Hello! Its been a long year for me with the end of GEM (Graduate-entry-medicine) exams in February (2nd year medical school – passed), our first clinical placement (3rd year or “CP1” – passed), and now we have just finished half of CP2 (or “4th year”) having completed our Paediatrics and Obs & Gynae rotations (still waiting to see if we passed – it takes 1 month for the university to mark an online multiple-choice exam). I can’t put any gossip on here, but you will be reassured to know that medical students seem to act as informal guardians of the NHS, getting into as many clinics and operations as possible and do raise concerns about dodgy practice – and the consultants in charge are keen to get this ‘intelligence’ from the students and do take swift action! (obviously there’s a story behind this one, but not for the web…)
So really the all encompassing fast track medical degree has consumed all my time! The end of GEM exams in Feb were without doubt the hardest I have worked for anything, ever. Never has so much tea and so many biscuits been consumed for so few exams. I was probably looking pretty pale by the time we got to the exams… Anyway, after GEM the first clinical placement was a breeze, but now we’re into 4th year the pressure is on again. I’ve just started Psychiatry which is proving to be pretty interesting after just 1 week!
Done virtually nothing on the house, still need to finish off some light painting & decorating, tinker with some radiators — little annoying jobs I have managed to keep putting off… I did manage to re-landscape the front of my driveway to give me a double gravel drive — so there’s room for me, my lodger and a space to rent out.
My 5 chickens are all well – no fox encounters this year, however they did stop laying early this year – I think they were too enthusiastic last year as they only stopped for 1 week, so far they have had a whole month off and I’ve even had to buy my own eggs!
So – Merry Xmas and Happy New Year to you all
Rory
Rory’s top Internet find of the Year
TopCashBack link: www.topcashback.co.uk/ref/roryj
So being a penniless student, saving money is everything. This year I got £45 cashback on my home & contents insurance (and that was £45 off the the cheapest quote from the comparison sites) – oh, plus £1 cashback for just looking on the comparison site.
I also got £25 cash back for switching my gas & electricity via Uswitch – and I was going to switch anyway!
Similar story for car insurance, but my BEST effort this year was breakdown cover – annual cover with the RAC for £8 – so that’s their basic £28 package with £20 cash back!
So how does it work you wonder? Sign up for a free account via this
link and you get a £1 joining bonus as I’ve recommended you. Any time you want to spend money on the web, have a quick check in topcashback to see the companies listed there, some offer a percentage off, some a fixed amount – you just have to click through from the topcashback website to the retailer, so some information is passed to the retailer and they know where to send the commission! Topcashback then get the money, and you can have it sent to your bank account probably a month later!
Rory’s biggest net time-waster this year
Farmville!
Rory’s most satisfying DIY this year
Been a few jobs this year… Fleur & Keith’s decking (not the doors, I hate hanging doors)
Resealing the parents shower sealant – think I’m actually getting the hang of this one!
Fleur & Keith’s under-stairs office – or was that year before??
Obviously i’ve done no satisfying DIY on my own home this year that I can think of!
Rory’s best bargain of the year
I’m going to go for the £8 annual RAC breakdown cover again… although my TV from ebuyer is still a pretty good bargain.