Start of a New Academic Year

So, I've survived week 1. Even more impressively I've survived week 1 without an internet connection (thanks BT).

This has been a week of learning examination techniques, which at first seemed a little scary but I think I'm getting it all in hand now. The difference in the quality of teaching is amazing. It seems that now we're in 3rd year clinicians are actually interested in teaching us how to do things rather than half heartedly showing us. Even more amazing than the doctors teaching us are the patient educators. What a brilliant idea. Basiacally patients take their own time to come and show us how to examine them. This is great for knowing how hard to push things and prod things and it allows us to find out what bothers the patients most when they're being examined. I'm really looking forward to another week of learning with their help.

Worryingly my stethoscope seems to have escaped. I'm sure I moved it to London with me but I can't find it in my flat. It also isn't at home. Hmmmm. Me thinks I'll need to have a proper dig for it. Fingers crossed I find it because I really don't want to have to buy another one.

The boyfriend is in Vegas at the moment and I miss him loads. His phone bill is going to be huge from phoning me at random times (like 7am on a Sunday morning!!!). I'm upset because he doesn't seem to be enjoying it. He's fallen out with the friend he's gone with. She has never met me and when told about me started to slag me off which is a little harsh, he didn't take it very well. She's also spent the whole holiday so far thinking the world revolves around her. He's thinking of flying home early. It would be amazing to see him, but I just wish he was having a better time so he'd stay out there and get the holiday he deserves.

On a slight tangent my best friends from home are holding a joint birthday party with the boyfriend's psycho-ex. So basically I won't be welcome. Neither of my friends realise this, but with all the trouble she's caused it's obvious she hates me. It would be cruel of me to go to her birthday and ruin it for her. I also wouldn't go without the boyfriend. This is because I only see him on weekends and I enjoy going out with him. Obviously dragging him along would make me a total bitch. Grrr. I'm so upset about it that I've even had a little cry. I just can't fathom how my friends could be friends with someone who's actively tried to ruin the best relationship I've ever been in. I really really want to go and celebrate two of my best friend's birthdays, but I can't if she's there. Unlike her I'd feel awful if I went and upset her on her birthday. Double grrrrr. I guess I'll just have to see if I can meet up with the two friends some other time.

Lily xXx

Post-Exam Weekend Madness

Strictly speaking my exams aren't officially over until Friday, but as all the written ones are out of the way and there isn't much preparation that can go into a project viva I had a pretty mad weekend, hence the lack of posting. In fact I think I'll now need to sleep for a month to recover.

The last exam was OK. The questions as always were a little random in part, but I could answer one of them really confidently and I'm pretty sure I got a few marks on the other one. I'm just so glad that I can go back to my lovely multiple choice exams next year.

Friday evening, when I got home, my Dad's friend had kitted out my Dad's bar with loads of lovely birthday balloons and banners, and I got a big cake. I was so pleased. Pretty much all my friends came along too, which made the night absolutely amazing (apart from one little incident that I may or may not write about later depending on how angry I still am). I got even more presents (I really got spoilt this year), the highlight of these was a hand knitted bright orange scarf made my Dad's business partners little girl. It might be the coolest present I have ever got. I'll try to take a pic and post it later if i can find my camera under the huge piles of presents.

I had planned Saturday to be a calmer, less alcohol fuelled night out. This totally didn't work out. I pretty much drank my body weight in champagne. I blame everyone for being bad influences and topping up my glass too often. Strangely I don't seem to have a hangover, so I could quite possibly still be drunk.

Plan for today is just to chill out, read some books and hang out with my big sister and niece. Maybe a nice long afternoon nap is in order. Napping is definitely my new hobby. Well maybe not so new.

Thank you to everyone who wished me a happy birthday and/or luck with my exams. You all made me smile!

Lily xXx

Birthday Fun

Yesterday was my flatmate's birthday. It started off awfully. She ended up going to the emergency dentist to have a huge abcess where her wisdom tooth is coming out drained. It looked so painful and was all pus filled and horrid. Unfortunately she was also given antibiotics that she can't drink on. The evil ones that begin with M (shows how good my pharmacology knowledge is!) Anyway they basically give you a hangover within 15 mins of having a drink. Needless to say she's starting them today, not yesterday.

I cooked a celebratory birthday breakfast which she just about managed to eat and overall I think she had a great day. Lunchtime she went out with her Mum and Uncle, meanwhile a surprise was underfoot. One of her best friends from home (which is up north) came down to surprise her as he'd said he couldn't make it. The look of surprise and the squeal of delight when she saw him was priceless. I think she was suitably thrilled.

We all went for dinner at Strada which was really nice. Some of her home friends, her boyf, some old school friends and my clinical partner for next year all came along. It was such a nice mixed group. Everyone was really interesting, so conversation always flowed which is great. I hate going to meals with lots of new people who just don't seem able to hold a conversation.

I went home to get some sleep, along with one of my flatmates friends as we were both up early in the morning, but everyone else went off partying. The vomit down the side of the toilet when I got up for a wee in the night kind of suggests that they must have had a good time, or they'll have been so drunk they won't remember so can just believe they had a good time. I feel dead boring not for going out. I literally got home, had a cup of tea while watching the last half of gossip girl and then toddled off to bed.

On the subject of gossip girl it's the season finale in the US tonight! Hurrah! Thank goodness for the Internet so I don't have to wait months to watch it here. I probably shouldn't admit to being totally addicted to it, but I LOVE it. Its amazing. I can watch it without having to use my brain which is always a bonus this time of year. I also love the fact all the characters have a bit of a bad side. I think that's pretty good as too many programs have annoyingly goody-two shoes people in them. I will however admit it is basically the OC but set in Manhattan.

Anyway I'm in the library now so really should be getting on with my work. I'm going to have a cram-tastic 3 days in this library. Joy.

Lily xXx

No Worries...

Hurrah! It is done. I survived! I have now officially done my last presentation of the academic year. I think it went OK. I was last so everyone was pretty much asleep when I started, and I had to shout above the sound of drilling in the other room but all in all it wasn't too bad. I only got asked 4 or 5 questions, which compared to other people's grillings was really nice. There are 3 possible reasons for this:

1. The examiners were brain dead after sitting through so many complicated presentations.
2. My presentation was so awful they didn't see the point in prolonging the pain by asking too many questions.
3. My presentation covered my project pretty well and didn't leave too many questions to ask (hoping its this reason!!).

All the questions were in my opinion really easy to answer (but that might just be because I sat up really late the night before reading everything to do with the assays I used so any question would be easy.) so i left with a big smile on my face. Unfortunately from about 2 minutes before my presentation I decided I was dying for a wee. So I spent the whole 20 minutes of my presentation/questions thinking more about my bladder than anything else. Thank goodness its worth only about 2% of my final grade. Curiously the second my presentation was over I didn't need a wee at all, clearly this BSc is sending me loco.

Rather than knuckling down and finishing my dissertation I decided to travel home after the presentation. So since I've been home, as much as I've told myself I'll do some work. I just haven't. So today I'm going to totally finish the first draft of my dissertation. And after I've finished my draft I am going to a High School Musical birthday party! Woo! Oh to be 9 years old again... Although I'm sure when I was 9 i never got a party with 55 friends invited. I don't think i ever had 55 friends all at one time in one place.

On a completely unrelated note I started reading a new book yesterday. It's called The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters. It's really weird, but so far its the good type of weird. I had crazy dreams last night. Not quite as crazy as my dream the other night where I had a whole herd of elephants. All my elephants wanted was a tin of chopped tomatoes for dinner. Unfortunately I had nothing but 2 bread rolls to feed all of them. It was quite Biblical.

Lily xXx