Hobbies

Many of my hobbies are rooted in my love for adventure, exploration, and self-expression. From the discipline of scouting and the thrill of scuba diving to the creativity of photography and the calm of playing the piano, each hobby reflects a different side of who I am. What started as personal interests — like photography and activism — have grown into meaningful parts of both my lifestyle and career.

Scouting

One of the longest-standing hobbies I’ve ever had was scouting. At the young age of 6, I joined the Pembroke/St Andrews Scout Group (PSSG). From there, I worked my way through different sections and scouting programmes up to the Rover section, developing a love for adventure and camping. After around 11 years at PSSG, together with a few more, we had decided to leave the group due to an internal conflict. We had eventually decided to join Qormi Scout Group (QSG). Unfortunately, this experience for me did not go as well as I expected, with most problems experienced stemming from differences of the scouting approach. I had eventually left QSG after just 6 months.

At that point, I had said that I would never return to scouting. Surprisingly, I was taking photos at a JAYE event where I met the group scout leader (GSL) of the 1st Sliema Scout Group, who wanted to hear my story of what had happened. After speaking at length, he had offered to join. I took time to think it through, and after 2 months, I had joined the 1st Sliema Scout Group (SSG) during their 2019 Easter Camp, becoming a rover and also aiding in the pack section. I have been a member of SSG ever since. More recently, I have finished the rover section due to age limits, continued and completed practically all scouting programmes that can be done, and am currently aiding the group as a support leader, secretary to the funding committee, while also aiding the quartermaster team.

Throughout my scouting journey, which now spans almost 16 years and 3 groups, I have also been involved on a national level. The most notable experience includes being part of the team that organised the 2017 National Camp for all Maltese scouts and guides, something which had never been done. This camp eventually prepped us enough to organise the first ever Mediterranean Scout Jamboree in 2018 (MedJam18), where I served as the executives’ administrative officer and secretary, heading the media team during the event. Moreover, I served as part of the National Scout Youth Council (NSYC) and represented that council on the National Scout Council (NSC). More recently, I put my name forward for an opening in the NSC; however, I did not manage to make it through the election.

I had also represented the association at a young spokesperson event in Iceland. Attending the 25th World Scout Jamboree in South Korea was one of the biggest highlights of my scouting career. Scouting has really and thoroughly made me the person that I am today. It is a way of life that allows you to grow and discover abilities that you thought you never had. I look forward to continuing my scouting career.

Camping

This was the result of my love for scouting. There is nothing that replaces the feeling of being connected with nature and being able to experience the outdoors as much as you do with camping. There are 4 things that will make you have a good camping experience. Location is everything. I tend to go to places that offer the services of a toilet and a shower. Eventually, when I invest more and have more storage space, I am able to invest in an independent toilet and shower system that would allow me to practically camp anywhere.

The weather is also important to look at. Experiencing light wind or rain is nice and makes the camping experience more realistic. However, you don’t want to be caught in super windy conditions or when there is a heatwave, as this will only make the camping experience worse. Thirdly, having the right equipment is essential. For any type of setting, always be prepared. For the moment, I only have a low-lying 3-man tent which I use every time I go camping. However, I would like to invest in something bigger and get close to a glamping experience.

And last but not least, the people you are with. To be very honest, I am not the kind of person who would enjoy camping alone; however, don’t surround yourself with too many people, as it would only dampen the camping experience. Given my love for camping, I wanted to give something back to something that had given me so much. I had joined the Outdoor Recreation and Camping Association (ORCA), which promoted camping and outdoor recreation in Malta, defending the hobbyists’ rights while also promoting the responsible use of nature. I will speak more about this in the activists’ section.

Photography

As explained in my education section, photography originally started as a hobby and with a few in-between break lessons at GCHSS. My love for it eventually grew as I started to make use of the Nikon DSLR camera, which the school owned. Eventually, I had decided to buy a Canon 70D, normally combined with a kit lens 18-55mm. However, I had gone for a 70-200mm telephoto lens, which was not normal for those starting in the photography world. After covering a few events, I later bought a 16-35mm, which again, is not the typical lens a beginner photographer would buy, since this is a wide lens typically used to capture landscapes. I eventually started taking photos at larger events, and my career in the photography world kicked off when I did political photography.

Nowadays, I mostly do coverage for any type of event, anything from a small party to a wedding and corporate style photography, which includes political, press conferences, and also business shoots. From time to time, I choose to do photography for fun, shooting nature, or to learn a new trick. I also do free photography for good causes. I had formed part of ‘IRIS’, an organisation that used to offer free event photography for good causes. Eventually, I became the main coordinating person of the organisation for one year. Unfortunately, we had to eventually shut down IRIS due to time commitments and schedule availabilities. I still do offer the photography service myself, taking photos at the yearly organised ‘Istrina’. I will speak more on IRIS in the activists’ section.

Piano & Music

I was always fascinated by people who played the piano. Through just a bunch of black and white keys, they managed to create a beautiful melody. The hand coordination, the chords, the melody, everything made me fall in love with music. Hearing a friend of mine play sparked my interest in learning it. I had found a teacher and started immediately learning with ABRSM. The Associated Board of the Royal School of Music. I must admit that the theory part was a tad boring for me, but when I started applying it to the practical part, that is when I started to get into it. I tried practicing every day, but this was not easy. I worked my way through the theoretical and practical grades, managing to attain Grade 8 Theory, up to Grade 5 in Piano Forte, and Grade 2 in Jazz Piano Performance.

Unfortunately, even though I tend to play parts of pieces that I remember whenever I see a piano or at home, I don’t practice daily, and have stopped attending lessons due to time commitments. I was always a firm believer that if I am to do something, either I do it to its fullest or not at all. And this was one of the reasons I stopped. Piano is a discipline, and if not enough attention is given to it, then it’s useless learning. For now, I intend to continue doing self-learning of pieces that are more well-known nowadays. The longer vision is to continue lessons and finalise Grade 8 in Piano Forte, and whenever is the right time, I will for sure take this step.

Swimming

For 25 years, I lived 5 minutes away from the sea. During most summers, I frequently went swimming at our hometown rocky beach. I vividly remember attending lessons at the national pool with our teacher pushing us to become faster swimmers. I also had taken a UOM Degree+ unit in winter, also at the national pool. Although I must say that it was cold entering and exiting the swimming pool. I looked at it beyond swimming. It was a chance to run away from the rush of life and, just for a moment, experience the freedom and stillness that is the sea. Nothing changes that feeling, and whenever I can, I always go for a swim in summer.

Scuba-Diving

Stemming from the love of the sea, my dad is an avid scuba diver, and he got me into learning the sport. With the help of his friend, who is an instructor at a diving school, I learned scuba diving, managing to get the advanced and nitrox certifications with Scuba Diving International (SDI). Two dives which I strongly remember are a night dive in Cirkewwa, exploring a whole new world of sea life when the sun sets, and also diving on the military museum in Aqaba, Jordan.

Travelling

My first ever trip was to the Tenerife islands in Spain. This was together with my family at just the age of 12. From then onwards, I fell in love with exploring new places and immersing myself in new cultures. I have explored easily 25 to 30 countries so far while also living for more than a year in Germany and Belgium for studying and work purposes. The most memorable trips were my liquorish experience in Panama, my travels to America with family, and the South Korean Jamboree.

As for travelling, I have a dream. Whenever I am financially sustainable enough to do so, I would like to be the first Maltese person to travel to all countries of the world. A good story to tell children one day. I also want to document it and create a small video about the country I visit. I will do this only when the time is right. But hey, at least there is a vision.

Entrepreneurship & Financial Literacy

The business world started to interest me when I joined JAYE’s company program, opening a company named ‘Opulent’. As a team, we raised environmental awareness through a PC game called ‘Litter Monster’. You can read more about this on my education page. Since then, I have embarked on a number of business ventures which have brought me invaluable experiences. My plan for life is to ultimately not make anyone else richer and work on my own business, and retire early.

Movie & TV Productions

Since I lived so close to one of the biggest cinemas on the island, I used to watch a lot of films. My interest in movies and TV productions grew larger when I entered the communications course at university, and I also produced a TV show for an assignment named ‘IQ ta’ Bankina’. I have been involved in several tv series and productions on the island, including local ‘Deceduti’, ‘Strada Stretta’ as an extra and international productions such as The Breakup, Jurassic Park, Hounds of War, checking in for murder, Blended 2, The last voyage of Demeter also as an extra.

Moreover, I was a participant on a Maltese TV reality show called ‘Liquorish’ where we had to adventure through Panama in different teams. Unfortunately, I was the first to be eliminated through strategy voting. I currently also work with one of the biggest radio stations in Malta, called 89.7Bay. Looking ahead, I am always on the search for new opportunities within the media industry, and who knows, maybe one day I can have a big shot at a big production or do my own production.

Activism and Volunteering

Activism, to me, is about standing up for what I truly believe in and turning those beliefs into meaningful action. It’s a way of living with purpose, driven by a commitment to create positive change in the world around me. I was part of several organisations where I felt that I had an activist role including the Media & Knowledge Sciences association (MKSA) for 3 years building the organisation from the ground up representing the voice of media students, also serving as a student rep on the faculty board, the Association of Students for Commercial Studies (ASCS) as its international officer representing the interests of the faculty’s international students, the Outdoor Recreation and Camping Association (ORCA) as its Public Relations Officer having a strong voice in representing campers and outdoor recreationalists, UM Futsal’s public relations officer and photographer (but this really and trully was more of a volunteering experience rather than an activist one) and serving as the Secretary General of the NSYC representing the interests of all the young members of the association.

Volunteering is also one of the things that I am deeply passionate about. In life, it’s not always about receiving but contributing to seeing a better society. My passion for volunteering really and truly started from helping in events with the Malta Community Chest Fund (MCCF). As time went by, and given my passion for photography, I eventually joined IRIS, an organisation aimed at offering free photography services for good causes. The organisation eventually closed down due to time commitment issues. I still give a helping hand at the annual ‘Istrina’ event and want to involve myself in more events throughout the year.

Electronics & Gadgets

Tech innovations can be found all around us. I still remember the day my dad and I built my very own power supply with an etched circuit board from acid. My interest keeps on growing to this very day, researching about new technologies and PC’s and wanting to assemble new things whenever I can. I always try my best to keep updated with the latest technologies and try new gadgetry whenever it emerges.

Running

This is quite a recent hobby that I have started with a friend of mine. Slowly, slowly, I am improving my pace times, and the aim is to participate in national marathons.

Manchester United & Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula 1 Team

Manchester United is a football team close to my heart. It’s a team that my grandfather used to support, and every time I would visit him, we used to mention the team all the time. It is thanks to him that I support United today. I had visited Man United back in 2018 and also in 2022. 2022 was special as I got to watch Cristiano Ronaldo score in his final few games with United.

As for Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula 1 Team, I loved cars in general since I was small. And my passion for cars grew even larger when I used to watch TV programmes like Wheeler Dealers and Top Gear. Eventually, I got into watching Formula 1 because of friends, and given my love for precision engineering, I don’t think there is any other company that shows this better than Mercedes.

Sailing and Off-road Cycling are some of the things that I also did minimally in the past, which I would like to explore more of.

Last Update 30/06/25