Brussels Blog
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
(B)rand Where?
Where can you drink Stoney Ginger Beer?
Where can you watch the Orlando Pirates take on SuperSport United?
Where can you watch whales making love?
Where can you admire sugar birds, giant proteas and jackass penguins?
Where can you stand on the tip of the Cabo de Boa Esperanca?
Goeimore, Lotsha, Thobela, Dumela, Sanibonani, Avusheni, Ndi matseloni, Molo, Sawubona!
PS: The Lino Briguglio incident reminds us of the opening gambits of Philip Roth's The Human Stain, sans social fallout for the learned professor and (we imagine) devoid of any sex scenes with illeterate university janitors.
¶ 1:51 AM 2 comments
Where can you watch the Orlando Pirates take on SuperSport United?
Where can you watch whales making love?
Where can you admire sugar birds, giant proteas and jackass penguins?
Where can you stand on the tip of the Cabo de Boa Esperanca?
The friendly passport control chap at the airport laughed when he heard his female colleague read out 'Malta' when she examined my passport. And in that cool accent he said, "Press K and read out the results, tell us how many!". "72" was the answer but we haven't figured out exactly what that stat refers to. Wired Temples please note!
Goeimore, Lotsha, Thobela, Dumela, Sanibonani, Avusheni, Ndi matseloni, Molo, Sawubona!
PS: The Lino Briguglio incident reminds us of the opening gambits of Philip Roth's The Human Stain, sans social fallout for the learned professor and (we imagine) devoid of any sex scenes with illeterate university janitors.
Thursday, October 12, 2006
Malta-Magyaroszag 2-1
Malta - Magyaroszag 2-1
Malta - Magyaroszag 2-1
Bi zball u b'kumbinazzjoni spiccajna hawn
¶ 2:12 AM 3 comments
Monday, October 09, 2006
It's Raining Men
Since I was by now literally surrounded by beauty (the gorgeous Swedes swanning around the airport lounge conspiring magnificently with the pouting GQ models), I decided to create something wonderful myself.
TABLOID JOURNALISTS
The editors of maltastar.com
After editor Joseph Muscat jetted off to Brussels to transform himself into a European gentleman, Eurosceptic maltastar was left in the lurch until someone down at Mile End presumably decided that the MLP needed some sexing up. No doubt to convince us that the guys down at the Glass House are really really progressive. What we got is a first for Malta (and possible for the world): a heady, and at times funny, mix of red partisan politics and yellow G-strings. Rock on!
SINGER
Fabrizio Faniello
After his crushing defeat at this year's ESC, the handsome singer might prove to be the unwitting hero of a cultural revolution in the formerly Eurovision-mad nation. Will anyone give a toss anymore?
TOURISM AWARD
Francis Zammit Dimech, Evarist Bartolo and RyanAir's Michael O'Leary
These three men are expected to fight out a vicious battle over the coming years in their bid to claim Malta's top tourism prize. Expect a lot of arguing, acres of column inches and finger-pointing from the first two and tonnes of ruthless common sense from the latter. But the jury's still out on this one so we've decided to nominate the lot. You, the readers, will decide.
COLUMNIST
Daphne Caruana Galizia
People say that you either love her or you hate her. Lanzarote's got mixed feelings. But everyone agrees that this woman of verve and intelligence 'has got balls'. So Lanzarote is giving Malta's Madame de Pompadour this year's top gong although we'd like to know whether DCG likes anything at all about the country she lives in. Until she decides to set up shop on mainland Europe, we suspect that it will remain a mystery.
¶ 11:15 AM 4 comments
With a couple of hours to spare in Stockholm's Bromma Airport, I decided to spend 75 kronor on style-culture-fashion-sex mag GQ. Now this is to a large extent a crazy thing to do since the men's magazine works on the principle of 10 Dolce e Gabbana adverts per page of writing. And the pouting models glowering at you from page after glossy page are enough to drive you nuts and back. But this month's edition looked promising with Sacha Baron Cohen (aka Borat Sagdijev), Ricky (David Brent) Gervais and Jonathan (Wossy) Ross substituting the trademark tanned, lip-gloss model. Borat, Brent and Woss rubbed shoulders with the likes of John Terry, Rod ('I have Ferraris coming out of my bum') Stewart, Russell ('I shagged 2000 women') Brand, Jamie Oliver, John Galliano, Will Self and Jeremy Clarkson. Even David (I'm actually Tony) Cameron makes a muted appearance in GQ's annual The Men of The Year Awards. A nation that's got its priorities right I thought: 2 comedians, a couple of musicians, a designer, a chef, 2 politically incorrect TV presenters and, well, one forlorn politician thrown in for good measure.
Since I was by now literally surrounded by beauty (the gorgeous Swedes swanning around the airport lounge conspiring magnificently with the pouting GQ models), I decided to create something wonderful myself.
Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Malta's First Maltese Men of The Year Awards.
The Winners
WRITER
Guze' Stagno
You've got to respect a guy who lives off the cool image fame brought about by two thin novels like some latter-day Truman Capote . And you've got to love a country that lets him get away with it.
CLERGYMAN
Archbishop Guzeppi Mercieca
It's not every day that the Maltese Nationalist Party finds itself to be in less than perfect harmony with something the Church has to say. So parting with this tradition requires something special, perhaps even verging on the unbelievable. Step up Guzeppi Mercieca, patron saint of aggressive career women.
POLITICIAN
Alfred (Alfressant) Sant
The marathon runner of European politics, Alfred Sant is, quite simply, still there. After 10 years in government, Sweden's Goran Persson announced that he would resign as party leader the day his party lost the elections. Tony Blair's winning run for UK Labour meant that the Tory party has elected FOUR leaders over the part ten years. Alfred Sant, on the other hand, is a living testimony to perseverance in the face of defeat, dogged determination, clan-driven agendas, allergy to change and the serious lack of alternatives in Maltese politics.
HIGH-PROFILE LOCAL BUSINESSMAN
Charles (Caqnu) Polidano
Imagine buidling an empire (in the footsteps of Ghengis Khan and Alexander the Great) and being remembered for slapping a lawyer-journalist in the face 'just because' she called you a 'baron'. Nominated for the Milan Kundera "Life is Absurd/Immortality" Prize.
EDITOR
Saviour (Angry) Balzan
Lanzarote has a bit of a soft spot for the enfant terrible of local journalism who seems to be incazzato at everything under the sun. But yet another weekly? He'll soon be saying "I've got newspapers coming out of my bum".
WRITER
Guze' Stagno
You've got to respect a guy who lives off the cool image fame brought about by two thin novels like some latter-day Truman Capote . And you've got to love a country that lets him get away with it.
CLERGYMAN
Archbishop Guzeppi Mercieca
It's not every day that the Maltese Nationalist Party finds itself to be in less than perfect harmony with something the Church has to say. So parting with this tradition requires something special, perhaps even verging on the unbelievable. Step up Guzeppi Mercieca, patron saint of aggressive career women.
POLITICIAN
Alfred (Alfressant) Sant
The marathon runner of European politics, Alfred Sant is, quite simply, still there. After 10 years in government, Sweden's Goran Persson announced that he would resign as party leader the day his party lost the elections. Tony Blair's winning run for UK Labour meant that the Tory party has elected FOUR leaders over the part ten years. Alfred Sant, on the other hand, is a living testimony to perseverance in the face of defeat, dogged determination, clan-driven agendas, allergy to change and the serious lack of alternatives in Maltese politics.
HIGH-PROFILE LOCAL BUSINESSMAN
Charles (Caqnu) Polidano
Imagine buidling an empire (in the footsteps of Ghengis Khan and Alexander the Great) and being remembered for slapping a lawyer-journalist in the face 'just because' she called you a 'baron'. Nominated for the Milan Kundera "Life is Absurd/Immortality" Prize.
EDITOR
Saviour (Angry) Balzan
Lanzarote has a bit of a soft spot for the enfant terrible of local journalism who seems to be incazzato at everything under the sun. But yet another weekly? He'll soon be saying "I've got newspapers coming out of my bum".
TABLOID JOURNALISTS
The editors of maltastar.com
After editor Joseph Muscat jetted off to Brussels to transform himself into a European gentleman, Eurosceptic maltastar was left in the lurch until someone down at Mile End presumably decided that the MLP needed some sexing up. No doubt to convince us that the guys down at the Glass House are really really progressive. What we got is a first for Malta (and possible for the world): a heady, and at times funny, mix of red partisan politics and yellow G-strings. Rock on!
SINGER
Fabrizio Faniello
After his crushing defeat at this year's ESC, the handsome singer might prove to be the unwitting hero of a cultural revolution in the formerly Eurovision-mad nation. Will anyone give a toss anymore?
TOURISM AWARD
Francis Zammit Dimech, Evarist Bartolo and RyanAir's Michael O'Leary
These three men are expected to fight out a vicious battle over the coming years in their bid to claim Malta's top tourism prize. Expect a lot of arguing, acres of column inches and finger-pointing from the first two and tonnes of ruthless common sense from the latter. But the jury's still out on this one so we've decided to nominate the lot. You, the readers, will decide.
COLUMNIST
Daphne Caruana Galizia
People say that you either love her or you hate her. Lanzarote's got mixed feelings. But everyone agrees that this woman of verve and intelligence 'has got balls'. So Lanzarote is giving Malta's Madame de Pompadour this year's top gong although we'd like to know whether DCG likes anything at all about the country she lives in. Until she decides to set up shop on mainland Europe, we suspect that it will remain a mystery.
Thursday, October 05, 2006
Paulo Roberto Falcao
Il brasiliano, ex regista dello scudetto 82-83, è ottimista: "Come individualità l'Inter ha qualcosa in più, ma nel corso di una stagione la Roma farà emergere le sue qualità"
¶ 5:14 AM 0 comments
Falcao vede una Roma tricolore
Il brasiliano, ex regista dello scudetto 82-83, è ottimista: "Come individualità l'Inter ha qualcosa in più, ma nel corso di una stagione la Roma farà emergere le sue qualità"
A proposito di Calciocaos l'ex n.5 della Roma afferma: "Provo quasi dolore nel parlarne perchè mi riapre vecchie ferite. Torno indietro con la memoria e ripenso a quel famoso gol di Turone annullato contro la Juventus e penso che ciò che ai nostri tempi era sospetto, oggi è realtà, supportata da prove certe".
(source, La Gazzetta dello Sport)
As luck would have it, Lanzarote will be visiting the land of Roma's legendary Swedish coach Nils Liedholm in a couple of hours. No football, unfortunately, and not much time for sightseeing either. Just Work. Travail. Trabajo. Xoghol. Arbeit. As Celentano would put it "chi non lavora, non fa l'amore!" Mah!
[Another post dedicated to my friend Chris Soler whose 'far-fetched' suspicions about the most unlikely things have an uncanny habit of coming true.]
Monday, October 02, 2006
Paris, Je T'Aime
Can a film make you happy? Yes, it can. More on this later. For now I'll just let it slip that this film is very Mejlakesque!
¶ 2:55 AM 0 comments
