How times change. (?)
Last Friday, I decided to head off to Paceville in what was probably the first time in an eternity. A real eternity - so much so, I don't even remember the time that I last went, prior to last Friday. It's no secret that Paceville and I really don't click, as a general rule - I don't like the clubbing scene and the clubbing scene doesn't like me either (due to my relatively low energy levels), so actually finding myself there, having arrived at 1am, was already a considerable achievement for me. Of course, this was all reliant on finding a parking space as close to the centre of Paceville as possible, as I sure wasn't up for a walk down to the St. Julian's Church car park afterwards; but having completed this task, I set out thinking that with quite a few friends there, the night should be okay, if not fun. Furthermore, I expected the place to be bustling with people, just like how it was in the olden times.
How wrong I was.
What I found in front of me - at a relatively late part of the night, as this wasn't 9pm! - was central Paceville about as barren as it would be during the day. Okay, granted, there were a few people here and there, but for the most part, the square was empty. Such a sight actually amazed me, as I wasn't expecting it in the least, especially on a Friday - and a public holiday, to boot. To my knowledge, there weren't any parties in particular on that day either, so that left me even more at odds as to how this could be explained.
This actually led me to question whether I'm so out of tune and outdated that Paceville, which was definitely the in-thing when I was in my late teens, has passed its expiry date. To see clubs such as Sabor - which was a Saturday must when at SAC - empty and shutting down operations at half 1 in the morning left me bewildered and flabbergasted to say the least. Needless to say, bars such as Republik were also as lifeless as anything. Peppermint Park was hardly bustling either. There seem to be two possible answers to all of this - either my above-mentioned query is indeed correct, or else crowds seem to favour things happening in a different part of Paceville. Comments in this regard would be appreciated, principally to appease my curiosity.
In any event, how things change in such a short space of time.
God Bless You all!
Matti
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Thursday, March 11, 2010
The Joke that is Real Madrid
- Cristiano Ronaldo: €94 million
- Kaka: €65 million
- Xabi Alonso: €40 million
- Karim Benzema: €35 million
- Raul Albiol: €15 million
- Alvaro Arbeloa: €5 million
- Manuel Pellegrini: €4 million
- Real Madrid getting knocked out of the Champions League: PRICELESS.
I'd be lying if I say I didn't predict that Real Madrid would not make it past the last 16 of the Champions League for the sixth year in a row. And the best thing about it is that this year, more than ever, it feels so good to see Los Blancos out of the competition, proving to the world over that money does not necessarily buy you instantaneous success. Due to their own shortcomings, Madrid's plan to start paying off their debts by reaching the latter stages of the money pot that is the Champions League has to at least be put off by another year.
To all intents and purposes, Madrid conducted a perfect transfer market last summer. Following the turmoil under Ramon Calderon, Florentino Perez went unopposed to claim the Presidential seat at the "White House" and promised a revolution. A revolution is indeed what Madrid and the rest of the world got. Transfer targets that were previously seen as insurmountable suddenly became reality. Before we knew it, Kaka was gone for a then world record fee of €65 million - this after having rejected a €108 million bid from Manchester City in January - and shortly after, Madrid once again caused shockwaves by announcing the signing of Ronaldo from Manchester United. Perez also addressed defensive concerns by bringing in Valencia centre-back Raul Albiol, thereby seemingly not repeating the same mistake from his first tenure at the club - the constant purchase of world class attacking talent coupled with the neglect of his team's defensive unit, to the extent that it became weak and frail. In addition to this, the poaching of coach Manuel Pellegrini from Villarreal was seen as an astute move as Madrid had decided to entrust this mega-project to a tried and tested coach, one who has worked in Spain for many years on a shoestring budget and simultaneously produced miracles, including a 2nd place La Liga finish in 2008.
Granted, over the last half a year, a marked improvement has already been seen. Madrid are currently top of La Liga, have scored a whopping 67 goals in 25 matches and have shipped in only 20 - the second best defensive unit in the league following that of arch-rivals Barcelona. But with the players at Madrid's disposal, you'd expect them to be there or thereabouts - and furthermore, this is a league where competition doesn't really extend beyond these teams. Indeed, the last team outside of Madrid or Barcelona to win the league title was Valencia in 2001 and 2004, and prior to that, Deportivo La Coruna in 2000. However, the cracks in Madrid's armour already began to show way back in October, in the now infamous 4-0 Copa del Rey defeat to previously little-known Alcorcon. Following the humiliation, rumours were already rife that Pellegrini was to be shown the door but Madrid were confident that they would get their shot at redemption in the return leg at the Bernabeu. They didn't - they won 1-0 and were swaggeringly knocked out of the competition 4-1 on aggregate. The possibility of equalling Barcelona's "triplete" season in 2008-09 was already over, and not even a quarter of the season had passed.
With all the money spent, it was all too easy to point fingers at Real and criticise their lavish spending. And justifiably so, because this group had been reduced to nothing but a joke - after all, Alcorcon are a team playing their football in the third tier of Spanish football and not challenging for the top spots in Spain, like Madrid. However, Madrid's reaction to this was positive enough, as the team went on a run of good results that culminated in them topping La Liga for the first time since November last weekend, with a 3-2 win over Sevilla. Furthermore, in between, they had managed to top their Champions League group - despite a home setback against a then underachieving (and now seemingly overachieving) AC Milan and get a favourable draw in the form of an Olympique Lyon side that is no longer the dominant side in France, having lost their mantle to Bordeaux last season.
But fast forward to the last 16 of the Champions League, where Madrid once again came up short last night by losing 2-1 to Lyon on aggregate (0-1 in France, 1-1 in Madrid) , leaving their season pretty much in tatters. Once again, criticism has rightly come Madrid's way, for results and statistics show that the sum in excess of €250 million spent last summer was, in a way, spent for nothing. Of course, media pressure has been a crucial influence in Madrid's performances, but the players out there should have been at least willing to justify their incredibly hefty price tags. Their over-reliance on Cristiano Ronaldo - despite him being nearly the only player to justify the price paid for him, as their best buy, Alvaro Arbeloa, is playing more like a €20 million man than a €5 million one(!!) - reeks of lack of tactical identity and ideas within what is meant to mirror Barcelona in terms of creativity; and gives the ordinary spectator the impression that Real Madrid have become last year's Manchester United. It has been proven time and time again this season - take Ronaldo out of the team, and the rest of the side is the human equivalent of a bunch of headless chickens.
On the other hand, at least Barcelona are a side that back up whatever money they might spend with outstanding results, on the whole. Six trophies out of a possible six last year is testament to that. Oh, and there's also the small matter of their star of star players, a certain chap named Lionel Messi, not costing them a cent.
Madrid now must win La Liga this season if they are to salvage any form of pride, if possible, as otherwise, this could be a team labelled as the most expensive bunch of flops in the history of football. And it would be deserved - Real Madrid is nothing more than a joke.
God Bless You all!
Matti
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
If I Died Today...
Late last night, while reflecting away in bed having been woken up by the computer restarting itself at half 3, thoughts of what would happen if I died suddenly today or in the near future passed through my head. Why, I don't know; and quite frankly, I'm hoping that I won't be passing away anytime soon(!), but it just happened. I thought about what kind of 'legacy' I would have left behind me in the event that this happened, but to be quite honest, I didn't really think much further than that because the subject was too sordid and it was not exactly the appropriate time to do so either.
Now is the time to reflect about this slightly - I'll leave the rest to whoever feels like commenting afterwards (if any person does, that is). One thing for certain, I believe, is that I would have left behind a cloud of controversy in my wake. I've never been the most uncontroversial person around and indeed, have always seen myself as trying to push certain borders and boundaries in order to either prove a point or get my way, no matter how correct or incorrect I was. However, in light of the controversial nature, I think that over the last couple of years or so, I have become a better person overall, compared to what I used to be. Granted, I was never one who would go out every Friday night, or any other night for that matter, and get stoned out of my head or dangerously high, but I believe I have become a better person in the sense that nowadays I see myself as a less egotistical figure and someone who is more willing to bend over backwards to not only accomodate other people, but to help them out to the best of my abilities, where possible. In other words, the humanitarian within me, I feel, has emerged more over recent years.
Of course, what is sure to draw some form of criticism from my readers, as is generally the case (but I will never back down about this, no matter how many sticks, stones and derogatory terms are thrown at me) is the fact that another 'legacy' that I would have left behind me is that of getting closer to God and, in this light, hopefully being an example for others to follow. Perhaps it's coincidence, but the above point vis-a-vis my (willing and not enforced) humanitarian nature coincided with the same time that I made God a part of my life. Of course, various people will or might disagree on this point completely, and I wouldn't be surprised if they do, but I believe that God's presence in my life has made a hell of a big difference with regards to the way I live. With Him in my life, I feel fulfilled and I feel a sense of protection that I previously didn't feel.
Would I have achieved everything that I set out to achieve in life? Definitely not, but if I had to go sometime soon, then for the most part, I feel that I would have left a general positive impact on people's lives, even though certain people obviously wouldn't see this and believe that my effect in life has probably been the total opposite.
And now, if you wish, over to you. (Any derogatory comments posted will either be ignored completely or be subject to deletion.)
God Bless You all!
Matti
Now is the time to reflect about this slightly - I'll leave the rest to whoever feels like commenting afterwards (if any person does, that is). One thing for certain, I believe, is that I would have left behind a cloud of controversy in my wake. I've never been the most uncontroversial person around and indeed, have always seen myself as trying to push certain borders and boundaries in order to either prove a point or get my way, no matter how correct or incorrect I was. However, in light of the controversial nature, I think that over the last couple of years or so, I have become a better person overall, compared to what I used to be. Granted, I was never one who would go out every Friday night, or any other night for that matter, and get stoned out of my head or dangerously high, but I believe I have become a better person in the sense that nowadays I see myself as a less egotistical figure and someone who is more willing to bend over backwards to not only accomodate other people, but to help them out to the best of my abilities, where possible. In other words, the humanitarian within me, I feel, has emerged more over recent years.
Of course, what is sure to draw some form of criticism from my readers, as is generally the case (but I will never back down about this, no matter how many sticks, stones and derogatory terms are thrown at me) is the fact that another 'legacy' that I would have left behind me is that of getting closer to God and, in this light, hopefully being an example for others to follow. Perhaps it's coincidence, but the above point vis-a-vis my (willing and not enforced) humanitarian nature coincided with the same time that I made God a part of my life. Of course, various people will or might disagree on this point completely, and I wouldn't be surprised if they do, but I believe that God's presence in my life has made a hell of a big difference with regards to the way I live. With Him in my life, I feel fulfilled and I feel a sense of protection that I previously didn't feel.
Would I have achieved everything that I set out to achieve in life? Definitely not, but if I had to go sometime soon, then for the most part, I feel that I would have left a general positive impact on people's lives, even though certain people obviously wouldn't see this and believe that my effect in life has probably been the total opposite.
And now, if you wish, over to you. (Any derogatory comments posted will either be ignored completely or be subject to deletion.)
God Bless You all!
Matti
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Bureaucratic Processes at the University of Malta
I'm still debating whether to publish my opinions vis-a-vis this subject in the Times in the form of a letter; principally because I am somewhat fearful of obtaining some kind of negative 'label' from lecturers (despite my common name, and all) and hence influencing my exam grades in some manner. However, basically, the point behind this written below is a complaint about how long it takes for exam results to be published at University.
While I can understand that lecturers lead a busy life and that they tend to many students, I think that it is particularly shameful that a month has passed since our first January exam and no results have yet come out. The point behind this is that foreign counterparts at foreign Universities are given a specific timeframe in which to have the students' results at least preliminarily published, i.e. indicating what grading bracket the student would fall into, but in Malta, the truth is that students are faced with the opposite scenario altogether.
Us students have come to accept the fact that results do take a bit of time to come out, especially if there are many people sitting for a subject; and that as a general rule, one shouldn't expect anything to emerge within at least two and a half weeks from the date of the examination. However, I find it downright irresponsible and unprofessional on behalf of the lecturers who correct our papers - if they even do correct thoroughly, that is - that they continue to procrastinate accordingly, causing agony to the student, who would generally be keen to find out how he or she fared within the exam that he or she sat for. A pristine example is what happened to me last year, in a credit in which there were not more than 40 students sitting for final assessment. The lectures took place over a weekend in February, following which the lecturer had informed us that we would be given a 1,500 word assignment on the subject that was due for April 1. One would estimate that at most, the result would come out around a three weeks later - but no, the result actually came out in June 30, i.e. three full months after the due date. I don't know if there is a certain criteria preventing results from being published in the middle of a semester, but I find this shameful, to say the least.
As stated above, in almost all Universities abroad, lecturers are given a timeframe in which they must correct their students' exam papers and publish results, and, unpredictably, this is adhered to in practically all circumstances (barring exceptional ones). Here in Malta, last year, it was suggested that if six weeks (from the time of the examination) had passed whereby the result of a subject hadn't been received, we should send an email to the KSU Education Commission, who would then investigate the matter accordingly and get back to us after supposedly putting pressure on the lecturers to deliver the results. I have personally had mixed experiences with this system, because while I did get a prompt answer in relation to, if I remember correctly, my Family Law exam back in March 2009; I did not get any answer whatsoever from the Commission vis-a-vis Administrative Law exam in July 2009. Needless to say, the result for Administrative Law came out on July 23 - the exam was held on June 4. Therefore, seven weeks passed before we received any confirmation of our results. In itself, this also brings up a criticism of KSU, who, in defending the rights of the students, should have at least had the decency to answer my email accordingly, even if the answer that I would have received would have been something to the effect that they had no idea when the result would be coming out. Alas, perhaps a member of the Education Commission was on holiday at the time - or received her results already - and therefore the need to tend to my request was deemed unimportant.
To conclude with my arguments, here's my personal suggestion to lecturers. Last year, they had made a whole fuss because their collective agreement had expired and that their pay was measly. They justified this argument by stating that they should be receiving the same salaries as their European counterparts (for people who are meant to be pioneers in their field of research, I find this argument extremely flawed because none of the lecturers seemed to take into account that the cost and standard of living in Malta is lower than that in Europe - someone with even half a brain would had been able to successfully argue that). Well, following a lot of hassling, a new collective agreement was reached. However, if they really did want to be paid like their European counterparts, then why don't they start acting like their European counterparts too? This includes not skipping lectures without prior notice, using the proper media to deliver lectures, actually delivering lectures properly and not giving (sometimes) conflicting information, and, finally, correcting those wretched exam papers within a stipulated period of time and publishing the results as soon as possible! Until then, such lecturers should firmly put their money where their mouth is.
God Bless You all!
Matti
While I can understand that lecturers lead a busy life and that they tend to many students, I think that it is particularly shameful that a month has passed since our first January exam and no results have yet come out. The point behind this is that foreign counterparts at foreign Universities are given a specific timeframe in which to have the students' results at least preliminarily published, i.e. indicating what grading bracket the student would fall into, but in Malta, the truth is that students are faced with the opposite scenario altogether.
Us students have come to accept the fact that results do take a bit of time to come out, especially if there are many people sitting for a subject; and that as a general rule, one shouldn't expect anything to emerge within at least two and a half weeks from the date of the examination. However, I find it downright irresponsible and unprofessional on behalf of the lecturers who correct our papers - if they even do correct thoroughly, that is - that they continue to procrastinate accordingly, causing agony to the student, who would generally be keen to find out how he or she fared within the exam that he or she sat for. A pristine example is what happened to me last year, in a credit in which there were not more than 40 students sitting for final assessment. The lectures took place over a weekend in February, following which the lecturer had informed us that we would be given a 1,500 word assignment on the subject that was due for April 1. One would estimate that at most, the result would come out around a three weeks later - but no, the result actually came out in June 30, i.e. three full months after the due date. I don't know if there is a certain criteria preventing results from being published in the middle of a semester, but I find this shameful, to say the least.
As stated above, in almost all Universities abroad, lecturers are given a timeframe in which they must correct their students' exam papers and publish results, and, unpredictably, this is adhered to in practically all circumstances (barring exceptional ones). Here in Malta, last year, it was suggested that if six weeks (from the time of the examination) had passed whereby the result of a subject hadn't been received, we should send an email to the KSU Education Commission, who would then investigate the matter accordingly and get back to us after supposedly putting pressure on the lecturers to deliver the results. I have personally had mixed experiences with this system, because while I did get a prompt answer in relation to, if I remember correctly, my Family Law exam back in March 2009; I did not get any answer whatsoever from the Commission vis-a-vis Administrative Law exam in July 2009. Needless to say, the result for Administrative Law came out on July 23 - the exam was held on June 4. Therefore, seven weeks passed before we received any confirmation of our results. In itself, this also brings up a criticism of KSU, who, in defending the rights of the students, should have at least had the decency to answer my email accordingly, even if the answer that I would have received would have been something to the effect that they had no idea when the result would be coming out. Alas, perhaps a member of the Education Commission was on holiday at the time - or received her results already - and therefore the need to tend to my request was deemed unimportant.
To conclude with my arguments, here's my personal suggestion to lecturers. Last year, they had made a whole fuss because their collective agreement had expired and that their pay was measly. They justified this argument by stating that they should be receiving the same salaries as their European counterparts (for people who are meant to be pioneers in their field of research, I find this argument extremely flawed because none of the lecturers seemed to take into account that the cost and standard of living in Malta is lower than that in Europe - someone with even half a brain would had been able to successfully argue that). Well, following a lot of hassling, a new collective agreement was reached. However, if they really did want to be paid like their European counterparts, then why don't they start acting like their European counterparts too? This includes not skipping lectures without prior notice, using the proper media to deliver lectures, actually delivering lectures properly and not giving (sometimes) conflicting information, and, finally, correcting those wretched exam papers within a stipulated period of time and publishing the results as soon as possible! Until then, such lecturers should firmly put their money where their mouth is.
God Bless You all!
Matti
Thursday, February 18, 2010
The Tales of Maltese Roads: Vol 1,000,001
I know so many blogs, articles, columns and probably theses have been written about the mediocrity of the Maltese roads, but I guess another one to add to never-ending list wouldn't really do any harm. And with due reason this is the case, because driving on this island is increasingly becoming even more of a nightmare with time - too many cars in too little space, and an undoubted hierarchy among drivers within the system, with especially bus and taxi drivers assuming that they are kings of the road and hence rule the roost over mere 'peasants', i.e. the normal, everyday driver.
I'd be lying if I said that all Maltese drivers are not of an adequate standard, because undoubtedly, there are some drivers who take pride in exercising an element of caution when moving around and follow every rule by the book. However, I would also be lying if I said that all Maltese drivers are disciplined, good-natured and of an excellent standard, as demonstrated by a little experience that I passed through while driving earlier on this afternoon, and probably as demonstrated by many other drivers in the past.
On my way down to Sliema, I had to pass through a narrow road (which is a two-way street), through which a bus was coming. Obviously, with the road being too narrow for both my car and the bus to pass, I stopped by the side, giving what I deemed enough room for the bus to pass. To cut a long story short, the bus driver decided that he couldn't pass without hitting my car and told me - or more like demanded - that I must reverse so that his royal arse could pass. The only problem was that there was another car on my tail, making it a bit impossible to, well, reverse without hitting it (eventually the woman behind me did reverse herself, hence allowing me to move). Now, I would have been fine with all of this happening, especially if the bus couldn't indeed pass, but why the bus driver's demands had to include a multitude of swear words and blaming everything on God, in Maltese naturally so that it sounded even more uncivilised and primitive, is beyond me. As did the jibe that he passed afterwards, "Fejn iz-**** tghallimt issuq?", which actually did make me snap a bit because my only alternative, before the woman reversed, was to drive into the wall so that the bus could pass. Honestly, if these are the kind of people that are going to be heading the new Public Transport system when it comes into force, then please, for the love of God, kill me now.
It seems as if one only sees this ridiculous hierarchy more in Malta than anywhere else in the world. When I visited Italy, which isn't exactly the most renowned place for safe driving, the taxi driver/s that I had rode with were actually courteous, polite and, most important, drove safely and didn't overcharge us, as his passengers. In Malta, it's the complete opposite, as the country seems to thrive on negligent thugs who believe that the road is owned by the them, and God forbid you defy this for them in any way, means or form because they'll actually be hunting for your blood - just ask Austin Gatt, when he took the decision to liberalise the Public Transport, Taxi and Hearse markets. Sometimes, it actually makes you wonder if Malta is indeed part of 21st Century Europe; as well as how much progress has been made by the Maltese people overall since when Hagar Qim Temples were built.
Unfortunately, the problem doesn't seem to be getting better either. As time goes by, more and more people will start driving and more and more cars will be on the road, making it inevitable that such instances will continuously occur and tempers will famously flare up all too often. Add this to a lack of proper education vis-a-vis driving skills by most instructors, who are either interested in having a coffee or biting their nails while their students waste their petrol (while obviously charging extremely high rates for doing so) and you have a continued recipe for disaster. Only when the current generation of bad crops passes away and these are replaced by people who have been properly taught how to drive will we have peace on the roads of Malta. In other words, this should read that it's never going to happen.
God Bless You all!
Matti
I'd be lying if I said that all Maltese drivers are not of an adequate standard, because undoubtedly, there are some drivers who take pride in exercising an element of caution when moving around and follow every rule by the book. However, I would also be lying if I said that all Maltese drivers are disciplined, good-natured and of an excellent standard, as demonstrated by a little experience that I passed through while driving earlier on this afternoon, and probably as demonstrated by many other drivers in the past.
On my way down to Sliema, I had to pass through a narrow road (which is a two-way street), through which a bus was coming. Obviously, with the road being too narrow for both my car and the bus to pass, I stopped by the side, giving what I deemed enough room for the bus to pass. To cut a long story short, the bus driver decided that he couldn't pass without hitting my car and told me - or more like demanded - that I must reverse so that his royal arse could pass. The only problem was that there was another car on my tail, making it a bit impossible to, well, reverse without hitting it (eventually the woman behind me did reverse herself, hence allowing me to move). Now, I would have been fine with all of this happening, especially if the bus couldn't indeed pass, but why the bus driver's demands had to include a multitude of swear words and blaming everything on God, in Maltese naturally so that it sounded even more uncivilised and primitive, is beyond me. As did the jibe that he passed afterwards, "Fejn iz-**** tghallimt issuq?", which actually did make me snap a bit because my only alternative, before the woman reversed, was to drive into the wall so that the bus could pass. Honestly, if these are the kind of people that are going to be heading the new Public Transport system when it comes into force, then please, for the love of God, kill me now.
It seems as if one only sees this ridiculous hierarchy more in Malta than anywhere else in the world. When I visited Italy, which isn't exactly the most renowned place for safe driving, the taxi driver/s that I had rode with were actually courteous, polite and, most important, drove safely and didn't overcharge us, as his passengers. In Malta, it's the complete opposite, as the country seems to thrive on negligent thugs who believe that the road is owned by the them, and God forbid you defy this for them in any way, means or form because they'll actually be hunting for your blood - just ask Austin Gatt, when he took the decision to liberalise the Public Transport, Taxi and Hearse markets. Sometimes, it actually makes you wonder if Malta is indeed part of 21st Century Europe; as well as how much progress has been made by the Maltese people overall since when Hagar Qim Temples were built.
Unfortunately, the problem doesn't seem to be getting better either. As time goes by, more and more people will start driving and more and more cars will be on the road, making it inevitable that such instances will continuously occur and tempers will famously flare up all too often. Add this to a lack of proper education vis-a-vis driving skills by most instructors, who are either interested in having a coffee or biting their nails while their students waste their petrol (while obviously charging extremely high rates for doing so) and you have a continued recipe for disaster. Only when the current generation of bad crops passes away and these are replaced by people who have been properly taught how to drive will we have peace on the roads of Malta. In other words, this should read that it's never going to happen.
God Bless You all!
Matti
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