DAY 29

Sept 30

1) Today was packed full of stuff! Early in the morning we had lectures, starting from 9 till 5 in the evening, with no break in between. We had our third anatomy lesson (on the mediastinum), our first history taking tutorial, three cardiovascular and upper limb lectures, and one fundamentals of biomedicine lecture. In short, it was a killer!

2) Had lunch at AK. Henry's (where else?) before cleverly stowing half of my sandwich for dinner. It may not seem much but the €3 sandwiches at RCSI are really wholesome and filling. Plus they are served with the most delicious crisps I have ever tasted - Tayto crisps! I am probably hooked on it by now. At least it's good quality crisps and not the ones back in Malaysia *wink wink*

3) Immediately after lectures ended, we gathered at the entrance and walked to the bus stop, planning to take the 39A bus to UCD. There was a surgical event organised by the Malaysian Medics International Ireland (MMII). Bus ride took us around 20 minutes. First impressions of UCD: huge with a capital H. Much more facilities such as swimming pools, libraries, and even a mini pharmacy! The event started off with some speeches, followed by a surgical talk by Robert Memba, Assistant Professor/ Specialist Registrar of the Department of Surgery, Trinity College Dublin.

4) Next was the fun time: competitions! We were broken into small groups, before being given various tasks to complete, within the time limit. My team didn't win anything in the end, but we still had loads of fun! The event finished at around 9.30 p.m., and after that I did something rather crazy. I found out the 46A bus that would take me back to Leeson Street Lower would be coming in 8 minutes, and the nearest bus stop from UCD was quite far away. So together with a friend, we ran as fast as we could, up and down lanes and sidewalks - my backpack constantly weighing me down - until we reached the bus stop.

5) Luckily, I reached there with time to spare. Took the bus back home, and came straight to my room to type this. Tomorrow is going to be another hectic day, as I embark on a quest to see my first ice-hockey match! That's all for my post today, hope you enjoyed it, and goodnight!

Lunch AND Dinner right there

 It was raining when we waited at the bus stop

Pretty self-explanatory

Entrance to UCD

RCSI in front, UCD at the back

Some really nice facilities at UCD

Dinner XD

Dr. Robert Memba

DAY 28

Sept 29

1) Today was an interesting day. Woke up early as usual and watched the two videos on clinical practice and history taking. These would make up our lectures today. Went to RCSI before 10 a.m. to grab a spot, before attending lectures till 12 p.m.

2) Had lunch at AK. Henry's. The sandwiches I had were very filling, and all at only €3.00! After filling up, I had a 3 hour gap before our small group tutorials. So me and my friends went to the Coffee Doc to do revision and to prepare for tomorrow's lectures. The place was quite noisy, but we still had to study anyway.

3) With tutorials done for the day, some of us stayed back to enter the Anatomy Room, to get our hands on examining the cadavers. We wanted to do revision for practicals, but unfortunately the room had to be locked soon, and we didn't get a chance to fully cover the videos we were provided with online. Undeterred, we went to the Physiotherapy Room, where there were some model skeletons lying about. Each of us proceeded to "teach" the others, simulating a demonstration and to promote better understanding. It was really fun and exciting to learn in this manner!

4) By now it was time for dinner. Went back, decided that soup was for dinner until I realised the frozen dinner I bought the other day was expiring today! Had no choice but to finish that as well. So now my stomach is doubly full, and I would probably skip breakfast tomorrow as a result haha. Anyway, that's all for today, but tomorrow and the day after is chalk full of activities which I can't wait to experience. Stay tuned, and goodnight!

Extremely filling, extremely satisfying, but most importantly

*extremely cheap*

Posing with Stefan the Skeleton ;D

The Physiotherapy Room

Chicken tikka masala with rice,

plus oxtail soup

DAY 27

Sept 28

1) Today was a sunny day. Woke up early, to complete my pilgrimage to St. Stephen's Green for my morning jog. I finally managed to dip under an hour for eight large rounds at the park. Came back for some cereal, before starting my daily routine of playing catch up with my lecture notes.

2) Made lunch slightly earlier, since I was planning to use the lunch time afterward to seek assistance for my phone. Hurried to finish washing up, and got myself ready for the first lecture today. With the first lecture done, I went over to Meteor to ask why I couldn't use the mobile data despite topping up €10 just two days back. After much talking, we finally managed to sort it out, and now my mobile data is available again.

3) Then it was back to lectures, including our first healthcare symposia, where a patient would present their story and we would learn to take down notes. They spoke really quickly and with a strong accent, so that it was not easy to pick up what they had to say. Anyways, we still tried our best. It was certainly interesting though, to listen to them explaining about their problems (in this case, arthritis) and how they learned to cope with it.

4) Back home, I prepared dinner as usual. Finished the last of my minced meat, which is great, since the expiry date was yesterday... Anyway, I still have a frozen dinner which I can reheat for tomorrow, so I'm still covered. Took a quick nap, before waking up rejuvenated, and proceeded to type this out. That's all the time I have, and thank you for reading. Bye!

Spaghetti for lunch

My room, which I share with my roommate 

from Myanmar

Bon apetit!

DAY 26

Sept 27

1) Today can be summed in one word: exhausting! Woke up at 7 a.m. (still don't know how I do it), before having a light breakfast and hurriedly watching the dissection video for anatomy practical today. Attended lectures beginning at 9 a.m. Immediately after the first lecture was dissection time (our second anatomy practical so far). Our surgeon prosector was Mr. Daniel Kelly, MCh, FRCSI. He lectured us on the inner workings of the thoracic cavity and neurovascular bundle. It was a lot to take in, as the information was almost overwhelming. But I will find a way to remember all this (I hope...)

2) After anatomy class, my mind was in a whirl and I couldn't think anymore, so we went for lunch as  usual. Tried the jacket potato today. It was really filling since it consisted of a WHOLE potato! At least I felt completely full afterward. Next, three consecutive lectures were to occupy our remaining time slot for today. Suffice to say, I was happy when the last lecturer finished her lecture.

3) Walked back home to Leeson Street Lower, where I immediately cooked rice. Today is my first time trying out the basmati rice I bought at Asia Market. It is a long, slender-grained aromatic rice which, in my opinion, tastes better than the rice I have been consuming all this while. I also discovered I can prepare, cook, eat and wash up a meal in less than an hour, every single time. So I need not worry about cooking being too time consuming.

4) Finished dinner and wanted to have an orange, but the last remaining orange I had seems quite unusual. The skin is at least doubly thicker than any orange I've had, and there's hardly any juice left. I decided not to have it, for fear of an upset tummy. Instead, I had a small praline for dessert. Satisfied, I returned to my room, had an hour's nap, and here I am typing this out. It has been a long day, and I need to revise some things the lecturer told us today. Cheers!

The ice hockey match in Belfast this Saturday!

Baked potato with rice and sauce on the side, €3.95

The usual suspect (Basmati rice, minced meat bolognese 

and mixed vegetables)

DAY 25

Sept 26

1) Today was our first lesson at 8 a.m. Back in Malaysia, I had no problem waking up early for school and would usually arrive before 7 a.m. But here, where the weather is cold, and the wind chilly, it's hard to find the strength to even crawl out of bed! Anyway, still made it in time for the first lecture on arteries and veins. Immediately after that was an hour break, so some of us went to the tutorial room to study, After that was the programme called "Passport for Success". Fancy name, but all they talked about today was on addiction and stimulants, and how to overcome them.

2) Two more lectures after that and that was it for today! For lunch, I dropped by at Mercer to meet Stephanie and Nee Kee, who had batch cooked some stuffed chicken and veggies. I won't lie - it tasted really good! After a really pleasant meal, I went to Meteor (a phone company) to buy a SIM Card. It cost me €10 and in my opinion, is a much better deal than the current €20-a-month plan that I'm using. Came back home, inserted SIM Card and changed my phone number. I'm glad to save €10 a month in this manner.

3) Not long after, went to RCSI again for table tennis, where I was taught how to play properly by one of the society members. It is really fun! Stopped halfway to attend the Meet and Greet session for the Art Society, where there was free pizza! The pizza went by sooo fast, and I only got a slice. So me and my friends made a trip to McDonald's, where they have some seriously cost-friendly deals. I had the €2.00 double cheeseburger, and it was awesome. Maybe it was just the cold or something haha. Spent some time chatting with each other, before calling it a day.

4) Walked back home myself as usual, and spent some time filling this post with some (hopefully) meaningful words. I'm sleep deprived, PLUS classes start at 9 p.m., so I'm ending on this note. Thanks my faithful readers for reading, and goodnight!

Stuffed chicken with sauteed broccoli

(Credits to Nee Kee for the meal!)

My slice of pizza at the student lounge

The lounge

Double cheeseburger for only €2!

Now that's a value deal!

From l-r: Me, Hong, Esther, Aysha

at McD

DAY 24

Sept 25

1) Today woke up early as usual to jog around St. Stephen's Green. Did 8 full rounds, which should translate to around 10km. The weather is getting colder and colder these days. Even with the Sun fully up, I can't feel the heat. And the winds are becoming stronger too. At least it's not raining. Anyway, came back for breakfast before - you guessed it - studying and revising the week's lectures.

2) For lunch, I heated up a frozen dinner - chicken korma with pilau rice. Tasted really good and hearty after the morning run. In the afternoon, I decided to pay Tesco Baggot a visit and found the prices there to be much (and I mean MUCH) cheaper than at Dunnes. I am definitely going to do my groceries at Tesco from now on!

3) Dinner comes soon enough when you're hungry. I blame the cold weather for it. I cooked pretty much what I will be cooking for a really long time here; rice with minced meat and vegetables. I used up the last of the rice which I brought to Ireland. After this, I will open the basmati rice I bought at Asia Market.

4) Not much transpired after that. Washed up, packed my stuff for tomorrow's lessons, before returning to my *studies*. Tomorrow's class starts at 8.00 a.m. Apparently the seniors weren't telling us everything when they said that class at 8 is only for the JC2 cycle. Thank god I'm an early riser then. Tonight's post is shorter than usual. But anyway, that's all folks! Cheers!

Lunch was delicious!!

One of the more amusing signs I saw on my way to Tesco

Dinner by the MasterChef XD

DAY 23

Sept 24

1) Today was a rainy day. Woke up to have some peanut cookies for breakfast, before trying to cover some of next week's lecture notes. Had an early lunch because there was badminton later in the afternoon. For lunch, I opened up the tin of tomato paste, so I could create spaghetti with minced meat bolognese. Worked pretty well I reckon, and only my opinion counts for this haha.

2) After lunch, waited for a while before suiting up for badminton, at Archbishop Byrne Hall. Turns out it is so much closer from my residence to the venue than from RCSI. It was raining a bit when I left, but thankfully nothing heavy; just a light drizzle. Badminton session commenced from 1-4 p.m. I partnered a friend, Andrew, a local here. We had a ball of a time, chatting in between matches as we let the others play as well.

3) Came back, got myself cleaned up, and prepared dinner. Tonight I would be having rice, with minced meat and mixed vegetables in a tomato sauce. Now you, the reader, know to what length I go to cut costs haha. Anyway, the food tasted delicious, so I won't complain. Ate an orange afterward because, digestion. Continued studying and covering lectures, until 9 plus.

4) Walked down to Mercer's to meet up with friends. We were going to watch a movie, called Tangled. I'm sure most of you reading this will have seen it, but I have not. It was not too bad, although if I'm honest, I prefer hand drawn animations better. But to each their own, I guess. So after that, returned home to my trusty laptop. Tomorrow promises to be a breath of fresh air, and I for one can't wait for it! Thank you for reading and have yourself a pleasant evening!

Spaghetti bolognese a la Kevin XD

Free banana after badminton session

Dinner - unusually filling and wholesome!

DAY 22

Sept 23

1) Today has been a quiet day. Woke up early because me and my friends would finally be able to set up our bank transactions, including my standing orders. Met up at 10.00 a.m. and walked to the bank together. What rotten luck! After filling in ALL my particulars, the machine at the kiosk decided to go out of order. I had to wait again at the next kiosk to redo it all over again. Luckily, only one person was there so I didn't have to wait too long. With all the transactions done, there is only one last thing to do: get my GNIB Card, which is like a study permit card.

2) Next up, I had to buy my 10kg sack of rice. Went to Asia Market to purchase the basmati option for €16.50. Last item to purchase was my vegetable source. Lugged the heavy sack to Dunnes (since I had to pass by anyway) and bought freshly prepared mixed vegetables. Finally, I carried everything home, in preparation for lunch. This afternoon, I cooked rice, steamed my vegetables, fried some mince meat before adding the last of my carbonara sauce into it; and voila! Lunch is served :D

3) I spent the better part of the afternoon going through lecture notes, trying to make head or tail of what I was reading. Next week onwards would be brutal; no more free Thursdays and Fridays, plus the introduction of the Clinical Practice module. Just trying to stay abreast with the lecturer isn't easy. There's just too much to study. So I gave up after a while and listened to songs and had my forty winks. Woke up and felt hungry, so went downstairs to prepare dinner.

4) For dinner, I had a frozen meal (the second of my two frozen dinners that went *SPLAT*). It tasted really good AND was easy to clean: two descriptions to make any college student's day. After that, went to RCSI for archery session. It was my first time, yet I managed to hit the inner circle, thrice! But the recoil took its toll on my left arm, as you can see from the pics below. No pain no gain I guess. There was free pizza after the session, and I duly regained the calories I had just shed. What a perfect way to end the day! As usual, walked back home to type this out. Thanks for reading as always, and goodnight!

Mixed vegetables with minced meat carbonara

What's left of my frying pan :{

Archery session in progress

Trying to act like a pro, although I'm obviously not haha

Those are all mineeeeee :D

Chicken ham dinner, bought at Dunnes for €3.25

Free Pizza!

Everything comes at a price... recoil from the bow haha