The Parish Church of Saint Mary, is popularly known as the Rotunda or the Mosta dome due to its large dome; which can be seen from most parts of Malta.
The church was designed by a Maltese architect called Giorgio Grognet de Vassé. The church’s design was closely based on the Pantheon in Rome; 6 columned portico with a circular 39.6m diameter dome. It was built between the 1833 and 1860 with funds raised by the local people.
During World War 2 in 1942, a bomb fell through the church and it didn’t detonate. This was considered as a miracle especially since around 300 people were in the church waiting for the mass to commence. A replica of the said bomb is available to see in the sacristy, left of the altar.
Around 2 weeks ago it was announced that my favourite living stand-up comedian will be in Malta in April. In case you are wondering, yes it is Jimmy Carr. You can imagine my sheer excitement about this news… So much so, due to the fact that I would have never thought he’d step foot on this forsaken island.
Now I wish he didn’t.
Why? You ask.
BECAUSE.
Because, while the REST OF THE WORLD gets to enjoy a Jimmy Carr show with the below pricing, in Malta the prices start at 50 Euro per seat, which would give you the worse sitting places, and on top of that, the VIP seats (which are front cinema seats so to speak) are sold at 120 Euro each.
£25 is roughly 32 Euro
Trying to get tickets is a nightmare for various reasons. The company selling the tickets just put up the tickets on sale today, with no advise on time and date these will be made available beforehand (unlike in the UK, where announcements are placed with date and time and instructions on from where you can obtain such tickets). To add insult to injury, I found out the tickets were on sale around 30 minutes after it all started, which resulted in:
If I were to purchase tickets, the good seats (which I could afford, which were nowhere close to the 120 euro band) were taken
The website was not accepting my password, throwing random error messages in my face
The website would not let me reset my password claiming I had multiple accounts tagged to the same email address (which is not my fault really, if the website database sucks so much)
Registering with another email address took me multiple attempts due to it being to busy, probably the website was set-up on the cheapest server plan available
Up until an hour ago (4pm), I was still not even able see the seating plan, let alone buy tickets (this was 4 hours after the tickets went on sale).
In conclusion, much to my disappointment, I decided to boycott this initiative as I am not willing to put my hard-earned money onto a seat which would cost me at least twice as much in any other venue overseas.
Next step is to plan my next UK visit wisely and make sure I will de-tour to one of Jimmy Carr’s shows before I visit my boyfriend in Wales. Unless he’d like to join me of course.
Side-note: Due to my avid fascination and love for this comedian, I did end up going to his shows in 2011 (Stoke-on-Trent), 2012 (Stoke-on-Trent) and 2014 (Stockport) all in the UK. The last time I visited, Jimmy personally asked for a photo with me which I was planning to take to the show to get it signed in April. Guess my mission will be completed later on in the year, although postponed at this very moment.
When it comes to the subject on how valuable we are, one would think firstly on money. It is true that having an indefinite amount of money, would make you to an extend superior than anyone else, because it means that you can live comfortably, afford the little (and big!) things in life. With money one can upgrade his/her gadgets when they see fit, and spend money loosely without wondering if they they’d survive until months end.
But in reality, money is just money, and things are just things. They’d make you happy when you get them, but sooner or later it is just yet another thing you own, which you will most likely put aside when something better comes along. It is only temporary….
You cannot put a price on what truly is valuable in ourselves and our lives… For instance, the memories we make, we will cherish for the rest of our life. Loving the people close to us, will make us feel complete, and despite the fights and disagreements, we all make our peace and never put each other aside. Investing our time on this and reminiscing about this would always bring a smile to our face. So does, when helping someone in need (a random act of kindness), or a friend who is in a rough situation.
Money, and possessing lots of expensive things, is all fine and dandy, but not if you have no one to share them with because you are just focused on work or you are greedy. Nothing makes your heart happier and rich than when you matter to people, and when you are loved for who you are.
Always appreciate what you have, and don’t do anything silly to jeopardise it. Remember, there are always people around you who want what you have. Never take it for granted.
Some of the most beautiful areas for walks or hikes in Malta are situated in the limits of Siggiewi. One of the spots goes by the name of ‘Fawwara’. The word fawwara translates to spring in English, and this name was chosen for this stretch of land due to the fact that in the past it supplied a large amount of water.
The history of this area goes as far as when the Arabs took over Malta, it has seen the death of many christian women, and proof of this is two chapels within Fawwara which are still standing to this day. These were built in 1616 and 1575. The latter even had a small village surrounding it (Hal Kbir) during the Medieval area. Needless to say, Siggiewi has existed on our little island for a very, very long time.
Below are some photos I have taken of the area, showing sunsets as well as some picturesque captures. Can’t wait to return back here in the next couple of days 🙂
First of all, I would like to apologise for being quiet all week, but it has been a very stressful week with work, with all the bad news (David Bowie, Alan Rickman), and I tried to stay away from social media as much as possible. In fact, I have been only active on instagram which you can have a look at and follow here: SteffiWorld 🙂
Anyway, onto my rant now…
Lately I have been realising that a certain someone has been copying my doings online, and note acknowledging me or even bothering to say they like it, before they do their twist of my posts. Sure, it is lovely to inspire people, but it sucks when people copy you straight up as if it was their own thing.
I know that who reads this, will quite possibly not understand my frustration and simply utter the words “welcome to the Internet! Nothing you do online is yours.” But why is it so difficult for people to admit inspiration, why can’t they ask for permission if they are not capable with coming up with their own ideas?
In the end, I actually feel sorry for them, because once their followers figure out what they’re doing, they shall hit rock bottom and lose all their recognition and popularity. What goes round comes around missy, you will pay in the end! Ha ha ha.
I know, the title of this blog post is a little bit out there and a little bit generic, but today, I am in the mood of writing what’s on my mind and that’s about it. This won’t be the most structured post you will read from my end, but it will contain some raw thoughts coming up straight from my brain onto paper.
Why are some people so hard to figure out?
I’m all up for challenges, as I am not one who likes things easy in life (might be because I always work hard to get what I want, and I was never spoon fed), but sometimes you just want things to go your way without a single word or disagreement.
It bothers me when people behave around me (in private) one way… being all funny and goofy and sweet and loyal…. and then in public they are a totally different person. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate that they feel comfortable enough around me and trust me enough to show me their soft side, but why all the changes? Why do you have to turn into a cold / inconsiderate / macho beast when with friends?
Is this normal, or is this because one of their personalities is fake, just to lure people in their life?
As if life is a popularity contest.
I know that as a person, I behave different with different people, but mainly because some of my acquaintances do not appreciate certain qualities I have and I’d rather not create chaos and go with the flow. But with people I know, love or consider as friends… I’d be truly myself…. and if you can’t deal with that… it’s your loss.
During my last visit to North Wales in November, my boyfriend who knows how much I adore castles took me to Flint Castle. I did see some photos of the castle before we made way to it, but as soon as I saw the castle up on a green grassed hill, I realised that the photos didn’t do it justice. Although not massive in size, the location and the atmosphere was amazing. The fact that we were the only two people on its grounds made it even more special.
A little bit of history
The castle has been erect for over 700 years now. In fact the building work began in the year 1277 and was finalised in 1284. It took 1,800 workers and masons to built the foundations and the castle itself. This castle was the first castles to be built after King Edward I invaded Wales. The design of the castle is a mix of Gothic architecture of the Medieval era together with the design of a Concentric castle – making it stronger, bigger and more luxurious than most castles built during the same time. Flint Castle’s unique fortress design was not repeated in any other castle, and as such the layout at Flint remains unique throughout the British Isles.
One important feature of flint Castle is its access to the sea. This not only speeded up construction due to the ability of transporting equipment and building materials by boats, but also helped in the success of the new fortified town which was built around the same time as the castle. This ensured that the town had fresh food supplies and provisions which prevented its occupants from starving to death during the siege warfare.
The castle is located on the North-East coast of Wales, which gives a magnificent view of the shore and Liverpool in the distance.
Interesting facts
– In 1399 Richard II of England was held by Henry Bolingbroke at Flint Castle before returning to London
– During the English Civil Wars which started in 1642, the castle was held by the Royalists. After a 3 month siege it was then captured by the Parliamentarians in 1647. In order to prevent the castle to be used again in a conflict, the castle was set for destruction. It is because of this, that what remains today is ruins.
– Today, the castle is maintained by CADW which is the Welsh government body that conserved and promotes the building heritage of Wales. The castle can be accessed by the public for free.
– In summer 2009 the castle was temporarily closed due to anti-social behaviour as teenagers were drinking and vandalising the castle. It reopened after CADW liaised with police to improve security at the castle.
What I refer to dreams in this article are the ones you actually get while you are asleep, not the other kind which I aspire to reach in the coming days, months or years.
I am not one who dreams a lot, or maybe I do… but I don’t remember them… not even briefly; Except when I have a nightmare.
In real life, we tend to remember or focus more on the bad stuff rather than what is going well and what makes us happy. It tends to be easier to remember how someone has hurt us, rather than the many times they managed to put a smile on our face.
And it seems like when it comes to dreams, my brain tends to highlight the bad stuff too. Not only that, but I manage to wake up at ungodly hours, become annoyed about what made me have such a nightmare, and as soon as I fall asleep with the hopes that the dream ends there, it ironically continues right were it paused earlier. The HORROR!
Because having a restless night is not enough, I end up in a bad mood and wonder why I dreamt this. Although I do not believe that dreams mean something in particular, sometimes I wonder if my nightmares are trying to indicate something wrong with my life.
The 30th of December 2014, was the day when I officially started off my blog. One year later, with close to 17,000 unique readers and 180 blog posts, I can happily say that I managed to keep my last year’s resolution. I have had readers from 112 countries around the world with my top 3 countries being Malta, Germany and almost a tie between US and UK.
2015, was a very interesting year for me.
I have had too many opportunities to call it quits this year… had a lot of struggles with the house, finances, friends wise, emotionally… but at this point in time, I feel happy. I have tackled every issue I have encountered; I know I have not fixed them all to their entirety but I know that eventually, I will get there. I have took the bull by the horns; I’m fighting…. and I am winning.
Finally, I feel like I am in a good place, and I am getting what I deserve.
Here is, to another new year of fighting, not giving up and chasing dreams.
Happy New Year to all of my friends and frenemies!
Steffi Says... 