English		TOPICAL JOURNEY
32		Symbols of Friendship
February 2013

WHAT KIND OF

A FRIEND ARE YOU?

Friendship is precious. But, making faithful and enjoyable friends is a real tough task, isn’t it? If you can know your personality traits, then it would be easier to portray your image in front of your friends. Be familiar with what your birth date says about you as a friend? Grasp the opportunity with both of your hands to learn about the kind of friend you actually are.

1.Born on the 1, 10, 19, and 28.

A leader like you in the group always likes to be on the move.

2.Born on the 2, 11, 20, 29.

Apart from being a wonderful friend, you are definitely a great person and a charmer.

3.Born on the 3, 12, 21, 30.

A caring person like you is a motivating friend as well.

4.Born on the 4, 13, 22, 31.

Everyone looks upon you for guidance as you are one of the visionaries among the group of friends.

5.Born on the 5, 14, 23.

Everybody enjoys the company of an ideal, compassionate and warm friend like you.

6.Born on the 6, 15, 24.

Being an extrovert person, you are known among friends as someone who is full of life. You are in the middle of any party.

7.Born on the 7, 16, 25.

You are meticulous, friendly and organized.

You are someone whom your friends can easily rely upon.

8.Born on the 8, 17, 26.

The reasons behind making a very good friend are your determination and fortitude.

You have the innate capability to solve any problem in a jiffy.

9.Born on the 9, 18, 27

A creative person like you never runs out of ideas. Your friends are lucky to get a restless friend like you.

Friendship is one of the most divine relationships on earth. It carries the essence of all other relations. A friend can be caring like a mother, strict like a father, possessive like a brother, affectionate like a sister and shower loads of love like a lover. In fact, life is incomplete without friends. This multi-faceted relationship teaches us a number of lessons of life. Friends are influential and, at the same time, true companions who stand by us even when everyone else refuses to do so. There are no expectations in friendship and neither are there any limits. Friendship is no less than a spiritual bond between two individuals. Friendship Day is especially dedicated to commemorate the bond of true friends. There are certain symbols associated with the celebration of the day.

CHINESE FRIENDSHIP SYMBOL

Ancient Chinese symbols are very mysterious in nature. Most of these symbols are derived from ancient Chinese calligraphy. These days, people prefer having these symbols as a part of body art, in the form of tattoos. These symbols are said to enhance positive energy in your friendship thus making it even more strong and lasting.

FRIENDSHIP BRACELETS

Friendship bracelets are very common symbols of friendship. You can find many such bracelets in the markets these days. Since there is a huge variety to choose from, you can easily afford to be choosy about your favorite colors, designs, patterns, etc. The friendship band is supposed to be worn on your wrist until it falls off naturally.

FRIENDSHIP STONES

Powerful friendship stones symbolize happiness and joy. They usher in good luck and strength in friendship. Some of the popular stones are Lapis Lazuli, Rhodonite, Turquoise Egg, etc. One can get these stones from any certified jeweler. While purchasing a friendship stone for your pal, ensure that you keep in mind his/ her choices.

JADE PLANT

The Jade plant is also known as the “Friendship Tree”. Some people mistake it to be the money plant. This plant is succulent and has pink and white flowers. The plant has the capacity to spread joy and positive energy and add happiness in this beautiful relation. The green juicy leaves signify joy and energy between two friends. It is an ideal gift to be given to a friend.

PROMISE RING

Exchanging promise rings on Friendship Day signifies a very strong bond and means the friends are committed to each other in friendship. This is to say that whatever happens, they shall never leave each others’ side. They are available in a huge variety of colors and designs.

Sources: http://festivals.iloveindia.com

Friendship,

Love & Marriage

A student asked his teacher, “What is love?”

The teacher said, “To get an answer to your question, go to the wheat field, get the biggest wheat grain, and come back. But the rule is – you can go through the field only once and cannot turn back to pick.”

The student went to the field, went through the first row, and saw one big wheat grain. But he wondered....maybe there is a bigger one elsewhere.

Then he saw a bigger one. But may be there is a still bigger one waiting....

Later, when he finished more than half of the wheat field, he realized that the wheat grains there are not as big as the previous one. He realized that he has missed the biggest one.

So, he ended his search and went back empty-handed. The teacher told him, “That is love! If you keep looking for a better one, you could have missed the right person!”

“Then, what is marriage?” the student asked.

The teacher said, “to get an answer to your question, go to the same wheat field again, and get the biggest corn. Same rule as before!”

The student went to the corn field. This time he was very careful not to repeat the previous mistake. When he reached the middle of the field, he picked one good-sized corn. He felt satisfied, and came back.

The teacher told him, “You have looked for one that is just good for you, instead of coming back empty-handed. That is marriage!”

“What is Friendship then?” the student asked.

The teacher said, “in order to answer that question, go to the same field and choose the wheat that appears nice to you. The rule is is the same.”

The student went to the field. This time he was very careful. As he started scanning the field, he picked many grains that suited his taste and returned back to the teacher.

The teacher told him, “You looked for one that is just nice for you, and did not look for the best. That is Friendship”.

JOKES

A friend asked a gentleman how it was that he never married?

Replied the gentleman, “Well, I guess I just never met the right woman ... I guess I’ve been looking for the perfect girl.”

“Oh, come on now,” said the friend, “Surely you have met at least one girl that you wanted to marry.”

“Yes, there was one girl .. once. I guess she was the one perfect girl. The only perfect girl I really ever met. She was just the right everything ... I really mean that she was the perfect girl for me.”

“Well, why didn’t you marry her,” asked the friend. “She was looking for the perfect man,” he said.

OUT OF MY CONTROL

Meeting you was fate, becoming your friend was choice, but falling in love with you was completely out of my control.

COMPUTER

A good friend is like a computer; lets me ‘enter’ ur life, ‘save’ u in my heart, ‘format’ ur problems, ‘shift’ u 2 opportunities & never ‘delete’ u from my memory!

SUBSCRIBER CANNOT BE REACHED

If you need advice, text me...	If you need a friend, call me... If you need me, come to
me... If you need money... ...........	THE SUBSCRIBER CANNOT BE REACHED!

WHAT YOU SAY

Everyone hears what you say... Friends listen to what you say... Best friends listen to what you don’t say...

Strangers think I’m quiet,

My friends think I’m out-going,

My best friends know that I am completely insane.

TOPICAL JOURNEY		English
		33
		February 2013

KNOW YOUR ZODIAC

AS A FRIEND

Aries: Your soft heart and strong mind pull friends who have opposite traits towards you.

Taurus: You are strong headed but that would never make any problem in making faithful friends.

Gemini: You dual nature actually assists you to find different friends of different personality traits.

Cancer: You are deeply sentimental for sure. Friends who take life lightly only have the power to cheer you up.

Leo: Friends, who don’t mind your ego, can see your loyal, kind and protective sides.

Virgo: Your wonderful friends are attracted most of the time to you for your good nature.

Libra: You have loads of loving and caring friends.

Scorpio: Even though you make a limited number of friends, they truly are loyal to you.

Sagittarius: You have two special traits – your frankness hurts your near ones at times whereas your sunny nature, on the other hand, makes a difference to their lives.

Capricorn: For a steady and trustworthy friend, your steady nature is responsible.

Aquarius: You are different with your sense of humor which attracts lot of friends. But very few are good ones among them.

Pisces: An emotional person like you attracts only likeminded people.

www.okcupid.com; http://www.theholidayspot.com

English

TOPICAL JOURNEY

34

February 2013

FRIENDS

“Friends” is an American sitcom created by

David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on

NBC from September 22, 1994 to May 6, 2004.

The series revolves around a group of friends in

Manhattan.

Kauffman and Crane began developing

“Friends” under the title “Insomnia Cafe” in November/December 1993. They presented the idea to Bright, with whom they had previously worked, and together they pitched a seven-page treatment of the series to NBC. After several script rewrites and changes, including a second title change to

“Friends Like Us”, the series was finally named

“Friends” and premiered on NBC's coveted Thursday 8:30 pm timeslot. Filming for the series took place at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California in front of a live studio audience. The series finale (the 236th episode), airing on May

6, 2004, was watched by 51.1 million American viewers, making it the fourth most watched series finale in television history and the most watched episode of the decade.

Friendship Movies

JUST FRIENDS

Chris (Reynolds) and Jamie (Smart) were best friends in high school, but the fat and nerdy Chris’ crush on Jamie went unrequited. Ten years on, he’s a buff music executive, back in town at Christmas with a spoiled star in tow – but can he get out of the friend zone and into Jamie’s heart?

Funnier than it has any right to be, thanks to Reynold’s charisma and Faris’s bubbleheaded blonde.

13 GOING ON 30

13-year-old Jenna invites popular girls to her birthday party. They agree to come and bring guys because Jenna does their homework for them. Jenna is humiliated by the popular guys, and goes to bed wishing to skip adolescence. Her wish comes true by magic dust from a nice neighbor boy that she had neglected. Jenna wakes up 17 years later in an adult body but with her 13-year-old mind. She is horrified to find out that her adult self is ruthlessly successful, so she reconnects with the estranged neighbor boy, now grown, to apologize and set things right.

YOU, ME & DUPREE

For newlyweds Carl and Molly Peterson, life can’t get any sweeter as they begin anew to settle down into married life. With a nice house and established careers in tow, nothing seems to get in their way. However, Carl is about find out just how much friendship means when Dupree, his best friend has been displaced from his home and fired from his job because of attending their wedding. Taking his friend in, what Carl and Molly are about to experience is that the fine line between a few days and whatever else is after, can be a lot more than they bargained for. Especially when

their friend overstays his welcome in far too many ways than he should.

“Friends” received positive reviews throughout its run, becoming one of the most popular sitcoms of all time. The series won many awards and was nominated for 63 Primetime Emmy Awards. The series, an instant hit from its debut, was also very successful in the ratings, consistently ranking in the top ten in the final primetime ratings. Many critics now regard it as one of the finest shows in television history, including TV Guide, which ranked it No. 21 on their list of the 50 greatest

TV shows of all time. In 1997, the episode "The

One with the Prom Video" was ranked No. 100 on TV Guide's 100 Greatest Episodes of All-Time. The series made a large cultural impact, which continues today. The Central Perk coffee house that was featured prominently in the series has inspired various imitations throughout the world. The series continues in syndication worldwide. All ten seasons are available in standard definition on

DVD and in high definition on Blu-ray. The spinoff series Joey was created to follow up with the series after the finale.

MARLEY AND ME

Adaptation of John Grogan’s bestselling memoir about an incorrigible Labrador retriever. Marley is the yellow lab adopted by Grogan, a columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer, and his wife. Their idea was to give them a taste of parenthood, but the dog proved to be a hyperactive handful. He wreaks havoc, gets kicked out of obedience school and gets even worse when the children begin to arrive, yet becomes an indispensable part of the family.

K-9

Belushi plays bad-tempered San Diego police detective Michael Dooley, who has been tagged for execution by a major international drug dealer named Lyman (played by Kevin Tighe). To help, a socalled “friend” named Brannigan (played by Ed O’Neill) gives Dooley an unorthodox drug-sniffing police dog called “Jerry Lee” (named after rock-and-roll’s legendary “Killer”). The two attempt to put Lyman in prison, but Dooley soon learns that Jerry Lee is a mischievous smart aleck who works only when and how he wants to. Many of the movie’s gags revolve around Jerry Lee’s playfully destructive episodes.

Sources: http://www.empireonline.com

and Cartoons

MADAGASCAR

This movie focuses on four residents and “stars” of the Central Park Zoo in New York City who are also best friends: a lion (Stiller), a zebra (Rock), a giraffe (Schwimmer) and a pregnant hippo (Smith). When one of them goes missing, the other three break out of the zoo looking for him, and eventually all four are captured and put in boxes to ship them back to the continent their species are originally from: Africa. An accident at sea, however, strands them on the shore of Madagascar. Having had humans take care of them their entire life,

the four know nothing

of surviving in the wild, or that one of them, the lion, is genetically predisposed to eat his three best friends. Exploring their surroundings, the four friends soon meet the Malagasy locals (a type of lemur given to having loud “rave-like” dance parties) and their carnivorous enemies, the fousas. As the two sides try to use these four new, strange (and large) friends to their benefit, our heroes are also confronted with the reality of their predestined roles in nature.

ICE AGE

The film begins with a squirrel known as Scrat, who is trying to find a location to store his prized acorn. Eventually, as he tries to hide it, he causes an avalanche. He barely escapes, but finds himself stepped on by a herd of prehistoric animals. The animals are trying to avoid the Ice Age by migrating south. Sid, a clumsy ground sloth left behind by his family, is attacked by two Brontops whom he angered. Sid is soon saved by Manfred (“Manny”), an agitated mammoth who fights them off. Not wanting to be alone and unprotected, Sid follows Manny. Meanwhile, Soto, the leader of a Smilodon pride wants revenge on a group of humans by eating the chief’s son, Roshan, alive. There is an attack on the human camp, causing

Roshan’s mother to be separated from the rest. Soto’s lieutenant, Diego, is sent to find and bring the baby back. Sid and Manny spot Nadia near the lake having survived her trip over the waterfall. She has only enough strength to trust her baby to Manny before she disappears. After much persuasion by the sloth, they decide to return Roshan (nicknamed “Pinky”) but when they get to the human camp, the humans are gone. They meet up with Diego, who convinces the pair to let him help by tracking the humans. The four travel on, with Diego secretly leading them to an ambush. Soon they reach a cave where Sid and Diego learn about Manny’s past and his previous interactions with the humans, where his wife and son were killed, leaving Manny a cynical loner.

ANIMALS UNITED

The animals in an unspecified African location await the annual flood to provide them with water. When it’s later than ever, Socrates the lion (voiced by Stephen Fry) discovers that it’s been cut off by a nearby resort, where he’s then trapped by the hotel’s in-house security. Meanwhile, Socrates’ friend Billy the meerkat (James Corden) – along with a motley crew including giraffes, an elephant, a Tasmanian Devil, a displaced polar bear, two ancient tortoises,

and a French rooster – all attempt to unite the various animal factions to descend on the resort, save Socrates, and subsequently crash a global climate-change summit.

http://www.listal.com; http://www.commonsensemedia.org

TOPICAL JOURNEY		English
		35
		February 2013

AN INTRODUCTION TO DOGS

by Ogden Nash

The dog is man’s best friend.

He has a tail on one end

Up in front he has teeth.

And four legs underneath.

Dogs like to bark.

They like it best after dark.

They not only frighten prowlers away

But also hold the sandman at bay.

A dog that is indoors

To be let out implores.

You let him out and what then?

He wants back in again.

Dogs display reluctance and wrath

If you try to give them a bath.

They bury bones in hideaways

And half the time they trot sideaways.

They cheer up people who are frowning,

And rescue people who are drowning,

They also track mud on beds,

And chew people’s clothes to shreds.

Dogs in the country have fun.

They run and run and run.

But in the city this species

Is dragged around on leashes.

Dogs are upright as a steeple

And much more loyal than people. Well people may be reprehensibler

But that’s probably because they are sensibler.

СОБАКИ

Из всех животных, скажем так, Я больше всех люблю собак. Четыре лапы, хвост и уши,

Умеет видеть, думать, слушать.

Как ночь – она зальётся лаем, Её за это отругаем.

Но лишь луну увидит ночью

То песнь свою завоет волчью.

Какая б ни была погода, Любому псу нужна свобода,

Забыть про то, как в городах,

Собак ведут на поводках.

Сидеть собаке скучно дома,

Им всё на улице знакомо.

Но чуть пройдут до переулка,

Как тут же кончится прогулка.

Начнёт хозяин вдруг тонуть,

Ей стоит лапу протянуть,

И горя точно не случится,

А плавать нужно всем учиться.

Собака – самый лучший друг, И если станет грустно вдруг, Знакомый лай тоску развеет. Собака веселить умеет.

Как много добрых, тёплых слов Собакам я сказать готов!

Перевод и рисунок Кузяева Никиты,

6 класс, ГБОУ ЦО №1476 Учитель: Саркисян Елена Карленовна