Afternoon Pages

What would you say about Tom Ripley, judging by his behavior, in view of the fact that he has killed two people several days ago?Would you consider him as mentally ill person or an absolutely sane, cruel and calculating man?

I consider Tom Ripley as mentally ill person and absolutely sane,cruel and calculating man at the same time. A person who killed anybody for taking his or her place in a life has mentally desease, of course. But Tom Ripley understood quite well what he was doing and for what he was doing it. He didn't know why he has done it. The author tells that Tom has felt absolutely lonely, and that is the reason, I think. Tom didn't see any possible way to get what he wanted except killing. It poves that he is mentally ill. But his actions seemed very well-thought-out. It proves that he is very sensiblе,rational and cruel. And another fact, that shows his mental desease is his behavior after the crime. He doesn't feel any remorse,any regret, any blame.
When all these features are combining in one person it can be a disaster, like it is shown in "The Talanted Mr Ripley" by Patricia Highsmith.

Afternoon Pages.

How can you spend some time in such a place where is no civilization?

I guess, every pesrson in the world has been dreaming about being along. We always faced with problems and when they seem too difficult we wish to escape to a remoted place.
Of course, sometimes I want to find myself in a beautiful island in the Indian Ocean, but I understand that I can't live without any sights of civilization. I would die from boredom without books. And, of course, there must be a good company. I have to share with my thoughts with somebody, to talk to somebody, thus I can't live without any communication.
So, I think, I'm ready live in every condition, I don't want to forget about difficulties, because it's too tedious to live without them. No matter where I am, the company is important.

Sacred Writing.

If I would win a million of dollars, what would I do?

Probably, I would give 50% of these money for charity. We say: "Easy come, easy go." And I understand clearly that I could live by without these money that's why I don't need them for buying my own plane or an island in the Pacific Ocean. A plenty of money I would give for my mum for her agonizing with me. Actually, I would buy her a house on the seaside with a small garden lots of cherry-trees. And the residuary money I would spend for travelling through the whole world.

Afternoon Pages.

The extract from the book "Fight Club" by Chuck Palahniuk.

Only two guys to a fight. One fight at a time. They fight without shirts or shoes. The fights go on as long as they have to. Those are the other rules of fight club.
Who guys are in fight club is not who they are in the real world. Even if you told the kid in the copy center that he had a good fight, you wouldn't be talking to the same man.
Who I am in fight club is not someone my boss knows.
After a night in fight club, everything in the real world gets the volume turned down. Nothing can piss you off. Your word is law, and if other people break that law or question you, even that doesn't piss you off.
In the real world, I'm a recall campaign coordinator in a shirt and tie, sitting in the dark with a mouthful of blood and changing the overheads and slides as my boss tells Microsoft how he chose a particular shade of pale cornflower blue for an icon.
The first fight club was just Tyler and I pounding on each other.
It used to be enough that when I came home angry and knowing that my life wasn't toeing my five-year plan, I could clean my condominium or detail my car. Someday I'd be dead without a scar and there would be a really nice condo and car. Really, really nice, until the dust settled or the next owner. Nothing is static. Even the Mona Lisa is falling apart. Since fight club, I can wiggle half the teeth in my jaw.
Maybe self-improvement isn't the answer.
Tyler never knew his father.
Maybe self-destruction is the answer.
Tyler and I still go to fight club, together. Fight club is in the basement of a bar, now, after the bar closes on Saturday night, and every week you go and there's more guys there.
Tyler gets under the one light in the middle of the black concrete basement and he can see that light flickering back out of the dark in a hundred pairs of eyes. First thing Tyler yells is, "The first rule about fight club is you don't talk about fight club.
"The second rule about fight club," Tyler yells, "is you don't talk about fight club."
Me, I knew my dad for about six years, but I don't remember anything. My dad, he starts a new family in a new town about every six years. This isn't so much like a family as it's like he sets up a franchise.
What you see at fight club is a generation of men raised by women.
Tyler standing under the one light in the after-midnight blackness of a basement full of men, Tyler runs through the other rules: two men per fight, one fight at a time, no shoes no shirts, fights go on as long as they have to.
"And the seventh rule," Tyler yells, "is if this is your first night at fight club, you have to fight."

What is self-improvement and self-destruction for you?

The question is rather difficult for me, because I haven't chosen yet the definitions for these concepts, I wanted to see others people's opinions. That's why I'll try to explain these words in few nouns.
Self- destruction: laziness, misappropriation of your own soul, drugs.
Self-improvement: love, silence, understanding.

Sacred Writing.

Identity.

He looked at her with the eyes full of tears and said:"I don't know what i must say now, I'm so afraid of being wrong and been wrong understood, but I love you". She suffocated and swept. She wanted to jump from her wheelchair nad hug him but it was impossible." Jack, please, you should't... You know, that I'm inva...",she paused," disable. You can't love me.You must live your own life and not spend your time for me!" She finished ready to lose concesness. At that moment he kneeled in front of her and said:" Jane, look at me...Show me your wonderful eyes full of despair and desire to live and to be happy, the eyes which have the courage,the strength and the wisdom of the whole world, your pure blue eyes...those eyes which I fell in love for the first sight..."

Maybe, that was identity?

Afternoon Pages.

What is happiness for you and what do you need to be happy?

Somebody may think, that happiness is the "situation" when you have everything and do not need anything more. But I don't think so. For me, happiness could be a union of freedom, love and wind.
I can speak about happiness for hours, for days, for years... I can say, that happiness is the smallest event in our life and it mustn't last for a lond time, because it won't be happiness anyway. I also can say that I was happy once and I know that it will never repeat. But I show you two pictures which can show you few of my thoughts.
Have you ever seen the film "Pride and Prejudice". If you have, you must remember the moment when Elizabeth Bennet stands on the edge of the rock and the amazing view of green hills stretches in front of her,the wind plays with her hair, she enjoys the sence of being free. That is freedom me.
I don't need much to be happy. A small little cosy house in New Zealand, which will stand between ocean, lush green hills and high mountains.

Sacred Writing.

What makes a good teacher?

During the whole my life I 've met with a lot of teachers and each of them has been very individual. There are lots of features which pupils appreciate in teachers.
For me, on the first place always stands justice. The second is good knowledge of the subject. But it's also important to be well-educated in all spheres of life.When a person is interesting you usually want to listen to him/her, to learn something new. Teachers must have something to say. The third is respect for the children. A good teacher has to understand that a child has his /her own "I". A good educator must love people.
of course, there are lots of other points which I haven't mentioned. But for me there are the most important ones.

Afternoon Pages.

What does the the word "FAME" mean to you?

For me the word "Fame" means nothing. I think, that is absolutely useless concept in our lives. Is it a good way of earning money? No, because it takes too much force. Lot's of famous people don't understand that they can be "the face of their own community", for many children they are a kind of examples. Nowadays, popularity is based on bad reputation.
I believe, that to be populare is not a big deal. The main aim is to be acknowleged and respected.

Sacred Writing.

First money which I've earned.

To tell the truth it's hard to remember the getting of my first money, I guess, it was in my early childhood,and parents gave it to me like the pocket money.
But I can remember the first money for something that I've done by myself. It happened when I was 15. One of my mother's friend asked me to translate several texts in English for her brother and I agreed. I've spent 2 or 3 evenings for its' translation and by the end of my work I was given 3 hundred rubles and a box of candies. Honestly, I didn't expect such gratitude,because I also did it for myself. those text were very interesting: they told about the lives of famouse writers' and scientists'.It was some kind of practice for me.
So, that's how I was given lots of pleasure and plenty of money.