the domestiC AcTresS

With Friends Like These Weekender review

2007-09-04T22:18:00.000+02:00

The future for three friends

With Friends Like These, song and dance

by Jo Ann Vassallo

Many times, when more than one person wants the same thing they become competitors. The entertainment business is a hard path to follow and a highly competitive one. However, Rachel Fabri, Jean Marc Agius Cafà and Matthew Anastasi claim that it is through friendship and not competition that things become easier. This showcase of music was in fact organised as their last venture before they travel together to the UK to study at the GSA Conservatoire, their stepping stone to success. Whether they will become world famous or not is yet to be seen but one thing's for sure - they intend to support each other throughout.

Friends Like These was an evening of music and dance together with drama. It was a message of friendship through the adaptation of various songs to their present real life situation. Supported by the ingenious script of Coryse Borg and the voice of Edward Mercieca together with various established actors and actresses, the trio pondered the meaning of life, friendship and what the future holds for them.Most of the first part of the show, which lasted a comfortable 45 minutes (thus not making the audience restless), was a variety of songs about the different kinds of friendship and the different things friendship may lead to. Can You Feel the Love Tonight? was the song of reconciliation for three friends after a tiff. Their voices worked well together with Ms Fabri's singing talent somewhat standing out. The First Time dealt with two friends becoming lovers with a song sweet and humourous where Ms Fabri and Mr Anastasi mirrored each other in a duet.

Mr Agius Cafà's solo, From This Moment, was challenging for his voice but he managed it well and without hesitation. Forget About the Boy started with Ms Fabri singing about deluded love and lacked some energy at first. The piece picked up when Ms Borg and Elaine Camilleri joined in and the choreography became more upbeat. Emma Loftus, the choreographer, did a good job in keeping the steps simple but energetic with good use of brooms as props. In the song about the jealous lover, Ms Borg played the part of the broken hearted while Mr Agius Cafà and Ms Fabri danced a ballet duet perfectly and passionately. This was not an easy task considering the use of a bench as their dance floor. Mr Anastasi's solo was touching - he sang Breeze Off The River in which he played the part of the parent trying to explain the wonders of parenthood.

Part Two of the musical showcase was highly engaging. The script dealt with the personal challenge that awaits these three young artistes. They started off by giving us a taste of their future dream coming true: Reciting their speech at the Oscars. This included a great thank you to their friends which triggered a memory of where it all started. They then took us back to the root of it all, that is, the MADC clan who coached them, supported them and in their version of the Money Song collected funds to send them abroad. This number featured Mr Mercieca, Ms Borg, Faye and Alan Paris and Ms Camilleri giving a hand in the most original and funny sort of way.

Ms Fabri then reached her peak in Climbing Uphill, a song about her life so full of auditions.Here she portrayed herself as any normal girl with a dream who feels fatter and uglier and also less talented then the other 400 girls she sees around her in search of her same dream. We appreciated her genuine character in this piece coupled with the absurdity of this talented girl singing "I suck, I suuuck, I suck, I suuuuck", at the top of her beautiful voice - side-splitting! Under Pressure was the epitome of the trio's everyday stress since choosing such a complicated career and was equally well interpreted in all three areas - song, dance and mime. Electricity was Mr Agius Cafà's forte where not only did he sing brilliantly but also danced like a true professional. Here we're talking classical ballet, pirouettes and all! Mr Anastasi also went solo in the energetic rock and roll piece Moving Too Fast and was once again successful in his interpretation.

Another rather striking number was the song from Little Shop of Horrors - Skid Row. The three friends explore the possibility of a future without their dream coming true and the possibility of having to do other things to make ends meet. Mr Agius Cafà quickly sees the positive side by assuring his friends: "It will happen", however more humour fills the air as he does not seem so convinced himself about his statement.

I must say I really enjoyed myself at this performance and it was a very heart warming start to an evening. It showed me that people feel down and think of giving up but really no matter what your goal is having good friends can make a big difference. There was a positive aura at the theatre in the round that evening and lots of talent to get the message through.

It's Over...

2007-08-28T23:47:00.000+02:00

So... 'With Friends Like These' is over. After all the hassle and stress of co-producing, script-writing and performing, I feel thoroughly drained! But also a bit lost. Even though I complained a bit (yep, my name is Coryse and I'm a complainer!), I must admit that secretly I loved almost every minute. I loved writing the script with a passion - it was so cool hearing the audience laugh at MY writing! I loved producing and organising (and bossing people around of course hehe!). I loved, loved, loved performing with Matthew, Jean, Rachel and Elaine, especially in the Avenue Q songs. I loved singing my solo.

I was so proud of all of us for putting up this show against the odds. What with the permits and the panic and the arguments etc, we still managed to pull off a great show. Kudos also goes to the fabulous backstage crew - Petals, Chris, Benji, Daniel (for a while anyway!) and Stiv. And Wes and Bekki. And Gillian, Ben and Emma. And all those who helped in any way. And, of course, Edward, Faye and Alan who had such brilliant cameos.

And mainly to Rejxi, Matt and Jean who I think thoroughly deserved the standing ovation on Sunday. I'm going to miss you guys... make us proud!

With Friends Like These

2007-08-03T16:27:00.000+02:00

So MND is over and it was a blast - except for me getting tonsilitis with 103 fever, missing tech and dress rehearsals and being sick as a dog backstage during the first performance. Also, my voice sounded totally crap on the first night... and it was the night the Sunday Times critic came to watch. Just my luck! At least he blamed the horrible sound in the microphone, how sweet! The Sunday performance was AMAZING, with a packed audience and people standing up to watch. And I got to sing 'Dream a Little Dream of Me', which came out so well, especially on the Sunday. I think it's the first time I felt confident with my voice. I put it all down to the singing lessons I have been going to for the past month (yay Gillian!).

Anyway, on to the next one..

Three young local performers - Matthew Anastasi, Jean Marc Agius Cafà and Rachel Fabri - will soon be leaving Malta to study at the prestigious GSA Conservatoire in the UK which is validated by the University of Surrey, accredited by the National Council for Drama Training and approved by Trinity College, London.

Before they leave however, they are to wow audiences at St James Cavalier with a showcase of song and dance called ‘With Friends Like These’ from the 23rd to the 26th of August.

The trio - joined by Edward Mercieca, Elaine Camilleri, Alan Paris, Faye Paris and moi, with Geoffrey Tanti on piano and Jason Fabri on percussion - will perform their way through tunes from a number of musicals, including ‘Avenue Q’, ‘Mamma Mia’, ‘Thoroughly Modern Millie’, ‘The Lion King’, ‘We Will Rock You’ and ‘Wicked’.

The script for ‘With Friends Like These’ was written by erm.. me, and will be directed by Wesley Ellul, with choreography by Emma Loftus. ‘With Friends Like These’ is sponsored by the Bank of Valletta.

Tickets for ‘With Friends Like These’ may be purchased from the St James Cavalier Booking Office in Valletta, tel. no: 21 223200 and email: boxoffice@sjcav.org. More information on www.sjcav.org.

MND poster

2007-07-12T17:58:00.000+02:00

A Midsummer Nights' Dream

2007-07-05T00:20:00.000+02:00

On to the next play... it promises to be a lot of fun (and we get to wear some truly outrageous costumes hehe!) so here goes:

A Midsummer Night's Dream by the MADC; Royal Opera House, Valletta; 25 - 29 July 2007 (excl 26)

The MADC presents one of William Shakespeare’s best-loved plays, for the first time at the Old Opera House Ruins in Valletta, as part of the Malta Arts Festival.

The concept of this magical production by director Chris Gatt, with Denise Mulholland, is set to amaze and take the breath away of the audience.

The cast includes Nerissa Pace as Helena, Jean Marc Agius Cafà as Lysander, Matthew Gatt as Demetrius, Faye Paris as Hermia, Edward Mercieca as Bottom, Pia Zammit as Titania, Manuel Cauchi as Thesues/Oberon, Isabella Attard as Puck and Coryse Borg as Hippolyta, as well as Alan Montanaro, Paula Fleri Soler, Wesley Ellul, David Ellul Mercer, Martin Azzopardi and an all-singing, all-dancing band of fairies.Original music is by Alexandra Vella Gregory while choreography is by Emma Loftus.

More information may be obtained from website: www.madc.biz and email: bookings@madc.com. Tickets may be purchased from www.maltaticket.com, Agenda Bookshops, Exotique, Newskiosk and Bookends.

Shucks and simper!

2007-06-04T11:51:00.000+02:00

Pick 'n' mix

Showtime rounds up local productions in the past theatre season

The Times of Malta, 1st June 2007

The past theatre season has been a somewhat mixed one. We have had the excellent, the average and the downright dreadful and all in the space of six and a half months. In this issue we'll look at productions by local companies.There have been some very good productions by the more established companies - plus the occasional turkey. But it has been good to note that the exorbitant cost of staging theatre in Malta has not yet dissuaded a few new companies from putting on some very laudable stuff.

Of the mainstream companies the MADC had a rather mixed season. Their early output was dominated by the One-Act-Play Festival at the MADC Clubroom Theatre. This was deemed very successful and - as is usually the case - it gave an opportunity for young, talented people to show what they could do. For the record it was won by 4.48 Psychosis, directed by Tony Attard.

The MADC panto at the Manoel Theatre this season was Hercules - The Panto. And... well, it never really got off the ground. After the rather embarrassing Sleeping Beauty of the previous year, we were promised a massive improvement. Sadly, apart from Ernest Camilleri's costumes, which were sensational, this panto was every bit as average as that of the previous year. Moving swiftly on to the theatre-in-the-round at St James and the MADC production of the comedy thriller Audacity, by Simon Mawdesley. This provided a directorial debut for Coryse Borg. And a pretty good fist she made of it too. It can be considered one of the successes of the MADC season.

Their production of the Stephen Sondheim musical Company at the Manoel Theatre, directed by Denise Mulholland with Rosetta Debatista as musical director, was also a success. Disliked by some, who baulked at its lack of a definable story line and unfamiliar musical numbers, it nevertheless broke new ground and was thoroughly enjoyed by the vast majority of its audience. Mikhail Basmadjan, in the pivotal role of Bobby was superb... as were Charlotte Grech, Wesley Ellul, Katherine Brown, Alan Montanaro and Julie James in supporting roles. At the end of March the MADC produced the Yasmina Reza play Life x Three, also at the Manoel Theatre. This left many people in the audience puzzled by its bizarre construction. However, the cast of four all gave good accounts of themselves.

At the time of writing, the MADC summer Shakespeare production - A Midsummer Night's Dream - is to be directed by Chris Gatt and to be staged, for the first time, in the Opera House ruins. Let's hope they do something about the unacceptable seating arrangements at that particular venue beforehand.

Anthony and Veronica Bezzina's production company Masquerade has, quite rightly, become established as one of the leading companies in Malta. They had a very good season, starting with a stunning production of Edward Albee's highly controversial play The Goat. Directed by Tony Bezzina and staged at St James last November, this was notable for brilliant performances by Manuel Cauchi, Isabel Ripard and from a highly promising young actor Jean Marc Agius.

Next up for Masquerade was the highly ambitious staging of Richard O Brien's cult musical The Rocky Horror Show. This was put on in the vast tent at Ta' Qali, which proved the ideal venue for a show that can cause a fair bit of mayhem and mess. Malcolm Galea made an excellent job of the part of the narrator and it was good to see Chris Dingli back here and working! The only real downer was the lacklustre performance of Matthew Simpson as a rather colourless Frank 'n' Furter.

Masquerade scored another huge success at the end of April, this time at The Manoel Theatre, when they brought the English musical show Beyond The Barricade back for a stunning three-night performance.

Adrian Buckle and Conrad Buttigieg's company Unifaun is also becoming established as a successful mainstream company. This season they were responsible for two excellent productions, both at St James. Mark Ravenhill's play Some Explicit Polaroids, directed by Chris Gatt, was spiky fare, with Coryse Borg giving the performance of her life.

Earlier this year in February, they produced Howard Brenton's Paul. Again directed by Chris Gatt, this play shocked quite a few people with its interesting interpretation of the scriptures.It was beautifully acted by Manuel Cauchi, Kevin Drake and a special mention for Stefan Cachia Zammit.Mario Micallef's company Talenti veered away from Shakespeare in Maltese this season. Instead in January Talenti produced a new staging of L-Impotenti, which went down very well with audiences at the Manoel. Talenti also presented L-Imfietah, by Mario Micallef and Zepp Camilleri at St James in March, in which Mr Micallef again played multiple roles.

There are some who believe that the relative decline of Maleth in recent years has coincided with its decision to present plays in English. We wouldn't go so far as to endorse that assessment, but they did have a rather mixed season. Of the newer companies Curtain Call got off to a very promising start with Simone Ellul's direction of David Mamet's all-girl play Boston Marriage. This was well served with excellent performances by Nanette Brimmer, Monica Attard and Rachel Darmanin Demajo.

It was good to see Actinghouse back producing again. However, their production of Tennessee Williams's A Streetcar Named Desire at the MITP Theatre lacked the atmosphere essential for that great play. But it did contain an excellent central performance from Irene Christ.

The all-female company Du also staged a couple of productions at the MITP Theatre. They are beginning to establish themselves on the scene, which - considering the fact that they are a talented bunch - can only be a good thing.

So what does Showtime think were the three outstanding local productions of the 2006/2007 season? In no particular order: Masquerade's The Goat, Unifaun's Some Explicit Polaroids and Curtain Call's Boston Marriage. Stellar performances of the season came from Nanette Brimmer, Monica Attard and Rachel Darmanin Demajo in Boston Marriage, Isabel Warrington in The Goat and a special mention for Coryse Borg, who was absolutely amazing in Some Explicit Polaroids. As for male actors, there was Manuel Cauchi (naturally) both in The Goat and Paul, Kevin Drake and Stefan Cachia Zammit in Paul and Mikhail Basmadjan in Company. And finally Mario Micallef in L-Imfietah.

Things to do in London when you're Broke

2007-04-23T22:02:00.000+02:00

I've been back from London for over 2 weeks and have been so busy with friends & work - not to mention an impromptu rehearsal-less performance at St James with Pia last night (which went down very well, thanks for asking and which I shall blog about on another occasion) - that I have neglect my poor bloggy-woggy. So here is an article I wrote for the Sunday Times Travel supplement which appeared yesterday about visiting London on the cheap!

_________________________________________________________________________________

In the past couple of months, circumstances have decreed that I travel to London twice in quick succession. Now, I love London. I adore the quirky lifestyle of the Londoners. I love the West End, where the stars I have seen many times on TV ply their trade in the best plays and musicals. I love popping in to Boots to stock up on all the beauty stuff we don’t get here. I love that I can get practically anywhere by using my Oyster travel card and hopping on an underground train or bus.

But let’s face it, London is expensive. Every time I go there, I budget for, say, a week… and proceed to blow it all in a day or two. But now, I was determined to stick to my budget. And here is how I did it, while managing to have an absolutely brilliant time anyway.

This is basically ‘A Guide to London on a Shoestring Budget… while still doing all the things you want to do and more’!

Enjoy Theatreland

First off, there is no way I am going to London and not watching any shows. In the past two trips alone, I went to the theatre eight times. I found that one good way to enjoy as many shows while in London is to plan ahead. First of all, I found the two shows that I was determined not to miss – Avenue Q and Equus and I booked them online through Ticketmaster - www.ticketmaster.com.uk - and Delfont Macintosh Theatre - www.delfontmackintosh.co.uk - respectively. That way I knew that, whatever happened, I would be watching the two shows I was determined not to miss.

Then once in London, there were a number of ways to book the other shows I wanted to watch, such as Wicked, Little Shop of Horrors and Spamalot. Go to the half-price booth in Leicester Square and see if they have any cheap tickets for that day. Or pop in to the fabulous Apple Store in Regent Street where you can use computers for free, go into www.lastminute.com and find a bargain, such as theatre tickets for £10.

If you can only afford to watch one show, I would advise watching Avenue Q if you have a good sense of humour. It is my new favourite musical ever!

Wicked is a fun, big glorious show with amazing music; while Spamalot is a must-see for any Monty Python fan, and features the woman with possibly the most amazing voice in the world (it spans four octaves) Hannah Waddingham. Little Shop of Horrors is a hoot and the current cast includes impressionist Alistair McGowan as Orin Scrivello and Sheridan Smith (Janet from the hilarious BBC sitcom ‘Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps’) as Audrey.

As everybody knows by now, Equus stars Daniel Radcliffe, better known as Harry Potter, in a rather, erm, compromising position during one particular scene. Having watched the play with him and the great actor Richard Griffiths in the leading roles, I can say that this play is so much more than just that one scene. It is a brilliant play with a brilliant cast, and the set by John Napier is just amazing. Go and watch it if you can.

Eat cheaply

Everybody has to eat; not everyone can afford to eat at The Ivy (although you can look at it from the outside… more on that later). So, look out for special offers at various places. For example, when I was in London, Boots had a great ‘Meal Deal’ offer where you could choose a sandwich, salad or sushi plate, pair it with a drink and top it off with a snack, piece of fruit or packet of crisps – all for £3.30. Of course, if you’ve been traipsing around the shops all morning and are starving, the trick is to choose the largest and most filling sandwich, the most expensive drink and the most sugary dessert… and voila, you’ve saved two or three quid and have a full tum.

Look out for similar offers in fast-food outlets and do try to choose the healthier option at least a couple of times!

Shop till you drop

One word - Primark. This is a fabulous clothing store which is dirt-cheap. The secret is to plough through the stuff until you find a gem such as summer dresses for £10, jeans for £8, bikinis for £2 or a pair of men’s trousers for £4. Even better is their selection of bags, shoes and accessories. Personally, I love their socks! I have stocked up on so many Primark socks that I am now sorted for my whole lifetime.

Before April, the closest Primark store to central London was in Hammersmith but now, they have opened their 70,000 sq-ft new flagship store in Oxford Street. Thousands visited the store on its opening day; there were riots and one member of staff ended up in hospital with minor injuries. I stayed well away that day, but did venture there the day after and only waited 15 minutes in the queue. Almost three hours later, I emerged happy, satisfied and the proud owner of four pairs of multi-coloured socks, amongst other things!

Find a celebrity

Want to see a star? Wander round Harrods in Knightsbridge for long enough and you’re bound to see someone you recognise. Or get down to famous London restaurant The Ivy, near Leicester Square, and join the paparazzi in staking out the place. Alternatively, just hang around the West End and, if you are lucky enough, you’ll be veritably star-struck. In the past couple of months, I saw musician Brian May enjoying Wicked, ex-soap star Martine McCutcheon texting on her mobile in the window of a restaurant and velvety-voiced, legendary Shakespearean actor (although he will forever remain Star Trek’s Captain Picard to me) Patrick Stewart, watching Equus.

Enjoy some eye-candy

If you have a free hour, pop into stylish, hip American clothing store Abercrombie and Fitch, which has just opened its first UK shop in Savile Row. You don’t actually need to buy anything (although some articles of clothing are actually pretty decently-priced); just feast your eyes on the gorgeous half-naked male models they employ at the store and enjoy the dance beats permeating the store. I met a friend working there whom I hadn’t seen since he was about 12. Now in his early twenties, he is definitely grown up into model-material. As for the male readers, you get to drool at the pretty female staff members who are all in their late teens / early twenties and have absolutely no body fat whatsoever. I wonder if management weighs them before they employ them…

Get some culture

Most museums in London are free. The Victoria and Albert Museum in Kensington is the world's greatest museum of art and design and most of its exhibitions are free. However, I did splash out £9 to see their fabulous ‘Surreal Things’ exhibition, which explores the influence of Surrealism on the worlds of fashion, design, theatre, interiors, film, architecture and advertising. The ‘Kylie Minogue’ exhibition, on the other hand is absolutely free, although you do have to get timed tickets, and I must admit I could not resist peeking in, mainly to see those famous teeny gold metallic shorts that she wore for the video of ‘Spinning Around’!

The National Gallery in Trafalgar Square houses one of the greatest collections of Western European paintings in the world, while the National Portrait Gallery features portraits of famous British men and women. The current main exhibition is called ‘Faces of Fashion’ and is made up of photos of the rich and famous taken by world-famous photographers.

My favourite museum experience to date, however, is probably The Tate Modern, Britain’s national museum of international modern art. The exhibits are fabulous. Over my last two visits, the Turbine Hall of this museum was filled with an artwork created by Carsten Höller, which basically was made up of a series of slides, which are impressive sculptures in their own right which the public could enjoy gliding down – hours of fun! Unfortunately, the installation closed in mid-April but I can’t wait to see what will be next!

There are loads more things to do in London which are free, or nearly. Take a walk in one of the many parks, such as Hyde Park or Green Park and enjoy the trees, grass and occasional squirrel; wander round Camden Town and gaze and the weird and wonderful shops found there; walk up to the Buckingham Palace gates and try and catch a glimpse of a royal personage. Just soak up the atmosphere in the knowledge that it is possible to enjoy London and not break the bank!

Life x 3

2007-03-17T13:14:00.000+01:00

30, 31 March & 1 April 2007

Manoel Theatre, Valletta

Coryse Borg

Anthony Ellul

Alex Grech

Vanessa Macdonald

21 246389

bookings@teatrumanoel.com.mt

www.teatrumanoel.com.mt

www.madc.biz

www.myspace.com/madcmalta

Parteeee...

2007-03-11T13:02:00.000+01:00

Went to the most AMAZING 21st birthday party last Friday... yes, am at the age when my younger friends - the ones who I met when they were 12 and are now all 'growed up' - are turning 21 (I have another party today which I'm going to have to miss), while those around my age are getting married. Ah well, c'est la vie!

Anyway, got back from work on Friday; got ready; did French manicure; hated French manicure; took off French manicure; re-did nails; found sandals I wanted to wear; realised there was no way to wear them as they are satin and would get ruined in the pouring rain (it had been raining for nearly 2 days straight); rummaged around till I found another pair I liked.

Finally, I put on the dress I intended to wear to the party. This was 9 pm. HATED dress I had intended to wear, which was weird because I had worn it last October and looked stunning apparently. Resolved to go on a diet immediately. Tried on a top and skirt. Hated them too. Tried on practically the entire contents of my wardrobe. Hated them all. Finally, found a pink corset from Oasis and a long, satiny black skirt from Mango. Problem was that I had never actually worn the skirt and had subsequently failed to realise that although the label said size 10, it was actually designed for a 7-foot, size 14 person. Whereupon, I burst out crying and called the Pea to say I'd be running late, rolled up the skirt round my waist, put some make up on and hoped for the best! Ran to the car in the rain and picked up Pea at 10-ish (ie) only nearly an hour late!

Anyway, the party was fab. Soooooooooo much fun, especially meeting some people I hadn't seen for ages. But too, too much alcohol. Or rather, too much alcohol imbibed by me. And I am still suffering for it. Man, I can't take my alcohol any more! But I must admit that it made the evening interesting. More of the same please!

On to the next one...

2007-02-25T19:30:00.000+01:00

Boy am I exhausted. And sick. Had a party yesterday (go G!) and stayed out late and woke up with a cold. Of course. It didn't stop me from downing some paracetamol and going to lunch with the Pea and the Blonde (for 4 hours!) though. Sha you shoud've been there... get your ass back here! Much merriment, food and gossip was had by all.

The reasons for the exhaustion and, hence, sickness, are twofold. First the Stagecoach Drama Camp held last weekend which was sooooooo much fun. But soo tiring. And secondly, after 'Audacity', I've gome straight into rehearsals for the next production, this time onstage for Yasmina Reza's 'Life x 3' to be held by the MADC at the Manoel Theatre on the 30 - 31 March and 1 April.

Rehearsals are challenging as the director wanted us to be off script from rehearsal one (yeah, right! Although I must say that the other 3 actors involved are relatively script free, while I know about half of scene 1 which is erm... very good for me!) and also the play is very wordy and there are a lot of hidden emotions that we have to explore. Basically, it is very tough on the actors and we have to make it interesting for the audience.But I'm really enjoying the experience especially since I get to play a right bitch at times hehe!

Off to bed...

It worked...

2007-02-13T20:09:00.000+01:00

So it's over... 'Audacity''s run finished last Sunday. And what a journey it's been. I can honestly say that despite all the stress and hassles (especially during technical week), all the times I thought that I was mad, all the nights I woke up in a panic that no-one would come to watch the bloody thing... it WAS worth it. and it did really well. Practically everyone who came to watch the show said they liked, even loved, it! A success, one may say!

I am very proud of the whole team - actors, backstage people and - why not - I am also proud of me! For not panicking too much and for managing to have fun even as I was worrying and tearing my hair out. We managed to take a play and make it into something that was a hit and a blast. To quote the play itself: "It worked; it bloody worked!"Yes, it was a fun and learning experience for me and I hope to repeat it one day. Maybe in another 10 years' time... I need a break!

In the meantime, I will gaze at the bona fide script of 'Pulp Fiction' signed by one of my idols, Quentin Tarantino, that my fabulous cast and crew presented me with at cast party yesterday (I was so touched, I was speechless for perhaps the first time in my life) and remember the good times!

1 down, 2 to go...

2007-01-31T23:38:00.000+01:00

So one weekend of 'Audacity' is over. It went well... no major disasters. just a set which was was not quite what I expected but which was remedied by some lovely people quite quickly (thanks, lovely people); a quick crash course in lighting design by Chris Gatt, who laughed at my ignorance (in the nicest of ways) and who taught me a lot; a number of sound cue cd's which refused to work so my executive producer (yo wes!) had to make what seemed like 1 million copies; a screaming fit (the first one!) from the director (ie) me after a rather disastrous tech/dress rehearsal where my notes were longer than the play itself; some fluffing of lines and pieces of set being knocked over on first night - all stuff which I guess is to be expected.

But the feedback has been mainly very positive from the people who have watched the first weekend and I must say I am pleased with us, especially since I think we made miracles with some bits of the play. Yay us! Roll on the next two weekends...

Me panicking?! Of course not! Erm...

2007-01-21T18:20:00.000+01:00

Less than a week to go... check this out!

'Audacity' booking now open!

2007-01-11T13:00:00.000+01:00

The MADC's first production at St James Cavalier for 2007 is Simon Maudsley's comedy-thriller 'Audacity' to be held at on the 26 - 28 January, 2 – 4 and 9 - 11 February.

Embittered and struggling to make ends meet while going through a messy divorce, Phil schemes up an audacious plan to hold up a popular department store of their pre-Christmas takings with the reluctant help of two fellow salesmen. With the reluctant help of two fellow salesmen who are also facing financial problems, the unlikely trio meet in a run-down bed-sit to rehearse and plan the most exciting thing they've done in their lives. Problems develop however, when the wives of two of the men get together to investigate their husbands' unusual behaviour. Tension and laughs run high as the play comes to an unpredictable end.

'Audacity' is directed by Coryse Borg and the cast is made up of Michael Zammit Maempel, Malcolm Galea, Jean-Marc Agius, Julia Calvert and Greta Agius. Tickets at Lm 5.00 (except first night at Lm 3.50) may be purchased from the St James Cavalier Booking Office, tel. no: 21 223200 and email: boxoffice@sjcav.org.

Viva Las London!

2007-01-05T17:23:00.000+01:00

What a blast I had... London is amazing. So much to see and do. I'd forgotten how I enjoy holidaying there. This time, highlights (apart from seeing the hubby after a month apart of course!) included - in no particular order:

1. Watching Avenue Q. Oh my god, it is sooooooooooooo laugh-out-loud funny. One of the best shows I have ever seen. The set, the puppets, the actors, the singing, the songs the rudeness of it all hehe! I really want us to do it here in Malta!

2. Shopping - Primark rules! Brilliant shop were you can find practically anything. High street store opening in Spring. Will definately be there hehe! Bought so much stuff - shoes. pj's, tops, jacket... too many things to mention! And Boots, I love Boots *sigh*

3. Starbucks. Yum! Toffee nut latte is the yummiest. You heard it here first.

4. Watching 'Wicked'. simply put - I loved it. Amazing cast and set and music.

5. New Years Eve spent with Sha (initially), P, the 2 Chrisses and Mich. The setting (fireworks at the London Eye) was amazing but the company was even better! Yay friends!

6. Spending the day at the Tate. And especially, speeding down the slides which make up the Unilever Series - twice! What fun!

7. Watching 'Dick Whittington' written by Mark Ravenhill who also wrote 'Some Explicit Polaroids'. What FUN! At one point, the main cast drenched the audience with water hoses/pistols. I don't think I've ever laughed so much! It would never happen at the Manoel hehe!

8. Meeting the man himself, Mark Ravenhill, at 'Peter Pan', a panto that our friend Tom Camilleri was in. Yay Tom btw! And then watching Ravenhill sing the panto song sheet 'How much is the doggy in the window' with the rest of the audience - how sweet! It was really cool to talk to him, although I think we kinda overwhelmed him with our joie-de-vivre and excitement at meeting him hehe!

Anyway, London, I'll be back! And soon. Besides, I want to watch 'Spamalot' and so much more. Better start saving now...

Blog Awards 2007

2006-12-23T10:48:00.000+01:00

Have just been informed that I won the 'Most Entertaining Blog' award at Maltagirl's annual Blog Awards ceremony yesterday evening. Since I couldn't attend due to rehearsals and a previous engagement - and I couldn't afford to do a video link like they do at the Academy Awards (hee!) - I just wanted to a big thanks to the bloggers who voted for me. I honestly think that this is the first time that I've won anything in my life! Yay me!

Blogger's meeting

2006-12-18T23:13:00.000+01:00

Since Maltagirl is experiencing problems with her internet connection and is thus unable to blog, she has instructed me to remind you that the Bloggers' meeting is still happening at Melita in Balzan on Friday (22nd December) at 8 pm.

PS: Hsejjes, may I be a pest and remind you re: the lovely things you promised?! I probably won't be making it this time (sob) but, if you do go to the meal, wil you give them to Maltagirl and she will pass them on to me at Stagecoach in January? Ta and much love!

Livin' on my own

2006-12-10T18:31:00.000+01:00

*title to be sung a la Freddie Mercury*

So, it's been almost 2 weeks since hubby left for distant shores and... well, I'm Sill Standing (am listening to Elton John - always reminds me of that glorious concert he gave in Malta where I was working front of house and got to watch the concert from the very front, a few metres away from the man himself - good times).Of course, since it's me... various things have gone wrong in these 2 weeks...

Last week, I took the rubbish out at 6.30 am for the first time since... well, the first time ever actually. Lugged this enormous rubbish bag full of cat litter, pee and poo down the stairs, as it was really heavy. Of course, halfway down, the bag split all over my stairs with the pee and the... well, you get my drift. I swore so loudly and badly that I am sure I was heard miles away. The hubby probably heard me, I was so loud. The cats looked at me curiously as I swept it all up. I swear they were sniggering. And then I swore some more.

The downstairs bathroom heater has gone mad. First it wouldn't heat up. Now it is heating up to much which meant I nearly killed myself whenI had a shower a few days agp. I scalded my legs and they looked like over-heated bricks. Now the upstairs one has developed a leak. I can see the future and it entails me writing a big fat cheque to a plumber. Screw my degree in journalism/communications, I knew I should have become a plumber or an electrician instead.

But the really good story is this one... one morning last week I was speaking to someone on my mobile when the doorbell rang. It was the postman with a delivery. I stepped outside for a second to the package and a gust of wind slammed the door behind me. You know that feeling when something goes wrong and your heart kinda stops? Well, that's exactly how I felt. My key and hubby's key were inside and the only other person who had a key was unavailable when I called. Panic! Or rather, I should have panicked but I didn't (I'm a self-confessed panicker) so I was very proud of myself. I took a deep breath and rang both my neighbours' doorbells thinking that I'd somehow go through their house and get in through my roof window which had an insect screen on it. But no-one answered. So there I was in my tatty jogging suit and slippers and it was just about to rain when... one of my neighbours came out of her door - she hadn't heard the doorbell before. We went up to her roof and she gave me a gi-normous knife (I am never messing about with my neighbours! Actually they are lovely) to hack through the insect screen - thank goodness I had put it up or I might still be outside waiting for a locksmith or a miracle.

On to today. One of the cats was constipated which doesn't surprise me since, in the past week, he has eaten a large portion of my bedspread and quite a big piece of the rug found in the washroom (he likes roughage apparently). So after days of not answering the call of nature, he had a nice big green poo... which got stuck to his bottom. He didn't like this, so he ran around the house trying to scrape it off on every available surface. I was shrieking at him to stop and running behind him, which actually made him run even faster. I eventually caught up with him and wiped his bottom while, the other cat looked at me and sniggered (again). I then had to disinfect the whole house. And how was your Sunday?!

Ch... ch... ch... changes

2006-11-29T22:28:00.000+01:00

It's been a weird couple of months. But then mine is a weird life. I guess it is all par for the course when you are a bit of a 'different' person. And anyone who is involved in the arts/theatre is a bit 'different', don't let people tell you otherwise.

Let's see... a year ago I was teaching drama, not going out much, spending a lot of time at home, settled, planning on having a family within the next couple of years. I had lost touch with a lot of friends and had stopped doing theatre altogether. I was... well I guessed I thought I was content. Bored but content.

Then in summer I did 'The Merry Wives of Windsor', mainly because I had a good part and nothing else to do. I enjoyed it very much but went straight back into my old rut as soon as the run was over.

Then came 'Some Explicit Polaroids' and I can say that for the first time in ages, I felt alive again. I can't even begin to express what that play meant to me. Being on stage and doing so well in the part of Nadia; connecting with the rest of the cast, director and producer... well, it was magical. It felt right. I guess I could tentatively say that I was happy. And if you know me well, you know how difficult it is for me to admit that. I started going out again, rediscovered my old friends and made some fantastic new ones.Then, 'things' started happening. I won't say if they were good or bad because good things sometimes come out of bad ones and vice-versa. Maybe, it all started when I was bitten by a dog in September (sounds like the beginning of a joke or something but my hand was rather badly injured and I still bear the scars months later).

Then after the 2nd weekend of the play in October, I finished up in hospital and we had to cancel the 3rd weekend of 'Polaroids'. That nearly finished me off at the time, I was so disappointed. But the reason I was in hospital was actually way worse than the mere cancellation of three performances. Again, those of you who know me know what I went through. And I don't think that I have even started to deal with what happened. Maybe one day soon I will and that day is not going to be a good one.

Then my hubby gets offered a job in London and, after we discuss it, he accepts. It has been his dream for ages and I wouldn't dream of even thinking of stopping him. But it happened so fast and he left this week. I'm still in shock I think. I'm staying here at least for now. I have work, commitments, things to do. I can't, and don't, want to leave for now at least. Many of my friends think I am mad, but I actually do like it here! Maybe later, when hubby is settled (and making pots of money hehe)... but for now I am taking each day as it comes and not thinking too much of the future. But however I put it, things have changed. And I'm not too good with change. I have had to learn how to change the cats' litter for goodness sake, and have to wake up early to put the rubbish out tomorrow (both the hubby's domain till now)! We'll still be seeing quite a lot of each other - thank goodness for cheap flights and also for MSN live chat and a webcam - but basically, I have to re-learn how to live on my own and not really have anyone to rely on for a while.

Another set-back is that I was cast for a musical due to be put on in March... and have now been uncast. Long story. So i was quite at a loose end re: what to do with myself. Was scared I'd end up in my usual rut of work, home and work again. Then someone else offered me a part in a play in January but I had to decline due to scheduling difficulties.

Which brings me to now. The day I declined the part, I got a phone call with an offer to direct a play at St James next January/February after the original director had to drop out. And I said yes. I must be mad! I've only ever directed once, at the Manoel Theatre when I was a naive 20 year old (I actually turned 20 during rehearsals!) One of my actors was Victor Debono who acted alongside me in 'Polaroids'.. things really came full circle there!Anyhow, here I am, ready to have my first rehearsal as a director for a play called 'Audacity' tomorrow (link has not yet been updated). And boy am I terrified. I feel like such a fraud! "What do I know about directing?" is a question I ask myself at least 20 times a day. At least, I am lucky to have a cast i like and trust and plenty of experienced people (hello Chris Gatt!) to help me, I hope, apart from the support of my far-off hubby and friends of course!

I've also been cast in a play in March called 'Life x 3' and I'm really looking forward to that.

As I said... it's a heck of a weird life I live. It's also exciting in a way I guess. I dunno... we'll see.

Wish me luck!

Happy birthday to meeeeeeeeee.........

2006-11-24T19:08:00.000+01:00

Tra la laaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! I'm 24... again.

For Athena (and Sha)

2006-11-19T10:54:00.000+01:00

Kitties in a basket!

Overfed?! My cats?! As if!

Awww.... he looks just like a kitten!

Help!

I ONLY drink from the tap

Comfortable?!

London, here I come!

2006-11-12T20:42:00.000+01:00

Sooooooooooo excited! The Pea, the Gatt and I are off to London for a week of... well, not sleeping at all if the Gatt snores as much as he says he does. We'll be there for the New Year - what fun! This all started because the Pea is in London right now, to watch (and hear) Paul Simon and to catch some shows. the Blonde and Stunning Friend (as the Blonde calls her) decided to hop on over there and meet her for the weekend.

Obviously, I can't just up and go abroad during term time so was a bit gutted that I couldn't join them. But then, a couple of weeks ago, I was on Gtalk with the Pea and she said, why don't we go over for New Year's? And true to my newfound 'seize the day and don't worry about the washing up' philosophy, I was, like, yay! The Gatt decided to join us, booked flight and accomodation and here we are!

My objectives - to shop of course hehehe! Also to watch Avenue Q which you'll be happy to note I am doing (with Sha who will be back in the UK by then) - very excited, can't wait! I fell in love with this musical as soon as I first heard the songs courtesy of the lovely Matt. I also want to watch Wicked, The Mousetrap and Spamalot. And I want at least one Starbucks coffee every day.

In other news, well, life has been pretty routine recently, especially since I am not involved in a production at the moment. I am dying to get back on stage. I definately will be doing a play in March/April and hopefully one in February/March as well. Adrian also recently sent me a script which blew my mind and I'm hoping he'll produce it asap because I think it would be just awesome.

In the absence of the Pea and the Blonde (humph!), I went out with Sha and some other theatre lovlies yesterday and had a brilliant night out drinking and discussing theatre. We all had some story to tell about embarassing moments on stage and it was a blast. Crawled home at about 3 am and woke up this morning at 9 am with a splitting headache which didn't bode well especially since I had a lot of writing and stuff to do. But it got better slowly and by about 5 pm I was ready thank goodness. But now I''m ready for bed... I'll just listen to Avenue Q one more time though!

The Good, the Bad & the Ugly

2006-11-05T17:19:00.000+01:00

Sometimes something happens that just knocks you for six. For the past few years, I've had a very ordered life. I was in control of, well, practically everything I could be in control of. And then recently, something happened that took that 'control' out of my hands. I didn't like it. I still don't like it. It made me feel sad and upset and devastated and awful. I didn't think I could cope. But with the help of my ever-present circle of friends, I think I'll eventually be ok. But it's going to take time.

In the meantime, I'm trying to keep my mind off things by keeping myself as busy as I can. Doing things I enjoy so I can stop thinking. To that aim, yesterday I went to one hell of a party at the Blonde's place. The company yesterday was just amazing, the food really yummy and the booze... well, let's just say that there was more than enough of it. I really had a good time. I think all this going out, enjoying myself is some kind of defense mechanism to stop me feeling like shit. I did have a little cry on the Blonde's shoulder in her room for 2 minutes and she held my hand and gave me a big hug. As did practically everyone else at the party. I'm a lucky girl in this respect I guess.

Of course, every silver lining has a cloud and so this morning I woke up, after about four hours sleep, with the mother of all hangovers (for me anyway!) and a cold/hay fever which means blocked nose, sneezing, sore throat, the works. Oh well! Maybe I should go and have some rest before I have to face school tomorrow...

Friends and Nerds

2006-10-29T11:48:00.000+01:00

Had a really good evening last night. Went to watch a stand-up comedy show at St James Cavalier with the Pea - Punk Science. Really funny. I needed a laugh after the past couple of weeks. Of course, Pea being Pea and me being me, we HAD to get in on the onstage action!

Apart from being the noisiest people in the audience (of course!), we were also the nerdiest. We squealed everytime they mentioned 'Star Wars' or 'Star Trek' and at one point, when they asked a question about something or other which had to do with the universe - a question which required a numerical answer - we of course shouted '42'. Which elicited a laugh and a look from the three performers. Later on they asked if there were any Trekkies in the audience 'apart from those 2 nerds over there of course'. Hee!

After the show, Pea and I finally had our oft-postponed girlie meal with Witchie and The Blonde at Fusion in Valletta. Highly recommended for its food, but mainly for the lovely waiter who listen to our gripes and questions about food types and rants about food allergies and changes of orders and very loud innapropriate comments and... you get my drift. I wanted to give the man some kind of award. A small medal of some sort at least. He got through the three hours we were there, hounding him, with such grace (except at the very end at around 2 am when he sneaked off to have a cigarette to steady his nerves and, I suspect, book himself into a nursing home for a couple of weeks). We promised him that we wouldn't be back for at least three weeks to allow him to get his breath, and sanity, back and that we would warn him of our arrival by calling ahead so he can take leave on the day if he wanted too.

Just one other thing. It's when things aren't going really right in your life that you discover who your real friends are. The ones who hold your hand when you are breaking up inside, telling them things you wouldn't dream of telling anyone else, mainly because they wouldn't understand or they'd judge you or whatever. I'm lucky to say I have those friends and, right now, I'd be lost without them.

Closed for Refurbishment

2006-10-21T11:51:00.000+02:00

As some of you have heard, all is not well in the Reesa 'verse. Have been (and still am) unwell, which meant 2 nights' stay in hospital (*shudder*, although must admit that for a hospital-phobic, I did really well. maybe the fact that the people were so helpful and nice helped).

We had to cancel the 3rd (extra) weekend of the play which almost killed me inside. I felt guilty and miserable for ages until I realised that, in the grand plan of things, it was for the best.

Anyway, am at home now but not out of the woods yet. I should know more in the next couple of weeks so will keep you posted.

Till then, take care and keep your fingers crossed for me!

Lots of hugs,
Reesa

Extra, extra... read all about it!

2006-10-13T10:22:00.000+02:00

'Some Explicit Polaroids' is taking over my life. I haven't enjoyed taking part so much in a production for years. Playing Nadia is a joy and the rest of the cast just rocks! Not to mention the producer and director. We had our first night last Friday, which went ok, but first nights are always a bit 'sticky' as Chris Gatt would say. Butat least we didn't fall flat on our faces hehehe and we went off to Paceville after the show to celebrate (yes, I went to Paceville... till 4 am. Most of my friends reading this have now fainted as they know I detest the place. I even went to Havana and danced! Woohoo! Parteeeeeeee!)

Saturday, I felt we did better. Sunday's performance was amazing. It just felt right. It felt so natural and we got an applause after practically every scene. And despite me tripping down the stairs on my way to the stage for my first entrance and making a big mistake in the last scene (which, thank goodness I managed to rectify without too many people noticing, I hope!), it was probably the best performance I've taken part in ever. Big statement I know. But that's how it felt. Maybe a close second would be when I played Maria in 'West Side Story'.

Anyway, we have another weekend starting today and have added a third next week. I think this weekend is full but if you want to come and watch it during the extra weekend, call St James on 21223200.

Wohoo!

2006-10-01T10:29:00.000+02:00

Have had 2 BRILLIANT evenings in a row... which is kind of a miracle for me as I have become a really boring home-body recently - the kind of person I had promised myself I wouldn't become. You know the kind of person who stays home on Friday (and Saturday, and Sunday) night to work or, even worse, clean the house *shudder*.

On Friday, had a friend's wedding which was a complete blast! Got there with the hubby at about 10.30 pm, after rehearsals. Met lots of friends, including the gorgeous Pea of course, as well as Mal and his lovely wife. Erm... I then proceeded to drink quite a lot of wine (I needed the stress relief hehehe!). At about 2.30, they closed the place down and practically threw us last remaining revellers out! Crawled home and almost had to be carried up the stairs by an amused and patient hubby. I think though that he was actually relieved to see that I have it in me to have some FUN!

Yesterday, the actor brigade and thier posse hit the towns of Gzira and Sliema and proceeded to get blotto. The gang included the even-more-gorgeous-then-the-day-before Pea, the American actor taking part in our play, 3 Stagecoach tutors, a pharmacist, a guy I'd never met before but who was really nice and Maltagirl looking lovely in make up! What FUN! Everyone was just flabbergasted that I was out and not home in bed. How sad is that (as my friend Emma would say)?!?! But I really had a good time and have decided pub crawling is my thing hehehe! Having said that, I need to build up some stamina before I do the next one... I finished up going home, totally exhausted, at 3.30 am while most of the rest went on till nearly 6!

Ok, off for some coffee and lots of water and then rehearsals - am terrified of next week!

Some Explicit Polaroids

2006-09-24T12:09:00.000+02:00

SOME EXPLICIT POLAROIDS
ST JAMES CAVALIER

6 - 8, 13 - 15 OCTOBER 2006

BOOKING OPEN

NOT a good week

2006-09-24T11:51:00.000+02:00

Last week I experience the weirdest day of my life. I won't go into much detail as it hurts to type (explanation coming up...) Suffice to say that last Monday started off in a normal way. Went to the office (situated in my boss's house), said hello to his kids, played with the dog and started work. One and a half hours later, my boss's wife was trying to leave the house and the dog started growling at her and the youngest kid. I went between the dog (who, they had had for about 3 months - they had taken him in after he was abandoned on thier doorstep) and the kid and he turned and bit me on my hands. Hard. It was horrible, I was bleeding profusely from the left hand and promptly went into shock. But it still hurt like hell. I was accompanied inside to put a towel around my wounds. Two minutes later, the dog bit through his leash, ran across the road, got run over by a rubbosh truck and died on the spot.

Sounds like a bad dream, right? Or a really bad B film. It was just like a nightmare. The kids were crying, I was crying... it was the most awful thing ever. My boss got me to the polyclinic and I was given a tentanus booster and sutures on both hands. The right wasnt so bad, but the left... well, I won't go into details. Since then, I've gone back to the plyclinic twice to take some sutures off and have to go back at least one more time as one bite on my palm just wont heal. But the nurses assure me that i shouldn't scar.

The following Thursday, I had to read at the wedding of one of my very best friends. There I was in my new dress, shoes, bag - the works... and a lovely trendy white bandage on my left hand hehehe! Actually, I managed to hide it pretty well with my shawl so it wasn't that bad. The Pea suggested that I dye the bandage purple, but it is bad enough that I have to do everything with one hand, such as washing my hair and feeding the cats... I really couldn't be bothered!

To add to the 'bad week', I also didn't get into a theatrical production that I really wanted to do and am still a bit puzzled (as apparently is practically everyone else!) that I didn't get in. Oh well, just one of those things I guess!

On the positive side, rehearsals of the production I am currently in 'Some Explicit Polaroids' are going well. At least they will be when I learn my lines hehehe! I'm playing what for me is a really challenging role, and unlike anything that I've ever done before. I'm looking forward to it but am scared of it at the same time. Only two weeks to go...

Things to do in Summer when you're Alive

2006-09-03T12:38:00.000+02:00

Title used with apologies to Scott Rosenberg!

Well, it's a been a while since I've put pen to paper (or finger to keyboard!) and updated my blog. My life seems to go on in 'waves' - there are some times when I can cope with the millions of things that are happening in my life plus I have time to do the other non-essential things such as write here or erm... have a home-made facial or watch a DVD. And there are times when there just isn't! And lately it's been very little of the former and a lot of the latter!

However, I did manage to do a few things that I had promised myself I would do this summer:

Watch the first season of 'Lost'. I finally managed to find (hehehe - excuse the pun!) it at Exotique and spent every possible second of my free time watching it 2 weeks ago. Worth every minute. The best things about it - the pilot (not the one of the aeroplane - although this cameo role was played by Greg Grunberg - Agent Sean in Alias, who is brilliant - but the first episode); the genius of JJ Abrams, the executive producer who was also the creator of Alias; the fact that one of the writers/executive producers was David Fury of Buffy/Angel fame; the writing as a whole; the twists; and last but not least, the amazing dimples of one Josh Holloway who plays Sawyer - not my favourite character, that accolade belongs to Hurley, played by Jorge Garcia - but definately this year's winner of my award entitled 'Most Gorgeous Being on TV', vying with Gary Dourdan from CSI Las Vegas who comes a (very) close second and Madison the female labrador who plays Vincent the dog on 'Lost' and howls when Jorge Garcia sings, and who comes third.
Went swimming... three times. A record for me.
After scouring the whole island for a purple dress to go with my gorgeous Next purple shoes for a friend's upcoming morning wedding, I finally managed to find one I liked at a shop in Balzan (next door to Zmerc). Even thought the dress is technically a size larger, it still looks good and, more importantly, is the right colour - hurrah! They have some stunning evening stuff soI''m sure i'll be back.
I also bought a dress for the MADC's Garrer Garrer (get-together) last Friday - it was a thoroughly enjoyable evening and I really had fun catching up with some friends that I hadn't seen for ages. I even danced, which is a very unusual occurance, so I must have been really enjoying myself!

That's it really... otherwise it was mainly work (writing, doing a voice-over and an advert coming soon to a TV near you (!), teaching Mini Stages, end of term at summer school last week and end of term at Stagecoach this week) and rehearsals for Some Explicit Polaroids by Unifaun which you can see at St James Cavalier in October (providing you're over 18 hehehe!) And of course, school starts soon which means lots of preperation and even more work! Oh well, at least I love my job!

Hello world!

2006-08-18T20:29:00.000+02:00

I've decided to change my blog name and ' about me' to something a bit more interesting:

1. You know about 'The Domestic Goddess'... well I am definately not one of those. However, I am torn between wanting to spend my every waking moment on stage and erm... spending my time at home, nice and comfortable, pottering around the house and/or watching tv with hubby and cats. I was never into 'home things' when I lived at my parent's house, but the moment I started living alone nearly 10 years ago (oh my!), I turned into this person who actually enjoys curtain and bedspread shopping. God help me! Anyway, I love my house and take a lot of pride in making it look nice. On the other hand, I love acting and singing and being on stage so very much. So, do I stay home and bask in the glow of domesticity? Or do I drag my ass off the sofa and go to rehearsals/performances? Hence the dilemma. Oh, and the capital letters spell 'cats' which as you all know, equals my favourite animal. Purrrrrrfect!

2. I shall still be reesa to all of you, but my full blog name is actually princess reesabuttercup for various reasons. First of all, Sha came up with the name Princess Buttercup for various odd and vaguely complicated reasons which I have forgotten but I think have to do with Reese's peanut butter cups or something. Secondly, Buttercup is the name of the female protagonist of one my favourite and one of the best films in the world ever - 'The Princess Bride' (with, as my friend Simone recently reminded me, the best quote - "Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die!"). And last but not least, it is the name of one of the Powerpuff Girls which I used to, and still, think is one of the best and funniest cartoons I've ever seen. I can even sing the theme tune on demand tra la la!

buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...

2006-08-15T13:50:00.000+02:00

Had a rather eventful day last Sunday. Eventful for all the wrong reasons. Let me explain. At 9 am, I was still blissfully asleep (it's not often that I get to sleep in so late). At 9.01 am, one of my cats decided he had had enough and sat on my head miaowing. At 9.04 am, I was up feeding them when I realised that it was really windy and that half the clothes I had put on the roof on Saturday evening had probably been blown away.

So up I ran, finding, as I feared, a couple of shirts on the floor. Imma insomma... As I went inside to the washroom, I felt a little sting. And there on my left palm, was erm... a sting, presumably from a bee or wasp.

As people who read my article in the 'Weekender' the day before, which dealt with bee and wasp stings amongst other things, (ironic, eh?!) now know, I am allergic to bites and stings. Oh dear... I tried to get the sting out with a disinfected needle but no luck. So the hubbie took me to the polyclinic (closed) and then dropped me off at St Luke's as he had to go in to work. By this time, my palm was really swollen and my arm was almost completely numb.

Now, the last time I had got stung, was in Florida - outside one of the entrances to Disneyworld of all places! The first aid people there had been brilliant. They took the sting out, gave me cream and ice to put on it and really took care of me. So hubby and I presumed that the same would happen at the hospital. They'd take the sting out, pat me on the head and I could get a bus home.

But alas, as soon as I told them I was allergic to stings and bites, they sent me in to 'door 3' where I met one of my lovely cousins who is a doctor there and who took me under his figurative wing. Then, I was stuck with a needle-like thing (venflon?) in my right arm. They took blood just in case. Then I had, not one, but two injections... and after those, I was put on a DRIP! And those of you who know me know that I have a big childhood trauma/phobia of DRIPS! But I must say I was very brave. By that time, my dad was there too because he was supposed to come over to my house to put up a trellis, so he came to pick me up.

They wanted to keep me there until 2 pm, but at 1 pm, I had had enough. I got up (still with needly thing in arm) and announced that I wanted to leave! They told me I could if I could walk about without feeling dizzy or fainting, so I did. Hurrah! Actually, even though I was there for over 3 hours, I have nothing but praise for the hospital staff. They were really professional, nice, polite and informative when I asked them my 101 questions (just nerves you see!)

Now I'm onanti-histamine pills just in case for the rest of the week. And the sting is still in my palm as it was too small to get out. But it should dissolve on its own I guess. And I'm alive, alive I tell you! Sorry...

In other news... hubby and I are busy painting walls and such all day. So, happy public holiday to you and think of me covered in paint *sigh*.

Viva Les Bloggers!

2006-08-12T11:53:00.000+02:00

The bloggers meeting last Thursday at Balzan Band Club was a great success. I won't go on about it too much as it has already been blogged brilliantly by Maltagirl and Coemgen. Suffice to say that we all had a great time (although I may have blabbed on a little too much - wow, I do let my tongue run free when I am in company I enjoy hehehe!) and it was nice seeing people such as Toni whom I didn't know was still on the island and Hsejjes who is an absolute hoot and definately not related to anyone famous (in-joke)! Add the regal presence of Queen P (get thee to a blog, woman!), as well as Kenneth and his other half, and my other half too, and you've got yourself a really fun evening.

Athena and Witchie, you'd better be here for the next one coz you're missing out. And we missed you hehehe!

Go go go Gozo!

2006-08-05T15:42:00.000+02:00

Hubby and I finally enjoyed a long-awaited - and well-deserved - break in Gozo last weekend... oh how wonderful it was to stay in a place where I didn't have to worry about domestic things, were I wasn't woken up by pussycats sitting on my head miaowing for food, where I had no access to a computer so I couldn't do any work even if I had wanted to, where I didn't have to think about cooking or cleaning or, best of all, going to rehearsals hehehe!

All in all, it was 3 days of bliss. Highlights included:

The service. I tell you, most Maltese tourism industry workers have something to learn from their Gozitan counterparts. Everywhere we went (with one exception), we were met with a smile and treated courteuosly. There was one waiter at Churchill Pizzeria in Xlendi and one waitress at D-Bar in Qala (more on that place later) who were so nice that they made us feel really special even though these are far from 5-star restaurants. And almost every restaurant and bar menu has a page giving the history of the place which I thought was a nice touch.
The food. One of hubby's Gozitan friends had suggested D-Bar as a place to eat, mainly for their fabulous rack of ribs (hubby's favourite). So we went there on the Friday as we were told that it would be packed on Saturdays. Now, D-Bar is erm.. a bar, found on the side of the Qala Church! However seven or eight tables have been put outside, literally on the pavement. So let me just say from the outset that if you are looking for a restaurant with amazing views (aaaaaaand, more on that even later!) and silver service, your search will not end here. In fact, from our table, I could feed the occupants whizzing by in their cars just by stretching my arm out had I wanted to! But the food... ah, the food was something else! The ribs were excellent and the 'secret sauce' they use was just yummy. My chicken in cognac sauce was perfect and the consistency of the sauce was just right. And, although the menu warned that the food might take a while, not even 20 minutes passed between our ordering and the food arriving on the table. Will definately be going back there again!
The shopping. I know, I know... it's Gozo not London. But I felt like I was on holiday abroad! I found a few bargains at Arkadia and am now the proud owner of a beige pair of casual linen trousers, 2 t-shirts, new make up and some lovely smelly stuff from the Body Shop.
The swimming. I don't swim very often. Or rather, I don't go in the sun without tons of sun cream and loads of covering-up clothes because I burn really easily. So it was wonderful to find a small pebbled cove below cliffs which gave natural shade and were I could swim to my hearts content without actually venturing into the sun. And, best of all there were only three other people there!

Oh, and we also got to meet Scottish comedian Billy Connelly outside our hotel!

When we came back on Sunday afternoon, we were totally ignored by the cats - who had had a wonderful time being spoilt by my parents - until we gave them some tuna of course. Can't wait to go back. After we save up again. And lose some weight (we both put on a bit!)

Yesterday was my mum's birthday so we went to the Blue Creek restaurant in Ghar Lapsi. Another success (except that it started raining half way through the meal and we had to go inside!) with absolutely amazing views, good service, great food and real value-for-money. I really want to go back there one time for lunch. I think May would be the best so I have decided that we shall go there for the Pea's next birthday - ok, Pea?!

Shake it up Shakespeare!

2006-07-15T14:31:00.000+02:00

Just a short post to say that 'The Merry Wives of Windsor' is going fine, although the cast is exhausted and Shakespeare himself may be spinning in his grave. We had a few hairy moments on the preview and first night, what with bits of the set being on stage at the wrong time, a couple of lines skipped and one memorable moment when I was wallopped by an errant door (it was totally my fault as I should have moved away!)

But the audiences seem to be enjoying it and eventually, when I feel less tired - probably tomorrow after I have had a good and well-deserved lie in - I will start to enjoy it more too!

In other news, the Stagecoach kiddies workshop went really well and they wowed their audience during their performance of 'The Dracula Spectacula' at St James Cavalier yesterday. Oh and Maltagirl GOT AN ' A' in her English A level exam. As if we had any doubt!

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ...

2006-07-08T13:17:00.000+02:00

"FZZZZLLLE... Wha? Huh?! Eh?! Oh! Am I supposed to be awake right now? Well, OK I'll try. The truth is that I keep on dropping off at odd hours of the day as I've been having late nights at Shakespeare rehearsals at San Anton. Coupled with long days working and writing. Today alone, I worked on three articles and my brain is frazzled (and I still have half a day to get through, including a technical dress rehearsal at San Anton which starts at 6 pm and is expected to go on until 2. AM tomorrow, that is.)

"This is the point when, in every theatrical production I have ever taken part in, I scream "WHY WHY WHY??!??!" (inwardly of course or else my neighbours will think I am weirder than they already think I am). Why do I put myself through this torture of learning 1 bazillion lines, of wearing uncomfortable costumes (and in this play, a bikini of all things - damn you Chris Gatt), of dragging myself to rehearsals that go on for 4 hours, of hardly ever seeing my hubbie and the cats at home, of never having the luxury of watching tv or eating a decent meal, of filling every single waking moment of the day (and some sleeping ones too) with work or rehearsals, of having to schedule a reminder on my mobile to make sure I wash my hair and shave my legs because otherwise, I am too busy to make the time?! WHY?!

"Then, I remember... even though things seem dark and horrible right now, hopefully there will be that one magic moment when I am on stage in front of (hopefully) hundreds of people, when all these weeks of hard work will come together and it will feel good. Just for one moment. And then, it will all be worth it."

'The Merry Wives of Windsor' is to take place between the 13th and 23rd July (excl. 17th), with a preview night on the 12th with tickets at reduced prices. The play is directed by Chris Gatt and is set in the swinging sixties. There is also a live band and a pool on stage. No, really. Tickets at Lm 6 and Lm 7 are on sale from Agenda Bookshop. More info from the MADC website.

A Rock 'n Rolling Shakespeare!

2006-06-24T16:21:00.000+02:00

One of Shakespeare best-loved comedies is about to undergo a radical change into a rock ‘n roll musical! The ‘The Merry Wives of Windsor’ is to be put up by the MADC at San Anton Gardens, as its annual Shakespearean offering. However, this is no simple adaptation of the play, as director Chris Gatt who has decided to transform this comedy into a 1960's musical romp set in a seaside resort!

The plot centres round the poor-as-dirt knight Falstaff who decides to seduce two wealthy women, Mistress Ford and Mistress Page, with the intention of cheating them out of their husbands’ money. However, the two women are not interested in the aging, overweight Falstaff as a suitor and decided to stage an elaborate series of events to get their revenge.

Taking part in this hilarious comedy are Mikhail Basmadjian as Falstaff, Charlotte Grech as Mistress Ford, yours truly as Mistress Page, Pia Zammit as Mistress Quickly, Alan Paris as Ford and Stefan Cachia Zammit as Page, as well as a number of other top local actors such as Marylu Coppini, Colin Willis, Faye Paris, Michael Zammit Maempel, Edward Caruana Galizia, Wesley Ellul, Jean-Marc Agius Cafa, Edward Degaetano and Katherine Brown.

Tickets at Lm 6 and Lm 7 will be on sale exclusively from Agenda Bookshop outlets which are also offering a 20% discount on the 'Merry Wives' paperback script. More information may be obtained via email: bookings@madc.biz.

Tribute to Weirdness

2006-06-24T16:09:00.000+02:00

As a tribute to Maltagirl and Hsejjes's recent posts, here are my top 6 weird attributes/habits (I say top 6 as I have waaay more than 6, I'm sure!)

My shoes have to be aligned perfectly when I put them away.
I know most people speak to their cats... but I sing to them (then they run away, miaowing).
Like Maltagirl, I leave the food I like best for last on my plate.
I talk to my computer. Thankfully, it hasn't answered back yet.
I collect plastic bags for absolutely no reason whatsoever except that I like having a store of plastic bags just in case.
Before every performance onstage, I have to do everything exactly the same (as far as I can). This has included, for example, sucking on the same type of lozenge, making sure the same person always does my make up and wearing the same pair of shoes while on the way to the venue.

Anyone for Theatre?

2006-06-18T14:50:00.000+02:00

Stagecoach Malta Theatre Arts School is to hold a once-in-a-lifetime musical theatre workshop to be held at St James Cavalier in July. Pity I can't be there as I will be on stage at the time - I'm very upset to be missing it. But if you're into theatre, you really should do it!

The adult workshop (16 years and over) will be headed by foreign tutors. The classes will take place in the evenings of the 10th and the 14th July and a full day on Saturday 15th July, culminating in a showcase performance. The participants will be divided into two groups according to experience and training. This means that anyone who is interested in gaining some truly valid music theatre experience will find the workshop extremely challenging whether a beginner or a seasoned actor.

Tutors include Gavin Mole who (under his professional name of Tom Wakeley) was musical director of ‘Oliver’, ‘Aspects of Love’ and ‘Miss Saigon’, amongst others. He has been a vocal coach at RADA for many years and specialises in musical theatre for children. He is currently working on the hit musical ‘Chicago’ at the Adelphi Theatre in London’s West End. Denise Mulholland’s concert and oratorio appearances included performances at the Festival Hall and the Royal Albert Hall. She has worked as company principal for all major UK opera companies. Denise has given a number of vocal workshops in Malta and performed at the Manoel Theatre and St James Cavalier.

There will also be a children’s workshop, which will be open to children between six and 15 years of age and will take place between the 10th and 14th July from 10 to 17.00 hrs. This five-day course will see the students through a musical production from start to finish, which they will then perform in the theatre. Mr Mole and Ms Mullholland will be joined by dancer / choreographer Emma Loftus.

A special class for children between four and six years of age will also take place between the 10th and 14th July from 09.15 to 13.00 hours, headed by moi, Emma Loftus, and Beverly Farrugia. They too will have their performance for parents and friends

if you're interested, call tel. no: 21 419306 or email: info@stagecoachmalta.com.

... and breathe!

2006-06-11T15:52:00.000+02:00

These past 3 weeks have been, without a doubt, amongst the busiest of my life. I am EXHAUSTED! So many things to do, that it is only today that I have had a chance for a breather... and a few minutes to update my poor, neglected blog, while my hubby is watching some men in shorts kick a ball around a large pitch.

Maaaaa... how busy I've been! My life is hectic even when it isn't hectic (if you know what I mean!) But when I add 'extra' events, it really gets mad! It all started off with the Vocal Aid concert on the 27th and 28th May - what a great event to be part of! Honestly, watching circa 300 kids on stage singing in pretty perfect harmony is a wondrous sight to behold. Whenever I take part in Stagecoach concerts, I always feel priveleged to be part of the whole experience.

However, I must admit that I was most looking forward to hearing Maltagirl and her fiance sing their song - 'Love can build a Bridge'. I heard them for the first time at our first rehearsal... and they made me cry (in a good way!) because they were so cute - and they can sing! And then at the end of the song, they had a little kiss - awwww! When I watched the real thing at the side of the stage, I still had tears in my eyes. Insomma, a big prosit to them!

As soon as the Sunday performance was over, I rushed to the Manoel Theatre for a rehearsal of 'Don Giovanni' (the play version of the opera) where I was due to play Donna Elvira the following weekend. Of course, that led to a week of rehearsals every day with me grabbing a sandwich (if Iwas lucky) in between driving from work to another place of work to rehearsals. The play, which was in aid of the Malta Hospice Movement went well, in spite of a couple of mishaps in the costume department (totally my fault! And no, it wasn't a 'wardrobe malfunction' kind of thing hehehe!).

On the Saturday, after the performance, I had a coffee with a couple of theatre friends and then met Sha, the Pea and the Blonde plus other friends including Gedudu for a bite to eat and some good company at Labyrinth in Valletta, since Sha was here for a couple of days. Much fun was had by all, and the food (I had a mango chicken wrap) was yummy and very good value-for-money too! On the Sunday, we had a cast party at Buko which, while yummy, was not good value-for-money at all (i.e. horrendously expensive for what we got).

Then came rehearsals and performances of the Summer Soiree of the school where I teach. The Grade 8's and 9's were performing for family and friends at St James Cavalier theatre-in-the-round and, after months of ranting (by me), they gave a more than creditable 2 performances. Actually, some of my students exceeded my expectations! They were so good - in both drama and dance (someone else teaches them dance of course!) - that I was impressed. All in all, it wasn't like watching the usual school performance - these kids really entertained their audience! Even I enjoyed it (when I wasn't having kittens/growing more white hairs/starting up an ulcer every time they missed a cue - quite a rare occurence thank goodness!)

In the midst of all this genn, of course there was the Sting concert. I was working onsite so had to endure 2 and 1/2 hours of showing people to their seats (rather painful on the feet although, this year, I said: "to hell with fashion" and wore my tennis shoes!) But it was all worth it to watch Sting up close and I really, really enjoyed it! At one point during the concert, I realised that for the past 2 days, all I had eaten were 2 sandwiches and 2 yoghurts. So I had half a packet of Pringles and promised to eat some proper food later. But when I got home after the concert, I was too tired to eat and went straight to bed.

Wednesday was a holiday for most people but not me since I still teach on public holidays. Got home after work and wrote on the p.c. for a while. Then in the afternoon, I had my first real rehearsal for the upcoming MADC Shakesperian offering of 'The Merry Wives of Windsor' which I thoroughly enjoyed, except I'm not sure if I know how to act any more - we'll soon find out hehehe!

I woke up on Thursday feeling absolutely terrible. My head throbbed like mad, my sinuses were blocked, I couldn't see or talk properly, I had swollen throat glands and a horrible sore throat; I even had a bit of fever. My hubby decided exhaustion and lack of food were to blame. So I had an extra hour's rest (thank goodness, we both weren't working in the morning) while he prepared the biggest meal - full of protein and vitamins - I had ever seen. I got out of bed, gobbled it all up and felt miles better.

Today, Sunday, the headache is still somewhere at the back of my head and my sinuses are still blocked but it's all so much better thanks to lots of TLC. So the moral of the story is: no matter how busy you are, do take some time out and, most importantly - eat! Off I go for some coffee and biscuits - yum!

'General Hospital' has nothing on me...

2006-05-23T10:26:00.000+02:00

'Vocal Aid' is on next weekend on Saturday at 7.30 pm and Sunday at 5 pm at the Mediterranean Conference Centre.

This is where hundreds of Stagecoach Malta students plus special guests such as Edward Mercieca and yours truly put up a great show in aid of charity. This year, proceeds wil be in aid of 'Dar Tal-Providenza'. And this year, the show also has the added bonus of having Maltagirl and her fiance as two of the singers - yayayayay! So don't miss it!

And here's hoping I don't miss it! After a horrendous winter of horrible, yucky flu, I have now come out with what seems like hay fever. I have only ever had hay fever once in my life and that was 10 years ago. Maybe mine has a ten-year cycle as opposed to a yearly one? In any case, my nose is blocked, my throat is sore, i sneeze everytime I pass by flowers and, worst of all, I have lost my voice. I'm hoping that it comes back before next weekend or I am in big trouble. Oh, and I've come out with a really horrible and blistery heat rash on my hands. At least, I hope it's a heat rash. I'm also hoping it doesn't spread to anywhere else and I finish looking like these guys (by the way - loved them last Saturday hehe). Oh well, if so, maybe it would guarantee Malta a place in the top ten at next year's Eurovision, right?!

Ode to Free Time

2006-05-17T21:33:00.000+02:00

Dedicated to Mal

Once I had so much free time
Oh free time, you were all mine
Now all I do is work and work
I feel like such a silly berk.

Because you see I have so much to do
With teaching and writing and rehearsing, oh boo!
I've had no time to update my blog.
I'm simply working like a dog!

Stagecoach 'Vocal Aid' I have in May
Singing my heart out it's great ,oh yay!
In June, a play called 'Don Giovanni '
Many lines to learn but it's rather funny.

And then it's Shakespeare's 'Merry Wives' in July
More lines to learn - oh dear, oh my!
But I promise to update my blog I'll try
As soon as I have 5 minutes free, oh *sigh*.

I'll be back...

2006-05-10T19:53:00.000+02:00

Just realised that what with work, writing assignments and rehearsals for a play I am doing in June, I haven't blogged for ages. But I promise I will, just as soon as I have something worthy of note... and have a spare half an hour in which to write it! Back to the grindstone...

Grrrr!

2006-04-30T10:31:00.000+02:00

Yesterday, the hubby and I went to watch 'Two' at St James Cavalier. What a great performance from the Pea and Edward Mercieca! Of course they were lucky to have a brilliant script to work with but still, they really, really did it justice. For those of you who don't know, the play, by Jim Cartwright, is a series of vignettes set in a pub in the northern part of the UK. The characters are made up of the owners of the pub and their clients... but the twist is that all the characters are played by just two actors, hence the name. It's on tonight and next weekend so, go and watch it.

Years ago I had played one of the characters, Maudie, at St James during a performance which stemmed from a workshop by Masquerade - what a hoot it was! I muttered all the lines under my breath as the Pea said them (completely silently of course!) But my favourite sketch by far was the one where Pea and Edward played a married couple watching TV in the pub. I laughed so much - it was just so cute and well-written and acted!

But the evening was marred somewhat by the following incident: while Edward was playing a particularly poignant character (a man whose wife had died), a mobile phone went off. Silently. So you might think that was ok. But the a**hole owner of said mobile actually answered his phone. Can you believe that?!! One of the most unforgettable, sad, quiet bits of the play and someone upstairs answers his bloody phone with 'Yes?!' and 'I'll talk to you later' and bla bla bla.

I swear, I had to grip the sides of my chair to stop myself going upstairs, hurling this idiot's mobile phone downstairs and watching it smash to pieces. I do believe that if I had, I would have gotten a huge round of applause too! Honestly, it's bad enough that people answer their phones at the cinema, but during a live performance? For crying out loud.

It reminded me of another incident that I experienced first-hand a couple of years ago when I took part in the play 'Five Kinds of Silence', also at St James. Now, this play is about a father raping his two daughters systematically during their lives so, as you can imagine, it was not exactly a barrel of laughs. As for me (I played one of the daughters, Susan) it was one of the most challenging, satisfying roles I have ever played. It really was a difficult character to play and after every performance I would be drained and exhausted. And so would most of the audience, as it was very emotional.

So you can imagine how I (and the rest of the cast) felt when, just before one performance, a woman walked in, sat down and started talking to her handbag. Yes, her handbag. Then she had a (one-way) chat with some of the people around her. Them she talked a bit to her programme.

We were terrified that she would do something equally as strange, or worse, during the performance itself. All through the play, all the cast was very tense, almost upset, because we knew that if she interrupted even one minute of the play, the magic would be lost. In fact, I remember the director, tony bezzina, standing next to her throughout the performance, ready to yank her out of the theatre if anything happened. Thank goodness, she seemed riveted throughout the performance and didn't make a sound. But I know exactly how Edward must have felt yesterday, which is perhaps why I was/am so livid.

I hope Adrian Buckle, the producer, got a good look at this man and will ban him from all future Unifaun performances! In fact, if Chris Gatt or anyone from St James is reading this, perhaps you might consider banning this individual from St James altogether. Grrrr!

It ain't over till it's over...

2006-04-21T21:33:00.000+02:00

We're nearly there... tiles have been laid, bathroom stuff has been installed. Now all we have to do is:

1. Get the soffit delivered and fixed in (the place were I bought it from said they 'will come back to me soon, sinjura'.)
2. Put in an extractor fan
3. Get someone (hi dad!) to put the bathroom door back, as it now refuses to fit... I guess we're going to have to sand it down or something. At the moment, it is being propped up by the coffee table so the cats don't go in and play in the bath)
4. Put back the wood that goes round the door ( I think it is called the 'lintel' or something)

and finally...

5. Get rid of all the dust. We have been dusting and sweeping and washing the place for hours but there's still lot's of it left. Hopefully it will be gone by Sunday and we can start to breathe again.

Oh Lenny , I think you had my famous bathroom in mind when you wrote that song. hux pupu?

Bathroom Wars Episode IV - A New Hope

2006-04-17T17:08:00.000+02:00

The installation of the new bathroom started today at 7.30 am. Although the tilers/plumbers are expensive, they are really doing a good job. We went from this:

To this:

in a few hours.

Looks scary, eh!?!

The house (upstairs as well as dowstairs) is covered with fine white dust, the corridor dowstairs is full of equipment and the cats miaowed pitifully all day (we put them in the spare room so that they wouldn't make a run for the front door which was open most of the day). Thank goodness, it should be over by next Saturday. Then we just have to get the new soffit installed and - hey presto - one new bathroom!

A pictorial cat story

2006-04-14T11:16:00.000+02:00

Most of you know that I have 2 cats - Harry and Ron who are very cute and were named after the Harry Potter characters by their furry godmother Sha. When they were brought home by my then-boyfriend (now-hubby) and The Blonde as a b'day pressie for me a couple of years ago, they came in a little basket in which they could both fit very comfortably.

Now, because they are older and because I am a sucker (as soon as they miaow pitifully, I feed them), they are much bigger than they used to be and so they don't both fit in the basket. Harry (the multi-cloured one) has decided that the basket belongs to him, so everytime Ron (the ginger one) tries to sit in it, he either throws him out or just doesn't get out at all. So we get this:

Last Sunday, my parents gave me a larger basket for the cats which, I realised, would fit both the cats quite comfortably. Or at least, Ron could relax in it while Harry sat in the other, smaller one. I got it home and they sniffed at it.

A few minutes later, I found this:

I just can't win, can I...

The Second Bloggers' Meeting

2006-04-14T11:01:00.000+02:00

Yesterday's Bloggers' Meeting at the Melita was a great success with moi, Maltagirl & the fiance, Mistoqsija, Twanny and Mark... with a special appearance by Zemploid. Much fun was had by all... roll on the next one, hopefully in summer!

A letter from daughter to dad

2006-04-12T21:17:00.000+02:00

A friend of mine send me this by email... it made me laugh so I'm going to reproduce it here!

Father passing by his teenage daughter's bedroom was astonished to see the bed was nicely made and everything was neat and tidy. Then he saw an envelope propped up prominently on the centre of the pillow. It was addressed "Dad".

With the worst premonition, he opened the envelope and read the letter with trembling hands:-

Dear Dad,
It is with great regret and sorrow that I'm writing you, but I'm leaving home. I had to elope with my new boyfriend Randy because I wanted to avoid a scene with Mom and you. I've been finding real passion with Randy and he is so nice to me. I know when you meet him you'll like him too - even with all his piercing, tattoos, and motorcycle clothes. But it's not only the passion Dad, I'm pregnant and Randy said that he wants me to have the kid and that we can be very happy together. Even though Randy is much older than me (anyway,42 isn't so old these days is it?) and has no money, really these things shouldn't stand in the way of our relationship, don't you agree?

Randy has a great CD collection; he already owns a trailer in the woods and has a stack of firewood for the whole winter. It's true he has other girlfriends as well but I know he'll be faithful to me in his own way. He wants to have many more children with me and that's now one of my dreams too. Randy taught me that marijuana doesn't really hurt anyone and he'll be growing it for us and we'll trade it with our friends for all the cocaine and ecstasy we want. In the meantime, we'll pray that science will find a cure for AIDS so Randy can get better; he sure deserves it!

Don't worry Dad, I'm 15 years old now and I know how to take care of myself. Someday I'm sure we'll be back to visit so you can get to know your grandchildren.
Your loving daughter, Rosie.

At the bottom of the page were the letters "PTO".

Hands still trembling, her father turned the sheet, and read:

PS: Dad, none of the above is true. I'm over at the neighbour's house. I just wanted to remind you that there are worse things in life than my report card that's in my desk centre drawer. Please sign it and call when it is safe for me to come home. I love you!!!

Saturday Night's Alright for Kvetching

2006-04-09T17:41:00.001+02:00

Went to watch MADC's 'Kvetch' (comedy by Steven Berkoff) last night . Maltagirl and Mike were there too , as well as the Pea and her hubby *waves*. It was fun and very 'naughty' (one scene in particular!)! Alan Montanaro, Izzy Warrington, Vanessa Attard, Edward Degaetano and Chris X. Grech all did very well. Edward was a bit young for the role he played but I was quite impressed to see him carry it off nonetheless!

I love Berkoff and always make it a point to watch any of his plays presented locally. 'Kvetch' is very well-written and funny in a 'black, wicked humour' kinda way. It is also very, very technical. Or rather, the director Frederick Testa chose to direct it in a way which really made the lighting essential. Basically, whenever the characters were 'thinking' to themselves, the light changed completely. Sometimes we only knew that a certain character was thinking (ie) not talking aloud because of the light changes. Which meant that they had to be perfect. However, especially in the first act, they very often weren't perfect, which spoilt it a bit for me. Basically, I am of the opinion that if you are going to rely so heavily on the light cues, they have to be 100% perfect. (90% is good... but not good enough!) Yes, I am a stickler for these things.

Anyway, that bugged me! Otherwise, I found the direction tight (although I do think it was played too much for laughs) and the acting good. Oh, and the way they turned the table into a bed was pure genius!

Yesterday, we were also invited to the opening of Lisa Falzon's exhibition at St James Cavalier so we went there straight after the Manoel. I love Lisa's work - it is so refreshing to find an artist of her age with such an amazing 'black' sense of humour. We had never met face-to-face (ony through email), so it was really nice to meet her 'properly' at last!

Her exhibition is fantastic. It is called 'The Secret' and runs until the 5th May and I really, really suggest you check it out. Hubby fell in love with one of her paintings called 'The Green-Eyed Monster' but it was already sold. However, there is another one we both fell in love with and really want to get. But *sigh* we have the spiza of the blessed bathroom (one week to go!) this month. So, if there are any benfactors out there who would like to get me a Lisa Falzon original for Easter... hehehe just joking (unless Bill Gates is reading this, in which case, he can get me the whole exhibition).

Boing boing!

2006-04-02T14:42:00.000+02:00

Spring is here (hence the title hehehe). I am sitting at my p.c. with the balcony door open, watching the cats play-fighting on the sunny patio - bliss! If it wasn't for my slight sore throat (yeah I spoke too soon about being 100% better - typical), I would be perfectly happy. As it is, I still need to blow my nose every so often, as well as take cough medicine and spray my throat as my glands are a bit swollen. No, I won't tell you what they look like coz it's gross.

Apart from lazing about last Friday and today - which is a MAJOR change/unusual thing for me to do - there's not been much to report in my life really. Oh, except for meeting Maltagirl at Stagecoach last Monday where she regaled me with the funniest (and only!) song about snot I have ever heard, to the tune of 'A Pharoah Story' from 'Joseph and the amazing technicolour dreamcoat'. If you ask her nicely, I am sure she will let you have a copy (she recorded herself singing it and emailed it to me - she is a rhyming genius!). I still think she is the best chance of us ever winning the Eurovision...

What else? Ah yes, the Saturday before last, I went out to lunch at Mamma Mia with the Pea and the Singer - Karen, one of the original 'sistahs' (which comprised the Pea, the Blonde, Ka and myself, and later Sha). Ka went back to her native Canada last summer and was in Malta for a short visit. Lunch was mega-fun, as well as being mega-yummy (the other 2 gals had salads; I had the biggest chicken burger in the world - and thoroughly enjoyed it mwahahahaha!) and it was as if she'd never left.

I sometimes miss those days when we were all closer than we are now. I seem to have drifted away somewhat. I don't know why. The others will doubtlessly say that I'm being paranoid! But sometimes, I feel as if I've slowly but surely kinda 'grown up' and I don't really like being 'grown up'. Sometimes, I just want us to be how we were before, laughing about stupid things; discussing films; getting dressed up to go out on the town; having a laugh while watching TV; phoning each other up to have a gossip... Maybe I've just changed and become boring. Or maybe I'm just blathering on. What is for sure is that, when we do all get together in the same country, for a while, I go back to being that young, silly girl having a laugh, even if it's just for a few hours. I like that 'me'... she's fun! But she seems to put in an appearance less and less these days.

Oooh, this was meant to be a nice, short light-hearted entry, and here I am pouring my heart out! I think I know what it is... waaayyyyyyyytoo much work and little to no play. I mean, I got sick a month ago and haven't really recovered since, so I've been working and sleeping, working and sleeping. Perhaps I just need some 'fun'. Hmmmm, maybe some retail therapy would work?! And a holiday would be nice, but no way to both until the new bathroom is paid off, for sure!

Suggestions for 'fun' things which can be done without actually spending any money are welcome hehehe!

Ready, Steady, Ainsley

2006-03-22T22:06:00.000+01:00

This is the post that I'd been meaning to right since I got sick. On Saturday the 11th the hubby, my mum and I went to watch Ainsley Harriot give a cooking demostration as part of the Mediterranean Food Festival. Both mum and the hubby love 'Ready, Steady, Cook' and I don't mind it at all, so we were all looking forward to it.

And what can I say but... what a super-professional he was! And a great comic too - he was amazing fun (and quite a lot naughtier than he would have been allowed to be on the BBC!) and he had to be, what with the 'celebrity' local chefs they supplied him with. I mean really... they had absolutely NO charisma (Terry Pratchett calls it charismn't) and answered mostly in words of one syllable, when we could hear them. Thank goodness TV presenters Clare Aguis and Ray Calleja added some much needed fun or Ainsley might have gone away from Malta thinking that we were all as dull as dishwater!

Anyway, ten minutes or so into the cooking demo, the lights go off. Yes, the lights lighting up the stage where Ainsley, chefs, Clare and Ray are suddenly go off. And they stay off. Someone eventually hands Ainsley a torch. Yes, a torch. Ainsley shines the torch on his face and remarks that no-one can see him in the dark because he is black... and cracks everyone up. The technical people try to fix the problem. The problem remains unfixed. I want to find a little hole and crawl into it. Twenty minutes or so later, there is still no light on stage (and the cameras that were to project the cooking demo on a large screen are not working either, as is the screen). They manage to get some light on Ainsley and Co but we can barely see. But he bravely goes on, still making us laugh and being the professional he is.

Eventually, they lights come on - hurrah! But the ovens aren't working so the chefs can't use these essential tools. Besides, ony one electricity extension is working, so they have to share it to use the liquidiser. And the people using the cameras still haven't figured out that they are mainly there to show us what the chefs are cooking as this is a cooking demonstation. So we are regaled mostly to the view of Ainsley's back and to this day, I have no idea what the chefs actually cooked. It all smelled wonderful though!

Oooooh, at one point, Ainsley came to the row where the hubby and I were sitting to interview a fluffy old lady next to us and passed right in front of me! So now, the next time I watch 'Ready, Steady, Cook', I can casually remark to myself and anyone else who may be listening (probably the cats!) that I touched Ainsley's trousers. So there!

To cough or not to cough...

2006-03-22T21:43:00.000+01:00

... aaaaaaaaaaaaand she's back! After a week and a half of absolute HORROR (ie) the worst 'flu I've had for over four years, I finally feel human enough to blog again. I swear, I was so utterly sick this time that I had moments when I thought my body just couldn't take it any more and would explode into a million tiny pieces. On the day I got sick (two Sundays ago), I woke up and just couldn't move. And my brain wouldn't work. It was awful. Apparently it was the fever that made me feel like that. I was delirious. At one point I apparently told the hubbie that I was dying. Maybe not, but I felt like I was!

He was so sweet, he brought me panadols and cough medicine all day but at about 6 'o clock, I was still just as bad so he called the doctor who diagnosed ze fluuuuuu (not avian) and more panadols and cough medicine ,as well as something to soothe my aching joints. Anyway, as the days went on, the cold started to get a bit better, although I must have gone through miles of tissues, plus kitchen paper towels when I ran out of Kleenex, and then loo paper - you name it, I blew my nose in it hehehe!

And, speaking about my nose - yuk and triple yuk! It was a bit like Joseph's amazing technicolour dreamcoat - red and green and yellow... and crusty! Hehehe that might be a bit too much information for some of you eh?!!

On Friday (St Patrick's Day), I finally ventured to school. One of my students told me 'Miss, don't you know it's St Patrick's Day? You should be wearing something green!" As I turned my horrible blotched face, with its horrible red, flaky nose to face him, I solemnly told him "Yes, my snot is green" to a chorus of laughs and lots of "Yaqqqq, miss!"

Anyway, a few days ago, that dreaded cough arrived. You know which cough - the one where you sound like a barking dog. I got the most awful coughing fits, and I now really know the meaning of the word 'uncontrollable'. I just couldn't stop. Tears streaming out of my eyes, body doubled up in pain, chest screaming with the exertion... the worst bout happen last Saturday (when I was meant to be at a hen's party, thank goodness I decided it would be foolish for my health to go). I tried to get some sleep at about 10.30 pm... I coughed my guts out till 3 am and only got some shut-eye at about 3.30 am. Then at 9 am, I was up coughing again - HORRIBLE!

Since yesterday though, it's been a bit better, and I know can go about 5 hours without coughing - yay! Anyway, now spring has officially started (YAYAYAYAY!), hopefully I should be alright!

The Holy Hee

2006-03-13T07:17:00.000+01:00

Yes, I'm sick again - this time the doctor tells me that it's the 'real thing' (a very bad bout of influenza) but I should be better in a couple of days time. In the meantime, I'm so weak that I could hardly make it up the stairs, let alone type a nice long entry... so until I feel a bit better, regale yourselves with this!

I'll be back...

Don't miss it.

2006-03-07T10:51:00.000+01:00

The hubby and I were invited to watch the preview of Theatre Anon's adaptation of Steven Berkoff's 'Agamemnon' last Saturday at the MITP in Valletta. This is a highly unique production which is also very enjoyable (although if, like the hubby, you do not have much knowledge of Greek myth/history, I'd advise you to read the programme before the start of the play!)

You can watch 'Agamemnon' next Friday, Saturday and Sunday, as well as the weekend after. It comes highly recommended by.... me!

These things really DO only happen to me. Right?

2006-03-05T14:40:00.000+01:00

I've been meaning to write this post for days but have been so busy that I just couldn't find the time. How is it that my whole day is always accounted for by something? Every time I think I have 5 minutes free, something crops up, or I realise that I've forgotten to do something etc etc. I need a break. But have just realised that technically (since I am using up my Easter holiday to get the blessed bathroom installed), my next really free day is in August. Hmmmmmmm...

Anyway, enough of the moaning. Let's talk about the Stagecoach Malta Drama Camp I had last weekend/half-term. Basically, Stage 3 Stagecoach students spent a fun-filled three days from Sunday to Tuesday with teachers (moi, drama teacher Toni, dance teacher Emma and music teacher Matt) and Stagecoach Principals (Edward and Marika) at Mount St Joseph near Mosta, and what a blast it was! The place is really cool with ensuite bathrooms , lovely grounds full of trees, a beautiful view and fantastic food - chicken legs, curry, cake for tea-time, ice cream and much more - yum!. And when the kids were in bed, it was time for the prinjolata and choccie cakes of course! At one point Matt turned to me and said "Do you realise that today we have already eaten 7 times?!" It was then that I resolved to goon a diet... in April!

During the day, we thought up games for the kids and Toni gave a brilliant talk on Commedia Dell'Arte which I am going to shamelessly poach for my lessons. Matt and Emma also devised a little song about Stagecoach Malta teacher to the tune of 'I like the way you move' which was a hilarious success. On Saturday evening, the kids performed bits, songs and dances from musicals for us. And on the Tuesday morning, we (the 'adults'!) even put up a short mystery murder play as a surprise for the kids which we had rehearsed a few times. It went better than expected - we all dressed up and put on make up and it was really fun. Insomma, it was all a great success.

You know, in things like this, there is always something that people remember even years later. And this time, I am doubtlessly going to be very involved in this long-lasting memory.

I had decided not to sleep over since I only live 8 minutes away (yes, I timed it). So on the Sunday evening, after the kids had gong to bed exhausted, the rest of us went into a room where we could keep an eye and ear open for any shennanigans, and we settled down to munch on the wonderful prinjolata provided by Emma's fiance and the goodies provided by one of the mummies. At about 1 am, I decided it was time for me to go home, so Marika came to the front door with me.

We get to the front door. It's locked. There is no key. A few stunned moments later, Edward and the rest come downstairs. We tell them about the situation. They guffaw hysterically (but quietly so as not to wake the kids up). Toni comes up with the bright idea of me climbing out of his (ground floor) window. We all run to his room. We open the window. The window has bars in front of it. The others all laugh hysterically with tears in their eyes. I start wishing I'd brought at least my PJ's and toothbrush.

Someone then suggests climbing out of the window of the meeting room. We all run to the other side of the building. The windows there are not barred but the gap is really small. I wonder if I can fit after eating all that prinjolata. I make it, barely. By now the hysterical laughter from the others has intensified greately. Someone hands me my bag and I run to my car. Where is my car? I've gone the wrong way. I finally find my car. As I try to fit the car key into the door, I hear loud barking coming my way. "Oh my God, they have guard dogs", squeaks my by-now demented brain. I cant find the bloody lock in the pitch darkness. I finally manage and get into my car with a sigh of relief. As I drive out of the car park and on to the private ring road, I see adorable two little doggies with collars, presumingly adopted by the Jesuits who run the place, playing in the fields.

I keep on driving and come to a... closed gate. Just as I am about to turn back in despair, they start opening veeeeeery slowly. By this time, I am also laughing hysterically. I manage to squeeze past the half-open gate. I drive home.

The next day I turn up at Mount St Joseph at 9 am (for breakfast). The others are having tea and toast. They turn to me and laugh. Edward informs me that the priests told him that the front door was not locked at all but merely fastened at the top, which I would have noticed had I bothered to check more carefully. I am now sure that I am a laughing stock in the Jesuit community.

These things really do only happen to me. Right?

If I ever had any doubt at all...

2006-03-04T13:54:00.000+01:00

... that Quentin Tarantino is a genius, well now I know for sure. He is.

Yesterday I saw the second half of the final episode of series 6 of CSI (Crime Scene Investigation') called 'Grave Danger' which Tarantino wrote and directed. Now, the whole series has been excellent but somehow, Tarantino managed to get something special out of the actors. They've always been good, but in this double episode they were excellent. That's what having a fantastic script and genius director does to you I guess!

The plot was amazing and there was a twist in the first half that I never saw coming (rather unusually for me!). Oh and there was a special appearance by the legendary Tony Curtis - an absolute brilliant casting coup! But, more than that, I was so impressed by the way that Tarantino developed the characters that I have been watching for years. In this particular episode, I learnt more about the emotions and lives of both the main and secondary characters, than I have learnt over the whole fifth series. Although I must say that enjoyed the whole series very much... especially the yummy Gary Dourdan who plays CSI Warrick Brown (look him up - it's worth oit just for his pic!)

Anyway, that was some brilliant TV and I'm so glad I got to watch it.

Dum Dum Dum Dumdum Dum DUM!

2006-02-26T12:38:00.000+01:00

*Title to be sung to the opening riff of 'Smoke on the Water'*

Yesterday was the much-awaiting event (for a few people anyway!) of the gig at Labyrinth of the band 'The Plenaries', formerly known as '70's band 'Smog' - they re-named themselves to be more environmentally friendly!

The Pea and I had been invited to be the backing vocalists of this band, through Edward Mercieca who is the bass player and one of the vocalists, a mere week before yesterday's performance so, one and a half rehearsals later (by Pea and me, not the band - they had been rehearsing since last November), we were a bit nervisssssss about the outcome.

But we really needn't have worried! The band played absolutely marvellously, and Pea and I didn't suck hehehehe - in fact, loads of people came to tell us we sounded great! The sizeable crowd was fantastic, made out of cronies, family and friends. They were all clapping, screaming, singing, jumping up and down and basically having a really great time especially during songs like 'Mony Mony', 'Come Together' and, of course, 'Smoke on the Water'. In short, it was a blast! Even a couple of professional musicians said the band was great!

For a detailed account of the gig from one of the lovely members of the audience, go to Maltagirl's website - she even has a short video clip... tres cool!

And, by the way, yesterday's gig was also the venue for a historic first-time meeting between Maltagirl and UK-based blogger Toni Sant who flew down to Malta just to see the band (he didn't really!) It was really nice seeing him after all these years!

Anyway, it was a fantastic evening and, hopefully, one which will be repeated sometime soon!

And the tank top saga endeth...

2006-02-26T12:34:00.000+01:00

For those of you who were wondering (!) a couple of days ago, my hubby managed to fix our new tank top instead of the one that flew away - I am so proud of him as he (and I) can barely manage to hammer a nail in a wall without destroying said wall.

Oh, oh oh - the new bathroom arrives in April and work should start on its installment right after easter - can't wait for it to be all over as am already dreading the dust and mess that will ensue... oh well, I suppose all of this will be worth it for a decent bathroom!

Rock on

2006-02-22T14:37:00.000+01:00

The Pea and I have been roped in to do backing vocals for a gig on Saturday with a band which includes Edward Mercieca on bass guitar - yeah! So, if you have nothing to do (hehe!) and like a good dose of rock, you could do worse that come on down to The Labyrinth in Valletta on Saturday at about 8.30 / 9 pm. Should be a blast!

Ouch!

2006-02-19T09:23:00.000+01:00

I strained my right thumb and wrist playing too much Solitaire on my I-pod so it hurts when I type... do these things only happen to me?!

*groan*

Full House

2006-02-12T13:49:00.000+01:00

Woke up this morning and saw grey skies once again... and there I was, fooling myself that the recent good weather was here to stay. Oh well! Honestly, looking at the grey-ness of it all starts my day off badly. I feel lethargic and fed up. On the contrary, when I woke up to blue skies last week, I felt so much better - SAD strikes again I guess hehehe!

Anyway, my life this week has been fairly uneventful except for one thing. My house. Now those of you who own/live in their own house (ie not mum's and dad's) will no doubt understand and sympathise with me over what I am going to say: why is it that you can spend weeks, even months, not even thinking about your house/flat etc and then everything happens to it at once?

In the past week or so we've had:

1. a blocked drain, which resulted in my nieghbour (with whom we share the drain) having overflowing drainage in his garage (yuk!). He tried to fix it but couldn't and left me to stand guard over the open drainage hole in front of my gate while he went to find a drain-fixer or whatever you call them. For an hour. In the freezing cold. While I had a bout of the 'flu. After this blessed hour, when I no longer had feeling in my extremities, I said "To hell with it", removed his tools and went inside to make a cup of coffee, hoping no human or animal would fall into the hole in the meantime. Some 10 minutes later my neighbour came back with the news that he couldn't find anyone to help. However, the next morning, he did get someone who did fix it, bless him. At a cost of course, but hey, it was worth it to be able to use the loo again.

2. last summer, we put up a trellis to stop one of our cats jumping over to the other neighbour's roof and being eaten by their big dog (lovely animal but she can't stand cats). Halliha li after a while, the cat realised that he could squeeze himself through the trellis holes anyway, which recently ended up in an excrutiatingly embarrassing situation featuring my cat, their dog, me in my slippers, the neighbours and a broken flowerpot - but that's another story. Anyway, after the last bout of hurricane-like winds that we had, the hubby found 90% of the trellis smashed and lying on the floor of the roof. Great, now we have to spend even more money to get something sturdier by next summer.

3. also , part of the top of the water tank flew away, which means that we had to buy another one which will be delivered next week. It also resulted in an overflow of water gushing into the roof, shaft and road late last night, which I only realised after a while when I heard dripping water from the upstairs bathroom window. The hubby managed somehow to fix it temporarily by climbing up there with a torch at 10 pm. Can't wait for that water bill!

4. I've decided i need a new bathroom as (1) my loo doesn't work anymore and I'm fed up of rushing upstairs like a maniac everytime I need to spend a penny and (2) the old bath is getting rusty - eeeeuuoow! So we went round some bathroom places and visited the bathrooms fair and we found a pretty good deal for a nice, simple bathroom. Please note that the words 'a pretty good deal' does not mean that it was cheap but that it was the cheapest we found of stuff we liked, as we were getting incredibly extorbitant quotes from some places and it would have actually been more worth it to build the damn thing ourselves. Anyway, we obviously need a plumber/tiler, so we got a quote (and are waiting for another one). Geez, I really missed my calling in life - I should've sooooooo become a plumber. I nearly fainted in shock when I got the quote. And apparently, it's NORMAL! I might have to take out a loan to pay it off...

When you are looking around for your own place to live (and Maltagirl, I'm looking at you pupa!), they don't tell you these things... they don't tell you about drains and water seepage and pipes that have to be broken and gotten rid of and, even more annoyingly, people who ring your bell at some odd hour in the morning on Sunday and ask you to sponsor them for some reason or other...

Maybe I should write a manual - 'Things you wanted to know about having your own place, but were afraid to ask'!

I do, I do, I do...

2006-02-05T11:06:00.000+01:00

I had promised myself that I would not blog about the Maltasong festival held yesterday... but I can't help myself! Years ago (2 years running I think), I had written a detailed account of the festival on Maltamedia and I remember that both times, what was in my head had to be vastly edited before I put it down on paper... or I risked being ostracised by the whole music community here hehehe (at the time, I was more 'involved' having done backing vocals at the festival twice - once for Leontine and another time for Georgina, where we came third - fun!)

Anyway, I am not saying that the festival has no redeeming features - for me, highlights have included Ira, any song sung by Chiara (but as far as I'm concerned, she could sing 'Baa Baa Black Sheep', and I'd still live it) and one memorable opening performance by a bunch of really talented kid dancers (I think they were like mini-YADA or something). Low points have included the awful stilted presenters and their truly ugly costumes, song songs which shouldn't even be graced with the word 'song' and some hideous clothing worn by the singers themselves. But more of that later.

Here are some points I made in my head re: last night's show:

Positive:

1. I really surprised myself by not hating the presenters. The script was no Oscar winner for best screenplay or anything by at least it made sense and did not try to rely on gimmicks, even though it was a tad patronising at times. The presenters themselves, Eileen and Josef, were courteous and polite, especially when Eileen explained why two songs had to be repeated due to 'technical difficulties'.

2. A couple of songs/singers, I really liked - Ali & Lis and Fabrizo mainly. Oh, and Manuel surprised me by being more likeable (to me) than usual and I liked his song too. The hubby also liked Kevin Borg, whom I though had a great voice and good song too. I think Pamela has an amazing voice and her song sounded like a Disney one, a la 'The Lion King', but I didn't think that it was a suitable Eurovision song. Same with Trilogy's song. Nadine Axisa's 'Waves' was also lovely, but again, more suited to easy listening in a wine bar I thought!

3. Having Lou Bondi on the show was funny... although he did try to be too funny during his intro, I thought. Perhaps he should have stuck to playing the guitar. Ray was funny too I guess, but his sketch was way too hamallu for my tastes and for, I think, such an occasion. I'm sure most people at home lapped it up though...

4. The Beatles tribute, was well-sung, if a bit long. And of course, Chiara's singing was great, as usual.

5. The professionalism of Ali & Lis when they were onstage and Alison had no sound... they just went on with a smile. I know they broke down backstage and... who wouldn't? But on stage, they and their dancers were very professional - as it should be.

Erm, that's it for the positive.

And now for the...

Negative

1. Some 'songs' should NEVER have got through. You probably know which ones they are. 'Nuff said.

2. The clothes most of the singers wore were apalling. Now. I'm no fashion expert but even I know that you should wear stuff that maximises your assets and minimises your flaws. For example, unless, you are a beautiful, tall, rail-stick model (or Nadine Axisa), you shouldn't wear tight shiny fabrics, too-light colours or garish ones, tight halter necks, empire style waist dresses, cheap fabrics that stick to your skin etc etc, unless you actually want to look bad! And some of the hair styles... maaaaaaa! Look, nobody we saw up there is exactly an ugly person in 'real life'- far from it. but some people looked as if they had deliberately made themselves looked as ugly as they could. Or maybe it's just me. As for the men, maybe it is time that someone - anyone - tells them that a shiny white suit is not the epitome of high fashion.

3. Like Maltagirl, if I hear another 'd' instead of 'the', I am going to scream and/or offer my services to help them learn how to speak/sing English properly! For a fee of course hehehe!

4. The 'technical problems' - for goodness sake, I know that problems invariably rear there ugly heads during live transmissions... but, do they realise how unprofessional it makes them seem?!

5. Those horrible intros to each song/singer. Basically, PBS just got some old footage and edited bits together - the people shown milling about the market, and Valletta etc were in short sleeves for goodness' sake - and the clips were really boring. It is obvious that they just used some archival footage. Is it possible that they could not afford to shoot some new material?! Arg!

I'm sure there were other things in my head but I've forgotten them (please bear in mind that I haven't had my morning coffee yet), so off I go!

UPDATE: Just thought of some more comments (it's amazing what a coffee or two can do!) so they are up there in italics.

Here Comes the Sun tra la la la!

2006-01-29T12:34:00.000+01:00

Yay... finally, I can look outside and see the sun! What joy it was yesterday, to go out for work (yes, I work on Saturday mornings) at 8.30 am, for once, not in a soul-less, unfriendly darkess tinged with grey skies and dark clouds!

I really, really don't like winter and just cannot understand people here who say they love it. I mean, what's to love? First and foremost, it's cold. Yes, I know that it is way colder in many other European countries at the moment... but at least, there, the houses are adequately heated. Here, in our damp, occasionally open-plan houses, a gas heater is seriously inadequate; an electric heater generates a lovely long electricity bill; not all of us are lucky to have a fireplace; and potez heating - while great - is prohibitively expensive for most of us. I seem to spend most of the evenings I spend at home complaining that it is colder inside than out, huddled in front of the gas heater in my dressing gown with the cats on my lap for added body heat!

Then, there is the rain. When it rains, the whole island stops, with cars stalling and roads falling (to bits) and you have to leave home at least half an hour earlier to ensure arriving at your destination on time because of all the cars which litter the road - either because they skid and crash into each other, into crumbling walls etc, or because they cease to work after ploughing into water-covered potholes the size of Manhattan. You know the ones I mean. yes, as soon as there is a few inches of rain, numerous streets and houses get flooded and reminiscent of Venice on a bad day.

But it's not only the rain and the cold which gets me down... grey/dark skies get me down the most! My hubby is convinced that I have SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) because I get progressively more withdrawn and unhappy as the days get shorter and darker... and more and more happy as they get longer and sunnier. He might be right! I don't think I'd survive for very long living in the UK, for example (although I love the country), coz I can't imagine weeks, or even months, of continuous grey skies.

Apart from rejoicing at the weather, there's not much to report on my side... oh, I did watch a fantastic performance of the MADC's 'Someone Who'll Watch over Me' at St James last week and if you haven't watched it, do get tickets for one of the extra performances next weeked. It's rather heavy but has it's humorous moments and it is very well acted and directed.

Also, I got a surprise sms from Sha on Thursday saying 'Guess who came to Malta on a whim?!', which resulted in a lovely long chat with her over a yummy hot chocolate on Friday, as well as a hilarious incident involving a pair of shoes which Sha has promised to blog about herself!

Anyway, I've just realised it's nearly 1 pm and I'm STARVING (as usual)! Off I go...

Bye bye Buffy!

2006-01-22T10:45:00.000+01:00

As Toni rightly commented, finally managing to watch the 7th and last series of Buffy the Vampire Slayer merited at least a short entry in the blog!

You see, when 'Buffy' first hit the airwaves, myself and a group of friends had started watching it, slowly becoming, if not obsessed, very very interested (some of the group more than others hehehe!) Since the series was not available here, we'd patiently wait for the videos (no dvd's then!) and watch them together at someone's house.

From the start, I really felt myself drawn to the series - For those who don't know, Buffy is erm... a vampire/demon slayer. But she is also an ex-cheerleader and all-round popular girl who, really has this destiny thrust upon her. Sounds cheesy eh? In fact, the first materialisation of Buffy was as the 1992 film of the same name starring Kristy Swanson and Donald Sutherland which was cheesy! But it gave the creator Joss Whedon (a GENIUS) the idea for the TV series and a cult TV show was born.

The TV series (I'm not going to be too lenghty or the post will never end - click on this link if you want an overview - but there are spoliers)was drastically different from the film. Joss Whedon (did I mention that he is a GENIUS?)'s ideas and direction is legendary - he made Buffy and her friends come to life; he made you really care about the characters. And the writing was simply amazing. The fantastic actors he found, including Sarah Michelle Geller as Buffy, Nicholas Brendon as Xander, Alyson Hannigan as Willow and Anthony Stewart Head as Giles (whom I watched in 'Pirates of Penzance' in London 2 years ago. I sat in the front row - heaven!) were perfectly cast and worked so well together it was difficult to believe that they weren't best friends in real life as well.

Anyway, years later, I somewhat lost touch with the Buffy group and they started watching the series online. however, I'd still meet them occacionally and watch the vidoes, and sometimes dvd's (which had been invented by then hehehe!)

Some episodes were simply unforgettable - My favourite ever of course being 'Hush', known as 'a special Buffy' where demons take away the voices of the inhabitants of Sunnydale (where Buffy et al live). So something like 90 % of the episode is without anyone talking - it is simply amazing, VERY scary... and absolutely hilarious! In 'The Body' a major character dies and I must admit, it really made me cry. It was very real and very well-handled - the filming, writing and acting were all top-notch I was really upset! And of course, how can I not mention the musical episode 'Once More With Feeling' in which a demon makes all the character burst into appropriate song?! The songs are all amazing and very catchy. Of course, the songs were written by the GENIUS Joss.

And so, we come to approximately 3 years ago when the first half of the 22 episodes came out on video. i went to the flat of one of the Buffy group members and watched the first 11 episodes. And then, well, it was just one of those things - I never watched the second half. It just never happened. I always said I'd borrow them off someone. But it just never happened. I tried video stores but they never happened to have series 7. And then, an off-chance remark to my brother (see my previous post) meant that finally, after over 3 years of studiously avoiding any mention of 'Buffy' on the internet; of closing my ears and singing 'la la la la' when the Pea mentioned anything to do with the last series; of making sure I changed the channel on the TV whenever one of the 'Buffy' actors appeared - finally I got to see how it ends!

And what a marathon session it was! As I was really sick on the Thursday and Friday, I only managed to watch a couple of episodes before I re-took to my bed. Most of the 22 episodes (I re-watched the first half too) were watched on the Saturday. I laughed a lot at the brilliance of some of the lines... and I must admit that more than a few tears were indeed shed when it was all over.

Next up... well, I intend to read aaaaaaaaalll the Buffy scripts from Series 1 to 7 - sad, maybe - but I can't wait!!!

It's been MAD!

2006-01-18T14:54:00.000+01:00

... my life I mean. What with being really sick and in bed for two days last week, then work on Saturday and parents' day at school yesterday and Monday, plus one particularly upsetting/unpleasant thing which happened on Monday... well, let's just say I haven't really been able to get down to updating the blog.

Not that I did I have much to say till Monday anyway:

Got up after having spent the whole night coughing, went to kitchen, fed cats, had more medicine, went back to bed!

It was really sweet that a couple of people actually sent me an sms to say 'You haven't blogged in a while - hope you are ok hehehe!

Although, I didn't manage to drag myself upstairs to my cold study to blog, I did manage to do one thing though - I finally watched the final series of 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer'. If you remember it was on my list of 'things to do' over Christmas but I hadn't managed to locate them until my brother overheard me saying that I desperately wanted to watch them (after 3 years!) and arranged from me to borrow them from a colleague of his - bliss!!!

I can't believe that I finally have managed to fulfill my 'quest' of watching all 7 seasons of Buffy... whatever shall I aspire to next hehehe?!

Happiness is...

2006-01-10T09:39:00.000+01:00

Do you remember those rather trite messages which started off: 'happiness is... ' and ended in something banal like '... walking barefoot inthe park' or something? Well, according to the annual 'World Database of Happiness', happiness is... living in Malta:

According to an annual World Database of Happiness compiled by Rotterdam Erasmus University Prof Ruut Veenhoven, Malta is the happiest place on earth. African News Dimension (AND) reported that the study shows that 74 per cent of Maltese people said they are happy, followed by Denmark, Switzerland and Columbia with 73 per cent.

You can read the full article on maltamedia.com.

EH?!? 74 per cent of Maltese people said they are happy?!? But I thought we were a nation of moaners? We moan about everything from the moment we wake up until the moment we fall asleep. All over Malta, in grocery stores, parties, offices, homes, all one hears is people complaining about something! At the very least, we moan about taxes, we moan about the prices of things, we moan about the state of the roads (we even moan when the roads finally are fixed, complaining that it's for the Queen's benefit and not ours).

For goodness sake, we even moan about the weather - which is ridiculous, considering that we have approximately, what, 5 months of sunshine on average?!

Maybe we're a nation of schizophrenics - outwardly moany and inwardly content? Maybe many of the 74 per cent lied when they filled out the survey? Or maybe they misunderstood the questionand read UN-happiness instead?! Heh!

Did the earth move for you too?

2006-01-08T13:55:00.000+01:00

So there I was a couple of hours ago, at home alone, dozing in bed - yes, yet again I am sick, this time really horribly sick , with the snot and the cough and the fever oh joy - with the cats on my lap when suddenly, the mirror in my bedroom began to shake uncontrollably, making this awful noise against the wall (it's a wrought iron one - the mirror, not the wall hehe).

I thought at first that some monster truck had passed in front of my house or something. But then, the mirror started literally banging and bouncing against the wall. The cats leapt up and looked at me with fear in their eyes (OK, that's what it seemed like, anyway!).

And then the ground shook, together with my bed, with me in it. Now I knew it wasn't a truck!

I leapt out of bed and looked out of the window, but everything seemed to be OK outside. Please note that the ground was still shaking. Just as I was debating whether to go an shelter under the door lintel, as you're supposed to do, the tremors stopped.

Two minutes later, Sky News reported that there was a large eathquake in Athens. Wow, it must have been pretty large to be felt over here! I must admit that while it was going on I did have a stab of fear - not to the extent of my life flashing by my eyes or anything like that... but I did wonder if I should run out into street in my pj's (and possibly catch pneumonia)! Thank goodness, no-one seems to have been badly hurt in Greece.

Les Gals

2006-01-03T21:58:00.000+01:00

Had a great day today. OK, I started work again and still had a great day today! After work, went for a loooooooong lunch with Queen Pea, Witchie and Jo-Jo where we exchanged Xmas pressies (better late than never hehehe) and I must say I got some pretty nifty stuff! They know me well... give me some pretty jewellery and a funny book and I'm one cheap and happy date!

Lunch finished at about 5 pm! I really thought the restaurant staff were going to throw us out but they were so nice. They came up to us and just as we were apologising for being the only ones left in the place, the manager (I think he was the manager, he seemed to be in charge) told us that we were free to stay as long as we like. It was so nice, and a real change, considering that the level of service, politeness and plain basic civility is usually so crap here.

After that Pea went off to panto, Jo-Jo had an appointment and Witchie needed to do some food shopping - you know, the basic stuff to take back home - gbejniet, salami, stuffed olives etc etc. Now, I hate and detest food shopping so she know has proof positive that I love her to bits, because I actually traipsed round a supermarket with her for nearly an hour and only grumbled about 5 times - a record for me! OK, maybe it was 6.

Later, she and Jo were at my house, the three of us having a good old natter and an even better laugh. I really was reminded that I really do miss having them here. Friends are fun and good to have, kids! When they're around all the time, I suppose you kinda take them for granted but when they're around in small doses only, you tend to appreciate them more I suppose! And on the rare occasions that the four of us are together, it is a real buzz.

Yes, it was a good day.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2006-01-02T20:03:00.000+01:00

Here's hoping your 2006 is a great year!!!

I woke up on the 31st December 2005 and found 4 white hairs on my head. Tragedy. I'm just hoping that they miraculously disappear or that it was just a bad dream. Maybe, just like old Father Time, they disappeared at the stroke of midnight on Saturday to be replaced by lovely brown locks. I haven't checked yet.

*Groan*

On the plus side, had a really fun party to see the year out (complete with sparklers which, for once, did not nearly set fire to my hair) at a friend's house. Brilliant company - including the lovely Pea - food, drink... and I even danced a little! A fantastic start to what I hope will be a fantastic year!

Now, off I go to buy some hair colour...

How did they do the lion?!

2005-12-30T11:02:00.000+01:00

Warning - there are plot spoilers re: 'The Chronoicles of Narnia' in this post so watch out! Before they start, I'll write **SPOILERS** so you'll know to avert your eyes if you haven't watched it!

Watched 'The Chronicles of Narnia' yesterday - I thought it was an absolutely lovely film. I don't usually like films that last over 2 hours as I get antsy, but with this one, I didn't even notice time had passed (like what happens in Narnia itself - hee!)

The kids' acting is superb and they are so cute. Georgie Henley, who plays Lucy, is fantastic, and a natural. But all the kids are good. Tilda Swinton who plays the witch is really scary and so perfectly cast. Mr and Mrs Beaver, voiced by Dawn French and Ray Winstone (whom I met a couple of years ago when he was filming here and he was really nice), are absolutely hilarious! James McAvoy as Mr Tumnus is really very good - you kind of want to adopt him and take him home. Although he has a tiny role, Jim Broadbent is excellent. But then, he always is.

And Aslan (voiced by the great Liam Neeson - who sound as good as Sean Connery, but without the accent)... well, i'll leave Aslan for the end.

**SPOILERS**

The film starts off in the real world with WW II bombs falling on the Pevensie household. This scene was excellently done, I thought, as it realistically portrayed how scary it must have felt to be bombarded in your own home.

When Lucy first enters the land of Narnia through the wardrobe, she looks totally surprised, fascinated, shocked with awe. I told myself: "This kid is either the best actress ever or this is the first time she's seen the set" It was so natural, so genuine - the wide eyes, the look on her face. Turns out, I was right! Apparently she was so excited about seeing the set that the director blindfolded her and carried her on, then started to film. Amazing... and very clever of the director.

What else? Tthe battle sequences are very cool and a bit reminiscent of 'The Lord of the Rings'. The costumes are very good - except, I hope they use faux, and not real, fur for the kid's fur coats - and so are the make up and special effects.

Which brings us nicely to Aslan, the lion and true king of Narnia. WOW. That's really all. WOW. Not one lion was used in the filming of this movie. Aslan is completely CGI but I swear he is the most lifelike CGI character I've ever seen on screen. I mean, I'm sure fur must be so difficult to replicate but it is perfect, it sways in the wind. And his face is gorgeous. I was so impressed with Aslan as a whole... he even walked like a real lion. Fantastic!

Here's a link to the Narnia film website - it's great fun!

Some trivia (my favourite!):

The movie was shot in chronological order.
As a thank you gift for being in his movie, Andrew Adamson gave each of the children an iPod. When Georgie Henley got hers she thanked him whole-heartedly, but once he was out of earshot she turned to her mother and said, "What is it?"
The actress who plays the grown-up Lucy is called Racheal Henley... I wonder if she is Georgie's sister?
Skander Keynes, who plays Edmund is the great-great-great grandson of naturalist Charles Darwin. The name Skander is of Turkish origin meaning Alexander - oddly enough his character Edmund Pevensie in The Chronicles of Narnia is obsessed with the delicacy Turkish Delight.
Anna Popplewell, who plays Susan, lives around the corner from co-star Skandar Keynes.
No trivia on William Mosely, who played Peter!
The director's name is Andrew Adamson, who was also responsible for the two shreks and has the most apt surname to direct this film - Adamson... son of Adam! If you read the books or saw the film, you'll understand!

I'm not going to go into the merits or not of this being a 'Christian' film or whatever. Yes, CS Lewis did write the book based on Christian beliefs and Aslan is obviously the embodiment of Christ. But, after all, the values he preaches - of kindness, valour, loyalty and love, should make sense to everyone, whatever religion they believe in - or even if they do not believe in any religion at all.

**SPOILERS END**

As a purely cinematic experience, it definately gets a big thumbs up from me. If you haven't seen it and you plan to, be sure to stay till after the credits start as there is a short scene with Lucy and the Professor.

Oh, and by the way, like Tilda Swinton, I haven't read the books either... so my first new year's resolution is to read them all in 2006!

Bleeeuurrgh!

2005-12-26T11:15:00.000+01:00

The title above and the cat to your right (also found at stuffonmycat.com), accurately discovers the way I feel after:

1. Lunch at my mother-in-law's consisting of nibbly starters - and those of you who know me well, know that I have to have a taste of EVERYTHING - which included salmon (very fitting, especially since she's Scottish!), salmon paste, cheese scones and garlic bread - yummy! This was followed by turkey, stuffing, potatoes, parsnips, brussels sprouts and other stuff I've forgotten but ate anyway - yummy! Then lemon mousse, chocolate mousse and ice cream (I had a tiny bit of each) - yummy! And then, just as I was going to explode, out came the coffee and these little homemade teeny-weeny cakes in three varities - yummy, yummy! Needless to say, I tried all of them... everything was absolutely delicious but I wished I had worn a skirt with an expandable waist.

2. Tea at my mum's where I only managed to force down some Christmas pud. But mum, bless her, made up a little goodie bag for me to take home and eat for lunch today. However, the way I'm feeling it might go to the cats instead. Then again, you never know with me.

3. Drinks at my uncle's. A glass of home-made mulled wine and one little cheesecake which I regretted as soon as I was half-way through it but couldnt be bothered to get up and throw it away. So I ate it.

Something like this happens every Christmas day... and I never learn! Oh well, thank goodness Christmas only comes once a year!

Merry Christmas and all that

2005-12-25T09:56:00.000+01:00

Hope you had a great Xmas Eve (we spent it watching 'The Office' DVD's - classic! - with Witchie, Queen Pea & Consort) and munching on nachos and choccies. And here's to a really merry Christmas full of good food (yeah, I like eating!), company & cheer!

The First Annual Bloggy Awards

2005-12-23T11:32:00.000+01:00

Yesterday evening will be forever remembered as the 'What Fun We Had!' evening. Yes, the Bloggers meeting was a phenomenal success. The food, company and conversation were all top-notch and the whole evening was, simply put, a buzz - mainly due to the amazing organisational skills of one Maltagirl who not only took it upon herself to book the venue (and order a scrumptious cake - yum!) and hassle to find a date when we were free, but also to organise the very first 'Bloggy Awards' whereupon all those present were awarded a very well-crafted 'B' (for Blogger of course!) in various categories, made by Maltagirl herself (ably aided by Little Sis).

I am proud to announce that I was awarded the 'B' for 'Best Guest-Blogger' - thank you very much everybody for your support! *wipes tear of emotion a la Halle Berry*. Robert got the 'Gieh il-Blogosfera' (I think that was what it was called) - a prize he truly deserves!

The arm-candy (ie) fiances and husband, did not go home empty-handed either as Maltagirl presented them with a lovely plaque entitled 'I love (heart) my Blogger' which I am going to stick on the wall in our study as a permanent reminder for the hubby, in the unlikely scenario that he ever forgets. By the way, the hubby himself has professed that he had a wonderful evening and thanks Maltagirl heartily for being "so kind and so nice".

Insomma, you bloggers who were in Malta and didn't make it - you missed out on a fantastic time AND a prize... so I suggest that you clear some time in your diaries for next year from now and make sure you attend the second evening/ceremony!

Doin' the Dance of Joy!

2005-12-21T15:55:00.000+01:00

Today I gave my last lesson before the Christmas holidays. Yesterday and the day before we had the school play and I must say the kids were great. I admit I got a tiny bit emotional at the fact that they got it exactly right and that the hours spent ruining my voice screaming at them with veins popping out from my forehead were not totally in vain (or in vein hee!)

Anyway, today I came home at 1.30 pm and did a little dance to celebrate (the cats were very confused and immediately ran into another room). I can't believe it. I have a week off from work! I keep on having to say it aloud to actually believe it.

You see, for those of you who didn't know, I started my new teaching job in mid-October, a mere day after I left my old job. Since then, I have been teaching every single weekday (I even teach on most public holidays) and writing articles, to make ends meet, on Sundays. I haven't had a single day off and as, I'm sure you can imagine, teaching is an extremely stressful, although very rewarding, job. So, basically, I've been a stressball since October. A much happier stressball than I would have been had I been at my old job, but a stressball nevertheless. The main thing that kept me going was that I would soon have the luxury of a whole week off. And here it is - yippee!

So here is my list of what I want to do during this week:

1. Do the Dance of Joy (tick)

2. Take a nice long bath every evening. Erm... not that I haven't been having baths, but the ones I have been taking are those 5-minute, in-and-out jobs just before I have to leave the house for yet another lesson. The ones I am going to be taking this week shall last a minimum of 45 minutes, with hot water being added as needed and lots of bubbles courtesy of Marks and Spencers' cherry bubble bath foam.

3. Enjoy our bloggers meeting tomorrow! Especially since am now a bona-fide blogger, Sharon.

4. Rent and watch the final series of 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer', which I have been meaning to finish for around 3 years now - arg!

5. Eat a lot of mince pies. And chocolate log. And Xmas pudding. Insomma, you get my drift.

6. Sleep.

7. Sleep some more.

8. Go to the cinema and watch a whole film without nodding off during the interval.

9. Catch up on my reading of Television Without Pity.

10. Watch 'The Office' dvds with my hubby, with the cats on my lap and the heater full-on (it's a gas heater of course or else we wouldn't be able to afford it hehehe!)

11. Read -'real' books, not magazines, kiddies songs or drama excercises.

12. Not have to shout at/see kids for at least a week - BLISS!

If you have any more ideas, lemme know!

reesa on Wired Temples

2005-12-16T15:57:00.000+01:00

I'll be guest blogging on Wired Temples Today, tomorrow and Sunday - the pressure! Wish me luck!

Euro hee!

2005-12-15T19:48:00.000+01:00

Found in the letter pages of one of my mum's magazines:

I overheard a girl at a fete asking a visiting dignitary what he did.

"I'm a Euro MP," he replied.

"Does that mean you get to meet the people at Disney as many times you like?" she asked.

"I'm afraid not," he replied, to her evident sympathy.

Rain, rain go away.

2005-12-14T17:47:00.001+01:00

Yesterday it rained for what seemed like ages. Is was ages... it woke me up at about 5 am and it was still raining when I crawled into bed at about 10 pm. As the song goes, I can't stand the rain. I simply can't understand people who say "Oh I love winter" - what is there to love? Especially here where it is so humid that the cold gets into your bones; where any amount of rain is bound to cause mega car stoppage, floods inside and outside houses and walls to fall down. Here in my house, I have a flooded entrance and bathroom - great.
Besides, as everyone who knows me knows, it only takes a whiff of cold weather for me to suddenly develop the flu.

So, yesterday, I ventured out of the house at 4.30 pm (only because I had to go to work). In the process of getting from car to workplace, I wet my shoes and therefore, socks. So I spent a couple of hours with wet feet. By the time I got home at 7 pm I just knew I'd be sick today. And lo and behold, I woke up with what felt like glass in my throat, as well as 101 fever. There was no way that I could miss work/teaching so I duly had a couple of panadols with my honey and lemon and braved the great outdoors, feeling absolutely ghastly. After 2 classes I had to do an interview with someone for a magazine and then go to various places with the hubby to do things I had been putting off for ages and which simply had to be done today.

After each place, I kept on saying to myself: "Just one more place, just one more and then I'll go home". In the end, after nearly fainting at SISA supermarket, I gave up and came home to chicken soup and bed. Or so I thought. I decided to put the p.c. on - BIG mistake! I couldn;t resist the 'pull of the blog'. So here I am typing when I really, really should be in bed. And even worse, I stupidly opened my work email and have a nice big stack of emails which need to be worked upon - boo! Will this day ever end?!

*groan*

Welcome to reesa's world...

2005-12-13T14:25:00.000+01:00

It's been a long time coming... ever since discovering Maltagirl's blog early last summer and being sucked into the local blog world, I've been what I suppose you would call a 'quasi-blogger', giving my two-cents worth by commenting on various blogs - mainly wwwitchie's and maltagirl's - and having a blast reading them and others.

I'd been meaning to set up a blog for ages but mainly due to a p.c. which was built in the 1930's (or at least, it seemed that way), I had to wait until I could afford to buy a new, decent one and... voila! Here I am, typing on a keyboard where the buttons don't stick and it hasnt even crashed once yet - yay!

Anyway, for those who know me - as a voluble (word courtesy of wwwitchie - the rest of you can look it up) aspiring actress and drama teacher, as a writer of articles and a girl with stars in my eyes, albeit with feet firmly on the ground - I hope that my little bits of sporadic writing will amuse you and even, perhaps make you think. But be warned, I don't purport to make this blog into a place where the meaning of life or similar is dicussed, but rather as a place to vent feellings and thoughts... and have some fun!

Oh, by the way - a big thanks to Toni and Robert for giving me the push I needed to start off!