Weekend at Peak Districk Part II

For Part I, please click here.

Sunday morning are always lazy and I think they should stay that way. However, when four other people are waiting for you, it might not be such a good idea. I was the last one to wake up, even though I got an extra hour of sleep with the clocks moving back. I had to pack so quickly because everyone else was ready. Awkward... I felt quite embarrassed.

Anyway, after I booted myself out of the door, we went to a little cafe for breakfast. Most of us had the very big breakfast plate. And oh my oh my was it big.

Weekend Away at Peak District Part I

I never got the obsession that some people have about autumn. For me, it is the start of term, the end of sunny days, end of floaty summer dresses, the start of the countdown to winter. The weather is changeable, sometimes it is freezing and sometimes it is too warm. So I was never that big of a fan of autumn. However, I think the Peak District may have changed my mind on this ambiguous season. The scenery was just amazingly beautiful. The red hues and the weaving mountains were just stunning.

We went to Ladybower dam and Derwent dam on the Saturday morning and then enjoyed the rest of the day at Chatsworth House. We drove past Ladybower dam and made a pit stop at the Ladybower lake. It seemed like there would usually be quite a lot of fisherman out there if the weather was better. There was a fishing supply shop just opposite the road.

Ladybower lake. The skies weren't looking too kind on us that morning...

The area around Derwent dam was just so pretty. It was just all trees and grass, so different from the dusty grey London. The dam was impressive but I think it would have been more spectacular if we were in the wet season. To be honest, it is difficult to think that North England has dry seasons, I swear it never stops raining. We even caught a little bit of rain in the morning, although it didn't stop us doing our planned activities.

Cup of tea, check, scarf check, massive coat, check. How to combat British weather. 

Weekends are for Pigging Out

FOOD. This pretty much sums up my weekend.

On Saturday, my boyfriend and I went round to one of my friend's house for his birthday party. It was such a good evening. The food was amazing, espresso martinis were made by the birthday boy's girlfriend. She is very talented in that area, amongst other things like knitting, baking, being super stylish (just check out her website)... Anyway, girl crush fawning over. So, food, I felt way too self conscious to take pictures, but here is a list: fried chicken, spiced rice, salad, coleslaw... Seriously, everything was delicious. And the desserts. There was a lemon tart and two loafs of lemon drizzle cake. The drizzle cake was melt-in-your-mouth deliciousness, super light. It was so good that I took a slice home. No shame whatsoever.

To add to the pigging out, before we went to the party, we had food out at Westfield Stratford. It is quite dangerous that a massive shopping centre is only 25 mins away on the overground train from my flat. The proximity is not healthy for my wallet, I am looking at you Victoria's Secret. We went to a Vietnamese restaurant and had some light but satisfying noodles and Pho (pronounced 'fuh'). Then proceeded to have poffertjes (mini Dutch pancakes) covered in milk chocolate AND an Oreo milkshake. Before you judge, we only got one of each and shared between us, that makes it less bad, right? The poffertjes were hot and freshly made, it was slightly salty, and having it dipped in milk chocolate was just heavenly. I think this might be my new favourite guilty-pleasure treat at Westfield. It used to be Mr Pretzel, but they increased their price by 49p, not a lot in absolute terms but that is a 14% increase!

God, just looking at this makes me want another one... (taken from thefoodconnoisseur, not my own picture)

Save the NHS

I went to my first protest today, for one of the most important current issues in the UK right now- junior doctor contracts. The new contracts will compromise patient safety, discriminate against female doctors wanting to start a family, discriminate against different medical specialities... The new contracts mean the beginning of the end of the NHS.

So, medics decided to protest. We had to make our voices heard. The atmosphere was amazing. The hundreds of people that turned up tonight managed to make a difference, and I am so glad I was a part of it.

What's happening to my future?

I feel sad, incredibly sad. Everytime I think about the junior contract changes, or see any evocative writing in social media by doctors, I can feel tears fill my eyes. Sounds dramatic, I know, but please let me explain to you why I feel this way.  

Working to become a doctor doesn't only start at university. It starts in early teens. First, we have to get good GCSE grades because medical school admissions take GCSE grades into account. GCSEs starts from 13/14 years old.  Then, we have two years of A-levels. During which we have to get straight A/A*'s, because of the competition for med school entry. Outside studying, we do extracurriculars, part-time job, sports, music, work experience, volunteering, to make us a desirable candidate for medical school (and of course we enjoy them too). If we are one of fortunate ones who got a place in a medical school, then we can start the 6 year university course of medicine. So far, that is already 10 years of dedication. 

After we graduate, we work even harder in the hospitals. Early mornings, late nights and weekends. Missed family events, weddings and hardly any holidays. When we aren't working, we have to study for more exams for our career progression, some also do research work at the side. All of this is tough, and we get stressed and depressed, but we get through it all. We probably all secretly have a relish for it. All of this is worth it. To see someone sick and frail become healthy and strong again because of what you did is an amazing feeling. To have that person's family thank you for your hard work, and see their happiness is fantastic. 

But now... Is it all going to be worth it?

New Junior Doctor Contracts

I am so angry. Absolutely fuming. Why are doctors in England constantly under attack by the government?

No, I am not a doctor yet, just a medical student, but in under two years time, I will be the one affected by the new junior doctor contracts.

After 6 years of hard work, after 6 years of debt, there will be more years of hard work, more exams, more training courses, and even more money spent on those things. Of course I knew about that, I accepted that. But what I don't accept is the government insinuating that we are lazy, greedy, money grabbers.

Firstly, the 7 day NHS debacle. The NHS is already working 24/7, giving everyone, everyone access to free healthcare. While junior doctors, registrars and consultants work day and night to deliver that service. The 6000 deaths are NOT due to a '5 day' system. This is the paper the conservative government based their movement on, which then caused sensationalism by the Daily Mail. Utter rubbish.

The conclusion states that 'admissions at the weekend is associated with increased risk of subsequent death within 30 days of admission. The likelihood of death actually occurring is less on a weekend day than a mid-week day.' From this conclusion, I cannot fathom why the government thought having a 7 day NHS would solve the problem in the death rate variance.

If you want a more detailed breakdown of the results from the paper, check out this blog.

So after all the social media rage over the havoc Jeremy Hunt has fueled, now comes the new contracts for junior doctors starting from 2016. All with the aim of a 'better and safer' NHS. And these are the facts:

First Day Back!

Smart clothes, stethoscope, pen, notebook, ID. Okay, those are the bare essentials. Double check. Okay. Good.

First day back on the wards! I was quite looking forward this. The last two weeks in the lecture theatre was almost torture. Also, since I have done clinics already last year, everything was a bit more familiar and less nerve wracking this year. Some things never change though, I waited for a good 20mins for the ward round to start. As a medical student, you gotta have patience to wait around for the doctors.

As a new year begins, I promised myself to study harder, eat healthier, wake up earlier, and work out more. It's worked out pretty well so far. (Well it has only been one day) I managed to drag myself out of bed by 6.15am. Then got dressed and worked out, took a shower. I proceeded to make my breakfast (toasted seeded bread with smashed avocado and poached egg) and to finish preparing my lunch. I even had time to put on a little bit of makeup and still walk to uni. A pretty big win in the morning! Now I just have to keep it up... I am feeling pretty sleepy already though and it's only 7.38pm...

I think I had more expectations for today. However, things quickly settled into routine. Ward round, lunch, library, teaching, then home. Pretty uneventful day! Tomorrow I have nothing scheduled- just clerking patients. If this was last year, I might have just not gone in, but as I have promised myself, I am going to work harder. Hence, I shall do what the timetable says and clerk some patients. Very elderly patients, possibly with hearing problems too. More of a challenge to talk to and examine. But they can be very sweet and adorable.

Right, I promised myself, so I must get on with it. You have permission to slap me (softly) if you find me slacking. Off to studying I go now...