DAY 475/476/477

Dec 19, 20 & 21

1) Two interesting events to talk about in this blog post. Firstly, my friends and I were recruited to participate in a video- and photo-shoot, over the course of two days. The camera crew got us to pose for various shots, and to basically go about recreating our daily activities at RCSI. We were divided into two groups - one group went filming in the old building (main campus), while the other went to the new building. They had many takes of the same scene, capturing footage from various angles to be edited out later.

2) Our group began our filming near the walkway to the Anatomy Room. We filmed around the area, including the room adjacent to it (Harold Browne Lecture Theatre) but we were under strict instructions not to get footage of the Anatomy Room itself (due to privacy concerns). Next we headed over to the Albert Lecture Theatre for a couple of shoots. Then it was time for lunch! They made sure we were adequately fed by reimbursing our meals throughout the two days.

3) The next couple of areas we filmed were at the National Surgical Training Centre, where we pretended to be surgeons for a day. We tried venipuncture and cannulation, even posing as a maternal delivery team in the mock labour room! On the second day of filming, we filmed a bit at the library, including the Group Study Rooms. And after all this hard work, we found out that the total duration of the filming (which, by the way, is for RCSI's new website) was only two minutes tops! So much hassle for so little in return XD. Nevertheless, it was a thoroughly enjoyable experience.

4) The other event which happened was my GNIB Card Renewal. With the new system in place, the old "GNIB Card" would be replaced with an "IRP (Irish Residence Permit) Card". The only difference is applicants do not get their card immediately like they used to, instead they have to wait around 5-10 working days for the card to arrive by post. Anyway, I went to the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) to get my card renewed. They specifically write on the letter NOT to come more than 10 minutes before the appointment time, but I decided to rebel and came half an hour earlier.

5) In the end, coming half an hour earlier meant I was the second in line to be served. The whole process took close to an hour, and they handed me my stamped passport as evidence should I need to go travelling and not have my card ready yet. And that's basically everything I have to share in this blog. There is much more coming up though, so do stay tuned for more. Happy holidays, and see you soon. Cheers!

Photoshoot buddies :))

Would you trust us to fix you up? XD

At least I can pose to be one ;)

Food from the Dispensary was the order of the day, and all F.O.C. ^^

One of the filming takes in progress

This is a sneak peak of the new Coffee Doc (called Remedy!)

It reminds me of an underground cafe in a cave

"Remedy"

Tenby represent! #tenbians4lyfe

Granola pot and some cakes for tea 

(They sure knew how to butter us up ^^)

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)

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 :)

DAY 434/435/436

Nov 8, 9 & 10

1) Towards the end of the semester, there has been a greater emphasis on my studies, which unfortunately means less interesting activities to write about in my blog. Continuing on from the previous blog update, we had our JC3 Outbreak Quiz, which was rescheduled due to Hurricane Ophelia. It was an hour test, which required lots of calculations, and some critical thinking. We received our results that very day too!

2) After the quiz, it was time to prepare for our Card Signing - the (hopefully) last card signing we'll ever have. After this, it will just be our Anatomy Practical Finals that we will have to worry about. I say 'just' but that is 13.16% and 12.5% respectively right there, for the Neuroscience module. Anyway, Card Signing (for Group B) was today. As usual, we all filed into the Anatomy Room at sharp 2pm, and started shortly after. Our examiner was Mr. Blayney, retired Consultant ENT Surgeon.

3) To cut a long story short, I didn't quite manage an A. All those lapses in concentration started to take its toll on me, so that I felt I deserved what I got. To be honest, I'm just so very glad that it's over, because I can now concentrate on my next task - Quiz 2. This is the last major "Quiz" before our End of Semester Exams in early December. But it couldn't come at a worse time - a) three days after Card Signing, and b) my visit to UK will hinder my studying.

4) As I mentioned, I'll be flying to UK tomorrow for the UKEC's First Introductory Event of 2017/2018. Basically, we will have a side event in the form of Coffee and Conversations with UKEC - gathering student participants from the various universities to give their opinions on "What Constitutes a Constitution?" Also, the whole of Saturday and Sunday would be the first meeting with everyone, which will help us establish contacts and get to know who we'll be collaborating with. A lot to ruminate about, but also a lot of exciting new events to look forward to.

5) At the end of the day, we have less than a month to go before our exams begin. After that, I'm looking forward to a long and well-deserved break. More details on my holiday plans coming soon. Until then, thanks very much for tuning in, and have a great day. Cheers!

Christmas is coming ^^

As I was blissfully tucking into Boojum at the Dispensary...

Along came the Fire Alarm, sending everyone out of the New Academic Building...

As you can imagine, not everyone was happy to be chased out in the middle of their activities...

(but I definitely agree it is better to be safe than sorry)

DAY 431/432/433

Nov 5, 6 & 7

1) After a very busy couple of days, things have settled down a bit. But not for long, as we have the first of many quizzes/tests this week. Tomorrow is the JC3 Outbreak Quiz, an hour long quiz on some statistics using Excel. On Thursday, our group (Group B) has our Card Signing 2, which I have had no chance to prepare due to the myriad of activities I have been involved in lately. Finally, next Thursday is our Quiz 2, which includes everything we've studied since Quiz 1.

2) Anatomy Class today was quite interesting, as we were covering the lectures on the eye. We got Mr Quinlan as our surgeon prosector, and he went through the lecture, testing us on our knowledge. Although it may sound really gross (and indeed I felt the same initially), we had the opportunity to remove the eyeball from a prosected specimen, by first removing the muscles attaching the eye. By using an aptly called "bone nibbler", my friend Stavros picked away at the pieces of bone that contained the eye in the socket.

3) Once that was done, we switched roles, and I worked around the eye - cutting away at the muscles that held it in place, with a scissors. It took me a LOT longer than I had expected, but at last we managed to remove the eyeball. It was the first time I had actually seen the eyeball, including its contents - the lens, aqueous humour, vitreous humour etc. You know the saying "to sneeze your eyeballs out"? After today, I highly doubt that is actually possible. Indeed, the Mythbusters have proven that it is possible to sneeze with your eyes open, and your eyeballs definitely do NOT pop out XD

4) Apparently there is a train strike tomorrow, affecting all Intercity, National Rail, and DART services. Although no mention of the LUAS was made, I really am not taking any chances. I've decided to put up at my friends' place for the night, so that I won't be late for my exams tomorrow. Anyway, that has been a summary of my day(s), and I hope you enjoyed reading about it. Thanks for reading, and have a nice day. Cheers!

Spending the night at an undisclosed location

Free Cake

(Don't ask where it came from, just know it's free XD)

Looks delish (I didn't try it though)

What I expect to be calculating tomorrow

Free Tesco muffins (from MUNC Event)

DAY 428

Nov 2

1) I promised more details on what has kept me busy these past couple of days. So here goes: I've recently been convinced to apply for a position in UKEC. For the uninitiated, UKEC (United Kingdom and Eire Council) is the national coalition of Malaysian student societies across Britain and Ireland. To be honest, prior to coming here, I had absolutely no idea what UKEC was or what it stood for. Then I found out that some of my friends (in both RCSI and UCD) had joined and I was interested in finding out more.

2) The UKEC, simply put, has many overarching goals. They provide a platform for intellectual discourse, while tackling various issues such as employability, brain drain, promoting our nation, and promoting unity. In UKEConversations, students have the opportunity to present their opinions online, in a professional and supportive environment. CEKU, the editorial arm of UKEC, runs a student magazine chronicling exciting student articles for Malaysians everywhere to read. We also have many internship and volunteer opportunities for those who are interested.

3) UKEC is divided into four equal and distinct offices: UKECareers, UKECatalyst, UKECares, and UKEConnect. After doing some background research, I was interested in joining UKECatalyst, the intellectual arm of UKEC. We are the proud organisers of the Projek Amanat Negara (PAN) Conference, which gathers together young, talented student leaders and prominent figures to engage in non-partisan dialogue. We also have smaller, more regional-orientated conversations regarding our country's socioeconomic stance on various issues. To put it succinctly, the core thrust of UKEC is it aims to empower and inspire the next generation of Malaysian youth leaders, as well as giving a voice to the various Malaysian student bodies both local and abroad.

4) After submitting my application form, I was required to go for a Skype interview with the other committee members. It was a short interview with the usual suspect questions - what can you contribute; why should we choose you; how would you balance your studies and commitments here? I answered as best I could, and was pleasantly surprised to find out (a few days later) that I had been offered the position. I personally feel that assuming my duties here would equip me with more knowledge and insight into the way our nation is run, and to at least understand the reasons why it is run the way it is.

5) All in all, I have more responsibilities to juggle than before, with further implications as well. I shall endeavour to do the best I can with what I have, but no compromises to the quality and content of this blog. Thanks very much for reading, and have a great day. Cheers!

DAY 407/408

Oct 12 & 13

1) Today was our first Card Signing of the semester! Quick recap: card signing is like a viva/oral exam, where an examiner asks each student content on anatomy. Bones, prosections, X-rays, CT scans, the cadavers themselves – anything can be tested, depending on which surgeon prosector you get.

2) Anatomy practical classes last 1.5 hours; our time slot for today was 11.30-1.00pm. I remained in the anatomy room after that, right until our card signing at 2.00pm. It may seem a tad extreme, but I was joined by many students who were eager to run through their anatomical knowledge one more time, just before the test.

3) For our card signing, we got a new examiner (someone who hadn’t taught our group before). She reassured us that everything would be fine, and told us not to panic. And so it began! Eight or nine lectures on the anatomy of the head and neck, each lecture densely packed with info – all condensed into a Q and A session lasting less than 3 minutes.

4) And the best part? Card Signing is worth only 1.25% each! The difference between an A and a B is less than half a percent! So why bother so much? It all comes down to two things: a) the herd mentality, and b) preemptive/ prophylactic planning. When everyone is studying so hard (both in the library and in the anatomy room), it is difficult to lax about and as a consequence, our peers constantly keep us on our toes.

5) What do I mean by prophylactic planning? At the end of the semester, there is a full anatomy practical exam, worth around 12.5%. This is the real reason we go through all the lectures so fervently – to prep for this practical, as well as all the MCQs and SNQs which test the limits of our knowledge. It is not an easy task, but thankfully, with a lot of peer collaboration, as well as student assisted learning (by our seniors), things are not as bleak as they seem.

6) In the end, I did reasonably well for my oral. All the hard work had paid off. And what do we have immediately after card signing? You guessed it - more lessons. Until 5.00pm, to be exact. There just isn't a break, is there? XD Jokes aside, I've spent the remainder of the day finishing up various tasks, and didn't touch any of our lectures tomorrow. That has been my day, and I hope you enjoyed reading about it. Have a good one, and see you next time. Cheers!

With Panchanit "Ice" Horsaengchai - just before anatomy lessons today

Nothing like a full Irish breakfast to get ye olde noggin' runnin' XD

As if one skeleton wasn't enough...

My illegible notes

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!)