DAY 76

Nov 16

1) Today was an EXTREMELY challenging day for me. Woke up to have my breakfast as usual, before revising the lecture notes until noon. Then, I went to Dicey's for my lunch, and tried their grilled Cajun salmon with sides. Tried to eat really healthily today, as I was scheduled to go for a 10km race called "Run in the Dark" later in the evening.

2) Sat down for the remaining lectures, and by 5pm class was finally over. Went home for a brief respite, and along the way I stopped by at a delicatessen to buy some pastries for energy later on. Had a power nap before walking all the way to the "Run in the Dark" event (which was about 2.2km from my house!) 

3) My gosh; I wasn't expecting the cold! A quick search of the weather forecast revealed why - the wind chill temperature at night was 0 degrees Celsius! And I wore but a singlet and jacket, with short pants, since anything more than that would be really cumbersome for me. But the harsh winds were really killing, especially when we were waiting for the event to start...

4) Finally, at around 8.15pm, we were flagged off. Once I had a chance to warm up, things got better for me, since the body heats up when exercising. Either that, or all the nerves in my extremities were irreversibly damaged so I couldn't feel cold anymore haha. Anyway, I ran without stopping, for just under an hour, and we finished at the same point we started - at the Custom House Dublin. It was such an exciting experience for me, running in the cold weather, in a foreign country, with people I didn't even know. Certainly another feather in my cap, as they say.

5) Came back to retrieve my bag at the drop-off station, before an unknown elderly gentleman started talking to me. We talked about the chilly weather, the huge turnout tonight (25,000+ runners) and he told me about bringing home the free glow-in-the-dark bangles for his daughter. Really pleasant chap, I might add. Anyhow, I left soon after that, but not before taking some nice pics of the Custom House and of the event in general.

6) Then began the long march home. In hindsight, I should've taken along my thick winter jacket that I bought at Penney's, but as this was my first run in Dublin, I didn't know what to expect haha. Returned home as fast as my legs could carry me, and here I am, typing this out in the kitchen since my roomie is fast asleep. That's all for today, and enjoy the pics from the "Run in the Dark". Cheers!

P.S. I have no idea how long I took for the 10km run, but it should be available online shortly. Stay tuned... ^^

Breakfast

Dicey's Menu today!

Grilled Cajun Salmon with lots of veggies and potatoes

Pecan tart and scone, pre-run!

Regret putting this on for the race XD

Christmas decor in full force (looks really beautiful IMO)

This is the outside of Trinity College Dublin, where they have this rock-climbing activity every Thursday, if I'm not mistaken

I absolutely love the reflections of the buildings in the water <3 <3 <3

Custom House Quay, where we dropped our baggage prior to the run

And if you zoom in carefully, you can observe signs of peripheral cyanosis (bluish tinge) on my lips XD

Custom House Dublin

My dad is probably going to kill me for not knowing what building this is D:

The "Supermoon" in all it's splendour!

Back home at last. Phew!!

Goodies bag contents, all in my stomach now haha

DAY 35

Oct 6

1) Today was an exciting day. Woke up to have a nice breakfast, in the form of toast with peanut butter and nutella, washed down with a glass of fresh milk. Perfect start to the day then. Attended two very simple lectures, and that was it! How cool is that?

2) Well, the main reason for the short lectures today is due to the fact that tomorrow is our first card-signing session, for Group A. I'm in Group B, so it doesn't apply to me... yet (mine is next Friday) Anyway, for lunch, we stopped by at Dicey's Garden, where the student's meal is fixed at €5.00. I had the battered cod, with all the sides, plus a moat of gravy. Perfecto!

3) Came back feeling extremely stuffed. Slept a bit, got out the books to study, and before I knew it, it was 6 p.m. Tonight was the first running event, organised by the Running Society of RCSI. We jogged all the way to Phoenix Park and back, stopping occasionally at the traffic lights. Turns out almost everyone I spoke to were ardent runners who had at least represented their own school, and one guy even claimed to have taken part in over 15 marathons! I felt so left out haha. Still did my best to keep up with them though.

4) After over an hour of slogging, we finally made it back to RCSI, where a big carton of chocolate milk awaited us. Pure bliss, and a lovely way to end the night. Walked home from RCSI, to cook dinner for myself. And the rest, as they say, is history. Preparing to study after this, so I'll be ending on this note. Hope everyone reading this had as fantastic a day as I did. Cheers!

 Nutella and chunky peanut butter on toast,

truly comfort food at its finest

Glass of milk for the bones

Battered cod with all the fixings

RCSI Main Entrance

Dinner time

DAY 33

Oct 4

1) Today I woke up extra early, so I could have breakfast before going to class. As usual, lectures starting at 8 a.m. are annoying, but at least tomorrow it starts at 10 a.m. We have anatomy practical sessions every Tuesday and Friday, which is very frequent compared to other universities. In fact, some schools have decided to do away with cadavers and use plastinated models or slides to teach anatomy. I can't comment on that, but I personally think that the intrinsic skills that we acquire by using a real cadaver - who generously donated their bodies that we medical students may research upon, are more than enough reason to continue with this method.

2) Our surgeon prosector today was Paul J Farrell, BSc, MB, MCh (NUI), FRCS, FRCSI, FRACS. He was extremely kind and jovial in manner, and even related to us stories of his children who ended up smoking, despite him as a doctor trying his best to prevent them from doing so. Anyway, anatomy was on the thorax, with some revision involved, since my group's first card-signing is due next Friday. Time to get prepared then haha.

3) Lunch was at AK. Henry's as usual, before another two lectures to end the day at 4 p.m. By the end of the day, most of us were mentally drained, and some even dozed off during lectures! I did my best to keep awake, and luckily I had finished studying the modules the night before. Went back home after lessons, made a quick dinner, and signed up for the Run in the Dark, a 5km or 10km race for charity (research for a cure for spinal cord disease). I chose the 10km option. Hopefully I will be fully prepared for my first run in Ireland. That's all for tonight, and thanks very much for reading. Have a great night!

The sandwiches at AK. Henry's are really really good...

But they can't lay a finger on MY cooking haha

My registration for the Run in the Dark

Event starts 16th Nov 2016 (8.00 p.m.)