Angels and Demons

The novel Angels and Demons by Dan Brown is finally a movie. Tom Hanks stars in Angels and Demons. Tom Hanks plays the role of a symbologist in Harvard University, Robert Langdon. Robert works to solve a murder and prevent a terrorist act against the Vatican.
The movie is exciting from beginning to end and it never loses its energy. It is really interesting as it talks about symbols and organizations of the past.
Just when you think that everything is solved, a new, exciting problem comes up and it connects you to the screen.
It is a great movie and everyone should see it.
Quotes from the movie:
"Religion is flawed because man is flawed."
"If we are still in peril at 11.45, remove the cardinals, but in a dignified manner. I want peoples' last memory of this church to be of them walking out with their heads held high, not of some old men sneaking out the back door."
"Our church is at war. We are under attack from an old enemy. The Illuminati. They have struck us from within and threatening us all with destruction from their new god Science."
"Open the doors, and tell the world the truth. "

Ramfest

Yesterday, on 28th of April, the annual "Ramfest" event happened in our school. Except for the first two periods, there weren't any classes. Students from many schools came to dance and sing in our school. The school set up a stage in the "piramit". Students from other schools sang rock and jazz songs on the stage. There were pillow seats spread near the stage. The students sat there watched the concert. I was there most of the time it was really fun. The music was great. In the auditorium there were dance and classical music performances which were also great. Especially the dances were amazing. There were pizza and waffle sales in the school which were also great; but I have to say that waffle was way too expensive and not that good. Also there was free food stands in the school. Everything was sooooo great. Everyone had so much fun!!!

Slumdog Millionaire (column)

Have you ever gone out to the Bosphorus Coast on new years and celebrated the New Year at 0:00 a.m. with fireworks? It’s an unforgettable sight. The fireworks in different and powerful colors right on the Bosphorus create a spectacular view. The lights are so alive that they make you feel like you are the star in a rock concert. For a while you just forget everything and live that moment.
The movie “Slumdog Millionaire” is exactly like celebrating the New Year on the Bosphorus Coast. It is definitely an unforgettable sight. Such powerful colors, such spectacular scenes…You actually forget everything for a while and live the movie without thinking about anything else. If we put aside the perfect cinematography and directing we can see that this movie gives us the culture of India in many ways, creating an interest in the audience about the social life and cultural events in India. As Jamal, an eighteen year old boy from the slums of Mumbai, answers the questions in the competition “Who wants to be a Millionaire”, we learn about both the poverty in India and India’s unbelievably rich culture which attracts all of us.
This movie is great in the sense that it shows the insights of India and gives us information about the Indian traditions and life. This is probably the only way to attract the public’s interest. Before this movie how many of us knew anything more than curry about India? How many of us were interested when we heard the word "India"? Now, people talk about India’s different culture and they are interested in learning more. This is definitely the greatest accomplishment of this movie.
Movies like this should be produced more often because it's a glamorous way to show the culture of a country and to attract the publics attention. However, this can not be done just by anyone. It has to be strictly professional. It has to be powerful and colorful to attract the publics attention; or else the exact opposite of what is intended could happen. The movie has to things that the world doesn't already know about that country. It has to be different to be attractive. The government can definitely support such an event because what better way is there to promote the country and advertise it's culture? In the case of Slumdog Millionaire there is no better way!
As I finish this column, I have to say that there should be more of these movies produced because personally I would like to see those fireworks not only at new years, but every day. I would like to just forget everything and live the moment! Wouldn't you?

What Would You Like To Be Famous For?

I definetely would like to be an actor because first of all I love acting. It's a job that gives you freedom. You can express your feelings. You become perminent and people always remember you with your movies. If you are a good actor, you get very rich. You get to act with and meet a lot of celebrities. You have loyal fans. If you are an actor you can really enjoy life.
Of course being an actor has it's negative sides like being followed by the media and not having a chance to be completely alone. However when you look at all of the positive sides of being an actor, the negative sides seem really insignificant.
I love watching movies. I think that being able to play in them would be great. You can show your true talent in those movies. It's a wonderful feeling to experience acting. It's so different from anthing else.
If I'm going to be famous for something I would want to be for acting because if you are famous it means that you are actually a good actor. If you are a good actor, playing in those movies is the best thing to experience. Also the money is great !!!

Sevgi Gönül Art Night

On Friday, 27th of March, the annual Sevgi Gönül Art Night took place in our school. This night is a tradition of Koc School to celebrate all the wonderful things Sevgi Gönül contributed to development of art throughout her life. It was in fact a wonderful night. The Koc Family and guests arrived around 6. First of all there was the art exhibition of Koc students. There were lots of magnificant photographs and paintings. At 7:30 the show in the auditorium started. Many students sang, danced and performed different shows. They were really great. Especially dances were breath taking. The shows make you feel like you are watching proffessional dancers and listening to professional singers. The night ended around 11. It was definetely a huge success. I'm hoping that everyone gets to be a part of this wonderful event.

Movies

Duplicity

The movie Duplicity is about two corporate spies (Julia Roberts and Clive Owen) who have a past relationship getting together to deceive their bosses and get rich.

Since the leading actor and actress are very famous the movie is a big hit. It's a good movie, but i was expecting something better.

It's generally fun to watch; however because of going back and forth in time, things get really confused at some point. I was expecting it to be funnier and less complicated.

Even though I didn't like the movie very much, it can be a great way to kill time if you don't have anything to do. It's a good chance to relax and enjoy for a while.

Seven Pounds

The movie Seven Pounds is about an IRS agent who tries to pay his atonement by changing the lives of seven strangers.

First of all, I must say it's a real "drama", so if you are going to the movies to relax, don't see this movie.

Even though it's a "drama", I enjoyed the movie. First of all Will Smith is the leading actor. I really enjoy his acting. Secondly, it is an unusual story. It has a surprising ending. It is very interesting.

I recommend you to go if you are looking for something little different.

Heavy Backpacks

In my last post, I talked about the heavy backpacks that we have to carry around in the school. Here is a research at University of California in Riverside that shows how serious this problem is:
"Shouldering a hefty load can cause back pain, according to a study by researchers at the University of California in Riverside.
The study was led by David Siambanes, DO, of the Inland Empire Spine Center in Riverside, Calif. Participants were 3,500 students aged 11 to 15 at four middle schools in Riverside and San Bernardino counties.
Researchers weighed the children's backpacks and asked the kids how often they used their backpacks and how much pain, if any, they felt as a result.
Most students said they hurt, at least a bit, from their backpacks; 64% reported having back pain at some time. Two of every five children said they felt pain while wearing their backpacks. In students reporting pain, about 12% said it was "not bad," while almost 90% said their back pain was "bad" or "very bad."
Of those reporting back pain, 21% said their pain lasted more than six months. About 16% said they had missed school, gym class, or after-school sports because of the pain, and almost 17% said they had seen a doctor for their back pain. Most students with back pain said the pain was recurrent."
Source: http://www.webmd.com/back-pain/news/20040813/heavy-backpacks-can-hurt-student-backs
This research shows that students face a lot of physical problems caused by the weight of their backpacks. We might not understand the importance of the situation and say that the bags are "not that heavy"; however they cause us a lot of pain eventually.
This problem started as the amount of books that the students have to carry increased enormously. We have at least a notebook, a folder and a very thick book for every class. As we carry the materials of more than one lesson in our bags because there is no time to go to our lockers, our backpacks become very heavy. We have to understand that this is a serious situation and we have to carry less weight in our backpacks for our own health even if it means that we will be late for a class...