exploring malta

we're free!!! guests left last tuesday. so time to explore malta little by little.

alora, last tuesday night, chef brought me to the best place in malta at night, st. julien! lights all over, bars after bars, discos, famous hotels, loud music, restaurants with thousand tourists and locals, young and old scattered everywhere, happy and enjoying.

he then brought me specifically at memories bar. why? because this is where most of the filipinos in malta hang around...drinking and karaoke!!! he wanna make sure that i will enjoy, drinking and singing. and yes they pushed me to the center stage, did they? i cant remember. anyway i just found myself holding the mike singing zombie, zombie, zombie hey hey hey hey....crowd from the bar and my chef, and my deckhand arrived with his brother and friend applauded and shouted more more more, did they? or i just imagined it hehe.

well i guess i did it good! i knew the song like i knew my mom and the only song i played so well in guitar even during my nightmares.

i tried their cocktail of the night, vodka with strawberry juice, (but i cant taste the vodka). then we had couple of local beer, cisk, a very light beer. they requested me to sing another one, i dont wanna miss a thing by aerosmith, and another one, bed of roses! by bon jovi. well there were no pinoys that night so i guess im the best singer of that night hehe.

my crew got bored perhaps or just cant wait to see the stripteasers, yeah the guys...so they went out and i stayed there with our new found friend, our taxi driver james bond, a maltese guy who knows everything and everyone. he's our google, just ask and he'll find it for us!

waiting for the boys, the bar closed and i called the chef coz i wanted to go back to the boat but not ruining their fun time. the chef came and he then entrusted me to brian, the son of the owner of the karaoke bar to drop me to our boat.

brian, a maltese (looking nice and harmless) guy, but tired of his whole day working at their bar, was i think forced to drive me to my boat. poor guy. anyway, while driving, he asked me if i really need to go home and offered me to see a little more around st. julien, and i stupidly said yes! well i really do want to see more of malta at night, stupid because i dont know this guy.. and so he drove his car.

he became my tourist guide, this and that stories, till i noticed that street lights were gone and people were gone as well and st julien was far behind us but on the opposite direction from our homebase manoel island marina. so i asked him where we're heading, he said to the beach. wow! beach at night??? i tried to be calm. he's still explaining each places and landmarks were passing through till we reached the dead end of the road. "oh my god! i dont want to die here" (i told myself). he stopped his car and went out and i just followed him, while trying to recall my jeet khun du class in case he makes a wrong move.

in which case, i just wanted to think positively as i always do with my new acquaintances, giving them the benefit of the doubt. all people have a good heart, if given a chance to be acknowledged. he's so friendly, kind and nice person to show me around as much as he can do to welcome me in malta, i did played in my mind.

well i guess he noticed how i avoided his some "gentlemanly" ways, holding my hand while walking down to the cliff...in my own nice way but clearly saying him NO! to whatever bad thing he has in mind (if there is) but nicely tried to appreciate the beauty of the hill, the calmness of the ocean, the quite beach, the starry night and his special gestures to bring me there, though i really cant see anything but darkness and sensing the danger of falling down the cliff if he'll push me to death in case he gets angry or crazy. i extremely balancely handled both possible circumstances.

we then went back to the car and he drove me back to my boat. he stayed a little while for some chat about my job, my yacht and his father's yacht. then he left with a smile, at least.

whewww! what a night! or should i say,

wow! what a great night!!! that's better.

my 1st free night....

one day to go...

and freedom!!! hahaha

well i will explore malta for the next 2 weeks. the captain will rent a car and he planned to go to the beach, drink iced cold rose wine and swim...with us of course!
go to st. julien's, party, live bands, bars at night! while waiting for our rudder to be fixed.

well me i need to find jws here and refresh! maybe bethel tour, i hope too!

one more sleep...

last 2 days

we're back at the port and 2 more days, our 2 guests will leave! yes!!! and we'll be free....soon.

still very busy

sorry but no time for blogging, as in th real blog! see you june 11!

crew at night

more malta pix

not so bad news

yesterday while cruising around malta, we lost our 2 rudders, the steer of the boat, imagine??? and lost one engine!!! ohlala!!! which means difficulty to control the boat when a big wave hits us...

we went slowly back to the port right after that and arrived safely.

now we're here sitting at the port, guests made big changes of their itinerary. they went on a city tour instead.

we cant go back to genova after the charter coz the yacht needs to be fixed here at the shipyard. meaning we'll be staying here for another 3 or more weeks.

well, i've got more time to explore malta hein! so it's not bad after all!

beauty of malta

busy in malta

just see pix...story next time

rocky road

amalfi welcomes us with fireworks

2K6 memory in philippines

wanna share with you one of my most memorable vacations in pi last 2006. travelled with my family and friends in bohol, palawan, pangasinan, zambales, baguio and quezon province

anchored safely

sea condition abruptly shifted from calm to rage!

just right after that big wave encounter at the strait of messina, captain peter alertly decided to u-turn and find a place to hide our tiny yacht. whewww!

thanks god we found this quiet corner in north of sicily where we anchored safely and will be staying here overnight til weather allows us to continue our cruise adventure.

in few minutes we will be having our dinner at the aft deck with the awesome view of the small ville at the shore with it's great & peaceful sea.

see?

chef rambo

on the go...

sorry got not much time to update this blog coz this week we're so busy on the boat! bought all the things we need, grocery of food & drinks, uniforms, shoes, repairs, laundry, materials etc. before we leave. t's quite cheaper here than in malta.

last thursday we left genova for a long straight cruise on our way to malta island. we're taking advantage of the good weather and calm sea, that's why! we just stopped to refuel then continued our journey.

here's photo of our chef robby and our decky ramiro having fun during our cruise. oh we're about to refuel that time in amalfi... got to go! or else the captain will scream again.

filinvest in milan

i was invited by 3 filinvest guys, terence the europe head, danny the academy head & deng the area manager, that i met on the train, to the inauguration of their office in milan, so i went last sunday.

that was a great party, the owner of filinvest, mr. and mrs. yap were there. i met most of the team in milan and other sellers from different areas of italy and lots of clients & prospect buyers.

i went back to genova after our dinner with them. i guess that will be a good sideline for me so im looking forward to be working with them very soon.

saying goodbye

those were the days of joy wrapped around between you and me. all of those great romances were magic coz i love you so. i've drowned in you and i'd give my all to have just one more night with you by my side.

but now it's different i want you to know. i cant go on living in the memory of our song. the sorrow that you've caused me melted away a long time ago. coz there's always peace beyond each dawn.

saying goodbye is not an easy task but we have to. though yesterday still surrounds you with our warm and precious memories, reality is our good times pass and end. now i'm almost over you.

today is absolutely different i want to remind you. so could you please let me go.

rambo in the kitchen

introducing our new chef sylvester look alike, roberto!

oh we love his food, simple but tasty! captain peter even kissed him one time after our lunch, thanked him coz he was so satisfied with his food! he might kiss his ass too next time! hehehe. we're so damned right to get an italian cook this time.

it's his first time to work on a boat. he's been a chef for 20yrs now. 13yrs in milan with his family business resto and 7yrs in australia on his own very famous restaurant. he even became a celebrity there with tv expossure. but one day he decided he just wanted to travel, so he sold everything, his resto and big house in australia and here he is, trying the yachting industry.

he doesnt smoke nor drink alcohol and very organized and clean. his only vices are swimming, gym and sports - diving, karate black belter, ski, horse back riding champion, jet ski, surfing, soccer, oh name it and he knows it. a classic addict.

but his passion in cooking is his air, his life, and runs in his blood! so be it! AMEN!

filinvest

on my way back to genova, i met 3 pinoy filinvest guys, terence the europe head, pastor the manager and deng the promotional arm and for 3 train travel hrs. they have introduced me to realty investment. my first time to travel for a very short 3 hours...not enough to discuss filinvest.

we got along quickly and i got so interested with their selling system, the chinese way. they're just starting to develop a sales team for europe and they're looking for some of its potential members.

they invited me for a training in milan, and since im looking for additional source of income, i agreed instantly. well, i was so convinced with their sales strategy, as i may say so...and i want to know more.

on may 1st i'll be meeting them once again and see what opportunity they can offer to me and how to grab that opportunity!

why not?

should you go back to pinas?

my friend with no regular paper was asked by his employer in italy to go back in philippines to arrange his documents for a direct hire purpose so as to regularize his work status in italy.

my excited friend, carrying all his required documents went back to pinas.

but after several back and forth at the italian embassy, my poor friend has to wait...what? till when? what else do they need? will there be hope of getting my visa? and so many other boggling questions on his mind...

till it blows! is this what the embassy wants? thank you very much!

i really dont understand how's the system in our country with regards to ofws, those embassy's treatment to our ofws. are they suppose to be helping them out? hello?!!

and for the employer, they have all the responsiblities to help my friend out there!

they should at least support them, emotionally and financially while they're waiting for the timeless release of their visa, if there will ever be...

i've been there in pinas for 5 months. im telling you, without any source of income and you have families to support and with all those problems and non- stop increase of prices...and...and...and.......

you just want to get out of pinas!!!

(lucky me, my boss supported me, us.)

just merely talking to my loosing a hope friend, giving advices and moral support and some other options to do, would somehow ease his sooo troubled mind, at least.

however, there were lots of pinoys who successfully did the same process. bravo!!!how did they do that? they tried and took the risk!


to other kabayans who are thinking of going home for the same reason, think 77 times, with our corrupt system, it's too risky and expensive!!!

decision is yours...