Helsinki...here I come! :)

I am finally in Helsinki.

And what a relief. I left home at 8am this morning and stepped inside our hotel in Helsinki fourteen hours later at 10pm.

After a tearful goodbye at the airport to my family and to darling Milly who came to the airport wagging her tail and saying goodluck, I joined the rest of the Maltese delegation for the final Eurovision trip to Helsinki.

There are no direct flights from Malta to Finland. We had to travel through Frankfurt and needless to say, travelling tires you out. As you can see from this selection of photos, the Maltese contingent slept through most of the trip.

Joseph and Jes, the violinist and the dancer, are visibly

engrossed in deep slumber while they dream away their performance on stage.

Joseph Dalmas, a Maltasong member is also busy snoring and keeping the rest of us awake. Joseph is the kind of guy who glues the whole team together with his cheerful attitude and his jokes, more often than not aimed at Mike Spiteri, a member of Maltasong who participated in the ESC in 1995.

Philip and Gerard did not go to sleep.
They are too excited.

I did not manage to sleep as well. Maybe it's because I want to savour every moment of it all. It's been so long. Eleven years after my first try, and here I am, fulfilling a life long dream. It almost seems too good to be true. I'm afraid I might wake up and find that it was all a dream.

It's not a dream however. It's for real and it's happening...fast.

I will do my best to write a blog every day...just to say thank you to all of you who have been following me throughout the years.

I must go to sleep now. A very important rehearsal awaits me tomorrow. And I must do well.

Speak to you tomorrow! :) Olivia

Had I been Philias Fogg...

My suitcase is full.

I simply cannot squeeze anything else in it. But I must. Most of my stuff is lying on my bed with Milly running over my clothes. She's excited. She knows something big is happening. I will really miss my little pet.

A lady called Janetta left a note in my blog regarding Milly as shown below:

I have checked Milly's pedigree and wonder of wonders, the name is Ch. Nolsien Nuala! I have today learnt that Milly comes from Ayshire in Scotland! :) I must buy her some tartan coloured clothes. She loves to wear a red vest in winter...it keeps her warm and cosy.

Anyway, dear Janetta. Milly is a wonderful dog and she has made me a much happier person. If you send me a mail on mail@olivialewis.net I will send you some photos! :)

As I was saying, my oversize suitcase is full. And I am in a quandary. Anna my contact in Finland has just informed me that the weather has turned sour. Frederick from NET TV who has just arrived in Helsinki was seemingly feeling cold when I called him earlier on. So I have to pack cold weather clothes, which are quite rare in any Maltese wardrobe. We don't really have cold weather over here. And this winter has been so hot. I've been to Mellieha today and lo and behold, the bay was full of people, some of them swimming.

I've decided to buy another suitcase. My aunt Catherine is helping me pack. Let's hope that what remains fits in the other suitcase.

Had I been Philias Fogg, going round the world in 80 days would have been impossible. I would have taken too many clothes and would probably have been left stranded. Poor Mr Passepartout! :)

Tomorrow is my last day in Malta. So it should be full enough!

Speak to you tomorrow.

Saving Private Olivia...

I never thought of joining the army.

I'm not exactly the type of person who enjoys discipline and drills. However I must say that even in the army, there is a bright side of life.

One must always look on the bright side of life. Even if at first it looks like the final moments of Dante's Inferno.

I have been saving this blog for the last couple of days. The reason is simple. I was waiting to get photos. 'Photos of what?' I can sense most of you thinking.

My day in the army is the answer.

And not just my day. Philip and Gerard (the composer and author) had to join in as well. The sort of boot camp was organised by 'Xarabank' which is Malta's most popular and watched programme.

At first I accepted to do it just for fun. But even though it was fun, we did some serious stuff as well.

On arrival to the Army HQ, we were given Army Uniforms to wear. Philip had to make do with their largest size, which was a couple of sizes (underestimated) smaller than his own size. Philip is becoming overweight by the minute. Maybe it's the stress taking its toll. Gerard on the other hand remains slim and calm. Too calm for the Army Sergeant who started shouting at us, left, right and center.

The army drill is not as simple as it might look. We were shown how to march properly and how to respond to orders. Philip is even more clumsier than I am. And that takes a lot. He could not manage to co-ordinate his arms and legs. They just go wherever they please! :)

Combat training was next. They painted our faces with camouflage colours. It actually looks nice. We shot blanks, threw smoke grenades and rescued a wounded soldier...who turned out to be Philip. He looked much better now lying peacefully on the stretcher. :)

The exercise I enjoyed most was absailing.

At first we tried it out by climbing down a structure at the Army's HQ. We then moved on to a proper cliff. As I looked down from the top, I started regretting getting into this fix. But as soon as I decided that I had to do it (I really had no choice :)) then I found it to be exhilirating, totally enjoyable!

So Saving Private Olivia Day was a success after all!

I must go as I am late for the last rehearsal for the concert. I am really looking forward to tonight's show. It is my first concert and most of all I am singing for the first time with a lot of friends like Ira Losco, Fabrizio Faniello, Debbie Scerri, Lawrence Gray and a host of others.

So speak to you tomorrow...I hope I wake up early enough! :) Olivia

My lips were sealed...

It had been on the tip of my tounge for ages.

My fingers were itching to type it down in my blog.

But I couldn't say anything. My lips were sealed. Now it has finally been officialy announced. An agreement has been struck between the Maltasong Board and MTV Europe to promote Malta using Vertigo. Yahoo!!! :)

This decision has come a long way. There was no doubt that everybody thought it was a good idea. But good ideas do not run on their own steam. They need finances.

MTV Europe is represented in Malta by a company owned by Grace Borg, the former Maltasong Chairman. Through her intervention, MTV offered to air a number of television spots throughout this month and up till the Eurovision Song Contest, next month.

The offer was made quite some time ago. But as I said, it couldn't materialise due to lack of funds. It was only through the personal intervention of Minister Francis Zammit Dimech that this important step has become a reality.




I really must say that the Minister has been a great help. He has tried to assist in all he could and I am pleasantly surprised that a person who has such an important job finds the time to get involved and go to such lengths to see that something happens.

Promotion is an important tool in the Eurovision Song Contest sphere. It is not the only ingredient in a winning package, don't get me wrong. But good promotion normally brings good results. And this is exactly why the MTV offer couldn't be missed.

I am even happier that I am able to contribute that little bit to putting Malta on the map as a tourist attraction. Using a Eurovision song to promote the island is a new way of approaching things. I just hope it works! :)

Now to something completely different. I've been invited to go to a bootcamp with the Malta Armed Forces. It lasts one whole day. Supposedly Philip and Gerard (the composer and author) are coming as well. I am dying to see who is the macho, out of the three of us.

I will let you know more tomorrow. Hopefully with photos.

Speak to you again tomorrow! :)

I feel good...

At last.

My throat has stopped hurting me and my voice is back to it's loud past.

And what's more. I'm in good spirits and really feeling ready for the hectic two weeks which lay ahead. In 10 days' time I will be on a plane to Helsinki. I'm looking forward to that. I'm also looking forward to meeting Anna again this week. She's coming over from Cyprus and staying here with us till we all leave (including her) for the song contest.

Anna wasn't coming with me to Helsinki, but I convinced her otherwise. I would have felt uncomfortable without her nearby...at last I've found someone whom I trust with my performance moves...or lack of them! :)

The backing vocalists are also coming to Malta this week. I've never actually met them. So I hope all will go well. I've heard they are extremely good and professional. They will be rehearsing both the voice part and the choreography. All three of them have certain moves to learn...at least we have the time.

On Friday, I will be attending Malta's most popular TV programme called 'Xarabank'. It is going to be held from the Valletta Waterfront on the eve of my farewell concert during the Malta Fireworks Festival. Peppi Azzopardi the presenter told me that almost 3,000 people have confirmed they would be attending...wow!

The farewell concert will be fun. It is being presented by Zoo. I've heard they have quite a few surprises for the crowds. Some of my friends like Ira Losco, Lawrence Gray, Glen Vella, Fabrizio Faniello, Ludwig, J. Anvil, Klinsmann, William Mangion, Mike Spiteri, Freddie Portelli, Julie Zahra, Debbie Scerri and many others will be performing.

So if you are in need of a good laugh, and enjoy music, this concert is a must. I really hope all goes well! :) It would surely help me go to Helsinki with a big smile! :)

So, in a nutshell and without beating around the bush...I feel good.

Let's just hope things stay this way!

Speak to you tomorrow...:) Olivia

You give me fever...

You may be wondering why I haven't posted anything for the past few days.

Well, here it is.

The past weeks have finally taken their toll. After a somewhat sleepless night, I woke up early Tuesday morning, right after coming back from the arduous trip to Belgium and the Netherlands feeling a bit oozy. Milly (my cocker spaniel) wasn't behaving as usual. That is, she was actually behaving for once. No running around and jumping on our bed.

She probably sensed I was not feeling well. I started dressing up and looked at the bright sunlight seeping through my semi closed window. How come was I feeling so cold when the temperature on my kitchen clock was 22 degrees?

I had a fever. 102 Farehneit to be precise. I rarely have fevers. The last time I had one was five years ago. And it was related to over exertion. As it is this time.

I'm not exactly a hypochondriac. I rarely go to the doctor. Only when I cannot stand my mum's continuous grumbling that I go. I find that a visit to the doctor is heaven when compared to one of mum's grumbling sprees.

But I had to go to the doctor, as I was not feeling well at all. It turns out I am a bit overtired and have a cold. Therefore, I had to stay in bed, the doctor said.

I immediately thought of my trip to Romania. I was supposed to leave for Bucharest tomorrow. I thought I had better try to rest and go.

By yesterday evening, I still had a fever. Robert (the Maltasong Boss) phoned. I have come to know Robert very well, to the point that I realised he was very worried. Without hesitations he told me that he was cancelling the trip to Romania, so that I could rest.

Robert is one of the best persons I have ever met. So considerate and so professional at the same time. Being a successful businessman he has been dedicating almost all of his time to this festival. Not everyone's piece of cake believe me. And he knows how to take a decision and stand by it. Not always an easy proposition.

So here I am, lying in bed, sipping Sprite and taking Panadols to keep my fever down. I am feeling much better now. Another two days, and I'll be as good as gold. Milly is already starting to misbehave again. So I must be getting better. 'Stop it Milly!' I shout at her as she bounces on my laptop and deletes a whole paragraph from my blog! :)

Speak to you tomorrow! :) Olivia

The Aviator...

I hate airports.

I do not wish to sound repetitive.

But, I hate airports.

Since the message should have gone through by now, let me explain the predicament I am in at the moment.

I woke up at 4am this morning. Not even the birds had woken up. I could hear them chirping angrily at the noise I was making in the process of repacking my flight bag for the zillionth time this month.

Off to the airport for my flight to Brussels. I was first meant to go to Munich and then head off to Brussels from there. I arrived in Munich at 11:45am.

As soon as I set foot in the terminal, the word delayed came springing on the screen right next to the Brussels flight. Up till then I was not worried. Delays happen...especially in airports.

I was just coming to the check in desk, when in the distance the word 'delayed' changed to 'cancelled'. I quickly searched for my glasses just to make sure I was seeing right.

My eyesight is not perfect, but I was right. The flight was cancelled.

So here I am, stranded in Munich Airport since all flights to Brussels Airport have been cancelled due to a fireworkers' strike. I am now sitting down, looking pretty in the Terminal, waiting for news and typing this blog at the same time! :)

The problem is I was meant to be in Hasselt for a television programme, TVL Studio live, at 5pm. That's obviously gone now.

My only hope is that of taking a flight to Amsterdam. As soon as I get there I will probably hop on a train to Antwerp where I'm supposed to be interviewed by a tv magazine show called De Rode Loper. Then off to a party at the D-Club.

I was meant to watch The Aviator the other day. I'm glad I'didn't. I'm not a big aviation fan at the moment!

Will probably post again later on tonight. Let's hope I make it to Antwerp! :)

Speak to you soon.