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Saturday 31 December 2011

...bye, 2011. Let's make 2012 big!


We wish our readers a gorgeous NYW! ...make it as fabulous as possible. 

Feast on sumptuous food. Gulp down the Champagne...and let it flow.  
(Just make sure to get a cab afterwards!)

Celebrate and have fun, because as rumour has it, it's the last NYE we're living. 
(And that's a good excuse to make it even bigger, you know!)


                                                                                                                

Friday 30 December 2011

Ir-razza u r-radika jmorru xopink!

Sales may be fantastic. Sales may be horrible.
That's up to you.

Whatever you may think, you just cannot deny that while at it you can find cool pieces, which you might have overlooked before. Better still, you can make a nice bargain out of the whole experience.

Yet, some people merely do their best to ruin that.
Yes, some people are - excuse the big word - disgusting. And it's nothing to do with their appearance.

It's really irritating when you get the sort of people who never shop, wear the same tacky and shabby clothing all over the years and then, when sales hit, rush to the shops. They make a mess everywhere they go. They take the clothes off the shelves, check prices, sizes, then, if they're not cheap enough, put them in the first spot they find. If none is seen within seconds, they sometimes make do with the floors.
Do you think they care about others wanting that very piece, that very size, that very colour? No. They couldn't care less. And if you dare say something, "ghalaq halqek ja njorant/a, mela hawn tieghek jew!" is what you'll get, followed by some swearing once you turn around, like you can't still hear them.

What's more? Well, in turn you also get disorganised stores, with the poor sales assistants fretting to clear up the mess left by their uncivilised patrons. You seriously get an urge to slap them hard across the face.

Ban these people from shops, please. Or at least ask them to leave the shop when spotted.
How do you recognise them? That's easy. It's usually the "razza u radika" kind of thing.



Wednesday 28 December 2011

Socks, boxers... and perhaps a tie!

...or Malta's

One of the things we absolutely love doing is shopping. It's something that helps us let off steam and let's face it, spending gives us an amazing adrenalin rush! Don't you feel the same way? (Well, you should!)

Yet something we always comment about is the lack of choice in the men's departments. Scouring the stores for Christmas gifts last week, though, was the cherry on the cake. We realised we just HAD to blog about it.

Now OK, Malta isn't exactly a shopping mecca. We lack choice and, truth be told, it leaves much to be desired - in ALL departments (yes, women's included.) As a result, most people end up looking like pre-fabricated copies of each other - but more of that in a later post!

The situation with menswear, however, is much worse. Where do men shop from, in Malta? What options do they have? There are very, very few shops catering entirely for men. Then, there are the occasional shops that reserve a crammed, dusty corner for some menswear. It seems that in Malta, we still have the mentality that men don't shop: shopping is a task for the ladies. Think of Zara, for instance. The store is split on two floors. The ground floor is entirely dedicated to womenswear, whereas the first floor struggles to accommodate three departments - menswear, kidswear and the home department. ...And the cash-point in the men's department is always closed, so they have to go to the women's or to the kid's section. New Look, ah that's perhaps the most perfect of examples - the shoes side in the women's section is three times as big as the men's part. (Laugh or cringe!)

Walking in these stores is wacky, especially after you would have had a look at their stuff on their websites. Why is it that there you find a zillion more pieces? So yes, it's the Maltese Merchandise Managers and not the brand itself. And that's beyond annoying. We wonder how many of them are women...women who prolly think Gwida is a fashion guide.   

Wake up Malta! We really need to brush off the cobwebs entwined in the dark corners of our social mentality. It's time that people started living in 2011, we mean, 2012, not 1912!

Monday 26 December 2011

Have an App-y Xmas

This is a short reminder to all of you who haven't yet downloaded the 12 Days of Christmas app! (Do it, come on!)



Apple has decided to give its users a free gift every single day. For 12 consecutive days!
From the 26th to the 6th. Ain't that just fabulous? 

It's easy... you just have to go to AppStore and download it. 

Today's gift is Coldplay's Live Performance in London... 3 songs and 3 videos. 

Go. Fetch it. Download stuff, for free!

Don't you just LOVE Christmas time? <3


Tuesday 20 December 2011

STOP sharing MORBID pictures, will you?

We're all in for sharing things on Facebook... we do that ourselves.
We share cool pictures, cool music (the gorgeous Lana Del Rey, for example) and all that sort of things.

We reckon, (and if you disagree you'd better close this window), that sharing such morbid pictures is a bit too much. What's the purpose of that? Can you explain that? ...we can't.

People don't go on Facebook to be bombarded with pictures of butchered or burned babies. For however heartbreaking they are, the fact remains: they are just nauseating, really.

Why people keep on sharing such photos is beyond our believe.

It's creepy. So please stop sharing, as this is becoming more irritating than all the "-ville" requests!

Please meet Ms. Alexia Coppini

Greeting us weren't only the alluring smells flying out of Franks, but a rather enticing surprise. A number of easels and stools have been set in front of the perfumery. All to exhibit some pieces painted by Alexia Coppini.

Dark shades seem to predominate her displayed works. The rough seas and delicate brush touches seem to merge together, thus creating a brilliant mixture of daunting colours, which in turn give the paintings an evoking aura.

As we walk closer to the paintings, Alexia abruptly walks up to us... She asks us which pieces we like best and as we point at one gorgeous painting, she starts explaining what we're staring at. The painting assumes a character of its own, drawn from the passion with which she speaks of it. 

She then explains that the paintings are all in oil, generally on canvas, bar a couple of pleasant surprises - one of which is our absolute favourite, painted on rough pieces of wood. Another very interesting medium she opts for is a tin sheet, which acts as an incredibly appropriate backdrop to the dark skies and the angry sea whispering dark thoughts to each other.

We urge those interested in arts (and also those who are not!) to pop by The Plaza and have a look by themselves... The rough seas she depicts will take you down with them.

Ms. Coppini will be displaying her masterpieces at The Plaza until the 24th of December 2011.


Sunday 18 December 2011

What's with all these fakes anyway?

Wherever you look, you see them. They're everywhere. Inescapable.
Just a short stop in Sliema for some shopping was enough. It always is.

What? ...Fake clothes and accessories, duh!


When will the Maltese learn that it's better to wear a normal bag from a normal shop instead of a lousy fake Burberry or LV? (It's a pity that because of these fakes, the original versions are ignored then!)

It's not hard to get, really. Those who know a thing or two about real designer wear will understand you're going round with fake ones immediately. Who do you think you're impressing?

So don't make a fool of yourself, please!


Bouncers = Safety? Hmm...

It is a more serious matter that we write about today.

For the umpteenth time, The Times has published an article dealing with yet another mishap. We've read about bouncers too many times... and not once that puts them in a positive light. This one just takes the biscuit.

Paceville is not quite our favourite spot. But you know how it works, sometimes you just have to go - whether that's because your friends are going or because you've exhausted all other possibilities is beside the point.

And we're not here to play the pious. Most bouncers are not just as bad as many depict them - they're worse. In fact, given the high percentage of the 'bad' ones, it would seem that that's actually a prerequisite. You know, that way the club owners can sit pretty having their Martinis, while the bouncers do all the dirty work.

Well, the problem arises when they take their "freedom" to an extreme. Now tell us, and be honest please. How many times were you refused entrance in a club because "mimli gbin, sib x'imkien iehor" (it's full mate, look elsewhere) and while you walk away you see them allowing some people in? ...and, to infuriate you more, those being let in would generally be underaged "tough" looking midgets, with their equally underaged girlfriends? ("Bullies will one day scratch my back" kind of thing!)

The owners get all hot under the collar when the government says something about raising the age bar. Well, if they don't want that then they should first stop the 13/14-year-olds from entering their clubs. Yet, we do believe that in the most of cases they wouldn't even know about such kids being in their clubs. It's not them who let them in, it's their big guys at the door. But isn't that the same thing?

Sometimes you find yourself in a club thinking you're in a playground, with more kids around you than people your age.

In the same article, the victims also said that The Police did nothing to get the culprits. They accused the police of being scared of such people. Do you believe them?

We do. Why? Plenty of examples we witnessed in PV are quite indicative, really. Last new Year we ended up there (never again!) At around 5a.m. we called a cab and we waited for it next to BurgerKing. While there we saw a bouncer, working for a club opposite BurgerKing, who started calling what seemed to be his girlfriend "ja qahba, itlaq l'hemm" (you bitch, scram)... She pleaded with him. His reaction? He threw 2 chairs at her. The girl started crying (and screaming)... A group of 4 policemen happened to be passing by and... well, they were passing by. They saw everything. They walked away.

You'll tell us "they were an exception". No, they're not. And you know it. Bouncers seem to be running the place, untouched. Some of them can do whatever they please. It sounds like something taken out of The Godfather, but sadly we know it's not.

So what do we do? More police roaming about in Paceville, to save us from all evil? No, certainly not.

What we need is that the laws we already  have start being enforced. And the Maltese must also start expecting certain standards. Making do with everything is simply not doable - or a pitiable system is what we get in turn! Maltese, speak up.

...and if what The Times is reporting is true - "From January 31 security staff in bars and clubs will have to be in possession of a new ilcence. To qualify for the licence, they will have to prove that they have served for five years in the police, armed forces or prison services, or for an accumulated period of five years as a pivate guard." - then it's high time we started praying for a miraculous intervention.

Prison guards making sure everyone is safe in Paceville? As safe as the prisoners seem to be in Corradino? NO THANKS.

Saturday 17 December 2011

...because Bublé does it better

Good morning to you all!

Yesterday we decided that it's high time we started working a bit more seriously on our thesis, so we agreed that today R would come over to my place and work on it. (If you knew how many times we had the same plan you'd laugh insanely.) Now we're here... about to start.

We've just made tea, put the volumes of books we plan to quote from (do you include them in the word-count for your MA thesis? For the BA I reckon we did... not too sure though) on the table and put some seasonal music on - you need that for inspiration (read: "to chat away instead of working").

Anyhow... what's the purpose of this post? No, it's not to escape the work.



The reason is him. Michael Bublé. You all know him. You all like his voice (or so we hope!)

Well, he's had a Christmas CD out. And... It's the best thing ever! (Mariah Carey would blush in embarrassment if she heard his All I Want for Christmas is You!)

So if you want to feel that Christmas spirit before it actually evaporates you have to make sure to grab this CD... indulge in it with some Scottish Shortbread (M&S have amazing boxfuls) and wash them down with a steaming cup of tea. (Else you could have some nice Mulled wine.) Your pick... but Bublé's is a must-have!

And this is our favourite of the all-so-great 19 songs...


(...and this is how All I Want for Christmas is You should have sounded!)


Enjoy it, guys... we're off to write, write and write, while Holly Jolly Christmas plays.


Friday 16 December 2011

When Chocolate and Art melt together


If there's a Christmas Village you must visit, then that's certainly the one at The Westin Dragonara Resort. The hotel is renowned for its magnificent location and, on top of that, the sterling service with which you are treated once you step inside.


Yet, we need not say more in this case, for these pictures are more than just tantalising ...pleasing for the sweet-toothed and the artistic. Don't you think?






Library = Silence


It's true that construction workers would have no notion of libraries and how one should behave in and around one. However, please, be considerate and keep in mind that people go to libraries to WORK! Get it? So work in silence, don't sing and above all, turn your cheesy (or pervy) ringtones OFF!

Thanks Lara, for the tip-off. Keep them coming! :)

Thursday 15 December 2011

A sweet escape

We walk up to this quaint little place in Archibishop Street in Valletta. Bars of chocolate and all sorts of delicacy are strewn all over the display window - artfully decorated with a vintage bicycle and whimsical tree branches - yet that's nothing compared to what we come across as soon as we step inside Angelica.





Shelves overflowing with mouth-watering homemade cakes, breads, cupcakes, bite-size goodies, fine wines - even gorgeous cheeses brought by the owner herself from Paris. We are told that upstairs is full and asked to have a seat at the bar facing the shop window. We look around, trying to take it all in - only it's virtually impossible. The shop is tastefully jam-packed with anything imaginable. Gorgeous crockery accompanies the scrumptious yumminess.




This lovely girl interrupts our musing, asking us if we want to order. Snapping out of our day-dream, we ask if they have a menu, to which she replies that the menu is all around us! After careful deliberation, we opt for a slice of chocolate-caramel cake and a red-velvet cupcake, washed down with tea - white and ginger&lemongrass.





We then ask if we can move upstairs, while we order a pot of tea, with milk of course. Not knowing what to expect, we tread slowly upstairs. A large window faces the stairs and right below the window there's a majestic antique sofa, dressed in red velvet. The room is tiny, yet a bigger room would spoil the atmosphere. It feels like the typical nanna's sitting room, reserved for special occasions. Another sofa and two pairs of armchairs serve as extra seating. 


When it's time to pay, we make our way downstairs and ask for the bill. Since we've heard rumours that it's quite pricey, we expect an exorbitant bill. Yet, we are pleasantly surprised. 

Spuntino... Quo vadis?

All University students must be familiar with Spuntino...

We love it. We go there for the morning "caffè e cornetto". And when we've time, we sometimes grab lunch. (They make fantastic salads and pizzas...)

It's therefore a pity that, despite still being the best option around University, the standards seem to be gradually dropping.

This is not to criticise...but they need to be nudged.



Wednesday 14 December 2011

Old habits die hard...


...well, make them die!

You know the other day we were complaining about many people's sheer lack of manners... and the lack of respect for others (for that matter!)

10mins ago I went to Plaza's toilet to wash my hands because I had just eaten a bit of an oily baguette upstairs. Guess what follows! (It's not that difficult, really.)

2 men were at the urinals and well, they just walked out once they were done... Prolly to hold their girlfriends' hands. I like the "share everything in a relationship" and all that, but I reckon there are some limits to that too.

I dunno what goes on in the girls' restrooms, but I'm taking it for granted that things are somewhat better!

It's not like it'll take you long to wash your hands. Nor will it cost you anything... (in case at home you avoid washing them to save on the bills!)

Choose well, girls... Choose well.

Tuesday 13 December 2011

Christmas should be jolly... not folly!

Despite what some may think, 2 words with a similar sound do not mean the same thing.
'tis the season to be jolly (with all the "falalala" if you like), true. But some just go for folly.

Today was our last day off, so we decided to go and get some of the Christmas shopping done. We went to Sliema.
We made our way to The Point. And that's where it all started...
Ok, so, we want to be frank. Before starting this blog we had decided not to be too critical, to be nicer and to take things with a pinch of salt, or two.
Yet, some things just go beyond "oh, let's turn a blind eye".
We walked along the promenade and after a bit we got to the bottom of the staircase that takes you to the mall. A few metres away, we saw a group of teen girls. It was easy to suss the type. What would you think of: skimpy clothing, (fake) leather boots with a golden zip on the side going up to their thighs and... mountainous heels? In their upbringing, it seems, they were only told that "heels=sexy". ...Never were they told that you must first know how to walk in them - and let's face it, clinging to the railing is not promising, is it?
Then we went in. We went directly to M&S for some coffee and tea. We bought the stuff. We grabbed a table. We sat. We started observing.
Now, some etiquette tips we thought everybody was acquainted with. We were wrong!
  1. Don't talk when your mouth is full of food.
  2. Cover your mouth when you have to yawn. (Don't do it at home if you think it's too difficult, but when you're out it becomes a must.)
  3. In spite of what some may think, bogies are not a delicacy one should indulge in.
Those sitting next to us, it would seem, were never taught such manners. Yet one would expect that, given their taste in clothing.
And of inadequate - (read "horrendous") - clothing witnessed today we've more than a thing or two to say. Nowadays, being so accustomed to such faux pas, we just look at each other for a second to acknowledge each other's bewilderment. Some things are just too elementary, so you wouldn't expect people to mistake those too.
If you're a bit of a chubby girl, you should never wear really short shorts and a striped top which is rather long at the back and extremely short at the front, resulting in your belly hanging out. It makes you wonder: why would her parents let her go out like that? Finding something that suits you is the best tip for styling. 
Together now:  "a pair of leggings does not replace jeans or trousers". So you cannot wear them with short tops. You simply look ridiculous. And it's even worse when you wear that bulky belt covering the upper part of your leggings and the lower part of your top. We are not interested in graphic details of your intimates.
Then there was this really pretty girl in her 20s. Gorgeous face, perfect figure. Well, for some strange reason she thought that a cocktail dress would be the best option for a Tuesday early afternoon. It's not. And no, the fact that today's a holiday doesn't change such rules.
One other lady seemed to be well absorbed in the Christmas spirit - well, her everything red was very indicative. But a summery maxi-dress is not something to be worn in December - not even if it's bright red! Fight the urge to get the summer clothes out of the closet, even if it's warm outside. It's Christmas!
Now, let's say something about the sweet oldies. (Well, they no longer look so sweet of late, have you noticed?) It's not that we don't want them to keep up-to-date with fashion and all... It's not that we want them to look like the typical Mrs. Bucket... But also here, there are some hidden rules. In other words, their clothing should reflect a bit more their age. More specifically, we don't want them pulling down their dresses because they realise they're too high up their thighs. 
Once more, together now... "girls, wear a bra!" If you're perky, we don't wanna know.
Anyway, it's amazing what you get to see in that half an hour you spend at your table, sipping your coffee or tea. You should try it out more often. It's actually fun. (And depressing, but we don't say that...)

Monday 12 December 2011

Lemon, must you be everywhere?

 We've a lot of free time... (we should be studying, but shh, procrastinating is better!)


Many a time we go out. We grab a film, meet fellow procrastinators and of course, we go to cafés to chat and 'work'. And there is one thing we've always complained about. Yes. Lemons!


Seriously guys, we change many cafés, but this problem persists. (And it can't be just us, can it?)


We're all for lemon cake, lemon cheesecake, lemon meringue and what have you...


Buy why, exactly, do they have to put lemon with all drinks? It's amazing, they're everywhere!




You get still water. You've lemon in the glass.
You get fizzy water. You've lemon in the glass.
You get coke. You've lemon in the glass.
You get martini. You've lemon in the glass.
You get  . . . .   You've lemon in the glass.


Since when do we put it with everything?
It's annoying!


Can't they, if it's something they so dearly believe in, bring it on a saucer? You add it if you want to.


It's easy. Really.
And it looks better.


Sunday 11 December 2011

Circus animals on the loose... Beware!

As part of our Master's, today (yes, on a Sunday) we were asked to go to St. James Cavalier for the Italia Film Festival... It's actually a cool place and we believe it deserves a wider exposure!


Anyway, 2 hours later, Scimeca's Malavoglia (a rendition of Verga's I Malavoglia) was over.


Well, much to our dismay, we discovered that the real festival was, in reality, in the streets of Valletta. Being Christmas time, the streets of the Capital were packed with people shopping (and given what many were wearing, they definitely need it!)


We thought Carnival usually comes in February. Guess we were wrong. Or wait, could it have been that tigers and leopards escaped from the circus? (Or serkils, you choose.) In either case, Valletta was certainly a, erm, colourful sight, for want of a better word!


Some others stayed off excessive animal prints and went for - wait for it - actual animals around their necks and wrists... You know, the mega chunky, gold snake-like type. We felt like screaming "Less is more" in their faces. One chunky piece at a time can give a rather plain outfit that little oomph it needs, granted. Too much of it = disaster!


Then again, less is NOT always more.


Since when is a miniskirt shorter than your nails appropriate?


...seems like it is, for many - big and small, young and old.


On a chilly Sunday afternoon...

Once again, we're sitting at a table, sipping our tea and typing our thoughts away... or rather, trying to. This is not the first time that we've tried to set up a blog. We usually abandon it after a few weeks. Yet this time, we're determined to make it work.


You might be wondering, why, exactly, did they choose tea and rain? Well, the answer's quite simple! First of all, we live on an island where it's sunny and, well, just sunny. Due to this, we often crave the rain - the cold, thunderstorms and everything else it brings with it (yes, some call us crazy, and we're fine with that, really!) Tea? That's even easier - a cuppa keeps problems at bay ...or it helps you procrastinate, anyway! And let's face it, sitting inside with a steaming cup of tea while the rain pours outside is one of the best moments in life - that's also how it looks on films.


Oh, and what will we be blogging about? Well, everything under the sun basically! (pun intended!)