What's the point?

I have just returned from Holland last night and I'm trying to get back into the whole mood and routine of work and rainy weekends. The weather in the UK has been wetter these past weeks, than during the actual winter, although less cold. I don't mind this weather when I don't have any plans, but as of late, I've been making plans only to see them ruined by rain and mud.

But this is not what I wanted to talk about today...


My question today is, what's the point of life?



We work for the most part of our lives.... becoming slaves of desks, factories and what not... only to have a few days a year of pure pleasure. And the rest is just a struggle to make ends meet, with bills, cleaning, cooking, health recovery and relationship drama. And when we are old enough to stop working... We're just too old to do much with our lives, other than sitting on our asses watching TV or reminiscing about our past... What's more, technology further distracts us from what life and human comfort is all about.



We shut down to the real world, and live in a virtual, non-existent world...



I don't know about you, but this is not the kind of life I wanna lead... But unfortunately things are so imposed on us, that there's nothing we can do. Being out of touch technology wise and financially, will only destroy us further... and ironically, screws us further as we will look like complete idiots in other people's faces...

Day 1: Sun-kissed Malta

It is true, what they say... That absence makes the heart grows fonder.

St. Julians, Malta

Last week, my boyfriend and I visited Malta, after not being there for over 5 months. The least I can say is that I was plenty excited of being in sun-kissed Malta, of sitting on the shore watching the waves play and tease each other, of seeing my family and friends once more.

We didn’t have a terrible winter in the UK, and Spring has been sunny, partially cloudy, but I yearned for those bright blue skies and a little breeze. Being in the UK,  all I see is canals and lakes, which I do love.  But I missed that salty smell the sea brings to the plate.

First day in Malta, Mark and I spent it in St. Julian’s, being lazy at the beach. I’ve tasted Cisk XS again, and I have to say, that nothing tastes better in the sun. No, not even ice cream! We’ve also been to the cinema  and watched Intruders. I do believe that it was a low-budget movie, but we both enjoyed it and I’d suggest it to anyone in the mood for a thriller movie. For those of you who are interested in knowing who starred in this one, the main actors are Clive Owen and Carice van Houten (apparently a rather famous Dutch actress).

Later on in the day we also met Carly for a drink. Being the eve of St. Patrick’s Day,  I celebrated it by drinking a pint of the beloved Guinness. And for those who are wondering, no I am  not an alcoholic, but I do love beer. And wine. And Jagermeister. And Jack Daniels.

Stay tuned for more updates and photos from our long weekend in Malta!

Monty Python's Spamalot 2012 - Review

Spamalot : UK Tour 2011/12

Promo:

 

Monty Python’s Spamalot is the story evolving around King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Eric Idle, the creator of Monty Python wanted to give a comic twist to the British history. At the start of the show, we meet King Arthur doing his best (and mostly failing) at recruiting his knights. I mean, King Arthur was made a king by receiving a sword called Excalibur, by a Lady in the Lake. And what’s more? His horse is invisible, however Patsy – his faithful servant creates the sound effects of horse’ hooves with two halves of coconuts.

One way or another, King Arthur manages to recruit enough knights and through a divine intervention from God they started off their first quest – that of seeking the Holy Grail. This leads the actors through various ridiculous settings and random challenges. My favourite would be when the team encounters the French taunters. Typical of the French, they do not pursue a good grip of the English language, and thus end up abusing the King verbally. A few quotes….

"You don't frighten us, English pig dogs. Go and boil your bottoms, you sons of a silly persons. I blow my nose at you, so-called "Arthur King," you and all your silly English K-nig-hts."

"Your Mother was a hamster and your father smells of elderberries!"

"I don't want to talk to you no more, you empty headed animal food trough wiper. I fart in your general direction."

Another scene was the challenge of finding a shrubbery to avoid the wrath of the ‘Knights who say Ni’. By the time King Arthur finds the shrubbery, who was going to be thrown away by an elderly lady because of her cat pissing in it, the ‘Knights who say Ni’, became known as the Knights who say ‘ekki-ekki-ekki-ekki-ptang zoom-boing z'nourrwringmm’ or something of that sort.

The Stage. Regent Theater is a strict theater and I
could not take any photos during the show.

Other LOL factors would include Lancelot rescuing Prince Herbert and turning gay, the courageous Black Knight who still wants to fight King Arthur despite having his arms cut off (and ends up impaled on a doorway) and the cute white rabbit who turns psycho.

Might I add that Spamalot includs a number of songs which were hilarious and full of puns, such as the Fish-Slapping song, Not Yet Dead, All for One and obviously Bright Side of Life.

Over all this show has exceeded my expectation. I was giggling throughout, and I managed to sing a couple of songs too. I wouldn’t mind watching this again if I had the opportunity, and I would suggest all Monty Python fans to buy tickets to this show. It is worth every penny!

I shall leave you with a couple of videos from the show. These are however not ones of the current tour. Enjoy!

Bright Side of Life

 

All for One 

Not Dead Yet

What I miss the most...

If you ask me, what I miss the most from Malta, I would answer without hesitation that it's the food. You would probably be in awe and assume I'm heartless. Why don't I miss my family, and my friends the most?

Well, I could answer that in a heartbeat. The people I care about and love, I stay in touch with as much as possible, and furthermore they know that whenever they want, they could always come visit me.

However, when it comes to Maltese food, until a couple of weeks ago, it was impossible for me to enjoy it, unless I am in Malta. It is true, I do visit Malta almost every other month... But sometimes the cravings are too much to bare. My mission impossible started one evening, when my friend David mentioned pastizzi. I realised that I couldn't take it any longer, and as such I had to do something about it.

I searched and search, and when I was about to give up, I came across a website with an interview with Alan Camilleri; a guy who lives in Manchester and who has his own shop, selling traditional Maltese food and drinks. I figured, I could be on a train from Stoke to Manchester in 50minutes. But to my astonishment, Alan delivers around the UK once every month, for a maximum fee of £12.50.

That very moment, I placed an order, and last week it was delivered to my house. I spent quite a lot of money to make up for the delivery cost, and I'm sure this wouldn't be the last purchase. Alan has been very helpful, even provided me with cooking instructions for the 'hobza tal-Malti' (traditional Maltese bread). The photo in this article, of the pastizzi, are from this very order. 

I have never thought that I would be enjoying the traditional Maltese pastizzi and tea here in the UK!

Place an order here: Mediterranean Pastry, and if you actually make an order after reading this brief review, please do let me know. :-)

British Comedians, Bands and Theatre

Whether you are a music fan, love to have a good laugh or appreciate theatrical events, you are pretty much spoiled by choice in the UK. I could say, that since i’ve moved here, my personality has changed in a way that I started to appreciate art more than ever before.

I’ve always been a huge heavy metal / rock music fan, and living in the UK gives me the opportunity to make my dreams a reality. In the past months I have seen some of my favourite artists performing right infront of my eyes in my town, in Wolverhampton and in London. Watching skilled bands playing their music and all the fans screaming the song lyrics and jumping up and down with the drum beat is such an adreline boost to me. I never fail to smile when I remember. The first batch of bands I went to see live were Revoker, Sylosis and Cavalera Conspiracy. 

The Crowd  / Cavalera Conspiaracy / Dream Theatre

When it comes to Stand-up Comedy, you are also in for a treat. With the major British comedians touring all major towns every year, and even tours from American and other European comedians, you are rarely disappointed. May I say, that I’ve finally managed to watch Jimmy Carr and Sarah Millican, who are currently two of my favourite comedians. And I’ve already bought Jimmy Carr’s 2012 tour ticket, as he’s going to be in Stoke 3 days before Christmas <3 Clips from last year's Jimmy Carr shows taken by yours truley: here and here.

Jimmy Carr / Sarah Millican

Other comedians which I’m dying to watch are Michael McIntyre, Russel Howard, Alan Carr, Bill Bailey and Lee Evans. I’m gutted I won’t be able to watch my all-time favourite George Carlin though :( May he rest in peace.

Drama here in Stoke as well as many other towns, is also of huge popularity. Although I have not yet been to the local theatre, I have been to London ones, and I have never been disappointed. Currently there are two shows which I would love to see, and I’m considering getting tickets for. One is called ‘Horrible Histories’ and it is a satire about the Tudor reign. Anyone who knows me, would probably tell you that I’m a sucker for anything Tudor, being King Henry VIII, his way too many wives, Tudor houses etc. Though I’ve seen alot of historical Tudor armour and jewellery in London, I’ve never had the opportunity to laugh about what happened in that era. The other performance which I would love to watch is a British Classic... The Full Monty. Whoever is not a fan... You are not my friend anymore ;) 

And one can never forget the football and pubs here.................. Grab a beer, fish and chips and watch the game!

So, do you wanna move to the UK?

To be honest, I thought it would be much more complicated to move to the UK, but thanks to the European Union, things are rather easy.

Tips to have the smoothest move possible:

1. Decide on a couple of locations you are willing to move to (check house/apartment prices, travelling connections, the town's history such as robberies, murders and other unpleasantries)
2. Start looking for jobs online. There are plenty of websites to look at, and if you have office or iGaming experience, you are more likely to make your  dreams come true!
3. Expect job interviews to be done through a phone call or a video call. They might ask you to fly over for the final interview. Take advantage of such situations as you will be able to see where you'll be living should you get offered the job.
4. Once offered the job, make sure they give you a reasonable amount of days to pack, say goodbyes, find a place to live and actually move.
5. Bare in mind, that unless you share an apartment or a house with other people, it might be difficult to get the internet, telephone and TV line. It took me over a month as I had no financial history in the UK. Same goes to a mobile phone contract. The easiest thing to do until you're sorted is to buy a SIM and choose the Pay as You Go tarrif.
6. The company you start working for should help you to get the work permit and also to open a bank account. You should ask for reference letters to help you sort these things out quicker. I had a bank account after around 2 weeks in the UK, and the work permit took a litttle longer, because I had to wait for two weeks for the interview. 
7. Once you have the work permit, look for your local NHS and register yourself. This is handy as you will then be able to visit the clinic and book doctor appointments. A good thing here is, that medicines are free or cheaper than in Malta (if you're a working citizen).

Anything else you want to know? 

Leave me a comment, and I will update this article accordingly :-)

The first night

Although I was looking forward to moving to the UK, I must admit that during the last few days in Malta, I was terrified and slightly dreading it. Even though I had enough of everything the island had to offer, and I can say that my motivation in living in Malta was gone, I wasn't sure I can handle a life in a town I've never been before, where I knew no one.

Excited and terrified at the same time, I went to the airport, on the plane, flew for 3.5 hours and landed when the clock striked 9pm. A guy with a banner with my name on, greeted me at Manchester's Airport and then we started our way to Stoke, right to the Moat House Hotel. This is where I spent the first night. I remember, it was cold, yet cosy. The receptionist was very welcoming, gave me tons of coupons for free internet, which sorted out most of my night, as I was too excited to sleep.

Moat Hotel / View from Hotel / English Breakfast the next morning.

The next morning, a taxi took me to my place in Porthill. I was really happy with it, but I had no towels, no pillows, no nothing except furniture, glasses and utensils. Having no internet on my phone or at my place, I walked out of the house aimlessly until I found High Street from were I purchased some groceries and a towel. I was so glad that I took my fleece with me to the UK. And that was my first night in Porthill, sorted.

My house / Porthill / First Lunch