my week #278

This post is a bit late this week as I was on a mammoth 68 hour week! Anyway, I came off nights this morning and now get a week off for my efforts which is nice.

It's been a tough week as I've been asleep when my friends and family are awake and vice versa. And being the only doctor on dedicated ward cover at night is pretty scary! I'm well supported though as my seniors keep reassuring me that I can ask all the questions I want.

How has your week been?

two books: a little princess by frances hodgson burnett and the problem with forever by jennifer l. armentrout

A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett

As mentioned in last month's review of Goodnight Mister Tom, one of my goals this year is to read three classic novels and here is number two: A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Last year, I read The Secret Garden for the first time (I know, I know, I'm having a second childhood with all these books!) and loved it so it made sense to pick this one up.

The edition I own is the Rifle Paper Co edition and the cover design was totally what made me buy it. The inside is just as beautiful with illustrations dotted throughout the book.

A Little Princess is about a young girl called Sara who grew up in India while it was still a British colony. She is sent to a boarding school in England and although she is used to a life of luxury, is actually very down to earth. However, one day, tragedy strikes and she ends being a poor orphan due to the unfortunate and premature passing of her father. We follow Sara as she is forced to work for free under the Mistress of the boarding school.

What really made this book for me were the illustrations and the cover. The plot was okay though I didn't really warm to any of the characters so the only thing that got me through were the beautiful drawings that would appear once or twice in each chapter. Overall, A Little Princess gets 7/10 from me.


The Problem with Forever by Jennifer L. Armentrout 

I'm going to begin with this: I rarely cry when reading. Even when the plot is designed to try and make the reader shed a few tears, my tear ducts still hold strong. The Problem with Forever is one of the exceptions to that rule (throughout the years, I'm pretty sure this is only the second or third book to make me actually bawl like a baby).

The book centres on two teenagers: Rider and Mallory (or Mouse as she is sometimes called by Rider). They are foster kids who have been through a whole load of terror earlier in their childhood. Separated for the last four years after they were 'rescued' from a home of horror, Mallory now lives with new foster parents; both doctors. She decides to brave public school for the first time after being home-schooled and that's where she meets Rider again.

Cue all the feels.

It is clear the love and affection these two teenagers have for each other. I mean, they already had one things in common: arguably the worst part of their respective lives.

As we find out more about how both of them have coped (or not) in the previous four years, we are also led along a path of heartbreak in the present too. Not only for them but for the other characters too. Jennifer Armentrout also does an excellent job of writing about Mallory's anxiety in a realistic manner and in no way glamourises it.

This is one of the best teen/young adult novels I've ever read and I would not hesitate to recommend it if you like something that isn't your teenage romance novel. The last quarter of the book had me in tears! If I could rate this book more than 10/10, I would but for now, it will have to make do with full marks.

my week #277

So, I've somehow survived my first week! There have been more good moments than bad ones so I'm counting this week as a success. I'm really enjoying the added responsibility compared to when I was a medical student. Being a foundation year 1 doctor is just about being organised and well... You guys know how I feel about that! (I do love a to-do list!)

I now go onto a seven day week which entails 68 hours of work (minimum) so wish me luck! I get a week off after though; a week I'm filling with friends and family.

How has your week been?

beginning a new chapter of my life: goodbye medschool, hello foundation years

Just a mere four years ago, I was preparing for a new degree: Medicine. I still remember my first day at medical school like it was yesterday; from the moment I woke up to the moment my head hit the pillow later that night. And now, I've somehow made it and become a doctor. How time flies? It's scary, yet exhilarating. Nerve-wracking, yet filled with excitement.

Throughout my first two and a half years at medical school, I never thought I'd ever feel ready to be a doctor. Now, with every signature comes responsibility; with every action I do, there has to be justification and with every patient who I care for as part of a team, they'll always remember me as their doctor even if I don't remember them as easily. This is scary. But by the time my penultimate year was halfway through, I began to feel less apprehensive and more appreciative of what a privilege it is to be in this profession. And by the time I came to do my assistantship placements in final year, I felt ready. Even if this is a pretty dark time to start work for the National Health Service (NHS) here in the UK and I touched upon it back in January 2016 here...

A little part of me is sad to no longer be able to say 'I'm only a student' but considering I'm now 26 years old, it's about time I grew up! Over the last four years, boy, have I done a lot of growing. My views on the world have changed considerably, my outlook in life is very different (much more optimistic and less apprehensive of new opportunities) and my self-confidence has increased (though that part of me still has a bit of growing left to do).

These next two years will also fly by; a lot of my seniors reassure (or scare?) me about this. And with them, I intend to grab every opportunity that comes my way; just like I did at medical school. 

For me, I learnt these five things over the last four years that will stay with me forever:

1. Grab every opportunity that comes your way. You may never get that chance again.

2. Say yes to everything (within reason). As a student, if I was asked to insert a cannula/catheter, etc, I never once said no. 

3. Remember to rest. I'm a workaholic by nature and need to feel productive. But I've learned to rein this in from time to time. 

4. You'll never know everything and that's ok... As long as you can admit this and still possess the desire to want to learn more and question everything. 

5. Even in the worst of times, it will be better soon. 

Life is undoubtedly going to get a lot busier for me but I still intend to keep this blog going :)

Above: some Instax films taken when I did a day as a tourist in London; post-finals, pre-foundation programme!