I've been tagged, I've been tagged....

.....and I've had a text message to remind me to write on here! Hello!

Here are the rules:
~ Link your tagger and list these rules on your blog
~ Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
~ Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
~ Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog

1. I would've been to Madrid and Toronto by the time you read this.

2. I find it hard to whistle. Construction work is clearly not the career path for me!

3. My favourite flowers are orchids and tiger lilies.

4. I once met Dave Grohl.

5. The places I most want to visit are Japan, China, Cuba, Thailand, South Africa and Russia.

6. I can't resist Northern/Celtic accents on Black & Asian guys. They're just yummy!

7. I still haven't seen the SATC film or gotten 'round to tagging anyone. Go figure!

Centurial post : Vote for Priya's Novel on World Book Day

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am pleased to commence my hundreth post with the announcement that Priya Basil (a personal friend of mine) has had her debut novel nominated for the World Book Day's 'Top Ten Books'. Priya's debut, called 'Ishq and Mushq' has made it into the final ten books on the shortlist to find 'The Book to Talk About' for 2008.

The top ten have now entred the next stage of the process - voting recommences on these from scratch. After the final round, the winning author gets £5,000 and lots of exposure.

It'd be super-amazing for such a gifted lady to receive this prize and the rewards that come with it.

Go here and register your vote - your support will be immensely appreciated :D

The perks of being a nice doctor are...

1)...the rest of the ward staff being happy to see you and not hiding their chocolates when you swing by....

2)...the rest of the ward staff being happy to help you with jobs whilst you're stuck.

3)...being assigned students to teach...

4)...being personally chosen by students as their main supervisor...

5)...being personally chosen by the cutest final year student in the entire hospital to be their supervisor for the month.

Yes, I think I win. Some of the female nurses were convinced he fancied me as they saw him following me around all day. Letting them know our relationship was purely supervisory and his role was to 'shadow' me truly sucked!

Photos etc available on request.

PS Have any of you been truly tempted in your 'teaching/supervisory' roles? What did you do about it? How did things pan out?

Worklife

I thought I'd write you guys a little note - it's not fair to keep you waiting whilst life goes on ;)

My new year started on an excellent note - I spent NYE getting myself employed until August as a locum (temporary) F1 doctor at a friendly SE London hospital based in a far scarier hood than the genteel climes I hail from. NYD was spent at temple, before starting work on the second.

Since then it's been non-stop - I'm on a general surgery firm with once-weekly on-call commitment. Through the junior doctor's weapon of swapping, I managed to get my 'weekend' for the month over and done with - I've managed to catch myself a cold as a result, hence the time to sit and update on here :D

It'll probably (though not definitely) be the last time for the month. My co-F1 (intern) is heading off to Paris at the end of the week, before hopping over to Africa at the end of the month. Hence, I'll be working seven days as 'two people' to give her a well-deserved break as the team's repayment for doing the same 'til I arrived.

So so, what's it like doctoring? Scary, in a word as for the first week you're continually making sure you don't trip up; I'm proud of having initiated the correct management plans for two acutely ill patients and saving one of them from ICU. I've also managed to get ABG syringes to work; I now need to conquer blood cultures (I'm rubbish at 'needle and syringe' blood-taking) and cannulation (50% success rate). I like the clinical aspects and abhor the endless form-filling/result chasing - it's shocking that I've only touched five patients in a week.

Alas, agreeing to doctoring ASAP has meant that I've turned down two short commutes (twenty minutes and one hour) to two excellent work experience placements (one of which was at BBC Horizon). It's a crying shame as I'd never thought yours truly would ever fall into the top four of hundreds of applications! I keep trying to console myself that there will be other opportunities for TV joy; I just can't say when just yet as thanks to the MMC treadmill.

Work-aside, life is well. I'd prefer more free-time to enjoy the likes of CSS, Otto, Jair Olivera, Olivia, Los Campesinos and Claudio Zoli. I'd also like to get on with learning Spanish and seeing more of London's attractions. Dinner on Friday was at a Peruvian place - and delicious the fresh ceviche was too :D

My new year's resolutions are a ban on alcohol from Monday-Thursday and a reduction in non-fruit dessert consumption to Tuesdays and weekends. I lapsed for the first time today, thanks to a segment of Terry's Chocolate Orange.

How are you guys doing?

Xmas Update

Guten Morgen chaps and chapesses,

A very belated Merry Xmas and Happy New Year to you all.

This update has been brought to you by a bout of insomnia. I think the delicious food consumed during the previous 24 hours might have something to do with it. Eschewing vegetables in favour of protein + delicious sauce is a bad, bad idea.

So so, what of me. I think it's time I gave you a proper rundown of my life post-exams.

Immediately post-exams my colleagues and I headed to Lloyds on Fulham Broadway. It was after all, the only drinking establishment open at early o'clock. We then bought some presents for the children's ward at Chelsea hospital, before having lunch and staying in said establishment until 7pm. Surprisingly, carnage didn't occur and I forgot to call up for Manson tickets. Mooning(an activity not carried out by self), OTOH, did.

The day after saw yours truly at a Spa, prior to Xmas shopping and reading three books. I highly recommend 'A Short History of Tractors in Ukranian' and 'Little Children'. Tim Perotta is an excellent writer - think Ann Tyler gone male.

I then headed off to work experience at Elsevier's and Asiana, before applying to five million doctoring jobs and signing up for media & film classes at Chelsea College and SOAS. In this time, I have had the delectable pleasure of a venison haunch with red cabbage and mustard mash from the no-nonsense Camden Brasserie. I've also had the chance to rediscover my cooking skills, use-up a twelve-day gym trial, and see almost all the friends I've wanted to since the summer. I especially enjoyed this adventure.

I think I've been a super-busy girl. Factor in my fabulous Xmas presents inclusive of a Take That 'Beautiful World' CD and DVD and you've got a pretty-happy-yet-unemployed super-busy girl.

Excellent.

How were your Christmases?

My Response to the Economist's Eelam Shocker

Dear Editor,

As a longtime reader and proud Sri Lankan, I was saddened by the inclusion of 'Eelam' on the map featured in this article.

A respected publication such as the Economist should not be legitimising the actions of an internationally-proscribed terrorist group by including their desired homeland on it's map. This irresponsible inclusion serves to trivialise the violence (equivalent to one of London's 7/7 bombings every week) and condone the terrorist threat endured by Sri Lankans of all backgrounds over the last quarter-century.

I would be thankful if you could remove 'Eelam' from the world map for the forseeable future; its' inclusion is offensive to readers worldwide who support the fight against terrorism.

Yours faithfully,
Dr Luck

Free at Last!

Ladies and Gentleman, I've finally made it. Yours truly is a doctor :D