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The Mystery of Charles Dickens - See this play immediately if you are in the UK!

Simon Callow's Mystery of Charles Dickens is breathtakingly brilliant. He weaves exerpts from the novels into the complex rollercoaster of Dickens' life (comfort...poverty...marriage...death of his daughter...fame...love...railway crashes..) He transforms himself into Miss Haversham, Pickwick, Oliver Twist, Scrooge and carries the audience with him. The enactment of Bill Sikes' murder of Nancy is electrifying and utterly terrifying. The image of his dog being dragged out of the room will stay with me forever... "All this time he had, never once, turned his back upon the corpse; no, not for a moment. Such preparations completed, he moved, backward, towards the door: dragging the dog with him, lest he should soil his feet anew and carry out new evidence of the crime into the streets. He shut the door softly, locked it, took the key, and left the house" ( The Old Curiosity Shop , Charles Dickens, Chapter 70) Dickens is an author I loathed as a child (not unconn

I'll start writing once I've done the ironing or the Noble Art of Procrastinating

Rearrange my pens in size order, wipe my desk, write a "thank you" letter, pay my credit card bill, loaf through Amazon... all things I have done rather than writing a chapter of my thesis. Displacement activities are myriad, I aways think that the less enticing a task is, the more you can justify doing it instead of your work. The old "well I'm not enjoying it so it isn't really wasting time" justification. Ideas: Make a realistic commitment. There is not point saying you will write an entire essay before dinner if you know in your heart of hearts that what you are really going to do is spend half an hour reading a magazine and half an hour in a blind panic meaning that you start writing fifteen minutes before you are set to eat. Break down your task into "chunks" - list each section on a piece of paper. Strike off items on your list as you write. Start at a time you know you can work; I like writing late at night and any work I produce

Apologies for my computer and a pox on all hackers

I was mortified to find that my e-mail account had been hacked today and a string of bogus e-mails offering dubious delights sent to everyone in my address book. I am deeply sorry for all the inconvenience. As for the hackers... To paraphrase the mighty J M Synge Lord, confound this surly hackers Blight their brows with pustules spatter, Cramp their larynx, lung, and liver, In their guts a galling give there, Let them live to earn their dinners In Mountjoy with seedy sinners: Lord, this judgment make from afar And I'm your servant, Jessica For the far worthier original (http://www.online-literature.com/synge/poem-selections/2/)

Achieving success - the fruits of a group effort

I have been reading to arthur waley's wonderful Chinese Poems   this week. I particularly enjoy the following poem as it illustrates the various groups who provide support and thus contribute to a student's achievements: family, friends and the application of the individual. The humble tone of the narrator is a joy. After Passing the Exam - Po Chui I (800ad) For   ten years I never left my books; I went up… and won unmerited praise. My high place I do not much prize; The joy of my parents will first make me proud. Fellow students, six or seven men, See me off as I leave the City gate. My covered couch is ready to drive away; Flutes and strings blend their parting tune. Hopes achieved dull the pains of parting; Fumes of wine shorten the long road… Shod with wings is the horse of him who rides On a Spring day the road that leads to home. Despite having been written over two thousand years so, there is a freshness and a sincerity in this poem which still resonat

The Electric Octopus: Do gestures have a place in a Speech Festival?

I judged a Speech Festival a couple of years ago and was stunned by one of the candidate's performances. Not by their brilliance but by their ressemblance to a windmill. The boy in question was reading a serious, calm poem but had matched it with exuberant, dramatic gestures. Gestures will not win you a Speech Festival. At best they are unnecessary and at worst they are a distraction. Focus on the face and the voice and avoid oscillating wildly and you are in with a chance!

Interview with Jessica from Gafencu Magazine

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Brandon in Apple Daily - an explosion of colour!

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Preparing for the Speech Festival: Rule One, play to your strengths

If you have just returned to school and have been invited to participate in the HKSMA Speech festival, the next few posts may be of interest! Rule one: When entering a Speech Festival, try to find a class you will enjoy. You have a variety to choose from: bible reading, prose reading, public speaking, poetry reading. Think of your voice, what each class requires of competitors, your own skill set and select your class with care. Next time: I think I used to know that or how to remember your piece!

Basking in Olympic glory - in praise of London

The lead up to the 2012 Olympics was full of media pundits prophesying doom. What they didn't take into account was the determination of the British in the face of a challenge. The result was an scintillating celebration of the eccentricity of the British Character. Led by the unlikely fusion of a fearsome brain and a frightening haircut which is Mayor Boris Johnson, the Games were a triumph of perseverance with the focus of the spotlight being returned to it's rightful place: the athletes. Pageantry and ceremony are inextricably linked with England and this vibrant extravaganza could not have taken place anywhere other than London. London has inspired poetry for centuries and, around 1501, William Dunbar delivered the following: An extract from To the City of London by William Dunbar London, thou art of townes A per se . Sovraign of cities, semeliest in sight, Of high renoun, riches, and royaltie: Of lordis, barons, and many goodly knyght; Of most delectable lusty l

A scholarship and a bonus cake

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We had an afternoon of over indulging at Brandon today after Max's family brought in a cake to celebrate his scholarship to Winchester College. Having successful students is reward enough but having cakes is an added bonus!

A poem for the person who pinched my umbrella today

The Rain  - Anonymous (from The Folio Book of Humorous Verse) The rain it raineth every day, Upon the just and unjust fellow, But more upon the just, because The unjust hath the just's umbrella