Ah, you see... Only ladies are allowed to change those stinky nappies at McDonald's. Men? Oh well, they have no babies!
Monday 19 March 2012
@ McDaddy's
Ah, you see... Only ladies are allowed to change those stinky nappies at McDonald's. Men? Oh well, they have no babies!
Once you go black...
If you've watched, or read 'The Help', you were probably, like us, appalled by the way 'black' people were treated back then. Or rather, to be more honest there, you were annoyed to be reminded of how cruel we can get (oblivion is so much more comfortable when it comes to these things, isn't it?) Black house-helpers were even forced to use a 'special' bathroom because they were believed to carry diseases. It was OK for them to bring up white people's children, though. They weren't scared their children would contract this mysterious disease black people carried.
A few weeks ago we were sitting on a bus on our way to Valletta. We were lucky to grab a free seat as the bus got beyond packed in an instant. The aisle was absolutely jammed with people and of course, all the seats were taken. Bar one.
Yeah, you might ask "and why didn't anyone take the seat?" Well, a coloured man was sitting on the seat next to it. Coincidence? We think not. (Don't worry - it was then taken up... But that's not the point, is it? The problem is that for some minutes there, people preferred to stand! And if you say this has never happened when you were on a bus, then we know you're lying.)
Isn't racial discrimination a thing of the past? Didn't the emancipation of coloured people bring racial discrimination to its death?
What is it about people that makes them so judgemental? Why do we (yes, we do, like anyone else on this planet) discriminate, so ready to point fingers? What's in a colour, anyway? What makes pale skin superior to a dark one? If you've got answers, do please forward them to us, cause we don't.
We're in 2012, 21st Century, the century of progress - or is it? We've had technological advancement; we've had medical advancement; science advancement... BUT, our mindsets are just as rotten as they used to be! People might claim they're open-minded and tolerant and what not - otherwise they're not deemed cool enough. Yet, when push comes to shove, many choose to stand rather than sit next to that coloured man. Because hey, we'd be deadly plagued if we did!
Granted, we've seen giant steps made forward - just look at the USA, coloured president, how's that for change? We can also see coloured people at the helm of important businesses and industries - men and women - in many parts of the globe. Having said that, many people remain hostile towards people of colour. Case in point is Malta.
As a tiny island bridging Europe and Africa, we get the primary impact that comes with the influx of African refugees into Europe. Of course, Malta isn't the only country 'suffering' this influx, Italy and Spain are inundated with illegal immigrants, too, for instance. However, given our tiny stature, it's bound to affect us more. Add to that the small island mentality that plagues the narrow minds of many Maltese and of course, you have a lethal concoction of xenophobia in its purest form.
Yes, because you are completely wrong if you think the Maltese don't like coloured ones only because they come and take our jobs - and what jobs do they take anyway? No, the reason is still the same - some (a good percentage that is, but when writing, euphemism is very handy) Maltese suffer from this serious case of inborn phobia for anything/anyone different. Reason for which, many in here seem to believe this is a blessed island ...and don't you dare say there's better. (In all honesty, southern Italy is just as bad as us, but that's no consolation, is it?)
Of course, all races are equal by law. Yet, the law can never change mentality and society's point of view. It is the people that have to learn how to be more tolerant, how to treat everyone equally, regardless of the colour of their skin. And with that, we don't mean the government should do more with the education system. In reality, those hours at school during which we are told to respect everyone (ghax hi, ahna kollha brothers u sisters) are just pointless! If the same children have a certain upbringing, some lessons simply won't change what they would have acquired at home...
And that's simply the tip of the iceberg. Racial segregation in the US meant that 'blacks' and 'whites' were required to use separate facilities - those for African-Americans generally being of lesser quality. There were special schools, buses, universities - you name it and they had it. All to ensure that white and coloured people didn't mix. All this was covered up by the 'Separate but Equal' slogan. Thank goodness, however, this 'practice' was outlawed in 1964, while the apartheid was still going on in full swing in South Africa.
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Seperate Drinking Fountains for Whites and Coloured people in the USA.
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White-Area beach sign in South Africa
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Yeah, you might ask "and why didn't anyone take the seat?" Well, a coloured man was sitting on the seat next to it. Coincidence? We think not. (Don't worry - it was then taken up... But that's not the point, is it? The problem is that for some minutes there, people preferred to stand! And if you say this has never happened when you were on a bus, then we know you're lying.)
Isn't racial discrimination a thing of the past? Didn't the emancipation of coloured people bring racial discrimination to its death?
What is it about people that makes them so judgemental? Why do we (yes, we do, like anyone else on this planet) discriminate, so ready to point fingers? What's in a colour, anyway? What makes pale skin superior to a dark one? If you've got answers, do please forward them to us, cause we don't.
We're in 2012, 21st Century, the century of progress - or is it? We've had technological advancement; we've had medical advancement; science advancement... BUT, our mindsets are just as rotten as they used to be! People might claim they're open-minded and tolerant and what not - otherwise they're not deemed cool enough. Yet, when push comes to shove, many choose to stand rather than sit next to that coloured man. Because hey, we'd be deadly plagued if we did!
Granted, we've seen giant steps made forward - just look at the USA, coloured president, how's that for change? We can also see coloured people at the helm of important businesses and industries - men and women - in many parts of the globe. Having said that, many people remain hostile towards people of colour. Case in point is Malta.
As a tiny island bridging Europe and Africa, we get the primary impact that comes with the influx of African refugees into Europe. Of course, Malta isn't the only country 'suffering' this influx, Italy and Spain are inundated with illegal immigrants, too, for instance. However, given our tiny stature, it's bound to affect us more. Add to that the small island mentality that plagues the narrow minds of many Maltese and of course, you have a lethal concoction of xenophobia in its purest form.
Yes, because you are completely wrong if you think the Maltese don't like coloured ones only because they come and take our jobs - and what jobs do they take anyway? No, the reason is still the same - some (a good percentage that is, but when writing, euphemism is very handy) Maltese suffer from this serious case of inborn phobia for anything/anyone different. Reason for which, many in here seem to believe this is a blessed island ...and don't you dare say there's better. (In all honesty, southern Italy is just as bad as us, but that's no consolation, is it?)
Of course, all races are equal by law. Yet, the law can never change mentality and society's point of view. It is the people that have to learn how to be more tolerant, how to treat everyone equally, regardless of the colour of their skin. And with that, we don't mean the government should do more with the education system. In reality, those hours at school during which we are told to respect everyone (ghax hi, ahna kollha brothers u sisters) are just pointless! If the same children have a certain upbringing, some lessons simply won't change what they would have acquired at home...
Monday 12 March 2012
Of reading, prequels and Quidditch lessons!
We're not sure if we've actually ever told you, but yes, we are avid, voracious readers. The feeling derived from leafing through those books - especially if they're the old ones, with that musty kind of smell - is hardly comparable. (We enjoy doing other things too, lest you think we're them bookworm-arm-chaired critics type!)
Anyhow, my student (Keith here) passed on to me something that really hooked my attention. And it'll be a good read for anyone who's enjoyed (grown up with!) JK Rowling's masterpieces.
It's a prequel the author started...and concluded. Have you ever come across it? We hadn't! And for those who haven't, well, we're sharing it with you here:
We won't stop short from giving you the rest (we were tempted to, haha)... so indulge in it some more!
Well, she does highlight that she's not working on it... Yet we can't help but try to imagine what an utterly haunting piece of reading it could have turned into. Oh well, you never know anyway.
Meanwhile, while we put off reading for our Master (yet again!), we're about to start some Quidditch lessons. Driving lessons never really appealed to us ...so this looks like a much better alternative, doesn't it?
Here's a snippet:
And if it's Albus Dumbledore addressing us, then we're in for it. You know what we'll be doing on this chilly evening ...cuppa, duvet & The Book!
Enjoy your evening!
Sunday 11 March 2012
Apple Crumble Cake yumminess
This weather's our absolute favourite. Perfect cosy-at-home weather. We love dabbling in the kitchen too, so today was the perfect opportunity. We decided to go for a new invention of ours (as far as we know) - An apple crumble cake. We're not selfish, so since we can't quite share the actual cake with all of you, we'll give you our recipe - just keep it to yourselves!
Ingredients
250g unsalted butter at room temperature
50g unsalted butter - cold
150g granulated sugar
150g brown sugar
1.5tsp powdered cinnamon
1.5tsp mixed spice or allspice
1tsp powdered cloves
300g self-raising flour
1tsp baking powder
2 eggs
3tbsp (heaped) oats
3 red apples
1tbsp plain yoghurt
3tbsps milk
1tsp vanilla
Let's get to work!
Switch the oven on.
Peel and core the apples. Chop them into slices. Make sure they're not too thick yet not too thin. Put in a bowl and squeeze some lemon juice to avoid them going brown. Put aside.
To make the cake batter:
Mix 250g of butter, 125g granulated sugar and 125g brown sugar.
Add a tsp each of the cinnamon, mixed spice and powdered cloves; the eggs, milk, yoghurt and the vanilla to the mixture, and mix again.
Finally, sift 250g of the flour and the baking powder and mix with the rest of the mixture.
The crumble:
In a bowl, put 50g of flour, the oats, 1/2tsp of mixed spice, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 25g brown sugar, 25g granulated sugar and the cold butter (cut into small cubes). Now the best way to do this is to use your hands. Needless to say, wash your hands thoroughly before this step! Make sure the entire mixture is thoroughly mixed, especially the butter. Form a ball with the entire mixture to make sure everything is well mixed. Then crumble it back into the bowl.
Time to assemble!!
Butter a cake tin. (We used a 26cm round one.) Pour half of the cake batter into the tin. You'll find that the batter is rather thick, so you might need to help it spread using a spatula. Scatter half of the sliced apples on top of the batter. Next, Pour the second half of the batter and again, scatter the second half of the apples on top of the batter. Last but certainly not least, top the cake with the crumble. Set the oven at 180 degrees Celsius and bake the cake for 30 minutes. You might want to crank the heat up a little, to about 200 degrees mid way.
Keep an eye on it as ovens vary so you might either need to leave it longer or less.
It's yummy when still warm, as well as when cooled down. We like to serve it with a nice dollop of plain yoghurt. If you're looking for more decadence you might want to top it with a scoop of ice-cream, whipped cream or custard!
We hope you enjoy it as much as we've enjoyed it! :)
Then, just sit on your comfy couch, savour it and to complement the experience, shower it down with some nice tea ...while you catch up with our posts.
Ingredients
250g unsalted butter at room temperature
50g unsalted butter - cold
150g granulated sugar
150g brown sugar
1.5tsp powdered cinnamon
1.5tsp mixed spice or allspice
1tsp powdered cloves
300g self-raising flour
1tsp baking powder
2 eggs
3tbsp (heaped) oats
3 red apples
1tbsp plain yoghurt
3tbsps milk
1tsp vanilla
Let's get to work!
Switch the oven on.
Peel and core the apples. Chop them into slices. Make sure they're not too thick yet not too thin. Put in a bowl and squeeze some lemon juice to avoid them going brown. Put aside.
To make the cake batter:
Mix 250g of butter, 125g granulated sugar and 125g brown sugar.
Add a tsp each of the cinnamon, mixed spice and powdered cloves; the eggs, milk, yoghurt and the vanilla to the mixture, and mix again.
Finally, sift 250g of the flour and the baking powder and mix with the rest of the mixture.
The crumble:
In a bowl, put 50g of flour, the oats, 1/2tsp of mixed spice, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 25g brown sugar, 25g granulated sugar and the cold butter (cut into small cubes). Now the best way to do this is to use your hands. Needless to say, wash your hands thoroughly before this step! Make sure the entire mixture is thoroughly mixed, especially the butter. Form a ball with the entire mixture to make sure everything is well mixed. Then crumble it back into the bowl.
Time to assemble!!
Butter a cake tin. (We used a 26cm round one.) Pour half of the cake batter into the tin. You'll find that the batter is rather thick, so you might need to help it spread using a spatula. Scatter half of the sliced apples on top of the batter. Next, Pour the second half of the batter and again, scatter the second half of the apples on top of the batter. Last but certainly not least, top the cake with the crumble. Set the oven at 180 degrees Celsius and bake the cake for 30 minutes. You might want to crank the heat up a little, to about 200 degrees mid way.
Keep an eye on it as ovens vary so you might either need to leave it longer or less.
It's yummy when still warm, as well as when cooled down. We like to serve it with a nice dollop of plain yoghurt. If you're looking for more decadence you might want to top it with a scoop of ice-cream, whipped cream or custard!
We hope you enjoy it as much as we've enjoyed it! :)
Then, just sit on your comfy couch, savour it and to complement the experience, shower it down with some nice tea ...while you catch up with our posts.
 |
| This one's mono-layered, so yours will be twice as high! :) |
Monday 5 March 2012
Men are from Mars, women are from Venus. Right?
Well, the statement may hold some water. Men and women are obviously different physically, as well as in the way they think, perhaps. Granted.
As far as we're concerned, though, the differences end there.
Now this is a comment a certain gentleman left under a joke we posted on our Facebook page.
Yes. Women are predesigned to grow into wives, have children and bake cakes. And pies, too. Men, on the other hand, can NOT take care of their children. They just don't have it in them.
It is plain sickening that despite all society has achieved nowadays, women are still not at par with their male counterparts. OK, we've made giant steps, true. Yet there's still a long way to go.
Alas, what gets to us is that there are many who wholly believe that yes, we have managed to achieve that balance, break that glass ceiling into a million pieces, and miraculously struck equality. So if you're reading this and you believe that, close this window. The following won't please you much.
How are women and men equal when there still are people who believe that wome should stay at home - clean, cook and tend to the cildren's and husband's needs? Oh, but some of these people agree that she can work before she's married. Why should she get a Uni degree? To help her children with their homework, of course! And if she still insists on working (what a nuisance some women are, aren't they?), she can teach kids at kindergarten - a nice and safe environment. That's good and pretty convenient, isn't it? That way, they'll finish work by 3 and head home to take care of the household chores ... lest the husband comes and throws a tantrum because the house is not spick and span. And if his mother incidentally comes over it would be really problematic.
Women are weak. And also emotional. But you will probably know that, wouldn't you? You must know that, especially if you hail from Malta. How dare you think otherwise? The 'sister' will punish you if you say that women shouldn't take maternity leave when they have a kid - and you don't want the 'sister' to be angry, do you? Your years at the 'muzew' would be horrible...
Anyhow, it's therefore a fact they can't deal with the stress that comes with a career. Their emotion should be reserved for their children and for supporting their husbands. Don't you think so? Oh well, just ask some of the graduates from our University... "they have a Ph.D ta', dawk jifhmu" many might tell you. And remember, they're the créme de la créme of our society.
The problem is that employers don't seem to care about this persisting problem. Mothers are not given the support needed as employers would rather make a pregnant woman redundant than employ and train a temp while paying the mother's maternity leave.
Needless to say, since taking anyone, let alone a company, to court is rather expensive, many women leave it at that and suffer the consequences of having children. Serves them right for being so arrogant as to think they can have the best of both worlds, right?
The fact that some women seem to be comfortable with this situation, though, makes our blood boil. How can a woman accept a man to take the lead and tell her what to do? How can she accept to give up all she's ever worked and strived for just because she happened to be born female? And above all, why should a woman have to feel compelled to choose between family and career? Men don't. Ah, our society seems to do miracles with that Barbie they give to girls and that car they give to boys.
Women such as Margaret Thatcher (have you seen Meryl Streep's interpretation? Gorgeous!), Hilary Clinton, even Victoria Beckham, have or had succesful careers as well as families.
But we needn't go so far. And neither should we go away from our shores. Why shouldn't we give a more palpable example, right? Well, here it is. Our mothers did the same exact thing. They raised us excellently, gave us all we needed, educated us and - oh, wait for it - juggled all this with a career. Our parents did their very best to strike a valuable balance between work and time with us. They always made sure our needs were fulfilled while working to provide a living, together with our dads. So no, working women don't translate into women abandoning their families. They don't have to neglect their children. These are ugly horror stories designed by luncatics who love women, yes, but with a pair of Vileda gloves on, doing the dishes...
How's that saying? Ah yeah, "there is supposed to be a lady in the parlour, a cook in the kitchen, and a whore in the bedroom".
Women really need to pull their socks up and realise that nobody can tell them what to do. They are their own woman with a brain and potential to do whatever it is that they dream of doing. And those men with the very perverted idea, for that's what it looks like nowadays, should simply, well, LUMP IT.
As far as we're concerned, though, the differences end there.
Now this is a comment a certain gentleman left under a joke we posted on our Facebook page.
Yes. Women are predesigned to grow into wives, have children and bake cakes. And pies, too. Men, on the other hand, can NOT take care of their children. They just don't have it in them.
It is plain sickening that despite all society has achieved nowadays, women are still not at par with their male counterparts. OK, we've made giant steps, true. Yet there's still a long way to go.
Alas, what gets to us is that there are many who wholly believe that yes, we have managed to achieve that balance, break that glass ceiling into a million pieces, and miraculously struck equality. So if you're reading this and you believe that, close this window. The following won't please you much.
How are women and men equal when there still are people who believe that wome should stay at home - clean, cook and tend to the cildren's and husband's needs? Oh, but some of these people agree that she can work before she's married. Why should she get a Uni degree? To help her children with their homework, of course! And if she still insists on working (what a nuisance some women are, aren't they?), she can teach kids at kindergarten - a nice and safe environment. That's good and pretty convenient, isn't it? That way, they'll finish work by 3 and head home to take care of the household chores ... lest the husband comes and throws a tantrum because the house is not spick and span. And if his mother incidentally comes over it would be really problematic.
Women are weak. And also emotional. But you will probably know that, wouldn't you? You must know that, especially if you hail from Malta. How dare you think otherwise? The 'sister' will punish you if you say that women shouldn't take maternity leave when they have a kid - and you don't want the 'sister' to be angry, do you? Your years at the 'muzew' would be horrible...
Anyhow, it's therefore a fact they can't deal with the stress that comes with a career. Their emotion should be reserved for their children and for supporting their husbands. Don't you think so? Oh well, just ask some of the graduates from our University... "they have a Ph.D ta', dawk jifhmu" many might tell you. And remember, they're the créme de la créme of our society.
The problem is that employers don't seem to care about this persisting problem. Mothers are not given the support needed as employers would rather make a pregnant woman redundant than employ and train a temp while paying the mother's maternity leave.
Needless to say, since taking anyone, let alone a company, to court is rather expensive, many women leave it at that and suffer the consequences of having children. Serves them right for being so arrogant as to think they can have the best of both worlds, right?
The fact that some women seem to be comfortable with this situation, though, makes our blood boil. How can a woman accept a man to take the lead and tell her what to do? How can she accept to give up all she's ever worked and strived for just because she happened to be born female? And above all, why should a woman have to feel compelled to choose between family and career? Men don't. Ah, our society seems to do miracles with that Barbie they give to girls and that car they give to boys.
Women such as Margaret Thatcher (have you seen Meryl Streep's interpretation? Gorgeous!), Hilary Clinton, even Victoria Beckham, have or had succesful careers as well as families.
But we needn't go so far. And neither should we go away from our shores. Why shouldn't we give a more palpable example, right? Well, here it is. Our mothers did the same exact thing. They raised us excellently, gave us all we needed, educated us and - oh, wait for it - juggled all this with a career. Our parents did their very best to strike a valuable balance between work and time with us. They always made sure our needs were fulfilled while working to provide a living, together with our dads. So no, working women don't translate into women abandoning their families. They don't have to neglect their children. These are ugly horror stories designed by luncatics who love women, yes, but with a pair of Vileda gloves on, doing the dishes...
How's that saying? Ah yeah, "there is supposed to be a lady in the parlour, a cook in the kitchen, and a whore in the bedroom".
Women really need to pull their socks up and realise that nobody can tell them what to do. They are their own woman with a brain and potential to do whatever it is that they dream of doing. And those men with the very perverted idea, for that's what it looks like nowadays, should simply, well, LUMP IT.
 |
| K.O. |
Thursday 1 March 2012
Because hey, Malta is the in place.
We shan't say much, for the pictures down here speak a million words.
So abroad you get this
...and this
...and also this
But hey. Why should the Maltese be jealous of that, when we have THIS:
Is it just us, or does it also make you cringe?
It really goes on to show how right we were when we posted this!
It begs the question: Where exactly will Tom Cruise shop? Will Rebelli, SYL & Hugo Boss be enough?
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