Dal-Belġjani jġennuk. L-ewwel nett għandhom ġlieda kontinwa bejniethom fuq il-lingwi. Nofshom jitkellmu bl-Olandiż, u n-nofs l-ieħor bil-Franċiż. U ż-żewġ naħat jirrifjutaw li jitkellmu l-lingwa l-oħra. Tant li bilkemm tista' ssejjaħlu pajjiż, imma żewġ pajjiżi mgħaffġin flimkien kontra qalbhom. Anki l-aħbarijiet li jġibu jinjoraw għal kollox dak li qed jiġri fir-reġjun l-ieħor (sakemm ma tkunx xi ħaġa li turi lil tar-reġjun l-ieħor f'dawl ikrah). Għallinqas in-nies jadattaw ruħhom ċivilment bejniethom, skond il-bżonn.
Il-problema hi, sadattant, li l-korrispondenza uffiċjali kollha ssir bil-lingwa tar-reġjun, biss. Fil-prattika, jien li ngħix fil-Flanders fejn jitkellmu bl-Olandiż, nirċievi KULL ittra, tkun minn għand min tkun, bl-Olandiż. Li ma nifhmux. Allura, meta wara tant taqtigħ ta' qalb fl-aħħar waslu biex tawni karta tal-identità Belġjana (bħala konċessjoni l-ħaddiema tal-kunsill lokali hawnhekk ikellmuni bl-Ingliż, avolja mhux suppost), staqsejthom fuq il-possibbiltà li nitgħallem l-Olandiż, ħalli ma nkunx qisni illitterat ma nifhimx A minn B.
Hi, mela, u żgur li noffru lezzjonijiet tal-Olandiż! U veru. Bl-irħis, issussidjat, biex jgħinu lill-barranin jintegraw ruħhom fil-ħajja tal-lokal. Xi ħlew! Tatni panflitt fuq il-korsijiet li joffru biex titgħallem l-Olandiż. Ovvjament, IL-PANFLITT MIKTUB MINN FUQ S'ISFEL BL-OLANDIŻ.
Imma ngħid jien... Kieku kapaċi naqrah dal-imbierek panflitt - kieku m'għandix bżonn immur lezzjonijiet, le? Jew inkella - la ma naf xejn Olandiż, u għalhekk qed nitlobhom biex immur nitgħallmu, kif il-mitt marelli suppost nifhmu l-panflitt li għandi hawn quddiemi? Eh?
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Monday, October 19, 2009
This young tree is all set and ready for the coming winter. Maybe, hopefully, eventually it will grow up to be a big tree like this: 
Sunday, October 18, 2009
"Black dust mystery unresolved" - Times of Malta
Imma kemm jifilħu jkunu ridikoli. Numru ta' bliet u rħula madwar il-power station tal-Marsa ilhom ix-xhur jekk mhux is-snin isofru minn xita ta' trab irqiq iswed, li min jaf kif qed jirvina saħħet il-popolazzjoni.
Issa l-MEPA qed taparsi jinvestigaw. Talbu biex jittieħdu diversi kampjuni minn postijiet differenti biex jiġu analizzati. Ir-riżultat? Il-kampjuni huma kkontaminati! U allura ma jistgħux jgħidu x'inhu l-kaġun tat-trab l-iswed...
Mela jistgħu jgħidulna jekk jogħġobhom l-għorrief (probabbli esperti wkoll dawn) tal-MEPA:
1. X'kien ir-riżultat tal-analiżi?
2. Minn xiex kienu kkontaminati l-kampjuni?
3. Kif jistgħu jgħidu li l-kampjuni kienu kkontaminati, meta għadna ma nafux x'suppost fihom?
4. Għax ma qalulniex x'kienet is-sustanza prinċipali fil-kampjuni, u jekk kienx hemm xi sustanza li tinsab komuni fil-kampjuni kollha?
5. Hemm bżonn ikollok kampjun 100% pur biex tkun taf minn xiex jikkonsisti t-trab?
6. Jew qed jippruvaw jgħattu lil xi entità importanti?
7. Se jdumu jippruvaw ibellgħulna r-ross bil-labra?
U sadattant ir-rati tal-ażma fost il-popolazzjoni jkomplu jogħlew, meta diġà huma fost l-ogħla fid-dinja. U l-Ministru tal-Ambjent (jeżisti wieħed?) b'rasu mgħaddsa taħt ir-ramel.
Mela ejja nkantaw flimkien: a one - a two - a one two three, "Konna u għadna ngħixu, f'pajjiż tal-Mickey Mouse..."
Issa l-MEPA qed taparsi jinvestigaw. Talbu biex jittieħdu diversi kampjuni minn postijiet differenti biex jiġu analizzati. Ir-riżultat? Il-kampjuni huma kkontaminati! U allura ma jistgħux jgħidu x'inhu l-kaġun tat-trab l-iswed...
Mela jistgħu jgħidulna jekk jogħġobhom l-għorrief (probabbli esperti wkoll dawn) tal-MEPA:
1. X'kien ir-riżultat tal-analiżi?
2. Minn xiex kienu kkontaminati l-kampjuni?
3. Kif jistgħu jgħidu li l-kampjuni kienu kkontaminati, meta għadna ma nafux x'suppost fihom?
4. Għax ma qalulniex x'kienet is-sustanza prinċipali fil-kampjuni, u jekk kienx hemm xi sustanza li tinsab komuni fil-kampjuni kollha?
5. Hemm bżonn ikollok kampjun 100% pur biex tkun taf minn xiex jikkonsisti t-trab?
6. Jew qed jippruvaw jgħattu lil xi entità importanti?
7. Se jdumu jippruvaw ibellgħulna r-ross bil-labra?
U sadattant ir-rati tal-ażma fost il-popolazzjoni jkomplu jogħlew, meta diġà huma fost l-ogħla fid-dinja. U l-Ministru tal-Ambjent (jeżisti wieħed?) b'rasu mgħaddsa taħt ir-ramel.
Mela ejja nkantaw flimkien: a one - a two - a one two three, "Konna u għadna ngħixu, f'pajjiż tal-Mickey Mouse..."
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Almost all couples want their marriage to succeed!
According to The Times of Malta, this earth-shattering revelation was uttered by an "expert" - theologian Aldigonde Brenninkmeijer.
This is how they entitled this incredible piece of news:
Almost all couples want their marriage to succeed - expert
Eureka!
I wonder where the world would be without the knowledge imparted to us by such wise experts. There I went, thinking that people went into marriage hoping that it would fail. Thank you, Mr theologian Aldigonde Brenninkmeijer. Thank you, The Times, for relaying this important information to us deluded ignoramuses.
This is how they entitled this incredible piece of news:
Almost all couples want their marriage to succeed - expert
Eureka!
I wonder where the world would be without the knowledge imparted to us by such wise experts. There I went, thinking that people went into marriage hoping that it would fail. Thank you, Mr theologian Aldigonde Brenninkmeijer. Thank you, The Times, for relaying this important information to us deluded ignoramuses.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Vaclav Klaus
Il-President tar-Repubblika Ċeka Vaclav Klaus ħadd ma kien jaf bih barra minn pajjiżu. Issa rnexxielu jsir famuż mad-dinja kollha. Sar famuż dan Klaus għax se joqgħod jilgħabha tad-diffiċli biex jirratifika t-trattat il-ġdid tal-Unjoni Ewropea. L-opinjoni personali ta' bniedem wieħed iżżomm il-progress ta' kontinent sħiħ, wara li anki l-Irlandiżi vvutaw b'mod ċar favur ir-ratifika. Qal li jrid idaħħal xi klawsola fuq refuġjati ta' wara t-tieni gwerra dinjija biex ma jinsistux li jieħdu lura xi proprjetajiet, xi ħaġa hekk insomma, li ma għandha x'taqsam assolutament xejn mat-trattat. Kemm jiflaħ ikun ridikolu. Dan f'liema pjaneta u f'liema seklu qed jgħix? Issa naraw kif se joħroġ minnu dal-isqaq li daħal fih.
Sadattant il-fama li akkwista bl-intransiġenza tiegħu wasslet biex ir-ritratt tiegħu jitfaċċa anke fuq blogg insinifikanti bħal ma hu dan.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Monday, October 12, 2009
Watermolen Cup 2009 - Epilogue
Success!
I have just checked the final classification of the Watermolen Cup competition, and I just managed to scrape through into the 20th position of my category, with 1574 points, barely two points ahead of my closest rival. It was the last position available for obtaining a prize - 16th to 20th place in the male veteran category - a 25 euro voucher from the Watermolen sports shop.
It was the prize I have been aiming for since the beginning of the competition, all the way since March at Dworp, that interesting but very hilly race through forests in that area, just a couple of weeks after the Malta marathon. Two points. Any slower in any one of the seven races (again, the minimum allowable to obtain a classification), and Francois Rotiers would have beaten me for the 20th position.
So, even the disastrous Kortenberg 12k turned out to be extremely important in the end. While, of course, the race for nut cases on a hot 15 August in mid afternoon, the Zaventem half marathon, was the decisive event that gave me the highest number of points in the competition. That was an incredible run!
These 13 races of the Watermolen Cup will from now on be the framework running calendar for my adopted home in Belgium. I intend to repeat the competition next year, just keeping wary of the possibility of having to negotiate some steep, narrow, slippery forest paths on certain occasions. Hopefully, I'll manage to run in those places where I was unable to participate this year.
So thank you, organisers of the Watermolen Cup. I'm keeping the number 5700 for the 2100 edition.
I have just checked the final classification of the Watermolen Cup competition, and I just managed to scrape through into the 20th position of my category, with 1574 points, barely two points ahead of my closest rival. It was the last position available for obtaining a prize - 16th to 20th place in the male veteran category - a 25 euro voucher from the Watermolen sports shop.
It was the prize I have been aiming for since the beginning of the competition, all the way since March at Dworp, that interesting but very hilly race through forests in that area, just a couple of weeks after the Malta marathon. Two points. Any slower in any one of the seven races (again, the minimum allowable to obtain a classification), and Francois Rotiers would have beaten me for the 20th position.
So, even the disastrous Kortenberg 12k turned out to be extremely important in the end. While, of course, the race for nut cases on a hot 15 August in mid afternoon, the Zaventem half marathon, was the decisive event that gave me the highest number of points in the competition. That was an incredible run!
These 13 races of the Watermolen Cup will from now on be the framework running calendar for my adopted home in Belgium. I intend to repeat the competition next year, just keeping wary of the possibility of having to negotiate some steep, narrow, slippery forest paths on certain occasions. Hopefully, I'll manage to run in those places where I was unable to participate this year.
So thank you, organisers of the Watermolen Cup. I'm keeping the number 5700 for the 2100 edition.
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