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| HOME | #YELLOW | PERSONAL INFO | MIDI | NEW STUFF | E-MAIL ME | PICS |
So.......what's new?
This page is the one which I am most likely to update regularly. It doesn't make sense to simply overwrite anything which I would have written earlier. Therefore this page will also contain a history arranged according to date. This way it will act as a sort of virtual diary. I will keep it as plain as possible so that it will be easy to update. Besides acting as a diary this page will also be a link page to older pages that have somehow lost their relevance and were not included in the main index. This way these may still be appreciated.
KROWM
Tuesday, July 20, 1999
4th September 2001
Mio caro giornalino,
Yeah, I know it's been such a long long time since I last filled these electronic pages of yours. Some of the people here would think that I had abandoned you completely. It is very hard to remember events that occured, say, at the beginning of May. I wouldn't think that there is much to talk about. Whoever studies at University, knows that May is probably the worst month of the year for all the students because practically everyone is studying for credit tests or exams. The credit tests dragged on until the middle of June so I guess that's when I started my so-called holidays. In April, I had applied for a job as an animator, or leader, whichever you prefer, with a major company that brings over students from many parts of Europe and a few other countries outside Europe to learn English. For all intents and purposes, let us call the company XX. Since the group was due to come in July, during the last few days of June I was busy making preparations. These mostly involved visiting sites I had to be familiar with, since a good part of the job is about going places. I worked with XX for a short period of time (1st to 14th July). I must say that despite the relatively low salary and the long, tiring hours, this is a fun job for fun-loving people. It is an experience that I believe had a positive impact on my character and the way I look at things. It is only for this that I recommend it as a one-time job. From the 16th of July to the 10th of August I worked at the government pharmacy in my home town. For the benefit of non-Maltese residents, here we have a laziness-inducing system where the Government finds a summer job for university students at one of it's departments. As opposed to the XX job, this was very relaxing, not so rewarding but still fun. The salary compared to the work-load and working hours was more realistic as well. During this time, I started attending guitar lessons on a regular basis and I am slowly starting to enjoy playing again :-). After the 10th, I had to study for a resit credit test that was due in September. Now it's finally over and I don't want to do a damned thing that is in any way related to study or work!! Looking back, I think that these last three months or so have been a quite enjoyable. This was probably one of the best Summers. A good mix of work and leisure guaranteed that I was practically never bored because of having nothing to do, as used to happen in the previous years. Unfortunately and ironically enough, it was usually Saturday evenings that I enjoyed the least. Now, things seem to be changing for the better. This Summer, I did not go on any trip to Gozo or Comino and there were no other "major" events, either, so there aren't any particular highlights I could talk about. I hope that there would be something worth writing about in the coming month's. For, example, I will try to spend a weekend in Gozo this month.
My foreign-coin collection has increased substantially and so have the duplicate coins. If there's anyone out there wanting to meet and exchange coins, just click the link "E-mail Me" found at the top and bottom of this page. Type "Coins" or something to that effect in the subject line.
As I did in the previous entry, I would like to say "hi" to all my new friends and the people who started joining #Yellow these past few months as well as to my close friends. Thank you for making the quality channel other people can only dream of having. Thank you for your continuous and unconditional support.
I started this letter with "My Dear Diary". I don't think it should be called a diary if it just contains the story of my life and no present thoughts and feelings. At the moment I am actually feeling bored because I have nothing else to do. I guess, this is not the best time to produce QUALITY writing (do I ever?:)), because I need to be in a particular good mood for that. At least, it is still something to do and it is more useful and fun than sitting in front of the TV all morning! This afternoon, some of my friends are going swimming but I just don't like the beach they chose:-). If I am not studying , it makes me sad to know that I 'll be home all day long with nothing to do. I'll try to go out tonight. I am writing this during the morning. I usually spend free mornings like this one sleeping, sometimes even up to lunch time!
Whatever your age, I recommend that you watch the movie "The Kid". Don't be put off by the theme and the fact that it is a Disney movie. So that I do not spoil the fun, I would just like to say that there's more to it than meets the eye. I have watched many a crappy movie these past few months. I think the 80's and early 90's saw very good movies especially of the Sci-Fi and comedy genres. You know "Terminator II", "Robocop", "Police Academy", "Bakc to the Future", etc, etc? What happened to these kinds of movies? I get the impression that there has been an overall reduced quality these past few years. It's a pity because there are some very talented actors starring the movies of today, some of whom have starred in the movies of yesterday and I feel that it is almost a waste of talent. For example, I watched a film about boxing. I forgot the name now but I started making comparisons to that the classic "Rocky IV". The film I watched was about a retired boxer and his three sons that he trained himself. It was about the emotions obstacles, difficulties, etc. The story was a real drag. On the other hand, "Rocky" brings out the real emotions connected to the fight itself but it is also a good story in itself. Nowadays, I don't watch as many movies as I used to when I was young. This may be the reason why I get the impression of a reduced overall quality. Maybe I only watch the bad ones!!:). Another reason may be some form of overall nostalgia for my childhood days. It is about 1 PM.
I take my leave. Until next time, take care of yourselves and each other!!
27th April 2001
Hello Mr. Diary. I am slowly working on a improved version of my website. It's been a long time since I wrote in here. Maintaining a website is not as much fun as you would think: I have to be in the mood for it. Hehe...when you see your friends updating their websites you feel the urge...a sense of duty to do yours!! I am looking for some program I could use to give it a more modern look and make for easier surfing. I have been criticised for creating something that is easy to get lost in. Also, I will try to find a way to arrange the photographs in the "Pics" section in a more user-friendly way because there's nothing worse than getting lost in an electronic mound of pictures!! I want to include many more pictures but scanning is extremely slow here and I have little time. I hope to be able to make things happen this summer (which is surprisingly close!!) Yep, and before that there are the credit-tests, obviously! It is scary when you come to the realisation that you don't remember the last time there was no exam before summer!! Maybe it is the exams that make the summer just like hunger makes food taste better, as the Maltese saying goes. Soon, I have to face a large pile of lever arch files weighted with pharmacy knowledge and truckloads of bull@#$% :-) Lets hope I won't have another truckload of resits to study for this summer!! By the way, I am at last in possession of a driving licence. Since I have no more driving lessons, I decided to start guitar lessons again after five years!! Also, I have newfound interest in my coin collection and am taking it seriously. If you have coins from any country that you can send over or trade, please contact me. The E-mail link is at the bottom and at the top of this page. I take the opportunity to say "hello" to all the new friends I've made over the past few months over IRC. I'd like to thank all my friends for making #yellow the success it is.
8th October 2000
Hey:) You probably thought I had forgotten all about this diary thingy. In a way, that is true: I had all Summer to write something worth reading but somehow didn't find the time. I had not completely forgotten about it. Rather, it's been at the very back of my mind all along. This evening, I could hear it rattle while I danced away at THE discotheque in Paceville!! OK...let's start this entry from tonight and then look back at the "highlights" (and disappointments!!) of these past three months or so. It was a lovely evening and I enjoyed it thoroughly. However, the other weekend was spent in Gozo and was much better. Still, something happened which I think deserves some mentioning.
...and I said to myself "Hey, Check HER out". I gave her an intense look.....Her eyes met mine and SHE smiled...
In July, I had to meet some foreigners from the IRC but didn't work out and lets face it, they rarely do. Sometimes, even meeting Maltese IRC users proves to be difficult, let alone foreigners.
Later that month, my aunt and cousin arrived from Australia and stayed till September. Unfortunately, I couldn't as much time as I desired with them due to Summer Work, exams and assignments.....hmm the system's answer to academical laziness...or whatever you want to call it!! I don't mind studying in Summer. What I hate is the fact that there is a routine...a schedule...similar to what I had in Winter. I feel as if there were no real holidays because of this.
I have learnt one important thing this Summer: If you wanna have fun, you have to create it. They say "Money does not grow on trees", but neither does fun!!
At the moment, I am reading a signed copy of the 1973 book "The Kappillan of Malta", by Nicholas Monsarrat. I am nearing its end and will probably write something about it later on. I highly recommend it as as a unique insight to World War II from the eyes of the Maltese people who had to bear the brunt of it all. I couldn't help comparing it to the classic by Graham Greene, The Power and The Glory. In both books, the main character is a Catholic priest who is our hero, despite some serious sins and sinful thought and lust.
Today I've been a bit crude. I guess I did not really feel like doing this, after all. Still, I had to do it one time or another. There's alot I need to update on this website: It was probably a mistake to include so many web-pages in the first place....it takes so much time to keep everything in order.
1st July 2000
Heh...at last....some free time to update the page!! It's been about two weeks since I started the so called "holidays". They have been hectic and relaxing at the same time. Most importantly, they were fun-packed. This last week was especially good. I spent it away from home with my friends in Malta's sister island, Gozo.
It's been less than 3 hours since I saw (should I say "experienced"?) Samantha Fox live in concert. She had come to Malta about 14 years ago and seemed to enjoy the show as much as the audience did. Luckily enough, I was in the front row. This was an entirely new experience that one has to go through to be able to describe. How many times do we go to a disco or club and sing along with the record? The feeling is good but it can never equal the concert experience. When you look straight into her face (a joy to look at, beleive me) and mouth the words with her, it feels as if it is just you and her in that room: the singer has a one to one relationship with her listener. As you may already know, Fox was mainly successful in the 80s and her songs were recorded in that decade. Thus, we must 've heard the songs a million times. To be able to finally sing live with Samantha was a fantastic opportunity. 10 on 10 for this one!!
24th April 2000
I have received some negative comments on my last entry: It was too personal and too pessimistic. Today, I will attempt to look at reality in a more objective manner but cannot refrain from writing on serious issues.
One statement immediately comes to mind: The worst thing about doing wrong is not the harm you do to others, but the harm you do to yourself. You may eventually be forgiven but you may never be able to forgive yourself. Think and reflect upon these few sentences for a few minutes.
I am reading the book Jurassic Park for the nth time. My first reaction was: "Hey, what a nice Sci-Fi dinosaur book". On a second and third reading, however, one will concentrate more on the computer-talk and the chaos theories. Sometimes, I go to the extreme of saying that the book is not about dinosaurs at all. The story as such is simply the proof of chaos theory and its derivatives described. One cannot help noticing how the semi-ficticious mathematical theories proposed by Dr. Ian Malcolm fit seamlessly with what really occurs in real life. Let us take Page 76 as our first example. A billiard-ball on a pool-table should move in a very regular fashion, according to Newton's Laws, but it doesn't! Slight inaccuracies in the table or the ball will be magnified shortly after the ball hits the walls of the table a couple of times. Many things in the world are like that. A slight change in a serious of events could lead to a completely different series of events. Magnification of a disaster is almost inevitable, just like a growing snowball.
5th April 2000
Oh what a glorious day......cloudless sky, lots of sunshine, a nice westerly wind.... beautiful weather...picnic weather!! Unfortunately I had to go and get my daily dose of boring lectures. After 'school' was over, I went to play tennis with two of my buddies but ended up watching their game and playing close to nothing. I utilised this time to think a little about life: I always do that when I'm alone and have nothing else to do. I thought about what I should write in this entry. A couple of thoughts flashed through my mind which I think are worth mentioning.
Recently, I have revealed my darker side by snapping at a number of friends, via e-mail, for supposedly ruining my weekend. Two of these were the tennis buddies I mentioned above. Ironically enough , while these two were trying to patiently show me where I went wrong, I snapped again! You know how school children pop their heads out of the buses to yell at strangers. Well, that really gets on my nerves...maybe because I never did it myself! Without thinking, I made a rude sign at them. Shame on me!!
I'd like to compare myself to a volcano, one in particular, the Etna, which is found in Sicily. The Etna is a dormant volcano. To people not familiar with volcanoes, it would look very much like a normal mountain. Most of the time I am exactly like this. However, the Etna is not dead; every couple of years or so it spews some lava. This is also what I did. The cap just blew off the other day!!
We all think of volcanoes of being uncontrollable things that capture our imagination every time we see them on T.V. When I went to Sicily, this is what I wanted to see. Instead I got a desolate, large, black chunk of rock that was not exciting at all. In fact it was a depressing sight to behold.
The Etna has never killed anybody but it does serious damage to buildings once in a while. I am told that it gives a serious of warnings before lava spews out, and the lava is viscous and not runny giving people even more time to evacuate. I beleive I am like this. My anger never compares to the more dangerous Hawaiian type of volcanoes. It is relatively harmless just like the Etna. It does cause some damage. In a way, I wish it were a little more destructive. As it is, it seems that I never actually drive my point home. This is worsened by the fact that I use the cowardly E-mail rather than the more direct face-to-face approach.
Maybe you find the volcano metaphor stupid and out of place. However I think I am free to talk about whatever I want, if I do not hurt anyone doing so. Also, I try to strike a balance between keeping a personal diary and a public notice-board in this page.
I am not sorry for what I wrote in that E-mail. I am sorry for the fact that I have somehow managed to create new intra-group rivalities. That is certainly not what I intended.
One thing that struck me in one of the local English-language Newspapers today was a quote from the President of the Republic himself. President de Marco said, "I do not think that when someone criticises you, they are against you." This is the message I want to pass on to all my friends today.
26th March 2000
Today I celebrated my 19th birthday, which was on the 23rd of March. It was a small group affair but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I think everybody enjoyed it, actually. Anyway if you're reading this, THANKS GUYS......You made my eve. I'm sorry that three of my guests couldn't make it. They would undoubtedly have enjoyed it as well. As always I cry out de profundis against the system: The cake, MY CAKE was ordered to be without candied peel or cherries. What really pisses me off is the fact that they probably never gave a hoot about my qualms and just added the darned things to the otherwise delicious almond-cake. I think that's right about enough for me to go and buy my sweets some place else next time!! Confectionaries are not like adventure shops. I mean there aren't many serious adventure shops around: I will very likely buy my canned-adventure stuff from the same shop I mentioned last week. With sweets, however, the situation is different: There is always a cute little sweet-shop just round the corner!
Today I continued to work on my MIDI Page. There's a very long way to go since it involves listing in alphabetical order; adding file size, duration, etc. and linking correctly. I hope it will be up and running one day. In the meantime I want to learn some decent HTML: Maybe I can one day get the site to look more professional without actually using HTML editors. However, there are many other things to do: studying for resits and the other sets of exams and tests, assignments, write-ups, sports (soccer, basketball and maybe tennis), etc, etc. Every birthday one realises that he's got no time to lose. In the end we all want to die knowing that we have made the world a better place as a result of our actions. If this is not the case, at least we want to fulfill ourselves by what we do. I don't remember any other time when i was this close to doing nothing at all. I think I was even more fulfilled in the Summer months of my younger days which were mostly spent in the water. I have jsut finished changing the format of this page. Hopefully, it will be a more enjoyable experience to read ths stuff here.
17th March 2000
Yes yes I am still alive, after all!! Today, two strange things occured which I think are worth recording.
1. I was just leaving University through the main gate and there was this priest-to-be, robe and all, talking to this hell of a girl in a soft, sensual voice!! Life is really unfair, man!!
2. I went to an adventure shop!! You should have seen me!! It was like Lucifer himself entering a church!! However, I was not looking for adventure. I went there to buy myself a torch...and what a phoney place that is: You'd think Malta was all mountains and desert everywhere and not a town in sight!! I went for the size AA kind of torch. The real thing was a beauty of an instrument called Mini-Mag-Lite™. I liked it because it was black and because these torches are used by armies and police-forces the world over. They are renowed for their reliability and price!! However, I had done my homework before I went shopping and knew that this was one of a range of Mag-Lites: I will probably buy a better-sized one online some time in the future. The alternative was a torch 6 times cheaper!! The torch has a camouflage type of design. What a stupid way to design a torch!!..drop the darn thing in some tall grass by mistake...and it will beautifully hide itself away from view, much to your dismay...and you're off to buy a new one!! I bet the manufacturer sprays the torches this way to increase profits....what a scam!! The camouflage is supposed to make the torch look like an adventure thing, and not a sissy-tool used when there is a power-cut.....another of the many canned-adventures paraphernalia!! Anyway....I didn't feel like shopping around for a more decent torch so I bought it.....and then I left that God-forsaken place...hopefully never to return!!
12th August 1999
I still got lots and lots of updating to do on my web-pages. When one reaches a certain state of laziness, he will not even feel like doing the things he normally likes doing!! Therefore, by the end of Summer, this site may never be fully updated, organised and functional. I hope that this will not stop you from visiting anyway once in a while. Fortunately, I am spending more and more time out than on the PC and therefore this reduces the time I spend updating. Some of the pages, I have no idea what form they will take!!
I wish you all out there an enjoyable Summer ( or whatever's left of it!!) Mine is not extraordinary but is just fine. I have made some new Maltese friends on the Internet. To date, I have not met any foreigners who are regular 'net users, in person. If you have talked to me on the IRC or in any other way over the Internet and wish to meet me in real life, be you Maltese or foreign, E-mail me here and write "IRL" in the subject line. You will be contacted as soon as time permits.
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