has totally changed since then.

QQ, the social media software that as necessary as re

cycle Bin in every Chinese's computers might be the first software that most Chinese people would installed in their computer. I gave my virginal social media experience there and has done the first explore of self- identity on internet from there.

At very beginning of most types of social media, the first and the most important thing is writing something 'ABOUT ME' in the personal page, which I used to quite enjoyed.

What I did during that time is basically coping or making some popular pictures by signs or characters in the 'about me' blanket while most of these stuff have totally no relevant about myself and it was all about the pictures making by some signs or characters.

If I recall the reason why I was doing that I think it could possibly because I hope when people (mainly my peers) saw my 'about m

e' blanket they could be immediately impressed by my creative and unique way of expressing myself. Also, the presentation of my bio may shows that I had not had any identity of myself, I regard the identity of self is the tool for establishing a strong impression without any further reading.

When it comes to my first blog, Q-zone, I finally kept my bio for a couple of years. But what I did in the bio is just p

utting some poems or beautiful words I found from internet in it, which my parents said they have totally no idea what does these stuff mean.

I did not try to explain myself quite well in such an exclusive place and the impression I tried to create in internet world is not a clear image, I did not mean to left some spaces for people to imagine like an artist do but I think what I really want to do is still try to create a unique or cool impression with something I have admired.

When I started my uni, it seems much harder to get impressed by the my peers, especially the boys I had a crush on and there are so many annoying talented girls around me ,and my unclear and copied bio seems does not help me at all.

Since then, I started to do some interests which I might not interested at very beginning, such as guitar playing and poetry reading in order to impress people. And as long as I was doing these things, I could not wait to change my bio and write something releted about it. I realized that people started get interested in me and felt impressive about me.

I realized my strategy works even though I never written my own poetry and not really a master of guitar.

Tinder: charming, sexy, confident lady. (edit next time)

I met my bf from Tinder and my best friend who living in America met her fiancée by a game in WeChat. It is a common story nowadays that boys and girls knowing each other from internet and chemical starts from the magic personal bio.

I remember the first question that I asked my current bf when we first met is "do I look similar to the description of my profile?" to be honest, I felt so unconfident and insecure when I decided to meet this cute boy because I knew what I put in my bio on tinder is actually a partial story of myself and there were so editing of the self-presentation on internet.

Love smile (good at polite but fake smile)

Love cooking and travelling(only when I have money and time, which obviously I don't have currently)

Love guitar playing and skating (very basic level)

Love reading (something I hate but have to do)

Love writing (something I hate but have to do)

Apparently my plan was successful because a 'naïve' boy was 'cheated' by these bios. But am I the only one doing this?

Of course, no!

There are so many 'heavily edited' information on dating social media, young people use their intelligence to convey sexual suggestion "accidentally."

The reason for me to get tired of writing bios is because It is always a hard work for me to think about the potential 'audience' and the presentation I need to make on the stage of internet even though I know it is unavoidable to create a 'temporary self' every time when people get into a new and unfamiliar world.

coming soon...
Do we have humour? don't say you are a writer anymore

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1.or (((*°▽° *）八（* °▽°*)))♪: My first impression strategy on internet It was in primary school when I first time having exposure to social media and I was absolutely no idea that my world and the world has totally changed since then.

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Thai food is the best. I saw this blog at midnight! LOL

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"THAM-BUN" (ทำบุญ - Thai word)

"Tham-Bun" is a Thai word meaning to "make merit". It is one of Thai activities, doing good things according to religious beliefs, such as by giving money to charity, making donation at the temple, giving money to those who need it, etc.

The verb "tham" (ทำ) means "to do" or "to make", and the noun "bun" (บุญ) means "merit". And you will often see Thai people making a visit to a temple on a regular basis in order to "tham bun" (ทำบุญ).

Merit is a concept considered fundamental to Buddhist ethics. It is a beneficial and protective force which accumulates as a result of good deeds, acts, or thoughts. Merit-making is important to Buddhist practice: merit brings good and agreeable results, determines the quality of the next life and contributes to a person's growth towards enlightenment. In addition, merit is connected with the notions of purity and goodness. Before Buddhism, merit was used with regard to ancestor worship, but in Buddhism it gained a more general ethical meaning. Merit is a force that results from good deeds done; it is capable of attracting good circumstances in a person's life, as well as improving the person's mind and inner well-being. Moreover, it affects the next lives to come, as well as the destination a person is reborn.

Merit can be gained in a number of ways, such as giving, virtue and mental development. One of the examples here is giving a food, "Kuay-Jub" (ก๋วยจั๊บ), occurred at Buddhapadipa temple on the occasion of Thai' new year festival.

Moreover, the most popular snack which is easy to make and very delicious is "Pa-tong-go" (ปาท่องโก๋), a long golden-brown deep-fried strip of dough. It is also know as Chinese fried churros, like Chinese doughnut. It has very simple making and good for light meal, also is normally eaten at breakfast in most of Southeast Asian countries.

Not only giving a food or stuff, but also doing a mental development can be as a making merit because mental development enable improving the person's mind and inner well-being. This will arguably promote your quality of life and contributes your growth towards enlightenment.

So, Thai people prefer to pay homage and meditate for bringing a good and agreeable results such as happiness and tranquility.

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"THAM-BUN" (ทำบุญ - Thai word) "Tham-Bun" is a Thai word meaning to "make merit". It is one of Thai activities, doing good things according to religious beliefs, such as by giving money to charity, making donation at the temple, giving money to those who need it, etc.

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This is really good...

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Truth one. I'm not one for nature walks. 'Wowing' and 'aawwing' at trees and empty sky spaces has never really been my thing - too deep for me I guess. Until I got to London. In all honesty though, I probably go more for the pictures.

Truth Two. If there is any validity in that saying about the company one keeps telling volumes about who they are, then my situation is worrisome. Well, meet two of my friends...

Truth Three. Some of the few sane people I hang around with in London. Most likely because they are usually all about academics. And food.
Do you now see what I meant by my situation being worrisome

Oh Moses!

How do I introduce you to complete strangers for the first time! Hmmm...let me see;

"Dear stranger, Moses (now the late) was to Ugandans what Justin Bieber is to his generation of fans, in terms of musical talent!" There, that should suffice. Well, now to you Moses;

Your blessing was huge, and so, by default, was your curse. But how could we ordinary people have seen or known this! We were too busy partaking of your blessings to notice the burden your huge talent must have conferred upon you.

But loss has a way of making one see beyond the tip of their nose. It is clearer to me at least how the gentle kind boy I knew back then could have resorted to unconventional ways to take a break from the realities of his 'glamorous' life.

I see now how heavy a burden such talent as big as yours must confer on the one who bears it. Once you had that first hit, the pressure was on; you could no longer be mere mortal. No sir! You were not entitled to human error any more. You could only be perfect. As an artiste and as a human being.

From that first hit on wards, you could live only to please. What choice did you have? The world that knew you was always on standby to throw stones when you strayed.

The same world for whom you provided sound tracks to their love stories and nudged on when life got tough forgot you were human and needed encouragement and support too.

We all forgot you were human Moses. We totally forgot and never came through for you. We left you to your own devices to hustle alone with your burdens.

You have carried your curse long enough. You have lived and served with your blessing long and hard enough. It is okay now. You can set down your tools and rest.

Rest Moses

Rest Peacefully
Eunice Your song may be ended, but your melody lingers on. Forever. Musicians are never really gone. They can't
I look forward to listening to your music again without breaking down. There's hope; time has been said to achieve many things, including healing.

By the end of the week when we all six finally made it to the apartment, so much had happened to each one of us in London we knew we needed rules of operation. So, barely an hour after we had all just met that Sunday night, we randomly found ourselves squeezed around our makeshift living/dining/kitchen table (I can't really explain to you this space).

We talked about everything, anything and nothing, first each of us tasting topics tentatively but soon realising we could each handle anything. None of us verbally admitted to how nervous we were feeling about making it work with strangers in the small space that was our flat.

We sat around that table from around 8pm, first three of us, then eventually all six. By the wee hours of the morning, we all seemed secretly pleased and comfortable with the bunch the universe had chosen to bundle us with in this strange city. Three of use were in London for the first time, two had been around from the previous year and the other one had been in and out of London but would be staying longer than ever before this time round.

We knew right away that we were made for each other as flatmates. It did not matter that no two people of the six came from the same country. In fact all together, we were from four continents, studied completely different disciplines at different universities and only two were close in age. What can I say, that flat was as cosmopolitan as they come only in London!

So, at around 1pm, as randomly as we had ended up at that table, we decided to come up with rules for co-existing in the flat. And altogether, they were 18. Maybe only because we run out of paper.

Looking at those rules now, nothing could have told more of the people in that flat because none of them were as random as they seem. They were each story, a fear, a habit, an experience... (maybe I should save these for the next post, or just about the ones you may be curious about) about one of us. So you get an idea of the sorts that made them up. Well, it sure does take all sorts to make the world and a good number of those sorts ended up in that flat. And boy wasn't I glad it was those sorts!

PHOTO: wordpress.com
For the next 8 weeks or so, this will be my stage

While I'm here, I realise the importance of sounding intelligent. To the intellectual fraternity of classmates and the tutors that might risk dropping by

I will therefore be struggling to sound just the right amount of intelligent, flavoured with a perfect measure of funny, creativity, and a carefree I-don't-really-care attitude. I will ' write-cut-paste-repeat process' until I read so effortless you will be convinced I just literally sneeze my posts into being

You see though, I care and the posts will hence be hard work. I know you are here watching and waiting, so, I have got my eye out for you too. Watching and waiting so that whenever you show up I have my favourite foot forward

I plan on putting up a performance so perfect that Goffman would be pleased at how well I bring his identity presentation theory to life. But it is you I'm most interested in pleasing with my performance

Well, what are you waiting for? Come on in

Log on. Read. Stay

Welcome to my blog, my stage!

And please, do take whatever you read here with a pinch of salt
Eunice. '...our perception of an actual or imagined audience prompts us to think about what we wish to show' (Merchant, 2006.239).
Take it from me; I'm the author

I'm Eunice Rukundo. I come from one of those shit holes in Africa, one of said cool ' monkeys ' I suppose... hahaha

Anyway, in more definite terms, I'm a woman, I'm Black. I have no wars to fight, no shortcomings to justify, complexes to correct, or points to prove. Not by virtue of being born a woman or black. I'm just Eunice.

I come from Uganda in East Africa, revered as the Pearl of Africa for its unrivalled abundance of natural resources but perhaps better identified with Idi Amin internationally. It is a third world country by all standards, but its cultures are rich and thick with colour, its people happy, celebratory, always striving to live the good life they can barely afford. And I miss it all.

But I'm here now. In London. Revelling in the excitement of new things and focusing on taking in as much as I can, in and outside class. Winters, high cost of living and confusing accommodation arrangements notwithstanding, it is good to be here. I plan on making the most of it. And maybe share some of the moments with you
Eunice.
"Ignorance allied with power is the most ferocious enemy justice can have." - James Baldwin, American novelist and social critic ( Anderson Cooper, January 12, 2017)

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Truth one. I'm not one for nature walks. 'Wowing' and 'aawwing' at trees and empty sky spaces has never really been my thing - too deep for me I guess. Until I got to London. In all honesty though, I probably go more for the pictures. Truth Two .