-an OD of Love-

As most of my readers know I tend to have a soft spot with anything which is usually designed to be enjoyed mostly by children. Could it be that a (small :)) part of me never accepted the idea of growing up or the reason might be that when I think of getting older, I just get rid of the idea and that helps me feel younger at heart. Well as you might have read earlier one of the best film in my opinion of 2007 was Ratatouille and after the massive success made from Pixar thanks to the little character of Remy, on the 17th of June and that means that probably we will be seeing it in Malta around October if not for the Christmas season, we will have a new contender to soften our heart. Its/His name is Wall-E and so is the name of the new animated film by Disney-Pixar. Wall-E is a tiny robot, with sweet eyes very clumsy but otherwise a fantastic little thing. Here is the latest teaser/trailer and I recommend you watch this precious new gem, which I’m sure will have the same repeated succe...

It is 3 meters long, seats four comfortably or five at a squeeze, does 65mph and aims to revolutionize travel for millions. The “People’s Car” is also the cheapest in the world at 100,000 rupees (£1,300) – the same price as a car stereo in a Mercedes Benz or one third of the registration tax we pay on a brand new city car with a 1 liter engine in Malta and that’s without even thinking of the extra 18%vat charged on this illicit tax, but back to the Nano The Nano, from Tata, the Indian company which is now the owner of Jaguar and Land Rover, was unveiled at the Delhi Auto Expo yesterday to music from 2001: A Space Odyssey. Ratan Tata, the company chairman, harked back to the first flight by the Wright Brothers and the Moon landing as he revealed the cute, snub-nosed hatchback that will allow millions in India’s emerging middle classes to buy a car for the first time. “I hope this changes the way people travel in rural India. We are a country of a billion and most are denied connectivity...

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...

Celebrations in various locations around the Maltese Islands to Welcome 2008. Few minutes after midnight of 1/1/08 the Prime Minister of Malta Mr. Lawrence Gonzi attempts a couple of times to withdraw money from and ATM especially set up at the Valetta Waterfront to mark the introduction of Euro as the main new currency for Malta and he finally manages to after a little effort. The commentary is in the maltese language.

RATATOUILLE "Ratatouille" is, quite simply, the perfect family film ... and so much more. It tells the charming story of a rat who wants to be a chef but can't because, well, he's a health-code violation. And they say originality is dead in Hollywood. No, this computer-generated masterpiece from Pixar Animation Studios is the best so far and more specifically, writer/director/oh, or the living genius Brad Bird. When Disney said no one could make a family movie about creatures as disgusting as rats (let alone one involving cooking), with a difficult to pronounce French title no less, he did it anyway. Bless him. Bird also directed the criminally unsuccessful The Iron Giant as well as Pixar's The Incredibles and with Ratatouille, we can start calling him the new king of animation. The film connects on many levels. For kids, it teaches an important lesson of acceptance through cute and appealing characters. For adults, it wrestles with far deeper concerns: Is the act...

Raising Sand by Robert Plant and Alison Krauss He brings the arena rock, she brings the integrity. Is it mutual exploitation? Yes 100%. But it's also a lovely little mixture in which two voices flirt and harmonize over a set of should have been classics. The moments when Krauss abandons her precision soprano and lets loose are breathtaking, but it's Plant, toned down to a delicate mountain strum, who's the real surprise. An amazing experiment by producer T-Bone Burnett who deserves a lot of credit for making all the right instrument choices and then shaking his record collection for obscurities and all together they make them so good they make you wonder why they were ever obscure. In Rainbows by Radiohead The most surprising thing about Radiohead's seventh album turned out to be neither the method of distribution (email) nor the suggested retail price (whatever you want) but the fact that when the thing finally materialized... it speaks elegance! Alright, it's no...

Welcome to the first CODama Top Things of the year 2007. (No budget homepage advert or Euro 154 I’m sorry) Even if I’m not as good as the critics of the Times, In-Nazzjon or L-Orrizont, and not so much people will read this I still want to put my opinion online. It’s up to you to agree or not! Let me start with The Top Pop songs for 2007 Hey There Delilah by Plain White T's There've been thousands of heartbroken men reaching out to distant girl with a recorded song throughout the years, and it's a credit to the Plain White T's that this one manages to feel fresh. Singer Tom Higgenson has an imperfect voice, but his nasal delivery makes the nearly-comic sincerity of his lyrics “Delilah I can promise you/ That by the time we get through/ The world will never ever be the same” seem completely genuine. Backed by a warm acoustic guitar and a hint of viola, Delilah is an intimate love song that’s complete. Jigsaw Falling Into Place by Radiohead I find this song like a journey...

Surfing thru you tube this morning(I'm having too many sleepless nights lately)I came across this beautiful and very touching excerpt from the opera Andrea Chenier which is performed wonderfully by Maria Callas as she plays the part of Madalena, which tends to always moves me and affects me in a distinct manner and made me reflect that during times of despair and misery every so often I get encouraged and inspired 'from above' to keep up hope and faith and I keep believing that something better will come my way (I don’t think that this happens just to me!) these are part of the lyrics: "Fu in quel dolore che a me venne l'amor! Voce piena d'armonia e dice: "Vivi ancora! Io son la vita! Ne' miei occhi e il tuo cielo! Tu non sei sola! Le lacrime tue io le raccolgo! Io sto sul tuo cammino e ti sorreggo! Sorridi ...e spera! Io son l'amore! Tutto intorno e sangue e fango? Io son divino! Io son l'oblio! Io sono il dio che sovra il mondo scendo da l...

Even if due to working late I was not able to attend the launch of Pierre J. Mejlak’s latest work of art, today I managed to get my hands on a signed edition of Rih Isfel from Merlin Library and I found the book very intriguing and it kept me hooked till the last page and I had to keep on reading it to find out how it is going to end. I simply loved it especially since it is a twisted plot and I love twisted ends...I stop here it’s all yours to discover...do not miss it!

For one night only, the 29th of June 2007, the fans of good old rock music were treated to an evening like no other, an evening that sent shock waves throughout the crowded streets as Brian Adams well and truly rocked our little island.This was the first and hope, not the only Maltese date for Brian, whom at the end of the concert he also confirmed that the rumours that he has some Maltese blood rushing thru his veins, were for real. He certainly didn’t disappoint his fans in his more then two hour long set at Luxol’s Football ground in St. Andrews. The concert, in aid of the ‘Find Madeleine’ campaign was a cavalcade of rock. Opening for Brian was the veteran Maltes band Winter Moods, a band with some varied and interesting tunes, which were toe-tapping pieces of music brilliance. This little known abroad band, who have four fantastic albums and two EPs under their belt (my favourite being Morning Ale) and have a great follow up in Malta, have a special way to lift the crowds spirit a...

it has been a while since I have dotted down some stupid letters but as I was shifting thru some channels i came across a song which isn't that out of this world but somehow it tends to soften me up and up to today I am still trying to figure out the reason why... Everybody's Free (to wear sunscreen ) Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of ' 99 ... wear sunscreen. If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be IT . The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now. Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth . Never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they have faded. But trust me, in 20 years you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked. You are NOT as fat as you imagine....

Skoda brand has long been the butt of cruel motoring jokes - but an ingenious and in my opinion original lovely new advert for the new Fabia gives a new way to look at this marque. The 60-second commercial - which is reported to have cost up to £500,000 to make - shows a team of bakers, model makers and home economists as they set about creating an edible version of the car. 1. The first egg is cracked. Only another 179 to go. Plus 100kg of flour and 100kg of caster sugar 2. A huge vat of chocolate sauce, 30kg of almonds and 65kg of dried fruit make the 'crispy cake' mix for the car's bodywork 3. Now it's the turn of two bakers to make 448 Madeira 'brick cakes' to form the foundation of the car's chassis 4. With the precision of a Formula One team, the Skoda crew sculpt every crumbly cog and sticky spark plug of the engine 5. Cake bricks are layered with buttercream icing - a slightly bigger job than your average Victoria sponge 6. Next, the body work takes...

Just fresh off the grill!!! — trailer of Michael Moore’s latest film-making sensation 'SiCKo', where Mike is as fat, annoying, and enlightening as ever. There’s something so funny about “45 million with no health care in the richest country on Earth” principle, I believe it’s called breathe your last gulp of air...SOcial Service staff even get a bonus for denying health care to maximise profit...I love the girl whom the insurance doesn't pre approve the ambulance trip to the hospital...we really can’t complain about the medical service in Malta...

Nobody is perfect it's the software that makes normal women look like models as one can see from the following videos...believe in yourself have self esteem, you are beautiful just the way you are! Don't beleive what you see in magazines and posters

this is the only reason being for me to be happy to watch football match, not just on tv (I wonder how many men will keep up with what will be happening in the pitch as regards the game) ...No matter what, only the brunettes get my support...Sorry but I don't like blondes...

I was talking to a old pal of mine on msn and he is into music big time and when he recommend a video of a local new singer I was kind of taken back since I was busy writing and updating most of my stuff but since he insisted I clicked on the link to see this video of a local performer, new to me by the name of Lyndsay Pace. I was greeted by a failed romance which most of the times is the basis of most rock ballads, but it looks like this hard habit of breaking up has hardened the artist in this determined ballad "The Truth in Me." She "oohs" over a somber piano, creating a wintry tone. She promises herself to do make different decisions than he did. She won't let him make her feel miserable and impulsive. He drew her in all this with his cold pretense. However, it's only caused her to become disillusioned even if she still feel his presence and she keeps longing for his return. Even if during the chorus she sings that deep inside of her she believe that thi...

If you write malta or the maltese islands in google or other search engine, you get 143,000 results of home pages which are related but most of them especially the official Tourism Site visitmalta is just boring. I came across a very well made site about my country and if you want to see what a jewel of a place we live in I recomend you check it out, especially the virtual tours. the site is www.maltavoyager.com if you don't have time for that or like what happened in my case I got spellbound (no not an eurovision song) and spent most of the afternoon checking out this particular site and have other things to do check out this video. Filmed and edited by Alexander Chorny (yes foriegners tend to appreciate more)between 02.05 to 08.05 and edited in just 2 hours (the night before he had to get his plane back home for vacation, and made especially to show Malta to his friends and parents back in Ukraine). It's called Spirit of Malta and it is just amazing both visually and even th...

It happened quite a lot of times but during Good Friday I tend to listen to experimental music, not just the classic rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar of which I am big fan and in my humble opinion think is the best composition ever made to portray Jesus Christ. This year I didn’t have the luck to take part in any rituals which is something I regret, but I couldn’t do otherwise since I was working late. I love it especially after the processions, since our country tends to calm down from 6pm onwards till early Saturday morning, or to put it in a better way I tend to make myself think that these are quieter hours were one should stop and think. During these quiet hours I came across some good stuff and now I keep wondering how it would have been like, to have either David Gilmour playing with the original Genesis in the Lamb lies down on Broadway days, or Peter Gabriel at Pink Floyd during in the Piper by the Gate of Dawn and live in Pompeii era. Regretfully it is a dream which will n...