-an OD of Love-

As mentioned in an earlier entry, I've made a deposit of 100 euro on a new scooter and I believe out of the 27 countries that make the EU we are the only country(except Italy) that in order to get or do something we have to go thru a pile of papers to be able to get what we request. I went to the dealer this morning to get the chassis and engine number so I can insure this little thing (Insurance another pile of question and loads of signed papers) and funnily enough he told me that there is a problem with your bike. He told me, I have 60 of this machine all stuck at bonds and guess what the reason is for the vehicle being held is? ADT and Maltese way of working out things. At first I thought he was taking the piss as I had a similar experience with another salesman who has given my car to another client, but that’s another story. This scooter is build outside Europe but it has an European built low emission engine which is certified Euro 3 compliant but the little genies at ...

A quintet of sunny islands makes up the Republic of Malta, with its mild winters and hot summers. Malta, Gozo, and Comino are all inhabited--though with a mere handful of families, Comino only just qualifies. The remaining islands, Cominotto and Filfla, are for boat-trippers and seabirds. These Maltese islands take the top spot in the Climate category of our 2007 Quality of Life Index. As you know, once a year, every January, we consider nearly every nation on earth in a grueling set of nine categories. This year, our survey looks at 193 countries. And Malta has the best climate in the world. Fair weather, averaging 5.2 hours of sunshine a day--even in December. Right into November, daytime temperatures often nudge 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Spring comes early, around late February. Frost and snow are mostly unknown. There is winter rainfall, but it tends to come in heavy bursts for short periods. And, while the islands boast few sandy beaches, there are compensations: Summertime brings a...

S plendid weather, S plendid winter day, S plendid view, S plendid sea, S plendid boat... excuse quality od pic; taken with a mobile phone on a lovely winter day, that only Malta can offer...

The recipe is simple, fix a day at least three months before. Start sending as many emails and smses, (as much as you can afford timewise) and just hope that at least ten friends turn up due to other commitments that funnily enough always pop up around that day. One of the funniest answers I received this time was that “I’m sorry Chal, but I’ll have the painter coming in that day so I will not be able to do it.” The Fenkata happens after eight in the evening and keeping in mind how hard working the local painters are I have trouble driving at night since all roads are usually jam-packed with ladders with men dressed in white dungarees all painting in the middle of the night. So once I get the idea of how many people will turn up (usually a couple of days before) I book a table at our favourite snack bar in Zebbiegh which is called the Farmer’s Restaurant for what the locals call a Fenkata (A night in a plain, simple and clean workmen snack bar eating a local delicacy which is rabbit t...

The first thing that I read every Sunday morning are the magazines that are laden with adverts which come free with the Sunday papers. Mind you, most of the times; most articles are really boring except for the ones in my favourite magazine 'Homeworks', which I tend to, read every part of it, sometimes even more than once. Last Sunday’s freebie was the Sunday Circle and as from today till the 8th of March, the only 'model’s' gracing the front pages of all magazines will be Alfred Sant or Lawrence Gonzi and that had already put me off reading it, but since it was the only available I just sat and started going thru the ads and some articles. When I made it to page 35, (it took me seconds) I was captivated by a lovely smile and that made me read the article with more interest, but to be sincere I spent most of the time looking at the pictures at first, (men will be men!) The article was about a young lady who goes by the name of Daniela Xuereb and about the love of art ...

One of the e-papers I love to read is the British Times. The main reason that I look for this paper almost every day is so I can read Jeremy Clarkson's reviews which originally were about cars and during those days only the four wheels, sometimes the two wheels were the things that bothered him, in the good and in the bad, so they had to go thru his hard criticism but nowadays anything that moves or doesn’t tend to end up under his sharp wit and cut down to pieces and becomes just dust in the wind. Yesterday as I was reading one of his article about the new Mazda MX5 (His final conclusion is that it's still a bacon sandwich made with good bread, good butter and good pork but now it has a splash of HP sauce)I came across two interesting articles and as I was reading them I kept telling myself how lucky the Maltese students are compared to most students in the European countries especially the Maltese students over sixteen years old who not only do they all get free tuition but ...

Alexander Pfeiffer created together with Yvette Rossingaud and Andreas Raab a Video about the beautiful iles of Malta, Gozo and Comino. This Video will be used to promote Kinnie a local soft drink in Austria. The Video was shot in September 2007; Showing: Blue Grotto, Ta' Xbiex, Sliema, St. Julians, Gozo, Valletta, Peter's Pool and many more places! Music: "Another Dawn" composed and played by Florian Mayer. Florian Mayer, singer and keyborder from the viennese based band Blended , wrote two "concepts" of songs for the movie. "Another dawn" is a wonderful song about the beauty of Malta, but also speaking about the environmental problems Malta has to face. Another Dawn I was walking down the boulevard next to the sea People were on the benches talking in sweet evening melodies I remembered the Blue Grotto glistening; the wind blew the heat away As a newly-built hotel cast its shadow on the Golden Bay Dawn is coming, time is running Hey, we still go...

Notte Magica-Valletta-06/01/07 The night lived up to it's name. A magical full night of music, concerts and food turned Valletta into an enchanted City, with something to enjoy for all the family on the feast of The Three Kings. Malta Cu p Snooker Championship-Hilton St.Julians-28/01/07 to 04/02/07 The annual world ranking Snooker tournament offers entertainment on a different level the ever increasingly popular marathon saw the participation of both foreign and local participants The Carnival Celebrations-15/02/07 to 20/02/07 Thousands of persons flocked to Malta’s capital city Valletta to celebrate Carnival 2007. The sunny, warm weather allowed Carnival organizers to parade their floats around the streets, as adults and children showed off their costumes while watching the spectacle unfold. The BMW Malta Marathon-25/02/07- the ever increasingly popular marathon saw the particiapation of both foreigners and local athletes. The Silent Warriors Chinese Terracotta Soldiers...