Kirsty flew back to Auckland Monday and most of the rest of the week I was busy working on this movie for the Dean. It took ages trying to find a video camera which would not only work but also plug into my computer, ultimately having a moment of exhausted brilliance when I realised I could use the webcam of my trusty (or not so trusty?) laptop. It took a lot of planning in my head and awkward manoeuvering on the day of filming, but hey, it not only worked but it worked well! Filming was on Wednesday afternoon and I had two "actors" in the end, a classmate of mine and a fourth year volunteer, and they were great! It was super efficient too, thanks to perfectly detailed planning and thinking it out in my head on top of the awesome, impromptu storyboard I drew up the night before on four pages of A4. And oh, we had so much fun in the end, being silly in such "serious" real-life locations: medical library (why in the world were there so many people studying? When I had planned on making a ruckus I didn't think we would be disturbing so many people!), hospital foyer, Student Affairs, hospital staff cafe, Paediatrics Outpatients...lol
Came home after filming on Wednesday around four in the afternoon and was up until 2.30am putting it all together. It's so addictive, this kind of work; well, maybe addictive is the wrong word. What I mean is, you really don't notice time passing when you get so incredibly absorbed into what you're doing, you forget about everyone and everything around you. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how I know that "Life of Clinical Medicine" is probably not my one and only calling in life: studying -- Medicine -- just does not do that for me. I know it must for some, and I could definitely name a few of my classmates for whom that might be true, who could spend hours getting lost in the endless abyss that is Medical Knowledge... but man... that kind of esoteric life is most definitely not for me. Anywho, I digress. The presentation looks awesome, and although it's certainly taken up most of my mid semester break it was worth it. So damn satisfying.
Thursday I flew up to Christchurch for a wee mini-break for myself. One of my closest friends from high school is up there for the year doing a music/sound engineering course so I've been meaning to go up and just hang out with her. (She's also in a jazz band and I've been wanting to catch them perform but they only play Wednesday nights unfortunately.) I found some cheap flights the other day and I was off. Even though I had more than a few offers from various people to crash on their couch I actually booked myself into a hotel in centre city -- the trip was, like I said, a wee mini-break for myself, and a mini-break for Anna isn't a mini-break unless there's lush pillows, wireless broadband, seemingly endless searing hot showers and, of course, CNN. LoL Nah, but in all honestly it's just mainly the having-my-own-space thing which is difficult if you're staying on a friend's couch, and it turned out that a solo room in a backpackers in central Christchurch was more expensive than this wee funky hotel I've stayed in before. But the wireless and the CNN was most definitely a bonus, and a well-deserved treat for myself. Oh, and did I watch CNN!!! :)
My friend and I went out for dinner at a great Mexican restaurant where delicious food and margaritas, live Spanish guitar, and brilliant conversation were enjoyed! Then we went to jazz bar recommended by more than a few people I know and it was amazing. Definitely my favourite place in all of the city! Christchurch is on a currently not-so-short Shortlist of where I might want to work when I graduate, and the good food and music is definitely in its favour.
The next day I had a wee sleep-in, enjoyed more of the wireless broadband (absorbing in as much CNN as possible all throughout) before checking out later that morning. I got to catch up with a few people during the day which was awesome and finished off the evening catching up again with my friend from high school and doing some productive window shopping. Flew back Friday night, and that was that.
Thinking about first day of ortho tomorrow, I'm excited. Not so much related to the ortho, but because before I know it I'll be freaking about ortho OSCE and exam and then it'll all be over and then I'll be sitting here writing about how quickly half a year went, and how quickly fifth year is passing... And even though I was more than a little wigged out to see a couple people from my group at the library studying (one of them with ortho notes in hand!), like a Trainee Intern recently said to me, "Ultimately, gunning for distinction is a game; I was happy not to play because I knew there were other things I would rather do with the time I would have needed to invest. It doesn't make them a better doctor for playing; it doesn't make me a better doctor for not playing. In the end it's just a game you decide to partake of or not. I chose not."
I couldn't have put it any better myself if I tried.
Here's to Part II of IV.
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