Chan Weng Kit's Blogspot: November 2017

Thursday 30 November 2017

DAY 455/456/457

Nov 29 & 30 and Dec 1

1) It is now barely a week more till our end-of-semester exams. The library and all study areas are packed to the brim, with many students staying back till after midnight to revise. On a positive note, there have been a couple of revision lectures, designed to help us consolidate everything we've learnt so far. One such lecture we attended today was the anatomy revision session. All the students from Group B (my group) were separated to four tables, each with an Anatomy Demonstrator. Mr Lane would facilitate our lessons, and he wasted no time in revising many of the lectures we had covered, including some high-yield questions.

2) These days have become less and less exciting for me, as there are no more activities to attend, nor events to go to; as everyone is busy with the upcoming exams. As a result, my daily routine involves me commuting to RCSI in the morning, and basically staying till nighttime. I usually go home well before midnight, as the LUAS doesn't operate too long after that, and because it can get really chilly walking back from the station.

3) Also, it seems that after a string of bad luck, I've finally gotten lucky again. I am of course referring to the "Buy a Burrito, Flip a Coin" challenge at Burritos and Blues. Every Wednesday, when you buy a burrito, you get to choose heads or tails for the challenge. Guess correctly, and it's a free burrito. I was three for three when I went alone, then after going out with friends I was stuck at none out of two, and now that I went alone again, I'm one for one. I wonder if there's a pattern here?

3) In a way, this winter feels somewhat colder than the last, and try as I might, I have not gotten used to the cold yet. On the other hand, some of my friends back home are complaining of how hot it is, especially during the afternoons. I guess it's hard to satisfy everyone XD. Anyway, that has been the past couple of days here, and thank you for visiting my blog. Have a nice weekend ahead, cheers!

It looks like a scene from a sci-fi movie, but it's actually the staircase to the upper levels...

Ciabatta sandwiches really hit the spot!

AK Henry's €3.50 sandwich deals

(I'm not getting paid to write this XD)

Monday 27 November 2017

DAY 452/453/454

Nov 26, 27 & 28

1) One year has whizzed by so fast. I vividly remember volunteering to help out for the PMCSA Farewell Dinner last year - serving our catered food to the many guests. This is part of a tradition we have of saying goodbye to the third years who are transitioning back to Penang for their clinical years. And this year, it was time to bid farewell to our a-year-ahead seniors. I did not volunteer for the event, instead I attended as a guest.

2) This year, there were two distinct changes. (1) The addition of a photo booth for everyone, and (2) ample and delicious food. Last year's Dinner ran into some issues due to miscommunication with the caterers, so that we had less food than expected. Thankfully, this was well accounted for this year. Anyway, to kick things off, we had some opening remarks from the VIPs, followed by the ex-President of PMCSA 2016/17. Next up on our agenda was the presentation of the certificates to the third-year leavers. Everyone got up on stage for a quick group photo afterwards.

3) Then it was time for our three-course dinner. Lamb meatballs on bruschetta as entrees, with chicken and pasta for mains. And what better way to finish than with some lovely comfort food - chocolate brownies with vanilla ice cream. As we tucked into our food, we were greeted with an array of performances. First up was "The Rolled Up Genes", which performed three songs, followed by our very own Zi Yan, whose rendition of "Viva La Vida" left many of us awestruck. Addy and Jong serenaded everyone with a heartfelt duet of Wang Lee Hom's, with many more performances in between.

4) We still had two surprises left in store. First up was the prizes ceremony. We had a multitude of awards, from "Most Involved" to "Library Bookworm", and even "Most Adorable Couple"(!) And for the finale, a 15 minute long video from us, wishing them a safe journey and every possible success back home. It was a fantastic way to wrap up what was certainly "A Night in Paris" (the theme of the event). I'm sure next year will fly by as well, and before I know it, it will be our turn to have to say goodbye to our lecturers and friends.

5) That has been the highlight of my day, and I hope you enjoyed reading about it. Have a lovely week ahead, and thanks for visiting. Cheers!

Group photo with the third years

A Night in Paris

in honour of PMC RCSI Class of 2020

The decor was on point tonight

Exam Hall was the venue for the night

With Giovanni, first year med

With some of our volunteer first med friends

Our table

Went around taking photos with each table... :)

Going round taking pics at each table was so much fun! ^^

A "hot mess", but a very delicious hot mess at that :))

Brownies with ice cream

With Zi Yan and Acap

To many more years of happiness!

Friday 24 November 2017

DAY 449/450/451

Nov 23, 24 & 25

1) Just two weeks more to our end-of-semester exams. It's hard to believe that our semester is coming to an end, and Christmas is soon to come. On a side note, I attended the "Voices Without Borders" event, hosted by RCSI Friends of MSF. Prof. Ronan Conroy, Dr. Aidan Magee, and Prof. Samuel McConkey were our guest speakers for the night, and they each took turns to speak about their experience working in remote parts of the world. It was really exciting listening to Dr Magee's recent mission to Nigeria with the MSF (Doctors Without Borders) Noma Project. Noma is a devastating gangrenous infection of the mouth and face.

2) After the event, we found out there had been a misunderstanding on the catering of food and wine. Apparently the caterers had brought the food to the wrong venue, as there was another event going on at the same time! So off we went to the Atrium, and those who attended the other event (organised by the Christian Union) came out to join us soon afterward. Apparently, we had ordered a wine and cheese reception, while they had gotten (mostly) oriental food. It didn't matter though, as we all graciously shared and feasted at the Atrium.

3) Yesterday was our last official anatomy. Granted, we may still return many times after this for practice, but it will not be the same as having actual lessons. We had Mr Fitzgerald as our surgeon prosector, who admitted that he "is grilling us hard now, but come exam time, he would look on the brighter side..." Certainly helps take some of the pressure away XD. Today was the last day of our lectures. For me, it was also the last OSCE Tutorial for the semester. My group finished off with the Cranial Nerves Examination Tutorial. With all that out of the way, it's time to focus on my upcoming exams, and hopefully get some proper revision done. That's all for this blog update, and thanks very much for visiting. Have a lovely weekend, cheers!

Group pic with my friends!

Booth outside the Auditorium

(Voices Without Borders event)

Voices Without Borders flyer

Dr Aidan Magee presented his stint with the MSF Noma Project

in Sokoto, Nigeria

Wine and cheese reception in the Atrium

Siu Yok (Roast Pork Belly)

Char Siu (Roast Pork)

Courtesy of the RCSI Christian Union

Tikka bagel for lunch :)

Tuesday 21 November 2017

DAY 446/447/448

Nov 20, 21 & 22

1) On Sunday, I attended the last day of the Malaysia Young Scholars Universal Leadership Programme 2017, at the Malaysia Hall Dublin. The previous night, all participants had been separated into their respective groups, each tackling a current issue that Malaysia faces. Since I was not present when the groups were formed, I decided to join the group tackling "Cultural Differences". We had until 11am to prepare a policy proposal, for which we were given 10 minutes speaking time. So the six of us started brainstorming ideas and the ways to implement them.

2) After a very unconventional way of determining the order we would present, our team went up first. We had come up with some suggestions, which centred around the implementation of a 1Malaysia Act. This would have overarching impact on various sectors, one of the major ones being education. We proposed the setting up of a 1Malaysia School, which would make a Mother Tongue language compulsory (in addition to the already present BM and Eng requirement). We also voiced our concern for the lack of transparency when it came to university applications.

3) To tackle this, we suggested the full disclosure by all universities through the set up of admission statistics for each university, without exceptions. Any discrepancy would have to be justified and accounted for. In this way, the public would have a better understanding of the process by which applications were accepted/rejected, and not jump to conclusions. Lastly, on the issue of the constant switch of Science and Maths in English/BM, we requested if the school be granted the autonomy to decide, or within each class if required. We opined that the schoolteachers ought not to have trouble teaching in either language, since the language of instruction has been changed so many times.

4) In short, our presentation was well received. Everyone got their chance to present, with a short Q and A session afterwards. That was the end of the programme, and after a slight delay, we were invited to have lunch. After "tapau-ing" (takeaway-ing) some food for later, I walked back to RCSI. It was a trip down memory lane, as I walked the same route that I used to take when I stayed at Leeson. That was my day.

5) Monday and Tuesday has seen me in the library. I've not been going out much, mostly because I am desperately trying to catch up with my studies. However, I still had some time to spare, to catch Prof. Frank Doyle's talk on "Insight into Peer Review". He shared a very interesting story of how his PhD Student's research, having originally been unjustly rejected for publication in a famous scientific journal, was then accepted into a smaller journal, and finally came runners up in a prestigious competition. That has been a summary of the past couple of days, and I hope you enjoyed reading about it. Thanks for visiting, and have a great day. Cheers!

Candid Group Pic at Malaysia Hall Dublin :)

Don't Miss the Forest for the Trees :)

Nasi tomato

("tomato rice" - basically rice cooked with tomato paste and spices, served with marinated chicken)

A fine sandwich meal at AK Henry's

Intro to Publishing & RCSIsmj Peer Review,

by David Maj

The lighted text reads

"Nollaig Shoha Duit" (Happy Christmas)!

Saturday 18 November 2017

DAY 443/444/445

Nov 17, 18 & 19

1) The past couple of days have been another flurry of activities for me. With relatively short notice, I found about the Malaysia Young Scholars Universal Leadership Programme 2017, taking place at Malaysia Hall Dublin. After meeting up with my friend Vik at RCSI, we walked there together. It was a pleasant surprise to meet so many familiar faces from RCSI and UCD, and even some representatives of UKEC. We caught up with each other over breakfast, which consisted of nasi lemak (coconut milk infused rice) and teh tarik (the literal translation is "pulled tea", so go figure :) Following breakfast, we heard the Opening Remarks by Her Excellency Ambassador Puan Siti Hajjar Adnin. Then the Director of Education Malaysia United Kingdom and Ireland (EM), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Zainal Abidin Sanusi coordinated the first session, entitled "Towards Realising Malaysian National Agenda".

2) At around 10.00am, I had no choice but to excuse myself as I had another important meeting to attend. I've recently been selected as International Student Ambassador for Education in Ireland, representing the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. In its seventh iteration, and with over 400 Student Ambassadors, it is truly an honour to be part of an organisation that aims to bridge the gap between Ireland and our homeland. This year's batch consists of 52 Ambassadors, representing 19 different countries and 23 institutions. After registering and getting to know some friends, it was time for our first "Ice- Breaking Session" - the Viking Splash Tours. I've always wanted to see what the fuss was all about, and luckily I waited until this long to experience the ride FOC! Anyway, we walked to St Stephen's Green, before being split into two groups. Our group's tour guide/driver was Anto - a lovely chap who wasted no time in introducing us to the various iconic landmarks in the city, all the while poking fun and shouting at passersby. All in good fun, of course.

3) As we toured round the City Centre, the International Finances Service Centre (IFSC) in Dublin 1 came into view. There, our bus magically "transformed" into a boat, although we had to put on our life jackets first. After a brief safety guide, into the water we went! Anto gave us a nice long tour around the Dublin Docklands, and then it was back on terra firma as well as the end of the trip. We alighted at the same place, before walking back to the hotel. A nice assortment of sandwiches and wraps would suffice for lunch. After lunch, the workshops began. For the rest of the session, our coordinator Ms Claire Dalton explained the tips and tricks to writing a good blog (!), as well as our role as ambassadors in promoting Ireland to aspiring undergraduates in our home country. We were instructed to write five things we loved about Ireland, and five things we wished we knew before coming here. Lastly, we were separated into Group A and B, each having their own datelines for submission of blogs/videos/promotional material.

4) Before leaving, we all took a lovely group photo together. I have made so many new friends today, and from various parts of the world too! Many of my friends had come from afar, including some from Galway and Cork! I'm looking forward to a great year ahead, with lots of challenging yet exciting activities to come. Stay tuned for more, and until then, have a great weekend. Cheers!