Free dinner never hurts!

In a galaxy, far, far away, a dinner that cost you nothing would perhaps be a bad thing, who knows.

But where I live, when you are invited for a free dinner by a friend (that do not even have to cook), you accept and say “thank you”.

Totti spoke his word in regards to how certain things are being done in the form of poker tournaments and guarantees, and his feedback was much appreciated and received a comped dinner for him and a friend at Portomaso Casino Restaurant.

As a starter I had Gnocchi with pancetta and saffron, which was extremely fucking tasty and something that I could easily have several times a week.

Gnocchi with pancetta and saffron

This was then followed up with a main course that were ribeye with roasted potatoes and a pepper sauce on the side.

Ribeye with roasted potatoes

Together with this we had red wine, which to my surprise was better than expected, and this only due to myself not being a huge fan of red wine, not that the selection was bad.

After this we were both fairly full and therefore we skipped the dessert, which I will admit is a rare case, since I normally never pass up on a good tasty dessert.

Regards,
J

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On the other side of 40!

LIFE

Yeah it’s true, I have actually ran passed the first 40 years of my life. Well, more like crawled in a slight fetal position and with a minor brain injury, or at least that is how I would classify the life so far.

It has basically been a huge failure if I am to be honest with myself, which we all have to be from time to time.

The fact that I am 40 years old and basically broke is to me a testament that something has been done incorrectly, be it financially and/or socially or what, I can still accept that it could and should have been handled in a different manor.

That being said, that is as much time as I will spend dwelling on that shit, thinking about it will not get me in a better mood or bring me any fortunes, so let us put it behind us and at least TRY and learn from it, and let us see if the next 40 years could be handled in a better way J

This is not me putting up any goals or other targets that I aim to reach, but more of me trying to tell myself that something need to change.

Should I decide to set any goals going forward, I will share them with you all here on the blog or in any other way.

My best friend Niklas think that I should start a youtube vlog and start a weightloss journey, however I am not the most confident person when it comes to filming myself, or talking on camera, well at least not sober. For the moment that is only in the back of my mind.

POKER

What else is going on… not much really, October has been the poorest of months in the last year or years, and this due to some unexpected expenses, which hopefully will be solved in the next few weeks to a month.

This also mean that my plans for playing Battle of Malta 2017 has been going from set in stone, to the stone start crumbling and at the moment it is more like scribbling in the clouds and could easily disappear to become a try in the satellite and see how that go.

Totti and Antoine treated me to a present for my 40th birthday and bought me into Pokerstars Megastack tournament at Casino Portomaso and we played Day 1a on Thursday 19th. 

It started with me pissing away half of my stack and then having to get into the grind mode for a bit. 

Luckily there are always a few nice spots at the table and I managed to catch and hit against the right spots and built it up to be the chipleader on our table for a bit. 

Pokerstars Megastack

Sadly, the rush faded and next time where I finally felt I had a nice hand was when UTG+2 opened to 4500 on blinds 800-1600 and 300 antes. 

I looked down at AK of diamonds and my stack at this point was around 75-80k, I decided to 3bet to 12500. 

Action folds back to him and he moves it all in, and I call it off and he has 2 black Aces and I am out. 

Not sure if anything else I should have done in that spot, but if you have input, then please let me know. 

Being basically broke has also meant that I have not played anything on Svenska Spel or any other places, and once I have bounced back on my feet I am looking forward to battling my way back into the top20 list on Sharkscope for MTTs on Svenska Spel. 

With that said, I probably should study a bit more of poker as well, and stop being so darn fucking lazy with that as with everything else. 

Now I will try and pass off a few hours and then perhaps me and Totti will be going up to Portomaso Restaurant where Totti had been promised a free dinner for 2, and invited me, and who am I to say no to free food.

Until next time, take care people. 

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Movies, entertainment or not?

The state of films/movies/flicks or whatever you wish to call it, is sadly going down in a rapid state in my opinion.

We go from trends where movies are being made from heist movies, about zombies or vampires, superheroes or disaster movies, which is all fine of course, the companies need to make money and they go by what the people like.

What is missing though, is some “new” scripts that are not plagiarizing other movies or concepts and that make us understand how good a script can actually be.

Do not get me wrong here, I am not claiming to be a movie savant or huge enthusiast compared to some of the people out there, no I am more a huge fan of entertainment in general and tv/movies in particular.

With this said I also admit that I am not a big fan of movies like Hotel Rwanda, 12 Years a Slave, or The Pianist, and do not get me wrong here, I admit that these are great movies and the kind of movies that still should be done.

My own preference for a movie or tv-show is to be entertained and the best is if I could leave the cinema with a smile on my face and keep laughing or talking about the movie with my friends over the coming days, like people did after they saw Deadpool for example.

Deadpool, yes it is still the same superhero genre, however it do take a step out of the regular frame, then breaks the frame and uses it as firewood, and this was welcomed by a lot of fans and general movie goers.

A tv-show that has the same affect but times a billion is Game of Thrones, a show that has the same frame as so many other fantasy movies and shows, however it is done with a huge budget and people behind it with a vision of not dropping the fucking ball (even though they did rush through season 7..)

And this is a show that is talked about everywhere, in schools, at team practice, in the office, and by all ages, and unless they totally shit the bed like the people behind Lost did with the ending there, Game of Thrones will be going down as one of the most talked about shows in history one would think, and the most important thing with shows and movies like this is that it gives people an escape from their regular dull lives.

This is once again why I like entertainment movies (yes cheap movies for you that shall recall the mistakes in dress design in “Victoria and Abdul” with Judy Dench), because they do give you 90+ minutes to step out of the regular routine with seeing on tv or online or in papers about all the misery in the world today.

Seeing the state of the world, I do not feel like locking myself in and watch 2.5 hours of misery on how badly the times where when there was slaves and how they were treated, and then leave the cinema feeling bad about it, no I want to get a coke, some popcorn and get entertained for a while and reboot my batteries a bit before I get back to the misery of our world.

When I started this I was thinking of doing a short review of some movies over the year 2017, but now I see that it just became a bit of a rant with a lot of text, so I may have to throw in a few images here and there to keep you here until the end.

Thanks for reading and go watch a movie.

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Linkin Park

Seeing this is a common theme with musicians, one would guess it is not all glamour in the world of rock n roll.

However I do feel it’s sad that Chester Bennington decided to take his life (if that is what he did, not read enough about it),

Suicide is a very stigmatic topic to write or talk about and I will not dwelve to deep into it all, but with his death in mind, seeing the titles of some songs from their latest record do make it feel a bit eerie.

Titles like, Nobody Can Save Me, Good Goodbye, Invisible, Heavy, Sorry for Now, and yes I am well aware that Chester Bennington may not have been involved in writing them all, but it do feel strange seeing those titles now (at least for me).

Anyway, I liked their music and below are a few of my favs out of their hits through the years.

Regards

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Costly lunch…

With taking Friday off from work with the idea of playing a poker tournament, there was plenty of time to kill during the earlier parts of the day.

Me, Totti and Johan decided to go down to Marsaxlokk for lunch, so we called Ecabs (one of the cab companies on the island that due not charge you half a liver for a ride).

We called them at 12 and booked the cab for 12.45.

At 12.45 we went down to Preluna Hotel (where we requested the pick up from) and once the clock had passed 13.00, Totti was so upset and angry with Ecabs repetitive service of NEVER being on time and he called them and yelled at them to cancel the cab.

We went back up to the flat  and even though we had a water delivery arriving to the flat between 15-18, we decided to try another company.

HiCabs was called and after another 40 minutes wait, we were finally on our way for some food.

Well down at Marsaxlokk we went to the restaurant Tartarun and decided to try the lobster pasta, so when the waiter says ”I am sorry but we do not have any of the lobster for the pasta”, our hearts sunk and we felt this was going SHIT.

He continued, ”Normally we have lobster from Canada in the pasta, but what we could do, is to take a fresh lobster from the tank and wheigh it up and then take it for the pasta, if that is ok, then I will wheigh it up and let you know how much it will be”.
We decided to go for this and even after he informed us that the price would be €139 euros for the pasta, instead of €20, was a bit of a shock, we stuck to our decision and ordered.

The pasta was tasteful and I will surely come back there again.

After this we went out and ordered a taxi to pick us up, and in the meantime I went to buy some icecream from the most disgusting fucking truck ever, with wasps and flies all over it.

I ended up throwing the ice cream away…

We then went to Costa Cafe and waited for the taxi there, and at that point I realized that I had lost my wallet…

Seeing as there were not many places it could be, I backtracked a bit but of course it was nowhere to be found, and my guess is that the cunty fucking kid from the ice cream truck found it and took it.

Losing some money is something that is not the end of the world, but losing drivers license, Maltese ID card, VISA, that stuff is a real bummer, and then dealing with getting new copies.

Anyway, everything is blocked and reported and now I only need to go to Floriana and get the new ID card, then go to Sweden and get the new drivers license….

On Monday I will step on the scale and then over the week I will TRY and stay away from sugar and pasta and see if only 1 week will do any kind of difference on the kilograms.

(Post was written over the weekend, but posted Wednesday)

Regards

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Fat and poor, such a joy…

We are now moving into July and currently the plan is to stay in our flat until the end of August and then move to another place.

Main reason for leaving is that the rent at this place is way too high.

Our current rent per month is €1600 for a 3 bedroom flat, and with Filthy Philly moving out at the end of July, it will be too much to pay €800 each for me and Totti. Sure it works a month or two, but we both feel like checking to see what is out there in regards to flats.

That being said, we have not yet decided if we are going to find a 2 bedroom flat and share, or if we are going our separate ways, like a divorced couple and finding our own flats.

Totti wants to go to Las Vegas (well daahh!), so a bink in the near future and he may travel and play the rush!

What is happening in life in general?

To be true to myself, absolute nothing at all, and I am having one of those periods where I have no energy or will to do anything.

And YES, this is mostly coming from my physical condition of course, and who knows, I may TRY yet another time to do some kind of workout or shit in the near future.

Since I a few weeks back tore my hamstring, and this is mostly back to where it was, even though I feel some tension sometimes, I mainly feel that my hip and back is a bit twisted, and this is affecting me on how I sit at the desk in the office, to me just standing up and pretty much everything else I do.

I will try and get the back sorted, and have booked an appointment with a chiropractor on Thursday next week and hopefully he can sort me out a bit.

Since most of you that are reading this are “normally” built and not really understand some of the annoying parts of being fat, I thought I would share top 2 for the summer, and I am not bringing up the fact that it is hot as fuck and you sweat.

Main pain in the ass is finding clothes that fit and do not look like shit, so it is easy to get to the point where you really do not care.

Almost split for first place, especially living in Malta, is the fact that pretty much every fucking place here have furniture (inside and outside) that are built for 12 year old girls that max out on 38 kilos.

These furnitures that has been in the scorching sun all day become more like cooked spaghetti, and the weight they can handle is not even close to where I am at the moment.

While writing this, Mission Impossible: Rouge Nation is showing in the background and Ethan Hunt has just dived into the cooling pool and is holding his breath for 3 minutes.

I have to say that it is always interesting on how you sometimes can “spot yourself” holding your breath while watching scenes like that. Or example realizing how you are so tensed up while watching MMA or boxing, even though you are relaxing in bed or on the sofa.

Now time to get some sleep, another day of work tomorrow and then a nice weekend to relax a bit.

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Joyful memories!

This post may be more relevant for my closer friends I guess, those who share some of these memories.

I am sorry if it seem like a worthless post for the rest of you, but I feel like posting a few of my favorite images, not only to share, but also for my own possible recollection in any future day to come.

Nöjd is wondering where his arm went… Outside Angel Stadium, Anaheim. 

Most of us gathered for food in Vegas.

Skinkan is pointing to the mark in the asphalt, and Rille is about to give up… 

And ref Jonas is useless, but firm in his decisions.

The hottest day I have experienced so far in Malta, if my memory is correct. 

I quickly adapted to the Italian way of life while living in Rome…lol

Viggo, my oldest nephew on his visit to Malta and Marsaxlokk. 

Olle, the younger of the nephews. Also on his visit to Malta.

Stubben thinks it’s too hot in the cinema 

Nöjd and Packi came for a visit in Malta

And they got relaxed fairly fast I have to say 

Fjuno displaying the fact that bad weather follow him everywhere. 

Nöjd is looking like a true BBQ Superstar…or not.

On Friday we have the office summer party and also I will be playing Pokerstars Mega Stack at the casino (unless I get too drunk and decide to play another day).

I will try and share some thoughts and memories from both events.

Regards,

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Pigeon, Pancakes and… Beauty?

Last week while we were about to prepare for some bbq there was a loud thump and I turned to watch where it came from.

A bit surprised, I see a pigeon that had appearantly got a bit confused and flew head first straight into our terrace windows.

Totti was on the terrace at the moment and I guess he was more surprised and shocked, and luckily enough (for the pigeon), we already had something to eat, so the pigeon was left alone to recover.

A minute or two later he was ready to get out of there, and BOOM, yeah you guessed it, he tried the window once again… not sure what he was doing, but he sooner or later recovered enough to be able to get away on his own accord.

A small picture of the poor bird below.

Lost bird

There was a €100.000 guarantee prizepool tournament held at Casino Portomaso this weekend and I decided to play.

Sadly enough I had a piss poor performance and I realized that I need to work not only on my game, but also on the mental part, and to make sure that I am ready to handle the overflow of “slowly developed” people that gather to play these events.

I have a full understanding for the fact that there may be people playing even though they may not fully understand the game of poker, and the rules and so on.

But the people that I see playing these tournaments over and over again, and still have not got enough decency to post their blinds and antes when it’s time to do so.

This then forces the dealer to call out to them with a reminder, EVERY FUCKING TIME!, yes these are the people that I truly feel deserve a fucking beating in every single break until they learn.

Feeling sorry for ourselves, we decided to treat ourselves with some pancakes on Sunday and I went to buy whatever we needed and I went passed a place I normally pass, and I stopped and read on the plaque on the building.

“School o hairdressing and beauty therapy”

School o hairdressing and beauty therapy

I have to admit that seeing this building from outside, and getting the feel of a place where the Walking Dead would be suitable, I was very, very surprised with this plaque.

If this is accurate, then I hope the inside is a bit more “stimulating” for the people that study there, and I wish them all the best.

After the short trip, Totti whipped up some pancakes and I admit that I could have this at least once a week, as it is damn nice, and it brings me back to my childhood.

Mmmm…Pancake

Until next time, enjoy the sun people!

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Tonight’s MLB Bet

When it comes to betting, baseball is one of those sports where I admit having less insight than I probably should have, in order to place money on it.

With a sport that has 162 games during regular season, it is understandable that there will be a huge rotation in the lineups, and that you need to be a bit careful before placing a bet.

UNLESS there are any changes before the game tonight at 19.35 CET, and Robbie Ray remain as the starting pitcher for Arizona Diamondbacks, this is where I will put my money.

Diamondbacks are 2-0 in this 3 game series against the poor performing Phildelphia Phillies and we pray for a 3-0 sweep after tonights game.

Kay is one of the hottest pitchers in baseball as I understand it, and with Arizona producing runs, this SHOULD go our way.

When it comes to writing about betting, my friend has suggested that I write in “Units”, as this is easier for anyone to understand how I value my bets.

Ex.
Units – Value
1 – A pure gamble
2 – Feeling the odds/line is generous enough, a fair value 
3 – A “standard bet”, I feel ok with the odds/line, but will not go crazy (most bets are in this category)
4 – I feel this is a really good bet
5 – A bet where I bet more than I should (it stings to lose these)

For tonights game I will be placing 2 bets:

Arizona Diamondbacks to win
Odds: 1.59
Money line: -169
Units: 4
Bookie: Unibet

Arizona Diamondbacks to score over 5.5 runs
Odds: 2.08
Money line: +108
Units: 2
Bookie: Unibet

Good luck me and Arizona!

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Too old for McDonalds…

Never even considered that one could be ”too old” for McDonalds, but a couple of nights ago I went there.

I admit that it took me longer than what one would call ”acceptable” to order through the damn machines they have for ordering.

Not sure what was wrong with the old:
“Hi, I would like a blab la blab meal with large coke” method.

I get that they want to try and get things going smoother, but when old farts like me come in, this fail a fair bit…
What surprised me the most when looking around while waiting for my order to be completed, was the fact that they had a fucking pommel horse in the place…WTF!

Anyway, McDonalds are and will remain the same as they have always been when it comes to the food.

Sadly enough the food at McDonalds will remain poor in taste, which is the main reason why I almost never go there, BUT I will admit that I actually like their milkshakes a bit, they get a 3 out of 5.

Enjoy your day people!

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What to watch?

Normally this time of the year we have Game of Thrones showing on tv and 1 hour a week is set aside for that awesome show.

I get it that there are some of you out there that do not like GoT for the reason it is fantasy and all that, and even though you may have missed that every (almost) fucking show that is on tv is fiction and scripted and not real life.

Still, I get that it may not fit everyone, and even for the people waiting for Game of Thrones to start again, there are a bit of gap in the tv schedule, and I would throw my hat in the ring and support Billions!

Sure, it may be easy to compare and judge it as a watered down tv version of Wolf of Wallstreet, but please give the show a chance and you will see that it is much much more than this, and a well scripted show.

I personally has never been a fan of Damian Lewis, which play the “billionare bad boy” in the show, mainly since I feel he is a subpar actor. But even this is something I learn to disregard.

The complex relationships in the show, and the dynamics between the extremely good Paul Giamatti and Maggie Siff is highlighting the normal parts that easy become a bit dull or meh.

Anyway, I hope you give the show a shot and if you agree or disagree, please share a comment below.

Regards

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Twin Peaks

As I am dealing with the blog and trying to get to know the different features, I currently have Twin Peaks running.

Have to admit that I was never a big fan of the original series when it was running back in 1990.

I thought it may have been due to me being too young at the time, but now that I have started the new episodes, I still feel the show is trying a bit too hard.

That being said, I will give it a few more episodes before I decide to give up on it, as there may be a chance that they change the direction and perhaps makes it into a show worth watching.

I am a fan of shows that go a bit outside the normal guidelines, however Mr Lynch has never been a man to be even close to what “normal” is and sometimes it do get a bit too “out there”.

For the moment I will get back to this WordPress stuff and see if I will give it a shot or not.

Regards.

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