Chan Weng Kit's Blogspot: Board Room

Showing posts with label Board Room. Show all posts

Tuesday, 22 August 2017

DAY 354/355

Aug 21 & 22

1) As part of the National Heritage Week 2017 at RCSI, the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland has opened its historic doors to the public for three days, from Monday to Wednesday. Free tours of the building will take place at 11am, 2pm and 5pm on each day departing from the main entrance to the College on St Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2. As a student here, I thought it would be nice to learn a bit more about the history behind such an old and prestigious school.

2) The tour that I attended today was conducted by Mr. Bryan Sheils (Front of House Manager, RCSI) and Mr. Frank Donegan (Head Porter, RCSI). We started off at the entrance to the College (the old part of the building), as Mr Donegan explained more about the history behind our surroundings. We then proceeded upstairs to the Board Room, and subsequently the College Hall. We were especially lucky this time around as the RCSI Mace was on display for the week - something that doesn't happen save for really special occasions.

3) We passed through the Atrium and around the corridors as the tour drew to a close. In summary, we learnt the history behind the College Arms of RCSI, how it was founded after a Royal Charter granted by King Louis III, and its construction on an abandoned Quaker burial ground. As Mr Donegan so rightly pointed out, many of the pioneering inventions in surgery/ medicine can be traced back to Fellows and Members of the College. All in all, it was a great experience, and one that I cannot recommend highly enough.

Here's the website if you would like to book a tour for yourself, but be warned - the last tour ends tomorrow. http://rcsi.ie/heritageweek

Thanks very much for visiting, and enjoy the pics. Cheers!

With Mr Frank Donegan, Head Porter of RCSI

The main entrance to RCSI,

with the Robert Smith Room to the left, and Abraham Colles Room to the right

(medical students might remember a Smith's fracture and a Colles' fracture, attributed to both of these surgeons respectively)

Exact replica facsimile of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland Charter,

granted by King George III

Consilio Manuque - scholarship and dexterity (Motto of RCSI)

Apparently the artist commissioned with painting the portraits of the past RCSI presidents, also does the Royal Family portraits as well

Mr Donegan has been serving RCSI for 23 years

(here he is explaining the significance of the patterns on the steps)

Barber poles - due to the fact that since medieval times, the practice of surgery was licensed by the Barber-Surgeons' Guild

(red represents blood, and white represents the bandages used to wrap the wounds)

The Board Room

According to Mr Donegan, when First Lady Nancy Reagan visited RCSI, she fell in love with the three large carpets covering the hall (accordingly, she commissioned the exact same carpets to be made and they now adorn the Ambassador's office in the U.S. Embassy in Ireland)

The College Hall

Apparently the College Mace is not as heavy as it looks

The Council Chambers -where the various Heads gather for meetings

The Council Chambers - usually strictly off limits, except for today ;D

Mr. Harry O'Flanagan,

whose namesake we derive the O'Flanagan Lecture Theatre from

Some pics of RCSI as it was when occupied by insurgents in the 1916 Easter Uprising (below)

Some well-preserved specimens

Not something I'd be interested in if I'm honest... XD

End of tour :)

Tuesday, 11 April 2017

DAY 221

Apr 10

1) Today has been a typical day for me. I brought my stuff to the library right after breakfast, and started studying. It's mostly anatomy that I'm covering, as that is one of our first exams for the finals. Took a break from studying to have lunch at the Mercer Cafe, before returning to continue.

2) In the evening, Melissa, Melvin, and I went for the launch of the 10th edition of the Student Medical Journal, which is a journal made up completely of student articles, by students and for students. That, to me, is amazing. As I'm sure everyone is familiar, writing research reports and academic papers is no mean feat, which is why it's a proud moment that we can boast of such a medical journal.

3) As part of the launch, there was a debate between two RCSI lecturers, on the motion "THBT Bariatric Surgery Should Be Made Available to Adolescents and Children". Supporting the motion was Prof. David Smith, while opposing the motion was Prof. O'Shea. After a very entertaining battle of wits between the two lectures, the audience voted - and the winner was Prof. O'Shea. But interesting points from both sides indeed.

4) Afterwards, there was a reception at the Board Room, courtesy of the Dean of RCSI, Prof. Hannah McGee. We chatted with each other and offered our opinions to support our stance. Then, it was back to the library for the three of us, where we deliberated on where to go for the summer. That's all for toady, and thanks very much for reading. Have a great day, cheers!

Reception at the Board Room

It was a full house at the Albert Lecture Theatre

The 10th Edition of the RCSI Student Medical Journal

Prof. David Smith (FOR)

Prof. O'Shea (AGAINST)

Everything looks so fancy ^^

Tomato bruschetta, profiterole, salmon hors d'oeuvres

Saturday, 28 January 2017

DAY 149

Jan 28

1) Today was a lovely day for me! I stayed up late yesterday Skype-ing with my parents, so overslept a little bit. Had some breakfast, before walking to the library, only to meet my friends along the way. I decided to abandon my studying (hey, friends come first XD) and help out. The PMC Student Association was hosting a Chinese New Year Celebration at RCSI. It would be my first CNY away from home and I wasn't about to miss out, was I? So Lyana and I helped out with the CNY decorations, before I went to carry the boxes of oranges. By around noon, most of the guests had arrived, and so the event began.

2) Melvin and Jason, acting as the superb MC's of the day, welcomed everyone with the charm and wit that they are famous for. Among some of the events that transpired were the "mandarin oranges eating contest", music performances by the PMCSA members, a Tai Chi demonstration by my good friend Zi Yan, as well as two Lucky Draws. During intermission, everyone was ushered to have lunch in the adjacent Board Room. Chicken rice, accompanied with a smorgasbord of cookies and cakes, and topped off with boxes upon boxes of mandarin oranges, completed our line up of food for the today.

3) The event finished two hours earlier than usual. This may sound a little surprising to some, but I think it's due to the superb planning by our event coordinator this time around - Aisha. We took another hour to clean up, and to pack home some leftovers for the homeless, before keeping the rest for ourselves. Most of my friends left by then, and I came over to the library to put everything down and take a breather. Continued with some studying for the rest of the evening (believe me, when you go to uni you forget the concept of day and time - everyday is a good day to study haha). Had a late dinner since I was proper full from all those oranges, before packing up and returning home.

4) All in all, the CNY celebration was nothing less than an absolute success. Many of the guests thanked us for the effort and a job well done, which made all the hard work worth it. For me, it was about reflecting on how I spent my CNY back at home - going to temples to pray and then visiting our relatives, and contrasting this with spending CNY abroad with my friends, and being reminded that my friends are the pillars of strength that keep me motivated throughout my tenure in Dublin. It has been a long day for me, and I won't lie when I say that I'm sleep deprived, but it has all been worth it. That's the end of my day, and I hope you enjoyed reading about it. Thanks as always, and have a great day. Cheers!