SOS Hondoq

Ma qazzukomx dawn il-bennejja ghid? Ma niflahx naqra fuq aktar zviluppi ta' kampanja u bajjiet, qisna ghandna xi hafna x'nahlu! Il-politikanti veru bla bajd ihalluhom jaghmlu li jridu. Imma ma jistax ikun li nispiccaw l-unici postijiet li nistghu immorru meta nohorgu jkunu stil Valletta Waterfront, artificjali u jisirquk haj biex titrejjaq daqsxejn. Il-genwinita qieghda fl-istat naturali, kemm tal-bniedem u anke tal-pajsagg.

U mhux fuq il-livell nazzjonali biss dejjquni l-benneja. Ftit ilu kont ghaddejja minn triq bil-karozza u kelli nieqaf ghax il-bennej kien qieghed izarma u tefa kocc serratizzi ma l-art f'nofs it-triq. U hawn hdejna n-Naxxar kull fejn ihalluhom jippruvaw iwaqqghu u jibnu wkoll, kullimkien trab u "no parking between 7am etc". Diga hawn problema ta' parking, u ahna ma nohorgux ghax-xoghol fis-seba ta' filghodu - ghandi xorti nkun niflah niftah ghajnejja dak il-hin! Qisu kullimkien taghhom ghax qed jibnu, ara jien sakemm ghamilt id-drainage u l-faccata tghidx kemm permessi u nejk, imma jien mhux bennej naghti d-donazzjonijiet lil partiti xbin, xi trid taghmel...

Haw' fejn noqghod jien tghidx x'haw tad-djar vojta. Kieku l-gvern jaghti ftit incentivi biex jigu okkupati u rrangati hafn'ahjar minn dal-bini bla razan. Niggarantilkom li jekk tixtri dar zghira u zdingata u tirrangaha f'house of character lussuza tonfoq daqs li kieku tixtri toqba ta' flat, u certi minnhom shell biss tixtrihom bl-istess prezz!

Issa nispera li wara li hadtilkom mohhkom ghandkom aptit izzuru din SOS Hondoq u tiffirmaw. Jien hekk se naghmel ghax inutli noqghodu neqirdu biss hux man, irridu mmiddu jdejna wkoll eh

Sahhiet

That Brand Thing

Did you see that article in The Times today about the Branding thing which is making Sam Mifsud unhappy? The foreign sod who actually came up with the campaign says "we might have used language that isn't accessible to everybody". Well duh!!! Some of the ads read so much like a marketing text book they actually give me the shivers. I'm no marketing guru but these are my humble thoughts on this particular catastrophy:

This whole exercise reminded me of when I used to work in a factory and every time business was not so good the factory workers got blamed and sometimes penalised...think about it...tourism no great shakes this year, let's cough up a few billboards and stuff to teach Joe Public how to solve this problem...they're paying for it by the way...

Now about the foreign expert who probably cost thousands and got it wrong - when are we going to learn that inside knowledge of our culture is sometimes crucial to solving our problems?
Does anyone in this country ever admit as to what the real problem actually is on any given local puzzle? Wouldn't the money have been better spent on a survey targeting holiday makers who did NOT choose Malta this year?

Ma nafx jien...

Il-Festa

Ghadu kemm kellna l-festa n-Naxxar, il-Bambina. Bizzejjed tmur mixja u tinduna x'jiccelebraw hawn, id-djar kolla jisimhom Victory, Victoria, Marvic, Bambina, Madonnina, 8th September etc. Dwar mixi qed nirreferi ghal dawk il-granet rari meta l-qrid tar-ragel jirnexxilu johrogni mkaxkra mis-sodda fis-sitta ta' bil-lejl (filghodu ghalikom) biex immur nimxi, iwa hija, cikkulata u helu ma jieqfux, u lanqaz iz-zmien, u c-ciccia Alla jberika....

Fejn kont jien, eh l-festa. Mela ghal festa kull min ikun involut ikollu speci ta' licenzja immunitarja ekklezjastika, tipo li jaqbdu u jorbtulek il-pavaljun mal-bieb ta' barra minghajr ma jsaqsu, jzommu t-traffiku biex jarmaw u l-apologija taghhom hi "Stenna! M'intix tara li qed narmaw?". Il-hmieg ta' kull filghodu fil-pjazza u quddiem il-kazini inkredibbli, imma hallih, dak darba fis-sena u jnaddfu msieken, ghalkemm kazin minnhom iqumu tard u povri l-girien filghodu bil-fliexken mormija wara l-bieb.

Anzi l-festa ma tanxt ittini f'ghajni, l-aghar avveniment ghalija d-Duluri u l-Gimgha l-Kbira meta xi gharef jiddeciedi li ghalkemm jien nghazel li ma mmurx il-knisja ghac-cerimonji u ma mmurx nimxi wara statwi ghandi xorta nisma kollox minn go dari, rrid u ma rridx, permezz ta' loudspeakers itarrxu. L-ewwel darba li smajnihom Zoe litteralment twerwret. Kif se tfiehma tifla ta' tlett snin li dal-lehen terrifikanti jidwi mat-toroq tan-Naxxar (ghax l-idjota xeghel il-mike minn kmieni wkoll biex tghaxxaq) m'hux xi ggant enormi bhal ta' l-istejjer?

X'arroganza! Ma ddejaqkomx din l-arroganza tal-knisja f'Malta, qisu kullimkien taghha u ghanda dritt taghmel li trid! Mhur gib xi party l-kazin tal-futbol ifettlilhom jaghmlu l-loudspeakers biex kulhadd jisma l-muzika, ajma qalbi x'jinqala kieku, qas irrid nimmagina. Imma ghax tal-knisja ma jimpurtax. U gieli smajtuha xi karozza ghaddejja b'loudspeaker jghid ir-ruzarju f'xi t-tlieta ta' filghodu jqajjem lil kulhadd - imma jitwemmnu dawn l-affarijiet? Mhux ta' b'xejn f'pajjizi sekulari l-knisja kattolika hija kwazi oggett tar-ridikolu. Ha nieqaf hawn ara, ghax ma nieqafx inkella.

Hallejtkom hbieb,