Sunday Circle Issue 236

www.sundaycircle.com

AUGUST 2014 – ISSUE NO. 236

peter hOwITT

The Oscar-nominated set designer on a life immersed in art page 12

becky cAmIllErI

After a career-threatening injury, the international athlete is reaching new highs page 18

ExTrEmE phIlANThrOpy Inside the Mediterranean’s first privately-run search and rescue service page 32

LAUREN AQUILINA The teenage British-Maltese singer who went from being huge on YouTube to signing a three-album record deal with a major label page 6

E rE p S G IN E pp Or O T Sh ErS 4 rO SUpage 5 U p E S 0 m G see 0 2 A frO n

i w

16

34

. contents . on the cover

SPort

British-Maltese songstress Lauren Aquilina has been making waves in the UK and in Malta. She tells David Schembri her extraordinary path is down to being a normal teenage girl

Sprinter and long-jumper Becky Camilleri bounced back from a career-threatening injury to her best ever performances.

Ivan Borg traces that path

6 SONGS FOR THE SELFIE GENERATION 18 bAck wITH A vENGEANcE art

43 RUNNING INTO AddIcTION

The Oscar-nominated set designer and artist goes over his life’s work with Philip Leone-Ganado ahead of a solo exhibition next month

SocIetY

12 THE myRIAd wORLdS OF pETER HOwITT

Veronica Stivala has become something of a running junkie.

She looks into why that form of exercise can be so addictive

24 mAkING A pOINT

32 EXTREmE pHILANTHROpy

Ahead of the Malta Mediterranean Literature Festival, David Schembri asks: can literature bring about social change?

Philip Leone-Ganado goes behind the scenes on the first privately-owned search and rescue operation helping migrants in the Mediterranean

LIFeStYLe

46 A LIFE FOR OTHERS, RESUmEd

16 dOLcE FAR NIENTE

Productivity is overrated, David Schembri writes – doing nothing is the way ahead

30 mORE THAN SkIN dEEp

With decades of experience in the sector, Eve Taylor highlights the virtues of aromatherapy to Philip Leone-Ganado

36 EAST mEETS wEST

In Istanbul, Philip Leone-Ganado finds a heady mix of oriental and western cultures

38 ScHOOL AFTER ScHOOL

It has probably never been easier to further your education, even if you’re working. David Schembri catches up with those caught up in the virtuous cycle of lifelong learning

12

Karl Vella dedicated his life to helping others, particularly children.

After dying of cancer earlier this year, a foundation bearing his name will resume his life’s work, David Schembri writes

reGULarS 5 A wORd FROm THE EdITOR 23 c STyLE 51 pApARAzzI 54 SHOppING coMPetItIon 54 SHOppING SpREE Win a €200 voucher from GS Superstore

32

Send your letterS to: Philip Leone-Ganado, the editor, Sunday Circle, Network Publications Ltd, Level 2, Angelica Court, Guzeppi Calì Street, Ta’ Xbiex, XBX 1425, or email: philip@ networkpublications.com.mt. The editor reserves the right to edit letters for clarity and where space is limited. For advertising enquiries email: renee@networkpublications.com.mt or call: 2131 6326/7/8. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole, or in part, is strictly prohibited without written permission. Opinions expressed in the Sunday Circle are not necessarily those of the editor or publishers. All reasonable care is taken to ensure truth and accuracy, but the editor and publishers cannot be held responsible for errors or omissions in articles, advertising, photographs or illustrations. Unsolicited manuscripts are welcome, but cannot be returned without a stamped, self-addressed envelope. The editor is not responsible for material submitted for consideration.

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A Word FroM

the editor This month, we encounter success at both ends of the age spectrum.

From four-time Academy Award nominee

Peter

Howitt,

one

of

the world’s biggest names in set design, energetic and passionate as ever at 86 – to 19-year old Lauren Aquilina, the British-Maltese songstress playing sell-out shows in Malta, Britain and New York, a self-described normal teenager fast cementing her reputation as one to watch – and listen to. Philanthropy is also on our minds this month. At the time when most migrants attempt the perilous Mediterranean crossing, we go behind the scenes – and below deck – on one of the most ambitious responses we’ve seen yet: a private couple who have put millions into a mobile aid station for migrants in distress. We also meet the people behind the Karl Vella Foundation – which is carrying on Karl’s dedication to others beyond his grave. And whether you’re taking refuge from the sweltering heat by chilling at the beach or just lying comatose under a fan (my preferred option), take some solace in our celebration of the joys of doing nothing.

This and more inside. Thanks for reading.

Visit the redesigned sundaycircle.com for more quality content from your favourite lifestyle magazine THIS MONTH

ON THE COVER

PUBLISHEr John Formosa

NeTwORk PublicATiONs lTd

PUBLICATIoN & SALES MANAGEr Renée Micallef Decesare

EdITorIAL www.sundaycircle.com

AUGUST 2014 – ISSUE NO. 236

peter hOwITT

Philip Leone-Ganado ediTOR

David Schembri

The Oscar-nominated set designer on a life immersed in art

dePuTY ediTOR

page 20

becky cAmIllErI

Veronica Stivala Ivan Borg

After a career-threatening injury, the international athlete is reaching new highs page 53

ExTrEmE phIlANThrOpy

cONTRibuTORs

Inside the Mediterranean’s first privately-run search and rescue service page 63

LAUREN AQUILINA The teenage British-Maltese singer who went from being huge on YouTube to signing a three-album record deal with a major label page 4

ArT & dESIGN Sarah Scicluna ART diRecTOR

Jessica Camilleri

CoVEr PErSoNALITY Lauren Aquilina

CoVEr PHoTo Nicky Scicluna

PHOTOGRAPHY

seNiOR desiGNeR

SALES & MArKETING Jessica Borg

suPPleMeNTs sAles MANAGeR

Nick Formosa

sAles AdMiNisTRATOR

cover story

SONGS FOR THE SELFIE GENERATION Photography Nicky Scicluna

Art Direction Sarah Scicluna

British-Maltese songstress lauren aquilina has risen froM Being a YoutuBe cover star to signing a three-alBuM record deal. she tells david scheMBri the secret to her success is that she’s just a norMal teenager July 29th, 2014. At the end of her set at the Farsons Beer Festival, singer/songwriter Lauren Aquilina takes her iPhone and trains its camera towards her and the hundreds of Maltese fans belting out the chorus to her hit song Fools. After “desweating” the 19-year old spends time meeting the fans assembled at the front of the stage; later that night, she tweets “♥ ♥ ♥ Malta. Inhobbok ♥ ♥ ♥” to her 22,000 followers. The video she took that night surfaces online a few days later with the following caption: “The large, pessimistic part of me said that I’d probably never get to hear this many people sing back to me again. So I took a sweaty, gross, selfie video. You know, for the grandkids or whatever.”

While her pessimism might be unwarranted, her incredulity at being on that stage and at this stage in her career might be understood. Lauren’s career was launched online when her mother posted a video of her performing Lady Gaga’s Poker Face at an open mic night her friends had dragged her to. The feedback she got was positive, and she then started recording videos of her covering songs in her bedroom. As time went by, she started figuring out which videos worked and which videos did not, culminating in her covering a Justin Bieber song the day it came out, which racked up half a million views over two weeks. “I was like wow, OK, that worked!” she says in her hotel room on the morning of the gig. “I’ve actually taken it down now because I was embarrassed of it.”

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Sunday Circle | August 2014

cover story

Hair Elena Cassar Makeup Diandra Mattei Villeroy & Boch China Joinwell Furniture Joinwell

August 2014 | Sunday Circle

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cover story

“I just wanted to write songs. But we had a go at the artist thing and I’m still doing it now, four years later”

Early on, her videos caught the attention of music exec Ryan Walter, who has managed Lauren on her path to a career as a musical artist, which entailed moving out of the bedroom and onto the stage. Having done open mic nights for two years, she had her first gig in front of 15 people. “I was so nervous,” she recalls. “I did five songs, and I felt really good afterwards, I felt like I’d… I just felt happy, like a buzz or whatever.”

To date, she’s played three headline tours, and headlined the BBC Introducing stage at Reading and Leeds festivals. Not bad for a 19-year-old. Despite gaining attention for her cover versions, Lauren has always wanted her own material to be heard – regardless of who sang it. At first, she admits, she “wasn’t really bothered about the artist thing”. “I just wanted to write songs. But we had a go at the artist thing and I’m still doing it now, four years later,” she laughs. “I’ve always been more attached to the writing side of things. I write poetry too, but a lot of that ends up becoming a song.”

In 2012, using money she earned from a part-time job at a jeweller’s and money her manager pitched in from his day job at Sony, Lauren released her first EP, Fools, in 2012, profits from which funded her subsequent two EPs – Sinners and Liars.

Shortly after Liars was released, however, she announced that she had landed a three-album deal with Island Records – the same label that U2 and Robbie Williams are on. She has also signed a deal with BMG Publishing, which means that songs she pens can be pitched to be used in films and TV, and where she’s not singing them herself, to other artists.

“I’d love to do the really cheesy, easy pop thing – Rihanna, Katy Perry, the big pop females,” she says. “I’ve actually been doing a bit of that recently, and it comes very naturally to me. It’s not the kind of music style I’d want to sing, but I’d love to do more of that for other people if I could. I always get caught up in ‘the lyrics aren’t deep enough’ for my own songs. I actually think it would be really fun to write about being in a club or something.” She doesn’t find much time for clubs herself, being something of a workaholic. By her own estimate, she’s written about 100 songs this year, alone and with other people (she is slated to write with Imogen Heap in the future).

She still finds she works best when inspired, normally if she feels “sad, or something”. “I’d be on the train and I’ll be writing on my phone; I’ll get to the studio [in West London] and I’ll open a session and start playing piano and start singing one of the lyrics. It’s all frantic, and it doesn’t really make any sense and you end up with a song and I’m like: ‘How did that happen?’ most of the time,” she says of her songwriting process.

Given that her songs are autobiographical, she sometimes finds herself using the smallest of things to get a song – an example of this is Irrelevant, a heartfelt power ballad about feeling worthless, which she wrote after she didn’t receive a reply to a message which had come up as read.

8

Sunday Circle | August 2014

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“I kind of feel drunk when I come off stage, if that makes sense” “I’m 19, it’s not like I’ve been through three divorces or anything. I should definitely be married within the next six months,” she jokes.

Lauren’s father is Maltese, and she has been visiting the island since she was a child. She has topped the iTunes charts here and has a sizeable following, which led to her being invited to the Beer Festival last year.

Expecting an audience of maybe 200 people, she was shocked when she learnt it would be more like 4,000 – her largest audience ever. She looks even more startled when I tell her that it’s the sort of audience that popular acts get at the festival. “I had one of the best experiences of my life, really, I’ve never felt so much love from any group of people, it was just so big, so nice, and chanting my name, and singing along, and listening so intently – it was amazing!” she says.

Although she played a solo set in Malta, back in the UK she has been touring with a band. “It’s really nice when you actually have people you can share that joy of being on stage with. I can look over and see they’re having a good time and they really put me at ease,” she says. As far as tour antics go, she speaks of a night in Nottingham where she had dinner and cocktails with a band, and the next thing she knew she was “on the floor of a Taiwanese karaoke bar singing Barbie Girl, very out of tune”. She normally doesn’t drink much. “I’ve never been into it,” she says. “I kind of feel drunk when I come off stage, if that makes sense.”

Despite her fondness for camaraderie, she admits to being slightly dictatorial over her material. “I have all the say in everything, I’m really precious about that. When I signed to my label they knew what they were dealing with, that I was going to be dictating everything.”

Now two-thirds through writing her first album, she finally feels she’s getting songs the way she wants them to be. “About five months ago I wrote this song with my producer, Dan, and it was 10

Sunday Circle | August 2014

everything that I wanted in a song. It was such a turning point, because suddenly everything made sense to me, how the album should be. With me, it’s always been all about the voice as the centre, but then the music around it becoming much more atmospheric and euphoric, and cinematic,” she says.

It would be fair to say Lauren is in a bit of an awkward phase.

Despite having covered the Coldplay song Magic in a live session for BBC One at the iconic Maida Vale studios, she still had to scramble to buy a ticket for their gig like any other fan would. While all her friends are at university, she had to turn down her place when the record deal came through. “I thought I could go back to University at any point in my life, whereas this window of opportunity I have now is a once in a lifetime opportunity. It’s cliché, isn’t it?”

Although her circle of friends has been impervious to her increasing success, this has made things awkward with people who weren’t that close. She recalls a New Year’s Eve party last year where there were many people from her school back home for Christmas. “Everyone was really drunk, and people were coming up to me, telling me ‘surely you shouldn’t be here because you’re too famous’, and even though it wasn’t meant in a horrible way, I got really self-conscious and I ended up having a panic attack and having to leave. That can be weird, but I’m getting better at dealing with that now,” she says.

As a teenager in the 21st century, her iPhone always within reach, even during her gig, where she uses it to check her set list and take selfies with the audience, which, as it happens, is not too different from her. “A lot of my fanbase is teenage girls, just because I am really a normal teenage girl, a bit of a loser,” she says. “I’ve had all the normal experiences, I just write about that and people connect to it, I guess.”

Lauren taking a selfie at the Farsons Beer Festival Photo: Emma Tranter

left story cover

ART

The Myriad Worlds of

PeTer hoWiTT AheAd of A new exhibition of his work, the Artist And four-time AcAdemy AwArd nominAted set designer tells PhiliP leone-gAnAdo About working with sPielberg And olivier, his love AffAir with gozo, And why he AlwAys comes bAck to PAinting Photography Jacob Sammut

12

Sunday Circle | August 2014

hen Peter Howitt was a young man, struggling to find work in postwar Britain, his mother gave him a simple piece of advice. “She told me: ‘It doesn’t matter what you do, dear, but you’re a painter. So whatever you do, whether it’s painting lampshades or shop windows, make sure you’re painting,’ And I’ve kept that in mind throughout my life.”

Now 86, he can probably reflect that he has made good on that instruction in the broadest sense imaginable. Howitt is best known as the set decorator for some of Hollywood’s biggest productions, having worked on James Bond and Indiana Jones titles, Braveheart, Mission: Impossible, The Mummy, and countless others – and garnering four Academy Award nominations along the way. “I got one or two very good breaks, and once you get your foot on the ladder, success brings you more. It’s always the first step, the first nice person you meet. Of course, a nomination always helps you,” he laughs. “It’s like getting an award at school: people suddenly start to notice you.”

ART

Over the years, he has also designed the Christmas window displays at Selfridges, the London Dungeon, sets and costumes for everything from theatre to ballet to pantomime, even an extravagant ball for a North American oil magnate who had taken over the whole of an iconic Mayfair hotel for the evening. “It all requires an artist,” he says when I ask about the wide skill-set required to leap so effortlessly between disciplines. “I’ve always had an imagination, and I’ve always had a strange imagination.”

Sprinkled around his airy Valletta apartment is illustration of that claim. The walls are adorned with Howitt’s large colourful canvases; many more sit stacked against the walls in anticipation of his newest exhibition. Framed examples of his set designs hang alongside his Academy Award certificates. On a messy workbench in the corner are brushes, models, and scrapbooks in various stages of completion. “I’m still learning to draw by the way,” he tells me if he flicks through one of them. “I’m still going to classes. That’s the nice thing about art: you never stop learning.” In another corner sits a small cardboard dragon – he’s designed it for a possible production of the ballet St George and the Dragon, which he’s now trying to persuade a company to stage. He shows me the original design for the model in a sketchbook: “It started with me dropping some paint on it by accident,” he laughs.

If his apartment is evidence of a colourful life, the man himself is doubly so: a treasure-trove of stories and anecdotes from life among the Hollywood elite – whether it’s his friendships with Stephen Spielberg and Cubby Broccoli, the time Elizabeth Taylor turned up unexpectedly at his house in Għarb to make good on a promise she had made to come and stay with him (David Bowie was another guest), or the time he told Mel Gibson that he thought Braveheart was just too bloody, only for the notoriously volatile director to tell him that that was exactly what he was hoping somebody would say.

From three films with the legendary Laurence Olivier, Howitt recalls an incident during the filming of Othello, with a young Maggie Smith as Ophelia: “When she was supposed to be dying, she caught my eye just off set and whispered ‘Get me a cheese roll.’

And Olivier saw it and yelled: ‘Would you stop camping around?!’

Another time he was in full costume, and he asked me: ‘What do I look like?’ And I said: ‘Shirley Bassey, why?’ And everyone froze, expecting him to blow up, but surprisingly he laughed.”

“I’ve made friends with so many actors and actresses. Most come from very ordinary backgrounds and suddenly they become famous, but that doesn’t actually change you. One or two get a bit spoiled, but then they’d probably have been spoiled whatever they were doing. Most actors have a lot of respect for the crew.

August 2014 | Sunday Circle 13

ART

“I do have fr who are s again, but I did waking up drivi

“It’s the same wherever you go: they go home afterwards and they’re talking about the most ordinary things – my feet are killing me, or I missed the bus. You’re having these everyday conversations with famous stars – but they’re not really famous stars because you’re all working together. You all become a sort of family.”

Howitt first came to Malta in the 60s. “I went to Gozo, fell in love with it, and within four days I was negotiating to buy a house in Għarb,” he laughs. “I had so many lovely memories there. The house got prettier and prettier: I was always adding to it.” For years, he spent time flitting between London and Gozo, though he also worked on a few Hollywood productions filmed here on the islands, including, notably, Pulp, starring Mickey Rooney: Howitt worked on the costumes and gave Rooney thick-rimmed glasses reminiscent of those worn by Dom Mintoff, a comparison which Howitt believes bothered the former Prime Minister so much that he didn’t speak to him for years.

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Sunday Circle | August 2014

All the while, Howitt was also setting down roots in the local community. “I knew everyone on the island,” he smiles, having designed the first two discos on the island, as well as redesigning the Astra Theatre in Victoria after the auditorium was partially destroyed by a fire ten years ago. Today, in fact, no longer active in films, he is most well-known among the artistic community for the sets he has designed for a number of high-profile plays and ballets locally.

“I do have friends who are as old as me who are still working every now and again, but I didn’t want to keep doing that: waking up at 6am every morning and driving halfway across London,” he adds.

His latest endeavour, in fact, is an opportunity to indulge once more his first – and ever-present – passion: painting. A wide-ranging exhibition of his work opens at the Auberge d’Italie in a few weeks, featuring a mix of paintings, including a number that he has been working on recently, and his iconic film and stage designs from over the years, “After all this

right

riends who are as old as me still working every now and dn’t want to keep doing that: p at 6am every morning and ing halfway across London”

I decided to do something for me,” he explains. “I’ve had a couple of exhibitions in England but I was mostly too busy earning a living.”

As he shows me around the pieces that will soon grace the exhibition, the same eclecticism that defines his life seems to run through his work – everything from his large, bold paintings (“I quite like painting colour but going to the extreme. Then a dollop of white paint brings it to life.”) to pantomime designs from the last few years. “I don’t want to disguise anything I did,” he says with a smile. “Otherwise I’d just have got bored.”

The exhibition of paintings and drawings by Peter Howitt will be on view from September 10 to 20, at Auberge D’Italie, Merchants Street, Valletta. For more information or a preview call Lily Agius Gallery on 99292488 or email info@lilyagiusgallery.com. A few paintings can be viewed online via www.lilyagiusgallery.com - and all will be available to view online after the opening date.

August 2014 | Sunday Circle 000

LIFESTYLE

dolce far niente

Drop whatever you’re Doing anD reaD this. then, Do nothing, writes DaviD schembri

T

he verb to “do” has a special place in our vocabulary; given that what we do defines who we are, then perhaps rightly so: slogans like “just do it”, “do more”, and “do or die” all compel us to get up and do things, as if our plate weren’t full enough already. Common wisdom, passed over years and years stresses the importance of being active – of not waiting for things to happen to you, of helping yourself so God can help you, of words and actions being worlds apart. Doing nothing – or doing nothing productive – on the other hand, is seen as being vulnerable to temptation, of wasting time, and if time is money then we are being most wasteful.

Doing nothing, however, is sometimes just the ticket, particularly if it’s a Maltese summer. And yet the guilt that’s suddenly laid on me for doing nothing is possibly greater than the guilt I’d feel if I were to embark on a career tricking old widows out of their life savings. The latter is productive, the former isn’t.

But looking at the Latin word for trade, negotio, we are invited to look at leisure in a more positive way. Negotio is made up of two parts, and it literally means the “lack of leisure”, which is otio. It frames leisure as being the default state, rather than work, which is at odds with our way of thinking. Of course, the concept of whiling away time doing nothing is hardly new to Malta. Some manage to do it as a day job, but even otherwise hard workers know the value of an afternoon rest, or of enjoying the simple pleasures of a walk or food. Take those who, come sundown, can be found staring idly into the sea, fishing rod in hand as they wait for a fish to tug at their bait. There could be more productive uses for their time.

If what they wanted was fish, they could be better served if they used the time they spent fishing to work a part-time job and simply buy whatever fish they fancied – they could even get something beyond the reach of their rods, like tuna or salmon – without risking a “wasted” fishing session where they caught nothing.

Same goes for knitting. Scarves aren’t that expensive. And walking for leisure, particularly if you end up back at your front door, is pretty futile.

But, as I presume walkers, amateur knitters and fishermen all over the world will protest, the product of such idle labour is not what matters.

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Sunday Circle | August 2014

Fishermen and knitters do what they do because of what their activity gives them – time away from the madding crowd, spent doing something worth doing for its own sake.

As Bertrand Russell observed in his essay In Praise of Idleness, “the modern man thinks that everything ought to be done for the sake of something else, and never for its own sake.” And this is why at the essence of the joy of doing nothing productive, we are allowed to savour the small basic things for what they are, the movement of our feet and lungs as we walk along the coast, the taste and texture of the bread we’re eating and the gentle swash of the sea as it sidles up to the shore.

In the same essay, Russell said that as technology made living easier, people could work less and enjoy more time of leisure, time which, if well educated, he trusted people to spend wisely. But even 21st century business has a place for idleness of some form. Manfred F.R. Kets de Vries, a professor in leadership, writes that although we have “ample opportunities” for busyness, “when it comes down to it, we are often prisoners of busyness rather than productively occupied”. Abandoning Bertram Russell’s hope of a society where an activity was valued for its own sake, the leadership guru writes that periods of inactivity – even boredom – can actually help our productivity more than being caught in a flurry of emails, meetings and calls. “Allowing unconscious thought processes to surface can be more productive than consciously focusing on problem solving,” he writes.

Indeed, it is those who are actually busy who stand to gain the most from idleness. In his appropriately short treatise on the topic, On Laziness, Christopher Morley praised “the kind of laziness that is based upon a carefully reasoned analysis of experience,” which, he says, is an “acquired laziness”. “We have no respect for those who were born lazy; it is like being born a millionaire: they cannot appreciate their bliss. It is the man who has hammered his laziness out of the stubborn material of life for whom we chant praise and allelulia.”

Ultimately, as the verb “to do” starts decreasing in our life’s vocabulary, “to be” takes its place. And that is just fine.

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eveRYBOdY lOveS The BUG

On August 15th, 400 vehicles and up to 4,000 spectators made their way to the Baltic, for the largest Beetle event for models old and new. Of the hundreds of curvaceous Volkswagens from six decades, one was voted ‘Most Beautiful Beach Beetle’ of them all. Be it Glamour Beetle, Crochet Beetle, Rock ‘n Roll Beetle or Beach Beetle, the Bug is as strong now as it has ever been. To join in the fun, visit Continental Cars Ltd, Princess Margaret Street, Msida, Tel: 2347 6315/6/7 or, if you’re in Gozo, Mizzi Motors Showroom, Mġarr Road, Għajnsielem, Tel: 2155 6942

fOOd and dRink feSTival (and SO MUch MORe) aT laGUna walk Earlier this summer, SmartCity Malta inaugurated Laguna Walk, a new events hub in the south of Malta that is fast on its way to be the most vibrant destination in Malta. In the coming months, Laguna Walk will be hosting a number of events for the public to enjoy.

On August 23rd and 24th, Laguna Walk will be hosting the Food and Drink Festival from 8 p.m. till late. The public will enjoy cuisines and wines from around the world, live entertainment, a children’s area, and much, much more. Entrance is free with ample free parking spaces available.

To stay updated about all future Laguna Walk events, visit www.lagunawalk.com.mt and like SmartCity News on Facebook.

BReakinG new GROUnd in STYle

The new Nissan X-Trail combines Nissan’s acclaimed 4x4 heritage with fresh ideas and technologies inspired by the brand’s groundbreaking crossover models. The X-Trail’s bold new design was born of the desire to make it the most comprehensive offering in the C-SUV sector, and has won it the What Car? Reader’s Award 2014. Starting from €32,550, the X-Trail has a host of standard features including 17” alloy wheels, electric parking brake, parking sensors, Bluetooth and much more. Nissan Motor Sales Ltd, Antonio Bosio Street, Msida, Tel: 2133 4196, 9940 7554, 9946 3750; email: info-nissan@nissan.com.mt

life accORdinG TO levi’S

On June 30th, Levi’s announced its new global brand campaign, Live in Levi’s, inspired by the millions of stories consumers tell about the things they do in their Levi’s – from first dates and firstborns to rodeos and road trips and every day in between. The video for the campaign is directed by Fredrik Bond and features a track by the raspy voiced blues rock musician Jamie N. Commons.

Live in Levi’s campaign spots brings these moments to life and celebrates individuals who are living and having fun in their Levi’s.

See http://youtu.be/afw66zbjros

August 2014 | Sunday Circle 17

society

Photography Jacob Sammut

Imagine being a world champion, at the very apex of your profession. Imagine a gruelling preparation programme designed to prepare the human body for extreme outbursts, while withstanding the same from opponents. And imagine climbing this Mount Olympus 11 times, across different weight categories, in a sport predicated on kicks and punches. When I meet kickboxing champ Marlon Hunt for the first time, I’ve already done my homework about his credentials.

Besides quickly climbing to the top of my personal ‘people I’d hate to encounter in a dark alley’ list, I’m expecting some serious ego. 11 titles is no joke. Within minutes of my meeting him, Hunt dismisses both of these rather obvious (sorry, sports fans) expected traits. “Your mind, your body and your spirit have to be working as one,” he explains.

“If there’s one that is not right, you’re not going to achieve your goal.”

My first question is also rather obvious. 11 titles: how? “Yeah, I’m an 11-time champion, but I’m still in the gym every day,” Hunt explains, “Still learning my kicks, still learning my jabs. Practice, practice, practice”.

Clearly, this fellow is less of a brawler and more of a student of the sweet science. I

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Sunday Circle | August 2014

society

extreme philanthropy The MigranT OffshOre aid sTaTiOn will sOOn launch On iTs MissiOn TO assisT MigranTs in peril acrOss The MediTerranean. we gO behind The scenes On The prOjecT’s rescue ship – The phOenix i

Photography Jacob Sammut

B

etween 2012 and 2013, the number of illegal crossings into Malta and Italy rose by 388 per cent. In June this year, as Italy claimed that 50,000 migrants had already landed in Italy, international authorities warned of

as many as 600,000 people waiting in Libya to attempt the perilous Mediterranean crossing.

For many of those, the attempt ends in tragedy.

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat spoke last year of a cemetery in the Mediterranean, as more

The couple have purchased a 40 metre vessel, the Phoenix I, which will be sailed out from its base in Malta for weeks at a stretch and stationed on major migrant shipping lanes, with the aim of mitigating the loss of life. They have put together an international team led by former Armed Forces of Malta Commander Martin Xuereb and including experts in the maritime and medical fields.

The vessel was first built in 1973 as a trawler,

and more migrant vessels met with disaster. It is

and refitted in 2008 as a research vessel. It was

estimated that more than 20,000 have lost their

purchased and sailed across the Atlantic, and

lives in the last 20 years.

refitted with a lightweight aluminium flight

When philanthropist couple Christopher

deck to accommodate the eyes of the operation

and Regina Catrambone – founders of Tangiers, a leading global business specialising in insurance, emergency assistance and

– the Camcopter s-100 is the eyes of the operation: an RPA (Remote Piloted Aircraft, or drone) designed by Gerhard Heufler and

intelligence – became aware of the problem,

Hans Schiebel, with a range of 180km and a

they devised a particularly ambitious response

top speed of 222km/h, equipped with sonar,

– the Migrant Offshore Aid Station.

thermal and night imaging.

August 2014 | Sunday Circle 19

society

Since its launch, the Camcopter has been used by militaries

The Phoenix I has an international crew including

and navies for everything from anti-smuggling efforts to

Maltese, Irish, American and Israeli members. They will

fire fighting and flood relief, and has even been exhibited

be out at sea for up to 3 weeks at a stretch, with the aim

at the New York Museum of Modern Art. The Camcopter

of approximately 60 days of operation until the end of the

will be used to identify vessels in distress – the incredible technical capacities of the drone will allow the crew to

filmmaker, Cat Mills, who is documenting the project.

make an assessment of the needs, medical and otherwise,

While waiting to ship out, a number of the crew have

of the migrants on board, and will then dispatch two RIBs (rigid-hulled inflatable boats) equipped with water, food, life jackets, blankets and medical supplies. The main aim of the mission is to alert authorities and mitigate the loss of life – yet the Phoenix I is also equipped to bring

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season. Accompanying the crew will also be an American

already taken up residence on board the vessel. Their living quarters, meanwhile, recently hosted another distinguished guest, as part of the team’s commitment to highlight issues relating to migration – Dr Ayman Mostafa – the Syrian doctor who came to Malta having lost his

migrants on board if the situation requires it, fulfilling

wife and child at sea. Dr Mostafa said that he hoped his

the same obligations placed on fishing (and other) vessels

family had not perished in vain – in the Phoenix I and the

encountering similar situations, yet with the specific

Migrant Offshore Aid Station project, there is hope that

capabilities and willingness to take them on.

others may avoid a similar fate.

Sunday Circle | August 2014

society

August 2014 | Sunday Circle 21

sports

back with a vengeance In just ten months, sprInter and long-jumper Becky camIllerI returned from a career-threatenIng Injury to smash her own natIonal record and qualIfy for the commonwealth games – all the whIle readIng for a phd In neuroscIence.

Ivan Borg fInds out more Photography Jacob Sammut

T

he knock on sprinters and jumpers is that they put in their work over a span of seconds. How could one possibly craft a truly meaningful performance in a matter of moments?

But if Becky Camilleri’s 2014 masterpiece of a season proves anything, it’s that such an accomplishment is possible. The twists and turns that led her to the Commonwealth Games Long Jump Final in Glasgow aren’t only gripping from a sporting perspective, but also from a purely narrative one. It almost feels scripted.

If this season was a months-long virtuoso performance, 2013 was a comparatively choppy one for Becky. “It’s often said that what goes up must come down,” Becky muses. “That’s exactly what happened for me last year.” For most people, any season that includes a National Record is a career year, but Becky is accustomed to more rarefied air: following a relatively disappointing turn at the 2013 GSSE by breaking her own National Record at the European Team Championships.

She would not have any time to savour that achievement, however. A few days later, having arrived in Turkey for the Mediterranean Games, she suffered a catastrophic injury in training. A fractured tibial plateau brought an abrupt end to Becky’s season, just when she seemed ready to peak. Athletes invariably want no part of descriptors like ‘season-ending’ and ‘career-threatening’, but both were true of her injury.

Even the staunchest of her supporters, the innermost of her inner cadre – as well as Becky herself – questioned her ability to overcome the injury. She was in her late twenties, coming off a topsy-turvy season by her standards, and was facing a daunting road back to full fitness. Assuming it was medically possible to make a full recovery, would she even want to? “I was certain at the time that it would spell the end of my sixteen-year athletic career”, Becky recalls.

22 Sunday Circle | August 2014

sports

August 2014 | Sunday Circle 23

sports

“Each day was a mental and physical struggle to remain patient, at the same time pushing beyond my limits. The motive behind this was simple.

I was not ready to throw in the towel...”

It didn’t take long for the initial cloud of doom to dissipate, and she threw herself into her rehabilitation as early as possible. Still, she’d have no way of knowing what kind of toll she’d have to pay – and there lay the hardest part of the process. “The worst part of the injury was not knowing: not knowing when or if I would be back to what I was and what I had worked so hard to become”, she explains. “Each day was a mental and physical struggle to remain patient, at the same time pushing beyond my limits. The motive behind this was simple. I was not ready to throw in the towel...”

What followed was a laborious, painstaking recovery. Becky would have to draw on the same focus, commitment and attention to detail that had made her a world-class jumper, along with her admitted stubbornness. She credits her significant other, Federico, with a huge role in the process. Federico is also an athlete of note, and has long been a familiar face to the Maltese athletic community, as a veteran of numerous GSSE campaigns for San Marino. “I said to myself: ‘If I’m going to come back from this then it’s going to mean something, it’s going to be worth it’. Soon, baby steps turned into big leaps...”

Still, there was a huge measure of uncertainty throughout the latter months of 2013, certainly back home in Malta. Becky is working towards a PhD in Neuroscience at the moment. After a few weeks in Malta, she went back to Padova to resume her academic 24

Sunday Circle | August 2014

work, and had to complete her rehabilitation there. That means that any doubts her local entourage might have had went largely unaddressed, as she was pretty much out of sight for weeks at a time. She quietly crossed the invisible line between ‘rehab’ and ‘training’. When she came back to Malta for a few sessions with her coach, Jivko Jetchev, the trackside posse was looking closely to see how well things were going. Things seemed to be going well, when she suddenly pulled up mid-run clutching her leg.

Her coach and her training mates nearly had a heart attack, but luckily it just turned out to be a little bit of cramp. Even now, Becky gets an occasional twinge, but has been able to return to full training. “My knee is not the same,” she explains. “It still chooses to remind me it’s there every morning, and when a humid day sets in. I do remember my first fast run, though! Apart from the clicking sensation and sharp pain, it was amazing. For the first time since the injury, it allowed me to believe that jumping again was more than just possible. That made qualification for the Commonwealth Games a more realistic goal...”

Incredibly, she put in some exceptional work in her early competitions, and managed to make some real noise on the Italian circuit. When she came back to Malta to compete in the National Championships, she was riding the sort of momentum that had seemed unlikely just a few months earlier.

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sports

“A 6.41m jump would have tasted sweet any day, but achieving this result only ten months after my injury and in front of a home crowd was exceptionally overwhelming!”

The 2014 National Championships were probably the best-attended meet in years, and a number of athletes put on a real show over that weekend. However, Becky would steal the show (as only she can) on the second day of the meet. It was an uncharacteristically overcast day, but Becky wasn’t going to be denied by the weather this time. She’d better her national mark twice, and her winning 6.41m jump propelled her to Commonwealth Games qualification and a Top-40 European ranking in the event. “When something goes all the way down, it can only bounce back up,” she tells me. “A 6.41m jump would have tasted sweet any day, but achieving this result only ten months after my injury and in front of a home crowd was exceptionally overwhelming!”

She also put the finishing touches on a fine weekend of work by helping the 4x100m relay team to make the qualifying standard for the Commonwealth games, ensuring she’d be with some of her closest friends for the duration of the Glasgow games.

Becky’s performance had made her a dark horse candidate for a medal, but there are no guarantees in the jump events.

When she eventually qualified for the Commonwealth Long Jump final, the first Maltese track and field athlete to do so, her friends and family were elated – but hardly surprised. The shadow of doubt they’d allowed to creep in after her injury is only a memory. For the local track community, following her televised qualifying jump, the starkest characteristic of her performance wasn’t her borderline-ethereal skill level, but the authentic grit of it.

Becky Camilleri has huffed, puffed and bullied her way back into training, competition and Maltese sporting history. Becky was arguably the finest Maltese athlete of all time even prior to her injury – she’s only bolstered her claim by proving, once again, that she has nine lives and is living for ten.

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Sunday Circle | August 2014

WWW.PRONOVIAS.COM THE WORLD’ S LEADI N G BR I DA L HO U SE

promotion

A Style InStItutIon AmericAn style institution Brooks Brothers hAs found its new home in the heArt of mAltA’s cApitAl city Brooks Brothers is more than a clothing brand: it’s an institution.

When, on April 7, 1818, 45-year old Henry Sands Brooks opened H. & D.H. Brooks & Co. on the Northeast corner of Catharine and Cherry Streets in New York City, his childhood home, he was sowing the seeds for a brand that would be going as strong as ever 200 years later. As “Makers and Merchants in One,” the firm assumed absolute control over its offerings, ensuring customers the highest level of quality. As the years went by, Henry passed over the business to his sons, the namesake of the brand. Over the years, the company has been instrumental in introducing new styles in the US, establishing trends that are as stylish today as they were in their early days.

Brooks Brothers is especially known for its made-to-measure tailoring service, and counts among its customers the world’s most powerful men, having dressed 39 of the 44 US presidents, including Barack Obama.

Although long-established abroad, style connoisseurs in Malta have not yet been able experience the joy of walking into their local Brooks 28

Sunday Circle | August 2014

Brothers outlet. That has changed, and Brooks Brothers has found a home that suits its international reputation and tradition – on Piazza Regina, right next to Valletta’s most established coffee shop, Café Cordina. SMG-Mode Ltd, a subsidiary of Halmann Vella PLC has restored the beautiful three-storeyed corner building, with a design that complements and shows off the elegance and values that the brand is built upon.

Brooks Brothers hosts a vast menswear line and a somewhat smaller female line. The clothing line includes formal and informal wear and is complemented by a full range of varied accessories, including footwear. Brooks Brothers is especially strong on its made-to-measure tailoring service, and the service will be incorporated into the new store. All staff are fully trained by Brooks Brothers personnel who regularly visit to oversee that everything is in line with Brooks Brothers’ stringent quality measures.

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Sunday Circle | August 2014

HEALTH

more than skin deep It’s been half a century sInce eve taylor founded her famIly-run aromatherapy busIness – and at 82, she Is stIll not keen on slowIng down Words Philip Leone-Ganado

F

ifty years ago, Eve Taylor was cooking up skincare products in her kitchen sink and selling them for 50p in old coffee jars.

Today, the company she has built has a turnover of £2m, and exports 60 per cent of its products to over 40 countries worldwide – with their largest market in the Far East. Eve herself was honoured with an OBE (Officer of the British Empire) by Buckingham Palace in 2008 for her contribution to the aromatherapy profession and industry, and is recognised as one of the world’s foremost authorities in the field.

For Eve, the long journey all began as a young woman when she started attending beauty school in the evenings while working parttime. But today, she says that what her empire is built on “isn’t beauty, it’s health and wellbeing: my whole life I’ve worked to improve the well-being of the human being – and restore balance – through the skin.” The shift came with her discovery of aromatherapy, a form of alternative medicine built around the use of concentrated plant oils – essential oils – which are either applied directly to the skin or inhaled, and which proponents like Eve claim can benefit health, moods and emotions.

The approach is by necessity a holistic one.

“We’re a whole: we’re not an arm or a leg,” Eve explains. “The skin reflects what’s going on in the body: every line tells a story. In today’s modern language, you’re a computer: your spine is the keyboard and your brain is the software. And whatever happens in your life will register, so we often go back to the original: where do you come from? We tend to inherit the strengths and weaknesses of a predominating ancestral line. I inherit the strengths and weaknesses of my mother’s line – so does the Queen,” she adds with a smile.

The power of smells, of course, is well documented. Eve points to the increased risk of depression among elderly people who lose their

Photography Jacob Sammut

sense of smell, and its relation to memory. “I’ve seen a woman hyperventilate at the natural smell of lavender,” she recalls. “The lavender didn’t make her hyperventilate, it caused a memory flashback to 20 years before when her father was in his coffin.” But her work goes far beyond that, and she is full of anecdotes of patients she has assisted with everything from skin problems to psychological trauma, to arthritis and scoliosis.

Yet she is unperturbed by any question of the scientific basis to her work. “I do things that work, and people come and tell me it works, and I’m thrilled about that.”

Today, having cracked markets across the globe and with an ever-increasing portfolio of product ranges, Eve’s company is still very much a family affair. Of her five sons, the eldest is Research Director, while two more work as Production Director and Business Development Director respectively. “The challenge is different temperaments,” she laughs. “I couldn’t live with any of them, but thankfully I can work with them.”

Eve herself has given up a lot of the day-to-day running of the company, but she still remains very much involved, and goes in to work every day of a four-day working week – in spite even of a minor stroke she suffered three years ago.

“I have to work,” she says of her continuing drive. “If I didn’t work, I’d be the woman in the dressing gown who doesn’t bother to get up.

I still go to work early in the morning. I don’t do as much at work as I used to, and I don’t travel as much – I can’t deal with the long-haul flights and the airports anymore.

“Though I did spend all day yesterday teaching, and I love that. When I see somebody who I trained 30 years ago in Malta, that’s when I feel like I’ve really made a difference.”

For more information on Eve Taylor products contact PHBS Ltd on 2142 4401/2/3 August 2014 | Sunday Circle 31

LITERATURE

MAKING A POINT AheAd of this yeAr’s MAltA MediterrAneAn literAture festivAl, dAvid scheMbri Asks: cAn Art And literAture bring About sociAl chAnge? lIIustration Iella

“Where they burn books, so too will they in the end burn human beings,” the German writer Heinrich Heine wrote in 1821. Those in power have always been aware of the power of words, and Heine’s books were among the thousands of volumes torched over a century later in Nazi Germany.

“There is no such thing as a neutral mode of writing, or even an “innocent” literature – just as there would be no value in reading things that simply seek to reaffirm what would be easiest for us to believe,” says Norbert Bugeja, a poet and a lecturer in literature at the University of Kent. This fact, he says, can “embarrass an entire state and move its authorities or the supporters of its policies to act – think of writer Ghassan Kanafani and cartoonist Naji al-Ali, both Palestinians whose work deeply unsettled Israel’s image in front of the world. Both of them were assassinated.”

The Palestinian saga is one that is close to Palestinian-Maltese writer Walid Nabhan, who was born in exile, and whose latest book L-Eżodu taċ-Ċikonji (The Storks’ Exodus) deals with this very problem. Now with a book of poetry coming up soon, Fi Triqti Lejha, Nabhan believes that literature can change the world “and it has to duty to do so. It did actually in post-colonial Europe and in other parts of the world.” The power of literature, he says, is that it writes down the details and mood of history – “including the colour and the smell of their faeces.” Having written L-Eżodu taċĊikonji about the Palestinian epic, he hopes it will one day not be as relevant as it is now. “Palestinians will lick their wounds until they are completely recovered, until they are ready for writing their new brighter chapters about their Middle East, which is also ours.”

Nabhan is one of the writers taking part in this year’s Malta Mediterranean Literature Festival, organised by the NGO Inizjamed. The NGO has not been known to shy away from being

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Sunday Circle | August 2014

politically vociferous, and some of the writers invited to this year’s festival are no exception.

Poet Antoine Cassar, born abroad to Maltese parents, has been taking on the idea of borders and nationality with his long-running project Passaport, a poem which has been distributed worldwide in the shape of a passport. He mentions the title of a poem by Gabriel Celaya, which paints poetry as “a weapon loaded with future”.

“Notwithstanding my automatic discomfort with the metaphor of combat, it should be understood in its historical context: Spain was still reeling from the devastation of the civil war, and Europe was tearing itself apart. Faced with such levels of inhumanity, Celaya’s proposed ‘weapon’ is not an instrument of murder, but a perpetuator of life, of possibility,” Cassar says. Having been exposed to socially committed verse while a twenty-something living in Madrid, and later through Adrian Grima’s work in Malta, Cassar only admits part of what he writes as being “activist” in nature.

“I like to see poetry as both a musical and a political instrument.

Going back to Celaya’s ‘future’, with the right rhythms, images and associations, poetry crystallises personal and collective hopes and struggles, and thrusts them gently forward,” the poet says.

It is hardly surprising that some of the writers interviewed chose to commence their answers quoting someone else. This is what Giacomo Sferlazzo, a songwriter and political activist from Lampedusa, also a participant at this year’s festival, did. “All art is bourgeois,” he says, quoting the late actor and writer Carmelo Bene. Rather than looking at art itself, Sferlazzo says, we should be looking at the lives of artists as a more tangible way of making a change. “To express some form of political activism as I understand it, an artist has to first of all detach themselves as much as they can from established structures, financing from foundations and

LITERATURE

August 2014 | Sunday Circle 33

LITERATURE

banks, and, above all, from power,” Sferlazzo says. Powerful companies and NGOs, he says, “move very close to the world of art and communication, and they use means of expression influenced, and in turn, influencing, modern art”. Sferlazzo’s tendency for deconstruction leads to his conclusion: “Maybe at this time there is a need to rebel against the concept of art, and start making an incision on life with our actions, behaviour, with all there is before we create a work. Political activism and art can only coincide if there is a coherence between our actions and our art, between life and work,” he says.

Walid Nabhan too believes in the confluence of art, life, and politics.

“Whether deliberately or unconsciously, political activism is present in everything we do, especially the things we think have nothing to do with politics, such as flushing our toilet, or replacing a bulb with an energy-saving one. Politics is in everything. It is a system which we live in and it directly affects our bread and salt, even moods when we sit down for writing a love poem – even in a love poem I wouldn’t be surprised to find politics hiding between a kiss and a whisper,” he says.

Cassar does not want to discount art in itself, and its power to make an impact on life. “I firmly believe in the transformative power of art in general, and of poetry in particular.

We can stop fretting at the intangibility of poetry’s societal outcomes when we accept that, as with any artistic discipline, it works essentially on consciousness, and its effects are unpredictable and long-term,” Cassar says. “Having said that, a poetic ripple can grow into waves and billows, bringing social undercurrents up to the fore, while fostering reflection, dialogue, and a solidarity that goes beyond the symbolic.” He points at various historical instances where this was shown: “When Neruda died days after the Chilean coup d’état in 1973, his funeral became a silent yet highly charged protest against the fascist regime newly installed by Pinochet’s guns. In Tiananmen Square, students were solded together and emboldened by reciting Bei Dao’s poem Answer”.

A more recent example he mentions is that of the Egyptian revolution of 2012, where Tamim al-Barghouti sidestepped the internet blackout by faxing in a poem from abroad, which was photocopied and distributed throughout Tahrir Square, after which two huge makeshift screens were installed for him to read his words to the multitude.

“Poetry is not only a celebration of what is beautiful and what is dark, nor a mere ‘journalism’ of the spirit. Much less is it a passive documentation of events and emotions. Precisely where necessary, there is a self-expression, an explicit or implicit declaration of a position, and an exhortation to listen, to observe, to react, and eventually, to take sides and to take action,” Cassar says. “Poetry helps us to stay human, to become more human, on both an individual and a collective level.”

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“I firmly believe in the transformative power of art in general, and of poetry in particular”

promotion

Glamorous, athletic, timeless Cars InternatIonal Is puttIng another stunner on Maltese roads – the all-new opel CasCada Launched last month during a sumptuous Opel brand launch party in the spectacular surroundings of Couvre Porte at Manoel Island, the Cascada is Opel’s new all-season convertible, a classy four-seater with an elongated silhouette and a high-quality soft top.

“While most convertibles cultivate their looks with the top down only and seem clumsy with their roof up, the Cascada always cuts a fine figure,” says Malcolm Ward, Opel Lead Designer. With its broad stance and a flowing continuity of sculptured shapes that is typical of Opel, the design of the Cascada reflects the classic and timeless elegance of Grandes Routières from a glamorous, bygone age: with the top down for open-air driving, the Cascada has an absolutely clean profile. “Even with the roof closed, it has a perfect, seamless profile.”

And for the feeling of the wind in your hair, the Cascada is hard to beat. Its driver and passengers can enjoy the open-air feeling thanks to the premium soft top that can be opened at the touch of a button in 17 seconds while driving at speeds of up to 50 km/h, or also via remote control when the car is at a standstill. Designed with top-quality materials from suppliers of the most prestigious premium cabriolets, the soft-top also benefits from superior acoustic and thermal insulation thanks to a special layer of polyester fleece between the outside layer and the interior lining.

The Cascada’s cockpit offers a striking, sculptural yet sporty design highlighted by precise, handcrafted details. The lines of the wing-shaped instrument panel, which features real stitching on soft, wrapped surfaces, flow into the doors, dynamically embracing the front-seat occupants. All 35

Sunday Circle | August 2014

new richly trimmed seats are offered in several elegantly embossed fabrics and leathers. The up-level AGR certified ergonomic seats are wrapped in rich, soft Nappa leather and benefit from heating and ventilation systems: on hot, sunny days, fresh air is drawn through the holes in the perforated leather to increase front occupants’ comfort. Securing them is easy and comfortable due to the electric seat belt extender which brings the seat belt within close reach using a telescoping arm. An electric Easy Entry system makes access to the rear seaat swift and comfortable.

FlexRide, Opel’s integrated, fully adaptive chassis control system is of course available in the Cascada. It enhances its ride and handling performance and safety as it adapts to the driving situation, driving style as well as the drivers’ preferences.

Introducing this latest addition to the Opel portfolio, Dr. Karl-Thomas Neumann, Chairman of Adam Opel AG Management Board, says: “The Cascada is the latest step in our current product offensive. We’re enhancing our portfolio and entering all-new segments, with the electric Ampera, the sub-compact SUV Mokka, the fashionable, urban ADAM, and now with this elegant mid-size convertible. We are very proud to enter the mid-size cabriolet segment, which has so far been occupied only by expensive cars from premium manufacturers. With the Cascada, Opel now offers open-air fans all the features and premium qualities typical of a mid-size convertible, but at an affordable price.”

For more information or to book a test-drive, visit Opel in Mdina Road, Qormi, email opelsales@cil.com.mt or call 2269 2122. Visit www.opel.com. mt or find Opel Malta on Facebook.

travel

EA ST m EE A heAdy mix of orientAl And Western influences in A city looking both bAck Istanbul always feels like a city of two halves – Europe and Asia, of course, the Bosphorous slicing the city neatly across two continents; but also old and new, Eastern and Western. Mosques and minarets dominate the skyline in places, but elsewhere, you might momentarily forget that you are not in any other European metropolis. The Starbucks in Sultanahmet may be empty, as tourists seek more ‘authentic’ experiences, but the one in Beyoğlu is packed: young locals enjoy overpriced coffee just as much as anyone else.

For travellers, Istanbul offers a taste of the exotic while still feeling close to home (which, given how easy it is to get there, it is). For a short city break, part of its appeal is that so many of the must-see sights are concentrated within walking distance in the atmospheric surroundings of the Sultanahmet (Old Town) district. Two or three days may be enough to see everything on the popular itinerary, but book longer if you’re interested in soaking up the feel of this unique crossroads, or taking excursions to the nearby Prince’s Islands, or further afield to Capadoccia or Ephesus. And as the city positions itself

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ever-more as an aviation hub, it’s also becoming more and more appealing as a hub for an exploration of the whole region.

Start your day at the Hagia Sophia, a spectacular 6th century basilica that has served as an Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic cathedral, a mosque and, today, a UNESCO-listed museum, and one of the most iconic buildings in the city. Get there early to beat the crowds, or cough up a bit more for one of the many guides offering their services – and a ticket to the front of the queue – outside. Head across to the equally-imposing Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmed Mosque to the locals), so-called for the explosion of blue tiles that dominates its interior, and which is still in active use today.

Outside the mosque is the former Hippodrome of Constantinople – only a few fragments remain of the ancient arena, once the city’s sporting hub, but two towering obelisks, Egyptian and Byzantine, still stand proudly over the now-open square. Continue on to the Basilica Cistern, the largest of Istanbul’s underground cisterns, an eerie, almost surreal subterranean complex of

travel

T S WEST And resolutely forWArd: Why istAnbul is AlreAdy the next big thing. cathedral-like columns, populated today with ghostly-white Koi fish. If you have more time on your hands, Topkapı Palace, the residence of the Ottoman Sultans for 400 years, and classified by UNESCO “the best example of ensembles of palaces [...] of the Ottoman period,” can easily take up half a day, with museums, immaculately-preserved living-quarters and state-rooms, and a remarkable glimpse into the life of the Ottoman elite.

As the sun goes down, cross the Golden Horn to Beyoğlu, emanating outwards from the now-notorious Taksim Square, for an altogether more modern experience, with some of the best bars and biggest clubs in the city. Or embrace the latest trend and find a rooftop bar in Galatasaray or the fashionable Ortaköy district, to drink the night away while enjoying a spectacular vista of the Golden Horn.

Stop for lunch at the local favourite Sultanahmet Köftecisi just round the corner, and sample the delicious köfte (lamb meatballs) and local desserts, washed down with the popular Turkish yoghurt drink Ayran (most definitely an acquired taste).

Istanbul’s cuisine could fill up a few pages of its own: you’ll find kebabs, meze, and the rest of the staples we associate with Turkish cuisine in abundance, but head up to Galata or Beyoğlu for some of the best fish you’ll ever experience, whether you’re in the mood for an elegant restaurant, or a fish fillet sandwich from the floating vendors by Galata Bridge. For a local experience, head to a lively meyhane (tavern), often with live music, for a Raki-soaked evening of food and entertainment.

For all its vibrancy, however, Istanbul is also a city that actively encourages you to do nothing. Turkish coffee and çay flow more freely than alcohol – whether in the middle of the day or late at night, find some time to sit in a quiet çay bahçesi (tea garden) and sit back with a nargile (water pipe) to watch the city go by, just as it has for thousands of years.

This trip was sponsored by Malta International Airport and Turkish Airlines, which operates direct flights between Malta and Istanbul Atatürk airport. For more information visit www.turkishairlines.com or call 20927540/41/42

August 2014 | Sunday Circle 37

society

SCHOOL AFTER SCHOOL There has arguably never been a beTTer Time To furTher one’s educaTion. david schembri caTches up wiTh Those caughT up in lifelong learning – and geTs caughT up himself

T

here is a rather odd centre at the University of Malta. It offers a course called “Adventures in Philosophy” and it offers a course called “Gardens at Risk: Fighting Plant Pests and Diseases”. It offers a course called “A Short History of the Universe: The Big Bang to the Dinosaurs”, as well as another one on “Beekeeping and the Art of Honey Making”. The diversity – or disparity, depending on your point of view – of the courses on offer is impressive. Indeed, if the Centre of Liberal Arts and Studies were a person, they’d probably be very, very interesting to talk to.

They might also be considered quite eccentric.

Jean Paul de Lucca, the director of the CLAS, points out that the concept that the centre is based on is hardly new. “The Programme in the Liberal Arts and Sciences follows the age-old tradition of liberal education, which aims at offering a breadth of knowledge and transferable skills needed for one’s own personal growth as well as for persons to be better equipped to contribute to society,” de Lucca says. “In our case this is reflected in the range of courses on offer, some of which are more oriented towards personal development, while others lend themselves more for professional development.”

Carried out in the evenings, these courses are delivered in such a way that people with full-time jobs can attend. The programme, unlike the rigid timetable one would have to follow in one of the university’s taught programmes – be they full-time or parttime – can be dipped into at the student’s own pace, depending on their time and availability. “This mean that if, say, one cannot take up any units during a given semester due to work or other commitments, this will not affect one’s progression within the programme.

Students register for individual units and need not 38

Sunday Circle | August 2014

take an upfront commitment to complete a diploma or a degree,” the director says. That said, all completed courses can count towards a certificate, diploma or degree, depending on the amount of credits earned.

Of course, there are students who do commit to a programme. One of these is lawyer Daniela Bartolo, who has been reading for an MBA at the University of Malta. Following six years of full-time education, she admits to having had a bit of “university fatigue”, but at the same time felt the need to improve the skills required in her profession. “After testing the grounds of part-time education with an advanced diploma in international taxation, last year I started reading for an MBA to obtain a formal education on subjects such as finance, marketing and operations management, which I deem necessary when working in a corporate environment,” she says.

Although there is no dearth of distance-learning based MBAs available, Bartolo chose the UoM programme to address the biggest challenge when studying afterhours – the “loss of motivation and the inability to be very productive after a long day at work”. Having worked part-time while pursuing her full-time education, she was well-aware of the importance of having a proper timetable. “With my current MBA timetable I have lectures three times a week, which means that on three evenings I need to leave work at a specific time to go on campus for lectures,” she says. “Staying focused for three hours after a day at work still remains somewhat challenging, admittedly.

However with this structure it becomes easier to schedule reading time during the week and weekends.

Closest to exams tends to be the trickier part – thankfully my employers are supportive and I get to adjust my working hours,” she says.

society

August 2014 | Sunday Circle 39

lifestyle

“I didn’t view it as a way of boosting my CV or anything of the sort. It was just fun to do a course on philosophy and get to read Virgina Woolf” in theory easily accessible, making courses like these work really depends on the dedication of the “student” following them. In line with his masochistic spirit, Borg has often followed similar courses to while the time during his downtime. “There’s far less financial or emotional investment in this kind of course – I’ve finished quite a few of them and abandoned loads more. I didn’t view it as a way of boosting my CV or anything of the sort. It was just fun to do a course on philosophy and get to read Virgina Woolf,” he says.

An illustration depicting the Seven Liberal Arts

Furthermore, the fact there are course colleagues and lecturers helps – “we’ve created a ‘mini support group’ in reality, which of course helps,” Bartolo says. For others, particularly those pursuing higher degrees like doctorates, studying part-time is a struggle.

Neville Borg is currently reading for a PhD in Cultural Studies at the University of Hull after his day job – hardly a doddle. I ask him why he studies part time. “Because I’m a masochist,” he answers.

“And because I can’t financially afford to take a year out of work and pay my tuition fees.”

Although part-time in name, the nature of the PhD is such that it has still turned into a full-time commitment. “It greatly reduces my leisure time - most of my weekends are spent working on my course, so my working week feels extended,” he says.

That said, he still sometimes finds time for non-formal education closer to the liberal arts philosophy PLAS is based on. Various universities abroad have now started offering some of their courses for free, with downloadable video lectures and course notes. The idea is that a world-class education is being made available to people who might not have the time or money to afford it. Programmes like these – known as OpenCourseWare – include MIT’s OpenCourseWare and Open Yale Courses, many of which are also available online and on the iTunes University section. Although 40

Sunday Circle | August 2014

There is, however, a middle way – open education which is more structured and requires more dedication and commitment. Called Massive Online Open Courses, or MOOCs, these courses, offered by the likes of edX, Coursera and Udacity, also involve the opportunity for assessment through quizzes, peer-review assignments, as well as providing forums in which tutors and students can collaborate.

They also require more commitment, as I was to discover myself when, thrilled by the prospect of a free world-class education, I enrolled into two courses at once.

One thing I’ve learnt in the past years is that people do not take anything which is given for free seriously, and I was no exception this time round. Soon after enrolment (and having forgotten all about it) my inbox was flooded with emails accumulated week after week telling me another lesson had been uploaded, to the point that I was soon compelled to quit. Being somewhat more realistic about the time I could give my part-time education, I enrolled in a music production course which was part of a “signature track” – which, for a small fee per course, would then be verified by the university itself. This includes having to submit a phrase into a keystroke identification software and having a webcam photo taken by the website every time I fill in a test or submit an assignment. Since the course itself is offered free of charge outside of the signature track, what I’m paying for is the certification, not the education itself.

Although the video lectures themselves are small enough for me to fit into a lunch break or after work, I found that the financial commitment, in the end, has forced me to keep to the weekly deadlines and stay on top of the material, which means the chances of me finishing the course are much higher – and have something to know for it.

To find out more about the PLAS visit www.um.edu.mt/clas

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sports

running into

addiction

Running – moRe than any otheR spoRt – has often been claimed to be addictive. having heRself gone fRom sitting on the sofa to RegulaRly pounding the stReets, veRonica stivala puts the idea to the test

A

few months ago I started walking, which then turned into jogging.

Soon after that, I attempted running, and haven’t looked back (except for that one time a truck nearly hit me).

I use a mobile app to track my time and distance, so each time I go running I try to beat my own record. But I have never been the sporty type: so why the addiction to go out and run again and again?

The fact that exercising can be addictive is not new, but running in particular is arguably an activity that comes naturally to humans. In fact, running steadily for hours at a time is not only therapeutic,

but natural, as Christopher McDougall argues in his book, Born to Run. The reason running comes so naturally to humans dates back to the days when we were hunters. Our bodies, says McDougall, are built to endure running for long stretches at a time. Studying the life and running habits of the Tarahumara people of Mexico’s Copper Canyon, arguably the greatest distance runners in the world, he concludes after years of research that “persistence hunting” – a combination of tracking and endurance running over many miles at a time – was the human race’s original, and best, form of exercise.

August 2014 | Sunday Circle 43

sports

Gerald Grech, 37, a national team athlete – who, among his many achievements, placed second overall and first among the Maltese runners in the 2011 Malta Half Marathon – attributes the addictive element specific to running to a number of reasons: as with all exercise, your body produces chemicals called endorphins, which are responsible for feelings of pleasure. However, with running you are pushing your heart rate to a certain level that you don’t do in other sport, exercising all your body, and potentially producing more endorphins.

distances. If you run at a pace that is not good for your heart rate then you can be causing more harm than good. It is important to be guided professionally rather than just following a programme not necessarily suitable to you, he explains, adding that you need to look at how your heart responds to effort and to not simply train all out until you can hardly move, or breathe.

Running, he claims, is addictive at any level. “It’s easy to practice in that the equipment requirement is minimal and you can do it anywhere.” Proof of this is surely the ever-rising number of participants in the Malta Marathon: setting yourself a goal and going out to achieve it is satisfying beyond explanation.

Gerald has been running for some 20 years of his life. His running has seen him participate at some major events, from the Small Nations Games to the Youth Olympics. The fact that running led to opportunities to travel was definitely one reason for his addiction; meeting other professionals came a close second. Gerald exercises on a daily basis, doing a 10km run or more each day under the professional guidance of his coach and mentor, Ivan Rozhnov.

Another reason people enjoy running is the spiritual element, Gerald believes. When you run you are on your own, free with your own thoughts, and, depending on where you are, beautiful scenery.

More reasons to run? Looks. People who exercise remain looking youthful and healthy for longer. The good thing about running is that you’re never too old to run. You can run for as many years as possible rather than having to stop when you reach a certain age.

Running is also a great way of gauging whether you are feeling well and motivated. The list of positive reasons goes on.

I’m curious to know what first initiated his interest in this sport and why he has kept it up for so long. Gerald admits that it was the competitive element that first inspired him: “When I was 10 years old I went to see my cousin take part at sports day at St Aloysius’ College,” he remembers. “The effort I saw him put in coupled with the fact that he won made me want to do the same.” He started taking part in school races and then, at 15, began regular training with his uncle. “I was always the outdoor type,” he says. “I get this from my mum: be it riding my bike, being active outside or running.”

Gerald warns, however, that one has to be careful how to go about training, and that many people overdo it and endanger their health in the process. “Heart rate is key,” he says. There is a scientific approach to improving your heart to run certain

Although running almost came naturally to him, Gerald admits that sport does come more naturally to some and that some of us are perhaps more inclined to take up sport. “Running and sport test your character. Being committed in any sport requires discipline and the minute you stop you immediately see the effect.”

“It’s easy to practice in that the equipment requirement is minimal and you can do it anywhere”

Although racing is not everyone’s cup of tea, Gerald points out how taking part in races literally helps you go that extra mile. “We need goals,” he says. “When you train to race you push yourself to go further, to improve yourself. And then, in a race you give your maximum.”

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Sunday Circle | August 2014

What’s next in the pipeline for this ardent athlete? Always keen to push himself a little bit further, Gerald’s latest venture is mountain running.

He will be aiming to make the selection to represent Malta in this year’s European Mountain Running Championships in Gap, France and the World Mountain Running Championships in Tuscany, Italy.

“Representing Malta in international competitions remains my priority,” he says, “whether it is on track or up a mountain”.

So, what are your goals?

Diabetics

HEALTH

DENTAL HEALTH FOR

Patients with diabetes face sPecific dental health challenges. dr Jean Paul demaJo exPlains how to take control

Diabetes is a chronic disease which affects your body’s ability to process sugar. The resulting high blood sugar can cause problems with your eyes, nerves, kidneys, heart and other parts of your body, including your teeth and gums. Diabetes can lower your resistance to infection and can slow the healing process.

If you have diabetes, you are at greater risk of developing some oral health problems. The most common oral health problems associated with diabetes are: •

•

•

Tooth decay (cavities): Your mouth naturally contains many types of bacteria. When starches and sugars in food and beverages interact with these bacteria, a sticky film known as plaque forms on your teeth. The acids in plaque attack the hard, outer surface of your teeth (enamel). This can lead to cavities. The higher your blood sugar level, the greater the supply of sugars and starches — and the more acid wearing away at your teeth.

Early gum disease (gingivitis): Diabetes reduces your ability to fight bacteria. If you don’t remove plaque with regular brushing and flossing, it will harden under your gum line into a substance called tartar (calculus). The longer plaque and tartar remain on your teeth, the more they irritate the gingiva — the part of your gum around the base of your teeth. In time, your gums become swollen and bleed easily. This is gingivitis.

Advanced gum disease (periodontitis): Left untreated, gingivitis can lead to a more serious infection called periodontitis, which destroys the soft tissue and bone that support your teeth. Eventually, periodontitis causes your gums to pull away from your teeth and your teeth to loosen and even fall out.

Periodontitis tends to be more severe among people who have diabetes because diabetes lowers the ability to resist infection and slows healing. An infection such as periodontitis may also cause your blood sugar level to rise, which makes your diabetes more difficult to control. Preventing and treating periodontitis

can help improve blood sugar control.

•

Fungal infections: Since diabetes compromises your immune system, you may be prone to developing fungal infections such as thrush. Symptoms include painful sores and difficulty in swallowing.

•

Infection and delayed healing: If you are having extensive oral surgery, implant treatment or bone grafting procedures, your dentist may prescribe antibiotics to minimize the risk of infection. To help the healing process, keep your blood glucose levels under control before, during and after surgery.

Dental treatment 1.

Prevention is better than cure: Oral hygiene must be at its best.

Brushing, flossing, and the use of a medicated mouthwash for gingival health maintenance may also be used. Dental visits every three to four months must be kept up so as to maintain good oral health.

2. Periodontal treatment: Routine scalings and deep gingival debridement may be necessary to promote health in periodontally compromised teeth exacerbated by diabetes.

Maintenance programmes must be provided and monitored.

3. Tooth extraction: Heavily compromised teeth may have to be removed as part of a treatment plan to stabilize the existing dentition and promote health.

4. Implant treatment: replacement of extracted or missing teeth to re-establish a normal dentition evening out biting forces and rehabilitating its function and appearance.

5. Education: It is very important that patients are educated on the potential oral manifestations of their condition. Patients must be given the right information and shown the right tools to take care of their gums and teeth.

Today, diabetic patients are being treated successfully for all types of tooth and gum conditions. This also includes more specialized implant and bone-grafting procedures.

Diabetics that undergo dental implant treatment do not encounter a higher failure rate than the normal population, if the diabetics’ plasma glucose levels are controlled.

Control is key! Ask your dentist.

Dr Jean Paul Demajo is a Dental and Implant Surgeon, trained in London working in private practice in Malta

August 2014 | Sunday Circle 45

society

a life for others, resumed Karl Vella dedicated his life to maKing other people’s liVes better. months after dying of cancer, a foundation bearing his name will resume his life’s worK Words David Schembri

Karl Vella with his children Christine and Samuel

46

Sunday Circle | August 2014

society

K

arl Vella was a father, a husband and a man who lived for others when he succumbed to cancer at the young age of 37 on February 16 this year. “His children were everything to him, they were his life,” his widow, Rose says tearfully. “He wanted to live for them.”

The couple, who married in 2002, met in Wonderland, the children’s wards at St Luke’s hospital, where Rose was a nurse and Karl had just started working as a nursing aide, a job he moved to from catering after feeling he could be of more service to people in the caring sphere. “He felt he wasn’t giving enough, he wanted to be there for people, he wanted to help. He used to go the extra mile for people,” Rose recalls. She remembers the initial stages of their relationship, where she, older than him, tried to fend off his advances and told him to find someone his age. “He persisted, however,” she remembers.

This persistence, this commitment to serving people in need went beyond the workplace – apart from being a doting father and husband, he volunteered in various fundraising events, and even dressed up as a clown doctor to alleviate the hardship of young hospital patients. When, in 2008, he went from being a carer to a patient himself, being diagnosed with lung cancer, his commitment to being of service to others was amplified, and he did not relent from trying to be a source of courage and support to fellow patients, whether it was posting words of encouragement, visiting their bedsides or taking part in fundraising marathons even when his body was in acute pain.

His commitment to charity was not restricted to cancer charities such as Puttinu Cares, and he supported Istrina, Id-Dar tal-Providenza and The Mission Fund in whatever way he could.

After six months of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, Karl was better, but after two years stable, the disease struck back, and at that point, the doctor told them the treatment would only be addressing the symptoms. Although he tried to visit sick people even if it meant pain, in the last stage of illness he had to give up his job working with sick children, and his position within a trade union, in which he used to represent his fellow workers. “He had to resign from the union. The fact that he couldn’t keep working with children was a huge blow.

Apart from that, he wanted to be able to maintain his family, and he felt he was failing there, too, even though it never really affected me,” Rose says.

Karl was nothing if not friendly, and towards the end of his life he was introduced to Claire and Sandro Chircop, and the two couples soon became firm friends.

“He was a very positive person, you never heard him lamenting his fate – he always looked ahead, and even towards the end of his life he was still planning what he would be doing once he left hospital,” Claire says.

Sadly, he did not leave hospital the way he was expecting. But Karl’s vision into the future, and his helping spirit, now have a present. A few months after his passing, Claire, believing Karl’s work should not go to waste, approached Rose asking her if she was willing to let Karl’s legacy live on. The pair teamed up with Jo’Anna Vella, also a friend of Karl’s, and they now are on the board of the fledgling foundation.

Keen not to overlap with the valuable work charities like Hospice and Puttinu Cares were doing, the Karl Vella Foundation is addressing a problem which the Vella family – and other families going through the same

August 2014 | Sunday Circle 47

society

situation – often face, and that is the care of their children once the parents are sick. “When we spoke to different charities to ask what was missing, this was a recurrent theme, and that is always a headache for the patient,” Claire says.

“What was missing when Rose and Karl were going through their ordeal was that finding care for their children as she accompanied him in hospital was difficult.

She had to spend three months in hospital by his side, and the children had to be home with their grandparents.

Their father died only a day before their mid-yearly exams – they had no one to help them. That was also one of Karl’s worries, who used to ask his cousins and friends for help.”

Rose Vella, Jo’Anna Vella & Claire Chircop

Having recruited a number of teachers and LSAs as volunteers, the foundation, which has been endorsed by the Minister of Education, is now seeking a building close to Mater Dei Hospital in which to carry out its work, so children aged 4 –17 can be dropped off while the parents are in hospital. Their services will range from private lessons, help in homework, activities like cookery, drama, arts. Another youthoriented NGO, Prisms, has also offered to help out in the foundation’s work. Although Karl’s struggle was with cancer, the foundation aims to work beyond that remit, and simply aims to help parents – and their children – who, because of an illness in the family, cannot take care of their children for a period of time – be it a week or a year. The services will all be free, and the foundation is relying on the public’s generosity. A group of psychologists will also be giving special training to the foundation’s volunteers to be able to best equip them to deal with the children in their care.

The foundation’s first fundraising activity is planned for October 5, where a charity walk will follow a thanksgiving mass at the St Julian’s Parish church celebrated by Bishop Charles Scicluna, who had been to Lourdes when Karl had gone. “Karl was very devout, and we thought it would be fitting to kickstart the foundation’s work with Mass,” Claire says.

The roots of the foundation are planted in sorrow and trouble. Yet, as shown by the the logo chosen by the foundation, a butterfly flying over the palm of a hand – which can also represent rough waters – there is yet hope.

Those interested in helping the foundation, which is registered as a voluntary organisation (VO/0992) can contact Claire Chircop on 7944 2050 or by email info@karlvellafoundation.org. Donations can be made to APS Bank Account 2000148950-3. karlvellafoundation.org 48

Sunday Circle | August 2014

PROMOTION

The elecTric revoluTion By 2020, electrical vehicles will account for 10 per cent of the gloBal market, renault estimates – and with its comprehensive range of all-electric vehicles, the company is looking to the future

“The automobile industry contributes to the problem of climate change,” says Carlos Ghosn, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Renault group. “It generates 12 per cent of the CO2 emissions that result from human activity and accounts for 25 per cent of the world’s oil consumption.

“At Renault, therefore, we have decided to be part of the solution.

The stakes relating to the introduction of widely affordable electric vehicles call for far-reaching changes to our industry so that the automobile is once more perceived as a means of progress, both for mankind and for the planet. The aim is to integrate the automobile more fully in its environment and make our towns and villages greener, quieter and more pleasant to live in.”

After 18 years of research, lithium-ion battery technology has come of age and provides a satisfactory response in terms of both range – which has doubled compared with the technology developed in the 1980s – and safety. Although Renault engines stand out as examples as far as their CO2 emissions are concerned, using oil as a source of energy will always result in the emission of CO2. Electric vehicles are consequently the only real clean-break solution, since they do not emit any CO2 during their use on the road.

To date, Renault has delivered more than 37,000 electric cars worldwide, demonstrating its drive for innovation, clearly investing in a future with mankind at its core. Electric cars are no longer a dream out of reach for many, but a reality accessible to all.

The renaulT Ze range Twizy, an unprecedented urban mobility solution

Twizy is an unprecedented solution for city motoring. Its nimble handling prompts parallels with the world of scooters and motorbikes, yet the standard of safety and comfort it delivers is close to that of a four-wheeled vehicle. Twizy stands out as a symbol of the “Renault 2016 – Drive the Change” plan.

Kangoo ZE, Suitable for a multitude of jobs

ZOE, the compact saloon that ensures everyday wellbeing for all

The best selling Fluence has been adapted as a ZE vehicle. All the safety, comfort, space and security of the Fluence plus the sound of silence and no CO2 emissions.

ZOE is an all-electric compact saloon. ZOE – a true mass-market vehicle – is poised to become the flagship of Renault’s “innovation for all” drive and concern for the environment, as well as being an ambassador for the brand’s new design strategy.

Kangoo has all the comfort of a car combined with the versatility of a van.

Spacious 650 kilogramme loading area ensures Kangoo is prepared for most things!

Fluence ZE Elegant, innovative, intelligent

For more information visit Auto Sales Ltd - Kind’s, Mosta Road, Lija Tel: 2331 1126/2331 1131 | www.renault.com.mt August 2014 | Sunday Circle 49

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1. Frans Mintoff, Gordon Grima Baldacchino, Ray Mintoff & Antoine Galea Salomone

4. Jacob Cachia, Chloe Cachia, Sarah Cachia , Diane Depasquale & Shannon Depasquale

2. Anthony Galea, Adrian Cachia, Victor Galea & Antoine Galea Salomone

5. Lisa Grech, Denise Briffa & Andrea Critien

3. Victor Galea, Michael Grech, Alicia Galea & Julienne Sciberras

6. Young guests with cartoon mascots

PAPARAZZI • 1-3: Exclusive party hosted by VJ Salomone Marketing Ltd at Xara Lodge to mark the addition of Braun to its portfolio.

• 4-6: Prizegiving ceremony for the Malta Baby and Kids Directory Best Mum and Best Dad Awards at Girgenti Palace on July 10.

7. Teresa Rizza, Marthese Azzopardi & Josephine McKay

8. Red Electrick band members with Priscilla Pirotta

• 7-10: Summer party for journalists hosted by GO at the Hilton’s Quaterdeck Bar with entertainment by Red Electrick.

• 11-14: Launch of the new Opel Cascada convertible by Cars International at Manoel Island on July 2. * For inclusion in Circle Paparazzi contact Renee Micallef Decesare on renee@networkpublications.com.mt

9. David Lindsay, Kurt Camilleri & Nigel Curmi

11. Christopher & Geraldine Borg

12. Hernan Untermann & Edmund Gatt Baldacchino

10. Grace Pace, Renée Micallef Decesare & Ian Bugeja

13. Mark Micallef, Clare Micallef & Ryan Buttigieg

14. Edmund Vassallo, Tonio & Maria Darmanin

1. Anna Galea, Shirley Cefai, Sarah, Alan Curry, Jean Carl & Melanie Grech

2. Lilian & Mario Dimech, Riccardo Abela, Martin Galea, Laurence & Rita Borg

4. Shawn Ellul, Carl Pace, Maria Pace, Jeffrey Zarb, Euphemia Zarb, Andrew Meli & Kyra Abela

5. Karen Scicluna Calleja, Lara Filletti & Luisa Hogg

3. John Rapinett, Maureen Portelli, Alexia Demicoli, Caroline Schembri & Keith Demicoli

6. Ryan Mark Mifsud, Miriam Mifsud, Nathalie Xuereb Saydon, Greta Cosby & Mario Borg

PAPARAZZI • 1-3: The launch of the new 202 Jewellery Emporium at Strada Santa Lucia on July 25.

• 4-6: Official opening event of the new Burger King Drive Thru and Restaurant in Qormi on July 27.

7. Adrian Baldacchino & Dennis Baldacchino

8. Kenneth Swain, Joseph Dimech, Manoel Casha, Jeffrey Mallia, Donnabel Micallef, Frances Calleja, Svetlana Saliba, Christina Mifsud & Saviour Borg

• 7-9: 40th Anniversary party of J P Baldacchino & Co Ltd at Smart City Laguna on July 25.

• 10: Presentation of the Curaprox Student Camp 2014 Award to the best performance dental student in 4th year at University of Malta on July 29.

• 11-14: Fossil’s 30th Anniversary party at Harbour Club Valletta on July 30. * For inclusion in Circle Paparazzi contact Renee Micallef Decesare on renee@networkpublications.com.mt

9. Alex Caruana, Adrian Baldacchino, Gordon Polidano, Ian Napier & Joseph Cachia

11. John Manche’ & Brian Cremona

12. Mr & Mrs Wayne Satariano

10. Josette Camilleri Barbara, Kevin Mulligan, Francesca Zammit, Pierre Fava & Karen Farrugia

13. Claire Privitera, Mike Grech, Josette Grech & Ray Grech

14. Nicole Said, Janice Vella, Andrew Borg Wirth, Abigail Galea, Yanika Spiteri & Sue Ann Pisani

The Laguna WaLk at SmartCity malta a destination for everyone!

Jazz Nights by PusĂˆ

every Thursday (Reservations Required)

Food & driNk Festival 23rd & 24th august

oktoberFest

27th & 28th September

For the programme of events visit:

www.lagunawalk.com.mt SmartCity News I +356 2164 6666

COMPETITION

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ppee o shspr

EV_RYT_I_G

Sunday Circle is offering one lucky reader the chance to win €200 to spend at GS Superstore in Naxxar Taking part is easy: simply find the 13 letters that have been placed on the products over the next X pages. Once you’ve found the letters, place them in the empty spaces below to form the slogan.

_O_ CO_LD E_E_ AT GS SUPERSTORE

Name:

Tel/Mob:

Address:

ID:

_ _ED

Email: Send your entries to: Sunday Circle Shopping Spree Competition, Level 2, Angelica Court, Guzeppi Cali Street, Ta’ Xbiex, XBX1425, by email to competitions@sundaycircle.com.

Closing date: September 1

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Sunday Circle | August 2014

E

GUILT-FREE GOODNESS With its nutritive qualities, Bonduelle is synonymous with fresh and natural produce.

Available in convenient cans, Bonduelle provides part of your five-a-day fruit and vegetable intake.

Carmelo Abela Marketing Ltd., Triq l-Intornjatur, Mriehel Bypass, Birkirkara.

Tel: 2148 0201.

COMPETITION

Kinnie Vita: 50% less sugar and calories with no artificial sweeteners

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Kinnie Vita has just been launched onto the market: a new variant of Kinnie which contains only half the sugar and calories of regular soft drinks. Kinnie Vita has a great Kinnie taste with a tangy orange twist. Moreover, Kinnie Vita contains no artificial sweeteners as the reduction in sugar has been achieved by using a totally natural, Stevia-based, alternative.

The Kinne portfolio is changing with the times; by also offering the option of a mid-calorie beverage with half the sugar of traditional soft drinks yet no artificial sweeteners, Vita fits in perfectly with today’s lifestyle choices .

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Kinnie Vita will initially be available in convenient 50cl PET bottles.

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August 2014 | Sunday Circle 55

COMPETITION

and more..

Chupa Chups lollipops

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R

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The famed Chupa Chups logo, designed by Salvador Dalí, adorns the extensive range of the well-known range of lollipops sold all over the world and loved by people of all ages! Chupa Chups delights its fans with different flavours and flavour combinations, wide range of packs and formats. Try the traditional ‘The Best Of’ lollipops, choose from apple, strawberry, and cola flavours, or try the new and intriguing tastes of the ‘Exotic Tropic’ lollipops flavours of coconut-pineapple and banana-strawberry. Look out for the new ‘Chupa Chups Babol’ bubble gum sticks by Chupa Chups in strawberry or cola. More gum, more fun!

Distributed by: Paul Bonnici & Son Ltd., Jade, Mdina Road, Zebbug | T: 2258 5600 | E: info@pbsl.com.mt

importing and distributing walnut delicacies Olio di Noci

Gherigli in Sciroppo

Nocino

Noci Verdi sott’ Olio

Crema di Noci Verdi

Sciroppo di Noci Verdi

Walnut oil

green walnuts in oil

walnut kernels in syrup green walnuts’ cream

liquor

green walnuts’ syrup

e: info@amicidibernardone.com t: (+356) 99829992, 79052008

U

WHERE LIGHT IS LIFE. PONSOMBY STREET, MOSTA MST4032 2143 2571 INFO@VCT.COM.MT WWW.VCT.COM.MT MON-FRI 08.00-18.00 THU 08.00-20.00 SAT 09.00-12.30

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Sunday Circle | August 2014

Feline care nutrition For your cats..

Does your cat VISIBLE

IIIIIIIIIIII III I

IIIIIIIIIIIII IIII

have a dull coat?

IIIIIIIIIIIRI IIII

IIILIITIISII * IIU IIEIIS IN III

Beautiful coat and healthy skin thanks to a combination of omega 3 and 6

Intense Beauty Wet Finely sliced chunks

COLLECT POINTS FOR FREE GIFTS WHEN YOU BUY ROYAL CANIN IIIIIII IIIII IIIRI

AS MUCH HAIR

ELIMINATED IN STOOLS

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vomit hairballs?

TWICE

IIIIIIIIIIII IIII

Does your cat

VISIBLE IIIS * IIIILIT IIU IIEIIS IN IIII

Facilitates natural hair ball elimination thanks to a combination of psyllium and

also for sensible stomach

micronised fibers.Â

Digestive sensitive Wet ODOR REDUCTION HEALTHY URINARY SYSTEM MAINTAINS IDEAL WEIGHT

AVAILABLE IN LEADING PET SHOPS AND GARDEN CENTRES ROYALCANIN.COM.MT, F/ROYAL CANIN MALTA, 21414753

IS NOT JUST FOR SUMMER

THIS IS PROTECTION FOR YOUR SKIN ALL YEAR ROUND With micro-encapsulated technologies for the highest sun protection and skin health benefits..

Discover your best skin at dermalogica.com Available at all Dermalogica appointed salons & the Dermalogica Skin BarSM , The Point, Sliema.

T. 2142 44 01/2/3 - E. info@biocaremalta.com - www.facebook.com/dermalogicamalta