I like to imagine that I'm a minor celebrity. Not a big celebrity like Hugh Grant. Everyone knows big celebrities are all unbearably egotistical despite not really deserving any of what they have. In fact the written Chinese word for "celebrity" is a combination of their words for "thief" and "fortune"*. I'm only annoyingly egotistical, ergo I think minor celebrity status suits me fine. Minor celebrities don't typically get asked for autographs on the street like Boonie, but there will be a certain subculture who will recognise the minor celebrity and say to their friends, "Hey, isn't that ...?" I'm pretty sure I might actually be a minor celebrity because today when I sat down at a table in the cafeteria with some of my Esteemed Colleagues, they knew my name and everything!
Anyway, one of the things that minor celebrities do is answer fixed format interview questions, like the one that appears every week in the weekend magazine of the Sydney Morning Herald. I always enjoy reading it so I've decided that since I too am a minor celebrity I should have a go at answering the questions. Some of the questions are a bit gammy in my opinion, but the ethics of shameless plagiarisation forbid me from leaving them out. It's all about the principle you see. Anyway, let's get this show on the road...
PTR
Med school celebrity and blogging superstar
My earliest memory is ... hitting the snooze button on my alarm.
At school I ... was probably an insufferable twerp. I must have been able to run real fast because I only remember getting into three fights.
My first relationship was ... misguided, but I have some happy memories nevertheless.
I don't like talking about ... people's exam marks - thank the Whirley-bird we don't get them in this course.
My most treasured possession is ... Yoda - he gets me through all my exams.
My mother and father always told me ... to stop crying by the time they counted to three or they'd really give me something to cry about.
In the movie of my life, I'd be played by ... the offspring of the crazed mating of Ryan Gosling and Ed Norton. The mating itself would not be part of the film.
I wish I had ... learned to play the guitar in Bolivia from a toothless old man called Jesus in return for a bag of oranges.
I wish I hadn't ... started playing Bejewelled Blitz on Facebook.
My most humiliating moment was ... losing my underpants down my trouser leg and onto the floor whilst on work experience.
I was happiest when ... I was at my own wedding.
My guiltiest pleasure is ... cheese. Especially cheese that I stole from the hand of a hungry elderly widow. So guilty. So delicious.
My last meal would be ... difficult to stomach if I knew that it was really my last meal. So it'd have to be blended up into a smoothie or I think I'd spew.
I'm very bad at ... not making smart-arse remarks in conversation. It's almost like a form of Tourette's.
When I was a child I wanted to ... spend all my time drawing space-ship battles. Not much has changed.
If I could change one moment of my life it would be ... accepting that invitation to the year 10 formal then backing out the next day. I should have just refused up front. It was so dishonourable of me.
It's not fashionable but I love ... Dolly Parton's bluegrass.
If I could live anywhere, I'd choose ... New York. But it would have to be a two-storey apartment with south-facing windows, lofted ceilings and a gas oven. Otherwise no deal.
My worst trait is ... egotism.
My best trait is ... awesomeness!
My greatest fear is ... dementia. No wait, dementia with a laser strapped to its head.
If only I could ... swim better than a jellyfish.
The hardest thing I've ever done was ... quit my PhD after 2 years.
I relax by ... releasing acetylcholine from preganglionic synaptic terminals, stimulating post-ganglionic parasympathetic fibres that terminate on effector organs. Ahhh...
What I don't find amusing is ... almost anything that football players do.
I'm always being asked ... for directions on the street.
* I made that up.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
9 comments:
Here's a genuine question, from your legion of fan:
Why did you drop out of your PhD and do med? Would you advise others in your position to do the same?
That is two genuine questions for the price of one! However, I'm unsure of whether I want to go into it in detail on the interwebs to be honest.
However, the short answer is that I would not advise you to do the same. If your PhD sucks and you are interested in med, do it. If your PhD sucks, and you want to be a go-go dancer, do that instead.
Medicine is not a panacea. It's demanding, exhausting, and stressful. However, I really enjoy it and it was the right decision for me.
Talk to everyone who you think might have something to say about it then make up your own mind.
PTR, If you are famous for getting trapped underground, does that make you a miner celebrity?
If so, would that mean you'd get a different pro-forma set of questions?
Anonymous (first comment)
How would you define a "genuine" question? If you haven't specified that any of your other questions are genuine - does that mean they are phony (and please note, this is a genuine question)?
Miner celebrity! da-boom-TISH! Yes, I think the questions would be quite different. Mostly of the "What type of soup would you like us to pour down the tube today?" type.
I think the first Anonymous deserves some kudos, by the way, for his(?) use of the phrase "legion of fan".
Anonymous number one one here again. What if your Ph.D was going alright, with no desperate reason to quit, but you've figured out that your passion is medicine. Would you hang in the extra 18 months and then go for doctor doctor? Or forego a doctor, in order to become Dr. Feelgood. Or would you just cut to the chase and order two doctorates off the internet and move to India?
Speaking of fans: http://bitsandpieces.us/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/imagesmetal-20fans.jpg
-L
Sounds like your situation is very different so I wouldn't listen to my advice at all. My PhD sucked and was making me miserable so I quit. Medicine was one of several backup plans. I'm fortunate that it is working out well so far. Free tweezers!
If you know what your passion is, why not pursue it? Not many people have that luxury. On the other hand, it would be pretty cool to be two doctors.
But it would also be cool to be a stunt-man! Have you considered it?
Or the guy who designs Lego sets.
Believe it or not, I'm taking your advice. I'll finish the Ph.D, and defer med for a year. My Ph.D isn't cringeworthy enough to drop out of alas. Also I like the people there.
Personally I think you should drop out of med and be a guidance counsellor who makes lego on the side.
-L (unfortunately I am already well hooked up with free tweezers, I'm more after the free pens.)
You're taking my advice? Wow - I was trying really hard not to give any. I'm like a human ouiji board it seems. G-I-V-E-M-E-A-L-L-Y-O-U-R-M-O-N-E-Y ... huh this thing doesn't work at all.
I'm sure you remember this, but it's one of my favourite posts as it pretty much encapsulates how I feel about advice:
http://pronetoreverie.blogspot.com/2009/06/advice.html
Good luck!
Post a Comment