inutile de dégeler

end of the line

2007-12-19T10:15:00.001+01:00

It's time to take the bus back to the depot.

WHY?

Since I don't keep statistics (the counter has been broken for ages), I've got no real means to gauge the readership of this blog, although I'm pretty certain readership is dwindling not increasing. Not only did I commit a few blogger cardinal sins such as writing too sporadically - two in a week and then nothing for a month, I also wrote - repeatedly - on topics that were too esoteric, too specific, too narrow or too boring and managed to alienate a few others. I'd like to write about a few other things but it's useless at this point. Exclusively 'marketing' this blog to a somewhat fickle Maltese base was another mistake.

TRY

The blogs were the best thing to ever happen to the Maltese literary scene. They were fun to read and some of the stuff written was better and more exciting than practically any book in Maltese I have ever read. It's a shame that no traces will be left of the scene in 2 or 3 years. One of the main reasons that kept me going was the reward system inherent to them - I always hoped that one of my posts would, at least partially, inspire another blogger to post and I'd get to read some wonderfully flowing prose or an intelligent opinion for my efforts. I also got some vapid rubbish sometimes, like you did from me.

To those bloggers who bemoan the fact that they're not blogging even though they'd like to but they're too busy - well, it doesn't take that much time. It doesn't take much time or effort to post twice a week. At twenty minutes each post, that's less than the average person spends removing fluff from his belly-button or finding the right pose for his/her Facebook profile pic.

BUY

I can't stop dreaming of being a farmer (of all things). I've got no real idea what being a farmer entails. To me farm-life is one pastoral, idyllic image after the other. It's not me toiling the land at 5AM and filling in complicated EU CAP subsidy forms - it's me tasting goat's cheese and walking about my farm chewing straw and bleating back at my fat ruminants.

For other mindless optimists and/or property fetishists here's some rustic land-porn to get you excited:

Arable land + townhouse (i.e. pile of rubble held together using duct tape and goatshit)

Just the townhouse (and some magnificent views)

Tuscany has become very expensive.

Around May/June 2008 I've got something big lined up. Let's just say I'll have ample time to look at abandoned places in Northern and Central Italy, but won't have the cash to even think of buying any of them - not even a pile of rubble in Italy's remotest province. If anyone needs a sensaro, someone to deal with the workers, or someone who can actually build a wall, whitewash or pass a few cables without (hopefully) electrocuting himself, I'm your man. I'm the (self-styled) Del Trotter of the Apennines.

BYE

It's been a nice three years, but this bus is heading back to the depot now.

See you on another ride - maybe soon, maybe not. So long.

why old people don't suck

2007-12-03T08:06:00.001+01:00

Right! Enough is enough!
No more sesame seed bars for you!

Since moving to St-Gilles I've come into contact with a species endemic to this part of Brussels. The area I lived in before moving here was a bit like a starched version of Neukoelln in Berlin. I had grown to like the Turks as an ethnicity - they're a quiet, conservative lot (unless you're party to a bit of Kurdish flag-waving that is). The area where I lived was mostly inhabited by older, middle-class Turks more interested in waxing their white BMWs and moving further up the social ladder than partying or having more kids.

The area where I'm now living is kind of like a grubbier, grittier version of Prenzl'Berg

The species I discovered is a species I thought I'd get along with quite well. We share similar values after all, but it seems the gulf of understanding is too wide. They're conscientious couples in their mid to late twenties (or early thirties) and I found the small-mindedness some of them display not only surprising but disturbing.

Here's how to spot one. Caveat - blanket statements ahoy!

1. The women wear garishly coloured clothes in various outlandish shades of orange and fucshia. To say these pants are baggy is an understatement. They're baggier than the pants I used to wear in the 90s when everyone thought camping in your own trousers was cool. Not just that - the crotch area itself is so baggy it looks like they just shat themselves or someone secretly slid a pétanque bowl when they were comparing the length of panpipes at Oxfam.
2. They're not so much francophones as anti-English. They could speak English if you're struggling but they won't. You see, English is the language of the U.S.-dominated hegemonisation (actually fuck that... hegemoniZation) of the world. They also speak South American Spanish (they've been to Peru and Ecuador). All their friends are francophones too. They only listen to music from the francophonie and are inordinately pround of their francité. Their MySpace/Facebook profile is exclusively in French and they've only got French-speaking friends. They're, ironically, as linguistically conservative as a small-town Texan.
3. They party. Often. Until 5 AM. They don't give a shit about the neighbours cuz they're young, wild, haven't got a job and since they're ethically superior to a pack of sedulously recycling whales, they know that all shall be forgiven because they're saving our world. And you're not. Scum.
4. They buy bio (organic). But only when you're looking.
5. They procreate. This is the worst bit. They procreate and then let their kids run completely amok. Their blond, bellicose kids will stand behind them in small supermarkets, screaming and hurling cans while they continue, unperturbed, shopping for which brand of fresh soya beans has the healthiest hue. Other shoppers will brow their foreheads, or stand there their mouths gaping in censor like a disapproving goldfish, but they won't take any notice of them. Their kid is sacred, his poop is a golden nugget from the hands of Zeus himself, his scream a dulcet harmony. Their laissez-faireism is troubling. I've dealt with some of their kids and they're some of the most annoying, unpleasant kids I've ever dealt with in my life. The Mediterranean way of constantly chastising kids is as ludicrously ineffective as the other extreme, but a small dose of discipline and restraint to remind kids that they're not alone in the world is necessary. But not for their kids.
6. They never comb or cut their hair but it always looks good. Bastards.
7. They're laidback and slow-paced... but uptight at the same time. How did they ever manage that?!

On Sicily

2007-11-25T08:37:00.001+01:00

Just back from Sicily...

Visit

- The Ballarò Open Air Market. A great place to observe Palermitani and immigrants living together in harmony. Well, harmony isn't the right word. In (complete and utter) chaos is probably better.
- The Catacombs of Palermo. They're no ordinary catacombs: photos.
- Walk around. Macellificazioneria and Carneria for the good ol' Macelleria. Sicilians have really taken to making up words (or using them in a slightly weird context). Good on them.
- Ortygia in Siracusa is well worth visiting, a truly beautiful and quiet place... especially if you're coming from the Fiat-sponsored remakes of Mad Max that are Catania and Palermo.
- The Cathedral of Monreale. Despite erratic opening hours and cantenkerous priests (why are priests always so pissed off?) this place is worth the uphill climb from Palermo.
- Mount Etna. Which we climbed. Well, part of it anyway (the summit was 'displeased' so it clearly wasn't in the mood for visitors). It wasn't as gruelling as I thought it would be. It's amazing to look down and see the clouds beneath you. We also checked out the Grotta dei Ladroni, the cave where ice used to be stored and exported as far as Malta. The taste of the ice on Mt. Etna is truly incredible. It tastes nothing like the ice that falls on the cities. The guide, a burly cigar-smoking geologist called Fabio, even took us around the villages that surround Mt. Etna's eastern flank.
- Zo is where the beardies, wannabes, hipsters and alternative types in Catania hang out. Being a beardie, wannabe, hipster, and alternative type myself, the place suited me perfectly.

Check in

- Everyone has a short temper, everyone complains about Sicily... but they're also quite helpful (except the ones which are paid to be nice - the ones in tourist offices, the people selling bus or train tickets, sales assistants. Scum o' the earth - the lot of them). They're just more extreme - the hostile ones are hostile to the point of confrontation, the helpful ones are nice enough to engage you in conversation... a conversation that might easily last an hour. Fine by me - I'm quite the talker. Not fine by Anita who isn't. We stayed at three different B&Bs: 5 Balconi, Al Borgo Fiorito, Ai Bellini (no website yet). I'd recommend them all. B&Bs seem to be the preferred commercial activity for Sicilians in their late thirties who have just got back from trekking around India or South America and don't know what to do next. They run the places with enthusiasm and seem to have understood what providing a service really means (which isn't the case with most hotels, hostels and b&bs).

Eat up

We ate at Il Sale and Agorà in Catania, La Foglia in Siracusa, Divino Rosso in Palermo. The latter is great if you're short on cash. Il Sale was particularly good.

Catanesi are really into horse meat - the stuff is everywhere. Seems to be the chow of choice for bus drivers who were eating horse meat burgers.

The food is generally better in Catania but more abundant (and cheaper) in Palermo.

Fruit is ridiculously cheap (one kg of blood oranges for the princely sum of EUR 0.30).

Gawk at

- On the streets the lingua franca is Sicilian, but everyone tries (with varying degrees of success) to adopt a neutral Italian accent in formal contexts. At one point I witnessed the bizarre spectacle of a family speaking to a waiter in Italian, only for both (the family and the waiter) to revert to Sicilian after the order was taken. Stranger still, two Pakistani immigrants I spoke to spoke only Sicilian (no Italian, no English).
- Catania is ludicrously dirty. I don't mind filth and dirt, but the level of filth and dirt on the streets can only be described as post-apocalyptic or medieval. I was half expecting a syphilis-ridden Chaucer pilgrim to appear on the horizon...
- Noise in Sicily is everywhere and at all hours. If you're a light sleeper (like I am), prepare yourself for many sleepless nights, or frustrated yelling at cars and noisy pedestrians from the safety of your balcony (yes, I'm a wimp).
- If you're hunting for sociological melitensia, "Maltese" surnames and "Maltese" food (sfincione, quarezimali, etc) abound in Palermo, not in Catania.
- All cultural differences between Malta and Sicily boil down to one thing: Sicilians are veritably proud of who they are, their land, and their traditions - the Maltese are proud of who they are, their land and traditions in so far as they can be used as a rhetorical device which can be sold to tourists.
- Women approach men, they start and animate conversations with men - in other words they're not scared of men. What a refreshing change from the supposedly liberal cultures of Northern Europe or the fastidiously conservative ones of places like Malta.

all your base are belong to us

2007-11-07T14:15:00.000+01:00

Ghal min jaf ir-riferenza kulturali li semmejt fit-titlu, dan is-sitcom ighodd ghalih/a.

Ghal min le, imma:

1. Ghandu halq
2. Kapaci juzah biex jitbissem
3. Kapaci juzah biex jidhaq

...nahseb xorta jghogbu.

Ghal min m'ghamilx almenu parti zghira mit-tfulija tieghu, b'mod sprovvedut, jistenna loghob jillowdjaw ghal sighat interminabbli u jxengel joysticks b'salvagizmu frenetiku minflok jixxabat mis-sigar, ikisser it-twieqi u jiekol il-hobz biz-zejt l-Ghadira, ir-riferenza tat-titlu hi min hawn.

Links (IT Crowd)
YouTube
Wikipedia
Channel 4

sounds of the city

2007-09-14T22:34:00.000+02:00

I'm too busy changing channels and swinging remotes to blog. Blogging will resume once the novelty wears off. Perhaps.

What our city sounded/sounds like...

Iz-Zorro tax-Xemx kontra s-Surgent Grizia

2007-08-30T19:46:00.000+02:00

Il-granet qed jiqsaru u nahseb dalwaqt ser ikolli nohrog il-kowt. Ix-xemx, li tant inhobb, ser tmur tiberna u minflok ser jitfaccaw id-draches ghal xi zmien. Il-fatt li jien naqra metereopatiku ma jghinx lanqas.

Allura qed nikkompila lista ta' l-affarijiet li nista' naghmel biex niggilidilha, jew almenu biex intaffi l-impatt.

Fost affarijiet ohra...

Imhabba, diskussjonijiet twal imma intelligenti, hbiberija, pacenzja
Orval, Palm, Westmalle Triple jew Grisette
Platt ghagin ta' dimensjonijiet olimpici (b'naqra Pecorino Sardo mhakkek fuqu)
Pastini Marokkini tajbin
Film ta' Ciccio e Franco
Splatterhouse fuq il-MAME
Té bin-naghniegh frisk (u bil-pinjoli), b'hafna zokkor
Zalzett cacciatore bil-brébis fuq bicca hobz mixwijja
Xemx, Wisq Sabaaaeeeha tat-Tramps
Mixja wahdi fil-park misterjuz*
Kuncerti u films
Ezercizju fiziku (ma rridx sonza sas-sajf tenkuverimacc...) u tai-chi (...u lanqas stress)
Naqra xi artiklu minn Cabinet fuq il-pultruna fl-ufficju tieghi d-dar
Katsudon

U taghkom?

*Il-park misterjuz hu gnien (park) li sibt hawnhekk. Huwa mizmum fuq l-idejn u hu (almenu ghalija) ta' sbuhija inkredibbli. Anke biss li nkun hemm nippassigga jew noqghod fuq bank ittini pjacir. Iva, anke fix-xita mmur. Ghadni qatt ma rajt ruh ohra miexja f'dan il-park tant ma jafux bih in-nies. U mhux ser nghidilkom fejn qieghed - find your own! :p

Mhux b'xejn kienu jghiduli l-Peking

2007-08-17T18:08:00.000+02:00

M'inix wiehed minn dawn l-iffissati fuq il-Gappun jew l-Asja imma bhalissa qed naqra Hong Kong Comics: A History of Manhua. Illum ghaddejt hafna mill-hin go supermarket Ciniz in-naha ta' fuq ta' Brussell infittex xi ingredjenti, kilt ross bit-tonkatsu u tè iswed tal-banana mill-Korea. Dalghodu qabel ma mort ix-xoghol qadt nara bicciet minn wiehed mill-films favoriti tieghi, u bhalissa qed inlesti kju ta' l-episodji ta' wiehed mill-iktar kartuns kult u tal-biza li qatt rajt f'hajti fuq l-eMule. L-iktar zewg kuncerti li qed nistenna herqan din is-sena huma ta' Ryoji Ikeda u tal-Boredoms.

Ghajnejja diga mgebbdin imma qed inhosshom jiggebdu dejjem iktar bil-minuti. Nahseb il-lejla ahjar nordna pizza - ma mmurx nohrog ghada filghodu u nsib ruhi f'Tokjo minflok Brussell. Then again...

Appell

2007-07-30T11:40:00.000+02:00

...U wiehed hallejnih jippassiga Praga u jinnetwerkja f'pajjizu
...U l-iehor hallejnih jaghtina daru biex jimxi lejn il-blogg tal-futbol
...U l-iehor hallejnih jiekol il-Miso u jippowstja r-ritratti
...U l-iehor hallejnih jintervista r-Rifffs
...U l-iehor hallejnih imur lejn il-MySpace
...U l-iehor hallejnih jippowstja l-komiks
...U l-iehor hallejnih ihaffer fil-Libya
...U l-iehor hallejnih ighix fl-ghid
...U l-iehor... u l-iehor.. u l-iehor... u...

Il-blogosfera Maltija kienet wahda mill-affarijiet l-iktar ecitanti li qatt gew miktuba bil-Malti. Tista' tqmadarhom u difetti tista' ssibilhom imma r-realta' tibqa' li kienu (generalment) interessanti u kienu (generalment) miktuba sew. Iva, veru, ftit minnhom - fosthom tieghi - ma kienux dejjem dwar temi estremament topici u ta' spiss kienu jiddevjaw fl-ego tal-kittieb imma hekk ghamel ukoll kwazi kull ktieb li qrajt f'hajti. Jekk ma tafx issir thobb, jew almenu ma tasalx tissoporti l-ego u s-superego tal-kittieb, l-ebda ktieb jew l-ebda bicca arti ma jghoddu ghalik.

Ejjew lura. Ejjew. Iktbu zozzerija dwar il-qattus jew dwar ic-cheddar li kiltu l-bierah jew - li jkun. L-aqwa li tigu lura u tergghu taqbu t-telgha...

mangia patria

2007-07-25T22:48:00.000+02:00

Eating at Maltese restaurants has become an expensive endeavour, but the food has become exponentially better. For starters thing the chefs are much more inventive and are using their ingredients in a much more intelligent way than ever before. There might eventually be a few

who think they're the new Ferran Adrià simply because they've stuffed some Ghajnsielem fennel seeds and shiitake mushrooms up a lamb's backside, but on the whole I think new-school Maltese chefs are still in that knowingly naive, pre-celeb stage where still they're having fun playing with new ingredients and unearthing centuries-old Maltese recipes (yes, centuries). And charging us for their fun of course.

Tlaqna...

---

TWO AND A HALF LEMON
Vittoriosa Waterfront, Birgu (Vittoriosa)

PLUS

The design. A marvellous and ingenious reworking of traditional Maltese design elements (and by traditional I mean both patterned tiles and the beautifully Dickensian gloom of early seventies government ministries) into one coherently designed package. Congrats to the designers - keep it up and prosit tal-programm.

MINUS

The manager/waiter/chef looks and sounds uncannily like Mark Vella. Since he spent more than fifteen seconds not talking about himself while taking our order, we are forced to conclude it isn't him after all.

CROWD

A bald yacht owner trying to impress his clearly unimpressed and unimpressionable East European girlfriend/escort and a small throng of umbrella-wielding Germans (mit eine tour leader).

COMMENTS

Well worth checking out. Unfortunately I haven't eaten there yet so I don't know if the food is any good but with a Mark Vella lookalike at the helm I'd be surprised if it would('nt) be.

---

2-22
Valletta Ring Road (Triq L-Assedju L-Kbir), Valletta

PLUS

Let's start with the design. It's nice. Very nice. Not terribly inventive but very nice. More glass than you can shake a pane at. From Hoxton to Prenzlauer Berg, you've seen these glass behemoths before but this place proves my "stop-calling-modernist-buildings-monstrosities" theory - i.e. 16th century military baroque blends well with Blade Runnerish glass 'n' steel (which shall inevitably date horribly in less than fifteen years). Told ya.

MINUS

The wait! A two and a half hour wait for two courses (ravioli with duck breast and trio of sorbets) is simply unacceptable. The tried and tested routine of haranguing the waiter does, however, produce said ravioli and/or trio of sorbets. I don't know what the reason for such a long wait was (we were the first clients), but if he's playing ping-pong or learning new ballet steps in his kitchen, I want to see the man representing Malta in the next Small Nations Games - and we'll lynch him if he doesn't come back with a handful of gold medals. Bronze is for losers. And fuck San Marino.

CROWD

Local and foreign yuppies, that famous lawyer (forgot her name) and a family from da 'hood who drank like fish (although fish don't drink alcohol so that's not a very good simile...)

COMMENTS

The food was nice. Not orgasmic but it was decently executed. However, the place won't last long unless the chef gets off the valeriana and on amphetamines and the manager ties a mule in the kitchen to kick(start) him into life every few seconds.

---

HONDOQ KIOSK
Hondoq Ir-Rummien Bay, Qala (Gozo)

PLUS

A friend of mine waxed lyrical about their home-made tortellini. I'm always suspicious of the word "home-made". If I'd want home cooking I wouldn't go to a restaurant would I? Anyway... they were very good indeed but as far as the claim that they were home-made (presumably by a loving, moustachioed nanna in some derelict farmhouse in Ghasri) goes, I think it's a case of him (like many other Maltese) over-romanticising anything that comes from our sister island. They tasted very familiar, and with good reason too - they're the brand I use.

MINUS

This was the first time I ever saw Hondoq ir-Rummien. I was disappointed. It's an attractive beach but I didn't even bother getting my kit off. The beach is ridiculously overcrowded with obese Maltese kids and flustered Gozitan parents. Anyway, a 10 minute walk through the fields just off the winding stretch which leads to Qala and some Indiana Jonesing over rubble walls will (eventually) lead you to a small secluded beach. What's more, this place is brimming with more sea urchins (rizzi) than your knife can cope with - clean them and cook them in olive oil and parsley for your loved ones or send them (raw and poisoned) to your enemies. There's also a (very visible) sewage duct which brought up horrific images of my girlfriend and I swimming upstream, and eventually drowning, in a sea of shit and our parents wrinkling their noses when they're requested to identify our corpses at the morgue. Fortunately said shit did not materialise. I think.

COMMENTS

Well worth it, lovely tortellini and the burgers look quite tasty too... but it's not like Hondoq Bay is teeming with Michelin-starred restaurants either. Bertagni - hip hip hooray!

---

THE KITCHEN

Triq it-Torri, Sliema

PLUS

Hands down, my favourite restaurant in Malta (or on Malta if you wish). The chef studied in Belgium and it shows (well, tastes actually). The composition is balanced and the execution is just right. It's like being back in Brussels, minus the rain in summer and the dogshit on the pavement.

MINUS

The design isn't bad but I don't like it all that much and the name sucks - makes it hard to google...

COMMENTS

Go eat there.

---

RUBINO
Triq l-Ifran, Valletta

PLUS

An institution. Still good after all these years. Again - not orgasmic, but still very good.

MINUS

The prices were never cheap but they've become bejewelled-floozy-in-Iceland's-most-expensive-neighbourhood prices now.

COMMENTS

His Cassata Siciliana remains the best on the island. Eat it before you die horribly in a bizarre paddle-boating accident or are squished by the horrific majesty of the Lord's hand of death while camping on Comino. A pox on you I say!

---

MAXIMS
Triq il-Kbira San Guzepp, Hamrun

PLUS

I'm from Hamrun, and as such I carry a flick-knife in my back pocket even when I'm showering, tattoo religious imagery on my left arm using rusty safety pins and frequently buy large white porcelain greyhounds with gilded eyes to adorn my living room. I also eat at Maxims. The first one ever. The real one. No MacSeans, McSim's (or even McDonalds) for me. I never quite understood if the multitude of quasi-namesakes are estranged relatives or business partners who decided to go it alone or unauthorised rip-offs. Anyways...

His pizza is still the loveliest greasy slop to ever grace any Hamruniz's palate... and we know good greasy slop when we taste it. The mushrooms seem to have been violently drowned in weeks-old cheap sunflower oil before being cooked which gives them a very particular tanginess. His pizza bil-Wudy is just as good. The taste is nowhere near as good as Lo Zozzone's [Via del Teatro Pace, Roma] white pizza or his pizza al taglio or Maxokk's [Triq San Gakbu, Nadur] ftira miftuha, but since I don't live in the eternal city or the narcoleptic village it'll have to make do.

Watch out for the inordinately sharp knife the guy uses to cut them into neat squares. And don't piss him off. They don't call us Tas-Sikkina for nothing you know...

MINUS

Closes at midnight. Don't worry, the Kazin Nazzjonalista next door opens at 6AM and still serves a pigalicious amount of appetizers (including salami, pecorino, cured ham, pitted olives, etc). Don't worry about politics, even if you're "the enemy". As long as you're not sporting a wig or you're not wearing any oversized belt buckles you'll be fine. After that, cross the road to try Elia (Borg Bonaci)'s ham and cheese toast and one of his lovely sicilian pastries or vanilla roly-poly. Avoid the cross-dressing waiter that turns into a blood-sucking werewolf at 9:30 AM... they don't call us Ta' Werwer for nothing you know...

COMMENTS

Taaaaas-Sikkina maghrufin, ta' Werwer ahna mlaqqmin... Ifthulna t-triq - hadd ma jistgha ghalina... U lil tal-Belt nghidulhom: &"*!&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;*£^*&%£!!

L'hemm u l'hawn

2007-07-19T20:24:00.000+02:00

Ejjj! Ara minn hawn... Is-Sur Vot.. erm ridt nghid Is-Sur Gremxula.

Nista' naqdik f'xi haga? Xi presidential pardon forsi?

Ghadni kemm gejj minn vaganza Malta. Damet snin biex tidhol imma fl-ahhar hakmitni sew in-nostalgija u l-kilba ghall-pajjiz (homesickness)...

Malta ma nbidlitx wisq. U fejn inbidlet, generalment inbidlet ghall-ahjar...

1. Il-prezzijiet. Meta nigi dejjem toqghod tqabbel il-prezzijiet ta' Brussell u ta' Malta u tohrog dejjem rebbieh. Din id-darba daqshekk. Kull darba li wasal kont hadni ghall-gharrieda. Ili nara gejja u fl-ahhar waslet - Malta hi daqs, jew iktar ghalja, minn Brussell. Propjeta', ristoranti, ikel (hlief hxejjex) kwazi kollox indaqs jew iktar. Il-problema hi l-pagi huma differenti wkoll. Nistaqsi lili nnifsi kif jaghmlu n-nies biex ilhaqqu mal-hajja - imma hekk jaghmlu l-familja tieghi u l-familji ta' 405,000 maltin ohra.

2. L-ikel. Fl-ahhar! Malta waslet rivoluzzjoni zghira... mhux biss ix-xeffs Maltin skoprew il-prodotti Maltin u qed jintegrawhom fl-ikel izda saru iktar avventuruzi f'dak li jsajru u kif isajruh. Id-dizinn ta' l-aredament huwa hafna ahjar ukoll. Hawn, halliha li l-kokijiet ghax skoprew ir-rucola (li iffisaw fuqha u qed idahhluha kullimkien) iddecidew li jghollu l-prezzijiet... imma insomma. Iktar dwar dan f'powst ohra.

3. Il-bilingwizmu. Qed nara iktar u iktar postijiet juzaw il-Malti jew iz-zewg lingwi. Tajjeb. Naqbel ukoll ma' ittra fil-gazzetta li fakkret, fid-dawl tal-fatt li l-kap ta' Din L-Art Helwa apparentement ma jafx bil-Malti, li l-lingwa taghmel parti hi wkoll mill-patrimonju kulturali taghna. Hu irribatta li ghandu dritt jitkellem b'liema lingwa jrid ghax il-kostituzzjoni tghid li t-tnejn huma lingwi ufficjali. Il-kostituzzjoni tghid ukoll li l-Malti hi l-lingwa nazzjonali. Ma tantx hi risposta fis-sod wisq ghal xi hadd fil-posizzjoni tieghu. Teknikament, ghandu ragun - biss ir-ragun tieghu jista' jitqabbel ma xi hadd li jfakkar li ghandu dritt ma tinhasilx ghal gimghatejn. Vera, imma umbaghad ma jridx jiehu ghalih jekk hadd ma jrid jintefgha hdejh...

5. L-isbah post ta' Malta. Esplorajt post fejn qatt ma kont mort. Hu post ta' pirati, qassisin solitarji, kabbalisti Spanjoli eziljati u bdiewa Sqallin eccentrici. Post ta' fniek slavagg u ta progetti abbandunati ta' malajr. Ma niddejjaq xejn ikolli l-okkazzjoni inkun il-hames resident permanenti. Ma tarawnix bhala sindku ta' Kemmuna? Jien nemmen fl-ugwaljanza, u b'hekk, kieku nibda billi nghati d-dritt tal-vot lill-gremxul. U l-qzieqez ukoll. Il-Gnien favorit tieghi (Gnien Romeo Romano, Sta. Venera) u l-belt favorita tieghi (Il-Birgu) sbiehu. Din ta' l-ahhar tant saret fjurita u nadifa li kwazi kwazi stennejtni ha nara lill-William Tell jiekol xi pastizz jew l-ufficju centrali tal-Credit Suisse biswit il-kazin ta' San Lawrenz...

6. Il-bram. Kullimkien. Ma gidmuniex imma tant kien hemm li ma stajniex nghoddsu sew fil-Crystal Lagoon. La nsir sindku bla vot ser jibqghu. Hekk jew hekk m'ghandix x'naghmel bihom il-floating voters...

7. L-istorbju. Insejt kemm huma kbar id-djar tal-Maltin. Bazikament ghogbitni li nista' ngholli l-istereo kemm irrid u, iktar importanti minn hekk, wara ikla ghand ir-Rubino kollha cicri, fazola u pizelli, inboss bass li jasal jrieghed kerrejja f'Napli u jinkwieta sejsmografi fit-Tunisija. U nwehhel fil-kelb.

8. Il-periti. Hemm bzonn naraw x'naghmlu. Jekk il-periti jazzardaw jipprovaw ihazzu xi haga ghall xi kuntrattur ta' l-easy-money naqtaghlhom idejhom barra, Midnight Express style. Kull m'hawn mibni u l-arkitettura hi tal-wahx. In-nuqqas ta' vizjoni u l-sfaccatagni huma inkredibbli. Fejn mhux mibni huwa "earmarked" - nahseb ghanda par widnejn kbar hafna Malta...

9. Il-PAVI. Niehu pjacir nixtri l-affarijiet ta' l-Auchan Malti imma kemmxejn konfuz kif ghalkemm in-nies inqas jitkellmu bit-Taljan milli meta kont zghir jien, il-hanut jistokkja kwazi esklussivament prodotti taljani bit-tikketti bit-Taljan biss. Huma jafu. Problema l-gobnerija. Ma staqsejt ghal xejn kumplikat - Ghal brebis... u mill-ewwel beda jaqta l-brie (ma kienx jaf x'inhu Brebis... imbasta bil-vavalor "Maitre Crémier"). Lanqas gobon li kont insib ghand il-grocer ta' hdejja (ricotta salata) ma kellu. Jien cheese snob, iva.

10. Il-pjacir li ma tkunx barrani. Kemm hu sabih taqbad titkellem bla ma tahseb. Ghal ragunijiet li mhux ser nidhol fihom (ghax insir qisni rottweiler indannat li ghadom kemm serqulu l-ghadma kbira u tqarmec tieghu meta nitkellem fuq il-lingwa Franciza u x'kelli inbaghti minhabba fiha) hadt pjacir kbir li ma smajtx il-lingwa franciza ghal gimgha u nofs. Numru ta' elementi ghamluni francophobe, u kull ma smajt u qrajt f'Malta kien bil-Malti, bl-Ingliz u t-Taljan. Tlett lingwi li nhobb... tje ghall-wicc Molière!

Kulturalment, ma nafx ghalfejn, bnejt stampa falza f'mohhi. Sibt li kien hemm rivoluzzjoni li hakmet is-settur hekk kif hakmet is-settur tal-catering. Mhux il-kaz. Gieli jkun hemm xi haga tajba imma ghall-parti l-kbira x-xena tibqa' lubiena u m'ghanda assolutament xejn x'taqsam ma' tal-kontinent.

In generali, Malta sirt inhobba hafna. Ironikament, il-fatt li m'ghandix ghalfejn nghix hemmhekk u li jien fortunat bizzejjed li kull ma hi tlett sieghat 'l boghod bl-ajruplan nahseb huma elementi li forsi ghenu biex dan isehh...

ha jiehdok fil-car tieghu...

2007-05-30T17:03:00.000+02:00

Mela billi hemm blogger li m'ghadux jibbloggja ha nohodlu postu.

Jekk tisma' dan l-album, partikolarment Barbeque, u ma jaghmlekx f'burdata tajba ma rridx insir nafek...

Issa ha nhallikhom ha nkompli nibla d-dhahen taz-zebgha u l-white spirit, hekk kif inhu konswet. Ghal min qed jahseb jixtri post - ixtru wiehed gdid. Ta' kuljum nircievi telefonata fuq il-mowbajl u nisma xi hadd b'accent qawwi Pollakk jghid "tu venir ajourd'hui? Ici grand problème!". Il-haddiema. Immur, u ta' kuljum nisma' fuq xi pajp imtaqqab, xi kanna sploduta, xi boiler ma jridx jahdem, xi zebgha ma tridx izzomm, xi...

Enjoy your affordable Swedish crap!

2007-05-12T19:54:00.000+02:00

X'hemm ahjar minn gurnata naghmlu zewg attivitajiet "interessanti". L-ewwel hi t-tifittxija fiz-zibel li hallew warajhom tal-flea market ghal affarijiet li nistghu nirkupraw u t-tieni nixorbu f'wiehed mill-bars favoriti tieghi - Chez Moeder Lambic - li qieghed tliet minuti 'l boghod minn fejn ser nghixu.

Ghamilna wkoll wahda mill-iktar attivitajiet li, ghalkemm wiehed ma jahsibx li ser tghajjik, tghajijk hafna... l-armar ta' l-ghamara ta' l-IKEA. F'saghtejn u fuqhom armajna il-gwardarobba tas-sink... u jien minghalija ser inlestu l-kcina f'jumejn!

Min hu dilettant ta' l-armar (le mhux tal-festa imma ta' l-ghamara li tigi f'bicciet fihom daqs sulfarina li trid, b'xi mod maledett, tbiddel f'xi haga li kemm jista' jkun tapprossima gwardarobba) u ghandu pjacir jigi jdawwar erbgha viti maghna, merhba kbira bih/a. Inwieghed platter gobon u zalzett, xi Rochefort 9 jew xi Palm kif ukoll imhabba eterna li ma tispicca qatt u qatt...

Tiffullawx, eh!

* It-titlu minn episodju ta' Futurama - PIKEA

tu macc, tu macc!

2007-04-17T17:20:00.000+02:00

Stressanti hafna tqabbad lil haddiehor jaghmillek ix-xoghol id-dar. Fejn tobsor hux...

Imma almenu jaghjtuli "chef" il-haddiema.

is-sicula, il-giddieb u n-nukleu familjali li m'ghandix hawn

2007-03-22T10:40:00.000+01:00

Il-bierah filghaxija (ghalkemm naqra ma niflahx) mort naqla l-madum il-post. Domt 45 minuta kollox biex naqla dak li l-bennejja talbuni iktar minn EUR 250 ghalih. Kont diga ghamiltu qabel dan ix-xoghol, allura kont naf kif.

Id-dar kienet vojta, bit-twerzieq tal-bogies tat-tram fil-boghod u tan-nies jitkellmu fit-triq. Huwa dan it-tip ta' kwartier, kwartier fejn in-nies ghadhom jitkellmu fit-triq. Hassejtni qieghed Malta, fil-post tieghi l-Belt, ftit wara li kont krejtu. Irritat li hawn l-istorbju, naqra mhasseb dwar il-girien, inkwetat dwar kif ser jahdmu l-affarijiet. Imma pjuttost kuntent. Bhal ma kont hassejtni l-Belt insomma.

(Ritratt: Maldinapoli)

Ihabbat il-bieb... nahseb li hu t-tifel ta' l-eks-sid li gie jgerger dwar l-istorbju. Hu. Imma mhux ghalhekk gie. Jinten intiena ta' xi hadd li jinhasel inqas minn darba f'gimgha - kwazi accettabbli meta ghandek 12-il sena, mhux normali meta qed toqrob lejn it-tletin. Hemm harba ta' gass. Jitla' t-teknixin, belgo-indjan - iktar Belgjan milli Indjan bil-mod ighaggel u streetwise kif jitkellem il-Franciz, jomghod ic-chewing gum b'nevrosita tiekol - u jibda jfittex fil-pajpijiet.

Sakemm Sanjeev ifittex fil-pajpijiet u gieli igedwed tnejn kontra t-teknixins tas-Sibelga, ninzlu isfel ghand iz-zija tieghu (il-belgo-sicula), idahhluni fil-kcina u jofruli tazza Averna mimlijja sa fuq nett.

Nara li "tan-nahat" taghna hi. L-istess bhan-nisa tad-dar il-Fgura, l-Isla u l-Hamrun. Titkellem ftit, imma f'daqqa, imma b'reqqa kbira ukoll - tghid hafna dwar hajjitha imma fl-istess hin meta tohrog minn hemm tirrealiza li ma qaltlek xejn. Dak is-sens ta' distanza mefjanti u sarkazmu cajtier jaqta' hemm qieghed. Giet hawn ghoxrin sena ilu. Ghanda Franciz harira ahjar minn tieghi imma b'accent siculo estremament qawwi. Ma taghtix kas il-gideb fahxi li qed jirrakuntali t-tifel tas-sid (apparentement mhux biss mar jixrob ma' Gerard Depardieu u Mick Jagger izda hareg pistola fuq habib ta' Tupac - kollox fi Brussell bien sur). Inkredibbli... nixtieq stajtu taraw il-wicc hi hu tipprepara l-pulpetti fil-kcina, u dan it-tifel, slob fuq ir-relief eks-xkaffar f'supermarket jirrakkonta dawn l-istejjer inkredibbli. Xejn. La wicc ta' hadd li jemmnu, la ta xi hadd li ma jemmnux. M'hijiex imbarazzata b'li qed ighid imma mhijiex qed tiehu pjacir. Xejn. Poker face.

Jurini l-armi li ghandom id-dar... fosthom katana gappuniza u bajonetta kkargata. "L-arma ma tahdimx" bdiet iz-zija, imma fl-istess nifs tghidli li tajjeb ikollok arma d-dar... ghal li jista' jkun.

Rajt lilu u lill-missieru waqt l-iffirmar tal-kuntratt. Il-missier kwiet, bit-toppu. Bejn biker u skrivan f'xi ministeru. It-tifel mhux ser jaghmel xejn b'hajtu. Ser jibqa' jikber bid-deluzjonijiet tieghu, jigdeb qishu ghandu 15-il sena, bla ebda bzonn li jsib xoghol ta' veru u bla ebda bzonn li qatt johrog minn dan in-nukleu familjari maqghud minhabba din id-dar li wirtu.

Nghir ghalih, iva.

Jien u hiereg kien diehel il-missier.

"X'temp imgiddem eh? Nahseb ahjar Malta hux?"
"It-temp? Iva"

Risposta vaga veru... imma xi tridni nghid?

pajjiz tal-mickey mouse

2007-03-02T15:00:00.000+01:00

Innutajt haga. Malta tigbed hafna interess fost il-frankofoni. Pajjiz daqshekk zghir li ftit li xejn ghandu links kulturali jew lingwistici mad-dinja franciza jinteressahom hafna xorta wahda.

Wara li nara lill-Malta fuq il-qoxra ta' l-Agenda, kont sorpriz niftah il-Metro meta kont, appuntu, fuq il-métro u nara xarabank Maltija misjuqa fit-toroq dojoq tal-belt, niezla Strada Forni ghal alla taghha u Anglia fuq it-tarag ta' hdejn is-Sicilia Bar - helu l-kumment li jghaddi s-sewwieq ta' l-Anglia hu hu niezel it-tarag ta' hdejn Sant'Ursula [pdf]

Jismu Le Janitor u ghandu l-laqam ta' l-Ange de Malte. Il-kittieba tal-komiks donnhom ghandom fetixx ghal Malta. Mhux biss hemm Corto Maltese imma anke certu Le Maltais - tip ohxon u korrott, u nahseb jekk infittex sew insib ohrajn..

Il-feeling ta' Le Janitor jibqa' l-isbah ghalija... sempliciment ghax gieli kont nimxi wahdi tard bil-lejl il-belt u nhoss dik il-feeling intensa ta' paci mieghi innifsi. Zid naqra pistoli, periklu u Bedford misjuqa qisha il-karozza ta' Ayrton Senna minflok il-munzell ta' skrap tahdem bil-pitrolju li hi u ghandek winner.

Nahseb wasal iz-zmien naghmel xirja f'certu hanut fuq Boulevard Anspach. Min jaf, forsi niskopri xi sezzjoni shiha kollha komiks dwar Malta...

iiiii kemm hi niiiiice

2007-02-22T17:35:00.000+01:00

Min qieghed Brussell jigbor kopja b'xejn ta' l-Agenda (dak il-magazin zghir li jitqassam mal-gazzetta fjamminga Brussel Deze Week) u jitpaxxa li pajjizna qieghed fuq il-qoxra... b'ritratt ta' dahar xi bikers Maltin mixjin lejn it-Torri l-Ahmar.

Hemm wirja ta' ritratti ghas-serje Euro Visions mehudin mill-fotografu Carl De Keyzer dwar Malta u l-Maltin - ovvjament mehudin b'humour u ironija - li ser jintwerew il-Bozar. Skond l-artiklu De Keyzer ghamel iktar minn xahar Malta imma apparentement "it was roasting hot. There were no Maltese to be seen".

For Malta, the Belgian photographer Carl de Keyzer saw the many layers of history as key.

"Like Belgium, Malta is a small country that was occupied by many invaders," De Keyzer said. "I wanted to visualize the layers of history in the faces and places." To show history in the faces, De Keyzer took simple head shots that rotate on three screens amid a dozen larger photographs intended to show the layers of history in places.

A horde of foreign tourists in a village square represents invaders of the current era, and a homeless man sleeps in a cave suggestive of the legendary Odysseus's visit to the island. One shot has a motorcycle gang with leather jackets emblazoned with "Knights of Malta" walking toward a 14th-century red tower built by the Order of Malta in defense against Muslim invaders.

"So many layers of history always turn up the absurd," De Keyzer said. "Some people may say these countries change, but so much remains the same."

Immorru migja kollha flimkien qisna qatta tomblizi mill-Kalkara li hargu outing mal-father? Il-Hadd ta' wara li tiftah? Xi tghidu?

Avventuri bil-lingwa ta' Molière fil-belt ta' Vandersteen

2007-02-07T15:29:00.000+01:00

Is-sajf ghazzien tas-sena 2005; il-belt nofsa vojta. Tkompli minn hawn.

(ma ikkoregejtx il-Franciz. ktibthu kif hareg, skuzawni...)

Vignette #1
Les Oiseaux en Carottes (tejkewej ciniz b'isem stramb hafna),
Distrett ta' Schaerbeek, Kwartier Dailly, Brussell

Qieghed nistenna l-ikel isir u tidhol mamà u t-tifla taghha ta' madwar 8 snin, immigranti afrikani tat-tieni generazzjoni (iktar Belgjani milli Kongolizi). It-tifla tinteressa ruha fil-headphones tieghi.

"ils sont quoi ces trucs-la, maman" tibda t-tifla hi hu thares lejja. Issaqsi lill-maman imma cara li r-risposta tridha minghandi
"ils sont des trucs pour écouter la musique" nghidilha sakemm inhares lejha u lejn il-headphones Sennheiser imgerrma tieghi
"comme des écouters?"
"tout à fait... mais ils sont plus commode" le! le! commode ma tezistiz bil-franciz "..enfin, ils sont plus comfortable et..." (pawza biex nippreprepara x'ser nghid) "d'ailleurs les écouters me dérangent - ils ne sont pas comfortables"
"ah bon..."* u titlef l-interess u tibda tqelleb fil-mejda kollha magazins pop Koreani u Cinizi ta' tlett snin ilu li hemm hdejn il-kawnter.

"polc aigle-doux!". Tieghi... tlaqna...

Vignette #2
Fuq il-bus 96
déstination Sainte-Anne / richting Sint-Anna

Xiha ta' madwar 80 sena toqghod bilqedgha hdejja u r-ragel taghha li jidher ghandu kaz ta' bidu ta' distrofia muskolari. Simpatku, animat, imma mhux totalment hemm b'mohhu...

"voulez-vous vous assoir Monsieur?" nghidlu, mhux ghax jien nice guy BISS, imma kull xarabank fi Brussell hi mghammra b'sticker li tfakkrek li hi ligi federali li bilfors trid tqum ghall-invalides, veillairds et mutilées de guerre
"non, il n'aime pas s'assoir" tispjegali l-mara b'rispett imma bil-hatfa
"non..." jghidli, u jibda "...quand je m'assois je m'endorme" u jibda ikellimni dwar komiku Franciz ta' zmienu u hafna affarijiet li jghogbuh, jghidli c-cajt u dejjem jecita ruhu iktar.
"Calme-toi, Emile" tghidlu l-mara ftit imbarazzata
Emile ma kellu l-ebda intezzjoni jikkalma, anzi kien ghadu qed jishon..
"et... Don Quixote?" jghidli ...u jibda jecita ruhu u jghamilli imitazzjoni impromptu ta' Don Quihote "...et Louis de Funès?"
"Ah oui! de Funès je connais. Le gendarme... lui je connais"
"T'as vu?! Ca ce la culture! La vrai culture avec un petit c! La vrai culture! La médiathèque ont tous ces films" jghidli sakemm jibda miexi lejn il-bieb ta' wara biex jinzel u l-mara tqum ukoll u tibda miexja
"La médiathèque! N'oublie pas! Ils sont ouverts jusqu'a 21 heures de soir le vendredi, et 19h le jeudi"
"attention à la marche**, Emile" tghidlu l-mara li donnha drat l-ecitament tar-ragel
"La médiathèque! N'oubliez pas!" jghidli hekk kif il-bibien jibdew jinghalqu filwaqt li jindaq il-beep ta' l-eghluq tal-bibien..

Vignette #3
Il-biblioteka/librerija ta' l-U.L.B.

Immur biex nikri ktieb imma l-librara bin-nuccali, b'harsa harira nerdy imma xorta tidher taf tkun antipatka sew meta trid. Dan l-ahhar kont naqra mdejjaq u f'burdata antisocjali (minhabba problemi tax-xoghol l-iktar) u ma kontx niddejjaq kieku titfacca glieda bhala speci ta' katarsi biex nehles u nerga nibda folja ohra. Jien pjuttost kalm imma t-tensjoni li jkolli gewwa tkun kbira u titlob biex tohrog. U l-U.L.B. tawni glieda. Marinetti kien jghid (fost xebgha cucati ohra) li ftit hemm affarijiet igeghluk thossok iktar hajj milli gwerra jew glieda. Forsi kellu ragun il-mustaccun...

"Vous avez un amende**** de EUR 2 à payer" tghidli, u jien inhoss ir-rabja gejja..
"Non! Je n'ai absolument rien à payer... j'avais déposé le livre dans la boite mais j'ai néanmoins reçu deux rappels chez moi"
U hawn tisfidani - ittini n-numru tal-ktieb u tghidli b'arroganza...
"beh ramene-moi le livre s'il est vraiment la.."*****

nahtaf il-karta min idejha u nitla fil-lift ghas-sitt sular inkazzat... insib il-ktieb u ninzel bih, nitrieghed bir-rabja (u b'pjacir mohbi li gejja glieda), immur quddiema u nsabbat il-kotba fuq il-counter biex tghid xi haga, imma hi ma tghid xejn u taghmel wicc speci ta' "oops. kellhu ragun". jien wisq inkazzat u kelli wisq rabja fija biex inhalliha, irrida l-glieda, ghandi dritt ghaliha u nitfa l-hatab fuq in-nar biex tibda u fl-ahhar nibdew, u hi tinsisti li kull ma qalet hu biex immur ingib il-ktieb minn fuq.
"non! ce n'est pas ca! c'est la façon de me demander*** les choses qui n'allaiat pas!"
"mais tous le monde va réprendre ces livres s'il y a des anomalies..."
"Non! c'est la FACON de demander les choses je te dis! Votre attitude était agressif et peu professionel!"
"ça alors! vous avez reçu deux appeles.. c'était clair qu'il y avait de problèmes, non?"

Nipprepara l-kanun ta' ilsieni bir-risposta u nitlob li tohrogli sew ghax inkella tkun patetika l-affari... "il était écrit noir sur blanc d'ignorer la lettre s'il s'agissait d'un malentendu ou si les livres en question étaient déjà remis, j'ai tout simplement suivi VOS instructions à la lettre... si vous ne voulaiez pas que les personnes obéissent ces regles ne l'écrivez pas dans votre rappels!!" nghid kwazi nghajjat.

Hi tirrispondi xi haga imma intlift... tant kont kuntent li harget kif suppost is-sentenza bi ftit zbalji u ftit ezitazzjonijiet li inhoss li jien irbaht u irrid nieqaf issa. Ahh, il-pjaciri li ttik il-lingwa meta tohrog sew - patetika l-affari veru - imma x'taghmel. Minn hawn il-quddiem ninduna li ghalkemm kienet arroganti u kiesha hi, jien qed inkun antipatku daqsha u forsi ghamilt plejtu bix-xejn. Ha nara kif ser nohrog minnha l-affari...

imma hi tkompli "nous nous sommes trompés. et alors? on n'est peut pas faire des erreurs?!"
"non!!" nghidilha nitbissem.

Hi speci ta' titbissem nofs tbissima, ma tafx ezatt kif ser tiehu dak li ghadu kemm taghha enguelade kif tmiss il-ligi. Ghaddieli sew issa ghalkemm ghadni nitrieghed bit-testosterone jfegg fil-vini.

Nipprova nitbissem u nghid "Au revoir" u hi tirrispondi b'"Au revoir" mqanzha bla ma, ghall-grazzja ta' Alla, Shiva u Jehovah, tkompli ghaddejja fuqha.

Ix-xemx barra. Ejja ninsew kollox...

STILEL (TRADUZZJONIJIET APPROSIMATIVI HAFNA) GHAL MIN MA JISTAX JIFTAKAR WISQ MILL-FRANCIZ LI STUDJA FIL-FORM FOUR.

* oh I see! JEW ah, iva?
** targa (step)
*** it's the WAY you asked me (ie, b'mod arroganti)
**** multa ta' rappel (rappel = reminder)
***** mela gibli l-ktieb minn fuq l-ixkaffa jekk vera qieghed hemm

Preludju ghal: Avventuri bil-lingwa ta' Molière fil-belt ta' Vandersteen

2007-02-07T15:01:00.000+01:00

Din powst li ktibt f'Awissu tas-sena 2005 u ghal xi raguni qatt ma ppubblikajt. Is-serje ta' stampi "11 reasons why I love Brussels" ta' wahda jisimha maldinapoli fuq flickr fakkritni f'din il-powst.

Dak iz-zmien, sena u nofs ilu, ma kontx komdu daqs kemm jien illum nitkellem bil-Franciz u kont (u ghadni) nagonizza fuq kull zball li naghmel. Illum il-gurnata inhossni pjuttost komdu nitkellem bil-Franciz - kwazi iktar milli bit-Taljan - u ghalkemm ghadni naghmel certu zbalji (u gieli zbalji stupidi) tant dahal go fijja li gieli nispicca nahseb bil-Franciz. Mhux talli hekk talli qed ikollu effetti koroh fuq il-lingwi ohra. Darba lill-Anita spjegajtilha kif habib tieghi ser iwelli l-hanut - imma hargitli "ser jirrimetti l-kummerc". Le, ma kielx xebgha invoices u jrid, erm, johroghom minn zaqqu imma bla hsieb ittraducejt litteralment "remettre son commerce". Zball ikrah wisq li sa' llum Anita ma thallinix ninsa.

Meta tkun f'belt barranija titkellem ir-4 lingwa tieghek - dik li tghallimt l-iskola u li insejt sena wara sena - mhux dejjem hafif tesprimi ruhek, imma nahseb wara kwazi erbgha snin titkellmu fit-triq trid tkun naqra gidra biex ma jidhol xejn. Niftakar niltaqgha ma' wahda li kienet ilha tghix hawn ghoxrin sena u ma kinitx taf tletin kelma Franciz... kif irnexxielha tikkomunika?

Insomma... dan preludju ghal tlett sketches zghar. Xejn importanti. Nies jiltaqghu, nies jitkellmu. Tlett vignettes à la Coffee and Cigarettes. Ara gej.

it-titjira ttir

2007-01-19T12:27:00.000+01:00

Il-bierah irriskjajt hajti x-xoghol. Le ma konx qed nirriskja xi kaxxa kollha acquises jaqghu fuqhi jew xi fotokopjatrici tigdimli l-warrani.

Il-bierah ir-rih kien tant salvagg [link lejn l-ahbarijiet] li n-nies kienu qed itiru, qishom Mary Poppins imma b'inqas grazzja u eleganza, fil-Provincji ta' Hainaut u Luxembourg. F'Mons saqaf industrijali tqil zewg tunnellati inqala u tar. Tnejn minn nies mietu (f'Hal u fil-Provincja ta' Liège). Il-ferroviji lejn L-Olanda, l-Ingilterra u Franza thassru.

U jien fejn kont? Kont fuq ajruplan. Tista' tkun post iktar perikoluz minn hekk? Fil-fatt tieghi kien l-ahhar ajruplan li telaq mill-ajruport ta' Strasburgu wara li kkancellaw it-titjiriet l-ohra kollha kemm huma.

Kienet, probabbilment, l-iktar esperjenza tal-biza f'hajti. Kwazi fl-ebda mument ma' tista' tghid li l-ajruplan kien stabbli. U dik understatement kbira hafna. Meta l-ajruplan kien ghadu wieqaf fl-ajruport (jew l-ajrustazzjon kif jghidu hemm) ta' Strasburgu l-gwienah kienu diga qed ivenvnu qishom kartoncin. Mument minnhom il-kaptan tilef il-kontroll ta' l-ajruplan kompletament u beda niezel bi speed salvagg u b'dak il-hoss iwerwer li jaghmlu l-ajruplani tal-kamikaze gappunizi fil-films tal-gwerra meta jibdew niezlu lejn it-tir u n-nies ghajtu ghajta tal-wahx. Jien, da parti tieghi, ma ftahtx halqi - kont imbezza wisq u kont qisni lest ghaliha... ghedt hawn ser tkun il-mewt tieghi - m'hemmx x'taghmel hux?

Kien hemm min tilef sensieh u min storda u kellhom ituh l-ossignu. Jien skoprejt li dawk il-boroz fis-sakkocca tas-seats m'humiex ghal pjacir tal-kollezzjonisti jew biex tibghat ir-ritratti fihom u nahseb inqast zewg kilos b'kollox (u ghadni ma rkuprajtx illum).

Inkredibbli kemm ghamilt "hbieb" malajr ma' li kien hemm hdejja fuq l-ajruplan. Tmisshom u thoss empatija immedjata maghhom u huma mieghek. Ma nieqafx inkun konvint li l-iktar mument li tkun l-iktar onest f'hajtek ikun il-mument li thoss li hajtek tkun ser titfarrak.

Kien hemm capcip u biki ta' ferh meta missejna l-art...

Zaventem. Ninzel hdejn il-ferroviji - kollha bid-dewmien (specjalment dawk li gejjin minn Hainaut u Limburg) minhabba l-biza li jistghu jinqalaw minn fuq il-linja tax-xmundifer. Immur nipprova naqbad taxi, minn gol hgiega nara li diga hemm xi tletin persuna jistennew taxis li qatt m'huma ser jaslu - it-tunnels ta' Brussell maghluqin. X'hin nohrog, il-bagalja sewda tieghi titla fl-arja - 10 kilos ta' hwejjeg mahmugin, cargers, u imbarazz varju telghu qishom buzzieqa tal-helium indimunjata.

Irgajt dhalt gewwa u mort il-bar - xtrajt flixkun ilma u ntfajt fuq bank b'zaqqi u mohhi ser jisplodu. Ghamilt nofs siegha ma nistax niccaqlaq u ma nistax nemmen li ghadni haj.

U nerga ntenni - f'ghoxx Strasburgu. U f'ghoxx ix-xoghol.

from wollongong with love

2007-01-07T15:52:00.000+01:00

Ghax diska wahda andergrawnd dwar il-Maltin ta' Brussell/Lussemburgu ma kinitx bizzejjed mid-dehra.

"Imma Maltin m'hemmx jghixu biss gewwa l-Awstralja
Jinstabu wkoll 'il boghod 'il boghod gol-Kanada...
Pero fil-gurnata tal-lum
Gewwa Brussell il-Malti jkun
Jissielet, jirsisti u jistinka ghal pajjizu
bla serhan kuljum"

Maltin Gewwa l-Awstralja
Xtruppaw
Is-CD ta' l-Ixtruppaw

Diska kbira fi stil dawk il-gruppi finlandizi li dejjem jidhru fil-films ta' Kaurismaki jew, appuntu, ta' dawk id-diski freddieportelljani miktubin minn Maltin fil-Kanada jew fl-Awstralja.

Wasal iz-zmien li nirribattu u niktbu diska ahna xi tghidu?

U biex tkunu tafu, gheziez avukati, tissemmew hawn. Kontu tmorru l-Jubilee?

iffirma hawn taht

2006-12-29T20:21:00.000+01:00

Maghruf li nhobba Brussell. Inhobba bizzejjed biex xi minn daqqiet kwazi nispicca karikatura tieghi innifsi. Hemm hafna ragunijiet ghala inhobbha - l-iktar wahda hi li nhossni d-dar hawn. Ma nezitax sekonda biex nikkwalifika ruhi ta' Brusselliz... ta' Belgjan nezita sew (anke jekk napplika ghac-cittadinanza). U Malti? Irrid inkun naqra poppatur sew (kif konna nghidu fi zmieni) biex nghid li m'inix meta ghaddejt daqshekk snin minn hajti hemm u l-passaport tieghi ghandu miktub car u tond "Malta" b'ittri imdeheba fuq il-qoxra hamra skura tieghu.

Imma f'liema belt ohra, minn dawk b'identità, kultura u lingwa fissa, minn dawk li minghalihom huma multikulti imma fil-verità huma kulturalment u etnikament omogenji tista' tfassal il-verità socjali u lingwistika tal-belt meta l-passat sar jigik (jew, anzi, ma jigikx!) qisu jeans issikkat li xtrajt f'Novembru - cioè qabel ma ffangajt qisek hanzir fi zmien il-milied?

U hemm bzonn bidla strutturali fil-belt. Mhux ser noqghod nidhol fl-elementi politici ta' dan il-progett ghax forsi mhumiex ta' interess ghal hafna niss imma biss li l-element hu wiehed ta' ghaqda... ta' interkulturalità minflok egemonija jew multikulturalità ta' l-isem. Dan il-progett kien mibdi u iffirmat minn hafna personalitajiet famuzi fil qasam taghhom.

Many of us, residents of the Brussels Capital Region, were born outside Belgium. Most of us speak more than one language and, in many of our families, languages live side by side. As Europe strengthens its presence in Brussels, the city becomes increasingly international and complex, a city-region with a character of its own, increasingly different from both Flanders and Wallonia. This complexity constitutes a challenge. But it is absurd to seek to squeeze it into the straitjacket of the two Communities. If properly managed, this complexity is an asset of which we can be proud and which must be used to make Brussels more dynamic, and thereby the neighbouring regions and Europe as a whole.

(Aqraw it-test shih hawn)

Voila. Brussell hi belt esperimentali u minflok tibza u tmur lura f'dan iz-zmien ta' konservattizmu politiku u nazzjonalismu trid tesperimenta iktar mhux inqas. Brava.

Nistidinkom, tghixu jew ma tghixux Brussell, taqraw it-test hawn u tiffirmaw hawn jekk taqblu. U la tkunu fil-vena li tiffirmaw tistghu tiffirmaw il-Manifest Brussellwà wkoll.

Hu billi qeghdin fuq is-suggett (speci ta') nistidinkom ukoll tisimghu xi siltiet helwin mill-arkivju BNA-BBOT ("Brussell hi taghna lkoll") li hu arkivju ta' stejjer u rakkonti tan-nies li jghixu Brussell. Immigranti, belgjani, foqra, sinjuri, arroganti, misthija, buruzi, hosbiena, kiebja, simpatici, antipatici. Nies insomma.

Vlaanderen onafhankelijk... jew?

2006-12-15T10:28:00.000+01:00

Orson Welles in da house...

24-hours after a fake television broadcast reported that the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium had declared independence, there is anger and confusion in both halves of the country. One girl said she wasn't in favour of a national split and the broadcast was frivolous. "I don't know anything about it", another said. "In any case, they're idiots." "I think Belgium is losing its sense of humour," was another opinion. Normal broadcasts were interrupted by a grave newsreader who told viewers that Flanders, the Flemish-speaking region of northern Belgium, had declared its independence, forcing the King to flee abroad.

The mock report included a correspondent standing outside parliament saying that politicians had voted overwhelmingly for Flanders' independence. Inside the parliament the day after a real debate was in progress to discuss the effect of the broadcast with Prime Minister Guy Verhoefstadt attempting to defuse the furore. I would just like to give some advice, he said, and that is to all those who participated in the broadcast - think twice about doing it again. The head of television station responsible for the hoax broadcast RTBF said he just wanted to stir up debate. It looks as if he succeeded.

(Sors: Euronews)

Google News Stream

Filmat (kwazi) shih - RTBF via VRT

Filmat - LC1

Filmat - VRT

le, mhux Borat biss jghid affarijiet hekk

2006-12-05T10:27:00.000+01:00

She possesses dancing and singing talent of the Country music. Apparently.

Your country needs you (or does it?)

2006-11-27T13:15:00.000+01:00

Mela hawn diska simpatika dwarna...

Brussel

Minn go hgiega mtappna rajtu jimbotta l-bagalja u jickien
Minn go hgiega mtappna lhaqna farfarna l-ahhar tislijiet
Lill-ghaziz hija li bhall-pluri-dekorati l-ohra qata’ l-biljett
U b’xiber soghoba sellem lill-blata u sebah fil-kontinent

“isma meta trid
ejja zurni ftit
ghax hemm fuq sabih
imma jaghmel il-ksieh
u hu hsieb dak ir-rih
mishun bl-ghasel u mistrieh

Rajtu jdub fix-xefaq
Bhall-kewkba maz-zernieq
Il-qahba milli kellha
Setghet ittih, setghet ittih, setghet ittih.

L-imhuh ta generazzjoni li minghalija lsienha sabet fil-qiegh ta kexxun fi Brussel,
fuq mejda t’ufficju modern “Luxembourg”
Pseudo kittieba, artisti , politici li setghu kmandaw rispett
Unanimament xammru d-dublett fethu blog u sarrfu cekk

“isma meta trid
ejja zurni ftit
ghax hemm fuq sabih
imma jaghmel il-ksieh
u hu hsieb dak ir-rih
mishun bl-ghasel u mistrieh”

Rajtu jdub fix-xefaq
Bhall-kewkba maz-zernieq
Il-qahba milli kellha
felhet ittih, felhet ittih, felhet ittih.

Id-diska hi ta' grupp andergrawnd malti jismu Brikkuni (li hu l-estensjoni muzikali ta' l-ego ta' Mario, eks-Lumière u nies ohra). Il-grupp jinstema qishu tahlita iktar kalma ta' Sanseverino, No Smoking Orchestra u, skond ohrajn, Vladimir Vysotsky.

Sfortunatament l-unika diska taghhom li tistghu tisimghu hi Il-Bar ta' Taht il-Knisja - imma mejjet biex nismagha live Brussell...

Tistghu ssegwu thread dwar l-unika darba li daqqew live s'issa fuq din it-thread ta' dan il-forum.

hadouken, anyone?

2006-11-16T11:09:00.000+01:00

I've recently bought myself a Nintendo Wii and a DS. I haven't really played games in ages. I didn't think I'd be interested, so I thought this would turn out to be an expensive mistake - but I am. In my absence games have really advanced. They're much more celebral and well-planned now - and they're weirder to boot. Check out Trauma Center, The Sims (seen here re-enacting a well-known sequence from American Beauty), Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney or the Jodorowsky-meets-Akira-like No More Heroes.

The press is better, the gamers are better-looking and the sexes are way more balanced (when I was a kid seeing a girl playing an arcade game was as common as seeing the Fenech Adamis strolling down Testaferrata Street/Rue d'Aarschot in bondage).

Anyways.

There's fuck all good about growing old. For starters all the cultural references you took for granted aren't shared by the younger generation of gamers.

Do you know what a hadouken is? 'course you do. To me it was a foregone conclusion that so did the yoof of today. They don't. They didn't grow up playing Street Fighter and Street Fighter II (and faux-smoking Marlboros or Dunhills [i.e. exhaling without inhaling]) and in constant trepidation of their dads bursting through the door like we did.

And by the way, when your dad will eventually come looking for you in a seething rage (and he will - work plus family life seem to make most dads irritable), your panic-stricken friend will say the cigarette is yours and you'll say it's his. He'll understand you're actually sharing one of his Dunhills (he would have understood that even if you didn't say anything, cuz he's a cheap bastard who's been keeping tabs on how many cigarettes he's got left in his packet), you'll get in trouble, he'll tell your friends' parents and you'll both get grounded (don't think spanking and booting is still the norm nowadays).

The proper way to play a video game when you're 13 or 14 is at your local bar or kazin. Preferably pretending to be someone you're not (cigarettes help) to impress your friend/s. No Xbox 360 or Playstation III plus plasma screen can emulate that feeling. Or maybe it can - see how out of touch I really am?

I know what you did last summer...

2006-11-09T11:54:00.000+01:00

...u li ghamilt is-sajf li ghadda (almenu weekend minnhom) kien nahdem fuq zewg progetti li huma l-bidu ta' progett wiehed li semmejthu l-Arkivju Nazzjonali tal-Memorja.

Ahn'ahna jew m'ahniex [LINK]
Iva, l-ahn'ahna li tiftakru sew... iddigitajzjati ghall-pjacir viziv taghkom. L-ewwel zewg episodji u d-diska tal-ftuh ghalissa.

Il-Minzel (La Jetée ta' Chris Marker) [LINK]
Is-sottotitoli bil-Malti lesti... kemm tnizluhom u tarawhom flimkien ma' verzjoni AVI/DivX tal-film go qarrej bhal VLC. Ghal min qatt ma ra dan il-gmiel ta' film jista' jarah hawn.

Sfortunatament il-laptop il-gdid tieghi tqareb u sar gay. Kull bicca ta' l-iskrin li hi suppost bajda qed juriha rosa allura hadtu f'dak il-wied ta' dmugh u stennija maghruf bhala is-servizz ta' wara l-bejgh tal-MediaMarkt... m'ghandix speranza li narah qabel xahar iehor. B'hekk la aggornamenti tas-sit u lanqas xoghol/progetti ohra ma nistgha nahdem fuqhom ghalissa...

il lupo non perde il pelo, ma perde il vizio

2006-11-01T21:58:00.000+01:00

Kont diga bbloggjajt dwar il-Miami ta' l-Afrika.

Dan l-artiklu iktar iheggigni biex immur...

it-tieni parti (riha ta' kadavri)

2006-10-23T13:46:00.000+02:00

Xxx! Oqghodu! Isimghu sew... qed tisimghuh il-hoss? Dak il-ftit thaxwix silenzjuz? Dak in-nifs bilkemm tisimghu? Dik hi l-bloggosfera li qed tipprova tohrog mill-qabar.

Qumu mill-qabar bloggejja maltin u ohorgu l-kadavru tal-blogg taghkom minn gol-qabar!

going, going, gone

2006-07-20T16:41:00.000+02:00

Those who love me can take the metro

pastizz bil-provi

2006-07-08T21:21:00.000+02:00

Pastizzi mixtrija minn
Patisserie Giovanni, Chausée de Louvain, Bruxelles

--

lang:mt cat:genm

on superficiality and blérot

2006-06-22T11:37:00.000+02:00

Anita and I are flat-hunting at the moment. We like Schaerbeek but just need a change I guess.

Yesterday's apartment in St-Gilles looked very promising. A semi-art nouveau block of apartments designed by none other the master of tasteful squiggliness Ernest Blérot.

Blérot definitely put his soul into producing a patina of subdued opulence. The apartment was small but good enough for us. Just one (major) problem: the kitchen/bathroom. Apartments with a bath installed in the kitchen aren't rare in old Brussels apartment blocks but they usually have some sort of wall or divider of some sort between the two.

This one didn't. You could literally stand in the bath, butt naked with shampoo on your hair (and on your chest hair if you're particularly hairy) and fry some sardines or prepare a sunday roast. Practical, but aesthetically - and logistically - strange.

The thing that struck me the most was how superficial the building was. Couldn't he have spared five minutes from his recurrent thoughts on stone noodling, squiggles and outweirding Victor Horta to ask the builders to build a wall between the two? I'm an upholder of the virtues of superficiality. I think too many people disregard what seems to be superficial to get to the internal part, losing an important part of the object or subject itself in the process. I happen to like surfaces and surfaces condition my choices as much as much as the actual content does, but in some way this Blérot building went too far considering external factors rather than what will actually be in the building itself. Or maybe it's a bold aesthetic statement I didn't quite understand. Maybe since Victor Horta was reputedly an eccentric heavy drug user (stories on how an arsenal of marijuana, opium and magic mushrooms were found in his cellar after his death abound) and Blérot was just a quiet catholic, middle-class architect he felt he just had to outweird him in some other way.

A couple (Brussels apartment viewing is like a bit like an offbeat auction... you're never alone in the apartment) just walked in, recoiled in horror at this odd setup and walked out again without uttering a single word. I'm reasonably sure Blérot would have been amused...

kemm ahna sbieh min jaf jarana...

2006-06-18T11:02:00.000+02:00

Tort tieghek! Tieghek!!

--

lang:mt - cat:genm

magico gabriel!

2006-06-10T14:30:00.000+02:00

Wahda mir-ragunijiet ghalfejn nixtieq ninvesti f'satellita jekk Anita u jien innizlu l-ankri fi Brussell huma l-istazzjonijiet regjonali taljani. Il-qamel li ssib inkredibbli u jiggrantilek siegha zmien... m'inix wahdi f'dan il-godiment pervers.

Minn zmien Mai Dire TV u qabel kien hemm qellieba li meta sabu dawn il-magi sabu rwiehhom imsahhra. Din hi probabbilment iktar kawza tal-valur komiku tas-shahar (li issibhom, flimkien mat-telebejgh, fuq kwazi kull stazzjon regjonali taljan filghodu) milli tal-bravura kartomantika taghhom. Isem wiehed jispikka fuq l-ohrajn. Dan:

Mela, per il vostro piacere e godimento nipprezentalkom l-aqwa (jew l-aghar) filmati ta' shahar, veggenti u qarrejja tax-xorti fuq dak ir-radam li hu t-TV regjonali taljan (bil-kummenti tal-Gialappa's).

Is-second division spiritiku:

Hawn din id-dedikazzjoni inkazzata tal-Mago Omar lil xi telespettatur li qal dak li ma kellux jghid.
Il-Maga Ambra naqra inkazzata li hadd m'hu qed icempel

F'klassi ghalih:

Hawn din is-sehta tal-Mago Gabriel (maghruf ahjar bhala l-Bela Lugosi katodiku ta' Torino) fuq il-'Giappas Benz'
Kif ukoll din fejn jerga' jintervieni l-Mago Gabriel u jurina kif, apparentement, tista' issir invisibbli jekk tixrob il-bajd tat-tigieg (jew ta' l-Upupa, araw intkom insomma)
Jew din fejn Gabriel, billi hu Mago d'oc u ghalih l-ipnotismo hi haga tal-principjanti, jaghmel esperiment ta' "pinotismo" minflok.
..u din fejn l-Mago Gabriel, igieghel 'xpirita' tisma' 'xtupenta melotia' (u jgieghel it-telespettaturi jitpixxu bid-dahq ukoll).

Tridu taraw iktar filmati tieghu jixrob l-abjad tal-bajd, liebes flokk ta' taht jizfen madwar mejda, jew forsi tridu taraw il-filmat osé tieghu jorgasma fil-vaska? Mela zuru dan is-sit jew ikklikkjaw hawn.

--

lang:mt - cat:genm

a (l)amposta of my own

2006-06-07T15:30:00.000+02:00

Niddiletta naqra bil-geneologija jien.

Grazzi ghall-geneologija skoprejt li possibilment ghandi dawk il-famuzi nanniet Katalani (haga li kienet evidenti hafna meta qabbilt il-fatizzi tieghi ma' l-ucuh ta' certu supporters tal-Barcelona FC fil-gazzetta wara li xarrabna l- Arsenal kif imiss), Taljani, Griegi u Ghawdxin (u b'possibilita' ta' xi Irlandiz leprekun ukoll). Haga li nhobb nghid in-nies ghax jien ferhan - kemm b'mod peggorattiv u kemm newtrali - biha l-haga.

Jien, milli jidher, wiehed mill-ftit maltin puri tal-familja tieghi. Puri, insomma... pur daqs certu bniedem b'kunjom arjan imma ta' arjanita dubjuza.

Imma insomma... lura ghan-nanniet katalani (li ser jinkitbu fil-biografija tieghi). Mid-dehera kienu jivvjaggaw u jgorru min-naha ghall-ohra ta' Katalunja ta' spiss. Forsi huma hu ghaddejjin waqfu, jew anke ghexu, f'post jismu (l)amposta. Min jaf x'raw hemm... forsi kienu mistghagba daqs kemm kont jien li s-simbolu ta' l'amposta hu s-salib malti*? Dan kif? Malta diga saret sinonimu ma' (l)amposta? J'accuse!

* Min, bhali, juza l-Firefox attenti ghall-favicon meta tillowdja l-pagna. Min le ahjar ghalih.

lang:mt - cat:genm

weekly buffet

2006-06-03T22:29:00.000+02:00

I'm going through changes

The name of this blog has been changed to Inutile de dégeler, and will be synched with my eponymous LJ blog. The look and layout of this blog have also been slightly modified.

I'm also working hard on the other projects I had previously mentioned. A minor setback... well make that a pretty major setback actually (my laptop clickety-clicked, whirred and died uncerimoniously a week or two ago) has prevented me from finishing off the stuff I would have liked to have finished off by now.

More on this next time...

Viddy this, viddy these

I always found YouTube to be quite an overrated site. Although there are a few gems, there's also an inordinate amount of puerile teenagers-with-a-cheap-DV vids to sift through to get to them. I found the attention to detail of videos such as this absolutely amazing; the humour won't split your sides but it still is pretty funny.

Badawi + FM3

Live at Recylart tomorrow.

Bufura rih imtarrab

Anita u jien rajna Vento di Terra llum. Iktar ma ninfirdu mill-Italja, iktar qed insiru bhalha. Ma nistax nispjegaha sew imma jekk taraw il-film forsi tifhmu x'jien nghid (nispera).

Mhux xi film li dak li jkun ser jaghmel dnub mejjet jekk jitilfu imma mhux film li ser ibiddillek hajtek lanqas...

---

lang:en - lang:mt - cat:gene - cat:film

will secret brussels save our sundays?

2006-05-25T11:04:00.000+02:00

There's something about lazy Sunday afternoons. I don't like them. The impending feeling that you're supposed to be doing something - anything - because tomorrow you won't be in a position to do something - anything - because you'll be at work all day is unsettling and uncomfortable. I always feel I'm wasting my time even when I'm not or haven't actually got anything better to do.

But last Sunday was a good one. I woke up late, successfully defeating my apparently ingrained urge to wake up and be productive. We later went for a buffet lunch at a Thai restaurant next to the Palais de Justice where I made sure (read politely bullied) my girlfriend and I overate to avoid the tyranny of the kitchen later that evening. After that we went to Waterstone's and bought some books, La Libre Belgique and The Wire.

I strongly recommend one of the books I bought to anyone who lives in Brussels or has an interest in our city.

It's called Secret Brussels (publisher: Editions Jonglez).

The authors of this book found an astounding number of those hidden gems which eccentric architects or singular bricoleurs-cum-artists had worked on in the last few centuries and successive waves of people have left as a testament to the inventive, healthy eccentricity of the past residents of the city.

I had previously discovered a few myself. I remember trying to enter the 1960s timewarp of a "love hotel", complete with old Behringer speakers blaring out the Love Boat theme, in rue du Berger (near the Porte de Namur; next to Nadine) and have always, and not-so-secretly, dreamt I could afford to buy and restore the Maison Saint-Cyr in Place Ambiorix.

Some places are, however, new to me - the Mupdofer, a private museum of rail memorabilia so obscure that it hasn't even got opening hours - just call and hope someone will be there. Some are even stranger: the lift at the Museum of Modern Art, the former power station of the Société des Tramways Bruxelloises, the Volkswagen factory in Forest, the Musée des Egouts (Sewers Museum) or the toilets of the Belga Queen restaurant for starters. These and a few others will hopefully be just the ticket to get rid of the pressure of having to make the most out of your Sunday. After all - spending the day staring at truly surreal architecture or broken down colonial machinery rather than doing useful, mundane chores such as shopping for food or hoovering won't reduce your time-wasting guilt or procrastination, but at least they'll make your Sundays more enjoyable!

lang:en - cat:brue

Philip Jeck = saudade for the (small) masses?

2006-05-19T08:46:00.000+02:00

Walking through the Zoo de l'Orangerie in Strasbourg, Philip Jeck and I were not alone.

His 'Some pennies' (from "7") resonated in my headphones and in the activities of the Italian pensioners who had just parked their tour bus a few meters outside the back entrance and were now busy taking photos of the tropical birds in the cage to their left. The birds themselves were busy doing what they do best - chirping and hopping tensely from one steel bar to the other. The murmur of transposed electronics and damaged records in my headphones was in some way similar to (but, disappointingly, not exactly like) the errantly geometric way Maltese lawyers walk.

The temporality, too, of both activities was complimentary. Jeck's music is a slideshow, if you want, of old records. It's an analogon of reality and so are the pensioners photos. This is the pointless beauty of Jeck's music. His music isn't just the showing of old photos (records) in a given sequence, but what makes it special is the spectra of temporality itself; of times gone by which probably never existed and of the temporal beauty of old, yellowing photos superseding the image itself. Hmm... or should that be sepiaing rather than yellowing?

Anyway - in my opinion his music isn't just music. It's a strategy; an emotionally manipulative technique to recall past times which all of us think we remember, but none of us ever lived the way he suggests we did.

lang:en - cat:muse

ça y est

2006-05-11T17:17:00.000+02:00

L-ezamijiet lesti!

Dan iz-zmien taghni cans nirrifletti fuq l-utitilità tal-blogg. Mhux l-utilità tal-blogg ghal haddiehor ghax meta xi hadd qed jibbloggja generalment qieghed jibbloggja minn jeddu bla hadd ma talbu (jew halsu!) tispicca ma tantx tinkwieta dwar haddiehor u ssir kemmxejn egoist.

Ser nibqa nibbloggja - hekk kif ili naghmel kwazi sentejn (kemm il-LJ u kemm hawn) imma mhux ser inzid il-posts. Ikun hemm bzonn bloggata xi minn daqqiet, imma bhala utilità kreattiva (i.e. x'qed jiehu minnha haddiehor) forsi ahjar il-hin tieghi nuzah fuq il-progetti l-ohra tieghi.

Aaaa wicc ta' xadina

Ghal min, bhali, juza l-Firefox nikkunsiljalu li jnizzel estensjoni jisimha Greasemonkey. Dan ix-xadin ihallik tghaffeg u thawwad fl-iskripts tas-siti hekk kif jghaffeg u jhawwad Bonobo li jispicca msakkar lejl fil-mahzen ta' Banana Joe. Studjawh naqra... mhux iebes biex tuzah daqs kemm jidher.

X'inhu gej...

Ser nirridisinja l-blogg, ser nikkrea sit biex naghqad il-hafna progetti li qed nahdem fuqhom... fost dawn il-progetti (ghal min hu interessat) hemm:

- Ridisinn tal-blogg: ser ikun bilingwu u ser juza tags jew kategoriji. Irridu dak li jkun jista' jaghzel li jaqra mhux biss dwar it-tema imma jaghzel. Bicca xoghol tal-qaddisin, jew xoghol mignun (boulot fou) kif jghidu hawn ghax irrid nara kif ser naghmel biex naghqad il-hafna komunitajiet li jien parti minnhom (il-bloggeja, il-bloggejja tal-Benelux, ix-xena tal-musika esperimentali, bloggejja minn brussell, bloggejja dwar films u arkitettura, ecc) f'blogg wiehed. Ser narkivja l-bloggs il-qodma u naghlaq dawk il-hafna kaxxi li ftaht, u nispicca dawk il-hafna truf li dejjem nibda u qatt ma nlesti.

- Traduzzjoni (sotottitoli) ghall-Malti tal-films ta' Chris Marker. Ser nibda (anzi... bdejt il-bierah) b'La Jetée u inkompli b'Sans Soleil (il-film favorit tieghi mill-films kollha li qatt ghamel Marker). Ser ikunu f'format .srt - iggifieri jahdmu fuq kwalunkwe verzjoni tal-film - l-aqwa li jkun DivX

- Qed nipprepara lista ta' kull festival ta' muzika esperimentali li hawn fl-Ewropa. Kwazi lestejt. Tkun disponibbli fuq is-sit la nlestiha.

- (Possibilment) traduzzjoni lejn il-Malti ta' ktieb wiehed ta' Philippe Delerm. Din li tkellimt ma' Pierre u David. Sa fejn naf jien l-ebda ktieb minn tieghu ma gie tradott lejn l-Ingliz. Issa nara kif inhossni nittraducih ghall-Malti u filkas forsi nikkunsidra nittraduci l-kotba tieghu lejn l-Ingliz. Ma nafx nohorgux bhala ktieb jew bhala bloggata. Nixtieq naghmel

Umbaghad hemm affarijiet personali...
- jien u Anita nixtiequ ngorru (jew nimmuwvjaw) lejn St-Gilles jew ic-centru (anke Ixelles tajjeb). Kollox f'waqtu.
- Daqshekk ufficju wahdi. Ser ikolli naqsam ufficju ma' haddiehor minn Gunju. Forsi ma tidhirx xi tragedja din imma ghal xi hadd territorjali daqshi dan jirrapresenta mument ikrah hafna fil-hajja professjonali tieghu.
- ecc

Pirandello woz 'ere

Che Malta abbia avuto un posto particolare nel cuore di Luigi Pirandello risulta anche dal fatto che il primo biografo dell'autore, Federico Vittore Nardelli, fornisce una personale descrizione dell'Isola, nutrita però di elementi tratti dalla rielaborazione pirandelliana del racconto materno:

L'isola, tu la vedi ancor oggi turrita e glabra, con un dissenso evidentissimo tra l'aspetto esteriore e la creta intima. Chi v'arrivi dal mare scorge uno scenario di muraglie grige, come la chiusa di giardini pensili favolosi; e tra gli alti ripari penetrando nell'insenature cilestri approda al cuore stesso delle terre.

Mehuda minn Il riflesso di Malta in una pagina pirandelliana

b'niket inhabbru l-mewt ta' dan il-blogg

2006-04-07T11:44:00.000+02:00

Err.. mhux ezattament.

Biss qabel nofs/l-ahhar ta' Mejju dan il-blogg mhux ser jigi aggornat ghax ghandi xi progetti u affarijiet x'nehles l-ewwel (fosthom l-ezamijiet) u ma nixtieqx distrazzjonijiet kreattivi sa dak iz-zmien.

Wara dan iz-zmien ser nibda nibbloggja almenu darba fil-gimgha (jew [jekk possibbli] darbtejn).

Grazzi u sahha.

amerika + aux armes citoyens

2006-04-02T08:57:00.000+02:00

L-Amerika

U bl-Ingliz din ghax hadt buzz nikteb bloggata bl-Ingliz (wara li kont ili iktar minn sena ma nikteb xi haga hekk b'din il-lingwa) l-ahhar darba.

Dans Amerika, le quotidien d’une famille est subitement confronté au surnaturel. Une force maléfique semble s’être infiltrée dans le foyer, provoquant la terreur chez ses occupants.

Constat poétique de l’après 11 septembre, Amerika cristallise les mécanismes de survie de notre monde. Car en consacrant le retour en force du réel et de l’angoisse, nine eleven a également mis le feu aux poudres des imaginaires individuels et collectifs.

We checked out a theatre piece called Amerika at the Halles de Schaerbeek yesterday. Very experimental stuff featuring a sheriff who sleeps in a kennel, a boy in a gorilla costume and a dwarf who (presumably) allegorised and externalised evil. I think it was a success insofar as the producer (Claude Schultz) wanted to create this piece partly as an homage to a certain imaginary America constructed by H.P. Lovecraft, Edgar Allen Poe and Alfred Hitchcock - the calm in the play was never free of a very quiet, menacing sort of Lovecraftian tension. As far as narrative goes there wasn't much to follow. I strongly agree with this write-up in Tuesday's Le Soir, but don't really agree with their conclusions. Granted, there were a few hiccups but in general the play worked very well indeed.

Oh, and if anyone thinks a rapidly balding, overwrought portly middle-aged man in a shirt and tie can't be scary they'll be proven wrong; the moment main actor Lou Castel (a veteran of several Wenders and Fassbinder films) angrily murmurs or, even more disconcertingly, comes close to the spectators and homicidally screams something at us the irreality of the piece is suddenly transformed into something uncomfortably real and disturbingly physical.

As Anita said 15 minutes into the play "mhux qed nifhem xejn imma qed toghgobni hafna". No actual storyline then, but the impending feeling of an emotional implosion within the nuclear family doesn't need a linear script to be felt or understood.

Bil-bajd...

Aux armes citoyens, formez vos bataillons...

Jien kburi. Kburi li fl-ahhar l-impjegati tal-gradi B u C ftiehmu bejniethom fid-dipartiment fejn nahdem jien. Ahna wiehed mill-ewwel dipartimenti li organizzajna speci ta' front mhux-gerarkiku li mhu affiljat ma' l-ebda union. Hemm sens palbabbli ta' tibdil fl-arja u forsi anke inkwiet min-naha ta' l-amministrazzjoni centrali li, biex niehu ezempju wiehed biss, kienet qaltilna biex ma napplikawx/ma nimlewx karti ta' l-overtime (xi haga li qieghda fil-kuntratti u fl-istatut u b'hekk taghna bi dritt) meta naghmlu sighat zejda li nigu mitluba naghmlu - biss l-amministrazzjoni ma tridx tipprovdi din id-direttiva bil-miktub ghal ragunijiet cari hafna (appuntu ghax hi talba illegali)!

der struwwelpeter + euskadi

2006-03-22T21:29:00.000+01:00

Der Struwwelpeter

Struwwelpeter kien invenzjoni ta' certu Germaniz jismu Heinrich Hoffmann li pingih ghat-tifel tieghu. Ma nistaghgibx jekk it-tifel sar ragel stramb hafna la qabez il-pubertà.

Niftakarni darba xi tliet snin ilu kont Frankfurt u hekk kif kelli nofs siegha x'nahli qabel ma jiftah ix-Schirn Kunsthalle dhalt l-iStruwwelpetermuseum. Ktieb kwazi tal-biza.. u forsi biased ghax hu Germaniz imma hemm xi haga Tedeska hafna fl-atteggament ta' l-istampi kontra l-hmieg u daydreaming.

Issa hargu ktieb tieghu f'verzjoni moderna li jidher eccellenti... arawh naqra.

Minn boingboing.net:

Struwwelpeter is Staake's adaptation of Der Struwwelpeter, a teach-kids-morality-through-fear book written 160 years ago by Heinrich Hoffman. When Staake was a child, he was exposed to the original book, and never forgot its frightening and gory illustrations of mayhem and punishment.

Eskerrik asko, ETA. Eskerrik asko, Madrid
(ETA announces plans for permanent ceasefire)

Ahbar tajba immens. Daqshekk vjolenza, daqshekk glied, daqshekk qtil ta' innocenti, daqshekk sparar u, fuq kollox, daqshekk Baski libsin qishom verzjoni KKK tan-ninja turtles fuq l-RTVE.

Bhala Baskofilu u bhala xi hadd li dejjem appoggja iktar indipendenza Baska qed nistenna b'herqa kbira biex nara x'ser jigri issa. L-idea tieghi li nitghallem il-Bask kif suppost meta jkolli cans tibqa' valida - anzi ssir iktar valida issa li l-Pajjiz Bask ha t-triq tad-djalogu minflok il-vjolenza. U mela! Hallikom miz-zobb ta' bombi u morru ahdmu fuq il-prodotti ta' pajjizkom ha tkomplu tirregalawna b'dik il-lingwa sabiha, dawk il-brieret imitati madwar id-dinja (tje lill-Francizi kollha li "serquhom" bla misthija! erm - halliha li parti mill-Baski huma teknikament Francizi) u dak il-mazzit li ma ssib imkien tajjeb daqsu fl-Ewropa.

Hadu din it-triq ghax indunaw li ma kienu qed jaslu mkien, ghax gharukaza l-ebda persuna f'Gasteiz jew Bilbao ma kienet tappoggja l-qtil ta' 120 innocent f'supermerkat (tghid kif?). Effettivament il-gvern rebhilhom - dik hi l-verità li hadd ma jrid ilissen - nisperaw li Madrid ma tabbuzax minn din ir-rebha imma taghti lill-Pilatuk li hu ta' Pilatuk, u nisperaw li s-sinjuri ta' l-ETA isakkru l-AK-47s u l-bombi taghhom f'xi kantina mudlama u jarmu c-cavetta.

(ps ghal min qieghed Brussell jew gieli jigi hawn hemm resto Bask tajjeb hafna f'Ixelles jismu Le Fils de Jules - tinsewx tigbdu nofs ir-risparmji li faddaltu ghax tikbu biki kbir la jasal il-kont, u jekk tridu xi pintxos biss dejjem hemm il-Comocomo f'Rue Dansaert fic-centru)

saucisson sec

2006-03-21T12:02:00.000+01:00

Radju Bubaqra, 21.03.06 - 12:14

Mela cemplilna Joe minn Brussell li jixtieq jiddedika diska... bil-mohbi qalilna eh... lil hbiebu tax-xoghol fi Brussell u l-Lussemburgu.

Diska ta' 23 minuta - iva sewwa smajtu tlieta u ghoxrin! - tan-Nwar Dezijr jisimha l'Ewropp. Ara gejja... ghalikhom din boys u girls li qed tirraprezentaw pajjizna fil-kmamar tal-poter!

Les sangliers sont lâchés.
Je répète :
les sangliers sont lâchés.

Les petits patrons font les grandes rivières de diamant.
Deux fois.

Les roses de l’Europe sont le festin de Satan.
Je répète :
les roses de l’Europe sont le festin de Satan.

Nous travaillons actuellement pour l’Europe.
Nous travaillons actuellement pour l’Europe.
Nous travaillons actuellement pour l’Europe.
Nous travaillons actuellement pour l’Europe.
Voire pour le monde.

Chère vieille Europe, cher vieux continent, putain autoritaire, aristocrate et libertaire, bourgeoise et ouvrière, pomponnée des grands siècles et colosses titubants. Regarde tes épaules voûtées, pas moyen d’épousseter d’un seul geste, d’un seul, les vieilles pellicules, tes peaux mortes d’hier et tabula rasa… D’ici on pourrait croire à de la pourriture noble et en suspension. Il flotte encore dans l’air de cette odeur de soufre.

Sale vieille Europe, celle qui entre deux guerres et même encore pendant caressait pour son bien le ventre des pays de ses lointains ailleurs et la bite à la main arrosait de son sperme les sexes autochtones.

On se relève de ça ? On se relève de tout même des chutes sans fond.

Nous avons su monter nous avons su descendre, nous pouvons arrêter et nous pouvons reprendre…
Europe des lumières ou alors des ténèbres ; à peine des lucioles dans les théâtres d’ombre. A peine une étincelle dans la nuit qui s’installe et puis se ressaisit, et puis l’aube nouvelle, après les crimes d’enfance, les erreurs de jeunesse on n’arrache plus les ailes des libellules d’or.

Nous travaillons actuellement pour l’Europe.
Voire pour le monde.

Amnistie, amnistie ou alors amnésie, qu’est ce que vous voulez que ça foute, de toutes façons il faut bien avancer, pressons l’pas camarade et puis réalisons réalisons, il en restera toujours quelque chose allez ! Matérialiste alors ça fait qu’au moins on est sûr de n’pas se tromper, et du tangible alors jusqu’à l’indigestion, du rationnel alors et jusqu’à en crever, des logiques implacables mais toujours pas de sens… Eh princesse de l’Histoire dans sa marche forcée, on finit par se perdre en passant sous tes arches multiséculaires.

Nous travaillons actuellement pour l’Europe.
Voire pour le monde.

On est passé de tes arcanes passées, passé de tes arcanes passées, on est passé de tes arcanes passées, aux charmes technocrates…
Alors l’Europe alors l’Europe alors l’Europe alors. Bruxelles, Schengen, Strasbourg, Maastricht, PIB, PIB, CEE, Euratom, OCDE et GATT. Protégez-nous marché de cet AMI commun d’un monde si petit.

Euromonnaie unique, Nasdaq et CAC 40, orgiaque, idyllique, faîtes de la poésie, soutenez la culture, produisez du spectacle et de l’entertainment comme on dit chez nos frères d’Outre-Atlantique et toc anciens Européens, nouveaux maîtres du monde pendant que le dragon asiatique rêve, fait ses étirements, il est beau et puissant, crache du feu gentiment.

Pendant qu’Ernest Antoine Seillière fait son apparition et nous déclare sa flamme il nous aime et nous dit : « Nous ne sommes pas comme les politiques soumis à la pression de la rue »
Et on entend au loin résonner les clameurs de la foule, les beaux mouvements d’ensemble, les défilés glorieux et puis la lutte des classes.
Et maintenant c’est sérieux, eh bébé, c’est sérieux on ne croit plus en rien, nous montons de toutes pièces ce business et Basta, on chevauche pas Pégase ça c’était pour l’extase et l’extase c’est fini.
Extension, extension, expansion si possible, pas de rêve à porter seulement des dynamiques.
D’abord la thune bébé et le reste suivra et le reste viendra c’est ce qu’on dit je crois en cette époque là bénie des globophages.

Chère vieille Europe, ta tête connaît à peine tes jambes qui souvent ne comprennent pas tes bras comment ça marche un corps déjà. Comment ça marche un corps étranger à son corps on n’sait pas on s’en fout on s’embrasse quand même et puis on a raison.

Sale vieille Europe, te souviens-tu de la force brutale, occident mal luné, guerre brûlante, guerre froide, et enfin de guerre lasse et enfin de guerre lasse.

Nous travaillons actuellement pour l’Europe.

En veux-tu en voilà des écoles de la / performance et voilà des patrons créateurs du Global business dialogue ou Electronic commerce pour s’asseoir en gloussant sur toutes les exceptions à commencer par ce truc machin culturel.

Histoires de producteurs et de consommateurs, du producteur au consommateur, et des intermédiaires à plus savoir qu’en foutre, toute ton âme s’est usée sur ce chemin sans fin et ce va-et-vient, viens on y va, nous aussi, profiter, pas d’raison, après tout ça ira, on en aura pour tout le monde, y’en aura pour tout l’monde, on a dit pour tout l’monde, pour tout l’monde
et mon cul !

A quelle hauteur vas-tu ériger tes remparts ?
Où vas-tu repousser tes nouveaux murs d’enceinte ?
Quelque chose est resté en travers de la gorge et nous voulons cracher c’est la moindre des choses mais vous pouvez, madame, vous adressez à nous car tout n’est pas perdu non tout n’est pas perdu de vos mythes d’aurore ici le soleil brille pour tous et on y croit.

Nous travaillons actuellement pour l’Europe.
Voire pour le Monde

Quelque chose est resté en travers de la gorge et nous voulons cracher c’est la moindre des choses mais vous pouvez, madame, vous adressez à nous car tout n’est pas perdu non tout n’est pas perdu de vos mythes d’aurore ici le soleil brille pour tous et on y croit.

La vérole sur vos gueules.
Je répète :
la vérole sur vos gueules.
Les soupirs de la sainte et les cris de la fée ne sont plus entendus au banquet des banquiers.
Une fois.
La marmite de l’ermite est remplie de rubis.
Je répète :
la marmite de l’ermite est remplie de rubis.

La vieille Europe est la maquerelle des ballets roses.
Deux fois.
Quand les sirènes se taisent, les rapaces gueulent.
Je répète :
quand les sirènes se taisent, les rapaces gueulent.
Le rouge et le noir des tortures sont les fleurs du mal.
Je répète :
le rouge et le noir des tortures sont les fleurs du mal.
Le jour de l’Occident est la nuit de l’Orient.
Deux fois.
Le jour de l’Occident est la nuit de l’Orient.
Je ne suis pas chauvine
mais la France est quand même la reine des fromages.
Tryphon Tournesol est un zouave.
Six fois.

Le sang versé est la tasse de thé des géants de la foire.
Deux fois.
Il pleut des cordes sur la Concorde.
Il pleut des cordes sur la Concorde.
Les petites filles modèles sont les élues de l’Europe.
Je répète :
les petites filles modèles sont les élues de l’Europe.
Merde à la sûreté.
Deux fois.
La folie des grandeurs tue les merles moqueurs.
Je répète :
la folie des grandeurs tue les merles moqueurs.
Si vous ne trouvez plus rien cherchez autre chose.

Paix en Suisse.
Je répète :
paix en Suisse.
Les noces de sang incendient l’horizon.
Deux fois.
Le rimel de l’Europe coule sur les plastrons.
Deux fois.

La vie commence maintenant,
et maintenant, et maintenant.

L’Europe est une petite déesse mortelle.
Deux fois.

L’enfance de l’art est un lever de soleil.
Je répète :
l’enfance de l’art est un lever de soleil.

Nous travaillons actuellement pour l'Europe

stramberiji minn madwar id-dinja

2006-03-18T09:15:00.000+01:00

Curse ov Dialect

Nibdew b'dawn. Curse ov Dialekt - naqra hip-hop teatriku Awstraljan. Il-membri huma maori, pakistani, macedonjan... u Malti. Grupp stramb. Anke l-kuncett ta' hip-hop Awstraljan stramb, ahseb u ara l-ezistenza ta' dan il-grupp.

Kotba (The Libération u Le Guardian)

Ghal min jista' jsibha hemm suppliment tajjeb hafna fil-Libération tal-bierah fuq il-francophonie. Ghalija li ma nafx hafna kittieba Frankofoni li m'humiex Franco-Belgo-Suisse-Québécois kien minjiera ta' informazzjoni dwar is-suwed u l-gharab li qed jiktbu bil-lingwa tal-barrani. Naqbel ma' l-artiklu ta' Sharon (M.I.A. barra mill-bloggosfera) fit-Times of Malta - li tikteb f'lingwa barranija taghqad u jkun hemm certu kamaraderì bejn il-kittieba li m'ghandhom xejn x'jaqsmu ma' xulxin.

Fost il-kittieba, l-iktar wiehed li hadt grazzja mieghu hu certu Abdourahman A. Waberi (Djibouti) ghax ghandu sense of humour tajjeb li bih jghid hafna veritajiet...

Fl-artiklu tieghu beda kull sentenza b'"J'écris en français..." u fost ir-risposti kien hemm
"...pour que l'on continue à me poser sempiternellement la question 'Pourquoi écrivez-vous en français'",
"...parce que je suis un pur produit postcolonial",
"...pour voir mon nom dans les pages 'Culture' de Libération",
"...en attendant de bien dominer la langue de Woody Allen et Bret Easton Ellis".

Ir-Review ta' The Guardian ta' weekend ilu (li spiccajt naqra l-bierah fuq l-ajruplan ghax ma kellix cans qabel) kien interessanti hafna, imma ghalkemm l-artikli huma intelligenti u miktuba b'Ingliz isahhrek, huma wisq qishom ewlogiji (hassejtha partikolarment fl-ewwel artiklu dwar Beckett din). Beckett kien narcissist liba minn dawk il-horox li ta' min itih xebgha stanga kif imiss ha johorgu mill-adorazzjoni tieghu nnifsu u jgibhu f'postu (u la qeghdin hemm aghtu daqtejn lill-Hemingway, dak il-giddieb). Ma narax ghalfejn xi hadd ma jistax jikteb hekk (u jekk jikteb xi haga hazina m'hemmx ghalfejn jigi jigri sentenza wara biex "jikkoregi" l-image tieghu). Nixtieq li certu kittieba ma jkunux daqshekk in awe tas-suggetti taghhom. Artiklu tajjeb imma kemm ser iddum taqra ewlogji li ma jipproponux il-kittieb minn lenti differenti u mhux daqshekk reverenzjali. Dan l-ahhar anke kwazi-ewlogji ghal Milsovic qrajt! (fejn hi dik l-istanga...)

Muzika accessibbli

Katerine - Robots après tout
Elektro-pop imhanzer. Hemm diska fuq kif beda jsegwi wahda u meta daret kienet Marine Le Pen u hi bdiet issegwih madwar Parigi.

Ivor Cutler - Ludo
Poeta foniku (sound poet) assurd minn Glasgow li miet dan l-ahhar

Françoiz Breut - Une saison volée
Chanson Franciz jidhol fir-renju tal-pop intelligenti...

The Perceptionists - Black Dialogue
Hip-hop kif suppost ikun. Intelligenti u rima/ritmu mexxej. Ir-rappers huma naqra wisq "tfal sew" bhal Jeru the Damaja jew Public Enemy xi minn daqqiet, imma l-analizi tal-mod ta' kif jitkellmu s-suwed (ebonics) u kif din hi marbuta ma' flus u popolarità llum hi partikolarment tajba.

Tom Zé - Estudando O Pagode: Na Opereta Segregamulher e Amor
It-tifel bizzar tal-tropicalia braziljana johrog b'album iehor rebbieh u accessibbli (imma xorta stramb - stramb daqs Araça Azul ta' Caetano Veloso!)

Axolotl - Sad Hotel
Erm... ok.. qed nigdeb. M'humiex prooooopja accessibbli imma xorta tajjeb dan l-album. late night howls of damaged electronics and otherworldly layered violin, layered and overdriven.

Min irid inizzel xi haga minghandi kull ma jrid jaghmel jiftah is-SoulSeek u jfittixni.

Franzzzzza

Contrat Premier Embauche
Cazz Prim Erdghu
Constellazjoni tal-Priministru Etereali
Cotra lejn Prekarità u Estru (socjali)

Inglixx

I'm compiling a glossary of Maltese-English terms. Suggestions?

Blue film (porn film) - also used in India, Pakistan
Bottle shop (off licence) - also used in Australia, New Zealand

The first is a word I already use (although I usually prefer 'film nittien' in Maltese or 'porn film' in English). The quietly subversive streak in me will make me use the above words more often now. When I learnt that "savoir" is used instead of "pouvoir" in Belgium (and only in Belgium) about a year ago, I started using it. It wasn't a conscious effort - I just happened to say it once and before I knew it I had savezed and saised my entire gallic vocab.

Caw ittra

L-ittra/email/blog (araw il-kummenti ta' l-ahhar post tieghi) ser titlaq ghada. Il-peer pressure kattiva eh?

monolingualism. again.

2006-03-12T20:13:00.000+01:00

Din bdiet bhala risposta li kont ser nikteb fil-blogg ta' David (Lanzarote) imma tant spiccat twila li ser nippowstjaha hawn bhala bloggata. Kienet speci ta' risposta ghal artiklu ta' KZT.

Ghalhekk bl-Ingliz.

Englisch über alles

Perfect Maltese to preserve our national identity and perfect English, the world's lingua franca, to ensure that Malta will always be an integral part of the evolving global village that the world has become.

If the world has truly become one global village how is it that KZT and his ilk still treat it (linguistically) like a small English village?

What am I on about? Let's start off with a practical example shall we? An IT company with offices in Milan, Frankfurt and Paris would probably be interested in outsourcing their administrative work to a country such as Switzerland. Why Switzerland? Simply because it would be able to provide administraive support in FR, DE and IT plus English.

KZT, DCG & co have to collectively snap out of their historical narcolepsia. We were special when no-one else in Europe spoke more than a smattering of English ('cept Cyprus and Gibraltar of course) but pretty much everyone does now so we have no real linguistic edge over other European countries.

You might think that since English is our second national language (which, by the way, it isn't - it's an official language, our national language is Maltese) surely we've got an edge over our competitors by being more adept at it than, say, your average Spaniard or Ukrainian.

I disagree. The level of your average middle-class Maltese office worker is already good enough. Now, I want to make it perfectly clear I'm not advocating bad English, but business English is what it is - a rudimentary and very practical metalanguage. It's not Shakespeare's language, just a bastard language stripped of its innate poetry and emotional resonance - a language which pretty much anyone can master. This is the English they want and we can readily provide this... anyone can. Better our English? By all means. But it won't give us a competitive commercial edge if that's what we're after. I can't really imagine getting a call from the Hannover logistics office on line 5 wanting me to read them extracts from The Canterbury Tales...

I've said this before and I'll say it again - most post-Slimizi need to travel to, and preferably live in, non-anglophone countries and get some perspective. Perspective is useful. Especially if you're a columnist...

irgajna?! u morru suqu l-bus tal-marsa!

2006-02-28T17:47:00.000+01:00

Kaaalifornja drijmss

Din gurnata importanti. Minn green li dejjem kien kontra l-karozzi sirta Kaaalifornjan. Nirringrazzja lill-PTA/ADT/ETC jew x'jisimhom din il-gimgha. Grazzi... qed tarawha dik? Dik l-ahhar palja, bniedem li ilu jiggieled mieghu nnifsu (kull glieda morali tipo OJ Simpson jiggieled ma' ors fuq l-ehrex amfetamini) irnexxielkom tqabzuhilu ukoll... kemm gbituha fin dik l-ahhar palja.

Bhalissa tant jien inkazzat li nahseb ahjar kont bhal Kaaalifornjani:

Kaaalifornjan jibda jsuq ta' 18-il sena (legalment ghax illegalment ilu jsuq minn mindu kellhu 15-il sena r-rahal)

Kaaalifornjan jahseb li kull min m'ghandux karozza hu xi naqra weird

Kaaalifornjan jitnejjek altament mill-ambjent

Kaaalifornjan jitbissem jew jidhaq meta jara xi hadd ghaddej bir-rota u jzid il-velocita' meta jara xi hadd jipprova jaqsam

Kaaalifornjan ihammeg imma gol karozza riha ta' Arbre Magique u ndafa liema bhala

ATP, Flaggel'o d die' (mhux buses biss)

Ili ma nsuq mill-ezami tas-sewqan. 8 snin. Darb'ohra ngib il-licenzja mieghi, ghax issa hawn id-dar qisni babbu (ghadni gej minn Ghawdex fejn ukoll kelli nimxi kullimkien ghax jekk m'ghandekx xi pickup Daihatsu bil-bandiera Amerikana jew Kanadiza mal-bonnet timxi trid) u ma nista' mmur imkien ghax it-trogloditi ddecidew li mhux bizzejjed 20c biex iwassluna 4 kilometri f'xarabank ta' 30 sena ilu (dejjem jekk ikollhom aptit s'intendi eh). Imsieken.

Il-gvern mhux talli m'ghandux icedi talli missu jipprezentalhom il-kont tal-buses li ssussidja (li qed juzawhom biex jaghmlu r-rotot privati minflok ir-rotot tal-linja), missu jkellem naqra lill-Arriva jew lill-First u jghidilhom jigu 'l hawn ghax hemm bzonnhom u jehles minn din is-sistema mafjuza li ma tezisti mkien iktar fejn kull xufier hu s-sid ix-xarabank tieghu stess ghax dik ittihom il-liberta' mentali li HUMA s-sidien, HUMA jikmandaw mhux li huma semplici impjegati tal-Kunsill/Gvern li ovvjament taghti lok li jitkecca jekk xufier ikun abbuziv jew kiesah wisq.

Urew darba wara ohra kemm m'humiex nies u s-sistema m'ghadiex sodisfacenti (ghalkemm mhux hazina kemm jghidu l-kaaalifornjani li jhobbu jsemmuha ghalkemm ilhom 20 sena ma jaqbdu tal-linja).

Jew ala ma nahsbux iktar il-boghod u nikkunsidraw, billi t-traffiku u ammont ta' karozzi ghal post daqshekk zghir hu ridikolu, ninvestu f'sistema ta' metro hafif hekk kif hemm f'postijiet ta' l-istess daqs jew popolazzjoni (bhall-Haifa jew Lausanne per ezempju). Din l-iktar haga li tiffrustrani... ideat xejn. Is-status quo mqaddes, hadd ma jbiddel ma jmurx hadd ma jivvutalu wara. Bla mapep, bla displays digitali, sahansitra lanqas bicca karta mwehhla mal-waqfiet biex juruk x'hin ser tghaddi tal-linja u x'numru ser tghaddi.

Frustranti wisq li jekk tivvota lill-ohrajn xorta ma jigri xejn u jekk tivvota lit-tielet hemm cans jigri xi haga imma m'ghandomx cans jispiccaw il-parlament hlief f'xi gita turistika. Frustranti wisq li l-unika mod biex tbiddel l-affarijiet huwa li tippakkja u tmur x'imkien fejn jahdmu l-affarijiet.

X'nistghu naghmel jien - jew ahna - biex inbiddlu s-sitwazzjoni? Ghandi sakemm jitlaq l-ajruplan ghad-dar biex noqghod nahsibha... hekk jew hekk ma nista mmur imkien sa dak in-nhar...

listen very carefully, i vill say zis only once...

2006-02-24T14:11:00.000+01:00

Brussell qahba minn dawk il-kbar nett.

Illejla ghal fuq l-ajruplan lejn il-pa'ez u donnha Brussell taf li sejjer 'l hemm. Ilhi tminn xhur nokrob maghha u nifflertja biex forsi turini naqra xemx taht dawk l-ishab grizi kollha li thobb tilbes, u issa li taf li sejjer harget xemx bhal dawk ta' meta jibdew it-teletubbies, u pprezentatli patafjun attivitajiet kulturali u socjali. Issa.

Donnha qed tghidli "Ara x'qed titlef jekk tmur. Mur hmar, mur issa la hallast il-biljett... mur ghax-xita u l-griz ta' Malta. Hahaj!"

Ja qahba li hi.

Nispera li nkun nista' nibghatilha kartolina tal-karnival tan-Nadur minn Ghawdex b'Wish you were here mhazza fuq il-faccata b'tipa tas-snin tmenin, minflok ittra ddisprata li l-messagg mohbi taghha tkun "kellek ragun".

Imma ha nirbahlek ja qahba, ha nirbahlek... jew almenu ha nipprova nirbahlek.

Alleï

naq'a belchitude ejja...

2006-02-17T10:05:00.000+01:00

Lessons de kultuur pur noz ami d'utr-ardenn

[KABBAR]
(id-differenza bejn il-belgjani u l-francizi meta jsiefru)

[KABBAR]
(kif tippronuncja l-affarijiet fil-"pajjiz ic-catt")

[KABBAR]
(il-francizi u n-nuqqas kroniku ta' auto-derisjoni taghhom)

[KABBAR]
(x'jahbtu foufke u t-tichke?!)

Inhazzu tnejn dwar id-differenzi lingwistici u kulturali bejn il-Maltin u l-Ghawdxin? Xi tghidu?

Sors: Il-blogg ta' caat

...ghanja ta' radd il-hajr nghannu lill-mulej

2006-02-04T18:33:00.000+01:00

Sors: Museum of Bad Album Covers

---

Heppi berdejj lil David

Teknikament kelli nghidlu jien wicc imb'wicc il-lejla waqt festin ghal gheluq sninu, imma Anita ghandha mikranja bhal ma jkollha ta' spiss (minn dawk il-horox) u nippreferi ma nohorgux ghax l-ghada tkun kranky ghall-ostra. Kif jaf kull sessist, chauvinist jew persuna normali li jghix ma' mara ahjar taghmel gimgha miksi bl-ghasel f'kamra kollha orsijiet imgewwhin milli tbati gurnata wahda ta' krankiness femminili.

Insomma issa ghandi kartolina hawn ghadha maghluqa ta' gheluq snin ta' 30 sena - nuzaha darb'ohra.

Skuzani li ma nistax nigi David. Il-post tal-lum iddedikata lilek, ghax fil-fatt ta' qassis kont ser nilbes (veru - qmis xtrajtha minn rohs ta' l-H&M u l-kullar abjad nirranga wiehed bil-karti), speci ta' biex intaffu din il-bicca xoghol, ghax hlief mohammed tiela', danimarka niezla ma smajtx din il-gimgha.

Imma is-suggestjoni tieghi, li ghaddejt lil David il-bierah filghaxija, li nilbes ta' landa halib Daniza giet skartata minnufih...

id-dahq u l-arjanità

2006-01-25T09:13:00.000+01:00

Nassigurak li mhux ser tidhaq wisq

Saqsieni kontx ili hawn u qalli li kelli franciz tajjeb hafna, qal ukoll li kien hemm min kien ilu hawn 10 snin u ma jitkellimx hekk. Ghogbitni li qalli hekk imma ma tantx emmintu ghax: 1. kien qed ibeghli polza ta' l-assigurazzjoni allura kellu kull interess joqghod ihawwadni, 2. ta' spiss nithawwad fil-kliem, 3. huwa salesman ta' l-insurance u hu bejjiegh tal-karozzi part-time f'gieh il-madonna, jekk ma jafx jigdeb hu hadd ma jaf!

Fl-ahhar kien hemm it-tpacpic tas-soltu - taf int... minn fejn intom, ecc ecc. Hu qal li kunjomu Awstrijakk (u jidher! ghalkemm forsi ser inpingih hazin ghax kien ragel charmant fil-manjieri tieghu kien jidher naqra t-tip li jivvota ghall-Haider. Iddarrass vizibilment meta skopra li hemm element gharbi fil-lingwa taghna... meta tfajt naqra ilma fuq in-nar billi ghedtlu li l-lingwa fiha influss kbir ta' kliem gejjin mit-taljan ikkalma ftit u donnu ma hassux daqshekk skomdu li xorob il-guws li offrejnielu minn tazza li ma missitx esklussivament ma' xuftejn arjani, imma xorta...)

Insomma hawn tiskopri kemm anke bejn il-kultura maltija tieghi (italo-anglofano) u dik frankofona hemm bahar jaqsam. Is-sarkazmu u d-derisjoni, parikolarment l-awtoderisjoni, huma xi haga normalissimi fil-humour malti...

"ghandkom il-familja Malta nimmagina hux?"
"iva iva"
"x'jaghmlu fil-hajja? sajjieda?" (bejni u bejn ruhi.. "sajjieda almaduwwi?!")
"le..." u ghedt ha nohrog b'quip "...petit bourgeois professjonisti"
"ah! istra!" qalli impressjonat qisni ghedtlu li missieri l-prim ministru u ommi l-president.

Il-humour bruxellois (tahlita ta' humour franciz [blergh] u olandiza [simili ghall-ingliz imma iktar salvagga]) qed imut biex jiehu postu humour kompletament franciz. Brussell li fiz-zmien kienet Fjamminga daqs kemm kien frankofona qed isir dejjem iktar u iktar frankofona - u l-humour qed ibaghti minhabba dan.

Dawn huma d-distanzi psikologici ta' meta tkun barrani - dawn ic-cajt li m'humiex daqshekk tad-dahq imma jifqghu l-poplu tal-pajjiz adottat tieghek jew int, u c-cajt anglo-italo tieghek forsi sottili jew distanti wisq ghal xi hadd li ma trabbiex jara Mai Dire Gol u Black Adder. Huma kulturi differenti, u anke jekk nghix hawn ghal snin u snin u nara kull farsa li qatt ezistiet b'Didier Bourdon jew Jacques Villeret (RIP) nahseb xorta jkun hemm distanza bejniethna. Mhux tant ghax ma jdahhqux imma ghax idahhqu b'mod differenti - idahhqu b'mod li jikkorespondi mal-lingwa taghhom - mod konservattiv, superficjalment studjat u formali zzejjed.

Interessanti li certi komici bhal dawn li jissemmew fil-Guardian qed jippruvaw jifthu t-triq bejn iz-zewg kulturi. Triq li hemm bzonn tinfetah mill-iktar fis possibbli.

Il-passat mhux garanzija tal-futur

Inkredibbli xi jwaddabblek il-Google xi minn daqqiet. L-eroj iz-zghar li ghamluna, imma li ftit nies jiftakru/jafu.

Fir-ritratt: Ondina Tayar as a young woman, around the time she was working on a written form of the Maltese language. Ondina graduated in Pharmacy and was one of the first women in Malta to hold a university degree. She had wanted to study Medicine but had been barred from the course when she raised the matter of Darwin's theory of evolution, a forbidden subject in Catholic Malta at the time.

A descendant of Rabbi Josef Tayar, Ondina Tayar, was one of the first women to graduate from the University of Malta in the 1930s. She was also a member of the panel set up to promote the use of the Maltese language at a time when the Fascists of Italy were trying to promote the use of Italian as the Maltese national language.

Timmaginaw lill-Hitler imur sa restaurant indjan u jordna tigieg tikka massala, naqra ross u naan tal-gobon?

Jekk le, m'ghandkomx hafna immaginazzjoni. Certu forum razzist (oops... razzjalist ridt nghid) iva. Hemm xi Malti fuq pagna nru 7 wkoll li jhobb l-ikel "etniku" taljan/malti.

U nghid jien, jekk ma jridux il-barranin f'pajjizhom ser jissajru wahedhom dawn? Jintefa' Fritz wara t-tandoori jsajjar jew? Jew l-ispirtu tad-duce ser iqum mill-aldilà biex jurina r-ricetti sigrieti tieghu ta' kif jissajjar l-aqwa Tom Yam Guang li qatt doqna.

Darba fuq l-internet rajt poster li kien jghid "Multikulturalizmu. Tibilghux is-sunnara". Imma ha nghidlek, ahjar tibla' sunnara milli furkettata sawerkrawt bil-mustarda ta...

Weather report

Dalghodu xghalt it-tivì u lil min nara? Hadd aktar hlief David il-Lanzarote (li biddel ismu ghal Sébastien Folin) jaqra l-previzjonijiet tat-temp. B'hekk nippropronielkom il-before and after tal-gemelli Folin-Frigg.

Kif inhu t-temp f'Languedoc-Roussillon Lanzy?

all you see is... crime in the city

2006-01-20T08:28:00.000+01:00

Meta int stess issir statistika...

X'hemm isbah milli tigi lura mis-safar sfurzat ta' kull xahar (minhabba xoghol, ikolli mmur post li ma tantx jentuzjazmani) u ssib il-bieb tieghek imbaghbas, b'nofs il-gemb issegat biex jaslu ghas-serratura, kif ukoll l-iskumdita psikologika kbira meta jkollok tohrog ghax taf li jistghu jigu jispiccaw ix-xoghol li bdew meta jridu u int ma tista' taghmel xejn.

U meta tibda titkellem tibda tisma' li m'intix l-ewwel wiehed. Wahda kienet ilha Brussell jumejn u xi hadd taha xebgha sew biex johdilha l-basket. L-iehor ukoll. L-ohra xi haga simili. Kull min inkellem gralu xi haga, tista' tghid bla eccezzjoni - vera hemm element ta' "jien ukoll jien ukoll" fil-bicca, imma mhux hekk biss nahseb. L-ohra tahdem mieghi baqghu ifarrkulha l-hgiega tal-karozza (tliet darbiet f'gimgha sakemm fl-ahhar kellha taqla' l-istereo tal-karozza hi stess u thallih fuq is-sit billi hekk riedu), persuna ohra qal li li riedu c-cwievet tal-karozza tieghu u kull ma ghamlu sempliciment habtulu u meta fetah (taw xebgha sew lill-mara ghax bdiet tghajjat isterikament) xejrulu pistola ma' rasu u kellu, bhac-cuc, imur igib ic-cwievet mill-kamra tas-sodda u jtihomlom.

L-istejjer tal-wahx li johorgu f'gazzetti regjonali "tal-populin" bhad-Dernière Heure u La Capitale (u anke gazzetti serji bhal-Le Soir) dwar xi mignun li tefa' wahda quddiem metro ghax ma tatux il-baskett jibdew isiru iktar plawsibbli, bil-qghad issa jilhaq it-28% f'din il-belt, l-istatistici li hsibt kienu ezagerati fil-Guardian dwar kriminalità (iktar minn tliet darbiet il-kriminalità ta' Londra jew Parigi - partikolarment kriminalità vjolenta), u zgur m'inix ser intawwal ilsieni iktar ma' min idejjaqni jew indur - bla inkwiet ta' xejn - kwartieri insalubrijusi fit-tard wara xi kuncert minflok naqbad taxi. In-nies tal-guide books m'humiex nies soft mid-dehra: il-possibbilita' li taqla xebgha papali biex johdulek zarbun gdid tezisti. X'wake up call dik.

Imma hawn jien. Bil-bieb nofsu ssegat (u ta' quddiemi ukoll). Erba' infrazzjonijiet fil-blokk (blokk modest fejn jghixu tahlita vasta ta' nies) taghna din il-gimgha u l-pulizija li jidhru pjuttost jitnejku. La marki tas-swaba, la tracci, ma hadu xejn. U meta nara li l-gar tieghi Fernando ghamel nota mal-bieb komuni ta' barra biex dejjem jissakkar u xi hadd jikteb "inutile" (le mhux jien kont) man-nota iktar ninharaq. "U zgur" ghedna jien u hu "mhux lilhom gew jemmerdejaw - lilna!"

Darba jien, Anita, Mejlak u David konna qed niccajtaw li billi gejjin wisq Maltin 'l hawn missna niktbu li hrigna u billi semghu lingwa speci ta' gharbija tawna xebgha, imbaghad hadulna l-flus, ecc. f'lejl wiehed. Il-proverbju russu (jew ciniz?) nahseb gieli smajtuh: attent x'tixtieq, ix-xewqa tista' ssir realtà. U fil-fatt... attenti qabel ma tigu 'l hawn u min qieghed hawn redoublez de prudence kif jghidu. Tista' tigri lilkom ukoll. Veru.

NOTA DWAR IT-TITLU: Mehuda minn dokumentarju eccellenti jismu Style Wars dwar graffitti li sar fil-bidu tas-snin 80. Writer kien qed jghid x'kiteb fuq gemb ta' tren sotteranju (l-ewwel wahda kienet tghid "all you see is" u t-tieni "crime in the city").

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Il-forum maghluq

Il-forum BloggsMaltin maghluq. Dan il-forum li kont ikkreajt jien kien inholoq sabiex jigu diskussi l-affarijiet li ma stajniex ghax tant kienu jitwalu l-kummenti fuq il-blogg ta' xi hadd li ta' min tibda post iehor id-diskorsata (u jien gieli kont ninsa lil min hallejt kumment biex nara kienx hemm risposti allura ghedt).

Sfortunatement iz-zmien (timing) li ghazilt jien kien terribbli ghax kienet qed tispicca l-burraxka ta' interess li kien hemm ghall-bloggs u dawk id-diskursati twal kienu qed jispiccaw ukoll. Barra minn dan ma nahsibx li ppromovejtu bizzejjed. Fi kliem ohra l-forum kien falliment u m'hemmx bzonnu iktar.

Il-Maltin (partikolarment il-Maltin intellettwali) huma wisq ta' wahedhom, solitarji u forsi mhux daqshekk solidari biex jaghmlu xi haga komuni allura affarijiet bhall-forum, tabellina, postform u anke - sa certu punt - Il Bollettino jbatu biex jibqghu hajjin. M'hemmx sens ta' koezjoni, kamaraderì jew solidarjetà (qed nevita l-kelma egocentricità) bejn l-intelletwali Maltin* . M'hemmx x'taghmel - hekk huma l-affarijiet (u mhux necessarjament hziena hekk lanqas, ghalkemm mhux necessarjament tajbin lanqas). U tahsbux li qed neskludi lili nnifsi lanqas... jien ukoll hekk sa certu punt.

Ghal min ma jistax jghix minghajr forum (ha!), nikkunsilljalu l-forum ta' l-iScaremongering li ghalkemm ghandu deskrizzjonijiet insipidi tal-kontenut tal-forum hu l-forum Malti ideali biex tahli l-hin targumenta fuq il-meriti tal-films oskuri ta' Hiroshi Teshigahara kontra dawk ta' Scorsese jew jekk il-White Stripes humiex tan-nejk jew le, liema hu l-aqwa ktieb ta' Murakami, jekk kienx Il Secondo Tragico Fantozzi jew L'allenatore nel pallone l-aqwa film trash taljan. Normalment l-affarijiet jispiccaw fir-relm ta' l-astratt ludesk jew tispicca f'nofs tahbita u tigbed tnejn meta tinduna li saru t-3 ta' wara nofsinhar u ghadek bil-pigama u m'ghamilt xejn li kellek ippjanat illum u hlejt gurnata leave... biss vera post sabih jekk ghandek kwarta x'toqtol qabel ma tohrog.

* Test biex taghraf jekk intix veru intellettwali Malti: trid tiddarass kull darba li nghid il-kliem "intellettwali maltin" jew "intellettwali malti" u int stess qatt ma tuzahom hlief b'mod dispregattiv u thobb tuza l-kliem "psewdo-intellettwali" minflok (dejjem b'mod dispregattiv. ovvjament). Trid ukoll tirrifjuta b'mod vigoruz hafna kull nozzjoni li int, kont jew qatt xi darba tkun "intellettwali", u - preferibbilment - tilghabha tal-working class anke jekk int piccolo borghese sal-bajd. Tajjeb hekk?

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cory Doctorow f'Anversa

FYI: Cory Doctorow (l-editur ta' Boing Boing) ser jaghti lekcer f'Anversa nhar it-tlieta (24.01.06) il-MuHKA_media dwar "de toekomst van digitale televisie" (il-futur tat-televisjoni digitali)

l-istima tal-perit II: ir-rivendika tar-rukell

2006-01-13T15:06:00.000+01:00

Dan l-ahhar bdejt indur ftit qisni kelb ta' Sant' Umbert (bhall-kelb ta' Rosco) u l-fjut tieghi wassalni 'l boghod, hekk kif dejjem jaghmel.

Forsi hemm minnkom diga sema' bil-fatt li hawn ammont enormi ta' kontejners abbandunati kullimkien fid-dinja. Ir-raguni hi li b'li jiswa biex taghmel kontejner iehor fic-Cina, irhas tixtrih gdid u tabbanduna l-qadim milli tirrangah jew tibaghtu lura.

L-idea li nixtri bicca art irhisa imbaghad nixtri tliett Spaceboxes mill-Olanda toghgobni. Tirrikjedi certu xoghol logistiku u u wisq probabbli ma nasalx ghalija imma l-idea li tkun kwazi wahdek, u d-daqs tad-dar tkabbarha u ccekkinha kif trid int tajba. Dawn id-djar tista' sahansitra tibnihom fi 3 ijiem qishom gew mill-IKEA jew hargu minn Kinder Sorpresa enormi (halliha trid tistenna xi 3 gimghat biex jitfaccaw it-teknici tal-Belgacom u tas-Sibelga/Eaux Communales). Jekk xi darba tiddeciedi tmur tghix post iehor tista' tiehu d-dar tieghek fuq trakk tal-containers ghal fejn tkun sejjer. L-aspett bebbuxxiju ta' din it-tip ta' arkitettura tappellali wisq.

----

LINKS RELATATI:

Guerilla Homes
(dokumentarju eccellenti li ntwera fuq il-BBC3)

Lot-ek
(periti eccezzjonali fl-opinjoni tieghi, id-disinn semi-rudimentari tal-Guzman Penthouse [Lot-Ek Buildings/Residential/Guzman Penthouse] joghgobni hafna)

Fabprefab
(links u informazzjoni dwar djar pre-fabrikati modernisti)

'a ridaje...

2006-01-06T17:46:00.000+01:00

L-ewwel l-Erika, issa l-Klein Familie... u r-relazzjonijiet franko-maltin ikomplu, erm, sejrin il-bahar.

is-sena bdiet imma z-zmien baqa' ghaddej xorta wahda...

2006-01-02T20:24:00.000+01:00

(aggornata 4.01.06)

Twozawsandendzix! Oh yess... tomorro' it shall alreatty be the 5th tay of Janvuuuary chiiildrehn!

---

X'int taghmel b'dik it-trumbetta f'idek?

M'hemmx ghalfejn nghidu li s-sena 2005 kienet is-sena tal-bloggs u l-entuzjasmu tal-bidu naqas u "immatura". Biss ma nhallux il-bloggs isiru moda li dak li jkun jinsiha bhal ma kienu s-siti personali meta fetah il-Geocities fil-bidu ta' l-internet. Mhux biex niftahar imma nahseb il-bloggs kienu l-iktar haga innovattiva (jew wahda mill-iktar insomma) fuq ix-xena lokali

fis-sena 2005. Jien personalment, u zgur m'inix wahdi, ma rridx narahom jisparixxu.

Kuntent nara li mhux ahna l-bloggers biss qed naqraw il-bloggs imma hemm hafna nies barranin ghall-bloggosfera li qed jaqrawhom, fosthom certu Ronnie Micallef li jahdem mal-British Council, organizazzjoni li dejjem interessatni ghax dejjem kienet iggib artisti innovattivi f'Malta, biss meta naqra kliemu kwazi bla ma rrid nahseb f'dik il-blogg li kont ktibt dwar Wales (f'hafna kazi rridu nammettu li l-inovazzjoni mill-barranin gejja mhux minn "ta' gewwa")... insomma - sabih li tkun taf li hemm min qed jaqra l-bloggs taghna almenu.

This issue of ‘who we are’ is receiving a lot of attention worldwide, in the UK and also in Malta. I think it is important for an organisation such as the British Council to be aware of this debate and to contribute to this question. These discussions are mostly led by individuals, and many of them are web-based. There is a particularly vibrant discussion on the nature of identity at all levels taking place on internet blog sites. Individuals are therefore forming new communities, which transcend our natural borders.They are slowly taking responsibility, and people do not depend as much on governments anymore. And as an organisation we are very aware of this. At least 10,000 people visit our website. But it’s not just the numbers – it’s the quality of interaction that counts as well.
What excites us is the idea of influencing the future. E-democracy, E-expression, E-poetry, and IT communities. I think there is a lot that can be done in these areas. We are also building up a reputation as an office that operates on a wider Euro-Mediterranean platform.

-Ronnie Micallef, British Council (Malta)

---

X'jien kretin

Dan il-lejl ma rqadtx ghax ghamilt kwazi lejl shih nohlom u nirridissinja s-servizz tat-trasport pubbliku Malti, bl-orarji u l-affarijiet kollha kif suppost - iggib is-servizz tat-trasport pubbliku taghna jahdem kif suppost (il-mapep u l-orarji ma' kull waqfa u kabina ta' l-informazzjoni ta' veru l-belt, kif ukoll revizjoni tas-sistema... ma tiswix iktar minn Lm 8,000. X'frustrazzjoni tara l-gvern jixtri xarabanks godda u jtihom lix-xufiera kwazi bhala rigal biex tal-linja imorru jaghmlu l-vjeggi privati taghhom meta taf li b'revizjoni fis-sistema, cioe privatizazzjoni, konna nifrankaw eluf u eluf [li stajna nuzawhom biex inehhu l-asbestos minn Dar Malta, xi tghidu?] u kien ikollna servizz dicenti. Ghandu tant ideat ghall-privatizazzjoni l-gvern kif ma hasibx fiha din? Ghax fil-verita' jitnejku altament mill-ambjent u mit-trasport pubbliku tghid? Jew ghax ahna poplu ma jafx joqghod minghajr karozza ghal iktar minn jumejn - u l-ineficcjenza tal-karozzi tal-linja hi skuza komda?).

Insomma, dan l-imbarazz ghamiltu kollu f'mohhi u gieli ghamilta qabel din il-haga. Nerga nirribatti... x'jien kretin. U kemm ghandi nghas...

l-istima tal-perit + CS + hohoho

2005-12-16T00:25:00.000+01:00

Qabel ma nohorgu r-rukell...

Il-bloggata ta' llum hi ddedikata lil Sandro u d-D li hadu hsiebna b'turtiera gajdriet, brébis u chèvre galore, baguette 140 u naqra vino waqt il-visita' taghna f'Belleville f'Parigi (li hi suppost perikoluza imma fil-fatt hi pjuttost gentrifikata u perikoluza daqs tazza xampanja... mhux ser tibda ma' Liège* insomma).

Anita u jien nirringrazzjawkom mill-qalb ta' l-ospitalita' taghkom. Ghalkemm Parigi darsitni ftit ghall-ewwel (turistika wisq u sakemm kont qed nikkontesta kont ta' iktar minn EUR 4 ghal-landa 'juice frisk' hrigt bl-islogan ghat-turisti "Visit Paris - a place for the easily pleased or the easily fleeced"), fl-ahhar sirt inhobbha xorta wahda. Meta wasalt id-dar, ghal xi raguni intfajt nisma lil Bénabar u qghadt attent biex nisma' l-kliem ta' Saturne. Em be...

*Ghawdex jissemma' f'dan ir-rapport ukoll...

----

Ride the mails!

Sibt dan is-sit (couchsurfing.com) - jidher interessanti l-progett. Hemm xi hadd ipprovaha diga din il-bicca xoghol?

----

Hohoho

Il-festi t-tajba lil kullhadd... jekk triduni ser inkun ic-centru (in-nahat ta' Ste-Catherine) niffanga, nisker u nikkonsuma.

----

L-istima tal-perit

BINI #1

Ewlogju ghal forsi l-iktar bini li joghgobni (il-Kunsthaus Graz). Gieli tara bini ma jmurx mal-bini ta' madwaru. Imma meta bini hu bhall-Kunsthaus ta' Graz iebes imur ma' kwalunkwe bini li jista' jkun hemm madwaru. Tani l-istess emozzjonijiet meta rajtu f'rivista bhal meta rajt il-bini ta' Selfridges f'Birmingham l-ewwel darba. M'hemmx x'taghmel - toghgobni l-blobbitettura.

Li nsir perit kienet wahda mill-ideat falluti li kelli (ghax ma segwejtix) - tmur ma' l-ohrajn fil-kexxun ta' ideat falluti jew li qatt ma hdimt fuqhom (fosthom muzicist, attur professjonali u pilota ta' l-ajru). Min jaf l-Archigram - il-grupp li kiteb wiehed mill-iktar kotba importanti fl-istorja ta' l-arkitettura moderna (imma qatt ma thallew jibnu xejn) - jitqisux falluti billi dan kien l-uniku bini li l-kapumastru tal-grupp, Peter Cook, hallewh jibdni.

Kienu kontra r-rettangoli ghax kienu jirragunaw, b'mod mhux totalment illogiku imma xi naqra kooky xorta wahda, li ma kienx hemm raguni logika ghalfejn tibni kollox f'forma rettangolari: kieku ghalfejn il-fniek ma kinux burrow rettangolari jew in-neandertal jghix/jibni kaverni kwadri? Li ma tantx kienu dilettanti tar-rettangoli hi haga pjuttost evidenti mill-Kunsthaus...

LINKS: Sit ta' l-Archigram, Ktieb ta' l-Archigram (amazon), Kunsthaus Graz (serje tal-Flickr).

BINI #2

unplugged temples

2005-12-11T19:43:00.000+01:00

row, row, row your boat gently down the stream...

Kellha tkun Londra l-art mweghda tal-Maltin... minflok dawn huma l-artijiet li n-nies taghna qed jiskopru bil-mod il-mod...

#1: L-irlanda (Dublin u Cork)

1830 gobb fl-Ewropa lesti ghalina, hafna minnhom fl-Irlanda. Hemm dawk il-200 jew 300 li telqu biex jirrangawlhom il-kompjuters (ma nistax insib l-artiklu, sorry) jew ibgahbsulhom fil-kontijiet s'issa li nafu bihom...

#2: Belgju u l-Lussemburgu (Brussell u l-Lussemburgu)

Mhux qeghdin hafna (ma nahsibx li iktar minn 150-200) imma xorta ahna numru sostanzjali...

#3: L-iskozja (Aberdeen)

Li qed jghallmu t-tfal skoccizi u jsuqu l-vannijiet u l-karozzi tal-linja taghhom. Daqt naraw amalgamazzjoni tat-tnejn u jarmaw flotta minibuses ta' l-iskola...

#4: Wejls (Pontypridd, Cardiff, Risca)

Muwv bakk plijs! Ejja! Oi, yn wysg ei gefn almadunna, mela ma tifhmux bil-Welxx jew?!

---

Milli jidher l-Irlandizi l-iktar li jirrispettawna - jirrispetawna bizzejjed biex ihalluna naghmlu affarjiet tipo nimmaniggjaw il-flus taghhom u nbaghbsulhom fil-Windows. L-ohrajn iriduna nikkoregu t-tfal docili taghhom jew insuquhom ix-xoghol bla ma nitkellmu (iva - ibaghtu dak il-mignun li s-soltu jaghmel is-62 jew is-667 u ara jiqafx jitkellem...).

Hemm xi ohrajn li jridu jitnizzlu mal-lista?

buffet #1

2005-12-04T19:11:00.000+01:00

Who says we haven't got low fares?

Hafna nies fil-fatt, fosthom jien... Air Malta - trois points (third place insomma) fil-klassifika ta' l-EwroHaxi avjarju.

Kif il-ostra iggibhom il-low fares? Jew farsa din li bhal kwalunkwe kumpanija Maltija meta xxomm naqra kompetizzjoni fil-boghod tivvinta erba' offerti (foloz) ta' malajr.

Ghall-bloggers Lussemburgizi din..

...biex tghinhom jintegraw u jkunu iktar awtentici meta jcemplu l-helpdesk biex ibiddlu l-maledetta tastiera QWERTZ ta' l-isvizzera-allemanika li fil-kaz tieghi kienet tiggarantixxi hafna dagha mlissen baxx baxx u serati shah tfittex il-£ jew il-€, jew, kwalunkwe key ("anaey kaey") ohra insomma...

3 ta' Dicembru - gheluq snin Jean-Luc Godard, Ozzy, Joseph Conrad... u Gybexi

Xjaht b'sena skond il-passaport/karta ta' l-identita'... imma l-aqwa li ffangajt f'bistro helu fejn kollox (inkluz d-dizerta!) kellu xi tip ta' faqqiegh fih. Il-faqqiegh inhobbu imma mhux daqs il-gobon.. u sakemm l-istedina ta' certa persuna bid-daqna, nuccali u beritta li hu mifhum li thobb izzomm il-hniezer zghar f'idejha, li ser tohodni Poitou-Charentes biex iddewaqqni l-aqwa gobon fi franza timmaterjalizza, bil-fungu f'idi jkolli nibqa'..

varji: Glesga travelogue + Lnql #1

2005-11-27T11:52:00.000+01:00

Glasgowwwww!

Glesga kienet kif immaginajta - nies generalment orrajt imma slavag, centru bhal kwalinkwa belt ohra Ingliza (cioe' boring ghall-ostja b'sekwenza b'nies ikkapiljati perfettament u b'hwejjeg mixtrija mis-sitt chains ta' hwejjeg kullimkien fl-Ingilterra bla ebda varjeta jew imaginazzjoni ghaddejin fuq il-bankini ta' Glasgow bi sfond ta' l-istess kocc hwienet warajhom: Gregg's, Iceland, Starbucks, Greggs, Tesco, Starbucks, Gregg's, Sainsbury's, Starbu... zzz) u ammont kbir - anzi ridikolu - ta' chavs u neds fis-subborgi li dort ftit. Ghogobni l-iktar in-naha ta' l-Universita (hdejn l-istazzjoni tal-ferrovija sotteranja ta' Hillhead) - partikolarment ghax l-istinti ekonomici tieghi (ie, qamel) geghluni nipprova full scottish breakfast tajjeb hafna ghal £2.50 biss, vittorja ekonomika li ftit domt niehu pjacir biha ghax l-ghada kilna post eccellenti jismu The Ubiquitous Chip u hallast l-ekwivalent ta' l-ispejjez tal-preparamenti ta' l-CHOGM ghal ikla ghal tnejn.

Kont mistaghgeb bin-nuqqas ta' immigranti... dan l-ahhar skoprejt li fi Brussell hemm iktar barranin milli hemm f'Londra, allura ghamilta premura li ma nqabbilx imma kien stramb ghalija inkun wiehed mill-ftit li ma jitkellimx b'dak l-accent jew li ma kontx viking liebes il-burberry bhal bqija.

Ghand il-Wee Curry Shop ftakart kif ikun curry ta' veru wara snin niekol il-curries 'pjuttost mhux pikkanti' (kilt gelati iktar pikkanti) t'hawn. Curry ta' veru irid ifargek u jgheghlek tigri kilometri bla ma tieqaf qabel ma ssib garra ilma, bir, jew - preferibbilment - fabbrika tal-Highland Spring. U fil-fatt hekk kien - kien iebes naccerta ruhi li l-curries kienu veru tajbin bhal ma jghidu tat-Time Out tant kienu jaharqu. Ta' sissi gastronomikament imrobbi f'Malta u l-Belgju nahseb nippreferi l-curries tas-sinjorini taghna imma hemm bzonn curry bhal dawk li doqt Glesga biex igibek f'postok u jfakkrek kif ikun curry genwin... Nizziltu kif suppost jinzel... b'pinta u battered deep fried Mars bar (li kienet tajba hafna ghalkemm nahseb hassejt l-arterji ta' qalbi johorgu fuq strajk ma' l-ewwel gidma) minghand chippie hdejn il-lukanda...

Jekk tridu tkunu tafu iktar fuq in-nies ta' Glasgow, nahseb dan il-ktieb, ibbazat fuq il-famuzi Mr. Men li niftakar sew meta kont zghir, jispjega hafna dwar in-nisa u rgiel tat-tieni belt ta' l-imperu Ingliz...

La nuova questione linguistica #1:
Fejn l-irridentist imperjali jipprova jqabbel certu aspetti ta' Malta ma' Wales u jhokk rasu u jistaqsi jekk konniex, fil-fatt, ahjar meta konna aghar...

What have the romans ever done for us?

Bhal ma Wales igawdu minn 12m+ Sterlina infiq fuq il lingwa taghhom grazzi ghall-bwrdd-yr-iaith gymraeg, bhal ma Wales ghandhom BBC taghhom (BBC Wales u BBC Cymru), bhal ma Wales tgawdi minn sinjali tat-triq u sinjaletika ta' informazzjoni bil-y gymraeg (haga li ghalkemm ahna indipendenti, bilingwi u b'ilsien nazzjonali taghna m'ghandiex - ahseb u ara l-famuz Windows bil-Malti li tant ftahru li kellu jsir, hekk kif jezisti bil-gymraeg. Is-sinjaletika theggeg anke intraprizi, fosthom intraprizi kbar bhal Boots jew Ikea juzaw il-lingwa biex titheggeg tintuza fil-"hajja miktuba" ta' kuljum), Kunsill dwar l-Arti progressivi u b'karus li fih iktar minn lira u nofs, bhal ma Wales ghanda servizz ta' trasport u infrastruttura dicenti u meghjuna, u mhux ftit, mill-gvern centrali Ingliz u affarijiet ohra. Bhal ma' l-Ingilterra li sawtet dawn il-lingwi nazzjonali u libsitilhom speci ta' Welsh Not ma ghonqom, kellha tiskuza ruha billi mhux biss taccetahom, imma tiftah il-portafoll u theggeg l-uzu taghhomu. Ma ninsewx wara kollox li, ironikament, ir-raguni li qieghed nikteb dan il-blogg bil-Malti u r-raguni li l-Malti accettat bhala l-lingwa taghna u mhux it-Taljan kienet il-politika lingwistika ta' l-Inglizi (vera li biex jehilsu mit-Taljan riedu jdahhlu l-Malti - imma xorta dahluh) u mhux ta' certu Maltin!

Forsi bhal Wales, ahna stajna niehdu ferm iktar milli ghandna illum kieku konna iktar makkakki fuq il-mejda tan-negozjati minflok qomna biex intuhom daqtejn ta' sieq il-barra hafna snin ilu. Ghax kos, nghidu li ahna tfajnihom il-barra mhux huma telqu, imma iebes temmen li forza imperjali li kellha kwart tad-dinja f'idejha tingheleb minn hames meditteranji fuq isola zghira...

Ma jimpurtanix li l-Maltin ikunu jew ma jkunux fit-tmun (ie, Malta indipendenti). Fit-tmun irrid xi hadd li jaf xogholu sew u jaf x'inhu jaghmel - ma jimpurtanix x'inhi n-nazzjonalita' tieghu. Fit-tmun nippreferi kaptan Ingliz u mhux bahrin Maltin (ghalkemm - idealment - ikun hemm kaptan Malti - jekk kaptan Malti bil-passaport Ingliz, jew kaptan Malti bil-passaport Malti ma jimpurtanix l-aqwa li hu kaptan serju li jaf ir-rotta).

Ftit dispjacut li bqajna hawn isfel - ahna t-taljani li jitkellmu bl-gharbi u jridu jkunu Inglizi - minsija minn kullhadd ghax forsi ridna li jinsewna bl-indipendenza (ara kemm ghamilna kjass biex nidhlu fl-U.E. ma jmurx ikollna nergghu naqsmu mal-barrani, jew nohorgu naqra minn qoxortna).

KONKLUZJONI U MISTOQSIJA/IET

Il-punt tieghi semplici. Dak li jkun jitlob l-indipendenza ghax hemm cans igawdi minn affarijiet li kieku kien kolonja ma kienx igawdi minnhom - wahda mill-punti krucjali hi l-lingwa (fost affarijiet ohra). Imma ghandi suspett li kieku f'dan iz-zmien ta' PC politiku u apologiji ghall-kolonjalismu huma relattivament komdi l-kolonji li ghad fadal (mhux kollha ovvjament). Ghax nghiduha kif inhi - min ghad ghandu l-kolonji jrid iroddhom lura issa ghax ma jistax jaqbad jobrom u jiehu minnhom kif irid bhal qabel bla ma jigi isolat politikament ghax hu pajjiz salvagg u insensitiv - cioe, illum li tkun kolonja ghandek ferm iktar x'tiehu (u huma forsi lesti li jtuk ghall-kudos storici u politici) milli kieku kont kolonja ghoxrin sena ilu.

Mhux b'arroganza qieghed insaqsi, imma f'sens ta' dibattitu - jista' xi hadd jispjegali x'hadna billi keccejna l-Inglizi 'l hemm minflok ma ippruvajna inbiddlu s-sitwazzjoni favur taghna u niddiskutu u bir-reqqa u bil-ghaqal nhaddmu il-blata maghhom minflok waqajna ghall-estremizmu tipiku taghna?

U jekk certu tibdil, kemm lingwistiku kif ukoll politiku u infrastrutturali, ma sarx u forsi qatt mhux ser isir, mela ghalfejn baghtnihom 'l hemm l-Inglizi?

aieie brazorf (aka sofistikejxin)

2005-11-18T09:10:00.000+01:00

It-tfal

Hafna snin ilu James Joyce qal li bi hsiebu jitlaq l-Irlanda sabiex jikteb ktieb li bih jirnexxielu jesprimi l-hsieb tas-subkonxju tar-razza tieghu. Ktieb bhal dan diga jezisti f'Malta u jismu "Ir-Registru Elettorali", u hu - fil-fatt - kapulavur.

M'ilux kont f'kamra ta' stennija u ma kellix x'naghmel u billi kelli r-registru elettorali fil-basket bdejt inqalleb fih. Qabel ma ssaqsu, le m'inix tip li jdur bir-registru elettorali fil-backpack... imma kumbinazzjoni dakinhar kont mitlub, b'mod Descartesjan-Kafkjan hafna, nuri bi prova lill-amministrazzjoni tax-xoghol li veru nezisti u li, jien li jien bilqedgha fid-demm u l-laham quddiemhom, m'inix frott ta' l-imaginazzjoni mhux-fertili-hafna taghhom.

Imma nsomma - b'naqra ta' biro sewda hadt 15-il minuta pjacir nimmarka l-ismijiet sbieh li ghandna f'din l-art helwa, xi haga li diga kienu ghamluha hafna nies qabli nimmagina.

Fosthom kien hemm:

Conan (klassiku!)
Phythian (sssssss!)
Elmer (Fudd?)
Clibton (Clifton too square for you?)
Licey (qammiela!)
Antonius-Marius (ave Imperatur Twanny-Marju!)
Ethelwald (il-kugin ta' Ethelwald Emilius li ta' spiss jikteb xi ittra lill-editur?)

...u hafna ismijiet faux-francizi, li ghalkemm accettabbli jekk tirregistrahom ghal xi ziemel il-korsa tal-Marsa, bir-ragun jitpixxu bid-dahq l-iskrivana tal-préfecture ta' Parigi jekk tghidilhom li ser issemmi t-tifla "Oisette" (o amorin tieghi! ghalfejn mhux noisette ghal ftit?) jew "Portania" (erm...). Skoprejt ukoll li kif kont nisuspetta l-ismijiet faux-francizi Rodianne u Ritienne - iz-zewg ismijiet Maltin par excellence ta' dan id-decenju huma, fil-fatt, invenzjoni purament Maltija. Mhux billi ghandom il-veneer ta' frankofilja. Igooglejawhom naqra u tiskopru li f'Malta biss jezistu.

Hi forsi s-superficjalita tas-sofistikazzjoni li tattira l-Maltin, mhux is-sofistikazzjoni stess, ghax is-sofistikazzjoni stess hemm bzonn ix-xoghol biex tasal ghalija.

Id-djar

Anita kienet tghidli li meta kienet tahdem f'hanut tal-kotba, kuljum kien ikun hemm xi mara tad-dar tqelleb fid-dizzjunarji tal-Franciz u tal-Latin (just your kind of MILF eh sur Jacques-Rene), jew isaqsu l-impjegati ghal xi kliem 'sbieh imma serji u ikkumplikati' bil-latin. Le ma kienux xi hawswajjfs kolti ifittxu kif jikkongugaw "irexem" qabel ma jibda l-programm ta' Mengacci, imma nisa li ghadom kemm xtraw xi plot Misrah Skorfina limits of Zurrieq u qed ifittxu isem ghad-dar b'risonanzi sofoklijani jew ta' l-imperu ruman. Isem sofistikat. Ovvjament.

Izda dejjem ahjar issemiha xi "mon reve" jew "mon amour" milli ConDom (leggenda urbana), jew Frankie's Family Will Never Forget New York (Nadur) jew Nimrod House (Qawra). Jew le?

hrug

2005-11-07T17:52:00.000+01:00

L-ewwel parti

Fil-brejk kont f'bar li nhobb hafna mmur... bar zghir, bruxellois (cioe imgandar u ilu 35 sena ma jara kazzola u filler jew naqra zebgha) fejn qatt ma jkun hemm hadd. Qieghed hdejn il-Bourse, vicin ta' Chinatown fuq wara tal-GB enormi u magenb il-mahzen tas-supermarket Ciniz.

Insomma kont bilqieghda nixrob il-birra tieghi u il-fjamminga zghira u kemmxejn hippy-trendy ta' wara l-bar kienet qed tkellem gharbi-belgjan (jidher gharbi imma b'touches belgjani hafna bhal curkett tad-deheb u qmis tal-hawajj u piz korpororju joqrob dak ta' Free Willy).

Kont kuntent li ma kinitx qed tkellem lili. Ipprovajna nitkellmu qabel ma kien hemm Ahmed Van Eeckerborn ikellimha, imma t-tnejn indunajna li ma konniex f'vena li nitkellmu u jien komplejt inhares fil-vojt u nisma' lil Tim Buckley li hi kienet qed iddoqq fuq l-isterjo tal-bar u hi kompliet taqra l-iStandaard (tghid kienet qed taqra fuq il-hames karozzi li nharqu hawn il-bierah filghaxija fil-kunsill bruxellois ta' St-Gilles... qeghdin jithajru minn Parigi mid-dehra - BILFORS irridu nikkuppjaw lill-Francizi le?).

Qalet li kienet realisatrice u kienet qed tistenna stage u safrattant tahdem fil-bar biex taqla' xi haga. Kif kollox daqshekk hafif? Kif taqbad tistudja u tilhaq anke affarijiet unlikely? Qed insaqsikom. Kif per ezempju xi hadd jaqbad u jmur jistudja l-islovenja ghax joghgbuh il-lingwi slavici (min qieghed ihallas?). Kif xi hadd ihallsulu l-mama u l-papa' biex jistudja f'Parigi u jigi hawn u jilhaq kap bla ma jaf imur man-nies, b'arroganza kiefra u bla ma qatt ghamel gurnata xoghol qabel? Ghalfejn kollox daqshekk hafif ghal certu nies?

Riklami

...riklami li f'dinja perfetta ma jezistux. Allura ejja nkunu utopici u nehilsu minnhom f'dan il-blogg almenu.

It-tieni parti

U fuq nota ta' ghira kbira bhal dik navzakhom li wisq probabbli ser inhallikom ghal xi zmien. Ser nipprova norganizza xi affarijiet f'hajti u qed nipprova nara kif ser nirranga dak li ma mhux qieghed jahdem sew hafna f'hajti, jew jekk ma nistax nirrangahom il-problemi, nipprova nirranga l-attitudni tieghi lejhom.

Ghalissa ser naghlaq kemm jista' jkun distrazzjonijiet biex nikkoncentra fuq il-hafna affarijiet li hemm bzonn nikkoncentra fuqhom.

Dan il-blogg mhux ser jigi abbandunat... sejjer naqra ta' vakanza biss.

lawaaivakers u mard

2005-11-03T10:00:00.000+01:00

DAY I

Imradt...

...u lehni mar ghal kollox. Anita - l-istess Anita li kull meta mmorru f'pajjiz barrani tixtrili ktieb ta' Mr. Chatterbox (ghalkemm jien ma nqisx ruhi partikolarment moulin à paroles) bil-lingwa ta' dak il-pajjiz - mhux qed tammetti a vive voce li din hi ahbar tajba imma naf x'inhi tahseb. Naf, naf.

Il-haddiema

U ma nistax nistrieh ftit minhabba l-haddiema (li bi stramberija kbira huma fjammingi mhux Pollakki jew Cinizi) u l-ostja radju mdaqqas (u storbjuz) li gabu maghhom. Il-lingwa fjamminga mhux wahda li trid tisma' meta tkun marid imma almenu ahjar minn pop pollakk jew xi tejps ta' diski bil-Mandarin.

Biex tghaxxaq, l-iskafolding bnewh mal-bini kollhu jigifieri lanqas niftah ix-xutter tal-kamra tas-sodda ma nista' ghax insib xi sorm nofsu mikxuf ta' xi haddiem jizzegleg ma' wicci.

Qieghed niprova nisma' l-jingle ta' l-istazzjon halli nara x'inhu l-istazzjon biex incempel u niddedika diska lill-lawaaivakers (tahlita ta' kliem Olandiz - lawaai li tfisser storbju u bouwvakers tfisser bennejja - u li koincidentalment tinqara "bowfackers") li qed jahdmu f'bini f'Avenue Dailly. Omaggi distinti.

U ghalfejn dejjem diski tal-qamel jisimghu l-bennejja? Dejjem iffitxu xi stazzjon b'DJ b'lehen narkoleptiku idoqq George Michael u Duran Duran. Imbasta minn Hoboken (hdejn Anversa) dawn is-sinjuri - belt li c-cittadini taghha jiftahru li jbossu u jgherqu l-coolness factor... Chris Rea cool wisq fil-fatt... U ttjunjawh sew dak l-istra radju!

Noam Chomsky dejjem ahjar minn Julie Pomorski. Jew?

Xrajt il-Guardian xi 3 ijiem ilu ghax kien hemm interview ma' Chomsky li hsibtu ser ikun interessanti - hsibt li, ghal xi raguni, Noam Chomsky ma kienx ser ikun dogmatiku u intelletwalment estremist bhas-soltu. Ovvjament kont dizappuntat. Kien is-soltu Chomsky - guarded u b'rasu iebsa. Dejjem nistaghgeb kif in-nies uber-left ma tistax tiddistingwihom minn dawk ultra-right. It-tnejn b'haga f'mohhhom u jekk tipproponi xi haga ohra jghidulek li xi haga tan-naha l-ohra ivvintawha.

DAY II

L-estremismu "l-iehor"?

Kont qed naqra artiklu dwar Marseille f'Kilometer Zero (sfortunatament ma sibtx Cabinet li hu forsi l-magazin favorit tieghi - jekk issibuh ixtru kopja) u ghedt li naqbel ftit ma li kien qed jghid certu wiehed Jackie Blanc. Ftit wara niskopri li Jackie Blanc huwa membru tal-Front National.

"Culturally it is enriching to encounter these people but, economically, I'm not so sure it's good for France". Ma kienx statement salvagg. Kien statement ta' wiehed li ghandu r-riservi tieghu dwar kemm huma utili ekonomikament l-immigranti (ghalkemm isostni li kulturalment jirrikixxu l-pajjiz). Ma naqbilx mieghu ghal kollox imma nifhem il-punt tieghu.

Issa - l-ANR dejjem sostnew bil-qawwi li mhumiex bhall-Front National - li huma iktar middle-of-the-road fin-nazzjonalizmu taghhom mill-FN(F) jew l-FN(B) u jfakkru li mhumiex razzisti. Biss, il-partit li hu suppost razzist (FN) jghid xi haga bhall l-ewwel parti ta' l-istqarrija ta' Blanc, filwaqt li l-ANR johorgu bil-plakkards "ma rridux socjeta multikulturali" (tistghu timmagginaw membru ta' l-ANR qatt jagmel stqarrija bhal ta' Blanc?). Hmmm... Parole si, fatti no? jew?

Fejqan

Qieghed infiq. Kebab u l-pirrrrrrrrrrrrrrmli gabuni f'posti (bi stramberija kbira Anita ma grietx warajja bil-ginseng jew xi estratt vegetali ta' xi paludi f'Osaka). Daqt inkun nista' nohrog minn din il-maledetta dar u nieqaf naghmel il-maledett sudoku fis-sodda u nissoffja fil-maledett maktur.

is that the local préfecture in your pocket or are you just very pleased to see me?

2005-10-29T00:37:00.000+02:00

hawn Salv, jidher marid duk l-ghasfewwr, tih tijjjr bis-senter... anzi tewghmel xejn... issa la jtijjjjr minn fuq il-Mellieha niehdu hsiebuww ehna...

Vive la france

Kellha tigri le? Inkun Franza 4 ijiem fix-xahar u sirt iktar artab fil-konfronti taghhom. In-nies simpatici wara kollox u jafu jiktbu ktieb jew gazzetta kif suppost. Fil-fatt spiccajt xtrajt ktieb (ghax fl-"ajruport internazzjonali" ta' Strasburgu ghandom xebgha gazzetti regjonali ta' l-alsass, USA Today u Frankfurter Allgemeine biss) ta' certu Philippe Delerm li sar joghgobni immens u li kien, spuwkili enaff, kwazi l-istess imbarazz li kont ktibt fid-dokument tal-Word fuq ic-cavetta (li eventwalment nispera jigi ppubblikat bhala ktieb) xi gimghat qabel. Barra minn hekk minflok is-soltu muzika esperimentali tipo 'agatha barbara tmeclaq il-bigilla fuq sample ta' drum tal-hadid' ([c] Mario) spiccajt fid-dinja gentili ta' Juana Molina, imbaghad fid-dinja skonoxxuta tal-pop franciz nisma' lill-Bénabar u lill-Sanseverino.

Kultura differenti minn ta' bxl - mhux tort taghhom li huma tant borgizi li f'post bhal Strasburgu ma ssibx alimentation générale wiehed li hu wiehed (xi Auchan enormi f'xi subborg issib zgur imma - biex ikunu poplu li joboghdu l-amerikani ghandhom hafna in komuni maghhom) bit-telefons u l-internet illegali biex naqra xi bloggs fuq wara tal-hanut. Le. Strasburgu Andersenjan bhala post - m'hemmx postijiet li jistghu jkunu Sarajevo bhall m'hemm fi Brussell, m'hemmx sireni tal-pulizija l-hin kollhu barra, m'hemmx tallaba, tezisti hbiberija interrazzjali. Il-belt hi iktar boring ukoll - m'hemmx skwotts iservu ta' cinema, m'hemmx venues ta' muzika sperimentali, m'hemmx hwienet ta' muzika u films strambi, m'hemmx triq kollha hwienet ta' kotba uzati, m'hemmx restaurants (jew nies!) minn kull parti tad-dinja lanqas. Forsi ghax Brussell huwa ferm ikbar imma ma nahsibx li ghalhekk biss.

Biss sfortunatament xorta ghadhom nies ludikri fil-formalita zejda taghhom u l-istazzjonijiet tat-TV taghhom donnhom maghmula ghal xi hadd li ghandu IQ ta' wirdiena dislessika li dejjem irrifjutat tmur l-iskola u li, hekk jew hekk, m'ghandhiex aptit tara xi haga "heavy" (ie, dicenti) fuq it-teevee. Grazzi mulej talli tajtni l-Arte (stazzjon franciz - imma b'zampino tedesco evidenti hafna), La Deux (li jafu l-valur li taghmel is-sottotitoli minflok tiddabbja kollox bil-Franciz - din x'inhi li jridu jiddabbjaw kollox il-Francizi? ma jafux jaqraw bil-Franciz jew?), TV Brussel, Canvas u, fuq kollox, l-istazzjonijiet olandizi. Imma tfal sew jahasra dawn il-gallici.

Il-klassi post-haddiema vs. l-immigranti

Hemm hi l-post-working class. Il-messagier ix-xoghol fi Strasburgu jismu Gérard u jghix hajja ta' papa. Il-bierah harist naqra lejh sakemm kien qed jaqra xi gazzetta regjonali, jiekol hobza enormi bil-perzut tal-koxxa u jixrob Kronenbourg waqt il-hin tax-xoghol. Nahseb servewh dawk il-gazzetti u dik il-panina ghax dejjem fl-istess poza ili narah dawn l-ahhar sentejn. Dik hi l-klassi haddiema kontemporanja... m'hemmx bzonn nahdmu iktar mela. Fadal xi nies - hlief l-immigranti li dejjem tara jahslu l-istazzjonijiet tal-metro, ihadmu l-magni fil-fabbriki u jahdmu in generali - working-class li ghadhom veru jahdmu fl-Ewropa ta' fuq? Qisha xi klassi gdida din ta' Gérard - maqbuda bejn l-immigranti li qed jaghmlu x-xoghol vera working class u l-klassi medja. Il-pensjoni qisha giet qabel ghalihom. Min minnhom baqa' working class meta bdew jitfaccaw l-immigranti baqa' fil-pozizzjoni tieghu, bil-paga li kellu qabel imma minghajr xoghol (cioe work/strapazz mhux impjieg). Tridx tivvota Front National biex tkeccihom ukoll issa? Hawn.. imma ticcewwicx, stenna sal-penzjoni qabel ma tivvotalu lil Jean Marie...

Povra l-klassi medja - l-iktar klassi malfamata li hawn. Mhux talli taqla' miz-zewg klassijiet, talli ghandha tant dubji dwara nnifisha li ssir masokista u tissawwat meta hi l-unika klassi li dejjem hadmet fil-verita' u qalghet fuq wicca talli hadmet. Kollha ghira min-naha tieghi veru imma iebes ma tghirx meta int qed taghmel sad-9 ta' bil-lejl biex tlahhaq u hu l-uniku xoghol iebes li ghandu hu jomghod il-hobz u ghal (b'differenzi minimi) l-istess salarju tieghu... imma ma rridx insir tipiku ghajjur malti ciniku... iekol siehbi, iekol - u ara tixraq...

Welkamm bakk tu Sarajevo

Nigi lura hawn u nsib strajk generali. Nahseb it-tielet wiehed din is-sena. Something is rotten in the state of Belgium.

Ktieb iehor

Apparti mill-ktieb ta' Delerm, nikkunsiljalkom ktieb ta' Paul Morley jismu Words and Music li jirnexxielu jghaqqad il-muzika ta' Alvin Lucier ghal dik ta' Kylie Minogue b'humour, intelligenza u lucidita'. Ktieb li tiehu pjacir taqra anke jekk ma jimpurtak xejn dwar il-muzika.

Dames en heren, aandacht a.u.b.! Deze trein stopt niet in Rotterdam-Centraal!

Ghada mhux sejjer niffanga f'naqra Pinda Soep, Alu Tarkari u xi naqra Nasi Goreng f'Rotterdam kif ippjanat. Hip-hip hooray gastronomika kbira ghall-eks kolonji Olandizi, imma Anita marida u mhux sejrin. Forsi noqghod nibbloggja tghid? Hmmm...

haga ohra dwar dawn l-imberkin immigranti...

2005-10-16T20:40:00.000+02:00

kopja "kif suppost": klikkinu klikkaru

Din kienet l-ispirazzjoni ta' min pinga din l-istampa (jien kemm baghbastha naqra fil-Paint):

News flash: immigrants aren't taking anything from Americans. Companies like WalMart are giving jobs to them illegally. If WalMart paid a company to hire immigrants to do the job over Americans then there's probably a good reason for it. I'm sick and tired of lazy gluttonous Americans bitching about immigrants "taking" our jobs. It's not like they can literally come to America, ambush us in the parking lot and take our jobs.

hmm. mhux li naqbel mieghu ghal kollox imma ghandu zewg punti tajbin taht dik il-veneer ta' kitba kontemporanja amerikana tieghu.

[iva, iva, naf li "xogholu" (xoghlu fil-fatt) spellejtha hazin... x'taghmel eh?]

ara gejja l-mewt ghalik...

2005-10-13T19:54:00.000+02:00

silta mill-ktieb tal-farizej lill-ispijuni

huti, illum ghaddejt il-brejk nitniehed fl-ufficcju tieghi niekol il-hobza tieghi bil-mod, harist 'il fuq lejn it-tubi tan-neon imbaghad dort u harist minn got-tieqa tac-cella kif ghamel kulhadd biex jara balla nar tinzel fic-centru minghajr ma tmiss xejn, u tickien u tisparixxi f'daqqa. kulhadd mistaghgeb u t-telefons ta' l-amminstrazzjoni u t-tifi tan-nar stazzjonati passtejn minn hawn ma jiqfux idoqqu.

nies medjevali jilghabu l-petank max-xitan

imma dahlet nitfa nar zghira mit tieqa tieghi (ftahtilha ha tidhol miskina ghax daqt tibda x-xita) u bhalissa qed iddur il-kuruturi ha tara min hu l-iktar liba mill-armata ta' opportunisti bl-ingravata lesti ixejru l-karta tas-salarju jew ifakkru li huma hbieb sew tal-president lill-armata zghira l-ohra ta' opportunisti ta' hamsa u ghoxrin sena u taht. Xejn hazin fl-opportunizmu, jekk m'inix dilettant jien ma jfissirx haddiehor ma jistax ikun, imma ma rridhiex tibqa' ddur hafna ghax issir cinika u hadra kif sirt jien.

forsi ghax tarani ftit down, kif ili dawn l-ahhar gimghat, u biex tferrahni tnaqqax il-kliem "freiheit macht arbeit" mal-hajt ta' l-ufficcju kif kont rajt f'xi gallery fi Vienna jew fi skwott f'Amsterdam. vera frazi li ttik pjacir dik. kienet taf. bhali din... taf xi jridu jisimghu u jaraw in-nies u hekk ittihom.

kamra bhall-ohra, le?

u nimxi warajha, nohorgu mil-ufficini grizi u mmorru fil-park - tieqaf u tigi tigri hdejn il-badge tax-xoghol imdendla m'ghonqi bhal speci ta' x'jien naghmel biha? narmi l-badge tax-xoghol f'roqgha ilma tax-xita imtajjan fil-park, u mieghu narmi kull hsieb li qatt nerga' mmur ghal xoghol li sfortunatament dan l-ahhar sar l-iktar xoghol tad-dwejjaq u kompletament bla sens li kelli f'hajti. Twassalni sal-waqfa tal-59, nirkbu flimkien (ninsisti mad-driver li hi pet allura m'hemmx bzonn biljett - m'ghandux aptit jikkwistinja allura kull ma jaghmel ixengel rasu, ma jghid xejn u jibqa' jsuq kemmxejn inkazzat) li tohodni d-dar. Bhalissa qed tiehu banju - ma nafx kif ghax minghalijja n-nar ma tantx ghandu xi relazzjoni tajba hafna ma' l-ilma - imma appartentement mhux hekk il-haga, tikber u titghallem kif jghidu.

jekk tridu thallulha messagg ghalissa ma tistghux ghax ghadni ma ghallimthiex kif tuza t-telefon u qed nispera li ser ixxengel rasha meta nistaqsiha jekk tridx li nghallimha tuzah, ha tkun bhali f'kollox.

billi hi nar tajjeb diga laqqamtha bonfire. jixraqilha fil-fatt.

"irrid nerga mmur ix-xoghol issa. narak wara li nigi lura (forsi)"

Tips for the foreign gentleman visiting Mowtah, the sacred island of Melita

2005-10-07T08:54:00.000+02:00

Ahna ta' barra ghad nigu lura. U imbaghad inkunu qisna l-ikbar purcinelli ghaliex hadd ma jkun irid jismaghna... ghax dik it-tarka li tant wissewna biha minn zmien l-indhil barrani u n-nazzjonalizmu mintoffjan ingorruha ahna ukoll. Iva dik it-tarka li tghidlek... dan ghex barra... issa xejn ma ghogbu hawn.

U int tahseb li l-ewwel iswed li hareg mill-villagg u meta gie lura u spjegahlom dwar it-toilet paper ma inkesiex hara u hallewh fil-loki komuni ghal jumejn?

(Gwakkin Zammit)

Biex inkompli ma' tal-bierah u l-ammont ta' kummenti li kien hemm (nofshom tieghi u ta' Erezija) ha nghidilkom xi haga, minghajr kantunieri, dwar kif inhi l-hajja ta' Malti ta' barra meta jiftah halqu f'pajjizu stess...

How the respectful gentleman should comport himself publicwise and in conversation

Meta nkun Malta irrid noqghod b'mod mhux naturali ghall-ahhar inqis kull kelma li nghid u kif ser teffettwa lill dak li jkun qisni qieghed inkellem lit-tfal. Ifakkruk il-hin kollhu anke jekk ma tghid xejn dwar il-Belgju li issa tlaqt u b'hekk inqas kwalifikat titkellem (halliha li ghamilt zewg decenji u nofs nghix hemm u ghandi l-istess passaport u nitkellem l-istess lingwa - imma dawk ma jimpurtax dawk). Id-death knell ta' kwalunkwa konverzazzjoni hi "heqq. le - ma nahsibx is-sistema tajba. Il-Belgju implimentaw sistemi gdida li....". Hawn iwaqfuk - bi tbissima, jitkerhu, f'dahqa jew f'forma ta' canfira dejjem tasal - "ghax issa mar il-Belgju hu", "mela minghalik qieghed il-Belgju" jew "int ghax sejjer 'l hemm gimgha ohra - x'jimpurtak". Ir-risposta tkun emotiva bhal risposta ghal tghajjira - hu qallek "bahnan" u int ghedtlu "ghoxx". Ma jimpurtax x'inhu s-suggett. Dejjem risposta emotiva (u intelletwalment immatura ghall-ahhar) tiehu. Ma jghidulekx - heqq imma allura jekk jaghmlu XX, ma jkollhomx problemi b'YY. Is-suggett qatt ma jmissuh, ghax qed jghajjarna dan il-barrani mhux qed jispjega kuncett jew jaghmel suggeriment - qed JGHAJJAR! Ghax dak hekk biss jaf jaghmel... ha joqghod jghidilna kif ghandna nghixu dan il-barrani x'kull wahda. Ghax ma jmurx lura mnejn gie u jaghmlilna pjacir ilkoll?

B'hekk ma nhosnix traditur. Fil-fatt insiba iebsa hafna inkun patrijott ghax essenzjalment Malta kont persona non grata. Issa li ghext barra jien iktar non grata mhux inqas. U biex inqerr maghkom ghandi dubji kemm nerga immur lura nghix Malta ghax nimmagina insiba iebsa nintegra lura (kemm kellhu ragun Max L. Fly meta qal "the Maltese hate returned migrants even more than they hate illegal ones"). Forsi iva, forsi le. Imma dak jien - ir-relazzjoni tieghi ma' Malta issa hi ahjar minn meta kont nghix hemm. U haga ohra - wara kollox ghandi hajti - il-"glieda" tieghi hi wahda kulturali - inhallas it-taxxi biex haddiehor jara li tal-linja jigi fil-hin, li min qed jaghmel it-toroq jibnihom kif suppost, min jaghmel certu kummenti razzisti f'meeting pubbliku jigi arrestat jew immultat. U bil-problemi kollha tal-Belgju dawn l-affarijiet generalment isiru.

Tajtu wisq il-pajjiz, biss li tajtu kien dejjem unsolicited - hadd ma talabni. U zgur wisq inqas hadd mhux ser jitlobni issa. U meta tahseb li l-hin li hlejt stajt tahlih tikteb xi naqra ta' novella, jew torganizza screening ta' films sperimentali jew torganizza xi concert tinduna kemm hlejt hin fuq pajjiz li mhux talli ma jirringrazzjakx talli jivvilifikak ta' dak li ghamilt tinduna kemm kont bahnan.

Mistoqsija

Issa - ser tibqa hemm patrijott... u x'ser jigri? Ha ntikhom ezempju ckejken... jien dilettant tat-trasport pubbliku. Malta kont ktibt 4 emails u bghatt ittra u saqsejt dwar ghalfejn m'hemmx orarji ma' kull waqfa tax-xarabank kif hemm kwalunkwe post iehor u min suppost jimplimentahom. Xejn. L-ebda risposta. Hawnhekk irrapurtajt bosta affarijiet. Kemm ili hawn (Anita ticcajta li meta jircievu xi haga min ghandi tixghel bozza hamra) diga bgatt 9 emails lill-De Lijn u l-iSTIB. Hadu azzjoni fuq 7 minnhom, it-tnejn l-ohra spjegawli li hemm dispute ma' l-iSTIB dwar min ghandu jopera l-linja... tawni d-data sa meta trid tissolva l-problema u fil-fatt kienet solvuta (jumejn tard imma insomma). Is-sistema tahdem.

Ahsbuha naqra u ghiduli l-verita'... billi tibqa' hemm, hemm xi hadd irid jisma' l-opinjoniet taghkom hlief bloggeja ohra u hbiebkom tal-klikka ta' nies simili liberali? Issa billi tibqa hemm? Xiex? X'ser jigri? X'impatt reali ghandkom - u n-nies li ser teffettwa jekk ser, per ezempju, torganizza xi screening ta' film li jmiss it-temi ta' immigrazzjoni irregolari huma l-converted few. Tghid mhux ser tara lill-Lowell u l-Beattie fl-ewwel ringiela. Jekk iddawar il-mistoqsija fuqhi (kif dejjem jigri ghax, ojj, jien il-barrani b'hekk il-mistoqsijiet isiru lili mhux vice-versa) : Tghidli x'impatt ghandek int li tlaqt - xejn... imma pretensjonijiet li l-ezistenza tieghi innifisha b'xi mod ser twaqqaf ir-razzismu u l-ksenofobija rampanti f'mohh il-Maltin m'ghandix lanqas. Dak hu aspett ta' pajjizna tal-wahx, imma li trid taccettah. Dak hu. Ghalxejn tghid li mhux hekk - il-pajjiz ghandu nuqqas ta' edukazzjoni kbira, ma tistax tistennih jahseb b'mod razzjonali u intelligenti meta dejjem haseb bl-emotivita u bil-ponn.

U fil-fatt...

Dik kienet l-idea li titlaq - biex tara x'hemm barra u l-mod ta' kif in-nies mhux biss igergru dwar l-affarijiet imma jistennewhom bi dritt - haga li mhux dejjem naghmlu hawn. Ha tigi rinfreskat, bl-ideat u bir-rieda - ghax Malta tixroblok li ghandek wara zmien qasir. Jew jekk ser tibqa hemm almenu tkun tista' tibni hajtek kif tixtieqa int, le?

Halli titilqu u tergghu tmorru lura u taraw. Imma jekk ammont mdaqqas jitlaq u jmur lura umbaghad 'huma' jkollhom jaraw - nigu lura mhux b'emotivita u l-ponn imma b'razzjonalismu u hsieb ta' kif ser inbiddlu l-affarijiet u niehdu dak li hu taghna bi dritt. Soluzzjoni pjuttost utopjana u 'last resort' - imma hemm wasalna le? Ghiduli b'pajjiz iehor b'dimostrazzjoni mdaqqsa essenzjalment neo-nazzista fi triq principali f'belt Ewropea li ma gietx imwaqqfa anzi protetta mill-pulizija...

Forsi certi Maltin ta' barra huma arroganti, imma mqabbla ma certi Maltin ta' Malta lanqas jibdew. Jista' jkun li kif certu Maltin ta' Malta jhobbu jahsbu li l-Maltin ta' barra ihobbu jkabbru l-affarijiet iktar milli huma (forsi veru wkoll), certu (ejja ma nilghabux bid-diplomazzija - il-parti l-kbira milli rajt jien) l-Maltin ta' Malta jhobbu jkabbru l-arroganza prezunta tal-Maltin ta' barra halli jhossuhom tajjeb. Ghalfejn qed jghidu hekk dawn il-Maltin ta' barra? Telqu hejj! Dawk ghax arroganti. Dawk ghax keshin. Heqq, hemm xi problemi imma pjuttost kollox miexi sew, kemm ghandhom paroli fil-vojt. Dawk ghax arroganti. Dawk ghax keshin. Heqq hemm xi problemi imma pjuttost kollox miexi sew, kemm ghandhom paroli fil-vojt. Dawk ghax arroganti. Dawk ghax keshin. Heqq, hemm xi problemi imma pjuttost kollox miexi sew kemm ghandhom paroli fil-vojt. Dawk ghax arroganti. Dawk gha....

Adieu

Min ser jibqgha missu jibqa' Malta ghax jiehu pjacir jghix hemm, ghax jiehu pjacir iqum filghodu f'dak il-pajjiz u ghax hemm jista' jaghmel xi haga b'hajtu u mhux minhabba xi obbligazzjoni imaginarja patrijotta. Zwieg ta' obbligu u mhux ta' mhabba rari jahdem. Min ser jitlaq - ironikament tistghu tiehdu hudu spunt mill-parti l-kbira ta' l-immigrant irregolari f'Malta li bhalissa qed jistudjaw kif ser jaslu Frankfurt, Milan u Parigi (u forsi anke Brussell u l-Lussemburgu). Jekk tibqghux hemm jew titilqux f'idejkom mhux f'idejn l-ghazliet li haddiehor ghamel ghalikom bil-movimenti u l-ideat imposti tieghu - imma ghamlu xi haga b'hajjitkom. Ir-retorika patrijotta u l-ferneziji nazzjonalisti halluhom ghal min ihobb ixejjer il-bnadar...

u oqghodu naqra

2005-10-05T07:58:00.000+02:00

L-aqwa li ghandna l-george cross hi!

Ehe.

Jghidu li mhux razzisti imma issa jitfaccaw in-nazzjonalisti mija mija jghajtu Malta l-ewwel u qabel kollox. Veru nazzjonalisti? Veru Malta l-ewwel u qabel kollox? Mela fejn kienu meta l-Maltin kienu qed jahxu lill-Malta, fejn kienu meta konna qed nirrovinaw il-xulxin fin-negozju u nfottu lill-hutna Maltin kemm nifilhu, fejn kienu meta konna qed nitnejku bil-lingwa nazzjonali taghna minflok nghozzuha, fejn kienu meta kien hemm minn qed jirrovina (u irnexxielu jirrovina) il-kampanja u l-ambjent ta' pajjizna?

Igibughlek demgha f'ghajnejk jahasra dawn ir-rinkarnazzjonijiet ta' Vassalli u Dun Karm. Issa orrajt - issa spiccaw ifottu lill-xulxin u jarmu il-laned ta' materjal tossici industrijali f'nofs il-kampanja [x'jimpurtani minn pajjizi u l-hsara li qieghed naghmillu] issa (gharaft xi niex li kienu fid-dimostrazzjoni...). Issa kulhadd martiru ghall-patrija bil-bandiera f'idu.

Issa la nehilsu mill-immigrant irregolari kollox ikun sew bhal ma kien qabel, ghax - ojj - konna sew qabel ta' - kollox kien miexi sew. Mhux dawn il-qatta xadini irrovinaw l-ekonomija, mhux dawn irrovinaw is-sistema politika maltija, mhux dawn hadulna x-xoghol kollhu... ara naqra x'ghamlu hawn ta' ja qatta mahmugin Afrikani li huma!

Purcinelli.

It-tarka tal-haddiem (jew il-frosta tal-lumpenproletariat)

Il-PS hawn huma kkreditati mir-razzisti li rrovinaw il-Belgju. Kienu ghenu l-immigranti u ghenu hafna li talbu l-azil. It-tarka tal-haddiem taghna hlief ixxewwex kontrihom u toqghod tigri f'Isuzu Gemini wara l-qhab mill-Kongo ghall-6 gimghat jew iktar ma' taghmilx, u l-iehor jghid li juza l-konvenzjoni ta' Ginevra biss jekk jispiccalu l-iScottex.

Ghalfejn jien pjuttost apolitiku f'kwistjonijiet lokali ta' Malta? Ghax m'hemmx politika f'Malta. L-uniku partit li jingabar naqra huma l-hodor... iva ghandom hafna problemi l-hodor imma almenu f'menu daqshekk fjakk huma l-uniku haga b'naqra sugu...

Kam end help ass Juropijins hi!

Sabih kieku l-Ewropa wara li ila tbabas u tobrom mill-kontinent Afrikan ittina daqqa t'id f'problema li hi tahti fiha wkoll. S'issa l-unika pajjiz li ghena kienet l-Olanda. Sabih imma probabbli mhux ser issir il-haga. Imma rridu nibqghu nipprovaw ghax dik hi l-unika soluzzjoni. Ma nafx bl-ebda problema li ssolviet b'hafna tixjir ta' bnadar - imma way out hafifa eh?

'nammo.. last one out ma jinsiex jitfi d-dawl...

Nerga naghmel appell iehor: fadal xi hadd b'naqra sens fuq il-blata? Niddubita - min telaq u min qed jippakkja... min ghadu ma telaqx - itilqu. M'hemmx ghalfejn tibqa hemm. Malta hekk kif inhi llum hu pajjiz biex tfarrak u terga tibni, hekk kif inhi l-Eritrea u s-Somalja (billi l-aqwa mhuh harbu 'l hemm - ftit minnhom f'Malta). Jekk jitilqu dawk li ghad fadallhom iktar minn tlett celluli f'mohhom dawk in-nies l-ohra li jhallu warajhom jiehdu hsieb ifarku l-pajjiz tinkwetawx. Xi zmien wara, kif gieli ghedt, jibdew imorru lura n-nies jingabru biex jaghmlu biex dik il-mizbla igibuha pajjiz. Anzi, kif qal sew id-D, Malta missa tiftah ghall tlett xhur biss fis-sena - nehilsu mill-problemi, mill-qrid u ngawdu l-hajja band'ohra.

Itilqu minn hemm qabel ma ssiru kretini jew inkella toqtlilkom l-ahhar tlett celloli l-apatija.

Il-pajjiz li tlaqt jien mhux l-istess wiehed li hu llum. Meta tlaqt kien pajjiz tan-nejk, issa sar pajjiz taz-zobb.

Via!

maaa, ara hadli l-gobooooon*

2005-09-30T13:56:00.000+02:00

L-ikoni tal-Windows tieghi huma ikoni tal-gobon. Nghaddi hafna mill-hin digestif tieghi niekol il-prunji biex nikkumbatti l-kostipazzjoni kronika minhabba d-dhul bla razan ta' prodotti gejjin mill-baqar, bdabad, jeni u kwalunkwe annimal li minnu tohrog qatra halib. Meta naqra xi haga li fiha naqra gobon anke jekk tkun "Zozzerie à la merde (avec 1mg du fromage schifos)" ninsa l-qbija tal-menu u nordnaha. Fi kliem ohra jien addict.

Li ghandu tajjeb ukoll il-gobon mhux biss hu l-aqwa ikel fid-dinja imma komparattivament irhis (fiz-zmien meta kont naqla minimum wage Malta xorta kont naffordja nixtri naqra gobon tajjeb minghand l-isqallin is-Suq tal-Belt jew it-Tower ta' Tas-Sliema - veru hemm anke gobon li jiswa EUR 250 kull kilo imma taf tehles bicca gobon tajba u mdaqqsa b'inqas minn Lm1.50). Barra minn hekk tista' tixtrihom mis-supermerkati mhux mil-hwienet specjalizzati. Iva, iva globalizazzjoni, ecc... imma jkolli nammetti li ghalkemm gieli ikolli aptit immur hwienet zghar, l-anonimita' tas-supermerkati l-kbar (les hypermarchés jew il grandes surfaces kif jghidulhom hawn) nippreferiha. Gieli f'dawn il-hwienet iz-zghar tinserta xi hadd arroganti li jaf kemm jifhem fis-suggett tieghu u li donnu hu l-personifikazzjoni ta' dan l-istrixxiklu. F'supermerkat tista' tidneb u tizbalja kemm trid u tixtri gobon ma jghogbokx biex tippruvah minghajr ebda gudizzju. Hi l-istess raguni ghalfejn nippreferi niekol ikel li nixtri mir-ristoranti d-dar. Hekk nista' naghmel hafna dnub tipo nitfa l-parmigjan fuq l-ispaghetti bil-frott tal-bahar jew niehu l-gelat qabel l-ikel, jew niehu landa diet coke mal-Foie Gras fil-milied.

Imma, witowtferderadu, din hi t-top 5 tieghi tal-gobon... zidu taghkom fis-sezzjoni tal-kummenti jekk tridu...

Petite Buche (FR)

Buche hi "log" bil-Franciz. Fost il-vantaggi tieghu - tajjeb hafna u dan gobon hafif hafna ssibu, fil-fatt hemm xi kumpanija kbira taghmel verzjoni tieghu u lanqas jiswa 80c maltin u xorta eccellenti. Il-gilda tal-gobon hi simili tal-camembert (gobon li jdejjaqni) imma gewwa eccellenti. Gobon tal-halib tal-gidi.

Taleggio (IT)

Gobon mill-Piemonte jew il-Lombardia generalment - imdewweb fuq bicca hobs niexfa mixwija u 20 sekonda fil-majrkowejv. L-ewwel darba li kiltu konna morna nieklu ghall-birthday ta' Anita u hallast pju o menu x'kienu ihallsu l-gvernaturi fewdali ghall-istati kollha ta' Italja kollha kemm huma. Eventwalment sibt tnejn minn nies li ghandom.. (ghal min qieghed Brussell dan jista' jinxtara mill-Marché du Midi [hemm vann bil-bandiera ta' sqallija - it-tlett saqajn bla gisem biex niftehmu] jew mis-suq fuq il-Parvis de St-Gilles). Attenti ghax jintent ghax l-intiena tieghu, tipo katavru li ilu mejjet xi xahrejn, hi leggendarja!

Fromage de Bruxelles / Brusselse Kaas (BE)

Isem generiku ghal gobon li mhux generiku. Jekk Brussell hi l-belt kapitali tas-surrealismu, dan il-gobon il-"mascot" tieghu bir-ragun - dan il-gobon ghandu hajja ghalih. Xtrajtu f'Evere u tlajt fuq ix-xarabank u nittintha kompletament. Hallejtu gurnata fil-frigg u l-ghada x-xaham tal-gobon mhux talli hareg mill-gobon, talli ddecieda johrog mill-frigg, jiehu birra u jmur sal-laptop tieghi jintefa jilghab Sim City u jfittex il-porno.

Il-frazi "acquired taste" donna giet mahluqa ghal dan il-gobon tal-baqar (mielah hafna)

B'naqra ikel surreali belgjan iehor (fosthom zalzett tac-cikkulata... pork & choc... le mhux qed nitnejjek) huwa kompletament addictive (ovvjament l-acidita' li jqabbedlek fl-istonku lanqas 30 multa ghax ipparkjajt fuq il-bankina ma jqabduhilek). Inkredibilment iebes issibu.

Il-Gbejniet ta' l-Ilma (friski)/Il-Gbejniet tal-Bzar (MT.. anzi, GZ)

Fost l-affarijiet l-ohra li jien kburi li jien Malti (cioe' l-ahwa Collinson u l-cake inkredibilment tajjeb li tixtrih b'50c minn forn f'Hal Qormi) hawn dan il-gobon li nhobb imhabba kbira. Gieli inraqdu mieghi u nohlom holm helu li qedghin nigru ferhanin flimkien fuq il-plajja ta' Marsalforn qisna zewg boloh u nilghabu loghob helu hdejn il-bahar - umbaghad nieklu.

Hemm wiehed xih Ghawdxi jaghmilhom u jigi ibiehom bil-barmil il-Belt. Jghidu li biex tara l-kwalita' ta' dan il-gobon issabata mal-hajt u tara tehilx jew le. Jghidu wkoll hafna kazzati ohra allura bir-ragun qedghin frankuni. Insomma l-mohh intraprendenti Malti tieghi ilu jahseb ghal hafna zmien kif ser jimporta dan il-gobon fl-Ewropa, biss dik il-parti ta' mohhi tan-nanniet Greci-Catalani titfaghni lura u ma thallinix nibqa nahseb ghax tfakkarni li hawn il-Feta ta' Piraeus u l-Costa Negra li li ghadom l-istess texture tal-gbejniet, ghalkemm it-toghma mhux ezatt l-istess.

Ricotta salata (IT)

Dan il-gobon Sqalli forsi mhux wiehed mill-aqwa gobna Taljani li jezistu - u l-uniku gobon iebes f'din il-lista - imma ghandi hafna memorji sbieh tieghu. Kien ukoll wiehed mill-iktar gobnijiet (x'jigi il-plural ta' gobon?!) li kien hafif issib Malta. Kienet Anita li introducietni ghalih waqt festin, bdejna nitkellmu u rajt li kellna hafna in komuni, fil-konversazzjoni dahal ukoll certu Turkey Breast u gieli anke Lays u forsi xi wiehed Ingliz jismu Boddingtons jew Chardonnay il-Kalifornjan. Jien u Anita konna nghaddu mumenti magici f'Qui-Si-Sana jew il-gnien tal-Milorda bejn il-Belt u l-Furjana ma' dawn il-hbieb taghna u fil-kumpanija ta' hbieb ohra fosthom id-discman, il-kotba u affarijiet ohra li mhux f'waqthom nispjega hawn.

Gobon li jdejjaqli l-bajd:

Il-Gruyere (aka Gobon tat-Toqba) - U ejja...
Cheddar - bland... ghalfejn hu daqshekk popolari Malta? Ghax jiekluh l-Inglizi? Mhux partikolarment irhis lanqas.
Caprice des Dieux - x'ghandu tajjeb? diga' l-Camembert mhux xi gobon tajjeb hafna, biex taghmel kopja tal-Camembert umbaghad..?!

LINKS: Artiklu tajjeb fuq l-encarta dwar il-gobon, kif taghmel il-gobon id-dar, kif tipprepara set ta' gobon

* kwotazzjoni ta' Norman Lowell ovvjament (qedgha f'nofs l-MP3)..

il-miami ta' l-afrika

2005-09-20T18:59:00.000+02:00

Darba ktibt dwar il-muzika u l-kitba ta' l-Eritrea u ta' l-Etjopja u dan l-ahhar qed ninteressa ruhi fl-arkitettura tal-post. Biss iebes tghid li hi "arkitettura Eritrejana" billi bnewha t-Taljani - imma wiehed jista' jargumenta li l-post kien ihallilhom il-liberta' li jibnu b'dak il-mod, liberta' li ma kienx ser ikollhom l-Italja u li lanqas id-Duce ma seta' jaqbad jibni u jhawwad kif idurlu l-bubu' . Halliha li bena l-E.U.R. imma dik storja ohra...

Bordering the Red Sea, Asmara — the capital of the small east African country of Eritrea — is one of the most important and exciting architectural 'discoveries' of recent years.

Built almost entirely by Italians in the 1930s, the city has one of highest concentrations of Modernist architecture anywhere in the world. It has even been described as "the Miami of Africa."

Desperate to build quickly, the colonial government of that time allowed radical architectural experimentation that would not have found favor in the more conservative European environment.

Therefore, Asmara became the world's prime building ground for architectural innovation during the Modernist Movement. This important architectural legacy has escaped the destruction wrought by war and the exploitation of land that, elsewhere, has occurred in peacetime.

Now that the city is open to the world — following Eritrea's declaration of independence from Ethiopia in 1991 — there has been a growing awareness of its architectural richness and significance.

Sors: The Globalist
Iktar ritratti: IPON (Asmara), asmera.nl

Ironija kattiva - forsi ghax jien Ewropew u alla jaf x'nahseb li jien imma kont sorpriz hafna li tal-linja huma vejikoli Mercedes-Benz, cioe' ahjar minn taghna, u li hemm ristoranti Cinizi u Taljani wkoll. Jidhirli Pasolini kien ghamel film qasir dwar il-post - jew qed inhawwad?

Tlaqna sa Asmara jew?

belle, belle e brave

2005-09-14T19:14:00.000+02:00

Omagg zghir lill-ahwa identici Collinson
data u post tat-twelid: 22 ta' Lulju 1952, Sliema, Malta

Tnejn mill-ftit (ftit, ftit) persuni li jgeghluni inkun kburi li jien Malti.

Min kienu? Fejn qed jghixu bhalissa? X'sar minnhom?
Nixtieq niltaqgha maghhom...

-

Kumbinazzjoni qieghed nara Removed ta' Naomi Uman bhalissa. Film sperimentali mahdum billi tnehhew l-istampi ta' nisa bit-tipp-ex u l-bleach minn fuq films porno tas-snin 70. Wisq probabbli xi kumment femminista, imma iebes tigi konvint dwar xi hsieb socjo-politiku meta ghandek l-isbuhija ta' dawk l-istampi qodma waqt li ghandek l-ahwa Collinson f'mohhok...

hajr: xemx, forum

anon.

2005-09-11T11:54:00.000+02:00

L-anonimità

Sharon qed titkellem dwar l-anonimità...

Ma nafx x'inhi l-istorja li qed titkellem fuqha u mhux ser nidhol fiha - izda, iva, nahseb MaltaGirl kienet l-ewwel li bdiet tbabas fil-podcasting u x'naf jien u nahseb tkun kuntenta tisma li lehinha instema fis-salott ta' koppja Maltija fi Schaerbeek, Brussell hiereg minn go iBook. Biss naqbel ma min jitfa wahda tniggez xi minn daqqiet - bhal ma' ghamel ic-chap meta tkellem (b'mod xi ftit condescending u arroganti) dwar dawk li jparlaw dwar l-ezistenzjalismu taghhom (jien ukoll nimmagina), jew Manwel meta tkellem fuq l-elit normali, jew...

Ikollok bzonn daqqa ta' lampuka f'wiccek biex iggibek f'postok xi minn daqqiet. Ejja, mur ahsel wiccek bis-sapun ghax ghandek riha ta' hut taqsam.

Da capo.

L-anonimu

Jien nghozza hafna l-anonimità wkoll u nixtieq inzomma. Min jafni nippreferi li ma jxandarx ismi (ghalkemm mhux iebes tasal ghalih), x'naghmel u x'ma naghmilx, ecc ecc.

Grazzi.

L-anonimazzjonarjismu

Gieli qrajtuh l-Onion? Jaf ikun tajjeb u incisiv kif jaf ikun catt u bla sens. Billi qedghin nitkellmu dwar l-anonimat, dan l-artiklu sibtu jmur...

requiem

2005-09-06T20:35:00.000+02:00

Nahseb hafna minnkom digà semghu l-ahbar.

Requiem ghall-post li zgur ma kienx perfett imma kellu hafna punti tajbin u almenu kien naqra ahjar minn hafna bars ohra f'Paceville.

M'hemmx x'taghmel - raguni ohra biex ma mmurx lura (partikolarment ma mmurx Paceville), jew raguni ohra biex ingemma' ftit iktar u mmur niftah xi haga jien f'mument ta' delirju u aptit ta' suwicidju kummercjali... jiddependi kif taraha.

bartleby, lo scrivano

2005-09-04T21:46:00.000+02:00

Hemm min, u nahseb hawn jaqbel il-karattru skrivan fi ktieb ta' Fernando Pessoa, twieled biex ikun employé administratif, li f'dan it-test ser nuza l-kelma "skrivan" biex niddeskrivih. Jien nahseb wiehed minn dawk. Ix-xoghol tieghi, kif tistghu timmaginaw, mhux xi wiehed jentuzjasmani wisq imma lanqas idejjaqni hafna. Mhux biex niftahar imma jien pjuttost tajjeb fih. Snin ta' esperjenza, minn meta kont semplici skrivan ghall-meta ilhaqt l-everest tal-karriera tieghi u sirt purchasing manager (hah!), ghallmuni li trid tkun efficjenti u attent fuq ix-xoghol biex mohhok ma jigix disturbat iktar tard meta tkun qed tahseb fuq id-dizinn ta' qoxra ta' CD jew dwar jekk hux ahjar tissellef camera tas-super8 (idea hazina ghax trid thallas kemm ghandha dejn Malta seba' darbiet biex tixtri naqra film dan l-ahhar, grazzi ghall-Kodak) jew miniDV?

Twelidt f'familja li donnha maghmula biex twelled l-iskrivana jew l-egzekutivz: in-nannu kien machine operator f'fabbrika u wara sar negozjant, in-nannu l-iehor kaxxier f'supermarket, missieri jahdem mac-civil, ommi kap ta' skola. Kollha estremament iddedikati ghal xogholhom (iva - qed nevita l-kelma workaholics). Kulhadd saqajh ma' l-art u hadd minnhom qatt ma tela' fuq palk jew qabad pinzel b'idejh. Barra minn hekk kont nghaddi hafna hin fl-ufficini meta kont zghir (ma' missieri) allura l-ambjent ta' l-ufficini, partikolarment dawk tal-gvern, id-dinja ta' l-ufficini, ic-cajt bazwi tal-kollegi, it-timbri li jghidu "RECEIVED ON [date]" u fornituri ta' l-ufficcju bil-marka "G.M." fuqhom huma parti ta' l-infanzja tieghi daqs Galaxy Express 999 jew il-Family Computer/Micro Genius.

Nghir ghal nies bhal siehbi Floris, zghir u entuzjast jistudja l-iskola tal-films u li l-hin kollu jhokk rasu qisha rasu qed tigi invazata minn tliet qamliet fihom daqs bettieha u li donnu f'hajtu qatt ma haseb li biex tghix trid taqla' l-flus. Jien kont dejjem wisq rasi fuq ghonqi biex, u meta ipprovajt "nahrab", kont nibza' mmur 'l boghod hafna u kelli mmur lura b'denbi bejn saqajja.

U naqra dak il-ktieb ta' Pessoa nara kemm jien bhalu, imma ftit inqas misthi, ftit iktar socjevoli, ftit iktar "jolly" insomma. Il-films u d-diski xorta naghmilhom u mmexxi xorta wahda. L-ideat li ghandi dan l-ahhar li nbiddel ftit it-triq, nitlaq kollox u immur naqra La Cambre jew Sint-Lucas (ghandi ideat imma ma nafx ezatt kif insehhhom fuq pjan tekniku) biex insir il-Matt McCormick* tal-Belgju/Malta se jsehhu? Kwazi m'ghandi l-ebda dubju li le. Imma ideat helwin biex izommuli kumpanija sakemm fil-futur nerga' niccekkja li l-figuri li dahhal il-junior purchasing clerk il-gdid jaqblu ma' l-istimi li ppreparajt jien, jew kienx wisq ikkoncentrat fuq l-istrip ta' llum ta' Dilbert biex ikun hawn mohhu hawn illum...

Il-problema hi li mewta ta' skrivan mhux mewta denja. Mewta denja hi wahda ta' poeta, ta' artist, ta' politikant. Kulhadd irid jibqa' b'ismu miktub fl-istorja wara l-mewt. X'inhu l-punt? Mhux ahjar tghix ghall-hajja milli ghall-glorja ta' wara l-mewt u thalli l-hajja tiskorri kif tixtieqha tiskorri bla ma ssabbat fuqha biex tbiddilha? Ghala tissielet kontra l-hajja? Calma e sangue freddo.

*Rajt l-ewwel film tieghu l-bierah u ghogobni hafna, ghalkemm ahna t-tlieta - cioe Anita, jien u David (li ghandu lehnu 'kemmxejn iwassal') konna msiktta qabel ma beda l-film minn duttur u skalda fis-sorm li kien bilqieghda quddiemna li kien iktar fitt u "anal" minn Sir Elton John...

The Kurats at Number 49

2005-08-26T16:19:00.000+02:00

Il-Kumars f'Londra,
Il-Kurats fi Brussell..

Heqq hemm.. ha nibdew b'naqra poezija qabel ma nipprezentaw l-orrur...

Listen Mr. Oxford don
by John Agard

Me not no Oxford don
me a simple immigrant
from Clapham Common
I didn't graduate
I immigrate

But listen Mr Oxford don
I'm a man on de run
and a man on de run
is a dangerous one

I ent have no gun
I ent have no knife
but mugging de Queen's English
is the story of my life

I dont need no axe
to split/ up yu syntax
I dont need no hammer
to mash up yu grammar

I warning you Mr Oxford don
I'm a wanted man
and a wanted man
is a dangerous one

Dem accuse me of assault
on de Oxford dictionary/ imagin
a concise peaceful man like me/dem
want me serve time
for inciting rhyme to riot
but I tekking it quiet
down here in Clapham Common

I'm not a violent man Mr Oxford don
I only armed wit muh human breath
but human breath
is a dangerous weapon

So mek dem send one big word after me
I ent serving no jail sentence
I slashing suffix in self-defence
I bashing future wit present tense
and if necessary

I making de Queen's English accessory/to my offence

Il-lingwa Maltija tisfa maqtula fi Brussell

Skond informazzjoni li ghandu dan il-blogg, ghalkemm il-mewt tal-lingwa Maltija kienet mahsuba li kien xoghol il-hafna britixx Maltin li hemm jghixu Brussell u jaqdu d-dmir ta' konsulenti u zbubati simili ghall-kuruna Maltija, dan ma kienx minnu. Dan il-blogg irnexxielu jakkwista ezempji disturbanti ferm tat-tip ta' tortura li kellha tbati l-povra lingwa qabel ma sfat mejta b'daqqa ta' sikkina Franciza f'dahra, gidma Olandiza ma saqajha, hafna bullets Inglizi u xi bullets Taljani fil-qalb u fl-istonku. Tafu min kienu... Inutile de démasquer!

Francisizmi!

pubell - landa taz-zibel
(mill-Franciz poubelle)

ix-xeff - il-kap
(generalment head of division)

il-prodott - prodott biex innaddfu l-parquet

il-garr - l-istazzjon
(tinqara bhal garr... tgorr, igorr, ecc)

systematic - qasra ghal "systematic destroyer of our house"
(ie, isem helu ghalija li taghtni Anita)

savà - multifunzjoni
(halliha, kif int, jien orrajt, ecc)

andaluws - qasra ghal "mitraillette bil-basal u frites bis-sauce tzigane, imma jekk ma jkollux tzigane, andalouse tajjeb ukoll. Eh, u coka diet ukoll..."

niddegustaw - nduqu

l-orér - xhin ser tghaddi l-bus

Commerces de proximité

ic-centru - il-Bourse

excellence - Video Excellence

dejjemmaghluq - PlinTub

rachid - Coiffure des Bienfaiteurs

automatisch kostantijn (b'moviment sesswali-robotiku sakemm tghida) - tejkewejs f'Amsterdam

l-indjan - tan-night shop ta' hdejna (wisq probabbli Pakistani mhux Indjan)

in-nonant - tram 90

is-swasantsenk - bus 65

iktar provi inqas iwahxu!

nee hux... (le hux)

il-yeti / narkopelsja - Antonio Sousa Pereira
(sid il-kera. Portugiz... sufi u "pjuttost kalm")

fernan/fernando/fernand/ferdinand - Fernando Sousa Pereira
(il-gar - hu sid il-kera)

it-Torka - gara simpatika hafna li kull ma nafu fuqha hi Torka u li tonfoq hafna fuq peroxide tax-xaghar u tiffirmalna ghall-pakketti u l-posta taghna

il-Maltin - il-Maltin orrajt ta' Brussell
(imnissla b'ton normali)

il-Maltiiinne - il-Maltin li jdejqulna l-garzetta
(imnissla b'ton imdejjaq)

salarju iktar attrattiv fuq il-livell finanzjarju - salarju ahjar

Ma kienx hemm qbil fil-familja Kurat - fatt li seta' jwassal sabiex johorgu l-istinti lingwistiko-qattiela taghhom b'mod vjolenti...

anita tghid moxt jien nghid petne

anita tghid porch u jien nghid woxxruwm (washroom) jew buwanderi (buanderie)

anita titni u jien nitwi

Et tu Brutus?
Kif qed tbaghbas u tifrakassa l-lingwa int?

public service announcement (grazzi nonist)

2005-08-19T10:22:00.000+02:00

the new rock 'n' roll

2005-08-18T08:07:00.000+02:00

l-ispirtu ta' John Peel jghix fil-labar...

tir lit-tjur ha jparpru 'l hemm

2005-08-14T16:20:00.000+02:00

Forum

2005-08-14T09:25:00.000+02:00

Mela, ilna niddiskutuha zmien u billi rajt li hadd ma wasal ghaliha ivvintajtha jien... Forum ghall-bloggin u dawk kollha interessati fl-ibbloggjar...

jinsab hawn: BloggsMaltin [http://bloggsmaltin.6.forumer.com/]

dan ser iservi mhux biss bhala post biex niddiskutu affarijiet teknici dwar il-bloggs imma wkoll opinjonijiet, artikli (ez. - minflok timla s-sezzjoni tal-kummenti ta' xi blogg qisu IRC Chat tpassi ghall-forum minflok) - insomma bicca minnu ser ikun tekniku u matter-of-fact u parti l-ohra speci ta' kazin virtwali (minghajr ic-Cisk jew is-San Paolo fit-tazzi tal-pyrex insomma...).

Li nitlob minghandkom hu li jekk joghgobkom:

1. Taghmlu link ghaliha fis-sidebar tal-blogg taghkom
2. Tikkontribwixxu u tippartecipaw halli naghtuh l-ewwel spinta

Grazzi

radjuspiel anyone?

2005-08-12T19:45:00.000+02:00

Europäische Abweichungen in der schweizer Gegend

RAAAADIOO EUROPAAA SCHWWWEIZ!

Grüzi! Il-hin fuq Radio Europa hu is-sitta u ghoxrin. Cemplilna sehibna Samuel Schmid mill-Isvizzera li jixtieq iselli ghal hbiebu u jiddedikalhom diska. Iselli partikolarment ghall-Isvizzeri tal-Campione d'Italia u l-Isvizzeri ta' Büsingen - ara gejja...

Das glückliche schweizer-italienisch Radiospiel

Dan l-ahhar qed nisma' ftit Acquarelli Popolari, stejjer u rakkonti ta' kittieba Svizzeri Taljani tal-Kanton Ticino fuq l-RTSI. Ftit minnhom helwin, ftit minnhom provincjali, ftit minnhom huma mediokri u ftit minnhom tajbin hafna... imma l-parti l-kbira huma pjuttost interessanti.

isimghu b'ghajnejkom

2005-08-09T19:01:00.000+02:00

1-2 Check

Ha nispjegalkom naqra mil-liema xena muzikali nigi jien. Jien nigi mit-tarf estrem tal-muzika, il-muzika esperimentali... il-qiegh tal-bittija akustika. Jekk wiehed irid jaghmel analizi ta' x'jigri jekk is-software P2P tant ikisser is-suq tal-muzika li jbiddlu kompletament wiehed jista' jibda mix-xena tieghi. Is-CDs normalment johorgu f'format ta' CD-r, f'ammont limitat ta' kopji (gieli anke 50 kopja biss), handmade covers li gieli jirrekjedu hafna xoghol, ammont ta' flus tant limitat li hu kwazi impossibbli tghix minn fuq il-qliegh anke jekk tkun famuz u tista' tghix bi ftit flus. Ghalina l-P2P ma kienx ifisser sistema kif jittieklu l-ftit flus li tista' taghmel imma opportunità biex tkun iktar kreattiv u l-muzika ta' dak li jkun tasal ghand aktar nies minn qatt qabel.

Biex niehu spunt mill-essay ta' John Oswald "Plunderphonics, or Audio Piracy as a Compositional Prerogative" nahseb li l-muzika stampata fuq CD jew MP3s, il-films fil-forma ta' DivX jew MPEG (jew anke DVD), il-ktieb f'forma trasferibbli (PDF jew photocopies) huma informazzjoni likwida mhux oggett uniku (bhal nghidu ahna tpingija). Huma, essenzjalment, diga kopja ta' l-oggett originali mhux l-oggett innifsu - b'hekk jistghu jigu trasferiti bejn medju u iehor u bejn persuna u ohra u ma nisbix haga tajba li jkun hemm reverenza tant qawwija ghall-oggett li ma naghrfux li huma essenzjalment informazzjoni digitali li giet ikkreata minn xi hadd u mghoddija lill xi hadd iehor u li taghha jistghu isiru kopji infiniti. Certu bicciet ta' Noise: The Political Economy of Music ta' Jacques Attali huma relevanti ghal dan ukoll.

Post-apokalissi...

X'jigri, skond jien, jekk jisfaxxa s-suq diskografiku?

Pozittivi

Il-mewt tal-muzika manifatturata pop, il-mewt tal-boy bands, ecc. (Jekk il-flus li wiehed jista' jaqla mill-muzika huma mizerja)
Iktar kreattivita' (Wiehed jista jesperimenta kemm irid ghax mhux marbut bil-bejgh tad-diski)
Esperimentazzjoni (is-CD hu marbut b'stampi quddiem u wara u dewmien massimu ta' daqq ta' 74 minuta - minghajr dan tista' tibda esperimenti fejn ma tafx jekk hux film jew diska li qed tara - orkestri li jdoqqu korijiet ta' 4 sighat mhux maqsuma, films li jistghu jigu remixed u mbaghbsa mill-utent stess, ecc)
Ix-xena muzikali Maltija qed issir (ftit ftit) harira iktar varjata... meghjuna ukoll mill-fatt li n-nies jistghu jiehdu riskji u jippruvaw muzika differenti milli jhobbu s-soltu

Negattivi

Kulhadd jinsab f'pozizzjoni li jaghmel u jippubblika l-muzika hu nnifsu (jigifieri hemm hafna gruppi u artisti tal-qamel biex niftiehmu)
M'hemmx nodes centrali ta' distribuzzjoni (Distribuzzjoni hazina minhabba li m'hemmx flus involuti)

PosiNegattivi u noti ohra

Naccetta l-argumenti tan-naha l-ohra, u naqbel ma' ftit minnhom ukoll
Ir-rivoluzzjoni tan-netlabels ser iddum wisq biex issehh. Meta ser issir? Il-Licenzja tal-Creative Commons hi pass importanti biex naslu ghal dan.

L-imhabba tal-prodott tibqa - in-nies ihobbu jkollhom il-prodott innifsu f'idejhom. Il-prodott ser jibqa' jezisti - Il-bloggs mhux ser joqtlu l-gazzetti - anzi forsi jzidu l-voracita' tal-qarrejja ghall- kitba.

Ghalhekk naqbel mal-P2P. L-ebda ghadma liberali f'gismi, l-ebda cellula li tiehu pjacir bl-esperimentazzjoni f'mohhi ma thallini nitharrek mill-pozizzjoni tieghi favur dawk li johorgu jimirhu 'l hinn minn dak li hu stabbilit mill-istatus quo u l-kont bankarju ta' xi grupp li missu ilu li rtira.

Wara kollox min hu suppost kreattiv, minn hu suppost artist imma ma jahsibx f'termini ta' kreattivita' jew il-valur artistiku ta' l-oggett imma f'termini ta' flus l-ewwel u qabel kollox (jew flus biss) ma tantx trid tkun ciniku u/jew gharef biex tasal ghal konkluzjoni li ma haqqux it-titlu ta' persuna kreattiva u/jew artist imma paljacc wisq materjalist jilghabha tar-ribell ghax hekk suppost jaghmel. Haqqu.

The End of Music

L-Arlequin, hanut tad-diski uzati fi Brussell, qed jiccelebra l-mewt tas-suq diskografiku b'sale enormi u b'interventi artistici fil-hwienet tieghu. F'intervista li ta lill-Zone 02 is-sid ma kienx jidher imhasseb jew inkwetat dwar il-popolarita' ta' l-MP3s ghal kemm l-ghajxien tieghu jiddipendi minn hekk. Skond hu din fazi ohra ta' fenomenu li minn dejjem ezista - meta kien zghir hu stess kien jirrekordja d-diski minn fuq ir-radju. Kull ma tfisser hi li s-suq inbidel. Biss, bla dubju, hemm inqas flus fiha l-bicca...

Resonance FM

Resonance FM hu wiehed mir-radios favoriti tieghi li nisma ta' spiss ix-xoghol. Ghal xejn inzid ma' x'qalu ohrajn dwaru...

'A loosely structured laboratory for artists of all kinds to reimagine what radio can be' Artforum

'The best radio station in London'
The Guardian

'Less a radio station than a living art installation'
Harpers & Queen

'Lock the dial on 104.4 FM and leave it there'
The Evening Standard

'Less talking about the arts, and more of the art itself'
The Daily Telegraph

'A glorious experiment that everyone in the country deserves the chance to hear it'
The Independent

'An ad-free oasis of sonic experimentalism'
Dazed & Confused

'A cure for conformity, still available without prescription. Try it before they ban it'
Muzik

Min qieghed f'Londra Resonance FM qieghed fuq 104.4 FM. Ghal min bhali jixtieq jisimghu streaming jista' jikklikkja hawn. Araw wahda l-lista tal-programmi qabel ma tibdew - Resonance hu radju varjat ferm - tista' tisma minn kollox - minn funk etjopjan u muzika esperimentali minn Brooklyn, intervista ma' xi professur tal-gografija umana jew informazzjoni ghall-pensjonanti ta' Sarf London. U jekk m'ghandekx interess fis-sussidji fuq id-dentura u s-Civic Centre il-gdid ta' Peckham Rye nikkunsiljalek ma tismax dawn ta' l-ahhar...

Ghal min qieghed Brussell m'hawnx xi haga ezatt bhala imma jekk titfa' Radio Panik, Radio Campus, esperiment gdid jismu SilenceRadio.org u l-Atelier de Création Sonore Radiophonique f'blender (jew kif inhu maghruf ahjar f'certi djar Maltin "il-Kenwood") forsi johrog xi haga simili

nirritornão lura

2005-08-03T19:30:00.000+02:00

Ave Casamia, o Centurjun metafiziku tal-Belgae
Wasalt il-bierah mill-Lusitanja u din hi l-informazzjoni dwar il-konkwista imperjali l-gdida taghna...

Il-portugizi ghandhom is-suf ta' fuq ghajnejhom enormi... litteralment black forest. Ma nistaghgibx li nsir naf li Caccamo bbazat fuq karattru Portugiz. L-ahwa Gallagher Portugizi tghid?

In-nisa Portugizi sbieh. U sufin.

In-nisa Braziljani sbieh. B'hafna nemex. U sufin.

Niftakar kull nhar ta' Hadd meta kont zghir missieri u ommi kienu jduru nahat borgizi u inqas borgizi jaraw id-djar. Niftakarni mimdud fil-Mazda 323 tal-familja ghax ghamlitli d-deni l-karozza. Meta qbizna x-Xmara Tagus u spiccajna post ezatt bhal Malta ta' dak iz-zmien (u tal-lum) - l-istess vegetazzjoni, l-istess djar fix-xifer ta' alla jaf fejn, l-istess konkrit, l-istess hwienet zghar - bazaars li ma jhajrukx u mekkaniks. Ghamilna 5 minuti hemm... kieku kien hemm taksi li ried 50 Ewro biex johodni 'l hemm asafuckingp kont inwaqqfu xorta wahda.

Kont sorpriz li r-ristorant Indo-Africa (fejn johrog ikanta s-sid ta' l-istabbiliment) qieghed Rua Poço dos Negroes - triq li hi msemmija hekk ghax kienu jitfghu l-iskjavi suwed la jlestu minnhom. Is-sid, Kabo Verdjan, nahseb kellu xi skop car f'mohhu li jiftah ristorant hemm. Imma liema ezattament?

Ghandi teorija li l-generazzjoni ta' wara tirribella kontra l-klixes taghha... il-Germanizi irribelaw billi, sfortutament, saru tant laid-back li ferrovija wahda li hi wahda tad-Deutsche Bahn qatt ma tigi fil-hin. Il-Portugizi (li kienu l-iktar nies illiterati fl-Ewropa qabel tfacca pajjiz zghir jismu Malta) irribellaw billi ikkreaw 12-il gazzetta u xebgha cinemas kullimkien. L-RTP (min jghix il-Lussemburgu jew Brussell jaf li dan l-istazzjon hu tahlita ta' telenovelas low-budget Braziljani, verajeti xows, u sitcoms fai da te stil Simpatici/Majsi) zgur mhux wahdu fit-tixrid tal-medjokrita katodika imma wiehed mill-ftit li ghad fadal. X'hemm ahjar milli tasal naqra tipsy wara xi wirja jew kuncert iz-Zé dos Bois u lejl il-Bairro Alto u tixghel l-RTP2 u tkun sorpriz li jitfacca film ta' Kaurismaki (bil-Finlandiz) ssottotitolat bil-Portugiz. Bling.

Ghal min qatt ma sema' l-lingwa ma jistaghgibx jekk minflok lingwa latina jisma' xebgha kliem slavici qisha xi registrazzjoni ta' konverzazzjoni long-winded fuq is-Soyuz. Hekk tinstema. M'hemm l-ebda mod kif din il-lingwa iggibha "tinstema' pulita". Qisu djalett Spanjol-Moskovita hamallu insomma.

Jekk titfacca daphnecaruanagalizia u tghid li kullimkien jitkellmu bl-Ingliz, so it's not that important to learn another language because English is the lingua franca ayye, ta' min jixtrilha biljett sola andata ghall-Portugall. Preferibbilment b'istruzzjonijiet cari (u bil-Portugiz) lill-awtoritajiet Portugizi biex jikkonfiskawlha l-passaport la tasal hemm. Dehihiho.

harba

2005-07-21T08:35:00.000+02:00

dan il-blogg mhux ser jigi aggornat qabel it-3 ta' Awwissu (jew "Awissu" jekk tridu).

Ser inkun il-Portugall. Illum il-festa nazzjonali tal-Belgju u ser nara lil dawn live hawnhekk

-----------------------------------------------------------

Jista' xi hadd jghidli x'inhi l-istorja gastronomika ta' dawn?

Milli jidher m'humiex Taljani/Sqallin - biss l-isem hu Taljan u meta kont ghand il-pasticcier Sqalli ta' hdejja kellu qishom pastizzi imma tal-helu (u bl-icing sugar fuqhom ukoll) - jien, ta' tronga li jien, ma saqsejtux x'jisimhom... Xi hadd jaf?

analizi tal-gazzetti...

2005-07-16T22:05:00.000+02:00

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - A lunch meeting between a leading parliamentarian in Belgium and counterparts from Iran has been cancelled because the beer-loving Belgian could not stomach a ban on alcohol.

"Even for the tolerant Herman De Croo, that was a bridge too far," De Croo, a Dutch-speaking Liberal, told De Standaard daily on Thursday.

De Croo, president of parliament's lower house, had been due to entertain the speaker and members of the Iranian parliament on Friday during their visit to Belgium -- famous for its diversity of beer brands.

But he said lunch had been cancelled because the Iranians, who as Muslims do not drink alcohol, wanted their hosts to do the same.

WASHINGTON (La Repubblica) - "Crescere significa arrendersi", era uno dei suoi messaggi preferiti. Una scritta che accompagnava spesso i suoi giganteschi graffiti, firmati sempre con un nome: "Borf". Ma ieri il "re dei graffiti" di Washington è stato arrestato. Per mesi il misterioso artista aveva riempito la capitale con l'immagine del volto di un ragazzo, dallo sguardo beffardo, col pugno alzato a mostrare una bomboletta spray. Ora la sua identità è stata svelata e si comprendono finalmente le ragioni della sua creatività.

Il "re dei graffiti" ha 18 anni, si chiama John Tsombikos e frequenta una scuola d'arte. La polizia lo ha arrestato ieri all'alba, cogliendolo sul fatto, grazie a una soffiata. Era infatti impegnato in un altro dei suoi giganteschi ritratti di Borf. Il volto che ha dipinto per tutta Washington, compresi i punti di maggiori traffico della città, è quello del suo più caro amico, morto suicida due anni fa, che aveva appunto il nomignolo "Borf". Le immagini erano apparse nei luoghi più disparati, dai ponti ai cartelli stradali, dai negozi a intere facciate di edifici. Spesso erano accompagnate da messaggi anarchici ("La proprietà è un furto"), anti-maturità ("Gli adulti sono obsoleti") o più scanzonati ("Borf fa bene al fegato"). La reazione della gente all'invasione iconografica è stata differente: alle proteste indignate di alcuni, per il deturpamento della proprietà pubblica, si è contrapposto l'entusiasmo di altri, che vedevano in Borf un paladino contro il grigiore della vita quotidiana.

I suoi graffiti sono diventati un vero oggetto di dibattito a Washington, così come i messaggi sibillini che spesso li accompagnavano. Centinaia di foto dei suoi "lavori" sono finite su internet: molti si interrogavano sui motivi e sull'identità dell'indiscusso "numero uno" della capitale nell'arte murale. Alcuni degli enormi graffiti anti-sistema, disegnati a diversi metri di altezza e in luoghi di difficile accesso, hanno richiesto ore e ore di lavoro. Come Borf sia sempre riuscito a farla franca resta un mistero, visto che numerose delle sue opere apparivano nei luoghi più centrali e in vista della capitale. Alcune immagini sono apparse perfino a New York e a San Francisco, dipinte da Tsombikos durante trasferte in autobus dalla capitale. La sua popolarità ha fatto nascere anche degli imitatori. Scritte come "Borf è gay" o "Borf odia Dio" (vista sul muro di una chiesa) sono state rinnegate dall'artista. Nelle ultime settimane l'apparizione di nuovi graffiti del celebre Borf era stata minima a Washington. Tsombikos, dopo l'arresto, ha spiegato il motivo alla polizia: negli ultimi tempi aveva viaggiato per l'Europa, partecipando anche alle proteste in Scozia per il G8. Ora è incriminato per vandalismo contro proprietà pubbliche e private. "Borf è morto", ha detto agli agenti. Anche in manette, non ha perso il suo stile ambiguo e beffardo.

PS Xtrajt il-bocci tal-pétanque dalghodu...

sfida (mhux sfiga)

2005-07-14T09:09:00.000+02:00

Appell

Jekk bilfors tridu taghmlu l-muzika fuq il-blogg taghkom tistghu taghmluhom li ma jixghelux awtomatikament meta tiftah l-pagna pls? Grazzi. Qed idejquni ferm inqas il-bloggs bil-muzika... anzi saru jghogbuni, imma li jaqbdu jdoqqu x'hin idurilhom il-bubù iddejjaqni.

Petanque
Petank

Il-bierah skoprejt il-Petanque il-Petank Club tar-Recyclart. Haga li ghal xi raguni tidher popolari mhux biss mal-frankofoni imma, sfortunatament, popolari hafna ukoll man-nudisti amerikani. Halliha li l-Lussemburgu qatt ma rajtha din il-loghba imma apparentement hemm xi tminn art tal-loghob f'Esch/Uelzecht) imma niftakarni nara l-bocci Malta jintlaghbu minn xjuh biss. X'jigri la jmutu dawk ix-xjuh? Gieli rajtu lil xi hadd izghar minn 65 sena jilghab il-bocci Malta?

Insomma jien veramente negato ghal-loghba... nitfa b'sahha barranija u jispiccaw fl-inhawi ta' Amsterdam il-bocci.. imma d-dolce metà inkredibilment brava. Kulhadd "alllez aniitaah" u bocca wara l-ohra dejjem tigi iktar vicin tal-cochonette (il-likk). Jien tant kont non-entity fil-loghba li wara l-konsweti 13-il loghba xorta bqajt "monsieur la" (nameless, imma mhux blameless). Kien hemm kull tip ta' persuna tilghab, squatters marokkini, hipsters, xjuh belgjani libsin crieket tad-deheb u bit-toupé, skaters zghar - u ta' kontrina kienu, apparentement, seminaristi. Nahseb qalu xi angelus u biesu r-ritratti ta' Padre Pio meta tfaccaw zewg bciecen barranin li qatt ma' laghbu petanque bhalna imma regghu hasbuha meta raw lil Aniitaah tilghab! Tje ja qatta abbatin makkjavelljani!

Il-loghba taf tasal f'punti uber-nerdy fejn johorgu l-metru u joqghodu jkellu d-distanza tal-bocci minn xulxin tipo il-famuz ritwal tipikament maskili tat-tkejjil tal-pene meta konna zghar.

Hu hawn hi l-isfida....
Malta - Brux - Lux

Min irid jghaqqad loghba jghidli... ejja bloggin Lussemburgizi, hemm iktar fil-hajja milli tmur tixtri l-Auchan u tipprova tipprova tifflirtja ma' xi Estonjani li probabbli xorta ma jridux johorgu mieghek... u jien irrid ninzel s'hemm xi darba. Immorru naqra quddiem il-Parlament jew il-Qorti tal-Gustizzja nghaqdu loghba jew immorru inkissru l-pavés perfetti ta' Place de Paris bil-bocci mdaqqsa taghna, bloggin Maltin (gej s'hemm f'Marzu) - club tal-bocci S. Venera? Bloggin Bruxellois (tlieta le?) il-Club Petank tar-Recylcart stess? Xi tghidu?

l-elit generali

2005-07-10T07:03:00.000+02:00

Wara l-battalja bloggarja bejn l-elit liberali u l-elit krepuskolari, ta' min xi hadd jipprezenta l-elit generali.

Razza li donnha ma tezistix Malta - jew almenu ftit li xejn iltqajt maghha insomma. Il-hbieb tieghi Malta, kif forsi tistghu tobsru, huma nies li jekk marru l-universita' studjaw xi haga inutili bhall-filosofija jew il-letteratura. Jafu li hajjithom kollha ser ikunu skrivana ma' Soldi Import & Export Ltd. ghax l-ebda kumpanija Maltija mhi ser tohloq graduate scheme sabiex jigu impjegati imhawdin bhal dawk. Ovvjament is-socjeta Maltija, peace and blessing of alla the merciful be upon her, mhux ser tivvalorizza dawk li hargu daqshekk 'il barra mil-linja.

Allura kif nispjega li hbiebi hawn huma razza ta' nies differenti ghall-ahhar.

Il-kuntatt li kelli man-nies prattici f'Malta - ma' l-avukati, ma' dawk li studjaw l-ekonomija, l-accountants u x'naf jien kien dejjem falliment enormi. Jien kont narahom bhala nies dull u bla immaginazzjoni u nista' nobsor li huma kienu jahsbuni ghazzien. Kulhadd kellu postu - hemm ma kienx tieghi.

Il-fatt hu li forsi kienu jafu x'inhuma macroeconomics jew x'kienet tghid il-ligi imma ftit li xejn iktar minn hekk. Qatt ma argumentajt dwar liema hi l-aqwa verzjoni ta' Nosferatu (jekk hux ta' Murnau jew ta' Herzog) ma' avukata li studjat il-Kullegg ta' l-Ewropa, qatt ma tkellimt ma' lobbyist li jitlob kuljum u attiv fil-knisja li rrakkontali kemm intwerew films tajbin u tokkanti l-Gay Film Festival in-Nova, qatt ma kellimt ekonomist li jitkellem sitt lingwi u tant tinteressah il-muzika esperimentali li kien digà sema' bil-muzika tieghi, qatt ma ltqajt ma' wahda studjat bhala diplomat (u li studjat l-ENA biex tghaxxaq) li l-grupp favorit taghha huma l-Goldfrapp, li selfitni kotba ta' Eco u Murakami u li minflok tirrakuntali dwar il-glorji tad-dinja diplomatika bhal ma ghamel kull Malti fid-dinja stramba tad-diplomazija qabilha qalet li x-xoghol mhux differenti hafna minn xoghol ta' skrivan. Hawnhekk ghamilt dawk l-affarijiet ma' dawn in-nies kollha. Kienet il-komunita tipikament arty farty tieghi but not as I know it - l-istess muzika, l-istess kotba, l-istess films, l-istess attitudni, l-istess liberalismu imma f'Malta kienu jkunu tan-naha l-ohra. Hawnhekk ma kellhomx naha fuq liem imorru. Kienu t-tnejn.

Fil-pajjiz li jhobb jifred kulhadd isib postu - min mal-liberali, min mal-krepuskolari. M'hemmx elit generali li jghaqqad it-tnejn u jmur 'l hinn minnhom. Imma kif jghid sew blogger iehor, mid-dehra ta' barra huma tassew mod iehor u l-ghettos socjali u kulturali li huma n-norma f'Malta, ghalkemm jezistu hawn ukoll, huma ferm inqas u minflokhom hemm spazju mentalment multikulturali li jhallik timrah kemm fuq ix-xellug u, jekk trid, anke fuq il-lemin.

Idealismu vojt? Forsi. Romanticismu? Forsi wkoll. Imma nassigurakom li dawn in-nies qeghdin hawn u huma tad-demm u l-laham. Huti Maltin u Ghawdxin, ghandi pjacir nipprezentalkom l-elit generali.

u oqghod naqra kwiet...

2005-07-06T11:29:00.000+02:00

Dak li minghalih De Gaulle qal:

"The only thing they (the English) have ever done for European agriculture
is mad cow"
u
"You can't trust people who cook as badly as that. After Finland, it's the
country with the worst food"
Artiklu tas-CNN

Qieghed fi Strasburgu bhalissa - post Germaniz li jahseb li hu Franciz.

Jekk tridu tiddegustaw il-prelibatezzi Alasacjani dawn jinkludu zalzett tad-demm li jobzoqlok id-demm fuq il-qmis xhin tmissu bil-furketta, intestini tal-hniezer fil-bziq tal-baqar, laham mhux misjur estrapolat minn annimal nofsu haj b'kontrorn ta' courgettes à la sauce du cadavre u biex nispiccaw xi tartine ta' fwied ta' amorin mghaffeg bil-vanilla jew xi zozzerija simili.

Eu â Chiraccé - ma statte zitt'!