1) And yet another busy week has passed. I'm starting to get used to my routine in London, and familiarising myself with everything around me. It really helps that I've been living in Dublin before this, as most of the lifestyle and transportation systems are similar to that of London, with one exception of course - everything is upsized here. And it's to be expected of course - London is basically one of the most visited cities in the world, with a truly astonishing array of diversity. In short, you'll meet people from all walks of life here, and this is especially true with the student demographic on campus.
2) Just in these short two weeks, I've met people from all across the world, including UK (obviously), India, Myanmar, Croatia, Bangladesh, China, Singapore, Malaysia (yeay!), the list goes on... And in the past week, I've paid my cousin Wilson (who is currently working as a doctor in UK) a visit, and we had a nice lunch together at Spitalfields Market. Afterwards, we met up with some of his friends, and went round to Shoreditch - the "hip" neighbour home to all the young creatives and trendsetters. We parted over a cup of coffee at Nude Espresso Cafe, and we'll definitely meet up some other time :)
3) With our induction over (it was a two-hour session where we met some of the module leads and got an introduction of the flow of the course), it was time for us to actually begin to prepare for our lessons. Unfortunately, I initially couldn't find my lecture slides on the KEATS system (the equivalent of MOODLE), which meant I went into the first lecture (on neuroanatomy) with no preparation at all. Anyway, our first module is neuroanatomy - which I'm sure is meant to bring everyone up to speed (as we come from such diverse backgrounds). Obviously those with a background in neuroanatomy i.e. medics and anatomists would have an advantage - but I was genuinely impressed by how my non-medical background friends knew the answers to many questions regarding neuroanatomy.
4) In the two days of lectures that we have had, we've actually had the opportunity to attend a consultant neurology meeting, as well as a masterclass seminar with the doctors afterward. It was a very useful session, and quite a bit nostalgic to be listening to interesting medical cases presented by the doctors and guest speakers. The way our course runs is essentially classes on only three days a week (Tues, Thurs, Fri) - with the other days for self-studying. We have reading lists and preparations before class, and will have to submit essays which count towards our final grade. Of course, the standard expected is much higher than undergraduate level, which means it is no longer acceptable to simply spout out facts from the literature. Careful selection of the latest (like literally latest - we're talking weeks old here) research is highly encouraged, while textbooks are not - simply because the facts are outdated.
5) Outside the classroom, I've attended an afternoon tea open to all students, courtesy of the Chaplaincy Meet and Greet. They also have free lunches for all IOPPN students, which is a great way for us to meet up with and make new friends. Just the other day, I met two researchers during the lunch. One of them was a visiting researcher (meaning they do research for a short term - in his case four months) before returning. Overall, I'm really excited with all the activity happening around our campus, and throughout the other campuses as well. And that's basically it for this edition of the blog, thanks very much for visiting and have a lovely weekend. Cheers!
My classmates in the MSc Clin. Neuroscience course
(From L-R: Myself, Sanika, Heather, Malavika, Simran, Geoff, Sai)
On the way to meet my cousin in Spitalfields :)
A brilliant day for sightseeing
The Gherkin with its unmistakable "cucumber/ bullet-shaped" structure
Poppie's Fish & Chips @ Spitalfields Market - the main branch is barely 500m away XD
A very hearty lunch, and honestly very impressive crunchy and flaky fish :)
(No surprise then that it won the national fish chip awards)
Fruit tea cravings satisfied at Yi Fang
Their signature fruit tea (thanks for the treat Wilson!)
My cousin and myself :)
According to Wilson, this bakery sells incredibly famous salt beef bagels...
... and the long line of people waiting outside the shop proves it!
Walked all the way to Shoreditch
The glass is way too reflective, but they were offering IV vitamin drip treatments!
But food markets (this was in a food hall on the way back from Shoreditch)
Bust of Sir Frederick Mott, who worked at Claybury and Maudsley
I've just found out that there's another library just round the corner called the WEC (Weston Education Centre)
My lunch today (at the IOPPN cafeteria)
Pork katsu curry with rice and shredded carrots :)
Pic with Arman, a practising doctor from India - who's doing Neuropsychiatry :)
Attended their afternoon tea today
I was not expecting this to be honest...
Don't let the large plate size fool you - that was one HUMONGOUS scone!
Afternoon tea with some of my friends from China - we're all doing separate courses
Both the mug and stainless steel water bottle were freebies I managed to collect - just sign up for their events! XD
First lesson of the semester - bringing back those RCSI vibes!
Weekly lunches courtesy of the Chaplaincy
The Weston Education Centre - just next to King's College Hospital
That's just me posing in front of the WEC :P
King's College Hospital
After class study in the library (just joking all the notes and laptops were for the pic XD)
Finally got a decent photo of myself in front of the IOPPN building
Neurology consultant meeting at the hospital today - guest lecture was by Dr. Mario
Fried scampi, peas, and chips at the WEC cafeteria
Our Masterclass session was with two NHS doctors from the neurology department
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