2007 Review

"There are no uneventful years. Each year leaves a trail of highlights, low lights and head-scratching moments."

Di-ve.com

Inspired by this article here, I thought of typing out the last post of 2007 by writing a "2007 year in review"...of my own life...

January: On the 1st of January, I finished my long essay "Target cells for gene transfer"...or so I thought. You see, some scientists who didn't finish writing their paper by the stroke of midnight, announced their gene therapy research accomplishments on the 9th of January. When I came back from my holidays, my tutor (Dr. Balzan) said I should add this to my essay as it's a very relevant discovery. So, I officially finished my essay on the 13th of January. In the meantime, there was the episcopal consecration of Mgr.Paul Cremona as the new archbishop of Malta.

February: This blog was born, on the 28th of the month, thanks to Martine Cauchi and Matthew Urpani's rants on the Internet. I also had to go to a Behavioural Science seminar in Halland (i.e. Hell Land reigned by creepy crawlies), which added to my list of assignments...

March: There were the Let's Face It! Lenten sermons that made me put to good use my "budding writing skills" (perhaps...). This was also the month I had my first HepB vaccine (1 out of 3). I also had the opportunity to cast my first vote at the local council elections...but I wasn't even bothered. BUT...my interest in politics received a burst of growth hormone.

April: There was a blood donation campaign organised by SCPOH - MMSA. I tried donating blood but *surprise, surprise* I wasn't able to. According to the nurses, I was actually eligible for a blood transfusion! There were also the usual Easter celebrations which I wasn't able to enjoy fully because of exams.

May: I was getting ready for my finals...and technically even Olivia Lewis. But, the song Vertigo didn't manage to get through :( I had my Physiology paper 1 on the 28th and Physiology paper 2 on the 30th.

June: Exams finished with pathology on the 22nd. In the meantime, Mater Dei was abused by Mother Nature, with level -1 looking more like a swimming pool with the heavy rain on Monday 4th June. On that day, the Life Cycle participants had a training session in Sicily. Also, Dun George Preca was declared the first Maltese Saint by Pope Benedict XVI.

July: I started working at McDonald's Bay Street. Also, I got my exam results...I made it to third year. A bit before that, on the 4th and 5th of July, there was the Mater Dei "open weekend", attended by more than 80,000 people (by the way, I was one of them...:), at the MMSA stand in the morning and selling Life Cycle lottery tikets in the evening). There was also the Isle of Man MTV festival were there were "tens of thousands of people" (but I think it was less than 80,000, hence Mater Dei wins, Maroon 5 and Akon lose).

August: I turned 20 on the 15th.

September: I started my clinical years at St. Luke's Hospital on the 15th, and I stopped working for McDonald's on the 30th. Also, the first consignment of Maltese euro coins arrived in Malta to help introduce the European curreny to a very confused nation (my grandma still thinks in terms of "xellini"). The Maltese euro coins feature the Mnajdra temples on the one, two, and five euro cent coins, the Maltese coat of arms on the 10, 20 and 50 euro cent coins and the eight-pointed Maltese cross on the € 1 and € 2 coins i.e. no more crabs, luzzus and Widnet il-Bahar anymore.

October: There was the famous MAM-Gov agreement that will bring about a few changes in working conditions for doctors in the very near future.

November: There was the even more famous Mater Dei migration, which included the transfer of the Medical school. Meanwhile, there was the Youth Weekend If you Dare... Also, Youth Ink (a new Marana Tha community newsletter) came to be.

December: I just had a very merry little Christmas with family and friends, while others were busy closing down the St. Luke's Hospital incinerator.

And to all my faithful readers, I wish you all a happy new year!

Merry Christmas

Kudos to Marija Farrugia for the above image.

"Open Sesame"

A surprising number of people have asked me to update this blog of mine. And so I will, by explaining why I haven't updated for so long. Well, I happened to be working on a little newsletter of my own for the community I form part of (read the "If you Dare" post just to refresh your memories). I christened this newsletter Youth Ink and it basically aims to build the church using Microsoft Word. Somehow, I sense that it's going to pick up rather nicely, even though I might not be using the best of building blocks. It so happens that "Microsoft sucks" appears 14.77 times more than "Apple sucks" using the AltaVista search engine...just for your info (all according to this simple survey here done by people with nothing to do).

It's been almost a month since we've moved to Mater Dei. I won't be going into my experience as a medical student over there. There's my behavioural science assignment for that. All I can say is that, during that month, we students were experiencing some degree of difficulty getting into the wards and theatres. Members of staff were only able to gain access via a programmable card which we did not have and, somehow, some nurses and the security people weren't able to understand that 0.25 of our education is done during wards rounds (with 0.05 done at lectures and the rest being up to you to so your homework at home). Please note also that our practical skills are going to be assessed at the end of this year (i.e. third year) and we're expected by our tutors to roll up our sleeves and start practising.

But, kudos to MMSA and any others involved, we finally managed to get access to wards (we found the magic words..."Open Sesame"). We tested our "staff cards" today and they work practically everywhere. Now, all we have to do is pick a colour that we fancy (red, green, yellow, brown or blue) and get down to some decent history taking I guess...

Announcement! ;)

As from tomorrow at 8am, lectures will be held at Mater Dei.

Kudos to Colin Mizzi for this (unofficial) advert.

If You Dare...

Around this time last week I was getting myself ready for this:

Well, let me announce (fashionably late) that I dared go to this weekend. It was an amazing boost overall; I just wish I can experience this all over again. It surely gives me something to blog about other than boring issues taking place in hospital.

Obviously, the idea of boring differs from one individual to another. I could be getting many eyes rolling on this post. Most probably, people who came to this blog through the MMSA website would have preferred finding an article about the good, the bad and the ugly of World Diabetes Day (WDD). MMSA could have given me something to blog about without all the controversy - a controversy that occasionally helps Ms. Caruana Galizia keep her Daphnicle going twice a week on The Independent (for when she's too bored talking about politics). There was a time when simply saying that I believed in Jesus was a daring thing to do since it guaranteed to stir quite a lot of debate in any conversation. Currently, I rarely find people in the mood to argue about the matter. The majority would be simply nauseated by the fact that "born again Christians" (as we're called, I got to know) could be such a bad advertisement to the very faith they're so dearly devoted to. As much as this fact is, sadly, very true, it is also very true that...

“There are only a handful [of Americans] who hate the Catholic Church, though there are millions who hate what they think the Church is.”

Archbishop Fulton Sheen

Well, on a lighter note, there were two people at that weekend who were a little bit more daring then others (if I'm allowed to stretch things a bit): they allowed be to have a go at performing neurological examinations on them at 7:30 in the morning. A free license to stay hitting people with a tendon hammer...what more can a medical student ask for? Well, I didn't ask for much really but I certainly got much more than what I asked for.

And for any Marana Tha youth out there reading this blog...thank you for such a fantastic weekend.

Migrating North

And so we are migrating - just like the ducks, the Starlings and the Purple Finches. In our case, the word "migration" refers to nothing more than a move (or should I say, THE much anticipated move) from one hospital (St. Luke's) to another (Mater Dejn)...how exciting! : It all started this week on Monday with the cardiologists. In fact, The Times has reported that Prof. Albert Fenech was given the honour to carry out the very first four angiograms at Mater Dei's new Cath lab (rumour has it there are already three holes in its gypsum walls. Maybe they'll be patched up with new master pieces coming from MCAST sutudents).

But, as the cardiologists and the cardiac surgeons were given the privilege to be the first to try settle down on new pastures, the Borg Bros. red van removals are still around with loads more shifting to do. Patients are still on the wards and students are still taking bloods, trying to look for Vacuette needles, only to find that these too are being slowly transferred to Mater Dei. Oh well! I attempted to use the much dreaded syringe, and pitied the patient in the meantime.

Still, it has been officially stated that the student body, too, is migrating with the birds in the sky (in our case, pigeons) on the 19th of November. The only difference between medical students and our feathery friends is that we stand a chance of flying off to a "slight turn for the worse" (birds migrate for better weather conditions). Various MMSA members have visited this new Medical School. Unfortunately, I wasn't one of them but from what I was able to gather:

• there are offices for the administrative and academic staff
• 5-6 lecture rooms which we have to share with the IHC (Institute of Health Care) students
• a "study room" seating not more than 16 people, which must also be shared with the IHC
• and, for now, no library that the librarian knows about. Although, the medical school library at St. Luke's Hospital, will be experiencing some degree of movement. In fact, it's going to be closed tomorrow (8th November 2007) from 12:15 till 14:30.

This is, at least, what we've heard and what we've been told. All will, hopefully, be sorted out on the 19th of November. Till that day, all we can do is hope that this migration won't disrupt so much our teaching schedule. Not that there is much anxiety about the whole matter. If there's really any emotion you can squeeze out from the students, it would be confusion rather than anxiety. But, for those few who are secretly feeling anxious over the matter, I'd suggest the following alienation strategies:

• Most Med students have to get cracking for World Diabetes Day this weekend. Speak to Darlene for more details.
• Dear forth years, you are blessed with having forensics, public health and orthopaedics exams to look forward to.
• As regards the 5th years, you people shouldn't even waste your time reading my shit. It's simply not worth it!

"Doctors won't walk barefoot while still living a (sort of) life"

The last post took a lot of effort to write but didn't prove very popular amongst you all. But, just for continuity's sake, I can't but not write about the recent happenings that took place between the MAM and the government.

Di-ve.com leaked some interesting information last Sunday at 17:30 CEST; information which was worth copying and pasting for a doctor friend of mine to read when bored of studying for her MRCPs. The article title hinted that the government was actually concerned about this exodus of medical professionals, despite less recent claims of its inevitability*, and has plans (inspired by the proverbial case of dangling carrots on a stake in front of a donkey) to plug the brain drain.

Surprisingly enough, this agreement took past MAM (Medical Association of Malta) proposals to make working conditions less disheartening for all doctors in the public sector very seriously. The government was simply waiting for the MAM's approval before signing out an attractively looking package that could make newly graduates consider willingly working for the people on who they'd have studied. Since the salary was, undoubtedly, a major issue at stake, every one's wages have been increased. Consultants are being courteously rewarded do they choose to dedicate themselves to working solely with the government at the expense of their private practice, and the younger doctors might be provided with learning and specialised training opportunities to help them advance in their careers.

Although I was certain that the majority of doctors would have agreed to this package, an extraordinary meeting was still held the following day (Monday 29th October) at Medical School, 20:00 CEST, to allow the MAM and all its interested members to discuss things democratically. Needless to say...

The extra-ordinary general meeting of MAM approved the proposed MAM-gov
agreement.
Votes in Favour = 250
Against = 40
Invalid = 1

thanks

Martin Balzan

MAM - gov Agreement approved - 30/10/2007

These "new and improved" working conditions, as described quite well in the Tuesday (30th October) local papers, will come into play as from 2008 till 2012...something else to look forward to other than the Euro changeover...

* See previous post for further details (I just have to make you read it do I?)

A Tiny Newspaper Review

I admit that this blog will be slightly different (and much longer) than usual. Another note for my regular younger readers, this blog might it be more appreciated by people who would have accessed this webbie from the MMSA (Malta Medical Student Association) website. ;) But, don't let this discourage you to keep reading on. In the meantime, I’d like to thank the person(s) involved for this recent and invaluable source of exposure.

This Monday, there was much discussion among my colleagues regarding how the exodus of junior doctors is, and could further, negatively affect the national health care service. The local press happened to have made "a bit of noise" about the matter in last Sunday’s papers. This explains our hustle on our way to CCU at 8:45 in the morning, and also while waiting for Dr. R. Xuereb, who never turned up to tutor us through the ward round.

The fact that “scarce resources are bleeding away” has been the subject of much debate more than once. I used to listen to Dr. Martin Balzan’s claims of Malta losing more than 50% its doctors (on Bondi+ for example) with much scepticism. So, hearing my friends cite valuable literature resources on the subject caught my interest a great deal.

MaltaToday stated that the majority of final year Medical Students are studying with the hope of doing their housemanship abroad. Alas, I didn’t manage to get my hands on a copy of that juicy piece of news. But, another article on today’s paper of The Times has conveniently extrapolated some of the information printed (for those who are still waiting for the MaltaToday website to be updated with last Sunday’s news). Relevant figures were used as a good introduction to help Lino Spiteri vommit his bile on the poor remuneration doctors are receiving in the public health sector:

“Malta's most abundant resources are becoming rather scarce where it matters most. That is what the growing threat of an exodus abroad from the medical profession is telling. There are many Maltese doctors working abroad. And, as reported by MaltaToday on Sunday, some 35 more would like to join them soon.”

The reasons why this is happening is pretty obvious, especially to people who spend a good part of their day at St. Luke's hospital. Doctors complain of finding it hard to cope with a growing demand for their services, hours-long queues, and patient waiting lists. Working conditions are poor, the pay is low, workloads are heavy, and there's little opportunity for career advancement (an understandable excuse so as not to make everything sound like "it's all about the money").

That same Sunday also saw one of the letters to the editor on The Sunday Times titled “Doctors’ condition at A&E”. This letter drew attention to the fact that the A&E is suffering as a consequence of the loss of its resources, particularly expertise staff, “to other specialities or overseas where working conditions and salaries are better”.

All these ‘reverberations’ in the local press seem to support the MAM in fearing a brain drain among doctors - a brain drain that will severely affect the country, despite these views being belittled by the government. A spokesman for the Health Division said on The Times in March 2005, “that although the possibility of a brain drain does exist, this was not likely to be imminent”. Dr. Deguara sees this phenomenon of doctors leaving the country as the inevitable consequence of us being a small island. Due to its size, Malta limits newly graduates from expanding their medical knowledge, whatever the area of specialty chosen.

“However, it will still be necessary for doctors to go overseas for training as the small size of our population does not offer the necessary breadth to achieve specialisation.”

“Doctors who are leaving the island are almost all junior doctors going abroad for specialist training,”

This doesn’t seem to be bothering the minister so much; at least not as much as the MAM. After all, the number of medical students keep increasing every year. The past 10 years (1995 – 2005) has seen a net increase of 162 doctors in St. Luke’s hospital, despite 50% of doctors have left the country (many of who express absolutely no wish to come back home). Also, the fact that the course opens annually without a numerus clausus since 2001 means that the number of graduate doctors can only keep increasing.

And as the Ministry of Health assures the public of the unlikelihood of us experiencing a sever shortage of doctors (as in the 1970s), Dr. Mary Rose Cassar tries to entice current 3rd year medical students to specialise in Emergency Medicine due to the present staff shortage. As Dr. Deguara counts his blessings, the letter written by Dr Mario Tabone-Vassallo (president of the Association of Emergency Physicians of Malta) reminds everyone that a loss in the quality of adequately trained medics is still at stake. "But isn’t Malta known for it’s superb undergraduate training?", one may ask. Well, we certainly have that reputation (although the medical student of today wonders how the medical student of yesterday made it through the disorganised education system). However, we medics are always told that we never stop learning…that “the day we stop learning is the day we stop practising” (Prof. Josanne Vassallo). Medicine remains an apprenticeship; a skill which muct be attained and not only taught, which my justify the statement below written in the above cited letter to the editor:

“A&E is not the place for junior or inexperienced doctors, because this imperils patient care, quite apart from contributing to delays in the department and risk stressing other physicians.”

But life is a stage full of ironies. With all this talk about Malta potentially suffering from a medical brain drain, one might be surprised to see the real reasons why one of the two urology wards and a paediatrics ward at Mater Dei, together with 13 operating theatres, will not open when the migration process from St Luke's Hospital is completed.

“When contacted yesterday, the president of the Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses, Paul Pace said a shortage of nurses was the reason why new services and extra operating theatres would not be able to function upon migration.”

Bibliography

The Times Some wards, theatres will remain closed Wednesday 24th October 2007
The Times Scarce Resources Bleeding Away Wednesday 24th October 2007
The Sunday Times Doctors’ Conditions at A&E Sunday 21st October 2007
The Malta Independent Half of graduate doctors leave to work abroad – MAM study Sunday, March 25, 2007
The Times Fears of brain drain among doctors 6th March 2005

New Wing at Mater Dei Hospital

A panel of doctors was asked to vote on adding a new wing to Mater Dei hospital. The Allergists voted to scratch it and the Dermatologists advised no rash moves.

The Gastroenterologists had a gut feeling about it, but the Neurologists thought the administration had a lot of nerve, and the Obstetricians stated they were all laboring under a misconception.

The Ophthalmologists considered the idea short-sighted; the Pathologists yelled, "Over my dead body!", while the Pediatricians said, "Grow up!"

The Psychiatrists thought, "the whole idea was madness"; the Surgeons decided to wash their hands of the whole thing, and the Radiologists could see right through it!

The Internists thought it was a bitter pill to swallow; the Plastic Surgeon said, "This puts a whole new face on the matter".'

The Podiatrists thought it was a step forward, but the Urologists felt the scheme wouldn't hold water. The Anesthesiologists thought the whole idea was a gas, and the Cardiologists didn't have the heart to say no.

And in the end, the Proctologists left the decision up to some asshole.

(Complements to a friend of mine who cared enough to share this with me. First sentence has been slightly altered from the original for the purposes of entertainment i.e. no such new wing is going to be added to Mater Dei Hospital).

Muse

My muse seems to be on vacation and has forgotten to send me a postcard. And my fingers have been too lazy resting on the mouse instead of typing on the keyboard. It's been an eventful 7 weeks with nothing in particular to say. A month and a half of busyness severely lacking in 'fun', 'excitement', entertainment and photos.

I didn't get myself sloshed at parties. I didn't even go to parties. I didn't jeopardise any one's furniture when pillow fighting with my friends - I didn't go to sleepovers. I never complained of sunburn - I hardly touched the sea. I didn't visit Dr. Joelle in casualty with a sprained ankle or dislocated shoulders - I didn't get a chance to play football (or netball, or water polo, or diving, or rugby). I forgot how it feels like to live like the Teletubbies over the hills and far away - I didn't go to Gozo (you know...Gozo...the island of the three hills). Instead I took the pleasure of reading other people's blogs to relive that kind of summer, with short postings coloured with loads of photos and double the spelling mistakes.

In the meantime, I took the liberty of tempting my driving instructor to swear at me when I drive too much like James Bond 007 around roundabouts. He says I should use the breaks when I turn corners. Well, maybe it's "a sign" that I was born to work in the A&E and drive ambulances ;).

Yet, it seems that it's going to take me a while before I get my licence, and will power without the money doesn't really get you far (excuse the pun). Hence, I used to spend 40 hours a week fighting against obesity "the Atkins's way". I sold McDonald's burgers with large fries and large Diet Cokes, watch people eat them, wipe the tables and trays and, sometimes, even clean behind customers when all would have been digested and excreted. You see, with some people, stools had a habit of ending up on the floor 10cm away from the toilet. Being quite acquainted with all sorts of biological hazards (blood, stools, urine, sputum etc...), I'd volunteer to take others out of deep shit (literary), whilst letting my other colleague (usually Lucienne) wash and disinfect the toilet. It became routine eventually...Lucienne and I checking out the toilets for any similar surprises, sometimes hidden under a mountain of blue toilet paper. However, despite working a real lot together, there were occasions of communication breakdowns along the way. This once lead to my apprentice, mop in hand and bucket in the other, unlock a previously locked toilet door ("Marquita must have locked it by mistake"), only to find an urgent case of micturition happily emptying his bladder, whilst totally ignoring the very dirty floor just 10cm away from where he's standing.

Well, I had my last shift at McDonald's last week as I started my third year at Medical School three weeks ago, only to end up going to the wards in the morning smelling pretty much like a McDonald's toilet in need of cleaning after a UFO (Unidentified Foul Object) would have landed 10cm away from the toilet seat.

Happy Birthday

Today is my birthday! I'm now officially 20...and I'm actually quite happy about it. It feels like as though I've entered the best decade of my life. Could be my colleagues though who, very sweetly, gave me a very special morning with the little things that make all the difference. The messages at 7am from all those who worked overnight at the take away window helped me kiss my teenage years goodbye very bright and early. I woke up to several messages from other friends and a Mandise muffin with a candle on in our crew room, just before I started my shift at 9am. And, despite turning 20, my colleagues apparently thought you're never too old for soft toys. Got a real adorable elephant; couldn't stop hugging it when I got home (I didn't manage to get down to doing some "growing up" before today; maybe next year). Got a birthday card ten minutes before I left work from all the Youth Team, most of who are at Soul Survivor in the U.K. They said they were sorry for not beign around to celebrate. Funnily enough, despite the "lack of celebration", I don't remember my birthday ever feeling this special. So, for all those who brightened up my day...thanks a million! I really wasn't expecting this at all!

I'm lovin' it!

Spending 45 hours a week at McDonald's for the past month and a half inspired me to come up with a list of fifteen annoying things to do at any local McDonald's restaurant. Please note that this has been written solely for the purposes of entertainment. This post is not meant to put any ideas into any one's head. Although, if you actually fall into the temptation of doing anything of the following, you wouldn't be the first and you surely wouldn't be the last, guaranteed.

15 Annoying Things to Do at McDonald's

1. Go up to the front counter and stay asking a tired employee how much everything costs, just to sound like you're looking for the best deal. After seven minutes of staring at the menu and frustrating the counter with your questions, just leave without ordering anything. If you'd be with a friend, just turn to your friend before leaving and say, "OK. Now we'll come here tomorrow. We'll have time to save 206 1c pennies in the meantime."

2. Order an XL Double Whopper® with cheese. Whilst you're at it, order a strawberry sundae and show them a BK (Burger King®) voucher.

3. Ask for twenty sachets of ketchup and twenty sachets of mayo.

4. With the extra sachets of mayo, squeeze all the sauce out onto your tray liner in the form of a smiley face. When it would be time to go, just leave the tray on the table for the McDonald's people to clean up.

5. Order a large size Extra Value meal for yourself, insisting that you want no salt on your fries. Then, when all is ready, ask for two sachets of salt.

6. Speak to the front counter in French. And when the front counter politely indicates that no one knows French, all the better. Act like you just don't understand English: keep uttering in French, getting angry in French and, towards the end, sulk in French. NB: Polish and/or Chinese is just as good.

7. If you're having Chicken McNuggets, let the counter ask you what sauce you'd like with your nuggets. And when actually asked, look confused until you get the counter to list you all the sauces available..."Barbecue, Sweet & Sour, Curry or Mustard..?" Then reply loudly, "Ah! Yes! I'd like some Ketchup please."

8. Order five cones and two large Diet Cokes, insisting that they'll be put on the tray for you to carry on your own. Then, just let gravity do its work and drop everything on the floor.

9. Kindly ask the counter not to put too much ice in your drink. Exactly as they give you your soft drink, stay examining it and angrily ask for the manager. If asked why just say angrily, "coz the drink isn't filled to the very top red line. I want my drink filled till the very top line if you don't mind. After all, you expect me to give you every one cent and similarly, I expect you to give me every drop I'm entitled to."

10. See whether there is a Filet-O-Fish burger in the food bin just behind the counter (the thing where all the food comes down from the kitchen). If there isn't, order a Filet-O-Fish meal. If you haven't been yet served in under three minutes start complaining about how inefficient the service is. State that belonging to a minority group (i.e. being vegetarian) doesn't change the fact that you are a McDonald's customer who deserves to be served in under three minutes just like everyone else. Take the opportunity to complain about the lack of variety there is for vegetarians and that now, with the new Salad Plus range, you can't even take half the salads available anymore. Whatever happened to the old Garden salad...or the Tuna salad?

11. Take photos of the front counter with their ridiculously looking green Shrek caps.

12. Order a McFlurry Baci. Then peep into your ice cream and say, "Is the cup usually left half empty?" Then, ask whether you can have more ice cream, even if it means paying an extra ten cents.

13. When ordering an apple pie, ask whether it is made with apples...just in case.

14. Get around ten of your friends with you and order altogether Lm20 worth of junk food. When all has been neatly laid out onto your trays say, "Sorry, I forgot to tell you it's for take away!"

15. And finally...go up to McDonald's Baystreet with fifteen of your friends at midnight and just stay loitering for an hour. Exactly as the restaurant closes at 1am (or 2am if it's a Saturday), invade the take away window (which now stays open till 5am seven days a week).

Bye Bye Second Year

I got all my exam results a while ago and I had to change my blog profile slightly. ;) You see, I am now, officially, no longer a second year student. Results came out a few weeks ago, but I wasn't able to break the good news before; McDonald's is keeping me too busy to stay blogging often. Also, I took up driving lessons and I'm trying to meet up with a few friends occasionally, when I have the time and energy. And all through winter I thought I was going to get some sleep this summer...

NEWS FLASH: Marquita DOES have a brain!

A very challenging University year has made this poor blogger doubt the existence of her brain. Luckily, at the point when it was almost made certain that her cerebrum was as good as that of a vegetable, she bumped into a simple quiz on the Internet that looked very reliable and capable of restoring all hope lost. This quiz, taken when bored with nothing better to do, revealed that Marquita does have a brain...which happens to be orange i.e. her favourite colour. :) (Just thought of posting a little something which I happened to find interesting).

Your Brain is Orange

Of all the brain types, yours is the quickest. You are usually thinking a mile a minute, and you could be thinking about anything at all. Your thoughts are often scattered and random - but they're also a lot of fun! You tend to spend a lot of time thinking about esoteric subjects, the meaning of life, and pop culture.

What Color Is Your Brain?

It's Official! Mother of God it's Finally Ready!

The first week of holidays has been quite a busy one with many things being "made official". First and foremost, it is now official that I work at McDonald's Baystreet. I worked my first shift last Friday. The 29th of June i.e. that same Friday, also saw the official release of Shrek 3.

Now, since McDonald's is in some sort of partnership agreement with Eden cinemas, the latter's business becomes our business. Not that it could possibly interest the readers targeted for this post, but McDonald's is getting into the spirit of this Shrek movie: decorating the restaurant appropriately (ah! Felt just like Christmas), ordering the staff, from manager to crew, to stay wearing little green Shrek ears while "on duty" (yes, I'm a medic even in summer), selling Shrek baseball caps for Lm2.50 and organising a host of Shrek parties which (I can safely assume) are especially organised for the little ones. Point to note: there is no such party at Baystreet...

Thirdly, the hospital Mater Dei (or should I say Mater Dejn?) has also been officially inaugurated in the above stipulated date. Of course, two "open days" followed that to celebrate the government's pompous accomplishment with the rest of the nation - Mother of God It's finally ready! Many stands were put up on site so as to make the hospital a bit more attractive than the beach or the cinema (Mater Dei vs. Shrek. What's it going to be?) Not that it was all that necessary, honestly. The fact that the public was left on tenterhooks for almost a decade and a half, as everyone was kept informed regarding the fate of this white elephant, was enough to send 80,000 flocking to this new hospital. I must admit, I was part of the 80,000 but I really didn't bother taking a tour round. At this point, one could wonder how much more ungrateful can today's young students be. As a future doctor, I should at least be proud of having a government that "invested" so much in the health sector. After all, we're talking about one of the most state-of-the-art hospitals in all Europe (I think). Well, these two open days don't signify the celebrations of a hospital that is up and running in full swing motion, explaining my lack of enthusiasm towards this project. A good hospital isn't just about the building; the system running Mater Dei is equally, if not even more, important that the fancy and colourful surroundings (with compliments to MCAST students...good job guys).

A very flashy Mater Dei magazine came to my hands lately. I actually took a good look at it - I guess a significant percentage of me is still interested in the happenings of this new hospital. And for good reason - I got my first two exam results (out of four) and (drum roll please) I passed in both. Now that my 3rd year is more and more on the horizon, I naturally find myself wondering where and how are my last three clinical years going to take place. As students, we are still left in the dark as to what's going to happen to us and our education facilities. Interestingly, however, the migration process described in the magazine "Sptar Mater Dei L-aħjar għal saħħtek" has been comprehensively divided into 4 phases, specifically as follows:

Fażi A: Migrazzjoni ta’ żoni pubbliċi u l-amministrazzjoni
Fażi B: Migrazzjoni tad-Dipartimenti ta’ l-Outpatients u servizzi anċillari
Fażi Ċ: Migrazzjoni tas-servizzi Inpatient
Fażi D: Faċilitajiet edukattivi u dipartimenti oħra

The Prime Minister (PM) promised that the hospital will be fully functional at the end of this year. All I know is that similar promises have been made before and the government has failed to keep his word, creating great inconvenience to the public. We can take current events as examples - the St. Paul's Bay Bypass. Quick words with the Medical School librarian back when I was still stduying suggested that Phase D might be complete in 2010 - the year in which I'm expected to graduate. Some nationalist leaning relatives of mine told me not to bother with such information. It got brushed off, saying that the source of information is pretty unreliable...it's coming from a librarian after all (if you get the hint).

Still, I had nothing better to do last Sunday than joining the Mater Dei crowd after Alive on Sunday mass at University chapel (min imaqdar irid jixtri). I thought it was a good way to simply to meet a few friends of mine and do something useful with my time. MMSA (Malta Medical Student Association) had its own stand opposite Outpatients, where my colleagues were happily playing doctor and taking blood pressure with their newly acquired stethoscopes. Ah! The bliss and enthusiasm of making it to the clinical years... Well, I'm a bit more of a St. Thomas - I'd like to receive all my results before actually thinking about what steth to buy for myself. In the meantime, I'll just keep helping people who are in greater need of my assistance at the moment. Joelle is taking part in this year's Lifecycle Challenge and I decided to help her out by selling "a few" lottery tickets.

Some good has come out of those two open days...people were with that "good feel" feeling now that they were given access to this glorious hospital and the altruism towards renal patients (exhibited by the ticket and bracelet buying) seemed to have complimented very well with the occasion. Honestly, I dare not complain. The Lifecycle challenge is one of the few things I actually believe in since it was in its infancy back in 1999. I was barely 12 years old, but the compassion I have towards the sick has been ingrained, most probably, way before my very first birthday. Both friends and family know me for this zeal to give everything that I've got to such people. Other friends of mine say that it's quite a disgrace that we actually need to stay fundraising to help cover the horrendous expenses at the Renal Unit, especially when the government was ready to set up this huge hospital considered as the biggest project ever undertaken in this country. Yet again, problems open doors for opportunities: sport lovers can channel their talents, dedication and energies into something very positive. And also, it gives Eileen Montesin some kind of story to keep the nation hooked to the stupidest TV series ever aired on national television: Dejjem Tiegħek Becky!

It is Finished! Last but not least!

What seemed to be an insurmountable nightmare in October has, hopefully, ended today. My annuals are officially over. Note, I didn't say second year is over. Resits are still a possibility, especially with the knowledge that 5 failed Physiology and 3 failed Anatomy. Yet, I honestly don't want to be part of those statistics. After all the effort I put in, I want to close the chapter entitled "2nd year Medicine" for good.

Pathology exam at Medical School was not so bad...at least compared with my other writtens. And I doubt my colleagues would beg to differ. Apart from the fact that most people left this three hour exam after 1.5 hrs, two guys actually decided to stay drinking beer throughout the whole thing. They wanted to start celebrating early I guess (yup! Resits are certainly not an issue). At precisely 10:15am, I got distracted by a huge "click"...they even decided to open their yellow Cisk cans together! Funny how it contrasted with the way invigilators took their job extremely seriously, following us on our way to the toilets, lest we fall into the temptation to use the library downstairs with the exam paper still in hand.

Well, I was one of the extreme few who managed to stay for the whole three hours. In the meantime, I was honoured to hear many (ex) fifth year medical students literally shout with joy at the news that they now have a "Dr." in front of their name. Sadly, there were a couple who didn't make it and will have to go through the ordeal of resits before celebrating. Well...it happens! The scariest thing is that it could so easily happen to me...in any year. The very thought that my present euphoria of not having to study anything when I wake up every morning could end so abruptly when I go on my eSIMS to view "the fruits of my labour"... it's just scary. I tried to get my mind off things by spending time with a few friends, bummed a lift home from another and got the hair cut I so desperately needed. But I can only put my mind at rest when I get those blooming results...(excuse the whining. It shall stop here).

But, till that day dawns I'll just relish the thought..."What shall I study tomorrow?... Hmmm... absolutely nothing!" xD And God, if you're reading this...please give me the luxury to keep relishing that thought daily till mid September, when I start my third year. Thank you.

The Final Countdown! (No not for elections...)

These three weeks have kept me too busy to update you with the obvious; examiners have managed, exam after exam, in making me feel like I have become the epitome of stupidity. From the 28th of May till 8th of June, the exam schedule was pretty crammed and exhausting. Nevertheless, it seems like I'm surviving i.e. still (1) breathing with a (2) pulse and (3) conscious. But all this studying has robbed me from the joys of blogging about some pretty interesting current affairs that have happened lately. Not that I'm one of those that keeps a close eye on the news, but any happenings centred around Mater Dei hospital and the new Medical School is bound to arouse some interest, even in the indifferent citizen. Luckily, this guy over here has found the time to patiently keep all his readers up-to-date with the disgraces of our country and his opinion towards the matters. For those who have been living in a world of their own: you know the 4th of June? When it had happened to rain very heavily? Well, let's just say that after my 1st Anatomy paper, I wasn't alone in ending up drenched on my way home from Uni at 2pm. Mother Nature deemed it a good idea to give our new, glorious Mater Dei a nice clean before its grand opening at the end of this month. I was in my mother's car when it happened (yeah, I didn't manage to walk in the rain). With her behing the wheel, in the traffic created by the storm outside the new hospital entrance near San Gwann, I was able to watch the nation's pride and joy (il-perla tal-"perla f' nofs il-Mediterran") putting up a new, unplanned outdoor swimming pool. Together with the meals, TV and Internet, the pool would have contributed to the creation of a hospital looking more like a theme park (click here for Ref) than a teaching hospital.

Well, exams are over soon. My Anatomy final is officially over today. True...it just had to end with a real nerve wrecking practical, containing neuroanatomy questions from the labyrinths of hell. As I tried making sense out of the pre-dissected dead carcass, X-rays and photos, some parts of the spotting test felt pretty much like a guessing game. Now, it's just Pathology (the study of disease) on the 22nd of June. And then I'd be free...free to be a pain.

Exams Start Tomorrow...Let us Pray

The best of "William Wordsworth" dedicated to students (including me) undertaking gruesome exams tomorrow till end of June.

Test Prayer for Suffering Students

Now I lay me down to study,
I pray the Lord I won't go nutty.
If I should fail to learn this junk,
I pray the Lord I will not flunk.

But if I do, don't pity me at all;
Just lay my bones down in study hall.
Tell my teachers I did my best.
Then pile the books upon my chest.

Now I lay me down to rest,
And pray I'll pass tomorrow's test.
If I should die before I wake,
That's one less test I'll have to take.

AMEN!
Esmily Wishneusky

What? You actually thought I was going to post real poetry? Good luck to all those who are doing their exams. And for those who finished (or don't have to take exams anymore), just enjoy your summer without beign pains in the bottom. ;)

Abdo Frenzy! Starring spleen and abdominal pain...

Why abdo frenzy? Well, it so happens that in this post, the abdomen (i.e. the tummy region) is going to feature quite a bit, with special attention being given to:
1) The spleen
2) Abdominal pain
Actually, only these two points (too many) are going to be the highlight of today's post.

The spleen

The spleen is one organ found in the abdomen we don't often talk about; most probably because it rarely gives anyone any trouble. It could also be that it doesn't do anything interesting in the adult except for destroying blood cells when they retire after 120 days. However, the spleen was once thought to be the seat of "black humour" ("to vent one's spleen) and sadness, caused by an excess of "black bile" (melancholy) that gives the organ its characteristic disgusting colour. It's within the latter context that the spleen is going to enjoy its few seconds of fame. It's not a vital organ in the adult but I still have mine in place, and it needs to be "vented out" a little bit after a very interesting case of abdominal pain that hit very close to home.
Abdominal pain

The causes of abdominal pain range widely; so much so that when a patient presents with abdominal pain, an incompetent pre-clinical (and sometimes even clinical) medical student is bound to leave something out when listing out the possibilities that could ultimately lead to a correct differential diagnosis.

I was studying at medical school library when I receive a message from my mother at 3:15pm. "We're taking Erika to the ER". :S Naturally, I was worried sick and when I met them at the Emergency department moments later, I see my sister get out of the car, holding her tummy like her intestines were about to fall out, with her face all cringed. She was obviously in agony. However, as my brainwashed self suspected an appendicitis (i.e. an inflamed appendix), my gut feeling smelt one of the biggest farces that I could ever write on this blog (at least before I get to ward rounds in third year).

After a bit of running around to get to the right department, blood tests were carried out, (mid-stream) urine samples collected, X-Rays taken...obviously with long hours of waiting in between. In the meantime, I tried studying for as long as I could without getting too distracted by the unfortunate circumstances. Library closed at 7pm but Erika was still in ER. By the time I arrived home, the medical staff finally found out what the problem was. My family came back with my sister totally relieved from pain just 15 minutes after I arrived home and ate everything I could find in the kitchen. Naturally, I asked what the problem was.

To spare any unnecessary embarrassment for the patient, I will not directly state the answer to this clinical case. Instead I'll just end by saying...God bless laxatives ;)

Got myself a job!

Just a quick post to let the world know...99.9% I got myself a job this summer - selling burgers in one of the most famous fast food franchise in the world. ;) Summer 2007 is going to see my third return to McDonald's Baysteet. Now, I'm just waiting for the management to get back to me and give me my uniform. In the meantime, it's back to studies to avoid having a "too busy summer" with resits.

2 weeks till doomsday

Long time no blog...reason being that I have only a pitiful, remote number of fans to feel obliged to. Also, as you can imagine, I have particularly nothing interesting to write about; unless you want to know how my studies are going and what I would have actually learnt during the day.

Spending lots of time at Medical school library trying to get some work done. Yet, the only things I seem to learn at the end of the day are:

1. Our memory stores are not sufficient to carry all the expected information
2. Most of what we're meant to know is utterly useless
3. As much as we're adviced to focus our energies on what is important, it is not what is important that comes out in exams.

Whilst I was neglecting my blog, I thought no one could have a life lamer than mine. Then, I watched the semi-final eurovisions yesterday and watched Olivia singing Vertigo. As much as my heart went out for her when she didn't make it to the finals...I kind of felt way better about myself. At least I'm actually doing my first two "finals". Olivia didn't even get a chance to go through the final round in Finland. That's going to give Peppi Azzopardi quite a lot to talk about on Xarabank "live gewwa Helsinki". That should make life more interesting...

Friday the 13th: Just for your Info

The origins of this superstition that Friday the thirteenth is an unlucky date has variable, but deep, historical roots. It kind of originates from two seperate fears: the fear of Friday and the fear of the number 13. Just for your information, tradition holds that:

• Eve tempted Adam with the apple on a Friday.
• The flood in the Bible, the confusion at the Tower of Babel, happened on a Friday. What Biblical verse or scholars they quoted to support this...I have no idea!
• There were 13 people at the last supper of Jesus, with Judas the betrayer having been the thirteenth member of the party to arrive.
• Jesus was traditionally crucified on Good Friday. But in this case, as the name implies, that particular Friday is one Friday we should all be thankful for.
• The pagan lunisolar calendar had 13 months in some years, while the solar Gregorian calendar and lunar Islamic calendar always have 12 months in a year. Hence, 13 was considered to be a pagan, bad, bad number.
• Friday was also considered to be the witches' Sabbath and, on that day, each week, twelve witches and the Devil met - thirteen evil spirits in all.

So it is only understandable that having a Friday the 13th, two unlucky things, gives you the impression that you're heading for doomsday. But, is it understandable? We now live in the 21st centuary where we do know better. Or do we? Well, psychologists believe that Friday the 13th will become a day of bad luck if people focus on the day because people will create their own bad luck by paying attention to the superstition. Yet, we still have a term that specifically describes the phobia of Friday the 13th: paraskevidekatriaphobia. And even when the fear wouldn't be that extreme, most people would not get married, start a new job or close on a house on Friday the 13th. I personally don't like stocking on the idea of Friday the 13th holding such ill luck, partially because I know from first hand experience that bad things, big and small, happen to me all the time (my friends can confirm).

Apart from that, although my day was not so exciting, it was actually rather good. I actually managed to wake up early to get to St. Luke's Hospital at 7am to start studying at 7:30am. Then, I visited my old school and spoke to enough aquaintances that really made my day. So...how was your Friday the 13th?

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter to all of you people reading this blog and to all your loved ones! I think it's high time for another post for all my secret fans that seem to have very little to read.

On Tuesday, I had a passover meal with a few friends of mine. First time I officially drank wine, and it is not going to happen again till next year. That day managed to confirm that I do hate wine and that I can never grow to like it. Otherwise, the food was great, the place was nice and the people are having a decent life going on that's much better than mine right now. Though, sadly, Martine's sunshine just wanted to strike for the day. And I must admit, I missed a few other friends at certain points (those who know what I'm talking about, I'm sure you understood! Those who didn't understand, you're not exactly expected to).

Also, Joelle's birthday present finally arrived the next day - on Wednesday after two months of waiting! (My friend's birthday was on the 9th of Feb. It explains the tortoise on the left). So, on my way to Medical school library, I went to pick up "Jesus MD" at Mireva. Thought I'd buy her some food for the soul this year which she seemed to like very much. She said it was cool and I think she meant it by her efforts to try and make time for it, despite being so busy. She's thinking of reading my present whilst at the hairdresser's. Well, I think that if she'll keep that up, I'll guarantee she'll read the book in absolutely no time at all! ;) (I doubt you're reading this but, in case you are...sorry but I can't help being mean.)

Those are basically the highlights of the week. I could have had more if I wanted to. There were many Easter activities that I could have attended. But, sadly, I had to decline with the hope of celebrating my victory in summer. If there was something that really struck me on Tuesday was that the Jews celebrated their freedom from slavery in Egypt before they even got out of there and into their promised land! :S Living with the attitude of celebrating victory before it has been attained seems nice...gives you a reason to celebrate everyday of your life. But, I guess I'm very far from being Jewish in my ways...very very far.

Being a Hero is in your Blood!

Can't help using last year's Blood donation campaign slogan. It took me ages to come up with it for last year's blood drive, so I thought I might as well use it. So...a blood unit is going to be set up at University by the Malta Medical Student Association (MMSA) as indicated in the above poster - 16th, 17th and 18th April next to car park 6. I'm not directly involved in this but my friend is. Plus, this is one of the few causes within MMSA I love to support.

If you're wondering whether you're eligible to donate: firstly, you have to be 18 years old or older. If you're 17, you can donate with your parent's/guardian's consent. You must weigh at least 50 kg/110 lb (up to now I am a very good candidate). Also, you must be in general good health. But, this being very vague, I'll try be give a few specifics...

• Haemoglobin levels should be above 12.5 g/dL and your blood pressure should be normal (120/80). But these are things the doctors and nurses will check on the day so I wouldn't worry too much about them. Those who have certain blood conditions like Thalassaemia or blood clotting disorders you most probably won't be able to donate blood. For those who are anaemic, make sure you're free from any symptoms. But, like I said, the doctor will have you checked on the day.
• If you suffer from allergies you can donate as long as you didn't get an infection and you're not on medication. But again, when in doubt, you can ask the staff on the day.
• If you've suffered from food poisoning or gastroenteritis, you can donate a week after full recovery.
• If you currently have an STI (sexually transmitted infection), you won't be able to donate in this campaign. Some other time maybe, depending on the STI. For example, HIV and Hepatitis B are STIs but if you've got those, then you cannot donate blood. Sorry...
• If you're on antibiotics, a 72-hour deferral is required before donating after yuo're healed from the infection (72 hours is approx 6 days).

Having said all this, there's one thing I'd like to make clear. I tried making sure that the above bulleted information is correct at the time of typing. But this blog is not the Gospel of John. When in doubt, just ask a qualified doctor. Trust me, not all of them bite. And if there's someone out there that finds something wrong with what I typed, or has a question, please post a comment. And even if you just think that this site is cool/crappy/boring/plain stupid/dumb/funny...just post.

By the way, don't forget your ID. I can't promise I'll be there on the day. I'm not very lucky when it comes to donating blood. They always find something wrong with me apart from being a serious mental case. But I'm working on it with the hope of donating this time. In the meantime, do consider saving a few lives without the pains of getting a medical degree...

Another Birthday

A medical student's blog should, typically, have pictures of stacked books and stressed individuals hard at work splattered all over. Yet, this post is not an account of what topics I managed to study during the course of the day.

Today was my friend's 21st birthday and we decided to go on the Logos II to check out the books there before the ship leaves at the end of this month. Well, always better than starting off a birthday with a Hep B vaccine! We met at Medical School at around 9am and we caught the bus to Valletta. On arriving at Valletta waterfront, we discovered that the book store opens at 10am; we happened to be there half an hour early. So, we just relaxed a bit and enjoyed the sun whilst eating the two hot cross buns I bought that same morning on my way to hospital. I tried compensating for not having enough time to bake my own cake for the occasion. At ten, we hit the boat for a bit of bargain hunting. I managed to find something interesting for myself, whilst trying to convince the birthday girl to get her hands off junk she doesn't really need. Our little shopping spree had to end at 11am so as to go to lectures (or rather, what was left of them).

After University, I rushed home to get ready for a job interview as a local leader with EF. I guess it went pretty well. I'll let you know if I managed to get the job next week so keep posted. In the meantime, I must finish an assignment...due tomorrow.

Hep B!

Today was Marija Farrugia's birthday. To be more precise, it was my friend's lucky birthday. She turned 20 i.e. she's officially no longer a teenager. We decided to start celebrating this glorious day bright and early...to get immunised against Hepatitis B. Well, you can't say that we don't get an A+ for originality. So, we met at Medical School (in St. Luke's Hospital) at 7:45 am. We were suppose to meet 15 minutes earlier but we both ran a little late. Plus, I had to buy ourselves two muffins; unfortunately, they came without the candles. Anyways, we found the infections control unit closed despite being told that we were suppose to find it open before 8am. That gave us a bit of time to eat our sweets and observe our surroundings were bugs don't just stop at the sink outside the infections control office, but they even reside over there. Amongst the many posters, there was one saying "germs travel". Believe me, these people have no clue how much germs travel in this God forsaken hospital.

At 8:20 am, we were 'warmly' greeted by the nurse, "Intom min intom?" (Who are you?) We explained that we were 2nd year medical students who were told to go take the Hep B injection on Tuesday if possible earlier than 8am. That triggered a series of grumbling and muttering because:
1) The nurse had lots of work to do and said that she didn't really have the time for us ("Ghax jien bhal llum ikolli xoghol iehor")
2) She claimed to be the only nurse on duty, even though there was another one of her colleagues with her the whole time ("U llum inzertajt qieghda wahdi")
3) We were suppose to have come between 10am - noon. Go figure that she was the exact same nurse who told us last Wednesday to come today earlier than 8am!

Then, we finally got our Hep B. She took a much longer time grumbling then getting us both immunised and fully eligible to start ward rounds next year (obviously grades permitting). Oh well, patient care in this country never ceases to amaze me. Sometimes I contemplate on the possibility of us, as future doctors, making history in the health care system. Even Jesus' second coming occurring next month sounds more probable...

Well, after St. Luke's off we went to University. I skived all the lectures to get some decent studying done. It turned out that the living anatomy session was actually good. I'll have to see if I can join some other group on Thursday to get the tutorial I was suppose to go to today. In the meantime, I must finish thorax!

Jesus: The Face of Love

Fr. Ray came up with the most brilliant conclusion to these sermons. We ended this event on Saturday with a Youth Mass and the homely was all about Jesus being the face of love present in the Eucharist. This mass was one of the liveliest I've ever been to. It made me realise that the church can be alive if it wants to. True, there were some people that criticized the parish for having four drum kits just behind the alter. But, if it takes four sets of drum kits to bring the church to back to life a bit, why not use them? Is the church's architectural integrity so important that you're ready to risk celebrating mass with empty church benches in the future? That was Fr. Ray's very bold reply to all the criticism.

Well, for us to have such a set up that we felt very necessary, it took a lot of our time and effort to mount. And what we set up last week, we had to dismount yesterday. Believe me, I cannot say that I fully appreciated scrubbing off the double sided tape on the marble church floor at 9:30pm (together with the help of other people of course). However, when it comes to spreading the Good News, there are cases where the ends do justify the means of evangelizing.

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." 2 Corinthians 4: 16-18