Who Said Florals Aren't for Winter?

Just like that a New Year is upon us. For some, the chill of winter is still present and for others the cold fronts are making their way through and the weather is returning to what they know to be 'the norm'.

Having spent a few years in Minnesota and enjoying the white winters and bundling up in my warmest coloured peacoat, I often found myself sticking to the monotonous tones whenever I had to layer up.

The usual dark coloured sweaters and pants were definitely in abundance for me during the winter when one winter, I just got sick of looking like everyone else. That's when I decided that during the winter holiday I would choose a theme for decorating and would use that for my winter wardrobe as well-mainly whenever I hosted a dinner party or game night or ventured out for Karaoke or a Murder Mystery with friends.

Medical school has definitely taken precedence and due to my school obligations I'm rarely found anywhere else besides the library, my bedroom and on the wards at the hospital; nonetheless, I was able to take some time to reconnect with my girlfriends for our annual Christmas meet-up. This was the perfect (and possibly the only) opportunity for me to dress up a bit and enjoy some time with non-medical professionals.

Since I've broken the mould regarding winter fashion, sweater dresses in your basic beige, maroon or green was a definite NO for me when deciding on what to wear.

Originally I had planned on wearing a simple jersey dress with booties and a hat, but as the day approached and the temperature warmed up, I just couldn't ditch the itch to be colourful, bold and bright. I mean after all, it was three days after Christmas and there was still reason to be "merry and bright."

As the venue was bright airy and welcoming, my outfit of course had to be somewhat similar to the atmosphere. I decided to search deep in my closet and found my red-orange blazer. I knew I wanted to wear the floral top my aunt bought me when she recently went away which I paired with the high-waisted, three-buttoned champagne coloured skinny jeans that I got for Christmas from another relative.

The key when mixing colours is to be sure they compliment one another. The only rule I follow, is to choose one piece that would either stand out boldly on top or bottom but never both, just to maintain some level of balance and so that your assets are highlighted and not your flaws.

Since my blazer was bright and bold, I completed my look with nude, low-heeled pumps and kept my makeup very natural and clean and did something different with my hair; I tried the deconstructed milkmaid braid with loose curls and untamed fly-away pieces of hair with a faux braided tan headband for completion.

This look can definitely be worn in the spring or summer by simply trading the pumps for sandals or simple flats and ditching the blazer altogether.

Blazer (Forever 21-years old) similar | here | here | here |

Top (Ross) similar | here | here | here |

Pants (No Boundaries) similar | here | here | here |

Shoes (Target) similar | here | here | here |

As a student with no salary, dressing up doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg; it just requires a certain amount of creativity and maybe a small cashflow to take care of the necessities.

Welcome to the New Year! Let this year be the year you vow to wear more of the clothes you already own and redefine your style based on your personality.

Are you curious to know where I wore this outfit? There's a post coming soon that will spill the beans (coffee beans) on this new edition to the food scene in Nassau. 

While you wait on that post continue to: be bold, be bright and of course, be beautiful. 

Environmental Health Department and Its Functions

“People would rather believe than know.” ― Edward O. Wilson

Hello again! This is another late post and I apologize for the delay. Sadly, that delay is now a year old and before another year ends, I decided to share this with you all as the ultimate "throwback". 

On the 7th of November 2016, my colleagues and I as part of our Community Health Clerkship  visited the Environmental Health Department and its facilities and received several presentations from the various departments on the functions of each and the role of the department as it relates to the population.

As the goals of medicine and of public health services are to promote, preserve and to restore to good health, it is important for exposure to the components of environmental health its functions.

The first presenter for the day was Mr. Allen, who gave a general overview of the department and their responsibilities which consists of various units that make their job easier to manage and execute. The units mentioned were the: 

a) Licensing Unit: which involves the licensing of any business and also the renewal of these licenses;
b) Building Control Unit: where applications are processed for any building in the country;

c) Port Health Unit: which is responsible for the importation of food products to ensure there is proper documentation of such (inclusive of location from where the product comes, history such as if the country is on a banned list) and to ensure the International Health Regulations must be met by any vessel coming into the Ports as a means of preventing entry of communicable disease;

d) Complaints Unit: deals with any complaints the public may have;

e) Sanitation Unit: that deals with issues in the neighbourhoods and communities and the business world;

f) Vector-Control Unit: whose primary concern are mosquito and vector-borne diseases.

The Environmental Health Department is able to function because of the Environmental Health Act and the Subsidiary Legislation.

Whenever there is an environmental violation, by law the department is allowed to firstly converse with the person(s) involved in the violation to see if via conversation the changes that are needed can be made. If this is not successful, they are able to write a report on the situation outlining the specifics and the measures taken and then able to create a legal document called a Public Health Order which is a notice that informs the individual(s) that they are breaking the law, what is needed for the matter to be rectified and the time-frame in which said matter should be resolved before legal action is taken. Attached to the document are penalty fees. These penalty fees are applied once the document expires and they begin at $30 for the first day of expiration and decrease to $15 for each day thereafter. As the legal system here is so taxed, persons can accrue quite a fine before ever having their matter heard in court.

During this rotation, I mostly appreciated the opportunity we got to be exposed to various aspects of health since it allows me (the soon to be Physician) to have a clearer understanding of the environmental components that can affect the health of a population and how we each have a role to play in maintaining a certain level of health of our society simply by keeping our surroundings clean.

Get Over Yourself. The Sooner You Can Live.

“You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves.” 
― A.L.A. Himmelwright

Being ill allows the perfect opportunity for self-reflection. Before you start rolling your eyes and saying "A-G-A-I-N Ghabbie!" Hear me out. I know these past few weeks I've been publishing a lot of posts related to self-reflection, kindness and all the happy, go lucky emotions that you categorize with the hippie era, but trust me there's a valid reason for me doing so.

You see, I've been often reminded that I am less than six months away (yes 6 months) from sitting my final examinations for the Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery component of my M.B.B.S. degree. Once successful, I'll don a long white coat with the University of The West Indies Coat of Arms emblazoned on the left breast. My father for sure would be ecstatic for one and down-right proud; and he would have every right to be seeing he's been the steam behind this little train, ensuring that although he would have liked at least one of his 3 offspring to follow in his footsteps and studied law, he would be free from tuition.

With any career path one chooses, one thing is a guarantee; you will encounter a fair share of difficult people and challenges. How you respond to these people, will determine whether or not you're growing as an individual or remaining stagnant. Maturation is like a rite of passage, with each new day and each trial, you're shaped in some way or the other into the person you're meant to be, well for the most part. Sometimes we fail those trials, and that's alright as long as you realize your mistake and aim to improve whenever you're faced with another.

This post will shed some light on remaining rooted in one's morals, beliefs and values as well as realizing the need for a break from the world and overall restoration of mind, body and spirit.

1. ROOTED

root¹ruːt/verb
past tense: rooted; past participle: rooted

• cause (a plant or cutting) to grow roots.

• (of a plant or cutting) establish roots. 

• establish deeply and firmly.

Growing up, we all would have been exposed to a few elements at some point or the other. Some like me, would have been introduced to God and taken to church at a young age, others may not have been introduced at an early age, but came to know God later in their pubescent or young adult years. We all would have been taught the difference between right and wrong either in the home setting or at an educational institution at which we were enrolled; we would have learned either through mere observation or personal experience, the effects of alcohol or other substances on our decision making and senses. We all would have had that moment where we wished a simple snap of our fingers or click of our heels would erase some of our poor decisions that led to embarrassing outcomes. But let's be honest, would it help? Would we have learned a lesson? Would we be more appreciative of all we were taught and guided against by those who love us?
No it wouldn't. I've never personally seen the natural skyscrapers that are not only beautiful but the main inspiration behind this segment of the post. The giant sequoia  or the Sequoiadendron giganteum, is a massive tree. Have you ever taken the time to look at one? We have Google now so there's no real excuse not to-so be sure to Google it after reading this post. Well the giant sequoia before it becomes such a magnificent piece of creation for us to enjoy must endure a few things and requires certain things in order for it to reach its full potential. Are you seeing where I'm going with this? 

Compare yourself to the giant sequoia; before you're able to shoot up into the heavens, there are certain requirements that must exist. 

Climate Requirements

The sequoia grows naturally ONLY in a 260 mile strip of mixed conifer forest on the Western slope of the Sierra Nevada mountains, between 5,000-7,000 elevation. 
The climate must be just right, for the sequoia to have the best outcome. What specific "climate" requirements must exist for you to reach your full potential? Give it a thought and right it down. For me, I must be able to move freely, have a certain level of independence in order for me to be productive and to excel. For you, it may be, you must have a certain amount of alone time. Are you ensuring that your requirements are met? 

Longevity

The giant sequoia can live for 3,000 years. That's quite a long time, once their specific climate requirements are met. Let's translate this. Once our specific requirements are met, our endurance increases, we have a sense of worth, accomplishment and meanin and our outlook on our future is full of longevity. 

Growth

Interestingly enough, the giant sequoia only reproduces by seeds which sometimes remain in the cone for 20 years; forest fires help to open the cones which then exposes them to the heat of the fire and through the burnt bare soil are they able to grow. Wow. Does it sound familiar? Just like a sequoia, before we can even experience longevity, we must first experience trials and challenges which like the forest fires, exposes us to opportunities to grow. Don't run away from these trials my friend, they exist for our growth. Once this occurs (and it continues throughout our lives), we can reach our full potential. 

Purpose

Besides being gorgeous to view, each giant sequoia needs to produce just one maturing offspring over its lifespan for the species to persist. Our purpose is far greater than that of the sequoia, and once we realise what our purpose is, our daily goals should point towards us fulfilling that purpose over our lifespan. 

2. Renewed

renewrɪˈnjuː/verb
past tense: renewed; past participle: renewed

•              resume (an activity) after an interruption

•              give fresh life or strength to.

•              replace (something that is broken or worn out).

I'm all about renewal; mainly because it is essential for growth and optimum performance. As I reflect on my transition from fourth year into my final year of medical school, I must say I performed the best when my specific requirements were met and when I took the time to pause and to intentionally focus on renewal of my body-my mind and my spiritual life as well as my physical well-being. 

Once an imbalance existed in either area, my performance plummeted, my motivation was practically non-existent and honestly I became overwhelmed by the question "why did I decide to do this (medicine)?" 

My body was begging for me to stop what I was doing, (basically what most of my peers were doing as well) which was flying auto-pilot; and to reconnect firstly with God and then to allow my time in prayer and communion with Him to ignite that spark that was still flickering. 

I was in desperate need of renewal; for 'fresh life and strength' for replacement of negative attitudes and vibes with positive ones and for a break and then to resume my daily obligations for optimum performance. 

This is something I'm still doing as often as the need exists and as healthcare professionals, where we are exposed to so much sorrow and sadness that exists with sickness, we must ensure we are renewed in all aspects of our lives so that we can transfer some strength to our patients and so that our interaction with them is one where we can offer encouragement and hope when they may be unable to see the light. 

3. Restored

restore

rɪˈstɔː/verb 

past tense: restored; past participle: restored

• bring back or re-establish (a previous right, practice, or situation).

• return (someone or something) to a former condition, place, or position.

• repair or renovate (a building, work of art, etc.) so as to return it to its original condition.

• give (something stolen, taken away, or lost) back to the original owner or recipient.

Restoration is such a beautiful thing. After being exposed to the elements of a sinful existence, we can experience restoration. Finding our way back to our roots, allowing them to lead us to the importance of renewal, we can then emerge restored. Not as we once were but better. Our experiences will allow us to mature and to be re-established. 



Would you allow yourself to remain rooted in your values? Acknowledge the need for renewal of your mind, body and soul and to experience restoration? Let me know in the comments below. 

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