Oxford, Days 5-7
Jan. 8th, 2013 04:45 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
misspotterWhat?! I've been at Oxford for a whole week now?! Well, I've stopped getting lost and I think I've figured out a series of shortcuts that gets me from my room to the registrars' room in the length of two SNSD songs (about 7 minutes) in the mornings.
These past two days I've been going on ward rounds in critical care, then heading into the cath lab. I've been able to see pacemaker stuff, TOE, PFO closure, and ablation for atrial flutter, but not a LACA for AF because supposedly it is like "watching paint dry". It's all pretty amazing that they do all this stuff by sticking a wire into someone. Especially the PFO...where this little umbrella thing comes out and...voooooomp! No more PFO! I've also started to pluck up the courage to go and see patients on the wards on my own...they all get excited when I tell them I'm from Australia and want me to sit down and tell them about the climate. Which is funny because apparently Sydney was treated to a 42C day yesterday (which I'm pleased to have avoided!) Now, if only I could hear an S3 without having to be told by the consultant that it was there...also, I have been looking every second drug mentioned on ward rounds up on Wikipedia. I swear I have never heard of Dalteparin being used in Australia (okay I'm not that dumb, I knew it was a form of heparin, I just didn't know if it was unfractioned or not). Also, "Co-codamol"...seriously?
Anyway, I'm conscious that most of you reading this aren't med students, so the last paragraph was kind of boring. Never fear, the next paragraph will be about my Sunday adventures in London!
K and I caught the "Oxford tube" into the city, which is really a bus. We started out at the Hyde Park Winter Wonderland, which attempted to imitate continental European winter festivals. I wanted to skate on the ice rink, but it was ridiculously expensive (think 14 pounds for an hour), so we just walked around, laughed at some of the rides (what was a pirate ship doing there?), and took photos with the swans (K couldn't believe that Australian swans are black!). We then went to the Victoria and Albert museum, which was really good despite us missing out on the Ballgowns and Hollywood Costumes special exhibition because we hadn't booked tickets earlier. We also explored Harrods (but obviously didn't buy anything) and a few other nearby shops. K wanted to go to Mayfair, but it was a bit underwhelming as it just looked like a regular suburb. So we hit up Oxford St to do some shopping. But I couldn't find anything I liked in my size or price range, alas. I do really want a new coat but they all seem so big! I especially liked this hooded wool coat from Zara, but I already have a red coat so it seemed too indulgent to get another, especially if it makes me look kind of short. I also still need a dress for my formal college dinners but I think I'll wait and see what other people wear to them to get some ideas. And I was thinking of dropping by Victoria's Secret, but I like to do my underwear shopping alone, and I've heard that it's quite overpriced in the UK anyway. Also...Primark, can I just say, "yuck"? Also it was so overcrowded in there!
Okay now I recognise I've alienated all my male readers with that last paragraph. Okay, the next one isn't mostly about clothes...
Okay, I'll write about food! Food is generally cheap here! I can get a nice big sandwich for lunch for less than two pounds! And it's not ham and cheese, it has French Brie, cranberry and salad! I'm also heading out to Wagamama tonight with the other elective students who've just arrived (I have an ulterior motive because I'm really craving some Jap noodles, which I can't find in the supermarket and therefore cannot cook for myself...and K has never heard of ramen) and the yasai yaki soba, which is $17 in Australia, is £7. I am pretty bad at maths, but I'm pretty sure this is a saving! Unless of course the serving turns out to be half the size. Oh, and there's all-you-can-eat sushi for £19 at this Japanese restaurant I walked by the other day...which actually doesn't sound anywhere near as good as Scoopon back home, but...yeah.
I think that's made all of my readers happy, so I'll end this here! Hope you and all your pets have survived the heatwave!
These past two days I've been going on ward rounds in critical care, then heading into the cath lab. I've been able to see pacemaker stuff, TOE, PFO closure, and ablation for atrial flutter, but not a LACA for AF because supposedly it is like "watching paint dry". It's all pretty amazing that they do all this stuff by sticking a wire into someone. Especially the PFO...where this little umbrella thing comes out and...voooooomp! No more PFO! I've also started to pluck up the courage to go and see patients on the wards on my own...they all get excited when I tell them I'm from Australia and want me to sit down and tell them about the climate. Which is funny because apparently Sydney was treated to a 42C day yesterday (which I'm pleased to have avoided!) Now, if only I could hear an S3 without having to be told by the consultant that it was there...also, I have been looking every second drug mentioned on ward rounds up on Wikipedia. I swear I have never heard of Dalteparin being used in Australia (okay I'm not that dumb, I knew it was a form of heparin, I just didn't know if it was unfractioned or not). Also, "Co-codamol"...seriously?
Anyway, I'm conscious that most of you reading this aren't med students, so the last paragraph was kind of boring. Never fear, the next paragraph will be about my Sunday adventures in London!
K and I caught the "Oxford tube" into the city, which is really a bus. We started out at the Hyde Park Winter Wonderland, which attempted to imitate continental European winter festivals. I wanted to skate on the ice rink, but it was ridiculously expensive (think 14 pounds for an hour), so we just walked around, laughed at some of the rides (what was a pirate ship doing there?), and took photos with the swans (K couldn't believe that Australian swans are black!). We then went to the Victoria and Albert museum, which was really good despite us missing out on the Ballgowns and Hollywood Costumes special exhibition because we hadn't booked tickets earlier. We also explored Harrods (but obviously didn't buy anything) and a few other nearby shops. K wanted to go to Mayfair, but it was a bit underwhelming as it just looked like a regular suburb. So we hit up Oxford St to do some shopping. But I couldn't find anything I liked in my size or price range, alas. I do really want a new coat but they all seem so big! I especially liked this hooded wool coat from Zara, but I already have a red coat so it seemed too indulgent to get another, especially if it makes me look kind of short. I also still need a dress for my formal college dinners but I think I'll wait and see what other people wear to them to get some ideas. And I was thinking of dropping by Victoria's Secret, but I like to do my underwear shopping alone, and I've heard that it's quite overpriced in the UK anyway. Also...Primark, can I just say, "yuck"? Also it was so overcrowded in there!
Okay now I recognise I've alienated all my male readers with that last paragraph. Okay, the next one isn't mostly about clothes...
Okay, I'll write about food! Food is generally cheap here! I can get a nice big sandwich for lunch for less than two pounds! And it's not ham and cheese, it has French Brie, cranberry and salad! I'm also heading out to Wagamama tonight with the other elective students who've just arrived (I have an ulterior motive because I'm really craving some Jap noodles, which I can't find in the supermarket and therefore cannot cook for myself...and K has never heard of ramen) and the yasai yaki soba, which is $17 in Australia, is £7. I am pretty bad at maths, but I'm pretty sure this is a saving! Unless of course the serving turns out to be half the size. Oh, and there's all-you-can-eat sushi for £19 at this Japanese restaurant I walked by the other day...which actually doesn't sound anywhere near as good as Scoopon back home, but...yeah.
I think that's made all of my readers happy, so I'll end this here! Hope you and all your pets have survived the heatwave!
