DAY 392/393/394

Sept 27, 28 & 29

1) The past couple of days have given me some much needed study time, especially having Thurs and Fri off. My timetable has subsequently been packed full of miscellaneous activities, completely unrelated to studying. So I've decided to participate in this year's PMCSA Games, held annually between RCSI and our friends from UCD. We had our first practice (Ultimate Frisbee), and it was lovely fun.

2) I've also come down with a sore throat and runny nose. It seems almost everyone is getting sick at this time of the year - many of my friends have either gotten sick or are sick too! It could be the drastic change in temperature that's causing this. But anyway, I have my first quiz (Quiz 1) next Tuesday, so there really isn't much time to think about this...

3) Kickboxing practice has been brought forward to the morning (usually it's Sat afternoon) due to the coach being busy. I look forward to my second practice with the other members, as I find kickboxing a great way to destress and have a good workout! Also, I will be attending the MMII Event "Late-Night Coffee with MMII" tomorrow night, at Accents Coffee and Tea Lounge. Again, it's basically another excuse for me not to study and hang out with my friends instead.

4) To cap it all off, our group (for the EBH/PHE Team Project) will be meeting up tomorrow, to see how far we've progressed. Frankly, I am looking forward to completing this once and for all, as it is taking up a lot of my valuable time. Time which I can put to good use - such as sleeping. This reminds me, the library has come up with a policy - you can only leave your belongings (at your preoccupied space in the library) for up to 30 minutes. Any longer than that, and someone else can take over your seat, and your belongings removed to a secure location.

5) The decision was made after many students left their stuff and went off for hours at a time. I think it is a good idea, but honestly I would prefer if we were given a bit more time. Library spots are a "hot" spot given the nature of our study, as well as the studiousness of my friends. Given how almost everyone I see is literally buried in books/ self-made notes, it can all be a bit daunting. But I guess everyone learns to cope eventually...

6) So that has been my recount of the past couple of days, and I hope you enjoyed reading about it. Thanks for visiting as always, and have a good day. Cheers!

Free Friendship Lunch - 

with Dr Ebun Joseph (Career Development Consultant) 

and two Student Representatives :D

Sandwiches and banter - just in time for the afternoon lectures!

Jigsaw: 5-A-Day for Positive Mental Health

(RCSI Health & Wellbeing Week)

Follow the trail of food - just kidding (okay only partially ^^)

DAY 389/390/391

Sept 24, 25 & 26

1) And so begins that marked increase in tempo, signalling that exams draw close. It can be seen in various forms, from the decreasing number of vacant seats in the library, to the amount of new information we're exposed every day, and also the "off days" we have on Thursday and Friday - the proverbial calm before the storm. The exam I'm referring to is actually a quiz - our first quiz to be precise, and on paper, it shouldn't be too hard.

2) But the reality is that life is passing by faster than I would prefer. Barely after being introduced to a whole range of terms in various fields of the health sciences, the next day brings about completely new terminology and suddenly, twenty lectures have been covered! That being said, at least the holidays will come sooner as well.

3) On a more positive note, I went for my first kickboxing lesson on Saturday. I wanted to join last year but somehow never got the chance, so this year I made it a point to show up for practice. Our coach is Eddie, and he met us all at Damer Hall, just beside the Unitarian Church. It was so much fun practicing some punches and kicks, and it certainly brought back good memories of my childhood years practising Taekwondo. I made many friends too, from various parts of the world.

4) That has been my past couple of days summed up, and I hope you enjoyed reading about it. I'm rather busy this week in particular, with lots of datelines and projects to complete, so just to inform everyone who is kind enough to patronise my blog XD. Thanks very much for visiting and as always, have a great day. Cheers!

Kickboxing fam :D

The Dispensary has some really nice wraps - for only €3.20!

That's a huge fruitcake if I've ever seen one - at the Dispensary :D

All those gloves for training...

As you can tell, I'm one shy of the BIG one!!

DAY 386/387/388

Sept 21, 22 & 23

1) On Thursday, we had the privilege of having dinner with the Chief Secretary to the Government of Malaysia (otherwise known as Ketua Setiausaha Negara in BM) - Tan Sri Dato' Dr. Ali bin Hamsa. After our daily 9-5 ritual of classes, Zi Yan and I rushed to catch the bus to the Malaysian Embassy (Rumah Malaysia) in Ballsbridge, Dublin 4. We met student representatives from various colleges, including UCD, Trinity, and DBS.

2) At around 6.00pm, the guest of honour arrived. After a short introduction on his background, he was invited to deliver a talk on Malaysia's plan for the future, from a socioeconomic and political standpoint. Former Prime Minister Tun Dato' Seri Dr Mahathir bin Mohamad came up with the Malaysian ideal of Vision 2020 (Wawasan 2020), calling for the nation to achieve self-sufficient industrialised status by the year 2020. While we are working towards this goal, our current Prime Minister has introduced the TN50 (short for National Transformation 2050 or Transformasi Negara), which aims to steer the country towards achieving its projected targets by the year 2050.

3) It is through education and the empowerment of the next generation of leaders that our country will thrive, and for this reason we were all invited to give our comments/opinions. After giving us an all-encompassing outlook of Malaysia's stance on a global scale, Tan Sri then opened the floor for any questions. As a layperson (with little to no experience in economics or business management), I learnt a lot about the governing policy of various countries, especially our neighbouring countries and members of ASEAN. Some of the questions asked were as diverse as our nation's stance on the "Rohingya genocide", the proposal for a cap on the frequently fluctuating (pardon the alliteration) consumer products, and also his opinions on our Prime Minister, Dato' Sri Haji Mohammad Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak, after his announcing that he would push Malaysian pension funds to invest more in the U.S.

4) After a long and engaging dialogue, it was time to feast. And feast we did! It has been a long time since I have had proper, authentic Malaysian cuisine (I really can't bear to part with my money at the Dublin Kopitiam, as authentic as it may be). And what better way to end than with some lovely desserts and traditional cakes (kuih-muih). All the while, I was catching up with my friends from the other universities. I saw many familiar faces, and met many new ones. It was a good day for all of us. Soon, we had to leave, so Zi Yan and I took the 7a bus back to Trinity, where we walked the remaining distance back to RCSI. It was back home from there, and straight to bed. Anyway, that has been my experience, and I hope you enjoyed reading about it. Thanks very much for visiting, and have a lovely weekend. Cheers!

"All thumbs up!" - posing with Tan Sri Dato' Dr. Ali bin Hamsa

(Chief Secretary to the Government of Malaysia)

Group photo time!! 

P.C. Malik's camera ^^

Embassy of Malaysia

Only the three of us in the front row are from RCSI (Me, Zi Yan, Lyana) -

the rest are from UCD! XD

A slightly more formal picture with Tan Sri

White rice, chicken curry, "ulam" or salad greens, stir fried veggies, turmeric prawns - 

my mouth is watering already! <3<3<3

It doesn't get any more Malaysian than this :D

Mung bean soup (a.k.a. 绿豆沙)

Ballsbridge has cemented its status as an affluent neighbourhood in the city of Dublin,

and I think this picture very appropriately captures this

DAY 383/384/385

Sept 18, 19 & 20

1) The past three days have been a flurry of activities. For one, we've returned to the old Anatomy Room (after restoration), and been assigned a cadaver for each table. It's our last semester in the Anatomy Room, after which we will be transferred to Beaumont Hospital. While rushing to make it for the 8.00am class on Monday, I managed to take a nice, picturesque shot of the sunrise at Dundrum, complete with contrails from multiple aeroplanes. A beautiful sight to brighten up my day.

2) Tuesday was mostly studying, with many of us opting for Dicey's after lessons. We introduced our Thai friends to the humongous and delish portions that is synonymous with Dicey's, and they thoroughly enjoyed it. Come evening time, Vik and I (representing the RCSI-MUN Society) went for the President's Meeting, along with the other clubs and societies of RCSI.

3) Earlier today, Melissa and Melvin had invited us for a BBQ dinner at their church (Grosvenor Road Baptist Church), and Zi Yan, Kuhan, Lai, Giovanni, and I decided to come along. We took the bus to Dublin 6, and walked a short distance to Grosvenor Road (pronounced "Grovner Road" apparently). We had a lovely time meeting other students from various countries, and the banter was that much more memorable with good food. We had grilled sausages and burgers, with all the fixings. Then it was time to roast our own marshmallows over a fire pit. I even had a stab at making my first ever legitimate s'more (Graham cracker, chocolate, and roasted marshmallow dessert), and it tasted great!

4) After our appetite was satiated, it was time to demonstrate our musical talent. Some members began strumming their guitars, while the rest (myself included) sang in unison to some popular hits. Zi Yan helped project the lyrics on to the screen so all of us could sing along. In a nutshell, we had a ball. It was getting late, so after thanking everyone for their hospitality, we excused ourselves and left. Melvin, Melissa, and Zi Yan went off separately, leaving us behind to take the bus back to Aungier Street. From there, I took the LUAS back home - just in time to have a nice long chat with my dad, and to type this out. School tomorrow (today XD) starts late, so I can afford the liberty of staying up to type this out. Anyway, that's been the gist of my past three days, and hopefully you enjoyed reading about it. Have a nice day, cheers!

Free advertisement for Cancer Soc, as while as Taylor's College XD

A beautiful sunrise illuminating the Dundrum skyline :)

So what will I go for today? :p

Me, Kuhan, Hong, Varin, Ice, Khee Heng,

enjoying a well-deserved lunch

Grosvenor Road Baptist Church

The open barbecue pit, before the sky got dark

Candid photo

Good food, even better company :D

Of burgers and banter

(seriously I'm running out of captions here XD)

Let there be light! ^^

Roasting marshmallows

(I think my phone camera quality is great :D)

Roasted marshmallow on skewer, soon to be transferred to...

To a digestive cookie, and on top of a bed of chocolate bids, to form...

Hey presto, a s'more! :D

Semi-melted ice cream tasted a million times better than it looked :)

Group pic 

(cheers to a wonderful night out, and to many more!)

DAY 381/382

Sept 16 & 17

1) I'm running out of things to say here. It's not easy coming up with details on how your days went by, if all you're doing is spending time in the library. The answer may sound simple: go out for a walk, go out with your friends etc. But being the cold-fearing person that I've gradually become, I far prefer to stay indoors if I can help it. Especially since the weather has taken a turn for the worse. So instead of boring you with how I spent the last two days (honestly I was stuck in front of a computer for most of the time anyways), I'm going to share with you some of my favourite songs - as well as the memories that I associate with them. (I promised to talk about my musical interests in an earlier post, so here goes :D)...

2) Back when I was in kindergarten, I used to enjoy listening to a CD recording of "Greatest Hits -Golden Oldies" that my grandparents had. Not surprisingly, I became fond of some really old tunes - including "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" and "Only You" by The Platters, "The Tennessee Waltz" by Patty Page, "Love Letters in the Sand" by Pat Boone, etc... I vividly remember singing "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" during an award ceremony at the tender age of five, and not many actually having heard of the song before. To be honest, I never really understood the lyrics until I was older XD

3) I missed a year of school when I was six. Having skipped a year when I was five, I had to wait another year to enter Primary 1 (at age seven). Hence I had loads of time to explore the large collection of CDs that my family had. I listened to everything from The Carpenters, Engelbert Humperdinck, Barry Manilow, Elton John, Bee Gees, The Beatles, John Denver, to name but a few. Sometimes when my dad was free, he'd help me jot down the lyrics so I could practise singing to the tune (this was wayyyyy before we had the Internet, okay?)

4) Fast forward to my primary and lower secondary school years, and these can collectively be called my "gaming years". The days when I was an avid gamer, glued to the TV and with no other purpose in life than to progress further into career mode. Along with these games, however, came music that have stuck in my head even until now. As I was customising my favourite car in Need For Speed Underground 2, "In My Head" by Queens of the Stone Age was playing. Every time I booted the game on, "Riders on the Storm (Remix)" by Snoop Dogg would automatically play (there wasn't even an option to deselect it, so you were forced to listen to it every time you played the game). Not forgetting such classics like "Give It All" by Rise Against, and "The Celebration Song" by Unwritten Law.

5) Then I got Need For Speed Most Wanted, and my default soundtrack changed to "Blinded in Chains" by Avenged Sevenfold, and "In a Hood Near You" by Suni Clay. I remember challenging my friend Jonathan over who could complete the game first (by beating out other "Blacklist" members to be the No. 1 Most Wanted in the fictional city of Rockport). Good times, good times... Then it was to the next racing game - Burnout Paradise; and the theme song for it was "Paradise City" by Guns N' Roses. There was a HUGE collection of classical songs in Burnout Paradise, and I was spoilt for choice when it came to choosing from them. Verdi's "Triumphal March from Aida" and "Nabucco: Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves", Debussy's "Carnival of the Animals: The Aquarium" and "Claire de Lune" - it was a unique experience racing at breakneck speeds and watching crashes unfold in 1920x1080 glory, as classical music played in the background.

6) In lower secondary, I used to go to the Internet Cafe after band practice on Saturdays. I'd begun diversifying from racing and fighting games, and now adventure (platforming) games entered my repertoire. Prince of Persia was right up my list, and I still remember going online to search for the solutions to the puzzles in the game. The Internet Cafe had a whole host of songs which I hadn't heard before. I particularly remember three: "1973" by James Blunt, "Colours of the Rainbow" by DJ Skeptyk, and "Into the Night" by Santana.

7) Around this time, I had my first taste of more modern music. One of my favourite bands that I always listened to was Linkin Park, and such songs as "In The End", "New Divide", "Numb", "Burn It Down", "What I've Done", and "Castle of Glass" became the staple whenever I was studying. I'd joke to myself that I would always be happy in life, because there were only two outcomes if I gave it my all: a) I'd succeed, and I'd be happy, or b) I'd fail, and then I'd just sing "In The End" to make me feel better XD. Indeed, I've failed many times before, and songs like these provided that modicum of comfort that I needed. That would also explain my complete and utter shock upon finding out the recent death of lead singer, Chester Bennington. There were just too many memories associated with this.

8) As I entered my Pre-U studies, I recall diversifying to more modern music. Imagine Dragons, Avicii, Maroon 5, Coldplay, Westlife, Sam Smith, Justin Timberlake, Shawn Mendes - it'd come to the point where I was not selective with the genre, but rather the melody or "hook" of it. I had a playlist of all my favourite songs, and I listened to them while fervently studying for my A-Levels. During my gap year (before coming to uni), I'd stay up late and listen to EDM music - tracks by Alan Walker ("Fade", not "Faded"), Electro-Light ("Fall for Gravity"), Pegboards x MisterWives ("Coffins") started appealing to me.

9) I've completely neglected to mention songs in other languages. Since I was a child, I have always loved watching anime, and one of my all-time favourites was Samurai X (otherwise known as Rurouni Kenshin). I particularly love the 3rd Ending Song - "Heart of Sword" by T.M. Revolution, as well as the 6th Ending Song - "1/3 no Junjou na Kanjou" by Siam Shade. I remember waking up at 6.00 a.m. to watch a rerun of the previous day's two episodes, before going to school! Another anime I enjoyed was Yu Yu Hakusho - a highly acclaimed anime about a spirit detective battling demons in the underworld. One particular song resonates with me - "Taiyou ga mata Kagayaku Toki" by Hiro Takahashi, in that it was the last song I heard before going to Japan as an exchange student, in 2007.

10) Another anime in which I loved the music was Yakitate Japan - an anime about a boy who dreams of becoming the best baker in Japan. Tracks like "Chiisana Uta" by MARIA and "Houki Gumo" by RYTHEM bring back memories of days gone by. Last year, while attempting to binge-watch anime over winter, I came across some lovely Japanese animated movies. The exceptionally tear-jerking "Grave of the Fireflies" had the ending song "Futari", while the visual masterpiece "Sword of the Stranger" had "Ihojin no Yaiba". Perfection.

11) Going back to my Chinese ancestry, there are too many Chinese songs (both old and new) that I enjoy. Classics from Teresa Teng immediately flood my memory, including "I Only Care About You"  (我只在乎你), The Moon Represents My Heart" (月亮代表我的心), "Small Town Story" (小城故事), "Tian mi mi" (甜蜜蜜) and "When Will You Return?" (何日君再来). Also, "Nim Can Jan" (念亲恩) by 陈百强 (Danny Chan), "San Nian" (三年) by 李香蘭 (Li Xiang Lan), "Huang Hun"(黃昏) by 周傳雄 (Steve Chou), "Fairy Tale" (童話) by 光良 (Guang Liang), "Qi Shi Ni Bu Dong Wo De Xin"(其實你不懂我的心) by 童安格 (Angus Tung) - I could literally go on and on. I'd wake up on weekends to the tune of many of these songs playing, and I guess over time I've associated them with all the good memories of the past. Talk about classical conditioning XD

12) Any other songs in different languages that I enjoy? Definitely - Warisan (Sudirman Arshad), Pergi Saja (Geisha), Danza Kuduro (Lucenzo), Bewafa (Imran Khan) etc. I think it was Captain Nemo from "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" who said, "great art and music live forever". Certainly I'd like to think that, along with food, art and music break down cultural barriers and connect people together. Music continues to play an integral part in my life - whether listening to songs as I study, or when I board the LUAS back home at night; music follows me wherever I go.

13) I've gone way longer than any of my previous blogs in narrating my life story, and with it, my love for music. I hope I've given you some insight into my personal life, and maybe you may have some favourite songs of your own, which you'd like to share! Anyway, that has been my blog update (and a very long one at that), and I hope you enjoyed reading about it. Have a nice day, cheers!

Three more stamps to go at Boojums - till free T-shirt XD

Dicey's Before...

Dicey's After....

DAY 378/379/380

Sept 13, 14 & 15

1) As Fresher's Week draws to a close, there were still two more events on my agenda - the RCSI Debate Society Inaugural Event, as well as the RCSI Cancer Society's Pink Party, at DTwo Club. But before that, I had a meeting with our Personal Tutor this morning. We usually meet up with our mentor twice a semester to discuss on any problems or issues we may have. For our first meeting this semester, Dr Natasha Rafter had a special surprise for us - a box of Rolling Donuts! It's fast becoming a tradition for us students - if it ain't pizza, it's probably doughnuts... Anyway, we talked about our summer experience, as well as our expectations for the following year.

2) This evening, I went for the Debate Society's Inaugural Event - 'The Devil's Advocate'. We were divided into "for" and "against" groups, and given various motions to debate on. It was really informal, to allow for debaters of various experiences to have a go. Some of the more interesting topics included a) tea: before milk or after?; b) RCSI is the best medical school in the world; c) live to eat, or eat to live?; d) pets should be allowed in class; and e) pineapple on pizzas should be banned. It was really challenging coming up with points in a mere 30 seconds, but we tried our best, and enjoyed a nice round of pizzas afterward.

3) Later tonight, it was time for Pink Party! Held at DTwo Club, this event takes place annually to raise money for charity - specifically for Breast Cancer Research. We arrived early to set up our props (mostly balloons), and to secure our spot to party. Loud music blared from the speakers above us, and there was a nice stage for people keen to strut their dancing skills. I spent some time taking photographs using Jeffrey's beautiful DSLR camera, and not long after people started trickling in. Soon the entire place was packed, while the line just grow longer and longer. I didn't want to arrive home too late, so I said goodbye to everybody and left. That brings to an end yet another memorable day for me, and I hope you enjoyed reading about it. Thanks very much for visiting, and have a great weekend ahead. Cheers!

Awesome night out, and for a good cause too ^^

My friends and Dr. Natasha Rafter (centre),

ft the Rolling Donuts

Rolling Donutssss

With old and new members of the Debate Society!

With Suzanne and Claire :D

On the Dance Floor

Breast Cancer Ireland

With Jeffrey and Claire ^^

DTwo as the night progressed :D

Pink Party Tickets to Dtwo