DAY 590-598

Apr 14 - 22

1) This past week, I have been busy with a number of things. In between slogging away for our final semester exams, I had other things on my mind as well. First off was an invitation to attend the International Student Ambassador Award Ceremony, which took place yesterday (Apr 20th) at Farmleigh House Dublin, Ireland's Official State Guest House. As much as I needed to study and catch up, there was no way I would want to miss such an important event. So early yesterday morning, I took bus 27b to Eden Quay, before walking to the bus stop near Temple Bar, before taking the 37 bus to Castleknock.

2) I arrived early (almost an hour earlier!) and began walking towards the venue. Here's where my luck ran out. There are four entrances to Farmleigh; I immediately discounted the entrance on my left as there did not appear to be a proper road leading to it. Instead I looked for the entrances to the right - first entrance was locked. So was the second a couple of blocks down. Since I was now at the junction, I decided to walk the rest of the distance to the main entrance of the premises. Surely they would be open, right? But no, sadly it was gated as well, with no guard there to even talk to.

3) After chatting with the others on social media, I decided to back track and look for the last remaining entrance to this place. On my return, I saw a number of Student Ambassadors who were just as lost as me. Together, we walked to the last remaining entrance point (the one on the left that I initially discounted) and it turned out to lead right to Farmleigh House! We were indeed fortunate that we arrived early, as we reached the venue just in time for registration.

4) There was a light reception in the conservatory - where Student Ambassadors, Scholars and other Country Representatives and VIPs had the chance to meet each other. Soon, the guest of honour - the Minister of Education and Skills, Richard Bruton T.D. arrived. After a short speech and officiating of the ceremony, it was time for the awards presentation. There were two groups of recipients - Scholars who were sponsored by the Government of Ireland International Education Scholarships, and the Student Ambassadors from the Education in Ireland programme. We found out Her Excellency Ambassador Siti Hajjar Adnin was initially attending, but was not able to make it, so a representative came instead.

5) After the ceremony, we were cordially invited for a luncheon at The Church Dublin - a cafe, bar, and modern Irish Restaurant. Throughout the whole trip, I had the opportunity to make a whole host of new friends, from countries as diverse as India, China, Canada, Japan, Vietnam, Thailand, Mexico, and USA. I've never been to The Church Dublin before, and had always wondered what it looked inside. To my surprise, it looked exactly like a church/cathedral - with it's sun filled terraces, huge stained glass windows, and massive pipe organ. Taking centre stage was undoubtably the wine bar, which stood on a raised, illuminated platform.

6) We had free reign to order whatever we wanted based on the set course menu, so I opted for the lamb stew. For dessert I went with the chocolate tart with vanilla ice cream. While the tart was decadent and rich, it was the lamb stew that truly amazed me. I usually am not a big fan of lamb as I find that it can be quite chewy, but this was literally melt-in-your-mouth goodness. Coupled with the light broth and accompanying veggies and it was truly a match made in heaven! Good food, good company - it's no wonder I had forgotten about my studies for the moment :)

7) As they say, all good things must come to an end. One by one, everyone started leaving... It would be the last formal/ official meeting that we would have as Student Ambassadors, and everyone was a little sad. Nevertheless, we exchanged contact details, and - with the advent of technology and social media - there's no excuse not to keep in touch with each other. After bidding "au revoir" (definition: goodbye until we meet again) to my friends, I proceeded to take the bus back home from Eden Quay. Thus capping off a perfect day with the best weather we could possibly have hoped for. That has been my blog update, and stay tuned for the next one. Thanks for visiting, cheers!

An unforgettable day, indeed!

Group photo with the Malaysian contingent! :))

On the way to Farmleigh House :)

Posing with my friends in front of Farmleigh House

Refreshments at the Conservatory

Danish pastries and scones - don't mind if I do! ^^

A sneak peak at the reception desk

With lovely Irish music accompanying the lovely weather

Minister of Education and Skills, Richard Bruton T.D. delivers his opening speech

Receiving my award as Student Ambassador for Education in Ireland ^^

Posing in the conservatory with my cert :)

The flowers were simply amazing!

Getting ready for group photo together...

Group photo at the entrance to Farmleigh House

Group photo No 2 with all the Student Ambassadors!

Group photo at The Church Dublin :))

Bread and homemade butter for starters

Classic Coke

Set Menu from The Church

So what's cooking?? XD

Decisions, decisions...

The lamb stew was definitely my favourite!

Warm chocolate tart with burnt orange sauce and vanilla ice-cream ^^

Crème brulee with shortbread biscuit :)

Just posing behind the stained glass

DAY 584-589

Apr 8 - 13

1) On the 7th, I caught a plane to Manchester - my second time in as many months. I was going to complete the Greater Manchester Marathon 2018 - in aid of the Children Adventure Farm Trust. Having already completed a marathon in Dublin last year, I was initially keen on participating in the Virgin Money London Marathon. After checking the available slots, however, I decided to take part in the Manchester one instead.

2) The day prior to the event, I took the earliest flight (the cheapest one too) to Manchester, and arrived before 9.00am. As I could not check in to my AirBnB accommodation yet, I took a taxi to Trafford Centre - a large shopping centre boasting Europe's largest food court in The Orient, and UK's busiest cinema (at over 28,500 visitors per week). What impressed me most was the intricate rococo/ baroque architectural style throughout the entirety of the complex. Particularly striking was the huge chandelier that resembled a huge diamond - hanging in the Great Hall.

3) At around noon, I booked a taxi to my AirBnB; my host - Fabiola - was waiting for me at the doorstep. She was a great host, showing me around and even helping me book a taxi back to Piccadilly Station the following morning! For the rest of the day, I didn't go exploring any further as a) I was already tired, b) tomorrow was the big day! Sleep came soon enough, and the following morning, I had to walk 1.5mi to the starting point of the marathon.

4) After checking that I was in the correct start area, it was time for the marathon to begin! And so began the long, monotonous journey for a grand total of 26.2mi (42.195km). I'm not going to lie - I haven't felt that much physical pain for a long time. I had tried every trick in the book to keep me motivated, and I was now running on fumes and pure mental fortitude. A group of runners - all dressed up as the characters in "The Wizard of Oz" - came by and kept spurring me on. It was all I could do to nod weakly and grimace as my thighs cramped.

5) Finally, after what seemed an eternity, I passed a bridge, turned a right, and found myself staring down the main straight. Right at the very end - a bright blue banner (of the finishing line) came into sight. I kept on pushing, and with a final burst of speed, cruised past the finish. Job done, collected a nice, chunky finisher's medal as well :) Now came the really hard part - willing myself to walk back. It was another 1.5mi; what would normally take me around 25 minutes now seemed impossible. I had literally given it my all, to the extent that I had nothing left in me.

6) All in all, I stopped twice to rest whilst on my way back. Took a shower, had dinner, and a nice, well-deserved sleep. I needed the rest too, as my flight was in the wee hours of the morning. To cut a long story short, I took the cab to Piccadilly the next day, then the train to the airport. Unfortunately, my flight was postponed for just over an hour. Which was a lot better than the next SEVEN flights that were cancelled due to the appalling weather conditions in Manchester that day. I reached Dublin at around ten, and took two buses back home. And that sums up my trip to Manchester - a very eventful and memorable trip at that too :) Thanks for reading, and have a great week ahead. Cheers!

P.S. As with trips like this, do scroll down for a truckload of pics. :)

After half a day of running, that is the look I had...

Here I am, happily chugging along, wearing the vest for my chosen charity :))

Beneath the two thumbs up lay a mountain of pain

That moment of pure bliss!

Last minute dash for glory...

And I'm back again :)

The elusive Manchester Piccadilly station photo XD

At the Innside Hotel - to collect my race pack :)

If only I could do that after the run XD

Free T-shirt ^^

Wearing the Children Adventure Farm Trust vest :)

Thanks lady who helped me take the photo in front of the giant shoe :)

'The giant shoe'

If you think I stopped mid-race to snap this you're sorely mistaken :^)

Post-race pose with medal

A day I shan't soon forget...