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Heartbeat

December 2011

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Don’t you just love Christmas time? Everything is decorated so prettily, there are those Christmas movies on TV that you already seen a thousand times yet you still can’t change the channel, people seem nicer and there are also special discounts in your favourite shops. I don’t know if it’s just me, but I simply find myself in a better mood. I mean, let’s face it, no matter how old you are, who doesn’t like presents? But it’s not just about the presents, it’s about all that Christmas brings with it and what it represents. It means spending time with your family and loved ones in a very relaxed atmosphere and of course a snowy landscape makes everything even better.

We all know what comes shortly after Christmas: my second favourite holiday, New Year’s, which is all about having a good time. It’s kind of our duty to stay up all night. And what is New Year’s without a proper party to celebrate it?

School? Yeah, yeah, there‘ll be plenty more chances to worry and stress about it later. Sometimes you just have to forget about the math exam or the geography test and let yourself be careless in this magical time of the year. In the meantime enjoy the new online Heartbeat.

By Sara Novak

Editorial

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Contents

Editorial 2

Contents 3

Did modern society kill Christmas?! 4

Which songs characterized year 2011? 5

The Christmas she will never forget 6What happens when you come across Slovenians in Austria 8

Tone Pavček 10

Two poems 11

Sanskriti 12

Prague, a city beyond compare 14

A modern-day Cervantes (AKA Ballet Don Quixote)

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How weather can aff ect our mood 18

The coolest school ever 19

The Slovenian cat that speaks every single language

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A survey about Prva Gimnazija 22

It was… It is… It will be… 24

A BLOODY HOLIDAY 25

My Chemical Romance vs 30 Seconds to Mars 26

Photos 29A bird 30

HeartbeatPublished by students of

Editorial board

Editor: Sara Novak

Tehnical editor:Sara Stiplovšek

Writers:Yllnora Sefaj

Sanela ČrešnikAnka Supej

J.S.Sanskriti Kumar

Anja SimičTomaž Golub

Lana VogrinecNina Ivančič

Mateja DivjakMaša JazbecJerneja GolubBine Kosmač

Larisa ŠinkovecMaja Požar

Proofreadnig:Mr. James Donaldson

Mentors:Zorana Fabrici Robnik

Lucija Kuntner

December 2011

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Did modern society kill Christmas?!

Finally, December - our favorite month of the year. A time that lights up our spirits and brings us closer together. Of course I am a little disappointed that this year December didn’t come with snow, but that’s O.K. - we can still be in the festive mood that we have every year. I know you are overwhelmed because of all the exams you still need to pass this month, but think positive: after that awaits a much better time. I think you know what I mean…yes, Christmas holidays!

Ah, Christmas - a time children impatiently wait for and parents perceive as a major cost, all because of our outrageously long wish lists. But Christmas is not all about receiving and giving gifts; it’s also a time of the year we gather around with our families and loved ones and create wonderful memories that will accompany us for the rest of our days and make our lives much fuller and richer.

I’m sure you are already spending all of your free time behind your desks with a white piece of paper in front of you and a pen in your hands, but your page is still empty. Your head is full of great ideas but you don’t know how to turn those ideas into words and eventually into actions. I’m writing this article because I’m in the same dilemma. My head is full but my list is still empty. How is that possible? And how does it always happen at this time of the year?

Preparing for Christmas can be a handful, especially if you want to please every single person that crosses your path. A lot of people think that by buying expensive and outrageously big gifts for their families and friends, they will make their Christmas much better and that the families will be more appreciative, but is that really what Christmas is for? Buying, buying, and buying just so we can feel more welcomed at Christmas parties? But why am I asking these questions if I’m the one with a piece of blank paper in front of me? Am I asking the wrong question?

So let’s try it the other way…let’s go way back and think of what our grandmothers and grandfathers did for Christmas. Were they in the same blank mode as

we are right now or were they just happy to see their families assemble? I think it’s obvious, don’t you?

So that is my question. What happened? What happened to today’s society? Is bigger really better? I think you have a lot to think about until Christmas and I hope you see what is right in front of you.

by: Yllnora Sefaj

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Which songs characterized year 2011?

They made us think…

That we can find love in a hopeless place Rihanna ft. Calvin Harris – We Found Love

That someone would catch a grenade for us Bruno Mars - Grenade

That if our love walked away, every day it will rain Bruno Mars – It Will Rain

That we can be lost, we can be vain without our love David Guetta ft. Usher – Without you

That our hearts are stereo, it beats for our love close Gym Class Heroes ft. Adam Levine – Stereo Hearts

That we only miss him/her when we're breathing Jason Derulo - Breathing

That we can catch a cold from the ice inside our soul Christina Perri – Jar of Hearts

That we can move like Jagger Maroon 5 ft. Christina Aguilera – Moves like Jagger

That sometimes we get a good feeling Florida – Good Feeling

That we are sexy and we know it LMFAO – Sexy and I know it

That we're gonna find someone like you Adele – Someone like you

That one day when the sky is falling, we'll be standing right next to someone Chris Brown ft. Justin Bieber – Next 2 You

That this life has gotta be a good life OneRepublic – Good Life

That somebody can shoot us down, but we won't fall - we are from titanium David Guetta ft. Sia - Titanium

That we can grab somebody sexy and tell'em hey Ne-yo, Pitbull, Afrojack, Nayer – Give me everything tonight

by Sanela Črešnik

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The Christmas she will never forget

She never thought that something like this would ever happen to her, especially on Christmas. But she guessed that life is full of surprises.

It was a normal day just like any other. The sky was a bright blue with crystal white snow that sparkled from the light of the sun. I was going over to my best friend Aaron's house to go snowboarding before he left for New York the next day. He was going to visit his grandparents for Christmas.

When I got to his house I knocked on the front door and his mum answered:

»Hey Zoe, come in, Aaron will be down in a minute,« she said as she yelled up the stairs for Aaron.

»Thank you, Mrs. Harrington,« I called to her as she walked into the kitchen. All of a sudden Aaron came running down the stairs, grabbed his coat, then my arm, and dashed out the door. When we got outside he pushed me into the snow and fell down next to me.

»I don’t really feel like going snowboarding today. Let’s go in town so I can buy you a Christmas present since I haven’t gotten you one yet.” I started laughing and right when I was about to tell him he didn’t have to, he raised his hand and said “I know I don’t have to get you anything but I’m going to anyway.” He stood up, grabbed my hand, and we started into town.

We walked all over town that day admiring all the shimmering lights and the silly blow-up decorations. Aaron must have bought my present while I was in Starbucks, because when he came back to me, he had a pretty pink bag with him and when I asked him what was in it, he wouldn’t tell me.

That night as we were walking home, it started to snow lightly. It was so beautiful. When we got to my house, he handed me the bag and made me promise I wouldn’t open it until tomorrow. He gave me a hug and just when I was about to go in the house I heard him call my name. I turned around and he kissed me lightly on the cheek.

by: Sanela Črešnik

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“Merry Christmas” he said as he turned around with a warm smile on his face and walked home. The next morning I awoke to the sound of my mother crying. I sat up and climbed out of bed. I walked over to the door and peered out. No one was out there so I walked downstairs to see my father comforting my mother. “What’s wrong?” I said, a little confused. “Honey, the Harrington’s got into a car accident this morning on their way to New York,« my mum said. “They hit some ice...«

»...and drove off the road” my father finished after her. “Well, are they ok?” I said, trying to hide a crack in my voice. My mother looked at me and started crying again. “Zoe, honey, Aaron didn’t make it.” my father said. I could tell by the way he said it that he was about to cry as well. I just stood there. I didn’t say anything. I didn’t move. All I did was stare at them. After a minute or so I walked over to the tree, picked up the present Aaron got me and ran upstairs. I threw the present at the wall and fell on my bed and started crying. Then I heard something hit the floor where I had thrown the present, and there on the floor lay a little black box. I walked over to it and when I picked it up a note fell out and this is what it said: Dear Zoe,

I love you so much. You’re the best friend anyone could ask for. I hope you like your present. Merry Christmas and I’ll see you when I get back.

Love always, Aaron As tears came streaming down my face I folded up the note and laid it on my bed. I lifted up the box and opened it. Inside was the most beautiful necklace I had ever seen. It was a silver locket with a snowflake on the front. I opened it and on the inside there was a picture of Aaron on one side and a picture of both of us on the other side. I closed the locket and turned it over and it said “Aaron and Zoe, Christmas of 2010” Now I’m standing here wearing the locket Aaron gave me and holding a rose. As I stand here, my face stinging from my tears and the cold wind, I see a single snowflake fall on Aaron’s grave. I look up to see the snow start to fall lihgtly. And as I lay the rose on his grave, I whisper “I love you too, Aaron” and walk away.

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What happens when you come across Slovenians in Austria

You have the best time when you least expect it‘ had again proven to be a truth which can’t be overlooked. But to start at the beginning – I got a ticket for The Baseballs concert as a late birthday present. The Baseballs is a German group that changes all those hits of our generation (Umbrella, Hot n‘ Cold, Angels, Hello etc.) into their rockabilly versions. When I first heard their Umbrella I was extremely mad at Rihanna; how could she possibly have stolen such a great song and made it so awful? Then I found out The Baseballs have only been around for 4 years and went searching to see if there was going to be a concert anywhere nearby. There was one on the 29th of October in Graz, Austria.

On Saturday a few weeks ago I was mentally prepared to be a part of an average concert. To be quite frank, I was even afraid that The Baseballs concert would be poorly attended. However, my friends Maša and Anja and I went there by train. We spent what was left of the afternoon in the city centre and later looked for Helmut hall. I confused north with south which is probably never going to be forgotten. After quite a walk we arrived at the hall. Surprisingly, there were many people, mostly older (20+) with their outlooks really overworked. We even noticed some Slovenians.

By: Anka Supej

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We got in very fast and then were sitting by the wall. The spirit there was unlike any other concert I have been to. If we had wanted to go to the first row they would have let us. There were no screaming teenagers or fights. The atmosphere was relaxed.

So the concert started and Sam (one of the lead singers) said hello to people from Slovenia. We were enthusiastic about it, along with the people who were standing next to us. As the conversations started we realized they were also from Slovenia. What is more, two of them were Sam‘s cousins. The best part was when they invited us backstage after the concert. It was one of those moments I am proud to be from our little country. Slovene people are just everywhere. The rest of the concert reminded us how awesome backstage must be and was therefore even more exciting. One thing I was missed was seeing more people dancing. Austrian people are more restrained compared to Slovenians.

Some factual data from backstage: All three singers are super nice. Sam (his actual name is Sven) speaks Slovene and he hasn‘t been in Slovenia for two years now. It was funny how there were for once more people speaking Slovene than German. The day ended up unlike anything we could ever imagine. For sure I can say this was so far the best concert I have been to.

For my conclusion I would like to answer the question in the title. What happens when you come across Slovenians in Austria? You go backstage.

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Tone Pavček: When you walk, always go to the end

When you walk, always go to the end,In Spring to beautiful flowers,In Summer to mature wheat,In Autumn to full shelf,In Winter to the Snow Queen,In the book to the last line,In life to the real truth,Inside yourself to blushing from one to the other side.But if you don't come for the first time nor the second timeTo deck and realTry again and again and again.

Tone Pavček: Something is in the air

Something is in the air.Something beautiful. Something gentle.Something passing bySomething is in the air.You can feel it. Like breath and trembling.Like noise and whisperAt the last minute.Something is in the airWhich reflects in the eyes,Which echoed in peopleAt every step.Is this song for mysterious inspiration?Or love?It breathes and exhales?

by Sanela Cresnik

Tone Pavček

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by J.S.

Be patient, loving, romantic and kind,remind her always how she’s on your mind,talk to her and ask her things,then tell her how beautiful you think she is,show her love in the weirdest way,often take her breath away,be understanding and be there for her,tell her she’s your special girl,pull her closer, hold her tight,kiss her gently then look in her eyes,kiss her nose and watch her smile,make her stay just for a while,it.s not enough to think of her, you gotta let her know,that she can make your heart go wild, don’t ever let her go,but the thing that matters most is this,tell her you love her everyday, no matter where she is.

Every day,you’re all i think of every night and day,I try to stop but in my head you stay,confuse my mind and make me wanna play,every day

Do you miss me?am i crazy or do you think of me?I miss you so much i can hardly breathe,and still i wonder if you think of meDo you miss me?

I want you so,lately i want you baby more and more,so bad, that i can’t take it anymore,do anything to be with you alone,I want you so.

Two poems

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I’m wondering where to start my story…People call it unique - I call it life. They say every beginning is hard, but life taught me that people are what makes them hard. I’ve talked about my life and my “destiny” so many times that it feels so odd this time.

Well, I guess people find me so interesting and to stand out not because I’ve got three eyes, wings on my back or because I’m a mermaid (just kidding); but because I come from India. That’s right! If you were wondering why that girl is so dark – now you have the answer!

I came to Slovenia on a windy autumn day and that wind changed the direction of my life forever…I still remember the 20th of October 2005 like it was yesterday. 9 hours of flying exhausted me, so when we finally landed in Ljubljana, I could hardly wait to reach our new home in Maribor. I spent a one-and-half-hour drive sitting on my back seat, absorbing the smell of a completely new environment; a film of my whole life until that moment was running in front of my eyes…I was just an ordinary 10-year-old girl from New Delhi and now from all those millions of kids I was the one, who got a chance to breath this new air, I got a chance to re-start my life, speak a different and rare language. Nowdays I know this kind of positive thinking made me survive a lot of hard moments in my life. When I was 6 years old, my younger sister still a little baby, our parents divorced. My mother was suffering from depression and soon she died because of some serious illness. A person can't imagine how hard those days were for the three of us… But as one George Harrison's song says "all things must pass," this period also passed, leaving scratches and wounds deep inside our hearts…After a few years my father met my Slovenian (step)mother in a historical exhibition at the national museum in New Delhi, they both fell in love, soon married and so here I was, watching the sun from the other side of the planet.

People often ask me how I felt in those first days in Slovenia. Well…it's hard to describe how I felt at that time…It was like playing a role in a movie or something and watching yourself as a third person. So many new things were happening around me, but I was flying somewhere over the sky. Already after two weeks I joined the school (Bojan Ilich) and I needed to get a bit down to

By: Sanskriti Kumar

Sanskriti

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earth so that I could concentrate on my studies. Ah it was so tough to understand the language and hang out with some people. Before joining the school, I only knew few words in Slovene ( živijo, kako si, čokolada, jaz sem, ali govorite angleško?,…).

The fact that helped me a lot in that time was that I didn't condemn or judge anyone, anything… I just expected things as they were and allowed the wind to blow me in its direction. Soon I progressed in learning Slovene and got new friend circle. Although that wasn't a "easy-peasy job" - I knew I didn't have any judgments, but a lot of people around me had them against me. I don't wish to put anyone in my skin back at that time… Especially in class the children were avoiding me and it was horrible, cause I was spending every half of my day with them. After school I spent a lot of my time in nature – pretending to be lost in the forest, watching the birds and the clouds,… I also discovered a big passion for music inside me, especially for rock'n roll, blues, punk, rock and country.... I became a huge fan of the world-famous Beatles and started to learn classical guitar.

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After one year my parents decided to change my school, so I started to go to the nearby primary school Tabor II. Things were different then – I knew the language at least well enough to normally comunicate with people, although here and there I needed some correction in my grammar. I was so glad that in my new school they accepted me really warmly.

Time was passing…Every day I got to know something new about Slovenia – about (forever "in" topic) the politics, sports, history… At that time I got used to staring looks from people and questions – how did you manage to learn Slovene so fast? Is it true that the cow is a holy animal in your country? How do you say good morning in Hindi? etc. And even now just few weeks back a women was wondering why I was so "black" (she asked me if I went to some solarium)

If anyone is wondering which language I think and dream in, I have to admit that I think in three languages – Hindi, English and Slovene. So usually also my dreams are a mixture of these three languages. It just depends on my mood…

Well dear reader, what more can I tell you? Being different is a tricky thing – yes, you do have priorities, but you also have to pay the price for them. That's how life works I guess… But if I look back at these six years of living in Maribor, I can proudly say that I wouldn't change anything.

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The capital of Prague is the biggest in the Czech Republic. The city is almost 1100 years old and throughout its long history it has been important for both the Holy Roman Empire and the Habsburg Monarchy. It also played major roles in historical events such as the Thirty Years’ War and both World Wars. Fortunately, these many years of colourful history result in a number of famous attractions, museums, theatres and galleries.

Today, most people associate Prague with Gothic architecture, Franz Kafka, The Good Soldier Švejk and even beer.

And although all of these things are a big part of their culture, you can discover much more by walking through the streets of Prague.

This year during fall break my family and I drove to Prague and spent three days there, because we all

Prague, a city beyond compare

agreed that visiting a city like Prague would be more exciting than going to the seaside. It took us about six hours to get there, but the city was worth the drive, as it was simply brilliant.

While going to the centre, we crossed the Wenceslas Square, which is the busiest shopping street in Prague, and then a few streets later, we stopped at the Prague market, which was full of handmade souvenirs.

We went further into the Old Town and the first thing we saw was the Astronomical clock, which is a big clock on the side of a very medieval looking building in the very centre of the Old Town Square. At first sight it simply looks like a big old clock, but every full hour the animated figures of the twelve apostles come out of the clock, the bells ring and someone blows a horn on the top of the tower. The Astronomical clock is a very popular tourist spot: for fifteen minutes before and after the show it is almost impossible to get through the square.

The next big attraction was Charles Bridge, which spans half a kilometre over the Vltava River. The bridge is considered the heart of Prague because it is full of tourists, locals, street performers and artists. The Charles Bridge was probably my favourite thing in Prague, because you could walk up and down for an hour

by: Anja Simič, 1. A

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The ancient splendour and beauty of Prague, a city beyond compare, left an impression on my imagination that will never fade –Richard Wagner

and still have something to do – there was live music, artists painting and drawing, people selling jewellery and a wonderful view from the bridge. The bridge is full of statues, or actually their replacements, because the original statues were moved. The thing I found very funny was that people were standing in queues waiting to place their hand on the statues, because apparently your wish comes true if you make it while placing your hand there.

When we (fi nally) crossed the bridge, we saw the Kafka museum, dedicated to Franz Kafka, the famous Czech writer best known for his novella The Metamorphosis. Sadly, we didn’t go in, because it was too crowded. Next to the Kafka museum was another part of town that was really interesting because of all the book stores with used books. The path from the museum led up towards Prague Castle, which is the biggest castle in the world. The castle itself is divided into smaller palaces, halls, gardens and churches. In a way it is also connected to Slovene history, because Jože Plečnik renovated the gardens and the New Royal Palace.

Back on the other side of Vltava, we went to the museum of the medieval torture devices, which I found very sick. I can still hardly believe people actually did things like that to each other.

One of the most interesting places we visited was the restaurant U Kalicha, which was decorated in the style of World War I, and used The Good Soldier Švejk as its theme. They served traditional Czech food, which was really good, and every half hour two musicians in soldier uniforms came and played live music. What I really loved about the restaurant was the fact that they had menus in Slovene.

We saw a lot of interesting and amazing things, and there are still things worth seeing in Prague that we didn’t see, but I will defi nitely visit Prague again and see all those beautiful places.

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We all read the book (at least we all said we did). But only a few of us saw the ballet or the opera. You know what what I‘m talking about (at least it says in the title). The ballet called Don Quixote.

It is a classical ballet work consisting of three (or four) acts with a prologue. The composer is Ludwig Minkus, with choreography by Marius Petipa

The music for the ballet Don Quixote was composed by the composer known as Ludwig Minkus (Leon Fyodorovich Minkus) in the 19th century and was choreographed by the one of the most famous choreographers of classical ballet, Marius Petipa, who also choreographed ballets like Swan Lake, The Nutcracker and so and so on. Petipa staged the ballet for the St. Petersburg Imperial Ballet in 1871. Throughout history many choreographers such as Alexander Gorsky added many things and dances to this ballet and made it what it is today: a spectacle which recuires uncompromising virtuosity, technique and countless hours spent in the ballet studio. Like all of Petipa‘s works, it is one of the greatest ballets of all time.

The story takes place in 15th century Spain (the actual place differs from one production to another. Sometimes it is Barcelona, while the location of our theatre‘s production isn‘t actually known).

The story of the ballet is a little different than that of the book itself. Instead of focusing on Don Quixote and Sancho Pansa (who are actualy side roles), it focuses on the love of Basil, the town‘s barber and Kitri, the rebellious daughter of an inkeeper named Lorenzo. Kitri and Basil want to be together, but sadly, as fate would have it, they can‘t, because Kitri‘s father doesen‘t approve of Basil and wants Kitri to mary Gamache, a rich nobleman who falls in love with Kitri in the first act. Kitri and Basil run away together and on their way run into the gypsies. They accept them with open arms and do a couple of dances for them. Don Quixote enters and scares the gypsies away from the scene. In the attempt to attack the windmill in

A modern-day Cervantes (AKA Ballet Don Quixote)By: Tomaž Golub

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the backround (which he thinks is a giant) he badly injures himself and passes out and has a dream about Dryades, the Dryad Queen, Dulcinea (or Kitri in some cases) and Amor (or Cupid). They all dance, but suddenly the dream ends and Sancho Pansa, Lorenzo and Gamache find Don Quixote. Sancho Pansa accidentally tells them (Lorenzo and Gamache) where Kitri and Basil have gone.

The ballet ends with the third act, which has two scenes.

The first scene is in a tavern somewhere in Spain.

At the end of the day everyone gathers in the tavern. Kitri and Basil join them and celebrate with their friends. Gamache and Lorenzo run in. Kitri tries to hide, but Lorenzo still finds her. Kitri and Basil beg Lorenzo to let them be married, but he still refuses. So Basil (or Basilio) thinks of a way to persuade Lorenzo. He runs off the scene, but returns shortly after with a razor and stabs himself with it. At least that‘s what Lorenzo and Gamache think. He actually acted out the whole thing and finally Don Quixote, Basil, Kitri and the whole party convice Lorenzo. When Lorenzo has finally caved, Basil quickly recovers and they all dance, sing and celebrate.

The ballet ends with the second scene, where Kitri and Basil are married and do their final pas de deux. The curtain closes after the pas de deux with all the characters dancing and celebrating.

I should also mention a couple of characters who provide a good Spanish background: the Toreadors, Espada (the head Toreador), Mercedes, Don Quixote and Seguidilla (the villagers) and many, many more.

Our ballet theatre SNG Maribor has taken on a challenge in staging this ballet masterpiece which had its premiere last month on the 11th of November 2011.

The main roles (Kitri and Basil) were danced by acclaimed ballet dancer Anton Bogov with his pas de deux partner, the young ballerina Tatiana Svitlichna. Espada was danced by Matjaž Marin and the role of Lorenzo went to Petar Marić. And last but not least was the title role of Don Quixote which was ‚‘danced‘‘ by Marin Turcu. And for the end, as luck would have it, I got the (solo) role of the beggar.

The music was taken from Ludwig Minkus‘s edition of Don Quixote and the choreography was from Marius Petipa, but the actual choreographer who was with us during the practices and the staging of the whole ballet was Krzystof Novogrotsky.

The practices for Don Quixote started in mid-August and lasted till the opening night on the November 11th. To be honest, the practices were brutal. The late nights, the early mornings, countless days going through the same thing we did the previous day - I can‘t imagine how many hours of school I have missed. But it all paid off and faster than you can say „cookie“ the 11th of November was here.

Before the premiere there was a moment of silence for Iko Otrin, who died earlier that year. He staged two versions of Don Quixote here in Maribor in 1974 and 1984, and the funny thing is, that the person who played Don Quixote (Marin Turcu) also danced Basil in those two stagings.

The opening night was exquisite and was very well recieved by the critics. In fact the critic named Olivera Ilić (who was a former soloist at SNG Maribor) who writes for Večer gave a very generous review about the show, in which she mentioned all the main roles and dancers (Anton Bogov as Basil, Tatiana Svitichna as Kitri…) and also, as it turns out, me.

The ballet was very good and the choreographer himself has done a truly great job. As a dancer I would definitely recommend that you go see it, because it is truly a great ballet.

Phtotographs: By Tomaž Golub

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For as long as people have been aware of the weather, they have known that in some way it affects their mood. Nowadays it’s still the same - we notice differences in how we feel when it’s sunny or when it’s raining. It’s a well-known fact that in times when there’s less sun, people are more depressed and also ill. When the day starts to become shorter, we live more and more in the dark, which has an influence on our mood too. In this time of the year, we have less interest in and motivation for doing the usual everyday things; we are tired and sleepy most of the time. The Sun also impacts the body’s production of vitamin D, which might help to protect our body from diseases. In winter time a lot of people get headaches or feel worse, not only psychically but also physically. It’s proven that people who live in the North are more depressed and sick because there is even less sun, and in winter it’s dark most of the time. Some side effects of the winter are also humidity, low pressure, wind and fog. Some people are more sensitive than the others and are generally more affected by the weather and its consequences. There is a sickness called winter depression which causes people who suffer from it to be moody and tired even if they sleep enough. But on the other hand, this is the time of the year when everything is full of Christmas spirit, all the stores and streets are decorated, and there’s a magical feeling all around us. And there is also snow, which can bring not only depression but joy too.

Of course the effects of the weather are different for everybody, because we are not the same and we feel things differently. I, for one, like rain and snow, and I am not such a fan of the Sun. It’s probably because of the mysterious feeling that I get when it’s raining outside and I’m sitting in my window staring out and watching the raindrops fall. I also love snow, playing outside and the winter spirit.

Weather can have an influence on us, but of course not all people are affected by it. It varies from person to person how much something can have an impact on them. But the thing that’s the same for all of us is that we all have mood swings even when it’s not raining outside.

How weather can affect our mood

Weather is a great metaphor for life - sometimes it‘s good, sometimes it‘s bad, and there‘s nothing much you can do about it but carry an umbrella. ~Terri Guillemets

by: Lana Vogrinec 1. C

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The coolest school ever

The very fi rst thing I would like to say in this article is that I absolutely love Prva gimnazija. I have known since the 6th grade that this was the school I wanted to go to. I liked it from the outside, obviously, because the building is just beautiful and the park is also really nice. I sometimes feel like our school isn’t in the center of Maribor. It’s just so nice to go out when we have a break, sit on the benches, talk to each other, laugh, forget about school work and just have a great time. It’s also really nice to see other students having a great time. Some of them play volleyball, some throw a Frisbee around, while others are just hanging out and laughing. I also like the way Prva looks on the inside. Some would say that it looks old and is falling apart, but I think that’s absolutely not true. I mean, yes, the school is old, but that’s the best part. It looks a bit like an old castle , especially because of the walls and the fl oor, but it’s not ugly or anything. It’s great. I think that the best part is the tiling on the fl oor. Some of the tiles are a bit wobbly and I just love walking down the hall and feeling those wobbly tiles under my feet. I know, some of you will say that I completely lost my mind. I guess you’re right. The biggest problem I

by: Nina Ivančič, 1. C

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had during the fi rst two months was that I got lost all the time. I couldn’t remember where my lessons were and when I found the classroom number I didn’t know where to look for the room itself. So I was walking around like a lost puppy and I wasn’t sure if I should ask someone in the hall because I thought they were going to be mean or something. But that one time when I was totally scared that I was going to be late I asked a girl in the hall if she could help me fi nd the class and she was really nice and we also talked a little. So after a while I fi gured out that everyone is really nice and friendly. Even the teachers aren’t as strict as I thought. I mean of course there are a few that have some strange methods and aren’t really friendly but in general everyone is okay. After the fi rst two months I realized that I actually have to start studying and stop just having fun and enjoying myself. I think being in high school isn’t really the easiest thing and I realize that I can’t expect to have excellent marks all the time so I’m quite satisfi ed with mine. I’m really happy with the choice I made to come to Prva gimnazija. I think it’s the coolest school ever.

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We‘re talking about the application named Talking Tom. Maybe you‘ve already heard about it, but in case you haven‘t, we wrote an article and conducted an interview with one of developers of the worldwide talking cat.

The cat repeats everything you say, but with its funny voice and not only that. The application offers you many actions. You can pet him, poke his belly, head or feet, grab his tail and even pour a glass of milk for him to drink, but if you forget about him, he will yawn or sneeze. Interesting, isn‘t it? Your experiences

The Slovenian cat that speaks every single language

with Talking Tom can be recorded in video form and then you can save them or share them via Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or e-mail. You can download the application for iPhone, iPod or Android, and you can do it for free.

Talking Tom brings a lot of fun and you can‘t play with him without laughter. It is made for all generations and it was downloaded more than 200 million times. Pretty impressive, isn‘t it? You won‘t regret if you download it and try it yourself. Rok Zorko, one of developers, told us where the idea of Talking Tom cat came from in the following interview.

“Our apps do the talking for us. We like them to receive lots of attention, while we just enjoy making the very best apps. :-)”

by: Mateja Divjak and Maša Jazbec

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1. How long have you worked on developing new technology?“We started developing mobile apps in 2010.”

2. What was your first big bestseller?“Talking Tom Cat was our first hit. The app was originally released in June 2010. By now our apps have had more than 230 million downloads.”

3. Where did the idea of Talking Tom Cat come from?“There were other talking apps available before Talking Tom. But none of them were interesting. We saw that and decided we could make an awesome app with all the right features like video recording, sharing via Facebook and YouTube, etc.”

4. How long did you spend creating this application?“The development of the original Talking Tom took approximately 3 months.”

5. How many people were in this project? “All together at that time: 8 people.”

6. How do you feel about the whole world talking about your project and success? “We feel honoured that we have so many customers around the world. Our largest userbase is in China. We also feel very grateful that our apps are used for therapeutical reasons, for example helping children with autism.”

7. Beside Talking Tom, there are also many other applications, like Talking Robot and Santa. But I’ve heard that you don’t like to be in the centre of attention. Why not? “Our apps do the talking for us. We like them to receive lots of attention, while we just enjoy making the very best apps. :-)”

8. How many people have already downloaded your applications?“230 million downloads so far.”

9. What are your goals for the future?“To continue making great products and deliver fun to people of all ages around the world.”

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We asked the students if they liked it here and 54 students answered with a yes and two with a no. The main reasons why students liked Prva gimnazija include the school in general (51,8%), classmates (25%), professors (7,1%), nice atmosphere (8,9%) and announced evaluation (3,6%). But the only reason why those two students didn’t like the school was having to learn too much.

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The second question was: Do you think that gymnasium is more difficult than primary school? When we sorted the answers we discovered that the majority of the students think that gymnasium is more difficult than primary school (87,5%), but some of the students, 7 to be exact (12,5%), think that the difference between gymnasium and primary school isn’t that big at all. More than half of the students think that they have to learn more (66%) and others think that the professors are more stringent (21,5%).

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Many students (89,3%) would recommend Prva gimnazija to other students who have still not decided where to continue their education. The survey revealed that only six of the students (10,7%) wouldn’t do so and that was because of too much studying and strict professors.

We made a survey, asking 56 first year students what they think about Prva Gimnazija.

by: Larisa Šinkovec and Maja Požar, 1. F

A survey about Prva Gimnazija

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The reasons why the students like the gymnasium are longer breaks (42,9%), delicious meals (23,2%), good friends (14,3%), freedom (14,3%) and Moodle (5,3%).

studentswouldrecommendPrvagimnazijatootherstudents

studentswouldn'trecommend Prva gimnazijarecommendPrvagimnazijatootherstudents

longerbreaks

deliciousmeals

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And in the final question we wanted to find out whether the classes were too long. The results were a bit surprising, because we thought that the answers would be unanimous, but we were wrong. In fact there were some students who actually didn’t feel that they were in school for too long (16%).

theclassesaretoolong

theclassesaren'ttoolong

Overall the results that we got were kind of expected, but there were some exceptions. To be honest, we thought that more students would not be satisfied with their experience at Prva gimnazija. But the outcome was quite different.

There was a shocker in between the questions. We were 100% sure that all of the students thought that gymnasium was more difficult than primary school. We made an assumption based on our opinion, but again as you can see, we were wrong. However, it’s nice to know that students can keep up with this tempo.

The third question was very subjective, because every individual has his or her own opinion.

In general, we agreed with the results and we were satisfied with them. They showed that gymnasium is more difficult, but it gives you a good foundation for your future education.

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Almost every human being has his own breaking point. Some people say grammar school, others say university. Mine was when I first entered ˝Prva .̋ Here I found out what I wanted to do with my life and what I want from myself to become.

As I sometimes walk through the magnificent halls of ˝Prva ,̋ I recall all the important moments that happened to me during my high school years. The first day, the first lecture, the first exam, then something in between and finally my graduation. Experiencing those days wouldn’t be the same without friends I got here. More than 4 years have passed since I left, and we still haven’t lost contact.

Sometimes, I really miss those days when a student life was still such a mystery to me and the students… well… they seemed so old. Now, I’m one of them and if you believe it or not, I don’t feel any older than I was four years ago.

Student’s life gives you a lot of freedom. You can choose whether or not you’ll go to the lecture or the exam. And you can eat really cheap. Student food subvention is one of the best government’s measures!

On the other hand this freedom demands a great level of responsibility and discipline. No professor will ever beg you to come to the exam. Often professors don't even know who you are. It all depends on you, whether you'll accomplish your studies or not.

To conclude, every stage of life has its own purpose. Grammar school taught me my first ABC's and university is teaching me how to link letters in words and words into sentences. The life will do the rest.

It was… It is… It will be…By Jerneja Golub

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One day, not so long ago, I decided to use my time-capsule ability to take a break from this desperate and relentlessly miserable age. I didn’t have any specific wishes about where to go to, so I randomly set my runed totems for the time-capsule to activate, then I climbed in and set sails to wave goodbye to this pitiful world.

After a nice and relaxing time-flight with a couple of drinks served by gorgeous time-flight assistants, I climbed down the stairs of my capsule and looked around. Surrounded by a snowy barren landscape, I embraced the land with warmth and happiness in my heart. So beautiful; relaxingly cold blows of wind were swiping through my hair, and the sound of crunching snow beneath my feet was giving me a pleasant yet exciting feeling.

Not knowing what age I’d landed in, I cautiously started summoning my Dark-Elf crafted cutlasses. Once they sat confindently in my palms, I put them on the magnetic plates on my belt. I also summoned a tiger, mounted, and rapidly rode off into the wilderness.

After an excruciatingly long ride, I started to feel hungry, and because my blood sugar had fallen, I dismounted and conjured some snacks. But then, I heard something approaching with slow, but deafeningly loud steps, and the whole ground shook from the huge, massive crashes of the being’s feet. It was like an earthquake, just more terrifying. The creature was getting closer, and I readied myself for

battle. Instantly, my blood became freezing cold, so I was able to think and later act with the rationality and confidence of a warchief entering a battle with an unworthy foe. Suddenly, the tree that had been blocking my view of the noise source broke in half and, despite the tree’s massive weight, the now-visible giant held the whole top half of it in his hand. Sensing my presence, he vigorously roared. His roar shattered the ice topping the nearby lake and a big flock of birds flew from the trees.

Cold-blooded, I let an even more vigorous growl out of the wrathful deeps of my body and, strongly gripping their handles, dispatched my swords from the plates. Although I was reckless and ruthlessly determined to slaughter this beast, a feeling of despair had started affecting my cells one after one like a pestilence, lowering my determination and confidence with every passing second.

Bitter doubt had started tearing my vigor apart as I heard another sound behind my back. Surprised I turned around and beheld a massive Norge army, with its warriors armed to the teeth.

As the army’s leader rode toward me, in all his might, the giant stood still, also surprised by the army’s quick arrival. He quickly shook my hand, presenting himself as David. He told me that the giant we were about to face was Goliath, and that they were part of an insurrection to free their people of his barbaric featherbrained rule.

So, with an army behind my back, I charged towards Goliath, infected him with my cursed blades’ frozen plague and, stabbing my swords into his leg, slowly started climbing upwards his enormous and sickly smelling body. Goliath, confused from countless ruptures in his leg, yet determined to slaughter and prevail, started furiously stomping on the ground, trying to crush the Norge warriors, who were evading his massive feet with ease.

When I reached his waist, I took a quick break to catch my breath. Then I continued my journey to Goliath’s neck, now stabbing my swords into his spine. Suddenly, with one of the strongest and most vigorous stabs, I pierced through Goliath’s spine and suprisingly ruptured his spinal cord.

As he instantly stood still, I started summoning a drake, to avoid falling 18 meters onto the blood-soaked snow below. Just as i jump-mounted my drake, he started swaying and just a few seconds later his massive body started falling, and a breathtaking moment later, he crashed to the ground, triggering a massive earthquake which knocked all the standing warriors on the ground and brought the whole surrounding forest, with all its mighty trees, to the ground.

I flew my drake to David and accepted his deepest gratitude, then decided to end my holiday and travel back to this boring age of raped democracy and pervasive hypocrisy.

A BLOODY HOLIDAYby: Bine Kosmač, 2.d

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Members Jared Leto (singer, rhythm guitar and keyboards) Shannon Leto (drums) Tomislav (Tomo) Miličević (lead guitar, violin and keyboards)

Gerard Way (singer) Michael (Mikey) Way (bass)

Ray Toro (lead guitar, backing vocals)

Frank Iero (rhythm guitar, backing vocals)

Formation The band was officially formed by Shannon and Jared (who made music together throughout their childhoods) in 1998 when they were joined by Matt Wachter and Kevin Drake (who later left the band).

Gerard Way formed the band approximately 1 week after witnessing 11th September. One of their songs on the first album Skylines and Turnstiles expresses Gerard’s feelings about WTC attack and was written right after the incident.

Name The Leto brothers borrowed the name from a Harvard professor who said that we will soon be thirty seconds to Mars if the development of technology continues at this speed.

The band name was suggested by Mikey Way after seeing the Irvine Welsh’s book titled Ecstasy: Three Tales of Chemical Romance while working in Barnes & Noble (the largest book retailer in USA).

Albums The band has already recorded 3 albums: 30 Seconds to Mars (with the concept of human struggle and self-determination)

A Beautiful Lie (featuring Attack and The Kill that made them famous) This Is War (which was influenced by their label EMI suing them for 30 million dollars, but was still a big success)

So far they have released 4 albums:

I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love (the debut album)

Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge (with famous singles Helena and I‘m Not Okay)

The Black Parade (which tells a story about a dying patient with cancer)

Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys (the concept of this album is: the lives of band‘s alter- egos in the year 2019.

Style Both bands are known to be emo even though they both deny it. They prefer being categorized as alternative or rock. Each of them has a distinguishing style including makeup, logos, hairstyle...

VS

Thirty Seconds to Mars and My Chemical Romance - these two band names commonly appear together. Most of the people claim they are similar: they have “crazy and obsessed” fans, they’re both emo and both have well known front-men. But are they really so similar? Here is the comparison and now it’s on you to decide.

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From left: Frank, Mikey, Gerard, Ray

The Umbrella Academy

One of fotos taken by Jared Leto in Haiti

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Brothers Shannon (older) and Jared are, as mentioned before, brothers. Their parents divorced when they were children, leaving them in care of their mother and grandfather. Since their grandfather worked in the Air Force they moved around the world, They even lived in Haiti for some time. Their mother encouraged their creativity.

Gerard (older) and Mikey have Italian and Scottish ancestry. One of the most important people in their lives was their grandmother Elena. She was very creative and they are both very thankful for that, as Gerard said: “She has taught me everything I know” and also she happens to be the person who bought them a van for theit first tour. When she died they wrote the song Helena for her.

Front man Jared Leto was first known as an actor. He acted in many films such as: Requiem for a Dream, Fight Club, American Psycho, Alexander, Girl, Interrupted... But he refuses to use his name to promote the band. Lately he has been interested in photography (he went to Haiti after the earthquake and published a photo book about the travel and later donated the profits to charity) and drawing.

Gerard Way has always been a big comic book fan. He graduated from School of Visual Arts in New York to pursue a career in the comic-book industry. He first attempted to write a comic with Mikey and friends when he was a teenager, but the team soon felt apart. In 2007 he tried again and published a comic book The Umbrella Academy with art by Gabriel Bá and received an Eisner Award for it. He was also a co-creator of a cartoon The Breakfast Monkey.

Fans The name of 30stm’s fan base is Echelon. Band encourages ”the family” to “spread the world” with posters, symbols (there are at least 3 well-known logos/symbols)... In return they feature the best photos of so-called missions in their weekly mails or have awards like being followed on Twitter for a week. They also included Echelon on their latest album. First they organized The Summit, which was held in LA, and then they organized an Internet summit where fans were recorded singing lines the band showed them and were later all included in the This Is War album.

MCRmy is the official My Chemical Romance street team. They’re known to dress like the band (the Black Parade of The Killjoys style), use the band’s signs and logos, and support them everywhere they are. The band also gives them missions to “spread the world” in all kinds of way (spreading videos on the Internet, different projects and meetings). With MCRmy it is all about tolerance and being yourself.. As Gerard said: “Don’t ever let the media tell you what to look like, you’re beautiful the way you are” and his famous sentence: “Stay beautiful, keep it ugly” that became one of MCRmy’s motos. Just like the band members are friends the fans are friends with Echelon. They work together on different voting contests for awards.

Concerts At every show they ask fans to join The Church of Mars, meaning that for the last song (Kings and Queens) they invite fans to sing on stage with them. The fastest that make it out of the crowd or the ones Jared picks can then go on the stage.

During every show Gerard collects the flags fans throw on the stage and right before the end they hang them on a wire so everybody can see them.

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Autumn has come and passed, this yellow leaves have gone so fast...

Photos by: Teja Želj Robnik

The one with bicycle: Sara Stiplovšek

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I love birds.And I’ll tell you why -because everyone says:» Look! There’s a bird in the sky. «

If I were a bird,I would be able to fly. If I were a bird,I could touch the blue sky.

But I’m not a bird,and of course I cannot fly.My spirit is locked,and I just don’t know why...

But when I die,my soul will be a bird,And my spirit will fly.

S.S.