Penat

The last time I sat for a written examination (not including the MCQs and stuff that one has to sit in courses such as the ATLS) was the data interpretation paper of my finals. I remember coming out in a daze, and being uncharacteristically quiet afterwards. So much so that poor Reem and Joanne had to spend the entire lunch consoling me and telling me that all's not lost.

I ended up scoring higher marks in that paper than I did in my practicals, which is nothing short of a minor miracle. Naturally, I had to withstand Reem and Jo's good-natured ribbing but I wasn't complaining. Far from it! (which reminds me, congrats again Reem!).

Part 1 of the MRCP was different though. I actually felt nauseous towards the end of the first paper. Names of cell receptors and the likes of which I had never heard of before, crammed my little cranium. I was almost disgusted with myself by the end of it and if it wasn't for the fact that paper 2 was more clinical-based (which is my stronger field), I'd have given up halfway. I don't expect to pass; but I only have myself to blame. 2 weeks of proper studying (and not even PROPER proper studying) as compared to the recommended 3 months is no way to prepare for a specialty exam.

I must admit to being rather tired and jaded by the time I sat for the exam. The whole mixture of having to work for the ATLS and the MRCP, starting a new job and getting fucked up the arse by MTAS is turning me into a tired old young man. One can't help but want to kick back and relax, instead of worrying about the future and all that entails for Sweetie and myself. After all, the whole point of sitting the exams in May instead of January was so that job applications wouldn't interfere with preparation. As fate would have it, the powers that be have been blessed with remarkable gifts of incompetence which they use freely for the glorious benefit of all.

CT & Yus had to listen to me whine about these things for a good hour over some lovely Haagen-Dasz, and they were even kind enough to hold a mock interview for me the night before my interview. The interview itself was ok, bordering on good. But I don't think I stood out as being particularly outstanding, and in a crowded field of applicants where thousands are applying for hundreds of jobs, I don't think they'd jump to pick a non-EU citizen as one of their first choices.

Ended up spending about fifty quid buying novels and comics to read. On-call today has been busy at times, but my free time has been spent devouring new reading materials that have no pretense of academia. I tried watching the Man Utd-Chealsea FA Cup Final, but the game would go down in history as one that made cricket look exciting.

Things should be more relaxing over the next few days though. The big obstacles have been hurdled, and I know I did well in at least one. There's a bank holiday weekend coming up and fantasy worlds to get lost in. Oh, and bday present hunting for the special one.