Project Pass Physics update: I signed up to The Christie’s Physics course. I don’t know why this has slipped my mind the last time… it was mostly likely that I was reluctant to pay the £521 fee.
Project Declutter update: I managed to get rid of (donate) Xavier’s and my old and unwanted clothes. Also managed to return scrubs back to the hospital.
Dubrovnik
It is half term. David and I managed to get time off and Dubrovnik fit the bill of ‘not yet cold’ and ‘things to do.’ We’ve given up on the pool idea, we would just be disappointed if we set our expectations high.
I was here over 10 years ago with 2 friends, this was pre-Game of Thrones. Good to know that over 10 years later, Old Town remains a lovely and well-preserved city, but now dotted with Game of Thrones-themed tourist shops. We got the Dubrovnik Pass which allowed access to many historical attractions within Old Town. We bribed the kids with double ice cream to walk the city walls encircling the whole town. They did and got their double ice cream.
We stayed at a hotel called Valamar Tirena, which has an in-house kids activity centre – Maro World. We made a deal with the kids that the morning is for Mum and Dad (go to Old Town), the afternoon is for them (play in Maro World) and the evening, we all go to the bar for drinks – whisky sours for us and fizzy drinks for them.
Sydney
One of my previous Clinical Supervisors, Dr. Warren Doherty, once said with regards to marathon-running…
The more you train, the less you rely on luck.
Within a 24-hour timespan, I received 2 polar opposite emails… one of rejection and one of acceptance.
Email #1
Sydney just got inducted to be one of the World Marathon Majors last year and the 2025 race was its debut as a WMM. True to form, I entered the Sydney Marathon 2026 ballot. But alas, true to form, I was unsuccessful. Due to the time difference, I read this email at 5 am. But in a way, I was relieved because for once, I had much bigger plans than running the World Marathon Majors. I know I promised not sign up to any races until I pass exams but WMM ballots are WMM ballots. And ballots are purely based on luck.
Email #2
Now for something that is purely based on training, rather than luck.
My bigger plans include passing FRCR Part 1 Physics and now to add a little more spice to the curry, I plan to sit both FRCR Part 2A written and Part 2B oral by December 2026. All because… the second email I received (also beyond midnight due to the time difference) stated that my application/interview was successful and I got offered a Fellowship job at the Melanoma Institute Australia in Sydney working directly under Professor Georgina Long, starting January 2027. This is big, like way beyond my wildest dreams big. Like it deserves its own post big so I will write about it separately in due course.
This was the ultimate power boost I’ve been needing this year. Poor running and exam performances have really brought me down. I’ve forgotten that there are other aspects in life that I am not doing so badly in. I’ve forgotten that there are things that I have worked hard for and built over time, things that I’ve trained hard for. I also cannot forget the people who have helped me out (more on them later).
Not getting a place at the Sydney Marathon 2026 is very much okay as I will just have to run it in 2027 – ballot or charity place.
Reach for the Seven Stars 