Amy Winehouse

In all the weeks of press, Amy Winehouse has certainly and most rightly received a backlash from fans. For the past few months we have seen her strolling and rolling through the streets on London with her husband, high on drugs and as fragile as my mums precious ceramic plant pots. She has disgraced her family and has ignored the support her fans have been giving her and continued to be snapped looking like she’s been dragged through a hedge backwards. Don’t get me wrong I am a huge fan however she has received a huge amount of support from her fans who have been spending hard earned………or, student loan, on going to see her perform or in most cases, Not!.
On November 14th at her Birmingham gig she finally endured a well deserved backlash as she was booed by her fans after a dismal performance of fumbling and in some instances even tumbling. The audience had in fact been patient with the drunk star until they finally tired of her when she made a tribute to her accused GBH offender hubby Blake Fielder-Civil. However from the reports, I am wondering whether she was drunk as she said to her booing audience ‘Let me tell you something. First of all, if you’re booing you’re a mug for buying a ticket’. Credit where credit is due, this was a truly hilarious and legendry comment to have made, she was in some respects perfectly right to have said considering that her problems have been known to everyone, maybe this is what should have been expected, however under the circumstances and after the support she has received this though true, should not have been said. Winehouse has most defiantly lost her Birmingham fans; and probably the Manchurians to!.
In all seriousness however, Winehouse does have issues, but she will not resolve her issues until she gets this backlash from fans, if I was in her situation and after all the bad press I knew that I was still loved by fans I wouldn’t bother to change either and so hopefully she may now realise that she is starting to lose her once so supportive fans to and maybe this will tempt her to get the help she needs.
I cannot say that she is not a good role model fro young people because I strongly believe that fame and money exert themselves in different ways and in Winehouse, its happened in a bad way just like Britney Spears and others along the way, Its upto her to get help and hopefully she will and in the mean time it is also upto her fans to show her that what she is doing to herself in appearing on the front of the newspaper, like a scene from Gladiator, is not right.
Get well Amy, you cheeky cow.

Ta Pinu and The Feast, Viva Madonna Tal-Grazzja

Catholism as I mentioned in yesterdays blog is something that is devout, particularly to Our Lady of Grace, to whom the city of Zabbar Sanctuary is dedicated. The paintings and other artefacts in the village church museum are beautiful. I strongly believe that this belief, is the reason for the beautiful nature of the Maltese people. Church is a very important part of the Maltese life and its these beliefs that makes the Maltese such nice, kind and caring peple.
Every year I visit Malta, Ta Pinu church in Gozo is somewhere that I always visit, the church notorious for being a miracle church. I really enjoy visiting this church, it gives you hope when perhaps there is none. 
The feast is another of the most memorable events in Malta and as a child I enjoyed many in Zabbar, the singing the dancing the band and the shear enjoyment of the weekend celebrations is something thats hard to put into words. My family are supporters of Ghaqda Madonna Tal-Grazzja Banda San Mikiel, or the Greens as they are known, however I did attend a Rave of the Societa Filamonica Maria Mater Gratias or Blues, a few years ago, as one of my cousins is a supporter, however our great aunts and uncles are not aware of this or there would be big trouble. The fireworks the church bells, the colours, the motorcycle and bicycle race, a fantastic event which can be enjoyed by young and old. The family gathered on the streets as I was carried high the shoulders of my uncles and paraded around with my green flag, pretending to know the words of the songs that were being sang. The feast days are the most happy memories of Malta I have the whole family would celebrate together and as the years go by those family members who were there at the feast when I was child and are no longer and its these memories that account for the happier days of life.

A Maltese boy in the 1940's

Last night I enjoyed an indepth conversation with my Nunnu Victor about his life growing up in Malta and how he met my Nan Grace. With no apprehension he delved straight in, I could hardly get him stop, and why would I when his story was so facisinating. Firstly I asked him where he met my nan, he said he used to see her going to school and he would meet her in an alleyway in Zabbar when she was finished, he himself was kicked out of school. As nans family were very strict with her she was in big trouble when her father found out she was courting him. Nunnus family were also very strict in particular his father.

I wasnt aware of this until last night but nunnus father Bert was actually English, he was in the Army whilst his Mum Doloris was a nurse, however my Grandad is as Maltese as they get, sun kissed skin all year round, strong maltese accent and so on. Its difficult for me to look at him and believe he has an English father, but its true. Bert used to tell him not to have the Maltese kids in his house, however it would have been very hard being that he was born and living in malta, when my grandad use to talk Maltese to his friends his father use to think they were talking about him, being that he himself didnt know the Maltese language.

When I asked him what he did of an evening, his reply 'chase girls' I wonder if anyone get relate to that!. I said 'but you were with nanna' he replied with a little laugh 'but I still chased girls'. He then continued that he chased girls in Valetta, Cospicua and where he lived Zabbar. Nanna use to cook and clean and often he would go shopping with her where she would buy him sweets!. From the conversation and from witnessing the lives of the majority of my family that live in Malta, it hasnt changed a bit.
I love the traditional lives of the Maltese and I suppose that has alot to do with the religion aswell,the majority are catholic so its taken extremely seriously. in England however its difficult to appreciate one religion fully, as there are so many other religions in practice.Nunnu and nan came to live in England because one of his 4 brothers had came to live here to earn better money, so he decided to. He did add that he was coming back and forth from Malta for many years and did not settle here in England until 1972. This explains why my mum has so many childhood memories in Malta.

Unfortunatly My nan Grace very sadly passed away in April, so Im not able to comment on her life in Malta and her version of events but I know she would have only nice things to say about the things she did and the people she met, she loved Malta and that is where he final resting place is, even though her immediate family are in England, the family chose to bury her in her favourite place where its peaceful and sunny all year round.