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 389/390/391

Sept 24, 25 & 26

1) And so begins that marked increase in tempo, signalling that exams draw close. It can be seen in various forms, from the decreasing number of vacant seats in the library, to the amount of new information we're exposed every day, and also the "off days" we have on Thursday and Friday - the proverbial calm before the storm. The exam I'm referring to is actually a quiz - our first quiz to be precise, and on paper, it shouldn't be too hard.

2) But the reality is that life is passing by faster than I would prefer. Barely after being introduced to a whole range of terms in various fields of the health sciences, the next day brings about completely new terminology and suddenly, twenty lectures have been covered! That being said, at least the holidays will come sooner as well.

3) On a more positive note, I went for my first kickboxing lesson on Saturday. I wanted to join last year but somehow never got the chance, so this year I made it a point to show up for practice. Our coach is Eddie, and he met us all at Damer Hall, just beside the Unitarian Church. It was so much fun practicing some punches and kicks, and it certainly brought back good memories of my childhood years practising Taekwondo. I made many friends too, from various parts of the world.

4) That has been my past couple of days summed up, and I hope you enjoyed reading about it. I'm rather busy this week in particular, with lots of datelines and projects to complete, so just to inform everyone who is kind enough to patronise my blog XD. Thanks very much for visiting and as always, have a great day. Cheers!

Kickboxing fam :D

The Dispensary has some really nice wraps - for only €3.20!

That's a huge fruitcake if I've ever seen one - at the Dispensary :D

All those gloves for training...

As you can tell, I'm one shy of the BIG one!!

DAY 293/294

Jun 21 & 22

1) In the previous blog update I mentioned that we would conduct mass spectrometry to determine the identity of the second product that we created in the labs. So at 8.30am, Donal and I went over to York House, where he showed me how to use the mass spectrometer. After some initial dry runs, we inserted the sample into the machine and obtained the reading. Unfortunately, they did not match the product that we were looking for, much to our dismay.

2) So it was back to the drawing board. This time, I repeated the experiment, but followed an earlier (and similar) experiment carried out by Donal. We were half way through refluxing when we noticed something different about the DCM (dichloromethane/ methylene chloride) solution we were using. Strong hints of acetone were detected, suggesting that there were impurities present. This may have accounted for the change in mass spectra that we observed earlier in the morning. A quick TLC (thin layer chromatography) check confirmed that the product was indeed different, and hence we would have to (once again!) redo the experiment.

3) So I set up the experiment once more, making doubly sure to replace the tainted DCM solution with a fresh batch. We left the solution on low heat and reflux throughout the night. This morning, Donal had to present a research paper at DCU (Dublin City University), so I came alone to the labs to turn off the heating and carry out another TLC. This time things look a lot more positive. Hopefully our product will turn out fine, and we can proceed to the next step, which is to synthesize Deferasirox (DFX) from the two products that we have made.

4) In the afternoon, I went for my appointment with the Dublin School of Barbering, which offers free haircuts by their student barbers. To be honest, their quality is really good, and I can't really tell the difference haha. Anyway, I've spent the rest of the day back home, just contemplating life and wondering how to get everything packed up... That was today's blog update, and I hope you enjoyed it. Have a lovely day and thanks very much for visiting. Cheers!

That's a Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) instrument, used to determine the physical and chemical properties of atoms or the molecules in which they are contained.

That's me after getting a haircut 

(unfortunately there's no me before getting a haircut XD)

DAY 281

Jun 9

1) Today has been another splendid day for me. For one, I unexpectedly got a free meal and T-shirt from Boojum! I was browsing the Internet when I something caught my eye. Apparently, to mark the new unveiling of another Boojum (at Mespil Road), they were giving away a free burrito and T-shirt to the first 200 customers! Opportunity doesn't come knocking twice, so they say.

2) I hurriedly walked over to the location (which luck would have it, was only 5 minutes away) and waited. There was already a group of students waiting, so I waited along with them. At around 11.30am, the door was open and we were invited in. I had my usual burrito bowl and chose the M-size black tee. It looks really cool :D

3) The rest of my day has been equally nice. In the afternoon, I had a nice long chat with my parents. Then later in the evening, I went out for my customary run at St. Stephen's Green. I figured since I no longer have the stamina that I once had, I would just take it easy. Ended up covering 8.67km, a far cry of what I used to be able to do haha. At least, it is progress all the same, so I'll try to improve on it in the months leading up to my marathon.

4) Bought back dinner from Subway, and the spent the rest of the night relaxing and finishing up my blog. It has been a beautiful day for me, and hopefully it has also been the same for you. Thanks for reading, and have a nice day. Cheers!

Making some friends along the way :D

The all-new Boojum on Mespil Road

The queue literally extended all the way over to the end of the street

My free meal ^^

Boojum T-shirt :)

DAY 275

Jun 3

1) Today has been a largely uneventful day, thanks mostly due to my own tardiness. I woke up late as usual, and went down for breakfast. Continued to tidy up my room as much as possible, until lunch time.

2) In the afternoon, I went over to the library to meet my friends. We took some time to calculate how much to pay each other for our long holiday together. Glad to say that everything is officially sorted out. My friends stayed back at the library, while I went over to Argos (at St. Stephen's Green Shopping Centre) to buy a portable hard drive.

3) My dad had recommended me a cheap 1TB hard drive for €64, so that was what I got. I've used it to store all the photos and videos from the trip, in order to free up space in my Mac. As it was still drizzling outside, I decided against going for my run today. Perhaps tomorrow then... XD

4) I had my dinner at Boojum again. Returned to my apartment for the rest of the night. I discovered (quite by accident) that the 2nd season of the "Attack on Titan" anime had already been uploaded. Cue binge watching haha. In all seriousness, I've finished half of it already so I need to start rationing or I'd finish too early. Anyway, that was my rather boring day, but I hope you enjoyed reading about it anyway. Have a nice day, cheers!

At Boojum today ^^

DAY 273

Jun 1

1) And just like that, our holiday trip is over! In five days, I will be participating in the RCSI Research Summer Programme, with Dr. Darren Griffith as my Principal Investigator. It has been non stop action since our exams ended, so I do appreciate the couple of days' spare time to compose myself and mentally prepare for it.

2) So my day began with waking up late. Went to AIB Bank to withdraw some money as I had almost none left from my trip, then I went for my appointment with my doctor at Mercer Medical Centre. During the trip, I noticed myself coughing more often, and towards the last few days of the trip it got quite bad. My throat always felt ticklish, and that made me want to cough.

3) The doctor examined me and suggested that it was the aftereffects of my chest infection, which I had had a couple of months ago. He prescribed Ventolin, in the form of an inhaler, which I got at Boots Pharmacy. One puff three times daily was the dosage. Took one soon after buying it and felt instant relief. Here's hoping the cough subsides soon enough :)

4) I was under the assumption that I would be meeting up with my friends to settle some of the payment for bookings and accommodation. However, the meeting was postponed till tomorrow, so I decided to just stay at the library, since I had been waiting there already. Later, I went to Dunnes to buy groceries to cook for the week.

5) Came back after buying dinner at Boojum, where I've been relaxing and just chilling the night out. I'm cooking after this, so I'd best end today's blog update here. Thanks for reading as always, and have a nice day. Cheers!

If I'm not mistaken, the "Congrats!" Balloon was used in the Graduation Ceremony 2017 for the Senior Cycle students

My prescription

Subway sandwich for lunch ^^

Boojum's burrito bowl for dinner

DAY 228

Apr 17

1) Today has been a long day for me in the library. I have run out of stories to tell, of experiences to talk about, so I'll just narrate the day's events. I was supposed to go for a haircut this morning, but little did I know almost all the major stores and shopping complexes were closed today! Even Dunnes Stores - where I wanted to do my groceries, was closed. I presume it's due to yesterday's Easter celebrations. So no haircut today then. I think I learnt how to write "shop closed" in Irish though. It's siopa druidte. At least that's what the sign said, if I remember correctly XD

2) I came back to the library, where I proceeded to finally book a room to staying with a host family. None of this is definite yet, and I'm praying this is not a scam either. But still it had to be done quickly since summer is coming, and I don't have much time left until my exams. Had lunch at the Mercer Cafe (it still hasn't been cleaned yet!), before taking a short nap in the afternoon.

3) The rest of the day was, as you can imagine, me trying to study. Today's focus was more on the OSCEs, which includes History Taking, Cardiovascular and Respiratory, and Gastrointestinal Examination. A lot to remember, not to mention a lot to recall, as we had studied Cardio and Resp. in the previous semester. Hopefully, we'll find some time to do a couple of mocks before the actual exam, to get a feel of what it's like. That's the end of my not-so-exciting day, but as the saying goes, "like a rainbow after the rain, there's always a good thing after the pain". I'll be counting on that haha. Thanks for reading as always, and have a great day. Cheers!

Spotted outside Mercer Medical Centre

Finally opened up a new tin of raspberry jam

My first Boojum in ages :D

DAY 176

Feb 24

1) So today has been a really awesome day for me! For starters, we got through our first Card Signing, which is the culmination of a week's hard work. Our surgeon prosector today was Dr. Jane Holland, who frequently gives us lectures on anatomy as well. I was extremely lucky to get an A- for it. Granted in terms of marks, literally nothing separates an A from a B, but as my friend Gavin so tactfully put it; an A- is still an A.

2) There were two more lectures after Card Signing, but the elation of having finished our test meant that I wasn't paying much attention to the lecturer. Nevertheless, it was still a great lecture by Prof. J. Docherty, and he's one of the very few (if only) professors who can elicit a round of applause from the audience after each of his lectures. Fun fact: if you're Malaysian and were present during his lecture today, you'll feel a sense of pride knowing that the inventor of propranolol and cimetidine, Nobel Prize winner Sir James Whyte Black was once senior lecturer at none other than University of Malaya! But then things were a lot different than it is now...

3) Anyway, I went to the library after lessons ended, stopping by Dunnes to pick up some groceries. For dinner, Khee Heng and I went out together to Boojum; my first in a very long time and made all the more special since it marks the beginning of our Reading Week! That's right - no lessons till the following Monday, although we have Principal Seminars right after that XD. Seems that there won't be an end to my hectic schedule, although I'm getting used to it.

4) The rest of my night was spent completing some unfinished projects, as well as completing my daily use of the Headspace App. So far I've been using it for three days and there's not much to comment on, although I'm remaining positive that there will be noticeable improvements after some time. And on that note, I think I'll end my blog update for today. But I haven't explained why I called today awesome at the beginning of the article. Sure, the results as well as the holidays are great, but the real reason why today has been awesome for me?

It's my dad's birthday. Happy birthday dad!! From your son all the way across the Atlantic YAMD

Morning toast

Sampling my recently cooked batch of pasta :)

Today we celebrated Kuwait's National Day at RCSI ^^

(their 27th Year of Independence)

An assortment of local delicacies from Kuwait

I never got round to ask what sort of game this is...

Anyone willing to help me out? :D

Cakes in the color of the national flag of Kuwait

Stalls were set up just in front of the O'Flanagan Lecture Theatre, on the main Concourse

Boojum tasted so good after a long time <3<3<3

DAY 114

Dec 24

1) Today was a very relaxing day. Woke up later than usual, then went down to have breakfast. While preparing my toast, I also cooked pasta for the week. I'm trying to batch cook to a) save cost and b) save time. I'll try out for a week and improvise as I see fit.

2) Remained home for much of the morning, and went to Tesco Baggot later on to get more groceries. Reheated my just-cooked-this-morning-pasta for lunch, and it tasted absolutely fine. Took a short nap, before walking all the way to my friend, Khee Heng's apartment. Stopped at Euro Giant to get two more containers, so I wouldn't run out in case of emergency.

3) Reached Khee Heng's apartment at around 3.00pm. Then we continued our anime-watching for the day, stopping briefly to go out for dinner. Originally we planned to go to Boojum, but as it was closed, we went to Hot & Chilli instead. I tried the mixed kebab meal this time around, and it was great!

4) Walked back in the windy weather, where we continued our anime, "Fate/ Stay Night". Finished the first season, and started a bit of the next season. We should finish the series by tomorrow or day after. Anyways, we stopped early so I had time to write this blog update before returning home. That's all for today's blog.

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year! May the coming year fill your home with joy, your heart with love, and your life with laughter! Cheers!

Toast, along with the four meals I made for the rest of the week :D

Bentley Continental GT, spotted on my way to Tesco Baggot

The tiles can be flipped, the left pic showing trees before blooming and right pic after they have bloomed in springtime (pic taken near St. Stephen's Green)

Mercer Library, closed until 27th Dec )):

Origami dinosaur, made by Khee Heng

Dinner at Hot & Chilli

Nothing like some chamomile tea on a chilly day ^^