When today is not your day

Saturday

13.00pm: PC cannot be switched on. Windows failure or something. Have to buy either a new RAM or a motherboard :-s

15.00pm: cannot watch TV because it seems that satellite codes are being changed every split of a second

21.00pm: the so-longed-for Mongolian meal cannot take place because restaurant is fully booked

21.45pm: at the D'Amici Restaurant. I ordered veal in honey & mustard sauce. Fine, the menu looked good. Food is ready. First bite...the mustard sauce must have gotten lost at some point on the way because there was not the least hint of it on my plate. Cost: LM 5.25. Content: 2 pieces of veal the size of a chickpea, with no vegetables or potatoes. Ideal for: a 3 year old.

A side note on this restaurant: later we got to know that it specializes in Russian cuisine. Now, do you call a restaurant which has a pasta-pizza-grill menu & where you are greeted in French, Russian? Oh god, I think this sense of universalism & global - village thingy is becoming too much powerful, don't you think?

Tear - washed face

I love them. They love me. They are my parents. However, this love is strange. It clashes over and over again. It seems as if it is incompatible. These are the people who gave you life, who help you grow...the first people you get to know in this shit-loaded life...how can it be that such a strong wall of separation grows between "you" and "them" ?

I admit that sometimes it is all my fault. I give them trouble, even to the extent that they end up arguing between them. I'm not perfect and I know it. But who is? I do not excuse myself though, I feel hatred for myself when I realize I had hurt them. After the death of my sis, they focused all their attention on their only other child...me, and I don't blame them. It is for this reason that in such instances I try to do my best to alter this sad situation.

But it is after this attempt fails that I feel the most depressed. It is when I know I did nothing wrong and they turn against me nonetheless that I wish the earth to jerk apart and that I get buried somewhere deep down, so deep that I can never see the surface again. When things happen from a force outside of you there is nothing you can really do about it, and that is even more killing.

My roots are broken and I'm lost....and sad

Babysitting!

For those with small kids or else for others who, like me, are ending up as babysitters:
here are some links to websites that I find useful to keep the brats busy.

1. http://www.go-red.co.uk/game/red-driving-game.htm
2. www.bigcomfycouch.us/
3. pbskids.org/teletubbies/
4. www.postmanpat.com/
5. http://www.mcdonalds.co.uk/
6. http://www.thekidzpage.com/

Good Luck!!

Resurrection

This is the state of one who has returned to life and I'm happy to announce that that's how I feel. Exams are finally over and I'm free from studying, at least, till July. As planned, last weekend was fabulous . Eating by the sea at sunset on Friday, a night at the farmhouse on Saturday and a day swimming on Sunday...what else can I wish for? Okay, I must admit that Saturday was a bit marred by that shit-loaded of eurovision that the Maltese persist in taking so seriously, but anyways, I were expecting such a result. Since I now have plenty of free-time I am indulging myself, body and soul, into preparing an in-depth holiday plan for Wales. I am quite pleased with the work done so far.

It's good that A-levels come only once in your life!!

The Secret

I cannot help but share the secret of life, as analyzed by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry in his book Le Petit Prince, with the rest of the world. The implication by the author is so true to life that one cannot but stop to reflect upon his or her life.

First he writes: " on ne voit bien qu'avec le cœur " which literally translates to only the heart can see clearly. Saint-Exupéry suggests that the source of beauty is always something secret and invisible. Most often eyes miss what is important. People on earth lose sight of what they are looking for because they look with their eyes and not with their hearts. He criticises the mentality of humans regarding the fact that it seems as if they can never get enough. They buy 3 cars when a single one could serve them more than comfortably, they run around with more than one partner when they could find what they really want in a single person....the list is unfortunately never - ending.

Then he adds on: " c'est le temps que tu as perdu pour ta rose qui fait ta rose si importante " meaning the time spent on your rose is what makes your rose so important. People must discover the true meaning of things for themselves in order for those things to have value, otherwise we will never succeed in understanding the meaning of these things. It is the process of discovery which makes the results worthwhile. Objects, relationships and experiences are rewarding only if we invest time and effort in them.

But one should not stop at that. " Tu deviens responsable pour toujours de ce que tu as apprivoisé " ---> a person is forever responsible for what she or he has tamed. One cannot abandon the values, the love, the meaning and attention that are transmitted to him/her by those who regard him /her as occupying a special role in their life. The lack of this feature is what very often leads to emotional breakdowns, melancholy and disappointment all over the world.


Drawback: tears are the pain you risk by being tamed because not each and every person puts the same amount of time and effort in what he or she has tamed.

50 First Dates

Although the name might sound cheesy, this film was one of the best comedies that I assisted to lately. Not that I am a die-hard fan of comedies, but anyways! One of the main protagonists happens to be Adam Sandler and I don't know why but I have a soft-spot for this actor. The film is about the story of a guy who is afraid of commitments and as a result his type of relationships was always, but not invariably, a one-night stand. But this does not happen with Lucy, to whom he fell in love head over heels. What he did not know was that this girl suffered from short-term memory and she would not recognize him the very next day. He ends up having to win her over every single day! All in all, the movie has some really funny parts with some extremely hilarious personalities. The use of walruses and other sea creatures was also very enticing.
My rating: 3.5/5

Kemm nifilhu nixxidjottaw!!

'Nixxidjottaw' hija l-kelma li juza Francis Ebejer fid-dramm tieghu "Il-Hadd fuq il-Bejt" sabiex jirreferi ghall-attitudni ta' dawk il-Maltin li jwarrbu dak kollu li hu Malti waqt li jhaddnu valuri barranin. Bhalu nahsibha jiena. Bl-istess mod stupidu ta' kif ix-xadini jippruvaw jimitaw lin-nies, dawn il-Maltin jilaqghu kulturi (jekk tista' ssejhilhom hekk) barranin ghax minghalihom li tal-barrani kollox tajjeb.

L-istess tema nsibuha zvillupata fil-poezija "Incest-Notturnata lil Malta" ta' Mario Azzopardi. Il-poeta Malti li ghad fadallu d-demm jigri go gismu jistqarr kif quddiem dan il-pajjiz li tradixxa lill- valuri tieghu stess huwa jhossu mnezza' minn kull motivazzjoni. Azzopardi jzid juri bil-qawwa kollha kif din ic-cahda ta' gheruqna hija immorali daqs l-izvergnar ta' tifel jew tifla.

Nisthajjel li wiehed jistaqsi: mela ghalfejn, int, ma kontx minn ta' l-ewwel biex tiddedika dawn il-pagni tieghek bhala lok fejn jintuza l-Malti?
U jiena nwiegeb: hemm zewg ragunijiet ghal dan il-fatt.

L-ewwel wahda hi li fil-hajja ta' kuljum jiena nippratika hafna izjed il-Malti milli l-Ingliz u allura rajt dan il-blog bhala opportunita` fejn nista' nippratika u nesprimi ruhi bil-lingwa Ingliza. Apparti minn hekk, jiena m'hiniex kontra l-uzu tal-Ingliz anzi naghraf tajjeb il-bzonn tieghu fid-dinja moderna. Pero`, nemmen li wiehed ghandu jzomm bilanc u jaghmel uzu mill-kultura li trabba fiha qabel idur ghal dak li huwa esterjuri minnu. Min jahseb li billi jwarrab il-passat ta' pajjizu, ifisser li issa sar avvanzat jiddispjacini nghidlu izda huwa l-ikbar injorant li jista' jkun qed jghix fuq wicc id-dinja.

Kif tista' tkun qed tifhem lilek innifsek jekk qed titwarrab minn dawk il-karatteristici li int mibni bihom? Kemm se ndumu laqgha tal-barrani? Tul sekli shah bqajna l-istess; ningidmu u nergghu bhal cwiec immorru nitkarbu quddiem gnus ohra meta fir-realta` m'ghandniex ghalfejn. Ejjew ma ndardrux l-ghajn li qeghdin nixorbu minnha!!

Spicy Orange Beef

Last weekend my bf came up with the idea of cooking something different for the whole family. He set eyes on a spicy orange sauce with beef and rice. I also gave my part by cooking the meat (where there is food be certain that I am somewhere in the middle!) Anyway, the end result was so good that I thought it is worth sharing.

Ingredients: 2 tbsp vegetable oil, 1 pound round steak cut into thin strips, 1/4 cup orange peel cut into slivers, 1 clove garlic- minced, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, 2 tablespoons cornstarch, 1 cup beef broth, 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1/4 cup sherry, 1/4 cup orange marmalade, 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Directions:
In a wok, heat oil over medium high-heat. Add beed strips 1/3 at a time. Stir fry for 3 minutes or until browned, removing the done pieces to a plate lined with paper towels.
Return all the beed to the wok. Stir in orange peel, garlic, and ginger; stir-fry 1 minute.
In a medium bowl, combine cornstarch, broth, soy sauce, sherry, marmalade, and red pepper. Pour this mixture into the beed, stirring constantly. Bring to boil over medium heat and cook for 1 minute. Serve hot.

Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 15 Minutes
Ready In: 30 Minutes
Servings: 4
Rating: 4/5

Oakwood Theme Park

It is quite rare that I take a look at the newspapers in the morning. However this morning was different and I can't help but thank Lady Fortune for this one. While browsing through a local paper at 200km/s, a small article caught my attention. It had to do with fun parks and roller coasters in Europe. And guess what? The roller-coaster in Oakwood theme park in Wales, better known as Megafobia, which we will be visiting next June ranks 4th in the top 10!! This wooden roller-coaster is also referred to as the 8th wonder of Wales by some travel journalists.

So fasten you seat-belts and here we gooooOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!

Karl Marx

While studying Sociology these last few days I happen to come across some quotations by Karl Marx that I believe are worth a thought:

• "The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of the class struggle"
• "Man makes his own history"
• "Man makes religion, religion does not make man"
• "The more man puts into God, the more he retains from himself"
• "Workers of the world unite! You have nothing to lose but your chains. You have a world to win."

After aprroximately 2 centuries these theories have always remained very truthful to social reality.
Wearing badges is not enough! Wake up for the revolution!!!!

I can feel it

Yes, I can feel it in my bones that stress from exams is taking over once again. The first hint was yesterday night when at a not- so- good news, I immediately dropped gloomy and grumpy while knowing very well that the other person has no control over the situation. As a consequence, this person also fell silent and it is exactly at that point in time when I realized my mistake. I tried to alter my behaviour as soon as possible but I was afraid it might be too late.

The big day

The birthday festivities continued yesterday. Apart a very busy morning studying Sociology, the evening was again splendid. To celebrate the evening my bf took me to a Lebanese restaurant and I must say that I liked it a lot there. Altough the setting was not that typical the food was mouth-watering. I ate so much that against my expectation I hadn't any room left for dessert. I assume that my assistant-planner-boyfriend will call that "bad planning!" I am happy to announce that I was again the target of a bunch of presents. These new ones from the part of my bf had to do with camping, travelling and hiking stuff and which, I am sure, will prove useful in the coming June.

This is the backpack "Walkabout 45" from Lowe Alpine





And these are the quick-dry and light-weight towels from Gelert

Surprise Birthday Party!!

I never experienced a big a surprise as this one. An odd thing is that I didn't even suspect anything! Well I have an excuse for this one since my mind was focused on exams and I didn't feel like birthday was coming. Later I got to know that the person behind the planning was my assistant- planner-boyfriend (what a coincidence!!) As soon as we arrived at this typical Maltese wine bar I immediately noticed a table rounded with our friends (all of them) including my cousin. It was only then that I noticed that they might be there for me. Up to this point I haven't even noticed the balloons and the streamers that the barman very kindly had put up for the occasion. Actually, one of my friends had to remark that for me lol. While I was struggling to open my first presents another bunch of people arrived and these were my friends from college! I never ever dreamt that this might be possible!! Having said that, I did ask my bf about some curious calls and messages that he received but I didn't want to question him up to the point that he feels that I'm not trusting him as it comes to our relationship and stuff.

As it regards cards and gifts I really can't complain!! Here is the list:

1. Fun light bulb
2. Bubble bath from Gadjet
   
3. Xdye vest
4. Miss Sixty body cream
5. Accesorize necklace
6. Bag from Things
7. Another bag from Accesorize

I also have plenty of cards which will only be replaced when the next birthday comes. I really love cards!! One of them is really particular and reads something like this: "Women who think that they are equal to men lack ambition". (This is because I'm kind of a femminist.) Well I cannot but pass a comment of self-defence on this one. I do not think that women are equal to men. Actually, I believe that we are superior! Now, tell me who is it here that lacks ambition?!

All in all the atmosphere was great and although my college friends are not exactly the same type as my other friends everyone managed to integrate well. The good thing is that apart from munching on food (one of my favourite hobbies) and drinking, we also assisted to 2 films; Taking lives and House of Wax. Now comes the kinky bit of the story. As soon as the films finished, a blue film was showing on tv!! It took the barman quite long to realize what was happening and therefore we succeeded in viewing some clit playing and blowjobs as well. However, as the scene was passing to hardcore the barman switched the channel, no matter my insistence that now I turned adult lol.

Later I learnt that more ppl were invited but couldn't make it because of work and transport related problems. I appreciate tha attempt though and I thank from the bottom of my heart my bf and those other special people who made this birthday a one to remember!!