Alex Grech's blog

Thursday, March 31, 2005

Republic Day

For some time, Max has been thinking of bowing out of this blog.

Max does not lead an interesting life. He lives on a small island. He has a small life. He has long ceased to be a member of an Air Miles Club.

And yet, on another level, there's plenty afoot.

For a start, a journey home now takes twice as long as all the roads leading to Siggiewi are dug up. The main access is now via what's best described as a goat track through what's left of an old valley. By the time Max gets home, he feels like lying down or getting a prize.

Max has also joined the iPod millions. No surprise that Max now takes his iPod to bed, and on the Saturday visits to the swings with Jacob. On most days, Max can be seen trying to untangle himself from the coil of his headphones.

Then, there was something that Julian told Max. He said that he had found it very difficult to figure out his father. Julian figures that Max is writing a blog to make Jacob understand his father.

And Max has been coerced into another play. More about that, on some other day.

This afternoon, a comment from somebody called Chris urged Max to remove one of his postings. It warned Max that he was making enemies by making snide remarks on politicians, corporates and those who hide behind them.

Max looked at his screen, sipped his camomille tea, then, almost without thinking, pressed the delete button on the post, and watched it vapourise into cyberspace.

Max was suddenly overwhelmed by a sense of remorse.

Max remembers that when he was a child, he used to think that the cult TV series The Prisoner was shot in Malta. He used to go to bed with pictures of the large, inflatable white baloon chasing him to his bedroom.

In the late seventies and eighties, the baloon in Malta took shape, and the island wa s overcome by a spate of dictatorship, violence, teargas and fear. Max did what a many of his generation did - he sold his bike, bought a plane ticket, and lost himself in a large metropolis. London offered him anonymity, space, and a chance to start again. Max found his voice, got himself a career, travelled the world and made some money and real friendships.

It was only the grey that made him return to the island, ten years later. That, and the desire to own a house, with a courtyard and a cat, and to look at the waves. And some new-found sense of optimism, that the rock had changed its spots, that the place had somehow mellowed and grown up.

In 2005, there is much to point that Max had made yet another mistake.

But Max is grateful to Mr Chris. He has made him remember that there is a blog to write. And that the power of the Internet was never in the hands of the corporates, or the politicians, or those who serve them, and climb up the greasy career pole by selling their soul. Or those who continue to serve the system, silently, in fear, or in cocktail parties, because this is a small place and everybody knows everybody's business.

The fact that this blog is being written on Malta's Republic Day makes Max cackle.

Max may have deleted the post, but not the evidence.

Because Max never lies.

8 comments:

sharonspiteri said...

Don't you dare a) bow out b) delete any more posts... :-)

Alex said...

That was really sweet. Similarly, don't you dare a) succumb to nostalgia and b) return to 'give something back' to the old rock. Life is too short, and you're now out in the big wide world. Enjoy the head space. x

sharonspiteri said...

Sweet it may have been but I'm deadly serious. I'm fanatical about the right to free speech :-) How's the pressure piling up? *grin*

Alex said...

Don't start me off about the right for free speech in this country... I've also seen the exchange on your website regarding 'il-Maltin ta' barra.'

Il-Maltin ta'barra complain when they come back to Malta because they a)know Malta has the potential to be a special place b) know that it can be done, because it is being done elsewhere c) get frustrated because it is not being done d) know that it will take a major change in Maltese thinking / belief and value system to get anything done e) freak out because it will not get done in their lifetime, if ever and f) because they still CARE.

Instead, their views are taken as bickering - instead of a rally call to get something done.

I tried to get something done here, and failed, like most people who tried to move against the system to deliver some meaningful change.

Hence my heartfelt advice - that Malta is best experienced from a distance, on holiday, and in the company of friends. Once you are back here, you soon find that either you adapt, or you just barricade yourself. My generation has pretty much decided to do the latter.

Anyway, enough of the rant.

Yes, the pressure is piling up because we have to perform a play in less than 3 weeks and my co-actor is unwell.

Enjoy Scotland. x

sharonspiteri said...

i really really understand but that's not what you want to hear.

Break a leg... :-) As is the world of the theatre. Wotcha taking part in?

Also, would you mind if I posted your comments about Maltin ta' Barra on mah blog (to rhyme with mah jong) with or without a link to yours? (ie kif trid)

Alex said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Alex said...

I'm in The Odd Couple, the Neil Simon Classic. We're on at the Manoel in the third and fourth week of April.

If you think that my rant may help anyone out there from succuming to nostalgia, be my guest.

sharonspiteri said...

Cheers. You said something I wished I had said myself. I've been away 18 months and still don't manage to see things clearly enough. I'll track back to your post if you're looking for some traffic.