Time waits for no one

Now that it is a matter of weeks, rather than months, to recommencing medicine, I am scared! Exactly what will I have achieved over the three months of my summer holiday? No doubt a few million brain cells have bitten the dust due to my preponderance for alcohol consumption and combined with the shocking rate at which medical knowledge has leaked/is leaking from my head, I think I will be half the student that left way back in May! Literally my only exposure to health-related matters has been via other people’s blogs and I don’t think learning medicine vicariously through the tales of others is going to help me pass my exams. In short, I’m cacking myself… The prospect of being grilled by a consultant on any subject whatsoever is enough to make a bead of sweat spring from my brow. At least I don’t think I’ve forgotten how to speak, so I should be able to talk to patients if all else fails. I really hope all my colleagues are in a similarly clueless boat.

Elsewhere…

Phwoar! That is what the Olympics is all about… Seeing Usain Bolt make history in the 100 metres final gave me goose bumps all over. I was hoping for a fantastic contest, expecting a Bolt win, preferably with Powell a close second. In reality I witnessed an incredible demonstration of power, speed and flamboyance all rolled into the 6 ft 5 inch frame of Usain Bolt. He has strutted and strolled his way through the Games thus far, winning races at a canter and I suppose if you know you’re so much better than your nearest rivals then you can afford to be a little cocky. Part of me wished he hadn’t started celebrating 10-15 metes from the line and carried on pushing just to see what this superhuman Jamaican is capable of – however, it is the showboating that makes Bolt such an entertainer. The excitement generated will reel in a whole new audience and inspire others to try and emulate him, while hopefully doubling as a catalyst to help improve the damaged image of athletics over recent years.

A fine day for Britain too, securing cycling, swimming and rowing golds; the latter pursuit providing a nail biting conclusion to the men’s coxless fours and making it a hat-trick of victories in the event including Athens and Sydney. Honourable mention to Michael Phelps as well, who will no doubt go on to break Mark Spitz’s record and achieve 8 gold medals in a single Olympics. I must say that swimming does seem to hand out medals like confetti though; as such I don’t regard him as the greatest Olympian ever as some people appear to.