to infinity and beyond

"The" Flag

2006-05-13T20:53:00.000+02:00

According to Wikipedia, Patriotism denotes positive attitudes by individuals to their own civic or political community, to its culture, its members, and to its interests. To actions towards other countries, or to non-civic groups, are not generally described as 'patriotic', and they may be referred to by a specific name, such as pro-Greek philhellenism.

To some, patriotism has connotations of self-sacrifice, implying that the individual should place the interests of the community above their personal interests, and in extreme cases their lives. In wartime, patriotism as so understood is assumed to be the main driving force for participation in military operations, certainly if it is voluntary. In this context patriotism is seen as an explanation for the apparent suspension of the instinct for self-preservation, which implies that all humans would avoid a battlefield.

Others, however, associate patriotism with the common good, with the aim of responding to conflicts in ways which ensure that everyone benefits. As such, patriotism has ethical connotations: it implies that the political community is in some way a moral standard or moral value in itself.

Whenever I see this flag I feel proud to be Maltese! ... :-)

taken by Caska on 01.05.2006

Caska's Figolla

2006-04-16T08:53:00.000+02:00

Another Easter ... another year has passed! and I present you .. this year's figolla!!!

taken by Caska on 15.04.2006

Marco se ne andato e non ritorna piu!

2006-04-05T22:52:00.000+02:00

The long awaited Marco Masini concert ... seems already it's been so long! Me and my sister were exactly in the perfect window! The performance was excellent .. the memories sweet ... too bad they took my camera!!! at least I managed a couple of mobile pictures!

taken by Caska on 31.03.2006

A new friend

2006-03-27T09:51:00.000+02:00

taken by Caska on 26.03.2006

Eat and let eat!

2006-03-27T09:06:00.000+02:00

Cookout at Mizieb ... the last piggying out. Healthy dieting as from tomorrow! Will post about this dieting in a couple of months!!

taken by Caska on 26.03.2006

Filfla Going Down Down Down

2006-03-06T22:03:00.000+01:00

Yesterday I spent around 6 hours off-roading with my friend aboard his landrover ("il-Bruce"). With all the hopping I couldn't even keep my camera still for a photo! However, this picture captures the spirit of the Route Hunt adventure ...
An old 1942 compass and 1982 maps, a ruler and pencil, a thermos with coffee and lots of enthusiasm were the mixture of ingredients which made this day unforgettable!

taken by Caska on 05.03.2006 - Filfla

Fairytale Path

2006-02-28T22:47:00.000+01:00

The streets in Maastricht at dusk are simply enchanting with a misty look and branches of trees bordering the city ...

taken by Caska on 21.02.2006

Perfection

2006-02-28T22:45:00.000+01:00

taken by Caska on 23.02.2006 - Maastricht NL

Carnival Frenzy

2006-02-27T22:31:00.000+01:00

Carnival in Maastricht

taken by Caska on 21.02.2006

Whose Touch?

2006-02-27T10:23:00.000+01:00

The trees' natural beauty just struck me ... whose touch was it?? :-)

taken by Caska on 21.02.2006 - Maastricht NL

As Soft As Cotton

2006-02-27T09:56:00.000+01:00

Clouds over Italy ... I just wished I could jump onto it!!

taken by Caska on 20.02.2006

Angels Would Fall

2006-02-10T17:44:00.000+01:00

Caska - Self-Portrait ... taken on 10.02.2006

Rainbow Over Valletta

2006-01-21T09:40:00.000+01:00

During the first month of the new year it has rained a lot here in Malta ... and I have been photographing lots of rainbows! This one below is my favourite so far! The size of the image isn't good ... actually it is quite bad! However ... the beauty of the rainbow over Valletta can still be admired!

Valletta; MALTA ... taken by Caska on 16.01.2006

Absorbing The Sun

2006-01-21T09:30:00.000+01:00

The flowers in the photo caught my eye while strolling early in the morning towards the office at my new workplace. The flowers are facing outward towards the sun absorbing it's warmth and energy giving the picture such a deep meaning and making you look beyond :) ... doesn't it? ... however I don't know anything about flowers's names and I don't even know what flower this is!

taken by Caska on 19.01.2006

Last day of 2005

2006-01-01T09:28:00.000+01:00

taken by Caska on 31.12.2005

A very particular work collegue

2005-12-23T11:40:00.000+01:00

taken by Caska 21.12.2005

Mary's Boy Child

2005-11-27T19:50:00.000+01:00

The merriest time of the year for me has finally arrived once more, although I know of someone who classifies Christmas as being the most commercial feast of the year followed closely by St Valentine's Day! To some extent I agree ... today it was the first Advent Sunday but I wonder really how many Christians care about this period which supposedly prepares us spiritually for the celebration of Jesus's birth!

For me, Christmas always means more time spent with my family. Apart from presents and other material things, the childhood memories I shared with my sister are always revived at this time of the year!

Below is a little grotto I made from chestnuts this year for our crib ;-)

Taken by Caska on 25.11.2005

Gudbye Vampire!

2005-10-09T10:57:00.000+02:00

BEAUTIFUL - Jennifer Paige

I'm looking for a way to feel you hold me
To feel your heart beat,
just one more time
I'm reaching back,
trying to touch the moment
Each precious minute
that you were mine

How do you prepare,
when you love someone this way,
To let them go a little more each day?

The stars we put in place
The dreams we didn't waste
The sorrows we embraced
The world belonged to you and me
The oceans that we crossed
The innocence we've lost
The hurting at the end
I'd go there again cause it was beautiful
It was beautiful

Some days missing you is overwhelming
When it hits me you're not coming back
And in my darkest hours
I have wondered
Was it worth it, for the time we had?

My thoughts get kind of scattered,
but one thing I know is true
I bless the day that I found you, oh oh

Oh, the rules we stepped aside
The fear that we defied
The thrill of the ride
The fire in our hearts that burned
The oceans that we crossed
The innocence we've lost
The hurting at the end
I'd go there again cause it was beautiful
So beautiful
It was beautiful

Airshow highlights: Day 5 - Departures (3)

2005-09-26T14:17:00.000+02:00

One last wave!!

taken by Caska on 26.09.05

Airshow highlights: Day 5 - Departures (2)

2005-09-26T14:16:00.000+02:00

The Red Arrows and their support aircraft left very early at around 09:58.

taken by Caska on 26.09.05

Airshow highlights: Day 5 - Departures

2005-09-26T14:13:00.000+02:00

Today, the majority of the aircrafts that were on display for the airshow weekend, left by around 13:00. Below, the Red Arrows and their support aircraft are ready to leave ...

taken by Caska on 26.09.05

Airshow highlights: Day 4 - Display (2)

2005-09-25T19:47:00.000+02:00

Today, although quite cloudy and with scattered showers of rain, it was also another day of exciting aircrafts display. My pick for the day was that of the RAF Tornado F3 below.
Also, at around 6ish, the Spitfire and Hurricane and the Red Arrows made a spectacular fly-past the World War II memorial at Floriana, right outside Valletta during the ceremony commemorating the 60th anniversary since WWII.

The Maltairshow 2005 is over!

taken by Caska Sep '05

Airshow highlights: Day 4 - Display

2005-09-25T19:42:00.000+02:00

Looking through a World War II anti-aircraft canon can be quite an experience!!!!

taken by Caska Sep '05

Airshow highlights: Day 3 - Display (4)

2005-09-24T19:19:00.001+02:00

A heart for someone special from your little red arrow :)

taken by Caska on 24.09.05

Airshow highlights: Day 3 - Display (3)

2005-09-24T19:19:00.000+02:00

The picture speaks for itself :)

Red Arrows taken by Caska on 24.09.05

Airshow highlights: Day 3 - Displays (2)

2005-09-24T19:18:00.000+02:00

The Hurricane taxiing ready to fly ... and the RAF Harrier in the background landing.

taken by Caska 24.09.05

Airshow highlights: Day 3 - Displays

2005-09-24T19:16:00.000+02:00

The first official day of the Maltairshow kicked off at around 10:30 today with a Fire Section Defile and finished at around 17:30 after the display of the Red Arrows acrobatic team. Amongst interesting and rare aircrafts on display and also flying, there was also a re-enactment of World War II showing how life was during the war not only for soldiers and pilots, but also for women and nurses.
However, my favourite photo for today was the one below which captures two little aircraft enthusiasts asking the pilot for an autograph ... :)

photo taken by Caska on 24.09.05

Airshow highlights: Day 2 - Arrivals (2)

2005-09-23T19:56:00.000+02:00

Although I love taking photos of aircrafts, landscapes are still my favourite theme. I couldn't possibly let the sun set and not take a snapshot of the beautiful landscape that could be seen from besides the runway at Ta' Kandja ... this closes the second day of the airshow!

taken by Caska on 23.09.05 @19.01

Airshow highlights: Day 2 - Arrivals

2005-09-23T19:45:00.000+02:00

Finally today all the aircrafts participating in this year's Maltairshow have landed and are ready to kickstart tomorrow's display at 10am to entertain aircraft enthusiasts who are quite numerous here in Malta!

Today's highlight for me was the arrival of the Red Arrows acrobatic team which arrived in Malta in the afternoon, I think some time around 14:50. I was longing to see the Red Arrows once again in Malta! This photo taken digitally is my pick for the day. The aircrafts are forming an arrow themselves ... but what interests me most is the formation of the white smoke which resembles the letter L which is particularly symbolic to me! Could be that the Red Arrows were saluting me at that particular instant!? ;-)

UK's Red Arrows acrobatic team taken by Caska on 23.09.05

Airshow highlights: Day 1 - Arrivals

2005-09-22T19:47:00.000+02:00

The first aircrafts participating in this year's Malta International Airshow have landed!! After spending the whole day taking photos at Luqa and Ta' Kandja ... the main highlight of the day was the fly-past of the two UK civilian aircrafts: the Spitfire and the Hurricane. The image of these two historic planes passing over the Grand Harbour was extremely impressive ... for a split second I imagined myself in World War II!! There were many people gathered on the bastions and the Lower and Upper Barraccas awaiting to see two aircrafts ... this is the best photo of the day for me ;-)

UK Hurricane aircraft taken by Caska on 22.09.05 @18:03

Divergence

2005-09-07T17:26:00.000+02:00

Yesterday morning while waiting for someone to open the office at work I managed to take this beautiful scene which I named “Divergence”. The ship and the tug boat came out of the inner port together and were extremely fascinating as they diverged each to their own direction once they almost reached the tip of the breakwater … one back to the port and the other leaving the Grand Harbour.

taken by Caska on 06.09.2005 @07:39

This diverging action brought to my mind psychology lectures and the concepts of divergence and convergence which I still remember vividly! When we are exploring and making decisions, we use two generic processes: divergence and convergence…naturally, they have quite different thinking methods.

We use divergent approaches when in need to explore and find new things, a process of looking for options, new ideas and so on. Very important in divergent thinking is to be open. This gives way to a creative generation of ideas generated without judgement or thought about which works best.

Convergence is the opposite …when you are thinking convergently, you are seeking a conclusion, an answer, and closure on the topic in question and the decision is made. For many people this is a point of great satisfaction. For others, it includes the worry that you might have got it wrong...

Thoughts From The Middle Of Nowhere

2005-08-28T19:48:00.000+02:00

It’s already been a week since the mini-trip to heaven and back. Although Gozo is just about one hour away from home (car + ferry), funnily enough I can count on my fingers the number of times in my life I have been to Malta’s sister island. Besides beautiful sunsets and delicious traditional food, the best memories were on Sunday morning when it rained so hard for a few minutes. I was impossible to resist the temptation of going out and feel the rain on your face.

The last few months were a depressing but meaningful harvest time and this trip has helped to make a break … the speed of time is working wonders. Nothing is impossible to a willing heart is always my creed.

I came across some words of wisdom today which I would like to share here …

“Energy rightly applied can accomplish anything” – Nelly Bly (1864 – 1922)

“As long as you keep a person down, some part of you has to be down there to hold the person down, so it means you cannot soar as you otherwise might” – Marian Anderson (1897 – 1993)

Photo taken by Caska on 20.08.2005 - Gozo

The Awakening

2005-08-18T10:44:00.000+02:00

Dainah is happy I am taking photos with her once again! Can you see an outline of a Phoenix, reborn from it's ashes, ready to start a new life captured in this photo?? or maybe it's just me and my strange thoughts on the beginning of a summer looong weekend for me ... tomorrow off to Gozo … celebrating big time!

photo taken by Caska 05.08.05 at Bkara

For The Dead Travel Fast

2005-05-10T12:18:00.000+02:00

I did not sleep well, though my bed was comfortable enough, for I had all sorts of queer dreams. There was a dog howling all night under my window, which may have had something to do with it; or it may have been the paprika, for I had to drink up all the water in my carafe, and was still thirsty. Towards morning I slept and was wakened by the continuous knocking at my door, so I guess I must have been sleeping soundly then.
…
All day long we seemed to dawdle through a country which was full of beauty of every kind. Sometimes we saw little towns or castles on the top of steep hills such as we see in old missals; sometimes we ran by rivers and streams which seemed from the wide stony margin on each side of them to be subject of great floods. It takes a lot of water, and running strong, to sweep the outside edge of a river clear.
…
This could not be true, because up to then he had understood it perfectly.
…
"It is the eve of St. George’s Day. Do you not know that tonight, when the clock strikes midnight, all the evil things in the world will have full sway? Do you know where you are going, and what you are going to?"
…
This was not very pleasant for me, just starting for an unknown place to meet an unknown man. But everyone seemed so kind-hearted, and so sorrowful, and so sympathetic that I could not but be touched.
…
One of my companions whispered to another the line from Burger’s "Lenore" : "Denn die Todten reiten Schnell." ("For the dead travel fast.")
…
One passage of it, at least, gave me a thrill of pleasure.
…
His face was a strong, a very strong, aquiline, with high bridge of the thin nose and peculiarly arched nostrils, with lofty domed forehead, and hair growing scantily round the temples but profusely elsewhere. His eyebrows were very massive, almost meeting over the nose, and with bushy hair that seemed to curl in its own profusion. The mouth, so far as I could see it under the heavy moustache, was fixed and rather cruel-looking, with peculiarly sharp white teeth. These protruded over the lips, whose remarkable ruddiness showed astonishing vitality in a man of his years. For the rest, his ears were pale, and at the tops extremely pointed. The chin was broad and strong, and the cheeks firm though thin. The general effect was one of extraordinary pallor.
…
"Listen to them, the children of the night. What music they make!"
…
I am all in a sea of wonders. I doubt. I fear. I think strange things, which I dare not confess to my own soul. God keep me, if only for the sake of those dear to me!
…
"Why there is the morning again!”
…
"And this is the wretched thing that has done the mischief. It is a foul bauble of man’s vanity. Away with it!"
…
Doors, doors, doors everywhere, and all locked and bolted.
…
And we both want to mingle our weeps over the wine cup, and to drink a health with all our hearts to the happiest man in all the wide world, who has won the noblest heart that God has made and best worth winning. We promise you a hearty welcome, and a loving greeting, and a health as true as your own right hand. We shall both swear to leave you at home if you drink too deep to a certain pair of eyes. Come!
…
The great nostrils of the white aquiline nose opened wide and quivered at the edge, and the white sharp teeth, behind the full lips of the blood dripping mouth.
…
"You think to baffle me, you with your pale faces all in a row, like sheep in a butcher’s. You shall be sorry yet, each one of you! You think you have left me without a place to rest, but I have more. My revenge is just begun! I spread it over centuries, and time is on my side.

taken from: “Dracula” by Bram Stoker

For Eternity

2005-04-13T19:50:00.000+02:00

taken by Caska '05

Totus ilicet?

2005-04-10T19:42:00.000+02:00

Like most of the people around the world, I have followed closely the last few days of Pope John Paul II’s mortal life and eventually the Mass celebrated for his funeral on Friday as the rest of the world bid farewell to this great person. In my opinion, his greatness is mostly reflected in his personal motto, Totus Tuus (Completely Yours) … his faith was so impressive! Even if you were not interested in what was happening in Rome this week, it was impossible not to follow what was going on. “Il futuro del mondo risplende nei vostri occhi” (The future of the world shines in your eyes), what Pope John Paul II said about the young generation is the phrase that is and will always remain imprinted in my mind. May he rest in peace.

All has been said and told on our Pope … but now what is left? Just some time after the Mass celebrated for Pope John Paul II’s funeral ended, I was online speaking to some of my friends who were quite disturbed about some material they found online regarding Nostradamus’s prophecies related to the Catholic Church’s Pope’s death and the aftermath. Several leading sources have all reported the same report which basically says that “according to an interpretation of Nostradamus's prophecies by a leading Colombian author, the pope elected to succeed John Paul II will be assassinated and his death will spark a Muslim invasion of the west that will split the Catholic Church”.

Furthermore, on a personal note from an unknown source (I still haven’t managed to find his or her name!), in his or her explanation of Nostradamus’s prophecies, it is mentioned that amongst the mortal calamities that will hit the world in the very near future, the one that struck me the most was that “Lybia shall capture Malta and surrounding islands”!! Oh Oh! I wonder! Is it really the case to alarm the world with such reports and opinions? Does the death of a holy man as was Pope John Paul II really mean that for the world everything is totus ilicet and that all he has built during his pontiff will crumble down?

Fishes, Figollas and the Bible

2005-03-25T14:47:00.000+01:00

These past few days I was busy trying to bake and decorate my Easter figollas for the second year in a row! I believe in the saying "practise makes perfect" … and in fact this year’s figollas have improved in presentation … they actually look like little fishes covered with chocolate not sharks like last year’s! I guess the taste is good as well since I mixed only delicious yummy good things ;)

taken by Caska on 25 March 2005

While we were busy mixing the ingredients, my sister started this interesting conversation about why last year I chose to buy the fish pattern for the figolla. She thought there was some highly intellectual biblical meaning behind it all … but to say the truth, I just chose that pattern because it was cute and simple. I didn’t get a lamb or rabbit pattern so that I won’t have to go through the trouble of people trying to guess what animal it is!

So I have been trying all morning to find a reasonable explanation of the importance or symbolic meaning of the fish in the Bible. I have gone through lots of rabbi speeches and other biblical sources and finally I think I found what satisfied my curiosity:

… The fish has been an important symbol in Christianity since the early Church. The fish symbol is based on the Greek word, ichthus, which means fish, and is an acronym in Greek for "Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour."
Taken from: http://www.bf.org/fish.htm

As usual, my interest in the explanation of dreams led me also to find the meaning of dreaming about fish! :

To see fish swimming freely in clear water is an omen of wealth and personal power. If you were fishing in clear water and could see the fish bite, it indicates that you will discover or acquire some knowledge which can be used very advantageously. Dead fish either in their natural habitat or in a market are an omen of disappointment or discouragement. To dream of catching a fish is an augury of success, and the bigger the fish the bigger the success; and if you saw a fish moving its fins, you can expect to be freed of any worrying responsibilities. If your dream featured carp, it is a warning against subjecting yourself to criticism by ill-considered actions. Eating or cooking fish (except carp) is considered a general good omen for your current undertakings. If your dream involved a fishnet, it means reverses if the net was empty, success if it was full, and disappointment if it was torn, unless it was torn but still had fish in it, in which case it signifies success of a limited nature. Tropical or goldfish in tanks, bowls, or pools indicate ephemeral pleasures. Baiting a fishhook in a dream is a prediction of a passionate new love affair--and if you're not eligible, it will be someone close enough to share the excitement with you; but to get a fishhook stuck in any part of the body is a warning against deceitful acquaintances. To dream of seeing a variety of food fish (live) of rather uncommon species, such as salmon, trout, etc., indicates an increase in social activity and prestige. A dream of trying to hold a fish which wriggles out of your grasp has the obvious meaning, and you must be prepared to lower your sights or find a new liaison. Oddly enough, really rotten fish are an exception to the dead fish rule and are a sign of a sudden large increase in income.
taken from http://www.swoon.com

I hope to see fish swimming freely in clear water or catching them in my dreams … meanwhile I will enjoy my cute figolla fishes!! ;) Happy Easter!!!

Spring Spring Spring

2005-03-19T18:00:00.000+01:00

Spring is practically around the corner and my dear Winter will be kissing us goodbye in a couple of days! My favourite season of the year is over *sob*. Today I went for a long walk and I could already feel that the weather is already much warmer than a couple of weeks ago. There were so many daisies in the fields! I was tempted to pick some and play "loves me; loves me not" game ... but then I decided it was not worth ruining a flower to tell me who loves me and who doesn't ;)

Strangely this year I am looking forward to Spring and eventually Summer although I do not have any particular plans to look forward to! ... maybe it is just the urge to start a new page in my life ... and what better season than Spring can plunge me into this? ;)

....
It's a beehive of buddin' son and daughter life,
Every family has plans in view.
Even down in the brook the underwater life
Is forever blowin' bubbles too.

Every field wears a bonnet
With some spring daisies on it,
Even birds of a feather
show their clothes off together

Sun's gettin' shinery,
to spotlight the finery
Spring, Spring, Spring ...
(taken from "Spring Spring Spring from the musical "Seven Brides For Seven Brothers)

Nostalgia strikes back!

2005-03-05T00:24:00.000+01:00

I have been on a nostalgia kick lately ... not a mellow, sighing sort of nostalgia but rather one that longs for times long out of my memory and probably even nonexistent today.

Some people say that each one of us is like an onion because we all have many layers and over time we keep discovering new things about ourselves. The clock ticks our days off and then ... little by little we learn new things. I learnt many things these past few days which catapulted me into a sea of melancholy. I have learned that I need to be patient and let time take its time. I actually feel some butterflies inside watching, waiting in hope.

These past few days, life has showed me how to hate my burning anger and my suffocating pain ... the eagerness to feel a touch and yet again ... to seek control on anything that might expose me to a world of pain. Could it be that the hope I keep hanging on is right now reading this?

Ci vorrebbe il mare

2005-02-20T22:01:00.000+01:00

Ci Vorrebbe Il Mare - Marco Masini (1990)

Ci vorrebbe il mare
che accarezza i piedi
mentre si cammina
verso un punto che non vedi
ci vorrebbe il mare
su questo cemento
ci vorrebbe il sole
col suo oro e col suo argento

e per questo amore
figlio di un'estate
ci vorrebbe il sale
per guarire le ferite
dei sorrisi bianchi
fra le labbra rosa
a contare stelle
mentre il cielo si riposa.

Ci vorrebbe il mare
per andarci a fondo
ora che mi lasci
come un pacco per il mondo
ci vorrebbe il mare
con le sue tempeste
che battesse ancora forte
sulle tue finestre.

Ci vorrebbe il mare
sulla nostra vita
che lasciasse fuori
come un fiore, le tue dita
così che il tuo amore potrei cogliere e salvare
ma per farlo ancora, giuro,
ci vorrebbe il mare. ...

Ci vorrebbe un mare
dove naufragare
come quelle strane storie di delfini che
vanno a riva per morir vicini
e non si sa perché
come vorrei fare ancora,
amore mio, con te.

Ci vorrebbe il mare per andarci a fondo
ora che mi lasci
come un pacco per il mondo
ci vorrebbe il mare
con le sue tempeste
che battesse ancora forte sulle tue finestre.

Ci vorrebbe il mare
dove non c'è amore
il mare in questo mondo da rifare
ci vorrebbe il mare
ci vorrebbe il mare

photo taken by Caska February 2005

Sandwiches to eat and dream about

2005-01-28T19:03:00.000+01:00

This week I heard one of the strangest things (or maybe I should say the craziest!) I ever heard. While stuck in traffic last Wednesday, I was tuned on a local radio that gives the meaning of a dream every day at 08:30. It said that if you dream you are preparing a sandwich for someone and you go out with this sandwich to give it to him or her, it means that you might be going to get involved in an intimate relationship that will prove to be very difficult so you better watch out.

Crazy! Why a sandwich and not any other digestible thing? I wonder … how could dreaming of a sandwich be a sign of an intimate relationship? I don’t see any link but anyway … maybe it was still too early in the morning to digest well this meaning with a creative mind! If I had to dream of a sandwich I would probably dream that I am gobbling it up :) and what does that mean?

I found online an explanation of the sandwich dream which in a way can be linked to the explanation given on radio … however it still leaves me perplexed!

“To see a sandwich in your dream, suggests that a lot of pressure and stress is being put on you. It also reflects your ability to do two things at once. However, sometimes a sandwich is just a sandwich. To see or eat a fish sandwich in your dream indicates conflict between your spiritual beliefs and what is practical.”
Taken from http://www.dreammoods.com/

This “explanation” of the sandwich-dream induced me to look up the history of sandwiches to see who was the first champion who made a sandwich! I found out that the first recorded sandwich was in the 1st Century B.C. by the famous rabbi, Hillel the Elder. He started the Passover custom of sandwiching a mixture of chopped nuts, apples, spices, and wine between two matzohs to eat with bitter herbs. Interesting “formula” for a great sandwich!

Rainbows and bridges

2005-01-20T20:16:00.000+01:00

photo taken by Caska on 20/01/2005 @16:55

Have faith in your dreams and someday Your rainbow will come shining through. No matter how your heart is grieving , If you keep believing, The dream that you wish will come true. Cinderella

The soul would have no rainbow if the eyes had no tears. Minquass Proverb

It takes both the sun and the rain to make a beautiful rainbow. Unknown

The idea of immortality...will continue to ebb and flow beneath the mists and clouds of doubt and darkness as long as love kisses the lips of death. It is the rainbow - Hope, shining upon the tears of grief. Robert G. Ingersoll, The Ghosts

When I was young and I used to watch the cartoons "Care Bears", I used to envy them ... there was one bear who could create a rainbow from his tummy and all would go up on it and cross over to another place. Oh how I wish I could do that!! A bridge to another world ... Cross over to Never Land :) .... *glowing* ...

for more interesting facts on rainbows and quotes visit http://www.myelectricrainbow.com/

Reading between the lines?

2005-01-13T08:33:00.000+01:00

This morning a friend of mine lent me a cd of the best hits of Phil Collins. Obviously, at the back of the jewel case there was the list of the songs … written one after the other as if they were a paragraph they form this:

Something Happened On The Way To Heaven. Against All Odds. Who Said I Would. One More Night. Don’t Lose My Number. Do You Remember. Another Day In Paradise. Separate Lives. In The Air Tonight. You Can’t Hurry Love. Two Hearts. Sussudio Groovy Kind Of Love. Easy Lover. Take Me Home.

Beautiful! Sounds nostalgic to me. Reminds me of …

Rainy Sadness

2005-01-12T19:14:00.000+01:00

If you're happy and you know it...clap your hands (*clap* clap*) … If you're happy and you know it...clap your hands (*clap* clap*) … hmmm and what am I supposed to do when I am sad? Scream? Cry? … enjoy the sound of silence maybe?

Sadness is like having wool skin and tromping outside into a torrential rain storm. Not only does the entire body get soaked, but the weight clings on like sacks of heavy burden. The storm does not last long, however. Soon you will be climbing the hill and looking towards some middle ground.

I wonder when will I reach that middle ground …

Photo taken by Caska@ her approx. 9-hours/day place …. Isn’t it ironic it looks like a cage?

Captured silhouette on my little rock

2005-01-11T19:09:00.000+01:00

Photo taken by Caska on 11/01/2005 @ 17:20

Silhouettes lack the colorful details of traditional portraits or landscapes and seascapes. The subject is often captured as a black outline against the rest of the picture, generally highlighted by the light of the sun. These images although lacking color can often express powerful moods and emotions :) That is why this is my favourite style to photograph. This photo was taken today ... after a day's hard work seeing that beautiful sky I just wished to be part of it. Sadly ... I am in the dark part of the picture ...

A little thought on silhouettes and shapes by "Inspirations"::

The world is filled with shapes and silhouettes, so why are some more desired than others? A particular curve or a certain line can command passion from a multitude, whilst another may remain undesired. They could be over and done with, only to be declared a treasure immediately after. Shape is an enigma, always altering and always evolving, we dress it up in silhouettes and fancy names but it is a shape and should be appreciated at it's purest level.

Fold that plastic bag!

2005-01-09T09:45:00.000+01:00

With the introduction of eco-tax, Maltese media reported that as expected, the cost of plastic bags will go up. Thus, it is no longer possible for shop owners to continue distributing plastic bags free of charge. No eco-tax will be introduced on bio-degradable bags. Some supermarkets have also introduced cloth bags, which are more durable. All this in the light of the noble aim to discourage the use of plastic bags. Great idea!!

hmmm one can already notice several variations on the charges of plastic bags; ranging from 3c to 5c ... and even more for a slightly larger plastic bag than the normal ones, supposedly because of the different qualities of the bags!

So ... if you don't have enough space to carry a cloth bag here is the solution in 6 easy steps ;-) It's fast, easy, saves you money and it helps save the environment by reusing the same bag!

Step 1. Smoothen a plastic bag and fold in two
Step 2. Fold again from the middle (the shape is now similar to a rectangle)
Step 3. Fold the "rectangle" diagonally ...
Step 4. ... until you have a triangle shape
Step 5. Fold the handles into the slit of the triangle
Step 6. Carry your neatly folded space-saving plastic bag in your pocket

photos by Caska January 2005

What's in the photo?

2005-01-01T19:35:00.000+01:00

This is the first photo I took in 2005 ... I wonder if someone would recognise what it is exactly and where it was taken ;)

photo taken by Caska on 01/01/2005 @00:15

Warm or cold?

2004-12-30T17:16:00.000+01:00

After some “poetry” in the afternoon *glowing eyes* … someone pasted a phrase to me on mIRC that put me in a philosophical mood :)

“A kid asked Jesus: ‘how much do you love me?’ Jesus replied: ‘This much’ and stretched His arms on the cross and died for us. If you believe in God you will send this to everyone on your list. If you delete this, you will have cold love in 2005”.

{ Pearl Harbor Soundtrack – Track 02 – “Tennessee” in the background; repeat on ;) }

First of all, whoever believes in God should believe that Jesus loves us so much that He doesn't need us to send these kind of messages to prove our love and belief to Him. Secondly, I believe that love can never be cold :)

Two random love quotes:
“With love all things are possible. Love gives the heart, the mind, and soul wings to fly and believe in miracles. The inspiration and power to make those dreams come true”.

"Love's pure silver flame gives each innermost spirit invisible warmth."

Ok. So (for me) Love is definitely warm. Many people conclude that Hate, which is considered to be the opposite of love, is cold. However, whilst sharing thoughts on the subject, I concluded that Hate is not cold.

"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart." - Helen Keller …

hmmm Hatred is felt from the heart. Hate means that you feel something for that person; it implies some sort of feeling. If there is feeling, there is warmth. The absence of feeling is indifference and thus indifference is cold. So hate and love become nothing but a continuum of which indifference is the other side of the coin.

The funny thing is, what hurts the most is when you are ignored, not when you are hated … like a piece of metal; it can't love you or hate you because it's cold and because it has no feelings … indifference is the same thing :) …

… time for another warm cappuccino!

Farewell 2004!

2004-12-27T22:32:00.000+01:00

Finally, after ten months working like a slave, I have a whole week of leave from work. So I decided to catch up with the cleaning of my two rooms. The aim is to fare well 2004 and start the 2005 living in a decent milieu!

Honestly, I can’t believe what an extremely difficult task this turned out to be! However, I enjoyed finding things that had unexplainably wondered off and disappeared for the past few months. Cleaning up can be quite a safe but sometimes chilly way of recalling the past … forcing open crammed drawers and boxes. As usual, some things fell out from the back that I had forgotten they even existed. Amongst many other things I found a dummy a friend of mine had given me on my 18th birthday; a cd containing all my university assignments … and last but not least a set of diaries that go back to 2001! It was quite scary opening them and giving a quick glimpse at the contents!

Oh well! A new year is unfolding … I do not wish to look back at 2004 and previous years and recall the good and the bad things etc. I’d rather just look forward … I am still thinking of a New Year resolution. When I was young I remember I read a story of a certain Mr Twiddle, who was a forgetful person. He wrote his New Year resolution on a piece of paper and forgot where he put it. I think finally it was his wife who found it for him. The resolution was that he would try not to be forgetful. Interesting! … That shows that it is useless making resolutions that you are not 100% sure that you will manage to keep ... otherwise you keep passing them on to the next year! So even this year … no resolutions! :)

I wish everyone a Happy New Year, hoping it will be a prosperous one filled with happy moments and lots of love, success, red wine and giggles!

Another fresh New Year is here …
Another year to live!
To banish worry, doubt and fear,
To love and laugh and give!

This bright New Year is given to me
To live each day with zest,
To daily grow and try to be
My highest and my best!

I have the opportunity
Once more to right some wrongs,
To pray for peace, to plant a tree
And sing more joyful songs!

By William Arthur Ward

Christmas aftermath

2004-12-26T10:35:00.000+01:00

Christmas Day is over! Every year I get the usual feeling … that you would have been waiting and preparing so long for the 25th December, but then ... it passes quickly like any normal day (if "someone" had to read this ... lengthy materialist-accusations would follow!!).

hmmm like every year too, my grandfather, a retired proud-to-be-an-ex-British Royal Navy Chef, prepared his special soufflé. Probably, that is the favourite part of the day for most of my family … piggying over the superb sweets he prepares! :)

Now New Year’s Eve is approaching, I wonder if maybe for once I will think of a New Year’s resolution! I have a whole week to think about it ;)

mouth-watering Christmas moments ...

photo taken on 25/12/2004 @09:27

Its winter time!

2004-12-21T18:59:00.000+01:00

“When clouds are seen, wise men put on their cloaks; when great leaves fall then winter is at hand” – William Shakespeare from The Tragedy of King Richard the Third (Third Citizen at II, iii)

My favourite season … winter … started today! :) … clouds and rain are usually associated with this season … and so are hot chocolates, cappuccinos and my precious rug and mittens! Time to get cosy! ;)

Cumulonimbus clouds at the port

photo taken by Caska on 21/12/04 @11:48

To be near you, to be free

2004-12-20T16:31:00.000+01:00

This morning I was speaking to someone who has risked his life to flee from his country which is in war. He described to me his journey, how he, his wife and child were put on a small fishing boat with tens of people unknown to them … the starting point of a journey of hope. His eyes were sad when he was recounting how the situation there forced him to leave his country of origin. He said he remembers the fear when for numerous times the small boat almost overturned … how all the persons from different religions, Christians, Muslims, Orthodox, all prayed together to arrive safely on a land … any land.

“For days we were at a point between life and death. It didn’t matter what religion was the person next to you. We all prayed for a miracle to save us,” he said. Once ashore in an unknown country, they waited for their faith to be decided. “But we were safe and free from oppression. That is what mattered. So we were happy because we were at peace”.

Hearing such stories, I admire these people who have nothing materially but have everything that makes them happy anyway because they have peace at heart. This makes me wonder why I have everything and yet I always crave for more!

This song, Sailing, reminds me of that person and his family, and all the persons who are suffering and are fleeing from their countries. I wish for them peace at Christmas time and always!

SAILING – Rod Stewart

I am sailing, I am sailing, home again 'cross the sea
I am sailing stormy waters, to be near you, to be free
I am flying, I am flying, like a bird 'cross the sky
I am flying, passing high clouds, to be near you, to be free

Can you hear me, can you hear me, through the dark night far away
I am dying, forever crying, to be near you, who can say
Can you hear me, can you hear me, through the dark night far away
I am dying, forever crying, to be near you, who can say

We are sailing, we are sailing, home again, 'cross the sea
We are sailing, stormy waters, to be near you, to be free

Oh Lord, to be near you, to be free
Oh my Lord, to be near you, to be free
Oh my Lord, to be near you, to be free
Oh Lord

Christmas trains and guardian angels

2004-12-20T13:48:00.000+01:00

There was a Christmas competition going on locally during the last couple of weeks. In order to participate, and get the chance to win a hamper (ho ho ho), all you had to do was send an sms completing this sentence in not more than ten words: "I love Christmas because ...". A work collegue of mine dedicated so much effort in trying to complete this sentence it had almost become a question of life or death to come out with something original! She finally came out with this: "I love Christmas because it brings out the child in every one of us" :)

I wonder how true this is! Many people claim that Christmas is the most commercial feast of the year during which businesses flourish while there are people in other countries in the world who are dying of hunger. Ok. I am not trying to sound like a little angel on earth! Far from it! I love presents and all the commercial stuff that Christmas brings along with it. However, I do think that it is important to remember the religious aspect of this feast, an aspect that many do not even consider. Scrooge's Christmas spirits would be working overtime if they really existed!! ;)

Oh well! Christmas also brings with it a lot of childhood memories. The sweetest Christmasy thing I cherish till today is when my Mum gives me my little train in the picture below to hang on the Christmas tree. Everyone at home knows it is my train. I also still remember when me and my sister used to try to wait awake for Christmas Father to catch him red-handed ... but we never managed! or when we used to compete who will count the highest number of window decorations on our way home from granny's :) I could go on forever.

Back to my starting point ... "I love Christmas because 27 years ago on Christmas day, my guardian angel was born, my precious sister" :) . Happy Birthday Mar! and Happy Christmas to everyone ... ho ho ho

photo taken by Caska, Christmas 2004

Silence, Stillness and Solitude

2004-12-18T17:58:00.000+01:00

Today I was looking for a particular book ... "Talk and Grow Rich: Mastering the Art of Persuasion" by Ron Holland.

What struck me most from this book was the author's comparison of the human mind to an iceberg. Holland says that the formula you need for all the wealth, success and achievement, and peace of mind, indeed for all the answers to all your problems is the power of Silence, Stillness and Solitude. All human success and achievement stems from this one power. The secret lies in meditation. When compared to the Westerners, the people of the Eastern world are exceptionally oriented to train their minds to achieve incredible feats through meditation. "The secret of meditation is to hand over your problems to the subconscious mind, which is the master mind, the largest mind, the powerful mind, the creative mind. Think of an iceberg. You know that only one-ninth of the iceberg is visible, and the other eight-ninths of it are below the surface. That huge mass below the surface can be likened to the powerful creative subconscious mind. The small portion on top, the one ninth, is likened to the conscious mind".

Beautiful. Unfortunately, most people tend to use the conscious mind ... we hear alot of the the expression that others don't use any mind at all because they actually don't have one (but that is the starting point of a new vast and extremely delicate argument with various unqiue interpretations! :) ) . The powerful subconscious mind, however, will only operate if given periods of silence, stillness and solitude. Time to start again my meditation exercises! :)

Let the sun go down!

2004-12-17T21:22:00.000+01:00

sunset on a little rock in the Meditteranean Sea ...

photo taken by Caska on 30/7/04 @18:44

My public secret

2004-12-17T21:02:00.000+01:00

My first post :) how exciting! I had never thought of having a blog ... actually I did not know what the use of a blog was until someone invited me to view his! :) ... This very same person has suggested that I use this blog as my public secret.

Public secret! ... What a paradox! I have always been fascinated by paradoxes ... they make me think ... reflect on life itself, how our life can be seen as a paradox in itself! ... I recall an ancient paradox my philosophy lecturer used to emphasise on … "Only one thing is certain -- that is, nothing is certain. If this statement is true, it is also false". How true this is! or is it false? ... :)