Flair magazine by Mohammad Alauddin

Flair Magazine February 2015

Editor’s Note

Editor’s Note A Team with Flair Clara Martín Director Lydia Rey Finance and Commercial Chief Administrator Jorge López Editor-in-chief & “Culture” editor Monish Sawlani “Sports” editor Sofía Caraballo “Fashion” editor

Contributers Pablo Estrada Rohan Kamrani Jaime Pascual

Clara Martín and Jorge López Co-founders

he school magazine returns, as fresh and powerful as ever! This exciting recovered project has come through with much effort and enthusiasm, but it wouldn’t have been possible without the help we now acknowledge. Firstly, thanks to the sponsors, to Mr. Thomas for accepting the project’s staff leadership and to the school for its essential economic and institutional backing. Also, we owe our thanks to those who helped out with the smaller but equally important details: our contributers. Behind the scenes, Pablo offered his skills, without hesitating, to assist us in every way, dealing with our problems in finance and design, whilst Rohan has always supported any editing or management and Jaime’s key help in the layout preparation. Finally, we thank Mr. Pattenden and Mr. Thomas for conceding such interesting and open interviews. We hope you enjoy this issue of “Flair” and look forward to the next. The team wishes all a merry Christmas.

Flair Magazine February 2015

Interview

led Thomas, the young new Business Studies teacher, shows his presentation card and opens up to our questions, revealing his character and the peculiar details of his past. Certainly, he does seem to be an interesting incorporation!

Mr. Thomas, why did you become a teacher in the first place? Where were you before and why did you come to Hastings? At first I would have done anything except becoming a teacher! Many of my family relatives are teachers and I wanted to be different. At university, I obtained a degree in Business Studies, hoping for future (economic) success in the business world. Unfortunately, this didn’t go as expected… I left University in 2008, which is when the recession hit, and this meant a lot of graduate level positions were being cut back. I considered what skills and qualifications I had and finally decided that retraining as a teacher was the best option. My girlfriend and I had also recently purchased a house, which meant that entrepreneurial risk was not really an option for me at that time! In the end, I have grown to enjoy teaching very much and liked connecting with the students. I taught in another school in Britain before, but wanted to advance in my career; I sought to take on more responsibility. I felt ready to leave my last school in order to gain new experiences and teach different kinds of pupils. Also, there was a tense atmosphere in that school, because of some kind of teachers and a much divided mix of students from different social backgrounds, of which I always had to deal with the most

problematic! Coming here was a fantastic opportunity to progress, have a taste of something different and refresh myself. I have always dreamt of living abroad, in somewhere like France or Spain. Here, at Hastings, I immediately felt at home, really comfortable.

You are the only Welsh teacher. Do you miss your home place? I come from a town in Mid Wales, a mostly agricultural zone very different to Madrid, for example. Although I haven’t lived there since childhood, it is still my home. My town is small, has a narrow-minded, agricultural society and it is rather immobile; it has no drive. There is friction between the richer and poorer districts but especially between the town and countryside people. The place might seem beautiful and I do miss my friends from there, but I am happy of having left!

Interview:

By Jorge López

Aled Thomas

How was your experience at high school? Tell us an anecdote from those times. At high school, there were many morons… However, I had a memorable group of friends: Alex, Clarky and Sparrow. Out of our group, my best friend was Alex. We were ‘outsiders’, although still open to others and even popular. I didn’t really feel as belonging to a particular,

Flair Magazine February 2015

set group; ours wasn’t a clique or any kind of protective, closed faction. We just hanged around together and mixed well with other groups, such as the football team boys or the so-called ‘farmers’ who were dedicated to rugby. Our strong point was humour: we loved being cheeky and causing some playful mayhem with pranks. We played many pranks but teachers weren’t too hard on us because we were good academically. The greatest prank of all was when we stole all the toilet roll in school and hid it in the locker of Sparrow’s sister; then we made ‘WANTED’ posters out of toilet paper… (Laughs) It was for no reason; we just did it (but we did return them after!)

We have heard of your love for Nirvana and that you even took part in a music band. How did it all happen? Well, we did love Nirvana and it inspired us. One day, suddenly, we decided to form a band, which was led by Alex. Guys from other schools were also included. We bought guitars and I played the bass guitar. I had some musical talent (some but not much) and knew how to play both the piano and the bass, so it was fine for me. Often, we went to Alex’s house to meet up and, together, we made about 10 gigs. However, in the end, our band split up.

You have tried to turn these experiences into literature. How come? I should read more, but I have a definite literary taste. I preferred to take my own initiative and create my own story, rather than just read others’. I thought the story in my teenage years would be great for my own fictional novel. So I wrote with this passionate idea in mind but it turned out unclear. I am now returning to it more freshly to finish it properly and I will see Alex again soon, so I hope to sharpen and organise my ideas better by meeting him again too.

Do you practice any sports? Yes, I play rugby and football. In football, I support Manchester United and feel sympathy for Swansea City. I also go to the gym as often as I can, because I was fat before and now I worry about my fitness.

How would your ideal woman be like? When I was younger, I thought I´d end up with a tall, solid, German woman (that´s what my grandmother told me I needed, because I was quite a strong child!)… A first date or first kiss can

A dream for the future? To enjoy my old age.

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What about spirituality? Do we have souls? That is a difficult matter… I would have said “no” in my younger years, but now I do have certain spirituality due to the influence of my girlfriend. Therefore, yes, I do believe there is something.

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What deserves no forgiveness? I think nothing is truly unforgivable.

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What is love? An initial attractiveness and, most importantly, when that peels away eventually, a sense of comfort and understanding with honesty.

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Loose or tight morals? Loose, because if not, life can become too restricted (although always with a sense of sincerity and decency, of course).

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What has been your craziest or most adventurous experience?

A favourite flower? The daffodil (which is a Welsh symbol).

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My life was relatively crazy from late adolescence to my early 20s! (Laughs) Anyway, leaving my ‘comfort zone’ and coming here —to Hastings, to Spain— has certainly been my most adventurous move.

An idol? Kurt Cobain, lead singer and guitarist of Nirvana (my favourite band), although he was not an ideal role-model...

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What would you become in another life? I would become a more creative and more determined man, with more drive.

THE QUIRKY QUESTIONNAIRE

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A value that is overestimated in our society? Perhaps excessive sincerity, as it is unpleasant when not wellmeasured and can hurt someone. Honesty is essential, but one must have some emotional intelligence or social diplomacy.

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“God save…”? Music.

be great, but through time I really valued the period after that, the ‘week afterwards effect’; I value the length and the future of a relationship. My girlfriend means a lot to me — we are comfortable since being many years together and we have a close connection, sharing very similar viewpoints.

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What is the height of unhappiness? The lack of strong and valuable personal relationships (with family, friends, etc.).

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Your greatest fear? Arriving to the end of life without feeling accomplished and pleased with myself.

Interview:

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Aled Thomas

Flair Magazine February 2015

Interview

Interview:

Hal Pattenden

n our first edition, we have also interviewed Hal Pattenden, the well-liked and admired Chemistry teacher and now also Head of Secondary, who is for sure one of Hastings’ essentials and more than a scientific whiz! Mr. Pattenden, let’s start with a question many of your students must have asked themselves: how did you become a teacher and, most importantly, why? Didn’t you prefer the chemichal industry, for example? Industry – it depends on how you see it. At first, I wanted to be a university academic and that was one of the reasons I continued to study Chemistry at PhD level. I encountered industry at my PhD and, discovering its implications, I grew to dislike it. What disgusted me about industry was the so readily accepted concept of discarding or ‘keeping closed in a cupboard’ a product which could cure a disease, for example, and replacing this with weaker versions that would only relieve the disease partially. I really couldn’t get over this issue, I couldn’t accept it. Therefore, annoyed, I didn’t want to continue through this path. Once, however, I did get into the chemichal industry and developed a useful product. To my dismay, it was locked away in the filing cabinet just to make more money producing less effective versions. I was truly irritated at this and, even though the owner did donate some of the money made in this process to research, I still didn’t forgive him completely. Anyway, I had to move to Spain because of family reasons, so I left that job. I was English-speaking and didn’t know any Spanish, so I decided my best chance was to take up teaching. So, in finally ended up here.

By Jorge López

What was your experience at university? It was the best time in my life. I recommend the experience to everybody, because it is not only the degree, but also learning many other things, such as important ‘life skills’ (buying food, cleaning your clothes, etc. as nobody will do it for you any more). University life introduces you to new concepts and people one hasn’t come across elsewhere, both academically and on a personal level. There, at university, I met those who are still my best friends to this day. I went to Imperial College (entry was not so complicated then as it is now). Choosing the degree (in Chemistry) was no problem for me, as, luckily, I knew what I wanted to do from a very young age. I was very encouraged towards chemistry and I enjoyed reading books on the topic, which my father gave to me. I have always had a “chemistry obsession”. But, well, it went OK, because I still have my arms and legs!

Tell us more about science in current society. What do you think about the chemichal products and procedures of nowadays? What about cancer or euthanasia? There is good and bad science in the world today. I think people need to be informed about the things they are buying or using in everyday life. I imagine they would probably be very interested and even shocked about the stuff that goes into food or cosmetics, for example. I am very skeptical about modern wellness creams and anti-aging lotions. Concerning more delicate cases such as cancer, as far as I know, there is no definite cure and investigation is still trying to get there. The theme of euthanasia is very controversial. In my opinion,

Flair Magazine February 2015

What is it like to live conscious of many scientific details in everyday life and common things? Do you check the components of products? At first I was extremely wary of it, I checked everything. This habit became obsessive. Whether I bought a shampoo or food, I always looked the labels with the ingredients and so on. I finally felt that I should stop myself and did so. Nowadays, I still have a look at some things out of curiosity. I always try to buy ‘organic’ and safe products, but they are difficult to find without additives and tend to be expensive. Nevertheless, I find that in Spain, organic fruit, meat, fish and other fresh food is of higher quality than in England.

What would you really warn the non-chemists of? Overmedication. I think that is a real issue nowadays. Excessive or unnecessary use of medicines and prescribed drugs (pharmaceuticals) is unnatural and even dangerous. We must not forget that they are slightly poisonous and may cause pain. I think we could avoid many pharmaceuticals and would be less ill in general if we had a better controlled diet – paying more attention to eating at the right times and in correct amounts, avoiding pre-packaged foods, going for fresh food…

What would you say was your most embarrassing moment in teaching? One day at school, last year, in an incident with Borja (Yr.13). I caught him in the staircase and told him off for not being in class the last lesson. I gave him a good scolding and left very satisfied with myself. Then, I saw the true Borja, attending the class as normal and realised I had mistook both twin brothers! The Quirky Questionnaire •

The worst present you have received? A toilet roll holder. (Laughs) I thought the person who gifted me this was really giving a message…

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What deserves all admiration? Effort.

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What do you think about ethics? I have had a considerable exposure to ethics throughout my career, in science-related fields. My observation is that when science and business mix, many nonethical decisions are made.

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Your favourite holiday destination? Mexico.

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What would you become if resurrected? A film-maker. However, I will always have a strong preference for chemistry.

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A most underestimated value? Hard work.

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A most dangerous chemichal in society? Alcohol, in my opinion. On a more metaphorical level, there are several others…

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What is fidelity? Essentially, it is honesty (to a partner) and being honest with yourself.

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Your favourite fiction hero? Frodo Baggins – he is a very normal, selfless being but I admire how he simply goes and does things.

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What is the thing you are most ashamed of? Probably the prank I carried out on my physics teacher. I found he was a most objectionable person, devoted to causing misery, therefore I decided to blow him up. (Laughs) At that time there were blackboards, so I set up a contact detonator with the chalk and when he used it to write on the board, it blew up in his face! The problem was that I got caught easily, as I was the only one who could have done it.

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Your favourite flower? I quite like tulips.

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What is your most usual mental state? Somewhere other than where I am.

Could you retell your greatest prank? Of course – the laxative incident! In retribution for some of my university colleagues playing a previous prank on me, I set them up a supper of chili con carne, to which I added an excess of laxatives. I removed all of the toilet paper in the building and hid it in my room. My colleagues eventually rushed to the bathroom and found that there was no toilet paper! It was a very funny (and smelly!) incident… I don’t know if I will repeat one of my pranks sometime, as I am more sensible now, but I certainly still maintain my sense of humour. Humour helps in life; it is really positive to look at

Hal Pattenden

For me, all life is precious and that is why both the chemichal industry or investigation organisations and patients in such situations should explore possibilities of cure.

yourself with humour now and then (but always without offensive intentions).

Interview:

euthanasia definitely needs legislation and reliable scientific information behind it. When there is no chance of recovering and unbelievable amount of pain is involved, the option of euthanasia should be considered, balancing out the factors. I think an important factor is the effect on family or people who care for the ill person in question. Perhaps, it should be more valued whether the ill person considering euthanasia owes any responsibility to these people who are their family, friends, etc. I suppose euthanasia should be the last option.

Flair Magazine February 2015

The Fatality of Romanticism by Jorge López

The Fatality of Romanticism

Culture

omanticism: a sweet word, a charming attitude of love, a passionate 19th century literary movement… and a factor of high mortality. One might have heard of its ardor, admired its symbolic artists or even wished to be able to imitate them. However, after the fire come the ashes, eventually, and not only does Romanticism follow the rule — it exceeds any rules, loyal to its theory in practice. Excessive doses of Romanticism have proved to be more

hazardous than any kind of drugs or gambling (at least in the 19th century). Paradoxically, it wiped out the impressive literary generation that flourished at its very heart. John Keats, Lord Byron, P.B. Shelley and Mariano José de Larra are iconic examples. Already in Goethe’s early Romantic work “The Sorrows of Young Werther”, the protagonist impulsively commits suicide due to love affairs. As if impersonating this, Larra, one of the greatest Spanish Romantics, suddenly decided to take his life at 27, hours after his lover rejected him in person. Even more dramatic was Shelley’s death at 29, disappearing in a sea storm whilst sailing near Tuscany, Italy, as part of the wild plans he was undertaking after socialising with Byron and friends. Lord Byron himself had another aggressive end at 36, participating in the Greek War of Independence, as he suffered at the war front to finally die of illness. It is claimed that, in madness, he even permitted litres of blood to be taken from him. Keats’ death was also ruinous and surrounded by myth: he died at 25 due to tuberculosis, displaced in Rome, but rumours say he might have been pushed to the deathly abyss due to the torment of negative critics. In most cases, Romantic passion was a secure path to perdition. Therefore, dear readers, do enjoy Romanticism, but we recommend a responsible consumption of it.

Flair Magazine February 2015

Certainly, music is an exceptional cultural phenomenon. We can easily mix with others because of similar musical sympathies; music can be interpreted as a lifestyle (as in bands or urban tribes); the music depends on each individual and each atmosphere, both personal and socio-cultural… These are usual principles we all recognise about music, a force that really influences us. Therefore, musical tastes might be an interesting indicator of personality, but how much can they really tell about you? A remarkable investigation has been carried out to detect certain patterns that connect music with peoples’ character, including environment and even age. In studies of almost 2000 people, powerful predictions of personality were obtained from musical tastes, in four major scopes:  Reflective and complex tastes (eg. blues, jazz, classical music, folk) characters who tend to be emotionally stable, open to new experiences and of an intelligence and verbal ability above average.  Intense and ‘rebellious’ tastes (eg. rock, alternative music, heavy metal)characters who tend to be open, athletic and of an intelligence and verbal ability above average.  Conventional or upbeat tastes (eg. pop, country, sound tracks, religious music) — characters who tend to be agreeable,

Culture

Music and personality- Can music reveal your character?

thorough, more conservative, of lower openness, dominant and of notable verbal ability.  Energetic and rhythmic tastes (eg. rap, hip-hop, electronica, soul, funk) — characters who tend to be highly extroverted and agreeable, athletic, more liberal and outspoken. Furthermore, some additional factors have been discovered in these studies. Apparently, excessive airs of country music resemble Romanticism in its dangers and one must be equally careful with it: the greater the time one devotes

to country music, the greater the mortality. Consume country music responsibly too, please! On the other hand, surprisingly, rock listeners tend to be healthier than, for example, opera listeners. And if you thought musical tastes could be objective or unique, you are very wrong! It has been discovered that, however strong your personality might be, social precepts about popular songs and your parents’ musical tastes always influence your own sympathies. Finally, and very fascinatingly, age not only weakens our hearing but also deadens our musical sensitivity: it is 95% probable that from age 35 onwards we will never pay attention to any new type of music. This explains why parents and most teachers seem to be so musically antiquated…

Flair Magazine February 2015

Reference: The fatality of Romanticism

Culture

Patrick Modiano, a French novelist, is this year’s winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, as announced in October. Modiano is a surprisingly unknown writer despite the notable literary prizes he has achieved (the French Academy’s Great Prize of Novels, 1972; Prix Goncourt, 1978). M. Dubey comments that he doesn’t know very much about Modiano either, but enthusiastically recommends his novel “Dans le café de la jeunesse perdue”, of which he highlights its quality, intrigue and “direct, intimate style full of grave and deep insight”.

«It takes long time to resurface in the light that has been removed. Traces remain in records and we do not know where they are hidden or which guards watch over them and if these guardians consent to show you. Or maybe they have simply forgotten that such records existed…»

Flair Magazine February 2015

SPORTS by Monish Sawlani

the end, it was against Sevilla. By gliding past Telmo Zarra’s 251-goal record, Lionel InMessi has become the highest goal scorer of la Liga in all its history. With his three goals against Sevilla in the Camp Nou, Lionel Messi, just 27 years old, has secured a total of 253 league goals and beats the previous record of 251.This record was held by Athletic Club legend Telmo Zarra since 1955. The Camp Nou was waiting for the big moment. The stadium roared when he came level with Zarra’s record. The other Barça players tossed him into the air, all happy to see Messi smiling once again. The player dedicated the goal to his son Thiago and then enjoyed the video that the club put on as a tribute to him, together with the guard of honour they laid on for him when he went down into the dressing rooms.

SPORTS

A player from another planet

sports

Flair Magazine February 2015

Hamilton -

the new F1 Champion

ewis Hamilton was proclaimed double F1 world champion after winning the final race of the season, Abu Dhabi. Lewis HamiltonÂ claims his second world title after winning his 11th race of the season in Abu Dhabi. Nico Rosberg, his rival for the title, started on pole but was overtaken by Hamilton before the first turn and the German suffered a series of mechanical problems to end up in 14th. This Abu Dhabi grand prix left us a double world champion named of Lewis Hamilton

and some remarkable farewells: for example, Fernando Alonso, who leaves Ferrari after 5 years to join McLaren. This move by Alonso left a free seat in Ferrari which will be occupied by the 4 times world champion Sebastian Vettel. After one of the most boring years in F1 history, where Mercedes won nearly everything, we hope that there will be a change in 2015 to bring back the excitement of previous years, with many drivers fighting for the precious championship.

Switzerland wins first Davis Cup after beating France

omeday, Roger Federer will stop signing his name in gold throughout the chapters of tennis history, but, at 33, there is absolutely no sign of it yet.

On Sunday 23rd, he finally added the Davis Cup, to his immense list of tennis achievements, as he helped Switzerland to achieve the title for the first time by defeating France 3-1 before a world record crowd.

The 17-time Grand Slam champion beat Franceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Richard Gasquet (6-4, 6-2, 6-2) in Lille to give the Swiss an indisputable 3-1 lead. Federer broke the Frenchmanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s service twice in the final set, to serve for the match and seal the historical victory with a deft backhand drop shot. Then, he collapsed, in tears of joy, onto the clay at the Stade PierreMauroyto court.

sports

Flair Magazine February 2015

How 2014 has left A

‘La Roja’

fter seven wins and five losses from 12 fixtures, Spain’s 1-0 defeat to Germany, the 2014 World Cup champion, meant Spain fittingly closed out 2014 beaten and in bitterness.

sports

The disappointment at the World Cup in Brazil continues to weigh on the Spanish football squad, but they now have four long months to put it fully behind them prior to their next match, in March 2015.

‘La Roja’ kicked off the year in March with victory against Italy by 1-0 and further friendly match

wins over Bolivia and El Salvador. The World Cup, however, swept away any optimism. Spain’s opening game, a 5-1 thrashing by Holland, was a hammer blow. Next, the Spanish were unceremoniously dumped out of the tournament with a game still to play due to a 2-0 loss to Chile. There was little consolation and since, the team has undertaken a routine of not fully satisfactory play, resulting in some embarrassing blunders such as the defeat by 2-1 against Slovakia, in theory an inferior rival, in the European Qualifiers.

Flair Magazine February 2015

Madrid Vogue Fashion

Night Out

he 18th of September, the most important event of the fashion calendar took place in the Spanish capital: the “Vogue Fashion Night Out”. The most glamorous zones of Madrid were filled with young people desiring to enter into fashionable hotels, restaurants and shops that offered awesome discounts, shows, gifts and music. Despite the stormy weather that invaded Madrid that Wednesday afternoon, groups of friends, wearing high heels, fancy dresses or the VFNO t-shirt, walked around the city discovering new spots where to shop, eat or party. This event is sponsored every year by Vogue, the most influential magazine in the fashion world, with 23.5 million readers around the globe. The “Fashion Night Out” was held for the first time in New York, in 2009, to support shopping and the fashion industry after the 2007- 2008 financial collapse. Due to its success now it is celebrated in 32 different cities of several countries.

The initiative was promoted by Anna Wintour, the English editor-in-chief of American Vogue, a position she has held since 1988. Wintour is an important figure in the fashion world, widely praised because of her eye for fashion trends and her support for younger designers. This year, two great artists were honoured by the magazine. The famous Spanish designer Juan Vidal was asked to design the VFNO´S t-shirt. He is recognised in this industry for having won several contests: in 2009, he won Revlon’s Best Collection Award and in 2010, the “Tendencias de Moda” Designer of the Year award before going on to win, in 2011, Peronda’s Best Collection awards for his Autumn-Winter 2011 and Spring-Summer 2012 collections. Also, an exposition of Peruvian fashion photographer Mario Testino surrounded the city. He is known worldwide for being featured in magazines like Vogue or Vanity Fair. His career summit came as he was chosen by Princess Diana for her Vanity Fair photo-shoot in 1997. Testino has been regularly employed by the British royal family ever since.

Flair Magazine February 2015