id-dahq u l-arjanità

Nassigurak li mhux ser tidhaq wisq

Saqsieni kontx ili hawn u qalli li kelli franciz tajjeb hafna, qal ukoll li kien hemm min kien ilu hawn 10 snin u ma jitkellimx hekk. Ghogbitni li qalli hekk imma ma tantx emmintu ghax: 1. kien qed ibeghli polza ta' l-assigurazzjoni allura kellu kull interess joqghod ihawwadni, 2. ta' spiss nithawwad fil-kliem, 3. huwa salesman ta' l-insurance u hu bejjiegh tal-karozzi part-time f'gieh il-madonna, jekk ma jafx jigdeb hu hadd ma jaf!

Fl-ahhar kien hemm it-tpacpic tas-soltu - taf int... minn fejn intom, ecc ecc. Hu qal li kunjomu Awstrijakk (u jidher! ghalkemm forsi ser inpingih hazin ghax kien ragel charmant fil-manjieri tieghu kien jidher naqra t-tip li jivvota ghall-Haider. Iddarrass vizibilment meta skopra li hemm element gharbi fil-lingwa taghna... meta tfajt naqra ilma fuq in-nar billi ghedtlu li l-lingwa fiha influss kbir ta' kliem gejjin mit-taljan ikkalma ftit u donnu ma hassux daqshekk skomdu li xorob il-guws li offrejnielu minn tazza li ma missitx esklussivament ma' xuftejn arjani, imma xorta...)

Insomma hawn tiskopri kemm anke bejn il-kultura maltija tieghi (italo-anglofano) u dik frankofona hemm bahar jaqsam. Is-sarkazmu u d-derisjoni, parikolarment l-awtoderisjoni, huma xi haga normalissimi fil-humour malti...

"ghandkom il-familja Malta nimmagina hux?"
"iva iva"
"x'jaghmlu fil-hajja? sajjieda?" (bejni u bejn ruhi.. "sajjieda almaduwwi?!")
"le..." u ghedt ha nohrog b'quip "...petit bourgeois professjonisti"
"ah! istra!" qalli impressjonat qisni ghedtlu li missieri l-prim ministru u ommi l-president.

Il-humour bruxellois (tahlita ta' humour franciz [blergh] u olandiza [simili ghall-ingliz imma iktar salvagga]) qed imut biex jiehu postu humour kompletament franciz. Brussell li fiz-zmien kienet Fjamminga daqs kemm kien frankofona qed isir dejjem iktar u iktar frankofona - u l-humour qed ibaghti minhabba dan.

Dawn huma d-distanzi psikologici ta' meta tkun barrani - dawn ic-cajt li m'humiex daqshekk tad-dahq imma jifqghu l-poplu tal-pajjiz adottat tieghek jew int, u c-cajt anglo-italo tieghek forsi sottili jew distanti wisq ghal xi hadd li ma trabbiex jara Mai Dire Gol u Black Adder. Huma kulturi differenti, u anke jekk nghix hawn ghal snin u snin u nara kull farsa li qatt ezistiet b'Didier Bourdon jew Jacques Villeret (RIP) nahseb xorta jkun hemm distanza bejniethna. Mhux tant ghax ma jdahhqux imma ghax idahhqu b'mod differenti - idahhqu b'mod li jikkorespondi mal-lingwa taghhom - mod konservattiv, superficjalment studjat u formali zzejjed.

Interessanti li certi komici bhal dawn li jissemmew fil-Guardian qed jippruvaw jifthu t-triq bejn iz-zewg kulturi. Triq li hemm bzonn tinfetah mill-iktar fis possibbli.

Il-passat mhux garanzija tal-futur

Inkredibbli xi jwaddabblek il-Google xi minn daqqiet. L-eroj iz-zghar li ghamluna, imma li ftit nies jiftakru/jafu.

Fir-ritratt: Ondina Tayar as a young woman, around the time she was working on a written form of the Maltese language. Ondina graduated in Pharmacy and was one of the first women in Malta to hold a university degree. She had wanted to study Medicine but had been barred from the course when she raised the matter of Darwin's theory of evolution, a forbidden subject in Catholic Malta at the time.

A descendant of Rabbi Josef Tayar, Ondina Tayar, was one of the first women to graduate from the University of Malta in the 1930s. She was also a member of the panel set up to promote the use of the Maltese language at a time when the Fascists of Italy were trying to promote the use of Italian as the Maltese national language.

Timmaginaw lill-Hitler imur sa restaurant indjan u jordna tigieg tikka massala, naqra ross u naan tal-gobon?

Jekk le, m'ghandkomx hafna immaginazzjoni. Certu forum razzist (oops... razzjalist ridt nghid) iva. Hemm xi Malti fuq pagna nru 7 wkoll li jhobb l-ikel "etniku" taljan/malti.

U nghid jien, jekk ma jridux il-barranin f'pajjizhom ser jissajru wahedhom dawn? Jintefa' Fritz wara t-tandoori jsajjar jew? Jew l-ispirtu tad-duce ser iqum mill-aldilà biex jurina r-ricetti sigrieti tieghu ta' kif jissajjar l-aqwa Tom Yam Guang li qatt doqna.

Darba fuq l-internet rajt poster li kien jghid "Multikulturalizmu. Tibilghux is-sunnara". Imma ha nghidlek, ahjar tibla' sunnara milli furkettata sawerkrawt bil-mustarda ta...

Weather report

Dalghodu xghalt it-tivì u lil min nara? Hadd aktar hlief David il-Lanzarote (li biddel ismu ghal Sébastien Folin) jaqra l-previzjonijiet tat-temp. B'hekk nippropronielkom il-before and after tal-gemelli Folin-Frigg.

Kif inhu t-temp f'Languedoc-Roussillon Lanzy?

all you see is... crime in the city

Meta int stess issir statistika...

X'hemm isbah milli tigi lura mis-safar sfurzat ta' kull xahar (minhabba xoghol, ikolli mmur post li ma tantx jentuzjazmani) u ssib il-bieb tieghek imbaghbas, b'nofs il-gemb issegat biex jaslu ghas-serratura, kif ukoll l-iskumdita psikologika kbira meta jkollok tohrog ghax taf li jistghu jigu jispiccaw ix-xoghol li bdew meta jridu u int ma tista' taghmel xejn.

U meta tibda titkellem tibda tisma' li m'intix l-ewwel wiehed. Wahda kienet ilha Brussell jumejn u xi hadd taha xebgha sew biex johdilha l-basket. L-iehor ukoll. L-ohra xi haga simili. Kull min inkellem gralu xi haga, tista' tghid bla eccezzjoni - vera hemm element ta' "jien ukoll jien ukoll" fil-bicca, imma mhux hekk biss nahseb. L-ohra tahdem mieghi baqghu ifarrkulha l-hgiega tal-karozza (tliet darbiet f'gimgha sakemm fl-ahhar kellha taqla' l-istereo tal-karozza hi stess u thallih fuq is-sit billi hekk riedu), persuna ohra qal li li riedu c-cwievet tal-karozza tieghu u kull ma ghamlu sempliciment habtulu u meta fetah (taw xebgha sew lill-mara ghax bdiet tghajjat isterikament) xejrulu pistola ma' rasu u kellu, bhac-cuc, imur igib ic-cwievet mill-kamra tas-sodda u jtihomlom.

L-istejjer tal-wahx li johorgu f'gazzetti regjonali "tal-populin" bhad-Dernière Heure u La Capitale (u anke gazzetti serji bhal-Le Soir) dwar xi mignun li tefa' wahda quddiem metro ghax ma tatux il-baskett jibdew isiru iktar plawsibbli, bil-qghad issa jilhaq it-28% f'din il-belt, l-istatistici li hsibt kienu ezagerati fil-Guardian dwar kriminalità (iktar minn tliet darbiet il-kriminalità ta' Londra jew Parigi - partikolarment kriminalità vjolenta), u zgur m'inix ser intawwal ilsieni iktar ma' min idejjaqni jew indur - bla inkwiet ta' xejn - kwartieri insalubrijusi fit-tard wara xi kuncert minflok naqbad taxi. In-nies tal-guide books m'humiex nies soft mid-dehra: il-possibbilita' li taqla xebgha papali biex johdulek zarbun gdid tezisti. X'wake up call dik.

Imma hawn jien. Bil-bieb nofsu ssegat (u ta' quddiemi ukoll). Erba' infrazzjonijiet fil-blokk (blokk modest fejn jghixu tahlita vasta ta' nies) taghna din il-gimgha u l-pulizija li jidhru pjuttost jitnejku. La marki tas-swaba, la tracci, ma hadu xejn. U meta nara li l-gar tieghi Fernando ghamel nota mal-bieb komuni ta' barra biex dejjem jissakkar u xi hadd jikteb "inutile" (le mhux jien kont) man-nota iktar ninharaq. "U zgur" ghedna jien u hu "mhux lilhom gew jemmerdejaw - lilna!"

Darba jien, Anita, Mejlak u David konna qed niccajtaw li billi gejjin wisq Maltin 'l hawn missna niktbu li hrigna u billi semghu lingwa speci ta' gharbija tawna xebgha, imbaghad hadulna l-flus, ecc. f'lejl wiehed. Il-proverbju russu (jew ciniz?) nahseb gieli smajtuh: attent x'tixtieq, ix-xewqa tista' ssir realtà. U fil-fatt... attenti qabel ma tigu 'l hawn u min qieghed hawn redoublez de prudence kif jghidu. Tista' tigri lilkom ukoll. Veru.

NOTA DWAR IT-TITLU: Mehuda minn dokumentarju eccellenti jismu Style Wars dwar graffitti li sar fil-bidu tas-snin 80. Writer kien qed jghid x'kiteb fuq gemb ta' tren sotteranju (l-ewwel wahda kienet tghid "all you see is" u t-tieni "crime in the city").

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Il-forum maghluq

Il-forum BloggsMaltin maghluq. Dan il-forum li kont ikkreajt jien kien inholoq sabiex jigu diskussi l-affarijiet li ma stajniex ghax tant kienu jitwalu l-kummenti fuq il-blogg ta' xi hadd li ta' min tibda post iehor id-diskorsata (u jien gieli kont ninsa lil min hallejt kumment biex nara kienx hemm risposti allura ghedt).

Sfortunatement iz-zmien (timing) li ghazilt jien kien terribbli ghax kienet qed tispicca l-burraxka ta' interess li kien hemm ghall-bloggs u dawk id-diskursati twal kienu qed jispiccaw ukoll. Barra minn dan ma nahsibx li ppromovejtu bizzejjed. Fi kliem ohra l-forum kien falliment u m'hemmx bzonnu iktar.

Il-Maltin (partikolarment il-Maltin intellettwali) huma wisq ta' wahedhom, solitarji u forsi mhux daqshekk solidari biex jaghmlu xi haga komuni allura affarijiet bhall-forum, tabellina, postform u anke - sa certu punt - Il Bollettino jbatu biex jibqghu hajjin. M'hemmx sens ta' koezjoni, kamaraderì jew solidarjetà (qed nevita l-kelma egocentricità) bejn l-intelletwali Maltin* . M'hemmx x'taghmel - hekk huma l-affarijiet (u mhux necessarjament hziena hekk lanqas, ghalkemm mhux necessarjament tajbin lanqas). U tahsbux li qed neskludi lili nnifsi lanqas... jien ukoll hekk sa certu punt.

Ghal min ma jistax jghix minghajr forum (ha!), nikkunsilljalu l-forum ta' l-iScaremongering li ghalkemm ghandu deskrizzjonijiet insipidi tal-kontenut tal-forum hu l-forum Malti ideali biex tahli l-hin targumenta fuq il-meriti tal-films oskuri ta' Hiroshi Teshigahara kontra dawk ta' Scorsese jew jekk il-White Stripes humiex tan-nejk jew le, liema hu l-aqwa ktieb ta' Murakami, jekk kienx Il Secondo Tragico Fantozzi jew L'allenatore nel pallone l-aqwa film trash taljan. Normalment l-affarijiet jispiccaw fir-relm ta' l-astratt ludesk jew tispicca f'nofs tahbita u tigbed tnejn meta tinduna li saru t-3 ta' wara nofsinhar u ghadek bil-pigama u m'ghamilt xejn li kellek ippjanat illum u hlejt gurnata leave... biss vera post sabih jekk ghandek kwarta x'toqtol qabel ma tohrog.

* Test biex taghraf jekk intix veru intellettwali Malti: trid tiddarass kull darba li nghid il-kliem "intellettwali maltin" jew "intellettwali malti" u int stess qatt ma tuzahom hlief b'mod dispregattiv u thobb tuza l-kliem "psewdo-intellettwali" minflok (dejjem b'mod dispregattiv. ovvjament). Trid ukoll tirrifjuta b'mod vigoruz hafna kull nozzjoni li int, kont jew qatt xi darba tkun "intellettwali", u - preferibbilment - tilghabha tal-working class anke jekk int piccolo borghese sal-bajd. Tajjeb hekk?

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Cory Doctorow f'Anversa

FYI: Cory Doctorow (l-editur ta' Boing Boing) ser jaghti lekcer f'Anversa nhar it-tlieta (24.01.06) il-MuHKA_media dwar "de toekomst van digitale televisie" (il-futur tat-televisjoni digitali)

l-istima tal-perit II: ir-rivendika tar-rukell

Dan l-ahhar bdejt indur ftit qisni kelb ta' Sant' Umbert (bhall-kelb ta' Rosco) u l-fjut tieghi wassalni 'l boghod, hekk kif dejjem jaghmel.

Forsi hemm minnkom diga sema' bil-fatt li hawn ammont enormi ta' kontejners abbandunati kullimkien fid-dinja. Ir-raguni hi li b'li jiswa biex taghmel kontejner iehor fic-Cina, irhas tixtrih gdid u tabbanduna l-qadim milli tirrangah jew tibaghtu lura.

L-idea li nixtri bicca art irhisa imbaghad nixtri tliett Spaceboxes mill-Olanda toghgobni. Tirrikjedi certu xoghol logistiku u u wisq probabbli ma nasalx ghalija imma l-idea li tkun kwazi wahdek, u d-daqs tad-dar tkabbarha u ccekkinha kif trid int tajba. Dawn id-djar tista' sahansitra tibnihom fi 3 ijiem qishom gew mill-IKEA jew hargu minn Kinder Sorpresa enormi (halliha trid tistenna xi 3 gimghat biex jitfaccaw it-teknici tal-Belgacom u tas-Sibelga/Eaux Communales). Jekk xi darba tiddeciedi tmur tghix post iehor tista' tiehu d-dar tieghek fuq trakk tal-containers ghal fejn tkun sejjer. L-aspett bebbuxxiju ta' din it-tip ta' arkitettura tappellali wisq.

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LINKS RELATATI:

Guerilla Homes
(dokumentarju eccellenti li ntwera fuq il-BBC3)

Lot-ek
(periti eccezzjonali fl-opinjoni tieghi, id-disinn semi-rudimentari tal-Guzman Penthouse [Lot-Ek Buildings/Residential/Guzman Penthouse] joghgobni hafna)

Fabprefab
(links u informazzjoni dwar djar pre-fabrikati modernisti)

'a ridaje...

L-ewwel l-Erika, issa l-Klein Familie... u r-relazzjonijiet franko-maltin ikomplu, erm, sejrin il-bahar.

is-sena bdiet imma z-zmien baqa' ghaddej xorta wahda...

(aggornata 4.01.06)

Twozawsandendzix! Oh yess... tomorro' it shall alreatty be the 5th tay of Janvuuuary chiiildrehn!

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X'int taghmel b'dik it-trumbetta f'idek?

M'hemmx ghalfejn nghidu li s-sena 2005 kienet is-sena tal-bloggs u l-entuzjasmu tal-bidu naqas u "immatura". Biss ma nhallux il-bloggs isiru moda li dak li jkun jinsiha bhal ma kienu s-siti personali meta fetah il-Geocities fil-bidu ta' l-internet. Mhux biex niftahar imma nahseb il-bloggs kienu l-iktar haga innovattiva (jew wahda mill-iktar insomma) fuq ix-xena lokali

fis-sena 2005. Jien personalment, u zgur m'inix wahdi, ma rridx narahom jisparixxu.

Kuntent nara li mhux ahna l-bloggers biss qed naqraw il-bloggs imma hemm hafna nies barranin ghall-bloggosfera li qed jaqrawhom, fosthom certu Ronnie Micallef li jahdem mal-British Council, organizazzjoni li dejjem interessatni ghax dejjem kienet iggib artisti innovattivi f'Malta, biss meta naqra kliemu kwazi bla ma rrid nahseb f'dik il-blogg li kont ktibt dwar Wales (f'hafna kazi rridu nammettu li l-inovazzjoni mill-barranin gejja mhux minn "ta' gewwa")... insomma - sabih li tkun taf li hemm min qed jaqra l-bloggs taghna almenu.

This issue of ‘who we are’ is receiving a lot of attention worldwide, in the UK and also in Malta. I think it is important for an organisation such as the British Council to be aware of this debate and to contribute to this question. These discussions are mostly led by individuals, and many of them are web-based. There is a particularly vibrant discussion on the nature of identity at all levels taking place on internet blog sites. Individuals are therefore forming new communities, which transcend our natural borders.They are slowly taking responsibility, and people do not depend as much on governments anymore. And as an organisation we are very aware of this. At least 10,000 people visit our website. But it’s not just the numbers – it’s the quality of interaction that counts as well.

What excites us is the idea of influencing the future. E-democracy, E-expression, E-poetry, and IT communities. I think there is a lot that can be done in these areas. We are also building up a reputation as an office that operates on a wider Euro-Mediterranean platform.

-Ronnie Micallef, British Council (Malta)

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X'jien kretin

Dan il-lejl ma rqadtx ghax ghamilt kwazi lejl shih nohlom u nirridissinja s-servizz tat-trasport pubbliku Malti, bl-orarji u l-affarijiet kollha kif suppost - iggib is-servizz tat-trasport pubbliku taghna jahdem kif suppost (il-mapep u l-orarji ma' kull waqfa u kabina ta' l-informazzjoni ta' veru l-belt, kif ukoll revizjoni tas-sistema... ma tiswix iktar minn Lm 8,000. X'frustrazzjoni tara l-gvern jixtri xarabanks godda u jtihom lix-xufiera kwazi bhala rigal biex tal-linja imorru jaghmlu l-vjeggi privati taghhom meta taf li b'revizjoni fis-sistema, cioe privatizazzjoni, konna nifrankaw eluf u eluf [li stajna nuzawhom biex inehhu l-asbestos minn Dar Malta, xi tghidu?] u kien ikollna servizz dicenti. Ghandu tant ideat ghall-privatizazzjoni l-gvern kif ma hasibx fiha din? Ghax fil-verita' jitnejku altament mill-ambjent u mit-trasport pubbliku tghid? Jew ghax ahna poplu ma jafx joqghod minghajr karozza ghal iktar minn jumejn - u l-ineficcjenza tal-karozzi tal-linja hi skuza komda?).

Insomma, dan l-imbarazz ghamiltu kollu f'mohhi u gieli ghamilta qabel din il-haga. Nerga nirribatti... x'jien kretin. U kemm ghandi nghas...