Easter ramblings...

It has been a hell of a weekend. Not in terms of work done, which is very little, but in terms of food eaten, which is quite a lot!

The traditional Easter Sunday Lunch is well celebrated in Malta. Whole families gather round an improvised table and eat away for the best part of three or four hours, before succumbing to the pleasures offered by an afternoon siesta.

Our Easter Lunch was no different than previous years. As all the family gathered round the table, a dish of crusted bruschettas appeared on the horizon as if from nowhere. Three dishes of seafood appeared next. Traditionally we usually have baked macaroni as a starter. We call this dish 'imqarrun -il forn' which basically translates in 'macaroni cooked in an oven'. However we tried out something different this time round. A big roast of beef soon found its place in the middle of the table. Wine was plentiful. A conoisseure wuld not have touched it, but it still went down well with everyone. 'After the first two glasses they all taste the same' my grand father used to say! Good old house wine produced by a friend of ours from Bahrija.

Cheese and dessert ended this joint effort at consuming the largest quantities of food imaginable. Then off to sleep.

I have just woken up, feeling a bit oozy. I must have overslept. As I start typing out today's blog, I realise that this is actually my last weekend in Malta before I leave for Helsinki. On Tuesday I restart my promo tour in Belarus. I've been to Minsk a couple of times before and have a couple of friends living there. It should be fun.

I come back to Malta on Thursday and leave again on Friday, this time off to Brussels to meet dear Olivier. Olivier runs an extremely popular website in Belgium and he has organised a promo tour for some Eurovision participants. I enjoy Brussels. Especially since my cousing Jackie lives in Brussels working as a lawyer with the European Commission.

I come back from Brussels on Monday and head off to Romania soon after...

It's going to be tough. I will miss my family and most of all darling Milly, who will have to make do with my mum's bed from now on. I wish I could take her to Brussels. Although I'm not sure the hotel guys would approve! :)

I have to go. The Danish Royal National Ballett is in Malta together with HRH The Princess Benedikte who seems to be a very nice person indeed. They are here for an event organised by Noel Buttigieg Scicluna who is Malta's Ambassador in Copenhagen. Noel is a friend of Mark's (my partner) and Mark will be filming and directing this show with a 9 camera setup at the Manoel Theatre in Valletta. So he's a bit edgy and all that and I don't want to uspet him by being late! :)



Have to go.



Speak to you again tomorrow!

A tale of two fishes...

Good Friday is a public holiday in Malta. And thank God for that (literally). Most Maltese fast for a whole day on Good Friday and are usually not fit for work.

At the very least, no meat is consumed. Only fish is allowed.

Don't get me wrong. I like fish. Even though I honestly do not see a rational distinction between fish and meat. If one shouldn't eat meat, I don't really see why one should eat fish. Poor fish! It's a bad day for them today! :)

Speaking of fish, I always wanted to keep an aquarium with two goldfish inside. I don't anymore. The last attempt wasn't very succesful. Especially for the fish. I simply cannot seem to control how much food I give them. And goldfish have grown an annoying tendency of dying on me. So I haven't pursued my aquarium dream anymore.

This morning I woke up nice and early, knowing that I had very little to do. So I put on my oldest track suit and my running shoes, put an excited Milly on a leash and went out for a walk. I live at 'Bahrija' which is an extremely small village on the limits of Rabat, Northern Malta. This place is a heaven on earth. It is literally found in the middle of a vast stretch of farm land. Rubble walls and old roads link this place to the 'normal' world. I really feel that living here is one big holiday. It doesn't really feel like a home...it feels more like a retreat. Which is just as well, since I do not spend much time here.

Milly loves the countryside. She goes mad as soon as her tiny paws set foot outside. I don't let her off the leash. I really worry that something could happen to her so I don't take risks. My walk took almost two hours. I really try to cleanse my mind during these outings. It is the only time I am able to think properly.

My thoughts today go to the British soldiers killed in Basra. Joanna Dyer, Ella Dlugosz, Kris O'Neill and Adam James Smith died because of the war. The futility of their deaths makes me sad. One photo shown around the world was that of Kris holding his baby son. It is so unfair on the little child. His father died whilst serving his country. But this child will remain fatherless for the rest of his life. Moments like this show the real cruelty of war. War should be the last resort, not the first option. I think many have realised that by now.

I arrive at home and immediately go to the kitchen. Two lovely fishes are staring at me from the kitchen table. It surely is a tale of two fishes today. So let's make the most of it!

Happy Easter to you all! Speak to you again tomorrow.

The 11th Year...

It has finally happened. After 11 long (and sometimes agonizing) years my Eurovision Single is out. And I must say it has been worth the wait.

My family and friends spent the whole of last night and today, all day long, packing cd's and dvd's into their cases.This is a tedious job which has to be done. We decided to pack everything ourselves in order to keep the costs down. The reason is simple: we wanted to sell the dvd and cd pack at the least possible price.

In fact the end price was set at Lm3 (the equivalent of 7 Euros). This price gets you a CD which includes the original Vertigo, the unplugged version and the remix, together with a DVD of the music video plus a very nice making of the video.

My mother managed to spend the whole morning sitting down and packing DVDs. It took us a great deal to get her up from her chair. She's getting old! :)

Catherine. my aunt, similarly spent the day packing. The night shift was made up of Angie, Pablo, Louise and David who happens to be my boyfriend's brother.

The design was done by a new guy whom I've just met. He calls himself Mattu...short for Matthew. His work is brilliant and I'm really happy at what he has managed to design.

All printing was managed by Stephen (who is also my boyfriend's brother). He managed to get the intricate designs printed in style, without actually charging for his work. Without Stephen's help we would never have made it.

Everything has now been packed. And as I lay in bed typing this blog, I can only say one thing. The 11th Year has been totally worth the wait. I even manage to smile as I think of all my previous second placings. And that says quite a lot! :)

Goodnight! Speak to you tomorrow!

Meet the parents...

I was born on the 18th October, 1978. It was a Wednesday. They tell me I was quite a heavy baby. Nothing has changed as such.

My appetite was at its best from the very beginning. There again. Nothing has changed much. I cried a lot at night. My father could not sleep for the best part of six months. My mother used to sleep and care for me during the day.

My mum and dad are the single reason why I am now representing my country in the Eurovision Song Contest. They did so much for me when I was young. As soon as they realised I could sing, they pushed me and encouraged me to improve my voice. They enrolled me in countless children's competitions.

My first competitive festival was in 1986. I was eight years old. I can still remember my trembling feet going up the steps as if they were leading to a hangman's scaffold. As soon as my face appeared on stage I was met by a crowd of two hundred waiting for me to sing. 'You are strong Olivia...you will do it', I said to myself. I placed one before last.

The next years were spent participating in almost two hundred festivals. I won all of them.

My father is a tile layer by profession. His work is extremely sought after and I've never known him to be without a job. He is diligent and professional. He is also soft spoken and shy.

My mother is loud and outspoken. Maybe that's why she clicked on so well with my father. A bit on the heavy side of things she loves eating and making other people eat as much as she does. Most pets we've had at home actually died from cholesterol. But they died happy. And that's mum. She is so altruistic and caring. Mum would give anything to make other people happy. Even at her own expense.

My parents have always wanted one thing from life. That me and my sister do well in life. They spared no money on us. Even if it meant that they could not afford to live as good a life as they wished. I still like to stare at my graduation photo. Mum and dad look so proud! Even as I speak my eyes go wet. Maybe it's because I'm a bit tired.

Mum and dad are simple people. But they have given their life to us. And I will always remember that. For the rest of my life.

Thank you mum. Thank you dad. I love you.

Speak to you tomorrow.

Life is a box of chocolates...

'Life's a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get' said Forrest Gump's mother. And I agree with her. Life is a box of chocolates.

Actually, life is a complicated box of chocolates. There's nothing simple in life.

My life is getting more complicated by the hour. As you may know I have spent the past weeks looking at different choreographies by different people. Most of them have gone that extra step to come up with something original and spectacular. And I appreciate that a lot.

However, I am only human and obviously I have a personal favourite.

Anna is a choreographer from Cyprus - the one whom I danced with in the Cypriot ESC presentation a few weeks ago. And while I can honestly say that I liked most of the choreographies which were put forward to me, I have to admit that I love Anna's rendition of Vertigo.

She took her initial inspiration from the music video itself. And that's good. I like the music video and always wanted uniformity in our presentation. Today we got Joseph (the violinist) and Jes (the dancer) together with Anna to prepare a presentation rehearsal. I decided to involve myself as well.

I actually tried on the dress I will probably be wearing in Helsinki. And in a matter of hours we had a solid performance under our belt. I have to say that my worst fears have been swept away as if they were leaves in a tornado.

Joseph Chetcuti was simply amazing. I never thought he could dance at all! Come on...he's a lawyer. But his moves simply flowed. And he was really relieved. He had been worried stiff for the past weeks that he would not be up to it. But he is. And I'm glad for him.

Jes was similarly great. He is such a good dancer. Flexible, creative and trustworthy.

We actually improvised backing vocals. My cousin Nikita (who is a dancer) offered to stand in for the Swedish backing vocalists. And she spent the day rehearsing with Anna and one of her friends. They actually got well into it. And I could see they were a bit sad that this was just a rehearsal and not the real thing.

Philip and Gerard came to watch. Philip was immediately hired to play the CD from the CD player. You can see him standing looking pensively at us trying our moves.

Albert is one of my team's most trusted friends. We really love Albert and his way of doing things. When I have a big thing coming up such as an important performance, Albert always comes into the dressing room just a few minutes before the show and says a loud prayer to which we all have to respond in chorus. For this particular rehearsal Albert is in charge of the fans.

I almost forgot to mention the fans. Yes, we will be using fans. Details later though. And if you think that Shasha got her new hair do because she spent a lot of time in front of the fan you are very much mistaken. It is not a wig. It is her hair!!! She looks awful! :) But that's Shasha.

My knowing all these lovely people makes life a box of chocolotes. And a very tasty one, come to think of it! :)

Speak to you tomorrow!

It's a long way to Tipperary...

In a month's time I will be walking up the steps of the Helsinki Eurovision stage. A month is not too far off. But it seems a long way away right now.

As you may have noticed I did not post any blogs this weekend. I've been snowed under to the point that I was beginning to panic. It was a weekend spent running from Joseph the tailor to a flat in Sliema where I've been trying out choreography moves with Anna.

Anna is a remarkable choregrapher from Cyprus. Some of you may have seen her dressed in manly clothes during my performance in the Cypriot National Final. (see video below)

Anna will probably be doing the choreography for Helsinki. I will know more about this tomorrow and I promise, you will be the first to know. Robert Abela, the guy in charge of Maltasong, can be extremely secretive sometimes. No wonder his hair has gone white! :)

In the meantime all the promotional material for the song has been readied. I've seen the stuff and it's great. All promotional stuff will be sent abroad by the end of this week. I've been promised to get the CD cover for Vertigo. And lo and behold a few minutes ago I found it in my email. I've been told to keep it under wraps but I really must make up for not posting anything these past two days.

So here it is. This is my CD Cover for Vertigo. It was designed by Where's Everybody, the company who produced the video. I like it a lot. Hope you do as well.

I have to run as I can hear my cell phone ringing. It's probably Robert panicking that I am late once again for my rehearsal.

It's a long way to Tipperary. Or is it Helsinki? My God! :)

Speak to you tomorrow!

My one and only...

My one and only is black...solid black. Not more than 8 months of age. Her favourite treat is a sizeable bone which she gets every week if she behaves. Her name is Milly Lewis and she's my little lovely dog friend.

I've had Milly since she was just a little black cocker spaniel, the size of my hand. Her parents are English but she was born in Malta. When I visited George Cross, the owner of her parents, I had to choose my dog from a bunch of four little rascals, running around his little flat. Milly was the one hiding in the corner, almost subdued. For some reason or another I felt attached to her from the first minute my eyes met hers. 'That puppy looks nice' I said to myself, 'she seems quiet and composed'. So I took her.

I have now learnt that she is neither quiet nor composed!

The next day I woke up and as I walked towards the kitchen, I found the remains of what a hurricane would do to a room. The kitchen was a complete mess. She managed to eat my cable television remote control together with anything which came her way.

Notwithstanding her naughtiness, I do not regret a single second of having her in my life. Milly is as loving as any human being could be. She sleeps on my pillow and wakes me up in the morning with her kisses. When I'm sad she snuggles on my lap and comforts me as best as she can. When I'm happy, she scampers around and fills my home with joy. Her love is plentiful...and unconditional.

This is my kitchen. It is usually a big mess. But I had to make it look decent in order to show it around the world. The most important part of my kitchen is the fridge, which I try to keep as stocked as possible. I like having friends over, especially on Sunday.

I do not cook. The last time I cooked, not even Milly would taste it. She knows better. So I let others do the cooking while I do the washing up. Eventually.


I have to go as my one and only is barking her head off. She wants to go to sleep. And she never sleeps before I do. Goodnight darling Milly. :)

Speak to you tomorrow!