Career choices, gadgets and music

Today I helped with the 3rd year OSCE resits. It took me back my 3rd year days with the nauseau and sheer dread at the prospect of 20 stations back to back. I felt nervous and this time I wasn't even taking the exam. It got me thinking about how naive I was entering medical school. We all quoted the cheesy line ' I want to help people and make a difference' in reply to the obvious question, 'why do you want to be Doctor?'. You don't think about the 6 long years and work load that comes with medical training and the worst thing is after we're registered with the General Medical Council (GMC), our post-graduate training begins. What were my other career options? I've always been interested in Law and medical ethics, maths, fashion and art. Maybe I could have done law but it can be quite competitive and some intellectual snobbery still exists (unlike medicine). Fashion designer? I don't think I'm wacky enough, sometimes I watch the Royal College of Arts students and admire their dress sense even though I probably wouldn't have the confidence to pull of some of the outfits. Also the fashion world can be very fickle, it's takes hard work as well as celebrity endorsement (thanks to the growing obsession with celebrity and self congratulatory award ceremonies) to get established. However once you've made it its unlikely you'll be down on sales that season or the next. The reality is I don't think I could do anyhting else career wise that would stimulate me intellectually and allow social interaction with members of the public.

Speaking of fashion, I detest the gypsy/boho trend. Thank you Sienna Miller for creating a monster. Walking down Oxford street at any one time, at least 50 fashionistas can be spotted all trying to make the trend their own. Gone are the days where people wear what they like or what enhances their attributes, it is more important to copy celebrities and be a clone of everyone else.

I love gadgets. There are so many mp3 players on the market- ipod (even the smallest tribe in the world probably has a cool kid with one), iriver H300 series (excellent sound quality and questionable aesthetics even with H10), sony HD5 (insistence on using atrac format, below standard software and poor ergonomics). People always ask why don't you just get a mini/micro/ whatever the cute one is. It's like buying a camera and keeping the rubbish memory card that comes 'free' with it when you can buy a 1GB XD card. Fine for some but music is my addiction. I get bored so easily and it would be a hassle transferring new songs on a 4 or 5 gb mp3 player every so often. The Playstation Portable (PSP) is the newest and most desirable gaming device however I eagerly await the relase of the PS3 in Spring 2006.

Albums I've been listening to this week:

1.Jodeci- Diary of a Mad Band. I know early 90's but the harmonies still sound fresh plus it brings back memories.

2.Bobby Valentino- Disturnin da peace presents... Excellent production and ok lyrics.

3.Green Day- American Idiot. Mainly 'wake me up when september ends and are we waiting?..'

4.Jack Johnson- Brushfire Fairytales, On& On and In between Dreams

5.Lyfe Jennings- 268 192. Soulful voice charting the modern trials and tribulations of a young man after he left prison, trying to cope in the urban jungle. Speaks a lot of truth, and uncomfortable listening for some.

6. Kelly Clarkson- Breakaway. I was sceptical and she silenced me and all her critics.

7. Madeleine Peyroux- Careless Love. Beautiful jazz.

8. Rob Thomas- Something to Be. Ex- Matchbox 20 lead singer and winner of countless songwriting acolades, does soul, country and pop very well. You could call him the rock/country Justin Timberlake or not for the less simple minded.

9. Rihanna- Music of the Sun. Reggaeton is it? Her voice has more range than I expected. Beats the Teairra Mari album hands down.

10. Kanye West- Late Registration. Some say arrogance is a virtue (probably his publicist) and others (me) think the first album was better. Winner of the hip hop album with the most interludes. This is like the Usher 'Confessions' situation all over again, millions of people love it and despite listening to the album many times thinking I must be missing something, I don't think its very good. Was I the only one thinking Michael Jackson? The production is great and I have to congratulate Kanye for making some good tracks on his own and resisiting the need to have too many guest artists on the second album.

John Legend if you're reading this, we the fans want another studio album. The white label stuff and Get lifted aren't enough. More, more! Wouldn't it be nice if destiny's child split up after a better album (Destiny fulfilled). I think once artists have reached a certain level, they rest on their laurels because they know most people will buy the album anyway or bow to record company pressure. It's a shame but I think the girls are great.