Chan Weng Kit's Blogspot

Friday, 10 March 2023

DAY 2343-2381

Jan 31 - Mar 10

1) Another day another dollar - or pound here in the UK. It's been just over a month since my last blog post, and if I'm honest, not much has happened since then other than the fact that I've been rather busy with work. Reflecting on the past seven months, I have learnt a lot about medicine as a career. While medical school tends to place emphasis on book knowledge and passing structured exams, the real world is a completely different kettle of fish. Everyday, I find myself challenged by different scenarios, many of which require me to actually apply knowledge rather than regurgitating it out on a test paper.

2) Spring is just round the corner, and yet this week we received a weather alert warning us of possible snow. Indeed, in these past few days most of the country has seen sub-zero temperatures, with Scotland recording a freezing -16C yesterday. If there's one thing I've learnt since coming here, it is that "as unpredictable as the British weather" was meant to be taken literally. Thankfully, the winds here are nowhere near as strong as they tend to be in Ireland - so I can get off with just a winter jacket.

3) So I have an exciting announcement to make - I'm coming back after seven months working here in the UK. It will be my first time home after as many months, and I cannot wait. Frankly, I'd used up all my annual leave for this rotation in planning my holiday. I am therefore looking forward to maximising the measly two weeks I have with my family and friends back home. It goes without saying that food will play a huge part in this. Recently, I had a shock after weighing myself - I had lost almost 10kg since coming here! Even more reason to replenish some of the lost pounds back home then.

4) I should probably finish packing up now. Thanks for visiting my blog as always, and hope you have a great week ahead. Take care and stay safe, cheers!

Nothing better to do on an off-day

This is the lightest I've been since high school - not sure how to feel if I'm honest XD

Looking forward to a haircut back home

Monday, 30 January 2023

DAY 2318-2342

Jan 6 - 30

1) What better way to start off my first blog post of the year than by attending my own graduation! It has been nearly three years since I left King's - returning at the height of the pandemic to Malaysia to complete the rest of my medical degree. I had promised my friends that I would come back for the class graduation last year, but my finals prevented me from doing so. Instead, I had deferred my graduation to early this year, on the off chance that my application to work in the UK would be approved. The rest, as they say, is history.

2) And so my journey began with a 1.5-hr train ride from Stoke to Euston, London. After checking in to the Wellington Hotel, it was time to become a tourist for the day. I had always wanted to visit some of the famous British museums here in London. As I had already covered the British Museum in the past, today's mission was to visit both the Victoria and Albert Museum ("V&A") and the Natural History Museum. I arrived at the V&A at a quarter to three. Given that both museums close at 17:45, that meant an hour and a half for each museum. From Tipu's Tiger to Darwin's On the Origin of the Species, I had a whale of a time exploring both museums.

3) The next day, it was time to suit up and pretend to look good for graduation. I arrived at the Royal Festival Hall, meeting up with my good friend Sai. He would become my personal photographer for the day, as we trudged up and down the embankment looking for iconic sights to use as backdrops. Along the way, random strangers would pause to congratulate us and even offer to take pictures of the both of us - which I really appreciated. The actual awards ceremony took place all day, with mine in the afternoon. Along with the current graduating class, I was awarded a masters degree in clinical neuroscience - with the epitoge proudly draped across my shoulder.

4) With the official ceremony over, it was time for the unofficial celebrations. We met up with my good friend Maloo at a fancy Italian trattoria - Circolo Popolare (which I can only assume means popular circle). I had a wonderful time properly catching up with everyone over dinner; the food was good, the company sublime. From my friends, I learnt that our classmates had gone on to achieve great things - some became doctors, some continued their medical degree, others started their PhDs, and yet others left to enter various fields in tech / business. It was really interesting to see how diverse our career options were after completing the course at King's.

5) All good things must come to an end. After an uneventful train ride back, I've spent the next two weeks back at work. It's been a while since I was able to sit down and pen something as long as this - as work commitments really drain the life out of me. However, that won't stop me from blogging as often as I can. Many thanks for visiting my blog today, and I wish you all a great week ahead. Cheers!