Me now...

Right, this was started by a good friend of mine on his blog and I thought it would be a good exercise for me to answer all of these too...
Not because I need to let you know all of this about me, but because it would be nice to see in a year or so if I still would answer the same to many of these questions...

So here we go...

I am: Always trying to go the extra mile
I think: There is just not enough faith in this world
I know: I'm never alone even when it looks that way
I have: A secret passion for the smell of dump places
I wish: I could mend hearts
I hate: Whoever belittles those around them
I miss: My mum... a lot!
I fear: People will realise there is more to this life than what they see until when it’ll be too late to do anything about it
I hear: My thoughts
I smell: No, actually I don’t!
I crave: Sweet things, most of the time…
I search: A way to create the perfect pizza base at home but I’m not quite there yet!!!
I wonder: If animals who lived on earth will be in heaven too…
I regret: Not having said what I was thinking sometimes…
I love: God, my family, my cats, my friends, chocolate ice-cream, the night, bright sunny days, the smell of cookies just out of the oven, children’s laughter, learning new things everyday
I ache: When I see people or animals hurt
I am not: Perfect…
I believe: That not being able to forgive is a curse for those who can’t forgive and not for those who are not forgiven…
I dance: Because I’m happy
I sing: In front of mirrors, holding a torchlight pretending that’s a mic and thinking I’m a rock star!
I cry: Quite often because I’m a softie
I fight: Like a girl… oh wait… I AM a girl!
I never: Wait for people to show me they are worth my trust before I do trust them… but I should…
I win: When I don’t fight back about something silly
I lose: My mobile phone all the time!
I always: Seem to get what I want… My dad once told me “Everything you touch turns to gold” …I’m just very blessed!
I confuse: Cinammon with nutmeg and I don’t even like nutmeg!
I listen: To people when they speak, I can always learn something…
I can usually be found: With my nose in a book, in the fridge or at the movies
I am scared: Of walking alone in dark places
I need: A good reason to go to bed at a decent time most nights…
I am happy about: The fact that I feel very much loved
I imagine: I can fly…

Would you ever have thought I am like this?

An afternoon of sillyness at the library...

After 2 hours of staining bacteria on microscope slides during our Cell Biology class, a little group of us sat in the library and started talking complete nonsense...

Let's face it, there is effectively only so much serious stuff one can discuss in a day and so, between a laughter and the other, I took a picture of Vicky!

Not like she was willing to pose, I had to fight for this frame, but it was brought about from her teasing Simon because he looks about 12 in his picture or, as Vicky put it, “Not 12 but not even 22”!

Well said Vicky! So then I had to post a photo of her too, just in the name of fairness!!!

And then there was me… Don’t I look very busy studying?

The truth is that I was totally posing for this picture and the only reason why I am confessing I wasn't really studying is because, if I tried to say I wasn’t posing, Simon would surely add a comment at the end of what I’m writing saying he was there and I was laughing so much that studying would have been quite impossible…

Can’t hide anything nowadays… it’s all fault of technology!

But the masterpiece is this…

A very difficult exercise Simon and I worked on together trying to prove whose brain was more pickled at 3pm!!!

Well, the fact is that Health and Safety in itself isn’t really the most challenging or interesting subject we study…

Erm.. to be honest it’s quite hard to stay awake during class so we started drawing and, from Simon’s lyrics, a masterpiece was born…

A building with a helipad on top, a helicopter trying to land (but it's labelled ‘HUM’), a baby dinosaur which Simon decided was supposed to try and eat me but I’m cleverer than that and I hand him a candy sooo... if you can see what the dinosaur is thinking, it’s pretty clear he SO LOVES ME!

Anyway, after such an intense afternoon, our little group moved from the library to Costa Café…

At certain times it’s really difficult to study…

I wonder if all this was brought about by the bacteria we cruelly tried to turn pink and purple in the lab... Revenge maybe?!?

Remember...

Today my Sunday School group was supposed to sing to the congregation for our Harvest service...
I have to say I felt quite nervous... We hadn't rehearsed the song nearly enough and, though the kids were shouting the words and doing the actions quite well in the safety of our class, they ended up being petrified once in front of the crowd and almost didn't say a word...
What a shame, they are so good at singing!
I suppose the next time we should make sure they know there is nothing to be afraid of... and yet, they are only kids so it's easy for us to say "Don't be scared" but aren't we just the same when it comes down to adult stuff?

The reason why I say this is that lately I have lost sight of a few things...
You know how it is when your head is so filled with stuff that you couldn't possibly fit any more in?

The flat to sell, the mortgage to rearrange, the husband on the other side of the world, the family in another country, the bills coming in, the volunteering to do, the friends who need help, the big decisions to make, the sick cat...

But more than anything the competition in my class to get into university...
A lot of what ifs and many, many doubts...

Can you spot what I have forgotten? Or who I have forgotten, I should say...

So today while I was looking at the kids and thinking in my head "Come on kids, you're great, don't be scared!" I could swear I heard a word...

"Remember" it said...
Remember? What should I remember?

And then it was so clear!

Remember who are you doing this for...
The people who won't be otherwise able to afford medical care, you are their chance!

Remember this is not a job...
This is a mission!

Remember who you're doing this with...
God carries me!

And all of a sudden all I have been worried and scared about pretty much vanished.

The price of commitment...

How hard is it making a choice between 2 things which are really, REALLY important?
How many other times will I have the opportunity to compete in the European Championships of First Aid?
And how many other chances will I get to become a doctor?
And how do you chose which one is the best opportunity?

It seems a pretty straightforward choice and yet it isn't...

Yes, I have chosen to become a doctor (if I fail any of my exams I would only be able to blame the fact that I didn't concentrate too much on studying) so I have to eliminate any other distraction.
But not "any" distraction, just the best one, the one I was really looking forward to, the one that comes rarely and will never repeat again, not with the same people at least.
So I'm letting down friends... and though I pray they'll understand my reasons, I still feel horrible for leaving my team!

On the other hand though, what am I supposed to do?
Risk failing the only chance I have to pass my exams and become a doctor because I preferred First Aid training rather than study?
Or maybe be perfectly prepared for the exam but not being able to sit it because something happens and I am not granted a resit?

Commitment sometimes begs for a very high price to be paid, and not always pays you back.

I hope this won't be my case...

The story

I’m reading a book…
I’m reading a book that hasn’t got an end yet…
I’m reading a book that, according to me, has an amazing potential…
I’m just wondering if you would tell the author when the point he’s making isn’t a point really…
When something is misty, funny but not appropriate, childish or even too profound…
Would you tell him?
Would you risk breaking the author’s dream to make sure that the book turned out at its best?
Or wouldn’t you?
Because then you wouldn’t really be the author’s friend, would you?
Or maybe is because you are a friend that you wouldn’t say?
Most of the pages start quietly, but then they awake and they take you on a journey and you can see ahead, possibly even more ahead than the author himself can...
And you’re excited, proud, anticipating the next step up… only… it’s not a step that comes…
Would you dare make a comment?
And if you did dare, how would you word it?
And if there weren’t any words to say it gently, would you hit the author with the truth?
So I have a dilemma…
I’ll wait and keep on reading, wondering when I should really say and not just go along with the flow of the story…
After all, the only thing I am interested in is the success of the book...
Because this book is the story of the author himself…

A lazy day...

Today is my first day off from everything in a long time and for a long time so I have decided that, besides studying a bit, I'm not going to be up to much until tonight when I'll be going out for dinner with my Red Cross mates.
At 12.30 the solicitors are coming to have a look at our flat and take pictures to put it effectively on sale next Monday.
Stuart and I are trying to move up to Cupar, much closer to St. Andrews so that, when I'll go to study there next year, I won't have to drive and hour and a half each way every day...

The house we're looking at is wonderful for us, I'd have my own study (as a future doctor I need one, don't I?!?), there is a beautiful en-suite room for my dad to come and stay with me for a while and there is also the perfect garden for the kitties to go out and play without the possibility of escaping... As I said, it's perfect... so please pray for us to sell our flat soon so we can buy this new place and start anew there...

This is all really exciting and it still feels a bit difficult to believe it's happening but hey, who complains?!?

So now I'm going to try and do some studying... Last night my friend Dan loaded me with awesome Chemistry and Biology books and I have every intention to put them to good use!
Well yeah, you know me, I'm a little geek...

So I say goodbye for now, and will go to join Storm on the bed and try to look very clever from there!

It's competition!

Our first class today was Cell Biology.

The subject in itself is really not that challenging... what is so difficult about cell walls and plasma membranes I don't know, but I suppose it's kind of the stepping stone for us to move on to more difficult things.

So today we donned our lab coats, switched on the microscopes and made slides of onion cells, plant cells and cheek cells... I'm not telling you how fun it was to scrape cells out of our cheeks with a syringe but you can imagine!

The whole exercise was actually really cool, we managed to see tiny little parts of the cells which would be impossible to see otherwise (though I was a bit disappointed when the teacher pointed out that what Simon and I were looking at was just a blob and not really one of my cells...) and it was fascinating.

Eventually we got there and, coloured crayons at hand, we got to draw some beautiful cell masterpieces!
After that we went for lunch (well... it was supposed to be breakfast but we were so hungry that it ended up being lunch!) and then back to class for Chemistry.

Unfortunately something happened to our teacher and he wasn't there but we got to sit with our tutor and discuss all the ins and outs of our course.

It was very good to get a few things sorted, clear up the air on some issues and, though it was nice to know that there may be the chance for more than just 5 to get into St Andrews (provided of course we all get the requested grades) it was also made pretty clear that it's a remote possibility and we are competing against each other...

I don't know how I really feel about it... I love to help people and this situation kind of puts me in the position where I have to keep what I know for myself (except for sharing it with Simon of course) and behave like I am not that clever or not that focused or even not that bothered...

I suppose there is a reason for everything and maybe I need this experience to grow up into the independent, free thinking and capable doctor I want to become, I just hope it won't change the type of person I already am and I really like to be...

But for the moment it's "open-season" so I have to deal with it!


On the bright side - because there is always a bright side - I arrived home, parked the car, got out into the rain and there I saw him... aimlessly crawling right in the middle of the sidewalk...


"They're going to squash you if you don't get out of the way, little one!"
He stopped for a moment, just like if he understood me and then kept on crawling...
"Right, talking to you isn't going to help, I know..."

So, totally ignoring the repulsion I feel for bugs, I put my hand right in front of him, let him crawl onto it, lifted him and put him right in the middle of the garden under a bush...
He started crawling again... yes, in the direction of the sidewalk... I wander if he really had to get somewhere and I delayed his journey...

But I feel good about it, and for now, saving a worm's life just made my day...

In the future...

I really had to post this one... Makes you wonder if this is the direction we'll be taking...

Remind me why am I studying again?!? :-p

A new week

So, this morning I decided to go to college to study even if I didn't have any lessons...
For those of you who are not familiar with this area, my college is about 1hr drive away from where I live and most days there is quite a bit of traffic to get there so that 1hr turns out to be more like 1 and 1/2 hr...

Now, let's talk about dedication to the cause!

At college I made a very special friend already. Simon is like a male version of me...
No, I'm not talking about the pretty, lovely and utterly adorable side of me... though he's very nice for sure... but he is fanatical about doing good and doesn't mind going over the same things again and again to make sure we are not caught out by weird questions or concepts.
A friend like this is going to push me to do well, get the best out of me when I may feel like giving up and that's what you want from a friend, isn't it?!?

So today we went through all we did last week because tomorrow a new week will start (we have Mondays off...) and we wanted to be ready. "Ready for what?" you 'll ask...

Well, our lecturers have this habit of assuming that we have an in-depth knowledge of certain subjects which we definitely don't have (and we can't even blag it!!!) so the best thing to do is to flick through notes and books and hope for the best!

Yeah, definitely HOPE for the best... hehe...

The beginning...

I have decided to start this blog to keep track of my progress towards becoming a doctor...
It's set to be a long and quite challenging journey but nonetheless really exciting and with many surprises on the way together with opportunities to re-evaluate my positions on many issues.

Perth college will be my home (well, studying home...) for the next year and it's a beautiful place. My classmates are cool and the syllabus it's full of great subjects like Microbiology and Chemistry...

Hopefully this journey will turn out to be as exciting for the next 15 years!!! Oh mamma....