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

Mary Magdalene: The Face of Faithfulness

What was considered to be a mega big insurmountable project in August is finally approaching the end. We talked about the face of faithfulness on Friday. Leana was a very convincing Mary Magdalene. She actually managed to cry during the whole interview. I wonder whether she ever considered using this skill to get what she wants with people. Anyway the Friday session was good for a number of reasons:

1) Friday's news item was the only one I did not manage to take care of compiling myself. Tutzi wrote the script. Not that she didn't do a good job and that I am some decedent of Shakespeare, but it did help me appreciate my budding talent as a writer just a wee bit more. Anyways, good job Tutzi! I know it's not easy to write a play from scratch.

2) More importantly, a real lot of youths made the step to give their lives to Jesus. That is what made all the sweat and tears to put up these Lenten sermons all worth while. The 'funny thing' is, we spent so much money to promote the event and, yet, the people that came to the sermons where there thanks to their friends and not thanks to our adverts. Poor Martine was thinking of retiring when she found out. (Martine deserves a big well done for all her hard work and dedication. When you see her, tell her, "Prosit!" And Martine if you're reading this...Well done!)

3) The theme song was played twice for the first time throughout the whole week. Couldn't help not being flattered...but...all for God's glory, all for God's glory. I'm glad they were able to worship Him with it.

Friday ended with fellowship at McDonald's in St. Julian's. Whilst everyone was looking at the menu, my eyes went straight on this big poster "Recruitment Day" that gave me something to chew on other than an extra value meal. They want summer workers...and I desperately want a summer job. I filled out an application form to work with EF and they still didn't get back to me. So...Marquita is still on the hunt to do something useful with herself during the holidays...

The Thief: The Face of Forgiveness

Thursday brought with it "my first harvest"...my long essay is hard bound and ready to be handed in! All I have left is Behavioural Science assignments were we have to stay writing about our feelings. It's not enough going to the Halland Hotel for three days talking about your feelings and trying to associate your mood with particular colours. You have to write everything down and stay processing everything in three 1, 000 word essays to see whether you managed to show significant personality improvements during those three days. You obviously all know how I'm going to write those 1, 000 words: 5% decency and 95% crap. Amazingly enough, that is how you do well in behavioural assignments.

Despite all the nonsense I still have left to do, I went to the forth session of Let's Face It!. Thursday sessions are usually dedicated to encouraging people to go to confession. In fact, we even provide priests for confession. So...what better face to discuss than the face of the "good" thief? (Quite paradoxical isn't it? I mean...how can a thief be 'good'?) This created a tiny problem when featuring our usual interviews - you cannot interview a thief dying on a cross can you? So, we just imagined that this guy had Robert Rizzo as a kid brother that witnessed everything at the foot of the cross.

Fortunately, Fr. Ray's talk was pretty short! Not because it was boring but because we had long ques for confession. Ushering all those youths was quite a headache that made me land on my bed stoned when I got home. But I won't complain. After all, we were just getting exactly what we prayed for!

Peter: The Face of Failure

On Wednesday, I had lectures at Medical School at St. Luke's. What better time to have a tiny heart-to-heart with Joelle? She impressively managed to give me a few minutes of her time just moments after I messaged her (she had duty on that day i.e. a long shift last for approx. 36-48 hours). The thing is, new feelings of failure keep cropping up from time to time i.e. I need to be scheduled for open heart surgery again.


Keeping with the general theme of that day, we discussed Peter as representing us all in our moments of failure. Stephan acted out the part of Peter in the Y4J News interview really well. I saw some real good (unexpected) talent which could be explained by either of the following possibilities:
1) He's a brilliant actor
2) He's been in Peter's shoes many times before
3) Both of the above


In any case, he deserves a real big well done for delivering so well. Fr. Ray also gave a good talk, which I found particularly encouraging, and Sam is getting better and better at animating meetings together with the rest of the band.

Hence, generally, Wednesday was a reminder that hard work does pay off some time or another, despite our failures and mishaps.

Judas: The Face of Betrayal

So, Tuesday was all about betrayal, represented by the face of Judas. The part of Judas was well acted out by Steve on the left during the Y4J News interview. And Fr. Ray surely dissected the interview very well during the talk. The turn out was good, the sound was better than Monday...can't wait for the rest. Me thinks that I'm going to end up with a huge empty feeling when all this will be over. Still, the 'unofficial' exam time table came out and I'm not happy with it at all. The most important exams are crammed within the first two weeks of the exam month. Although it is still unofficial and changes are possible, they're very unlikely. By the way, don't tell anyone about this...I've been told that we suppose to be totally oblivious to how are exam time table is going to be for now.

Barabbas: The Face of Fortune

I was supposed to have typed this post yesterday but I was too tired to do anything when I got back home. I didn't do the desired amount of studying but a lot went on yesterday...

Long Essay Done!
I officially finished my long essay and I took it to Copy Club for it to be hard bound today. Alleluia! That's one assignment I'm very glad to get rid of!

The Kekoo Experience
I went to buy a new text book (yep...towards the end of this scholastic year) at Kekoo in Naxxar just before going to St. Julian's for the 1st Lenten sermon. I must admit it was a "unique experience" with the kisses on the cheek (which he apparently gives to every customer), the free biro plus a ten minute autobiography of how his unbeatable prices and numerous amount of friends are taking the piss out of Mireva, Agenda and Indigo bookshops (with the latter shop being, today, non existent).

The 1st Lenten Sermon
The 1st Lenten Sermon was a pretty good start. The sound system was a bit disappointing (we're used to far better I guess). Otherwise, everything was simply great; from the drums and the dances to the talk given by Fr. Ray. Yesterday we talked about Barabbas representing the Face of Fortune. We introduced him through a "Y4J News Item", where he was interviewed by Martine "live from Jerusalem". Then there were the vox pops...lol...Matthew and Ian looked so good on the screen. :) The Archbishop came (fashionably late) and he led the adoration at the very end. Andrew took a few photos that can be found on the y4j website. They're not so clear but I don't have any pictures of my own so I'll have to make do with these...

This is the Day...

Decided to wake up early to do a bit of studying (to compensate for this evening). Today... (drum roll please) "Let's Face It!" Lenten sermons start.

Must admit, I'm not exactly looking forward to them, which is pretty sad as the whole team tried to contribute as much as possible to reach out to youngsters this Lent. Yesterday Youth Team had to be at St. Julian's to set up the place. Obviously I didn't go; my books require to much of my attention for me to be too generous with my time. Maybe that's the reason why I'm not so enthusiastic about these sermons at the moment...because of this fun sucking course I'm in! Not that I didn't know what I was going in for when I applied for it but anyways, I'm sure the rest of the Youth Team did a fantastic job at decorating the church. Maybe it will help me get into it a bit more. Seeing everything come together always feels good!

So...see you people at St. Julian's Parish church between 8pm-9pm. For those of you who cannot come or simply do not even bother to be bothered, I'll post daily updates on this blog...hopefully add some photos too. That's it for today. I'll post again later today.

"Spring Shower"

Time for a now post. Yesterday wasn't one of my most fruitful days. It must have been the weather. The very, very bad weather. I had a lecture at 10am and turned out to be pretty important i.e. I wasn't able to stay at home just because outside happened to be drizzling. So, I went out, walking it all the way from home to University without an umbrella. Since it hadn't rained for a while, I simply forgot where I left it and I had no time to stay looking for it. So, you can imagine how I ended up after 15 minutes walking in the rain. Apparently though, the Heavens thought I wasn't soaked enough. While trying to cross the road I was waiting for the cars to stop, and along comes a Maltese bus. It just had to drive into a huge puddle with an inappropriate speed that, basically, got me soaked. I went for the lecture dripping. One of my lecturers saw my hair, my face and all my clothes drenched, gave me her umbrella and suggested I should go back home and change...to avoid catching a cold! :S Catching a cold? With wet hair and clothes? ...

I must admit, there was one time where I lived with that misconception till one fine day I was given a life home by Joelle (M.D.) and said that I, as a medical student, should know better. So, let me try do something useful and pass on the same enlightenment I was given (by the way, I hope that this will not be the cause of any arguments with your parents at home).

1. The climate is only an enabler and not the cause of the cold
In simpler English, you need the "cold virus" to get the cold. You do not pick up infections from cold weather. You get germs from other people who sneeze or cough in your face or transmit germs with their hands to objects that you touch. A little detail for those who can take it...research shows that the most common way to get a cold is from someone who has a cold, sneezes on his hands, and then shakes yours.

2. But doesn't cold weather make the immune system weaker, or something of the sort?
For the anti-science individuals who are surprisingly reading this post, the immune system is a defence system found in the body that fights germs and infections all the time. But chilling does not really weaken your immunity (body defences). In 1958, some guys who had very little interesting things to do wrote a paper in the American Journal of Hygiene, (Vol. 68, pp. 659-65): "Transmission of the Common Cold to Volunteers Under Controlled Conditions". More than 400 volunteers were exposed to viruses that cause colds. Some were exposed to very cold temperatures while wearing heavy coats, some to 60 degree temperatures while wearing underwear, and some to a very warm 80 degrees. All had the same rate of infection. This shows that the crucial factor that determine whether you get a cold is being exposed to the virus that causes the cold.

Nevertheless here are a few No Nos that will remain despite the research:
1. When you're late for school/work and you're unable to find your umbrella, don't take your sister's! (Oh! A bit of rain won't hurt anyone.)
2. When your parents tell you that you cannot leave the house without being warmly dressed, don't print this blog post and scoff it down their throats. If you really want to make your point make sure you remain civil throughout. Also, there are more reliable educational sites out there written by some doctors and professors that can never be phoned by your concerned, feel-like-they've-been-disrespected parents.

Life isn't so bad after all!

"Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord." 1 Corinthians 10: 17

I have very little clue of what that could mean. If it means sharing with other people how good God was to me yesterday, then I'll be abiding by the above in this post. And for good reason...

You remember that booklet Y4J is trying to release, hopefully very soon? I mentioned it in my previous post. Well, basically it's going to be done in both English and Maltese; yesterday, I got the last piece of translation. I sent the whole thing to the proofreader today. What a relief! After 5 months of nail biting worry...cannot wait to see it printed...

What also came in yesterday were all the illustrations...including those I was suppose to get Saturday morning at Uni! (Again see previous post if have no clue what the hell I'm talking about)

Also, my mobile's battery went kookoo when I needed it most. Luckily...because of the fact that the mobile I currently owe is a vintage (Nokia 3310), I managed to find a Nokia battery lying around the house. So...I got a functional battery without having to actually go buy one. So I guess yesterday didn't go so bad...eh? What you say?

Yeah...God has His ways of making me smile. I just hope He makes me grin from ear to ear when I get my final results in summer. Just read a blog of a 1st year Med student (Matthew for those who know him)...said that these two years don't contribute much to your certificate. Thing is, it is extremely difficult not to expect at least a decent grade when you would have worked your ass off for so long.

Anyways, like one wise lady reminded me (i.e. Joelle's mummy :)), we reap what we sow. I just hope I would have reaped enough sweat and tears by the 26th of May :/

So how are you feeling?

My secondary school days have given me few friends, but they gave me friends that stood the test of time. We've been classmates for nine whole years practically. And during that time, they all got too well acquainted with my fair share of ill luck. And it was my ill luck that broke my mundane Saturday morning today.

As part of our Lenten sermons, Y4J will hopefully release a booklet aiming to introduce young people to Jesus. Today, one of the illustrators had to meet up with me at University to hand me his drawings. I gave him the liberty of coming at any time between 9am - 1pm, as I was going to be there anyway to study. He said, "OK, no problem! My mum can take me there." Well...to cut a long story short...he just didn't turn up. And just when I started packing up my things at 1:30pm, he finally messages saying, "My mum cannot come to University." Love is patient says the Bible. But I am not love, hence, my patience has its limits. God I cannot believe that this booklet is more stressful than my University assignments!

Oh well! Best count your blessings ej? After all, up to last week, I spent Thursday, Friday and Saturday morning at a Behavioural Science weekend at the Halland; or as one of our class reps rightfully put it...Hell Land. For those people who are unfamiliar with what this weekend is, I'll give you a briefing:
1. It's compulsory
2. You and your classmates get to be split into groups (and no, you cannot suggest with whom you'd like to stay) and each group will have a psychologist or psychiatrist leading the several sessions that would have been assigned for the day.
3. Depending on the tutor, you get to talk about utterly useless things like how to be a big softy when taking to patients and how you can work more as a team with various health professionals including your consultant (oh gosh! These people seriously need to get to terms with reality). I heard that some tutors were quite good. Mine wasn't so bad. There was one thing that bugged me though...the word "feeling" was used in 50% of the questions she asked us. We actually started off our 1st session with her asking us, "So how are you feeling right now?"
4. Sometimes, you can take part in role plays were the bitch lying within can be totally unleashed as you get to be the ruthless, insensitive doctor with a larger than life ego - various role models to choose from. That was the only part I enjoyed. I got to be the psychiatrist that did not want to tend to worried patients after clinic hours. Two people in my group actually clapped at the end! :S And, trust me, I'm not a good actress. I guess I can be naturally mean!
5. Then, when it's time to eat you can do one of two things: either cook your own meals (recommended - the Halland kitchen won't mind giving you the necessary utensils) or you eat their stuff. I'm not a fussy eater so I went for option number two, obviously at my own risk. Friday evening when I went out early so I don't know how dinner was. My friends said I didn't miss anything. I took their word for it, especially when I heard that the Halland staff had made Faraaz an omelet (coz he doesn't eat meat) and he spent a whole night pucking it out. :( Poor Faraaz!
6. Also, you have to make sure that your room is clean and tidy in case any brown visitors might decide to show up unexpectedly. Quite a good number of rooms had cockroaches. And one particular room had a good number of cockroaches. The hotel happened to be arranging the water works during our stay. Something went wrong and one room got infested with creepy crawlies. Luckily this year Sullivan, the organiser of this thing, actually took our comments seriously (for once) and has actually tried to "challange the hotel" on this cockroach case (O yes! Because the Halland did not want to belive us when we complained about the matter. They said they wanted evidence.) But then again, this is Malta; usually nothing is done on anything.

"So, what will you take home with you after this weekend?" Simple. Gastroenteritis and empty Pif Paf cans!

Hello People!

If life is a roller coaster ride, then I could have got through the day without wearing a seat belt. Today wasn't exactly eventful. All I had was one lecture, to which very few people came (and who would blame them? It was biochemistry - no one would want to spend three hours on a bus to get to a 3/4 hr lecture with Hunter and back home again). For the rest of the day, I was at home studying...trying to get ready for our first revision lecture tomorrow: Embryological Development of the Brain and Cranial Nerves. I'd like to greet his "lordship" with questions...Mr. Zrinzo is expecting questions. The problem is...I've been studying all day and the only difficulty I have encountered so far is this: "How in the hell do you expect me to remember the course of the 12 nerves in your head?"



But the day wasn't all that bad...it had its nice intervals. When I went onto "My Go" to send a few messages, I saw the "Let's Face It!" advert we talked about yesterday in our (Y4J) Admin Team meeting. Came really cool! Got me all excited again for the upcoming Lenten Sermons.


The above advert is what appeared on Pink magazine already. And, believe me, there are going to be a lot more reminders all over the place...from Uni to Bay Street. For more information, visit http://www.y4jmalta.com. Do try come; you won't regret it I promise. After all, all of us are really working hard with the hope of getting to know better who God is this Lent.

So...please come...please, please, please, please...

For those who cannot come...just spread the word.

That's all folks!