Losing my virginity.......at Smart Supermarket

Yep that's it!! I have known about it for ages, heard people mention it and even saw adverts on the paper. However, I never really had to go, until today.

This Smart Supermarket is I think one of the largest on the island, though a new larger one to be named 'Pavi' is about to open later this year. I have already been to large supermarkets, or better hypermarkets as they are better known. Just to mention, I have been to l'Auchan, close to Bari and to the Metro Centre in the UK. We've go nothing of the sort here in Malta, just a couple of huge supermarkets which are mainly food selling. Smart is something like a Tesco thing. Well actually, the outlet we went to has expanded further and includes household goods, some appliances plus other mini-shops or franchises.

The only reason to go there was to buy some specialised stuff since tonight we are going to eat Indian food. At Smart, you find almost anything. It was quite a thing going there, actually we could not find most of the things, a typical mishap often found within our culture. Let me explain:

The meat, fish and bread counters are easy to identify using particularly 3 senses: smell, feel and eyes. Meat and fish counters are always surrounded by cooler air, especially if open-chest freezers are nearby. On the other hand, break counters are usually identified through the smell of freshly baked loaves of break. Also, these counters tend to have quite some people gathered, queueing for their turn. So that's is eapy peasy. But when you need to look for spices....oooo... you get the chills.

Back to the Maltese culture thingy. We Maltese suffer from one of the worst maladies - we lack vision and proper planning skills. Bad planning is seen almost anywhere were there has been human intervention. It is a real pity.

Return to 29th April 2006. Planning, or the lack of it symptoms are evident. There is hardly any signage to what one can find on the shelves. Of course, you do not expect every single item to be identified, but at least signs showing food preseves, cooking oils and so on should be put up. And you can neither rely on experience. While there, I hear more than one person grumbling that the management seems to be moving things around and thus object A found at Shelf A , Row A is moved to Shelf F, Row F. Add to this the lack to signing... and then you ask directions to some shelf-filler who ends up sending to the 'old' location.

But anyway, I was quite amazed and impressed with the large number of people and vast selection of goods.

As for my virginity...well you would have understood by now that virginity may have other meanings, or can be used as a metaphor. Since it was my first time, I can say that it was rather pleasureable, however some proper planning and organisation would have made the experience less of marathon.

Sister Birthday surprise

That small miracle seems to have made me mute too, since my long silence since my last blog. Actually I did not have much time, and blogging from work is not quite an option, though a possibility.

Yesterday was my sister's birthday. She is 20 now, i.e. she lost her teens. A friend of hers from University decided set up a surprise for her, and so she contacted all of my sister's friends, including myself, to meet her at a bar. This we managed to do, though more people should have come, save for some excuse or other. Then my sister arrived, and she could not stop laughing....yes laughing...that is her way to treat surprise. After all the hugs and kisses and the "hi how are you!" and "long time no see" phrases, a cake was presented to her - and what a cake!! This huge chocolate cake was actually really good, had some taste of orange in it.

I could not stay late, since I had to wake up early as my girlfriend had exams today and I had to taxi her to the examination location. But my lovely dovely sister decided that I should carry this huge cake, and some presents back to my car, so that she can get wasted without having antyhing to think about. Well, ok I thought, except that I had to pass through the nightlife mecca with this huge, uncovered box holding a birthday cake. In fact, I became quite an attraction. Some people looked at the cake, trying to read out what was written; other asked for peace while some tried to put their finger in; some young English lads came singing to me: "Happy Bifthday to you, Happy birfday to you!!" Yep typical English people with a pint too many in their head.

Finally, we arrived to my parked car and drove off slowly home, making sure that the cake does not move too much or else....

A small miracle

I feel that a small miracle happenend within these walls. Last night, in those brief moment before dozing off to the better world, I heard my parents mumbling. Their room is next to mine. It was quite a thing in fact for they seemed to be having a real conversation, as opposed to the recent "no comment" like conversations.

This morning during breakfast, my mum gave me the news. She and dad are going to spend some time together, to give it a last chance. This will occur during the same period when was my mum was supposed to go to Germany. Mum told me that they spent most of the night awake, talking and realising that a separation is not the only solution.

Later on the day, after I came from work, I immediately realised the difference. They were talking together, sharing ideas and thoughts. This did not even occur in better times. Added to this, I could see smiles on their faces, and even at this moment there is some form of verbal communication going on. This contrasts sharply to what was happening just yesterday, where they both kept, and I mean KEPT, their distances.

Yes, I feel happy today. I am glad that they are trying. I really hope that this will last and good things will come out of it. However, my fear is that on the first glitch, all will be blown away, and we will be faced again with the annoying dad vs mum situation.

Fingers are crossed.

A crying parent

I beleive one of the worst, if not the worst moment in a persons' life is to be the leaning shoulder of a crying parent. Parents are those people whom you've looked up to since day 1. You see them as your models, the people you should imitate. As you grow older, you further see yourself as a reflection of one of them, maybe blurred, but it is still a refleciton. You think that they are strong, they can face anything and everything.
But when things get bad, and deteriorate, and cannot hold on anymore, they collapse - as all humans beings do. When we were kids, they hide away in such moments or bury their feelings deep within. But with us and them getting older, it is more difficult. And if the issues they are worried about effect us in the same manner, then they bring it out.
I remember once my dad was crying, but his was a different weep. He was pissed to death. We had lunch at our aunts and he drank way over his limit. He went off walking through some country roads dancing from one side to the other. Me and my mum went to fetch him, and managed to bring back home. Immagine the humiliating when a passer by asked if we need any help. I wanted to bury my head just like an ostrich does. My dad then started weeping like a baby, crying out that he was going to die. Well we all do. But he was so drunk that he felt like it. That was one of the worst moments in my life.
Fifteen minutes ago, the same thing happened, same as in a weeping parent. But the scenario was different, and the person. My mum wept her worries, her concerns. I do not know what to do in these situations. It seems that all the fights and arguments between my parents were/are fruitless. People do not change, but they can change their actions. My dad is reluctant to do so. My sister is worried. I know that he does not do things as they should be done. But times change, and so do situations. Insisting on acting when the rest of the family cry to bring things to a half is a recipe of self-destruction. It shows that somebody does not care, neither feel nor give a damn.
I cannot understand why.

Cancelled holidays

My mum has just decided to cancel her trip to Germany. It has to do with the seperation thingy. I think she wants to save some money. Still this thing looms endlessly in my head. Sometimes I ask how come it affects me this much. I mean, I am not a kid anymore, I have a full-time job, my own life. My communication curve with my parents was not always the same. My mum recently told me that I do not talk anymore. She was right. I guess I was a bit stressed at the time, running from one thing to the another. I still am anyway, but there are times where you cannot cope.

Green Fuel

After much thinking and weighing the ups and downs, I finally decided to go for biodiesel. My car is relatively new (2 and a half years) and thus there should have been no modifications needed. But trying something new on another thing which costs quite some money is not easy. I was afraid that I might do some damage to the engine. So far car works OK.

The promoters of biodiesel say that it is better than normal diesel since it is a better lubricant and also slightly increases performance. Well, my principle aim was to give my little part in reducing noxious fumes. The local manufacturers have come up with a mixture of 80:20, thus 80% diesel, 20% bio. The bio part is made up from cooking oils, which i beleive is a good thing. This reduces other damages since before most cooking oils were being put down the drain.

I just hope that more people go for greener products, consume less and seperate waste. We all need to be responsible for our actions.

Still squeky

This blog is still in development stage. I am still getting to grips with the design and layout, so please bear with me.

The beginning of the end

Today is a sad day for me. After two weeks since their last big fight, my parents seem really going for it, yes for separation, or at least my mum is. She sought a lawyer's advice and so on; she will move out; my dad wants that. Shame and sorrow. And to think that they had just celebrated their silver anniversary (25 years) at the end of March. I feel so bad.

Not much can be done. They hardly talk; this has been going on for some time. Me and my sister are most probably going opposite ways too, even more sad. God help us.

In the beginning....

Yep, this is my new beginning. I used to contribute online, some time ago. I had my own website, you know the personal thingy, putting pictures and a mini-diary. Time passed and I did not touch for a while and the host decided to put it offline.

Now I am back, in this particular moment in life. I feel I have to write, to let my feelings out.