Author Archives: Alex

MICHEL GASPARINI

His name was Michel Gasparini. Quite an unremarkable man. Short, overwieght and slightly balding. Very unassuming and with absoloutley no pretence, or claim to fame. Single and a bit of a loner, this was a rather unspectacular man.

I met him in the Western suburbs of Paris in 1986, when he was a direct colleague of my French ex-wife. We never got too close or personal, and I couldn’t have met him more than half a dozen times. But in spite of all of this and the thirty years which have since elapsed, I still remember him distinctly and for good reason.

It must have been on the first occasion that we met, at one of my wife’s work functions, that I was listening in on a conversation between him and some of his mates. It was the normal expected chitchat, talk about their work and other mundane matters. Then suddenly one of them touched what seemed to be a rather hot topic, about rumours that their company might be laying off some workers the following year.

The tone instinctively harshened and people aired their concerns. They all talked of their financial commitments, about the reluctance and difficulty of looking for a new job. All of them revealed a certain uneasiness and anticipation, to see if and when such hearsay was in any way founded.

I was keeping my distance, as the matter did not directly concern me. But as I watched and observed, I noticed that while all of them had visibly been absorbed by this new turn in the conversation, Gasparini had kept the same smile and nonchalant look. He put in the odd word here and there not to be totally left out, but he certainly aired no concern.

Then my wife turned up and joined in the conversation. But I soon asked her why Gasarini seemed so detached and she laughed out in front of the others “Haha my husband asked why Gasparini isn’t worried about getting the sack”. They all laughed and giggled and by general consensus I was informed by all that Gasparini never gave a hoot about anything and that he had a totally relaxed approach to life.

I found this rather intriguing and at the first opportunity I grabbed a quick tete a tete with this unique chap. In so many words he chuckled away with me that he had managed to train himself to take everything with a massive pinch of salt and that he simply refused to worry or get upset about anything.

I initially thought that this might be fun party talk, or just generalisations on his part. However as several of the others joined in next to us, stories of court cases, divorce, health problems, his house catching fire, being falsely accused of theft and being arrested, attempts at being humiliated in front of his colleagues by his boss, and other substantially alarming stuff, was revealed about him. Not to incriminate him in any way, but simply to clearly and unequivocally demonstrate that nothing could ever perturb him. And sure enough, at each of these personal disasters, he laughed and he cracked a joke, and he recounted how merry his was at the time, to the great puzzlement of judges, lawyers, police, insurance surveyors, and all others around.

On the few other occasions I met this man, I always brought up the subject, which in no manner bothered him. On the contrary, he always found new fascinating stories, which would for others translate in a mini nightmare, but which for him were clearly the occasion for a joke and a laugh, both during and after the otherwise harassing experience.

His philosophy was simple, and one known to all, and repeated by many, but truly practiced by very few. It is totally futile to worry and get upset, in fact it only made matters worse. So good old Gasparini had somehow managed to totally disconnect himself from these negative feelings and was literally a very happy man.

As may be seen I have never forgotten this unusual man whom I have always held in great admiration. I cannot say that it has always been my main ambition in life to emulate him, and neither can I say that I did not gain directly from his inspiration.

Our past experiences and the people we meet in the long journey of life, all have some form of impact on our psyche and our behaviour, and it goes without saying that some affect us more than others.

Today I am proud to have finally made it into the Gasparini world of total zen and bliss.

It was obviously a long and slow process, made up of countless little stages in my life. The recent passing away of both my parents contributed to my present attitude, as did my following decision to slow down my work and take more time to enjoy life.

In fact it was a very recent and nearly sudden realisation, that I had finally achieved this elated state.

I can honestly say that now absolutely nothing worries me, I remain unruffled and composed no matter the situation. I simply cannot be troubled or harassed. And above all I have no issues with anyone or with anything, anymore. I have worked out all my issues without exception, and although I obviously have likes and dislikes and preferences, I am totally cool with everything.

Not one person truly upsets, I simply give more attention to some rather than to others. In fact I must admit that those who place themselves as my adversaries tend to amuse me, more than anything else. And what entertains me most is their seriousness and the gravity they give to such situations.

As for all the world’s issues and troubles and tribulations, yes I am very aware of them all. I know that there is suffering and pain and injustice, but my consciousness and knowledge is never transferred into anger or frustration. People’s ignorance and abuse will generate scorn and disdain, but no emotional and passionate behaviour. If people are crass and uncouth and politically incorrect, it does nothing to me more than a chuckle and perhaps a snide remark.

I have however, not only managed to retain my passion and fervour towards life, but also to greatly intensify it. In the process of desensitising myself from the negative, the anger and the frustration, I have simultaneously succeeded in shifting this emotion and sentiment to all that is positive and joyful.

I feel more, I am far more sensitive, I love stronger and I laugh harder and much more frequently. My passion for life has greatly increased, for all that is good and fun and beautiful.

It might sound strange, but I must admit that I am a perfectly happy person.

I care about everything, yet I don’t care too much. I live and let live more than anyone else. I cannot be provoked or angered, simply because I easily rise above it.

I no longer follow the quest for happiness, as I can honestly say that I have fully found it!

THE FRUIT OF LOVE

It lays there in perfect peace and unperturbed harmony. The embodiment of innocence and purity. The fruit of love.

Two people get together for moments of intimacy and passion. Mindless pleasure or purposeful procreation. Physical enjoyment inflamed by lust and sometimes heightened by distant hopes of propagation.

Waves of thoughts and sensations, rushing through loins and minds. Stark images of the erotic, flashes from the past. And then with a sudden tightening, constricting of muscles and veins, furtive and fleeting instants of intense pleasure, until reality slowly creeps back in.

And the miracle has happened. A new life is created. From nothing comes everything. From the improbable and the seemingly absurd comes all.

For nine months the mother’s breath gently oxygenates it, her food sustains it, her love and thoughts nurture it. It grows and it waits. It moves and it kicks, until it is time.

Tiny, weak, miniature, dependant and fragile. So fragile that its beauty is amplified and encapsulated in its absolute vulnerability, leading to the defence and fierce safeguarding by all.

It sleeps, oblivious of its surroundings, dreaming of things to come, uncaring and unawaiting, safely far from any reality, unattached and unthoughtful of any preoccupation.

It twists and it turns without purpose. Its little arms punch away aimlessly in the air and its tiny fingered hands grasp at imaginary mummies and daddies, while it instinctively mimics sucking motions and noises in its sleep.

A perfectly formed individual, with fine wisps of hair, a little pot belly, chubby knees and elbows and a cute button-shaped nose. The tiniest toes and fingers with barely visible but fast growing nails. A nicely rounded bottom and perfectly shaped genitals firmly placing it as little boy or little girl.

It depends entirely on its parents for its survival. Yet it survives. It even thrives.

Until slowly, after years of constant unabating care and attention, with not one small instant of unsupervised heed, it very slowly acquires recognition of its surroundings. The dawn, the awakening, the realisation of self.

We look down at our sleeping babies and cannot help think that they are us and we are them, forever one, forever together, but forever separated by time.

VETTING CONTACTS & PROSPECTIVE EMPLOYEES

SYNOPSIS IN POINT FORM

• Seeking recommendation is vital when dealing with new contacts
• A person’s past is a very good indicator of their expected future behaviour
• Background checks are easy to make as an effective means of checking up on people
• If several reports are firmly negative then stay away
• No honest person should be upset to find out that they are being checked upon
• Ask as many people as you can about them
• You may also check them out well on Facebook and other social media
• Try to find common friends and contacts to speak to
• The same principles apply when recruiting – never take anyone’s word for it
• Make sure that certain jobs & professional experiences have not been purposely omitted

FULL ARTICLE

It is inconceivable to do business, give credit, or trust in any way, anyone whom you do not know well, without first obtaining some background on the person. Yet so many people unfortunately and carelessly do this.

Nobody can give you a guarantee on anyone else’s behaviour and often not even on their own future actions. However it is very obvious that someone’s past behaviour, attitudes, achievements or lack of, are about as clear a picture as you can ever get, and are over all very revealing.

Nobody could have had decades of bad luck or simply a bad phase, and even if they truly did, then this is just as good a reason to steer clear of them.

We live in a perfect society and era to easily obtain such recommendations from others. Malta is small enough to invariably find some connection with anyone, if you look hard enough. And with Facebook and other social media, it is often very easy to delve into somebody’s background and stye.

If you take the time and make the effort to ask around, you will usually get a pretty good profile and feel to the person you are considering dealing with. If you sense some hesitation from various people you ask, then it is always best to delve deeper. Check out what their reservations are based on. Admittedly there are certain individuals, such as some sharp successful businesspeople, who might create some apprehension in others, without every really having caused anyone any harm.

However if you start hearing of hard facts, such as people not being paid, being cheated, or taken for a ride, or simply treated badly, then this is a very clear warning sign to stay well away. Do not kid yourself, if this person has a history of being dishonest and nasty, then the chances of you being the next victim are very close to 100%.

If, on the other hand, you receive only fair reports, then hopefully the coast is clear, and you would have at least surmounted the very first hurdle.

If the person in question finds out that you have been checking on them, then unless they have something ugly to hide, this should really not bother them at all, it should actually flatter them. It also shows that you know how to do your homework and that you are a sensible and clever businessperson. So don’t be duped by silly stories of them being offended by your lack of trust. If they are true businesspeople and not charlatans they know that business is not based on trust but on facts, at least not in the very being.

Trust must be earned through being honest in situations where you had absolutely no control or means to check up on them. When on the other hand there are means of control available, such as this one, then every businessperson should use them to their advantage.

Here are some of the most obvious ways of checking up on someone :
– Simply ask the people around you – family, friends, colleagues, acquaintances
– Ask in any private group, club, forum you form part of, which groups up many individuals
– Check for mutual Facebook friends
– Check out their personal background such as schools, clubs and interests, where you
might have a few contacts
– Ask contacts who are involved in the same business or industry as them
– Check out their business platforms such as their website and FB page for contacts,
recommendations and third parties whom you may know
– Ask for general recommendations in related professional fora
– Failing all of this just ask them! Yes, tell them that you require some recommendations.
This too is normal practice and certainly should never offend

Above all do not just hope for the best. Keep in mind that often the biggest crooks are the best talkers who easily convince others of their false good intentions. So never take anyone’s word for it. Furthermore, what anyone tells you verbally, they should have no qualms putting down on paper. If you are given the lame reply that their word is enough, then start running as fast as you can in the opposite direction.

The same applies when recruiting personnel, although the situation here is much easier. When applying for a job, candidates are meant to list their previous employments and also present written recommendations. But here again never simply take their word for it. Check up on them and follow up all of their past claims without fail.

Also keep in mind that the documentation presented to you could easily be missing certain unsavoury experiences, such as jobs where things went horribly wrong. So when checking up with previous employers, always confirm employment dates to ensure that all jobs have been included.

Possibly the only circumstances when I wouldn’t even bother checking on job candidates, is when they come with stories of abuse and victimisation at each of their past jobs. We can all be misfortunate once or at very most perhaps twice, but anything more is most obviously a self-produced trend. Even however if it is stated that this happened only once, I would still ensure that I delve deeply into the matter by hearing the other side of the story, before I come to my own conclusions on the matter.

What leaves me totally speechless, is how many employers, some of whom are even considered as serious companies, have employed some of my very worst and dishonest employees without even enquiring with me about them. I am referring to cases when I know for a fact that the new employers were very aware that the person in question worked for me, but no checking was done. In every such case that I know of, this employment too finished off with a very terrible outcome, as of course expected.

On one specific occasion, I was under the distinct impression that an employee was hugely cheating me and trying to obtain hard evidence to dismiss him. Then suddenly a close business acquaintance of mine poached him off me to work at his competing business. It transpired later that the employee misappropriated a large amount of money from his new employer’s business within months of his engagement. I still make it a point to thank my ex-competitor each time I see him!

DON’T LEAVE THE LIGHTS ON

Many years ago when I was living in France, one of our favourite pastimes was touring around the endless countryside and many regions of this fascinating country.

On one such occasion we were visiting Normandy, just northwest of Paris. The main scope of our trip was to drive along the stunning coastal cliffs around Etretat, Yport and Fecamp, finishing off at Dieppe, besides savouring the extraordinary regional delights such as their mouthwatering seafood, the many cream based dishes, their superb cheeses, accompanied by lovely apple cider and potent calvados.

We also intended ending our journey by meeting my ex-wife’s brother and his wife, and all spending the night at her mother’s house, in a tiny hamlet, a few kilometres inland from Dieppe. They lived in quite a small apartment in town, but her mother had a very big old house, which was much more convenient to accommodate guests.

So we finally arrive in this little hamlet, literally lost in the middle of nowhere. We got there around dusk, just in time before it became totally dark, especially as it was a sombre and overcast day. As soon as we glimpsed the old house, we were rather struck by its impressive, even foreboding appearance. It stood strangely on its own, away from the other buildings, and had a distinct eerie and sinister feeling to it.

It was one of those large dark stone and black timber framed houses, known as colombage, so typical of the area. We shook off our initial apprehension as we were greeted in by my then brother and sister-in-law, and told to make ourselves comfortable. We were shown to our room right up in the attic, which was furnished with the oldest, heavy, rustic furniture I had seen in a long time.

When we descended to the dining room for dinner, we finally met our sister-in-law’s mother, who was standing oddly by the window of the dimly lit room, staring out into oblivion. She turned around towards us ever so slowly, virtually in slow motion, until we caught sight of her shocking face. She looked exactly like a witch. There were no two ways about it. It was really a witch we were looking at. She had tiny black evil and deeply-set eyes, a long pointed hooked nose, and an even longer chin with a rather ugly wart at its tip. She even cackled when she spoke to us, in her derisive and scornful way.

There was obviously something terribly wrong with this woman, and I am not only referring to her evil looks. She had a sneering, disdainful way of talking to you, and she stared constantly and directly into your eyes, never pulling them away for an instant. Even as we sat around the large dark oak table to eat, somehow each and every time I dared look up, I always found her staring straight at me, in the most unnerving of ways.

Then half way through the meal, she stood up and walked out of the room without saying a word, only to return a few minutes later, pushing an old squeaky wheelchair in which sat her own dying mother.

This was our second big shock of the evening. Her mother was totally paralysed and immobile, but worse still she was also blind and she stared out into the darkness with large horrifying white eyes, while her jaw laid permanently hanging at a very odd angle.

As may be expected, in the circumstances we did not quite enjoy our dinner, and to be honest I cannot even recall what we had eaten that evening. We finished quickly and made it quite obvious that we wanted to retire to our bedroom to sleep.

The witch insisted on coming up with us to lead us back to our room. On the way up she firmly informed us that the only light in our bedroom was the large central chandelier which had eight bulbs, so she insisted that we switch it off at night. What an odd thing to say, I thought. When we got to the bedroom, she opened the door for us, virtually shoving us in, bade us a good night in a clearly mocking tone, and literally slammed the heavy door shut, before proceeding down the corridor, cackling and moaning on her own.

We just looked at each other speechless, really not knowing what to make of all of this. Why hadn’t my brother-in-law mentioned any of this. Surely he too could see the perturbing situation. It was simply one of those mind-boggling situations which just left you speechless, with absolutely no words to describe it.

So we switched off the lights and got into bed. But that’s when the real terror started. The room was in total and perfect darkness. There was nothing, not even the tiniest glimmer of light anywhere. Just complete and pitch black darkness in every direction, no matter how much you desperately looked around.

But the most unsettling thing was that we could distinctly feel a strong sense of evil all around us. There was a morbid and foul sensation filling the room and engulfing us within it. And as it was also perfectly silent, as the saying goes, the silence was deafening. My ears were ringing loudly inside my head.

We just laid there shaking, terrified, hugging each other. Neither of us ever slept. We wouldn’t dare allow ourselves to sleep, making ourselves even more vulnerable to the malicious elements lurking all around us in the dark and preying upon us.

Only half way through the night, I desperately had to use the bathroom, and couldn’t hold it any longer. The word reluctant doesn’t even start to describe my feeling, as I had to crawl out of bed and fumble around blindly in the total darkness to the door, were the light switch was located. By then however, my ex-wife seemed to be finally sleeping, so I left the lights off not to wake her, as I made my way outside into the corridor.

But when I returned and opened the door, I distinctly heard her panting furiously in bed. I quickly switched on the light in a mad panic and there I saw her, lying in bed, with her eyes wide open, and with the most petrified expression ever. She was pinned to the bed and unable to move. Her head and neck seemed to be held down by some ghastly force, visibly being thrusted down into the bed and pillow with great weight.

I flew at her in wild panic. And as soon as I was about to pull her up she literally launched up at me from the waist up, hitting me hard on the chest with her head. She finally came to and started screaming and shouting and weeping uncontrollably, hysterical in her state of total horror and shock. I held her hard in my arms desperately trying to calm her down.

When she could finally talk, the very first thing she told me, was to pack our things there and then and leave immediately without further delay. It did seem like the most obvious thing to do, but somehow even in such terrifying situations, some amount of logic still remains. I was wondering how on earth we would explain our sudden disappearance in the middle of the night to her brother. I was worried that they might call the police, when they didn’t find us in the morning. This was well before the time of mobile phones and we didn’t know the land line number of the house, to inform them the next morning that we had decided to leave.

We discussed what we should do over and over. One thing which was sure, was that we were leaving the lights on! I was also having visions of us getting lost in the surrounding woods and driving around aimlessly in the dark, which was not a very comforting eventuality either. And then, as we continued contemplating the best plan of action, little by little we could see a growing glimmer of light coming in through the window. It was morning and soon the sun would rise, so we might as well do our best to endure the last couple of hours, saving ourselves a lot of very awkward explanations.

We were downstairs very early, packed and ready to go. Even showers and shaving could wait until we got home. We would rather get out of this evil place smelling dirty, than spending even a few minutes more than we had to.

So we had the obligatory so-called breakfast, which in those days consisted only of the French traditional large handleless bowl of black coffee and slice of plain dry bread, and got the hell out of there.

As we were about to exit through the front door, the witch approached us, looked at us malevolently in the eyes and uttered “I told you not to leave the lights on”. We just rushed out without even replying or speaking to her. We jumped into our car and raced off as quickly as we could, in any direction. I only looked back once, when we were about a hundred metres away from the house, and I could swear that I could see her in the window staring right at us.

FACTORING IN TIME IN PROJECTS & CAMPAIGNS

SYNOPSIS IN POINT FORM
 
• Planning a project or campaign properly takes time
• Do not leave matters until the very last minute unless you have to
• Always leave additional time for unexpected problems and circumstances
• When a project is rushed, quality tends to suffer
• It is hard to negotiate with suppliers when you are late
• Final content may always be tweaked at the last moment to retain freshness and a contemporary feel to a campaign
• Devote an appropriate amount of time for each project and not more than it is worth
• Wanting to get things right should not mean getting stuck on trivial matters
• Plan out your projects against a set timeline
• Create a yearly business calendar of your recurring events and projects
 
FULL ARTICLE
 
Today the saying often goes that everyone wants everything done yesterday.
 
I would slightly modify this to saying that everyone who is disorganised and cannot plan properly, wants everything done yesterday.
 
If some people have turned this into some form of trend, then it does not promote them as being terribly professional people. If you are convinced that your managerial prowess works perfectly well, even in time of crisis, then save this for real times of crisis. Do not yourself create unnecessary panic modes, as this will only prove to be disruptive all round.
 
It causes unwarranted stress on yourself, your colleagues and collaborators, your suppliers and clients, and on your business as a whole.
 
If you keep on stretching things over and over, they will eventually break. So be proud not that you manage to pull together the impossible when it was not really required, but that you know how to plan things well in advance, calmly, professionally and without creating unneeded havoc.
 
Management is all about planning and planning is all time-related. Nothing exists on its own without the factor of time.
 
Earning €1000 means nothing unless it is qualified in time. If it is earned in a day is it pretty good, if it is earned in a year, it is negligible. Doubling your sales is excellent over a year and average to mediocre over ten or twelve.
 
Everything is based on time. Leaving matters until the last minute is the sign of bad planning. If something usually takes two weeks to complete, then you should start planning it six weeks in advance and set it in motion fours weeks before, giving yourself plenty of time for unforeseen circumstances which very often crop up.
 
If you are planning a Christmas marketing campaign, then as most serious companies do, you should start considering this in July and August, obtaining quotes in September or very latest October, if it is a very simple affair, and have it all wrapped up and booked by at most the end of October or the beginning of November. But don’t go asking around and contacting suppliers for complex jobs on the second week of December! This is incredulously shortsighted and badly planned. If you’ve missed the boat, just accept it and move on and learn from it, rather than trying to obtain the impossible.
 
Similarly, if you typically launch a promotion at Easter time, then start planning this in mid-Autumn, and if you take part in say the annual Trade Fair starting at the end of June, then January would be an excellent time to start planning this.
 
In today’s business world where much of marketing is campaign driven, rather than planned well in advance, and often happens at the spur of the moment, you will certainly give yourself a very big competitive edge if you are capable enough of foreseeing and planning it properly, before everyone else.
 
Then if you want your campaign to be fresh and based on the very latest events, all you have to do is tweak the content.
 
This is because there is no doubt that insofar as service, care and attention to detail is concerned, nothing has ever changed, and whatever is done in a mad rush still very much tends to be of inferior quality than something which is done slowly and carefully.
 
A professional project, being marketing related or not, is by far the best when it is discussed and considered in-depth, then planned accordingly, and handed over to your suppliers without excessive rush, hence focusing on quality and even price, rather than time. It is obvious that when doing things urgently, you are in no position to negotiate or ask for a discount either.
 
The other extreme is equally counterproductive, and when even the smaller less important decisions are taking up a disproportionate amount of your time, you are being even less professional. I am often astonished how so-called professionals will sometimes meet up repeatedly, discuss, consider and reconsider, an issue which pales in importance next to all the other things they are not doing during all this time.
 
Do not get stuck on petty issues. Afford matters the importance they deserve – no more and no less. The same arguments of time highlighted above apply here too. If you have planned and gone ahead and succeeded on a particular project, but this is a project which should have been turned around and completed in a fraction of the time you devoted to it, then it was not truly a success.
 
If you get stuck pondering over the tiny details for ages, justifying this in your mind by saying that you are a perfectionist and want everything right, then in all probability you are more of a low capacity slow performer and need to train yourself to move on faster. An efficient businessperson can do things properly and quickly and allocates no more than the right amount of time and effort to each process.
 
So as everything else in life, both extremes are odious. Learn how to manage your planning time accordingly and discipline yourself to stick to a set timeline.
 
It always makes sense to map out a project beforehand and this can only be projected against time. Time in turn must be related to allocation of resources and ultimately to profitability,
 
Make up your own business calendar with all the recurring events throughout the year and use it often as a guideline for effective and timely planning.

ALEX AND THE SEVEN GIANTS

Those who have pets will certainly understand me better than those who don’t. But each one of our seven large dogs so obviously has such a distinct character from the others, that is sometimes feels uncanny.

Somehow we seem to associate character variances with humans only, which definitely isn’t the case. Dogs might even have more differing dispositions than we do, perhaps due to the lack of social and ethical pressures and norms.

So it all started a few years ago, when we decided to go to SPCA to get ourselves a puppy. However, upon stating that we had a lot of space and a pleasant disposition, they craftily ‘sold’ us three large ones instead!

It is obvious that everyone wants the puppies first, so it is easy to find a home for these. But it is not everyday that such big suckers as us walk in and agree to take half the damn dogs they have in their kennels…

From left to right - Lucy, Maya, Baci. Orion, Jetty, Chubby and Cessie

From left to right – Lucy, Maya, Baci. Orion, Jetty, Chubby and Cessie

So this is how we got Lucy, Cessie and Jetty.

Lucy is a light brown, short-haired tal-Fenek (pharaoh hound) and tal-Kacca (Maltese hunting dog/pointer) cross. She is very ‘pointery’ and does actually point quite often. She is a very keen hunter for anything that crosses her way – birds, lizards, insects, anything, or rather nothing – stands a chance. She is most definitely the most human of them all. Sometimes I think that she is inside my head.

When there is someone at the gate and all the other dogs are barking furiously at the stranger, totally fixated at the person there, she is the only one who barks in the stranger’s direction, while constantly looking back at the house to see whether we have noticed or not. And after a while she starts barking more and more in the direction of the house, so as to summon us outside.

She also loves to mimic others. I often notice that when the other dogs pee, she often goes straight there and pees over theirs. But that is probably to smother their scent and lay down hers instead. However on one occasion I kid you not, I was peeing myself in the bathroom while she was next to me, she looked up at me, squatted down over the tiled floor, and started peeing too. She obviously decided that it was pee time for all, and for the first time ever, actually peed inside right next to me.

But what I find by far the most fascinating about her, is that although I do not tend to feed them at exactly the same times every day, and I am always moving around the house for much of the time, the moment I decide to go and feed them she somehow senses this and starts barking and screaming like crazy. How she does this I have no idea. But honestly the moment I get up to go and feed them, in the same way I get up to do a hundred other things, she knows immediately that this time my intention is different, and goes wild with excitement.

Then there is Cessie, who very simply is the other extreme. She is a German Shepherd cross who is part gentle and part grumpy. All she wants is to be left alone. She is extremely docile with us but occasionally snappy with the other dogs when their boisterous nature starts to bug her.

It takes a lot to stir her up and in many cases even when all the others are barking like crazy at whatever caught their attention, she remains still, lying down, and occasionally looks up secretly just moving her eyes, to ensure that all is ok, while pretending that she is totally oblivious to the commotion around her.

As for Jetty, her story is a bit more sombre I am afraid. Her first owners were monsters out of hell who used to beat her as a puppy!! but let’s not go there and spoil our mood… So she has remained extremely skittish and even with us after many years she still tends to go through phases. Sometimes she is relatively fine but sometimes she doesn’t even let us touch her. If for example we need to hold her down to change her collar, pull out a couple of ticks, check her out, or whatever, she is so traumatised by the experience that it takes us many months to gain her full confidence again and to be able even to pet her.

The poor thing tries and when say I am in the middle of them all playing and petting them, she is circling around me coming very close and wagging her tail. But sure enough as soon as I tend my arm towards her to pet her, she dodges it and moves just far enough for me not to touch her.

The poor thing has been marked for life and it would be worse to try and force her. There are the odd moments when she feels safe and lets us touch her. We then give her a big hug and a good scratching on her belly, which she thoroughly enjoys.

She is called Jetty because being a black labrador cross, she is a shiny jet black and beautiful.

About a year after we got our first three, I was walking in the countryside, when I encountered this extraordinarily beautiful puppy. A black, and speckled grey male tal-kacca with truly fantastic features. In spite of his tender age, he was left for most of the time on his own, next to a hunter’s lodge, and visibly fed nothing more than dry bread. However I still realised that he wasn’t totally abandoned and did not intend to take him with me. However after playing with him for ages, he wouldn’t let me go, and as I tried to lose him by rushing off, he did his best to chase me on his little shaky legs.

He followed me on and on for ages, until I arrived on a main road full of people and traffic. It was obvious that if I didn’t take him home, somebody else would have, or even worse he would have been run over by a passing car!

I still somehow felt guilty and imagined his owner eventually going on site and finding him missing. So I called SPCA for advice on the matter. But when I explained the conditions this poor puppy was enduring, they insisted that we keep him as ours.

The poor puppy’s belly was totally bloated due to his diet which consisted soled of bread. So we called him Chubby and we really love him dearly.

As he grew he quickly became the king of the castle, surrounded by his harem of bitches. It is so funny watching him in his typical macho ways. We had a large four-dog wooden kennel built and he loves climbing on top of it barking down at the girls beneath him. Cessie couldn’t be bothered and just glances up at him in scorn, probably thinking what a waste of useless energy. Jetty wouldn’t dare challenge his authority and just looks up at him in awe. Lucy on the other hand, would definitely like to have a go and often tries to hop up next to him. But Chubby always fights her down again, strongly affirming that this is his, and only his, superior perch. Once he has fully affirmed his dominance and unquestioned authority, he happily jumps down again and strategically lifts his leg at every corner, spraying every nook and cranny of his territory with his manly urine.

Then came Maya, a truly stunning Alaskan Malamute who was cruelly kept chained to a parked immobile truck in a garage, before she was given to us, so how could we refuse. Our other three bitches were sterilised before being given to us, so we never bothered snipping Chubby for this reason. But when Maya was given to us, she was nine months old and literally came on heat for her first time on the exact day we got her.

Initially Chubby would have nothing to do with her and tried to ignore her, but she visibly seduced him by constantly chasing him around the garden. She gave absolutely no attention to the girls, but she was really all over Chubby, and kept nibbling at his ears and face. He pulled away time and time again, but she simply wouldn’t take no for an answer. This girl knew exactly what she wanted and she kept grabbing him from the neck and scruff, pulling him toward her.

Then suddenly something came over him and he just went for her and then they were at it all day and night. Suffice to say that in typical doggie fashion they got well stuck on a couple of occasions, until something was obviously well and done.

So Maya is a very hardheaded dog who always gets her way. She has incredibly expressive eyes, always looks directly into yours, as she howls constantly at you, in a manner which perfectly mimics talking. Each time you talk to her she howls something directly back to you, in a very uncanny way. She also turned out to be a superbly dedicated mother.

She gave us seven heavenly puppies which all turned out spectacularly beautiful.

We had to give five away but kept two of them along with our others. My wife kept her favourite one, whom she called Orion. He is now the largest of all our seven dog and looks like a small horse. As may often be expected from a giant, out of all our dogs he is by far the most laid back and docile. Simply nothing moves him. Even to the extent that there were times earlier on when we wondered whether he was perfectly normal. As his sister Baci, who is an enormous terror, bit him and pulled painfully at his ears, he wouldn’t even budge and would virtually sleep right through it.

But now we have come to realise that it is simply his character. Nothing much bothers him and he seems to be a very content dog. Content simply at taking life easy and letting the others tease and torture him while he retains his total zen. Then once in a blue moon, not very often at all, he terrifyingly lets off steam when out of the blue he jumps up, crashes all the others to the ground beneath him, snarling at them with exposed teeth, showing them that he has both the power and the temperament if he really wanted to, before subsiding back into his semi-stuporous state.

So thats leaves the terror Baci, who was my favourite out of the puppies. I called her Baci because she is always licking and kissing your face whenever she can. She is most definitely hyper, a big bully and can also be rather nasty to the others. She always wants full attention, to dominate every situation and has to be the centre of attraction. I wonder why I love her so much…

She is naughtiness caninified! Always up to no good and making a nuisance of herself. But I love her to bits and when she turns up her big brown eyes, seeking both attention and sympathy from me, like the typical female that she is, it feels exactly like having another perfectly spoilt daughter. It goes without saying that I invariably give her what she wants.

Seven dogs, seven tremendously diverse characters, but all so loving and adorable.

MUNCHIES, Ghadira Bay, Mellieha – revisited

I am so glad that we decided to visit Munchies in Ghadira again, firmly placing this establishment as a favourite stop when touring the North of the island.

Following a nice walk along L-Ahrax and Little Armier areas, we initially decided to stop for a quick drink, somewhere on the way back home. And as we drove down into Ghadira Bay, we saw Munchies and decided to stop there.

This is a much larger facility than one imagines. There is the main upstairs interior dining area, the large upper terrace, a long balcony on the front, the spacious patio downstairs, as well as another large interior dining area downstairs, and all are very appealing in their own way. You are therefore spoilt for choice.

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The place was heaving with people, which is rather extraordinary for this time of year, and good luck to them! They have certainly transformed this place into a great venue and the décor both upstairs and downstairs is very pleasant.

So we sat inside downstairs which is very attractive, and once we were there our quick drink turned into a bottle of Santa Digna Cabernet Suavignon, which was excellent and very full and fruity for a cabernet, I must say.

Then the smell and sight of food all around us compelled us to take a meat and cheese platter which was extremely impressive and generous in size. All the ingredients were of excellent quality and were thoroughly enjoyed. What a generous feast it turned out to be.

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I finished off with a casatella siciliana, which was also lovely and which I couldn’t help gobbling up.

And naturally then came the coffees and drinks…

So as expected, our quick drink ended up in pretty much in what could be called a meal in itself. And the great thing is that they also operate continuous service throughout the afternoon, as the kitchen doesn’t close.

What a splendid venue to keep in mind and how very flexible. They are open all day, you can go just for a drink, for a snack or a platter, or for a full meal. And above all the location is truly stunning, the food is excellent and so is the service.

Pretty hard to beat all round!

TRATTORIA AD1530 – Xara Palace, Mdina

We have often dined at this establishment in Mdina. It is a typical trattoria insofar as it offers an informal style menu and ambiance, yet being in Mdina and more so as part of the Xara Palace, it also withholds a certain level of class and refinement.

In the warmer months we thoroughly enjoy eating outside in the splendid square. On this particular occasion however, especially as we were there in the evening, we preferred being seated inside, although their outside area was well heated. I would immediately recommend that a simple spring be installed on their main door, enabling the staff to enter and exit without either having to turn back after their hands have been freed to close it, or as was more often the case, leaving it wide open, regaling us with chilly drafts most of the evening.

We started off with a bottle of French Domaine La Baume sauvignon blanc, which was very pleasant, especially for its relatively humble category. As expected with good French sauvignon, this was less aromatic and floral than most new world equivalents, however it presented lovely crisp, elegant, and fresh flavours instead.

There were three of us dining and for starters one of us had a lovely, largely assorted salad with gorgonzola, pears, Grana shavings, nuts and mixed greens, which was more than satisfactory.

While two of us had a beef carpaccio with all the trimmings and seasoning, which also proved to be delicious.

For mains we went for the fettucine with prawns, asparagus and spinach, in a prawn bisque, which was also very much enjoyed, especially as the various flavours and ingredients seemed to blend in and to compliment each other perfectly.

Also the ravioli with ricotta and artichokes, which were a slightly plainer dish, yet still of a very high standard. And a black Angus beef tenderloin, which was ordered blue and accompanied with salad, rather than vegetables.

When the steak arrived it was deemed to be slightly overcooked. It is true that in the centre it was still rather blue, however as admitted by the staff, it had effectively been sealed a little bit too much, rendering quite a large proportion of its edges well cooked. Additionally, they erroneously served vegetables instead of salad.

However, in keeping with the friendly and streamlined service throughout the meal, this was immediately remedied without fuss or bother. In no time whatsoever we were served another, perfectly blue steak, as well as a dish of salad, although we repeatedly insisted that this was not necessary, especially as the vegetables were beautifully prepared.

No problem is ever a problem when it is immediately solved, and this was one of those cases where good service and keen customer care more than saved the day.

I finished off with a nice apple pie, before we embarked on a wondrous walk around of Mdina by night.

WORD OF MOUTH – RECOMMENDATION

SYNOPSIS IN POINT FORM

• Word of mouth should always work in your favour – it is a normal and expected aspect
• If it is working against you, then you need to urgently analyse what is going wrong
• It is a great misconception that with frequent recommendation, advertising is not necessary
• On the contrary, advertising will only work if you are being recommended
• Each new client acquired will draw in many new ones for you
• Analyse who, why, how and when you are being effectively recommended
• Direct your marketing spend in this exact direction, which will render much better results
• Reward client referral with real incentives
• Thank clients for referring you
• Formulate group purchasing advantages, encouraging further recommendation

FULL ARTICLE

Word of mouth, or recommendation, should not be something you are particularly proud of and boast about, with regards to your business. It is about as normal and to be expected as any other regular feature of your business, and perhaps akin to boasting that you do not cheat your customers.

If people who know you do not recommend you, then there is something drastically wrong with what you are doing. So don’t make it sound like it is something out of the ordinary. It is in fact the most normal and typical way that all businesses grow and evolve.

With this in mind, it becomes very obvious that those entrepreneurs who say that marketing and advertising is not important for them, as they depend on recommendation, are totally missing the point.

I would, without a shadow of a doubt, go as far as saying that the complete opposite is true. it is only when word of mouth and recommendation is working in your favour, that you should engage in advertising.

Why? Most simply because each new client that you acquire through often costly advertising, will in all circumstances in turn refer new clients to you, thereby resulting in a snowball effect. This is when advertising really works, and not when word of mouth is working against you. In this case, the new occasional client obtained, will quickly move away, without pulling in others for you, thus resulting in a waste of money and resources.

On the other hand, if your advertising does result in word of mouth working in your favour, each Euro spent will generate great returns, not so much through the actual advertising itself, but from the ensuing client recommendation.

It is therefore a big misconception that such businesses do not require advertising. It is in fact they and only them who always receive by far the biggest benefits.

There are also other methods through which you can further multiply your takings from your advertising campaigns, within the scope of this scenario.

As people are recommending you, do your very best to analyse exactly who these people are, and which segment of your business they mainly recommend. Find out why, when and how they recommend you, and then do your best to focus your advertising in this specific direction. Let us say that you have various activities all combined under the same umbrella, but that you seem to be recommended mainly for one of them. And say that this recommendation usually comes when offering a certain variant of this activity, by a certain type of individual, and it is mainly based on a specific quality and aspect of your operation. This could be regarding price, value for money, quality, style, customer care, after-sales, or any other specific aspect of your business.

In this case therefore, try to direct much of your advertising specifically toward this exact target, which you know will definitely generate a lot of recommendation, rather than spreading it around finely amongst your entire audience.

Other ways of capitalising on client recommendation is to reward clients passing on the good word, by incentivising them in various ways. You may otherwise reward group purchases when your clients combine their orders with those of their own friends and contacts.

Even simply asking new clients who recommended them, and getting back to the original client to thank them, will go a very long way in encouraging them to continue doing so, as well as to greatly strengthen their loyalty towards you and your brand.

Word of mouth is by far the most effective and powerful way of promoting your business, and above all it is free. Once you know that it is working in your favour, then you can start advertising – but not before.

DAS BRANDENBURGER TOR

– inspired by William Turner‘s unfinished painting

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Still riddled with bullet holes that are patched with non matching cement. Testimony to the endurance and perseverance of art and culture, and more so of the tenacity of humanity at large, despite those who would destroy it. Symbol of man’s will to supersede imposed power.

The falling of the Iron Curtain, Perestroika, Glasnost, Arab Spring. Going back – the French Revolution and Joan of Arc, in between – the Holocaust, coming forward – Isis and Charlie Hebdo and the recent Paris attacks.

Dictators have come and gone, as did Hitler amongst many others. Hitler, who in many ways caused the division of Berlin, or at least whose actions eventually led to it.

There it still stands today. Das Brandenburger Tor. Wrecked in WW2, but restored after the war.

Strong. Symbolic. Strategic. Steeped in Significance.

Humankind can never be put down. In the face of repression we rebel. In periods of pain and suffering we strengthen. When stifled we only bounce back with bigger resolve.

The Berlin Wall which was once over 140 kilometres long, mostly destroyed in a sudden and unexpected wave of freedom. Brandenburg Gate however remained. Evoking mixed feelings of joy and sorrow, of victory and defeat.

The harsh reality of war and subjugation. Of political exploitation and the forced division of people. Friends, families, couples, parents and children, tragically destined to survive on different sides of a wall. Yes a simple wall!

The bullet holes will remain. As will the mismatched fillings. As if to kick off the healing process in a clumsy, unlikely, but effective way.

Time has since passed. Peoples have now reunited. For most it has now blended into the distant past. For others it is but another chapter in their unimportant history books.

The wounds have healed, perhaps clumsily and in a mismatched manner. The rich and arrogant West with the demanding and needy East. But such distinctions are now over. They are now truly one.

And in the same way the bullet holes blend into our collective conscience, as they become part of our daily lives and slowly sink into the mundane, we erect right there one of the most heartwarming symbols of fondness and affection.

A Christmas tree.

We choose to forget the pain and the suffering. Das Brandenburger Tor is now a historic structure, an architectural building, a tourist site. A place to be adorned with a pretty Christmas tree, now symbolising joy, rejoicing, festivity, family and friends.

It forms an integral part of our turbulent psyche, always in motion, always evolving, never still.

A works in progress like William Turner’s painting, which is far from finished and which hopefully never will.