Serbia & Montenegro Withdraw from Eurovision

23 03 2006

On 20 March, Serbia & Montenegro officially withdrew from the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 to be held in Athens later this year. See http://www.eurovision.tv/english/2035.htm for details.

After only rejoining the European community two years ago with the spectacular Lane Moje by Zeljko Joksimovic (second place), it saddens me to the core to see our country withdraw. For two member states of a union to be so antagonistic that they cannot put aside their differences even for an entertainment event is utterly pathetic. Eurovision is about Europe coming together and celebrating unity through diversity. How ironic that both Serbia and Montenegro have their sights set on joining the EU, yet can’t work together for a song contest. God help us when it comes to working on the economy.

Montenegro will hold a referendum on independence on 21 May. My other regret is that Serbia isn’t holding one of its own. Maybe one day when our two countries no longer have anyone else to blame for their problems, they can finally grow up and take their place at grown ups’ table. We can only hope.

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Categories : Politics

The Road to Med School

18 03 2006

I remember lying in bed the night before my Pharmacology exam, a million thoughts racing through my head. One of them was familiar to me - it was whether I should try my hand at medicine, or to stick with optometry. I had been down this train of thought before, but this time something was different. I had just spent the last few days cramming details of drug treatments for everything from asthma to heart failure. I could recite backwards the protocol for pharmacological management of an acute myocardial infarct, and words like rosiglitazone poked at my consciousness, preventing me from falling asleep. This was exciting stuff! The thought of never utilising this information as an optometrist was a little disappointing - it was almost as if I was given a glimpse, a teaser, into the life of medicine only to be returned to reality. Despite this instinctive attraction however, I felt I couldn’t commit to studying for another four years. But then another thought entered my weiry mind: everyone knows med students throw the wildest parties! Four months later I was sitting the Graduate Australian Medical School Admissions Test (GAMSAT).

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Categories : Medicine