Thursday 30 October 2014

A JAR FULL OF ENCOUNTERS

At the start of the year, I realised that I needed a more positive outlook on life. I noticed that over the course of the year, myself like many others focus on the negative events that occur in our lives; completely disregarding the wonderful opportunities that come across our way. 

As I was thinking of ways to document my most personal and happy thoughts that I didn't want to share with anyone but myself, I came up with this idea...

I found an empty jar and over the course of the year, my plan is to write little notes of all of the joyous moments that occur in my life. 


My plan is to open the jar on the 1st of January 2015 and read through all of its contents in private and it should provide me with an elated outlook for the following year.

If it works, I intend to continue with this idea every year.


If anyone else is in need of some positivity in their lives, then I urge you to try out this idea!



Monday 27 October 2014

LATE NIGHT WALKS

Even though Lancaster isn't one of the largest cities in England, I do on a regular basis become mesmerised by its surreal natural beauty.

Ashton Memorial is an exquisite building that's mathematically in the centre of the United Kingdom. It is considered as the Taj Mahal of the North as it was built by a billionaire for his wife. I've been told that the view from the top is spectacular during the day but walking around Williamson park and looking across the Lancaster skyline at night time is simply breathtaking.

Source


The other night my friend took me to Williamson Park to see the view from atop the memorial as I had never been there before. Even though I have been in Lancaster for over a year!

There's nothing more peaceful than going for a long walk with a close friend and breathing the cold crisp air as you ramble on about things that won't matter to anyone else but you. I love experiencing the world at night. There's a change in character in the people you see walking down the street and the buzz of the day is replaced with a sense of calmness as people let their hair down and forget the worries of the day that has just passed them by.


So what did I enjoy most about being on top of the most central building in the UK?

It has to be the night sky that was illuminated with speckles of stars and the earth that was radiating with lights of the busy Lancaster night life. You feel serene as you watch over this beautiful sight.

First dates, family outings, friends gathering and individuals enjoying the simple pleasures in life.

Priceless


Tuesday 21 October 2014

MIND BLOCK

Staring at my laptop screen, I'm forcing myself to wander through the far corners of my mind to articulate all the thoughts that are going on in my head. And yet I'm sat here with nothing to talk about.

The first half of the academic year is always filled with less exciting events in comparison to what occurs later on in the year.

I guess a part of the problem lies with the fact that I haven't had the chance to actually sit down with my journal and note down all the things that happen to me throughout the day in a while. Having to dedicate a lot of time to my course is making it more and more difficult to keep this blog up and running.

I know you're all going to be panicking about the fact that I may be taking this blog down! But hopefully I can think of new ways to keep my readers entertained.

In the meantime, I want to give a huge thanks to all those who read my posts and send me lovely comments. Sending lots of love and kisses your way...


Friday 17 October 2014

ALADDIN

Last year, I talked about being a part of MedSoc's annual panto (Jack and the Beanstalk) and this year I'm excited to be a part of Aladdin.

Source
I choreographed a couple of the dances last year and this time round I've been given the opportunity to choreograph all of the dances. Which is very exciting as I can sneakily add in some Bollywood numbers!

Anyway, I'll keep you all posted on how things are getting on


Tuesday 14 October 2014

MASQUERADE BALL

She hides everything you wish to see,
her emotions, her sorrows and her identity.
But as flutters across the dance floor,
you catch nothing but her eye which gives away her true beauty

Masquerade balls have always fascinated me. The mystery and the elegance is enough to capture the minds of all individuals that are graced to be a part of it.

MedSoc recently organised a ball in order to welcome the freshers. It was a night filled with elegant dresses, dashing suits and good food.





Thursday 9 October 2014

TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE

I know you're all dying to know why I haven't been blogging much this month. Trust me I have good reasons; which will all be revealed in good time. 

Time. Something which I wish I had more of. 24 hours seems like a reasonable amount for one to do all the things that they wish to do (excluding valuable amounts of hours of sleep of course!) As a medical student, one of the things that I've learned to appreciate is time.

Especially now that I'm on campus 2 days a week, hospital 2 days a week and GP/community placement once a week. That leaves just 2 days for you to have "me" time. Even then, those days have to be used to catch up on PBL objectives. Which leaves little/no room for being around things and people I love. 

Do I regret any of it? Of course not! I knew exactly what I was getting myself into. So it would be silly for me to turn around and say that this path that I have chosen was a mistake. 

Anyway, this was meant to be a very short post so I'm going to leave it here. Hopefully, I'll be able to fill you in with what I've been getting up to over the past week or so.


Saturday 4 October 2014

PROCRASTINATION

"Let me just clean my room before I start to work."
"I'm going to make some food before I open a textbook."
"I think I'll quickly update my blog before I do some work."
The list of things that you think of completing before doing work is endless. I see myself as the queen of procrastination. I will literally do anything I can to put off sitting down in front of the 1303 paged Kumar and Clarke's Clinical Medicine book.

What's worse about procrastination is the amount of self-loathing that comes with it when you think about the time that you've wasted carrying out pointless tasks that could have waited for another day. To say that someone has never procrastinated in their life would be a lie. It's a psychological behaviour that affects everyone at some point in their life, be it in a small or big way.

So why is learning how to get over procrastination important? Well if we think about it, putting off a stressful situation can ultimately lead to more stress. You become washed with a sense of helplessness and weakness. However, if you overcome this phenomenon; piece of mind and a feeling of purpose will be what accompanies you as you go through your daily life.

Here are a few ways in which I'm going to overcome this useless trait, hopefully it may help some of you too:

  • Being aware of the sinking feeling you get in your stomach when you realise you've wasted your time 
  • Actually realising that you're doing something unnecessary which can be done at a later day
  • Identifying the real reasons for your delay (lack of knowledge, time consuming)
  • Overcome these reasons in order to begin the task
  • Praise yourself at regular intervals in order to keep you motivated.

I hope I've helped and now I'm going to stop procrastinating by blogging and do some work before I get grilled at the hospital!



Image from Tumblr



Wednesday 1 October 2014

FREEDOM...FREE"DOOM"

Today marks the first day of university for the first year medical students. I cannot believe how quick the past year has gone. I can still remember the strange mix of emotions that I went through leading up to getting the keys to my new home for the year. 

Being independent is something all teenagers look forward to. Making decisions, making mistakes, learning from them and turning into an individual that makes a mark during the limited time that we have on this planet. Deciding to go to university is not a light decision for a young person to make. You are choosing to leave home and go out into the world by yourself. As appealing as that may sound to the adventurous young minds out there, it's a lot more daunting than you may think.

However, after you take the initial baby steps into becoming a self-governing conscious mind; you begin to appreciate everything that was handed to you as a child. You start to see the world in a new light and the thoughts that cross your mind become more and more carefully articulated. 

To all those who are starting university this year:
Live your life and enjoy everything that you set your mind to do. Treasure each and every moment and don't let the stresses of education get to you.