The Identified Stranger ?? … no thanks

It took me a while to figure this out, but I got the hint on the first day I stepped into Junior College. Klikek.

Are those chosen to represent a party necessarily the best group of representatives?
Is the respective party’s executive the best choice the party could make?
Or is it a case of the party choosing those poeple just because they make up a so-called “klikka” who happen to be die-hard blues or reds?

Let’s face it, gathering 7 candidates from a school of around 300 students is not such a big deal. Furthermore, having 4 out of 7 candidates who do not really know what they’re on about is shameful.
This reflects what basis the candidates are chosen on, and admittedly I am not well informed about how this selection is carried out, however as an observer I can honestly say that this selection always includes the same group of people, who coincidentally, or not, happen to be friends of some KSU executives or candidates, or once again, die-hard blues or reds.
Friends don’t make good candidates. Being a die hard blue doesnt make you a good leader. Year after year I say this. Candidates are not chosen on the right basis. Want a good candidate? look for him, probably he’s not knocking on your office door because he’s wise enough to know that he’s got no place in closed circle.

Good candidates keep contact with the students all year round. It’s truly ridiculous that students like me are only approached by party representatives during election week.

I don’t feel like you make a diffrence, and that’s sad. The only difference you make is the loud noise in the pjazza that distracts students from their lessons, occasional games in the foyer ( as if that’s what the students need ), and the fashion disasters which seem to come around during election week.

This is the ugly truth. klikek. There are better candidates guys, you haven’t given them the chance. You’re too busy hanging out with your own close group of friends that it’s almost sad that you represent a party.

The problem is that this happens in both parties, so you’ve really got to choose the best of two evils, but sadly I came to the conclusion that a no-vote is a vote in this case, because there is a choice, and it’s being overlooked.

I will not vote for that sort of klikka again. I’ve done it twice, and regretted it every time. If I want to vote for a klikka I’ll join xi kumitat tal-banda, not for a council supposedly  representing students. How can you say you represent me if you’re throwing eggs at me? How can you represent me if you don’t even know what I wish for???

So I’m going to resist the temptation of blogging politically this time ( well, sort of ) and instead upload a vid made by Paula which I really like Thanks Pau, I really really love it! XD and you XD

I just want to say, that I’m terribly sorry that Roberta MTT lost the 6th seat in the EP, but I believe she will be there one day, probably when, in my opinion, one of the MEPs will be asked to replace Joe Borg as Commisioner.

Until then, I haven’t got much to say ( except that my summer starts TOMORROW ) but enjoy the vid - I cried with laughter XD

* Hobbok Pau! *

Today week, we would know who the Maltese MEPs are - definitely the hottest topic at the moment. Well, that and Susan Boyle. For the past days I’ve found myself following political debates which more often than not, seem to spin in the same direction and what is meant to be an MEP campaign turns into an Anti-government propaganda, and I needn’t explain the stupidity of all that.

Having received so many comments from diehard Labour supporters on my previous blog post, I’ll try to make this a little more impartial.
In my opinion, the purest campaign at the moment, no pun intended, is the AD campaign. As Arnold Cassola has stated throughout these weeks, they have never once, in this election and the one 5 years ago, stated that Spring-hunting was a possibility in the EU. Whether, as Dr. Perici Calscione said, there was a form of agreement or not, I don’t know, and neither does the rest of the public. That’s the problem. However, anything that someone says, should be quoted in context. It is immature politics and if anything, shows a great form of weakness, if the Labour party are ready to start quoting MEP candidates out of context.

A friend’s dad yesterday asked me, ” So why should I vote for PN candidates this time? “… “Consistency,” was my answer. Have they made mistakes in the past? I have no doubt. ( Well, here’s  hoping they didn’t cancel out each other’s votes in issues such as burden sharing..) However, Labour candidate Sharon Ellul Bonici is using her Euro-skepticism as an asset in this campaign. She’s been booed and criticised, however, in all honesty, she has been the one to stick to her principles. When on Friday night during Xarabank, Dr Alan Deidun, PN candidate,  waved the EU flag, he was hissed and booed by all the Labour supporters and candidates in the crowd.

Yes fellow bloggers, the EU flag was booed. The same attitude towards the EU that PL had 5 years ago during the referendum. Now, in 2009, go ahead and vote for them to speak your opinion in the EU parliament. Direzzjoni Success.

Have you ever been to an airport in the middle of some sort of “rush hour”…kids crying cos they lost their parents (who by the way would be an average of 4 to 5 feet away) ; angry adults glaring at the monitor boldly stating ‘DELAYED’ ; a large group of students who couldnt give two hoots bout learning english find it awfully entertaining to commemorate their aarival with a couple of photos.. or a million; a random panicking woman shouting at her husband, “You were meant to get the passports yourself! It was the only thing you had to do!”, and you, a typical bystander amidst all the chaos which may seem surreal, but is in fact very real indeed, too real almost.
Where is this heading? Right…how many people walk in and out of an airport in the time you stand and look at all this? Chances are hundreds of people are crossing borders, and many others impatiently waiting to do the exact same thing. Now imagine you’re the airport..think about how many people have walked in and out of your life these past years. How many people have crossed your border and all you did was stamp their passport? What about those people who left an impact on your life? Are they still there, or have they left all too soon? Sometimes we’re lucky enough to meet people who seem to have walked into our life by accident, and end up staying there for a while. We think they’re a God-sent gift and the second that person walks out of your life…you won’t understand. But are you meant to really?

To conclude, absorb different cultures from different peoples, learn to sing other anthems and dance other traditional dances…cos the world isnt one border and doesnt consist of one airport. You will leave an impact in someone’s life today and maybe even tomorrow and the day after…the rest is up to you. Will you let the footsteps of your passengers mould yours?

Keep thinking,

Yan xxx

Long time no blog… =] but here are the updates..

Y4J 2^nd album, Tear It Down, to be launched on Friday 20^th March! - Get hold of a copy of this album, honestly.

Now…

Ever realised that one world dwells inside another which finds comfort in another which is linked to another world … and yet when seen from afar, it’s just one world? Each little world is open to new mentalities, fresh ideas, old traditions, new trends, and when all put together can be seen as one work of contemporary art; some may argue it’s a matter of understanding it’s beauty, whilst some may insist it’s an utter mess.
Let’s look at Malta, some students focusing on the world ‘Studies’, some focus on the world ‘Anything but’. Others are devoting every second of their days to the MEP elections coming up on the 6^th June. Work, bands, sports, communities; all examples of worlds…all in one tiny island, which forms part of a bigger world, Europe, which forms part of the real world, Earth. It doesn’t stop there however! This Earth forms party of the Solar system which forms part of the Milky Way galaxy which forms part of the universe and we’re not sure how that story continues… but it does! There may be a few gaps, but the story is undoubtedly complete. It’s like having a book, with a few pages torn out from the middle, even though it may be the most interesting bit, the first few pages will more or less tell you what the story is about, and the last pages can ensure you that the hero doesn’t die and the pretty girl is saved by the handsome guy…just in time! So all in all, the middle pages are just fillers, making the story richer but the ending is fixed.

This is it. The worlds, the people, you and I and all we’ve learnt, compose the first few pages of this book. Salvation, life after death, miracles, fate compose the final chapters. The middle pages probably would explain the last chapters much better than anyone else can. Don’t be surprised that you can’t understand everything! Don’t be scared either! You’re not expected to, you can’t anticipate chapters, but surely you can read the final few! You know the ending! I’m not saying there won’t be a sequel, but we don’t know the beginning to that do we? So why should we worry about that. All we have to do, is live out our way in such a life, that as we write down page after another, they lead to the final ending, and the ending doesn’t look out of place, or irrelevant…the closing chapter will be a continuation of the book; so that it may be read, and your life, your book, becomes a guideline…that others may reach the final chapter they way you did.

What did you do today? How productive were you on a scale from 1 to 10? Personally..not more than 1/10 hehe and that 1 was merited cos I spent a short amount of time talking to someone I don’t know very well. I actually found myself trusting this someone… At this point you might be saying ” What was she doing trusting someone she barely knows? “..my answer?…”He can’t be worse than those I do know.”

Sometimes we think we find we can trust a best friend, a boyfriend, a girlfriend..but in reality, we don’t know if we can trust them or not..we can only hope they won’t let us down. And guys, sorry to break the news, but your judgement is gonna mess up eventually; you’ll trust the wrong people, you’ll feel broken and at this point..you’re gonna wish you could turn back time…you’ll want to take back those words you said and all you did, and without any doubt, you’re gonna ask the infamous question, “What was I thinking?”

If you’ve read all this and are still thinking about someone else and not about yourself…I’ve got a good phrase for you…get real! Buckle up and face it, every rose has its thorns…you wrap the stem with foil; it will eventually wear off…but gloves, ah those are more protective. But sometimes we need to take them off to feel the prick to make sure we’re still living.

Take care…and don’t regret anything, cos it was once exactly what you wished for. Personally, If I could turn back time…I’d probably play the same moves…

xxx Yan

So here we are, into our 4th day of the new year. Well that’s just about the only new thing there is..the last digit..200-9.

   -   UMASA / MUT vs GOV continues…except finally the students are voicing their opinions more; a rally next Wednesday at 10am at university, for all those interested. Well you should be, you’re being used as a bargaining tool =]..sad indeed.

  -   A panicked civilian at a petrol station frantically calls police when seeing what looked liked an armed robbery  - turned out, it was a production by ONE television. Added a bit more spice to the show ah!

  -  A man who allegedly threatened to kill his girlfriend’s father on New Year’s Day *sighh* was given bail the day after.

  - Projects continue on turning the ruins of what used to be a magnificent, breath taking theatre, into a parliament. Well, at least we should thank God it’s Renzo Piano. Or should we? Well he was one of the minds behind the French Centre Pompidou..oqo..

  - PN claims that 2009 budget is focused on 3 major values, ir-responsabbilta`, is-sostenibbilta` u s-solidarjeta`…and it is offering €362 million for our education. (Please keep in mind that at this point in time they havent even settled lecturers’ salaries yet.)

  - Joseph Muscat of PL ( 2009 got rid of MLP, off to PL now ) claims that PL is offering the direction to success in 2009 ( about time..? ) and that PL ” ha jkun l-istandard bearer ta’ pajjizna”. - Mohhna mistrieh mela!

  - JUST THIS MORNING: Two armed and hooded men broke a window to enter a hotel in il-Qaliet Street, Marsascala and fired a shot at the cash register stealing not more than €3,000. Of course they fled in a vehicle and an inquiry is being held…well done.

  These 7 points, are just a very brief outline of what happened in Malta in the past 4 days..just in case any of you were worrying that this tiny, traditional island, full of values and virtues, was changing at the beginning of a New Year.

Like I promised, I’m putting up the reply! Yes, they replied..within 3 days! How efficient is that! And their email isnt negative at all!! Here it is..and Matt, my email was more successful than yours haha!

Dear Yanica

Thank you for your e-mail of December 30th 2008 and your design proposal.

The wishes and ideas from our collectors are very important to us, They have inspired the creation of some of our most beautiful pieces over the years.

All suggestions are collected to a central database, and regularly forwarded to our team of designers, who are highly trained experts with years of experience in crystal design.

As soon as the designers receive the suggestions, they check them for feasibility. Crystal is a particularly complex and difficult material to work with. Even if a design initially seems promising on a piece of paper or as a prototype, it does not automatically mean it will go into production. There are many factors to be considered.

It is a long, difficult path from the initial idea to the final piece. Our team of designers is currently working on pieces, which will not be coming onto the market for another two years; this means that the planning process for today’s new items began at least two years ago. The path to the completed article is paved with draft designs a host of prototypes – and sometimes we encounter failures, which result in abandoning of the whole project. With a little luck, however, the process is crowned with the creation of a stunning new piece of Swarovski crystal.

We will let you know in case your idea is implemented, or if the design you suggested appears on the market.

Thank you for your interest in Swarovski crystal.

With best regards,
Petra Ospelt

SWAROVSKI AG
( Their address and number )
mailto:petra.ospelt@swarovski.com
http://www.swarovski.com

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I emailed Swarovski with a proposal for a new figurine. This all started when I changed my facebook status and told the facebookers i was viewing swarovski items. Mina called me a raven because I love shiny objects, I liked the idea and wanted one. Achie suggested I actually email the suggestion to Swarovski since they didnt produce one. Mina said it sounded as bad as Matti emailing the football club, but Achie and I insisted…this was a better plan. Needless to say, I’m hoping they send me a free one haha

Here’s the email guys xxxx

To whom it may concern,

First of all I would like to clarify that I am from Malta not the UK as my country was not listed.

My email, is more of a suggestion than anything else. Being a Swarovski fan myself, I couldn’t help but notice the lack of a raven Swarovski.

The common raven is one of the heaviest passerines, and also one of the most long-live, more than 40 years! Ravens travel in mated pairs, demonstrating great devotion to their families. A Swarovski raven would, for this reason, be a great thoughtful wedding gift. The raven is known for stealing shiny objects, probably to impress other ravens. Swarovski no doubt is the symbol for shiny objects, so what better bird could Swarovski produce, other than such a symbolical raven.

The Raven used to be reverred as a god and in the Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia, it is possible to see Bill Reid’s sculpture of the famous bird.

My only wish now, is to have this wonderful creature in houses, alongside the breathtaking exotic birds Swarovski produce.

I would appreciate an email back regarding my suggestion.

Thanks in advance,

Yanica Sant

Malta. Politics. Not the interest in the topic as such, but rather all the carnival-like atmosphere, the tension, the excitement that comes along with every election. Of course, probably most of us are guilty of running around with respective party shirts, participating in car cades, and more often than not, somehow insulting the other major party contesting the same election. All of this is acceptable given that, one knows what the party he supports is offering in the manifest, what his party did whilst elected in council / government and nevertheless, the other parties’ manifests, and achievements and of course, defects. Promoting a party really depends on the gift of the gab. If you can’t talk, then it’s best you shut up and just vote. An insignificant word from a party member to another person can cost a great deal. A party’s worst advert, can be the members themselves. Bummer.

Whilst observing the KSJC past elections at Junior College, I could tell that parties overlooked this technique. Yes, photos and newspaper cuttings were produced, but what’s the use if the member giving them out does not know who said the quote on the flyer? Or if she has no idea what her party did in council? Since when is negative criticism the only way one can win an election? It’s all sad really. And a shame. Yet year after year, this gift of speech keeps being ignored. It becomes an ignorant election, in which one votes for the party throwing the best parties, or for the party producing the bets gimmick. College life is no gimmick, and whilst it can be considered as a party, the candidates should have added a sign to their gimmicks. WARNING: This college life party might come to an abrupt end whilst sitting for your Alevels.

Sadder.

I’ve said all this before, yet I was ignored. I’m saying it again, maybe I’m late, but I’ll consider it a lesson learnt. Now it’s proven, 1000€ won’t win you an election? So what will? SPEECH, supported by a good manifest, a good past, and yes I’m afraid, a good, not-so-basic knowledge of not only your party, the other parties and junior college in general, but an overall general knowledge of what is going on around you.

Oh, and, for the last thing, I would have taken this for granted but I was wrong, if you’re claiming that your JC party is independent, you don’t go shaking your ass to MLP / PN s beat. It’s not ethical and it’s just not done.

The following are 2 quotes which struck me immensely, and I’ll leave you with that:

“Ejja hij, ma rbahniex l-elezzjoni generali nirbhu din. Insomma li jmiss nirbhuha ta! Muscat tajjeb wisq. Viva Pulse ee!”

“Ara dik tal-Pulse ma nahmiliex, kemm ajjarta. Tahseb li hi xi haga at hi. Kemm ma nahmilhomx.”

Whilst one party claiming to be independent, and the other claiming to own demo-christian values. Unbelievable.