DAY 789-793

Oct 30 - Nov 3

1) This is turning out to be one hectic month. We have yet another quiz on Monday (Nov 5), this time on the "REGUB" module (Renal Endocrine, Genitourinary and Breast). Amidst all the studying and stressing about, I've found some time off to attend a session with the other PMC scholars at RCSI. This is the first meeting we have had as a group, and we aim to expand on this to facilitate better transitioning from each year to the next, especially the transition back to Penang, Malaysia.

2) It was a short and informal meeting we had with Mr. Philip Curtis, Director of Student Recruitment, Admissions & Student Services. He informed us that he would have a meeting with the UCD correspondent, to see if we could form a group comprising PMC Scholars over the years. The main goal would be from an academic point of view, including feedback on how to improve the programme as a whole.

3) The rest of the week has been pretty much the same, but one thing I've come to appreciate more is the drastic change in colour as autumn comes. The fallen leaves turn the ground many shades of red, brown and orange. I'm not sure why I haven't noticed it before, but it looks very beautiful! I won't be seeing much of that back home, that's for sure. So best to make the most of my time here. Sadly, most of it will be spent burying myself in my books. Anyway, that's all for today's blog update, and stay tuned for more. Have a good one, cheers!

PMC Scholars from across three years!

Back row l-r: Melissa, Me, Talal, Mr. Philip Curtis

Front row l-r: Engracia, Aisha, Sarah, Shu Chen, Jamie

Empty library is the best library ^^

Halloween food!

Roast chicken with carrots and colcannon mash

(mashed potatoes with chopped cooked kale, green onions, milk or cream, and lots of butter)

DAY 562-566

Mar 17 - 21

1) As predicted, "the Beast from the East" has returned - dubbed the Mini Beast from the East - over the course of the weekend. Temperatures dipped below zero, with the usual chilly-to-the-bone winds, bringing the wind chill factor and the RealFeel temperature well into the double digits (below zero, that is). Thankfully, conditions have been improving and we've seen sunny weather thus far. Hopefully that will continue for the rest of the week, and indeed, throughout the month. Just when you thought spring should have well and truly come...

2) Last Saturday, Ireland celebrated St. Patrick's Day. The date that St. Patrick's Day falls on is thought to be the date that St. Patrick died and is therefore his feast day; the day is a holy and religious day in the Catholic Church, but more recently has come to celebrate Ireland as a nation too. Unfortunately, the parade didn't pass the streets where I live (I stay at Beaumont, which is quite far out of town) and as it was freezing on that day and some bus routes were diverted, I didn't go into town myself.

3) Things have been picking up since the last blog post. We have our OSCE practical exams coming up, in about a week. These exams are different from the ones we did back in Junior Cycle - these are assessed based on a simple pass-fail system. While some may prefer this as it does not account towards the weighted average at the end of the semester, this also means you cannot afford to fail it, as you would not be able to progress into the next semester. No pressure then...

4) Just two weeks after our OSCEs is our Cardio-Respiratory mid-semesters. And two weeks following that is our final semesters, which end on May 9th. Not a very good time for me to be slacking off. Anyway, that has been a summary of the past couple of days, and I hope you enjoyed reading about it. Thanks very much for visiting, and have a great day ahead. Cheers!

The night scene in Beaumont

(just to the left is the Northside Shopping Centre)

It just dawned on me that these devices are "Assembled in Malaysia" :)

The photo quality doesn't do it justice here, but that is some really good, authentic Laksa noodles! ^^

My host mother's awesome cheese omelette! :))

DAY 538-542

Feb 21-25

1) These past few days have been uneventful for the most part, as I have been to the library at Beaumont for the whole day, only returning during night time. Our mid-semester exams are but a week and a half away, and as a result everyone has gone into hardcore mode. Everyone, but me. I've just been finding it difficult to consolidate that much knowledge and commit it to memory. But of course, where there's a will, there's a way.

2) This year has been passing by at breakneck pace - while keeping watch, I've noticed the following: in two and a half months my parents are coming over to visit (yeay!), and in only ten months it will conclude my stay here in Ireland, whence I return for the clinical portion of my studies (the latter is not set in stone; it is still subject to my passing the end-of-semester exams). I cannot help thinking that I've come a long way, and that I've grown a lot from my experiences, which have been both good and bad.

3) I've recently found ignited within me a passion for photography. I have lost count of the number of times I've witnessed gorgeous sunrises by the River Liffey, the sunsets at Beaumont, or the vibrant nightlife near Temple Bar. At each opportunity, I've tried to take some quick i.e. un-professional snaps to capture the scene, and I'm quite happy with how they turned out. Maybe in the future, I may actually consider taking up photography as a hobby. As for now, it's back to the same rigmarole of study, eat, sleep, rinse and repeat. Thanks for visiting and have a lovely weekend. Cheers!

Intense sunset at Beaumont

Sunset at Beaumont :)

Sunrise by the Liffey

Sunrise by St. Stephen's Green Park

Night life by the Liffey

Contrails at the Northside Shopping Centre