Short one this week

Hi guys, today's blog will be a short one.  This week was again a very busy one.  I had to hand in a couple of assignments and had to lead a class.  Feedback looked positive, hope grades will be too.

Anyway to celebrate this, and also due to the fact that the Euro is at its highest since I arrived here, I decided to do some shopping, which I must admit was a bit out of hand.  I think I must control myself a bit more, after all I'm not earning a salary at the end of the month, as I was a few months ago.  I need to look into ways how to earn something, although its not that easy since I have a student visa and I believe I'm not allowed to work in the first year.  Anyway will look into it.

This week lent also started.  This year I'm going to try to be more self disciplined in lent.  I want to set a daily routine and follow it.  I want to be more organized.  Now we'll see how it go.  Mind you, I'm considering Sundays not as part of lent :P.

I received some very good feedback about my last blog, and people asked me to share more of what I'm learning here.  I promise to do so in the coming blogs.  

take care

World, Hold on!!

Do you remember this song by Bob Sinclar, from five or six year ago.  I just came across it on youtube and suddenly remembered the nice partying on those lovely Mediterranean nights.  When I listend to it, I pondered a bit more on its lyrics.  I think they have some very nice meaning, or at least a nice meaning can be assigned to them.  It’s a message of hope, but also a message for the world to wake up to do something for the future.  At least that’s the meaning I assigned to it.  Perhaps it’s because of my experiences this week.

This week I celebrated my first month of being here in Chicago.  Early this week, the blog also exceeded 500 views.  I don’t know what this means, but I am assuming that you are still interested in what I’m writing.  On the other hand, this was a bad week for Tina, you remember her?  I trimmed most of her leaves now, but she looks very frail, and I don’t know whether she’ll survive.  I know I should have changed her pot some time ago, but I didn’t have any time to look for gardening shops, and to tell you the truth she has bored me a bit.  Do you think I’ve already become something of a consumerist?:P  She is a good listener, but seldom provides any feedback.  So I am investing my time in better friends – more human you know.

In fact this week I did quite some hanging out with different people, which helped me get to know better some of my class mates and I also got to know some new people who I met through a seminar I attended to. 

Community Organising

The seminar was about community organising, but with a faith rooted approach.  “Community organising’ here is quite a big thing and much more organised than what we do in Malta.  Obama’s job as a lawyer was in fact as a community organiser.  It is also one of the aspects I’m studying here.  It’s mainly based on an institution founded by a guy from Chicago called Saul Alinsky.  The approach is very much organised and choreographed, nothing like our way of doing things, and it is directed at achieving the power, which is the ability to act and which ultimately will lead you to reach the goals of the community, as opposed to people such as corporate companies’ agendas.   The topic is obviously much deeper than that, and I’m still understanding it.  However one aspect which is lacking in the original approach is the faith aspect.  The seminar I went to, thus tries to Christianise this approach.  For instance you look at the people you want to get something from (example – the CEOs of Corporate Companies), not as your enemies but as collaborators, towards achieving this common goal.  The subject gets a completely new dimension once faith, hope and love are added to the formula.  It gets more colourful I think.  The subject is very interesting, and it is a way of getting things done.  I do hope to learn more on the subject, and hope that I’ll be able to share more with you about the subject, and perhaps import some of it to my home country too.

At this seminar I met some very interesting people, who have different stories and experiences, and that’s what making this Chicago experience so enriching to me.  We discussed a lot the issue of poverty and the issue of wealth distribution.  Wealth distribution and segregation seemed to stand out throughout the conference.  Two aspects which I think will be major issues in Maltese society soon enough.

I also really liked the place were the seminar was held.  The building was a red brick box with a timber framework roof.  It looked very industrial, and although I don’t have any information about it I believe it had an industrial use, but was now converted into a church.  Some aspects of the conversion I liked, but I think there were too much different elements and sometimes the old structure wasn’t respected enough.  So you can imagine that I spent some good time daydreaming of renovations and redesign of the building.  I wanted to attach some pictures of the space, but I’m momentarily without a camera.  I’m doing some research for a good one, and hopefully will soon start uploading photos to accompany my blog again.

Networking & Facebook

I am also realising the importance of networking.  Networking is as important as money, if you want to have a say in society.  It’s a way of getting a message through.  Facebook is one of the ways networking can be done, although I believe that on it’s own it is not strong enough, physical communication still remains the most effective.

Still I have noted something interesting going on on facebook this week.  There was this sudden crop up of loads of what I defined as ‘Identity Pictures’.  Everyone is posting 6 photos on a black background which say: What I do, what my mother thinks I do, What my friends think I do, What I really do, and so on.  Some of them are cool, others not so much.

The question is: what are people really trying to say with these images?  I don’t know, but its quite evident how contagious facebook is.  Someone starts something and suddenly it spreads all over the world.  We saw it with these identity pictures, and even the arab spring revolutions are said to have started in this way.

So the question in my mind now is: What should I post to spread a wish all around the world to sponsor me? :P

World hold on!!

Hi Folks,

Today my blog is shorter and reaches you later than usual.  Yes, this week was indeed a very hectic one.  I am also sleeping a real lot, something like 10 hours a day.  I don’t know why, but if I don’t sleep that much I feel destroyed.

I started writing this blog yesterday when I was at the Chicago Cultural Centre listening to an orchestra playing some nice classical music.  The orchestra had as it’s backdrop, Chicago’s millennium park, through two large glazed openings.  The setting was really nice and the atmosphere uplifting.  Unfortunately I didn’t have my camera with me. :(

Anyway I will definitely go back for such occasions.

Saturday I went to a friend's house who organized a party.  It was fun, although I'm continuing to realize how American culture is different from ours.  I didn't imagine it was so much different, but alas it is.  I have to do some reading to catch up. :)  

I have to go now, as I have a massive load waiting for me to pick up from the laundry.  I promise to make up for this short blog next week.

Take care

Here's the news

Here's the news!!

I am starting this blog today with a video I patched up using Imovie.  Nothing impressive really.  I just wanted to include the mp3 in the blog, but couldn’t find how, as the only option available is to upload a video.  So I made this short video to accompany the music. 

Still what I really wanted to share with you is this piece of music.  It is an excerpt from Electric Light Orchestra’s “Here’s the news”.  I accidentally came across this track, and realised that it used to be the opening theme of the Maltese TVM News in the early 90’s.  Apart from the nostalgic overtones, it reminded me of the excitement and sense of expectation we used to feel, as soon as this tune was heard.  Probably younger people wouldn’t really understand, but in those days, TVM was the only Maltese TV station, which used to start its transmission only after 16.00.  The only Maltese radio stations were Radju Malta 1 & 2.  Internet was unheard of, so you can imagine how the daily TVM news were very important for us.  Their value in sense of being informed was much more than nowadays. 

This led me to think of the great advances we have gone through as a nation in such a short span of time of around 20 years.  Maybe because I’m away from home, or I don’t know why but all these thinngs passed through my mind when I heard this tune, and it was quite exciting.  Thus I wanted to share all this with you.

Eurovision

As I’m writing today’s blog, I was also watching parts of the Maltese Eurovisoin song contest.  First of all I must say I’m not impressed, especially with the opening, which looked more like the opening of my sixth form soiree in terms of quality, rather than an international show.  Maybe it was a measurement of austerity?

Anyway but what struck me most was that Norman Hamilton guy, boasting of the MSC Splendida – 140,000 tonnes of luxury on the sea….  (until it ends below…) Is this guy living on my same planet?  To me these adverts sounded really out of place.  There was also the Crosscraft advert, which really makes one think…. Their solutions are only cosmetic.  Once the Tv crew stops filming the problem crops up again.  Very good representation of Crosscraft: Good marketing , zero service.

I liked the switched off mobile which rings joke.  Well if not for his political theories, Franco Debono will definitely be remembered for this new kind of mobile. LOL 

With regards to the winning song, I’m quite neutral.  It’s not bad.  I’m very glad Fabrizio didn’t make it, tough.  I have nothing against him, but I think he went enough times already.  Enough on the subject.

Cooking

This week I continued developing my culinary skills.  My old colleagues know how much I like pastries.  So I decided to do a lot of short crust pastry, which I froze.   I also cooked a Quiche.  I couldn’t find ham, so I decided to invent a recipe of my own with mushrooms, broccoli & onion.  The result was superb. 

I also had to do some creative re-use.  The cheapest rolling pin I could find was something over $30.  I decided its’ not really worth buying one.  So I decided to re-use a wine bottle.  And it worked out really well.  The only problem was that I used it, before I drank the wine.  Now will see if it’s still good…..

Since I had some fresh mushrooms left, I decided to go for Tortellini with mushroom sauce, next.  I also have some broccoli left, which I hope to use this week.  By the way, Tina is still alive, although she underwent major trimming.  I’ll keep you posted about my culinary adventures.

Nikki Giovanni Lunch

One of the weekly highlights was the lunch organized in honour of Nikki Giovanni, a world renowned author and poet.  I must admit I didn’t know about her before, but nevertheless attended the event, especially as it was held in the hall which is just opposite my bedroom.  Ms. Giovanni held a very interesting speech, which was quite informal, and very humorous too.  It had its serious moments too., which were also touching.   It described the difficult moments Africans went through when they were forced to leave their homes and travel across the Atlantic action, centuries ago.  This action stripped them of their most treasured possession: freedom, as in the new world they became slaves.  It is indeed a very sad story, a story which was only recently acknowledged.  

I’m proud of living in a time were every human being is recognized as such, or at least were a good chunk of society believes in this principle.  Back home we are struggling a bit with this fact nowadays, due to illegal immigration.  The experience here is making me appreciate more the difficulties which minority groups experience.  After all I’m a minority here J I’m probably the only Maltese in Chicago.  If not, do get in touch with me J

Film Night

Thursday I’ve watched the film The immortals, although a better title would have been the mortals, as from beginning to end its about being bloodily killed.  Even the gods were killed, even tough they should have been immortal.  It’s quite brutal really, and the story doesn’t make much sense.  Moreover it confuses Greek mythology totally.  Anyway it’s one of those free pizza events….. J

Hasta la vista.