DAY 144

Jan 23

1) Today has been a long day for me. Had to wake up early, gobbled down breakfast because I was running late, and walked briskly just to make it in time for our first lecture. Two more lectures and we had a break for lunch.

2) Went down to the Coffee Doc with most of my friends, where I reheated my chicken tikka masala with rice. It tasted really good in my opinion. We had another lecture at 4pm, so I packed up and went to the library to do some studying. Took a short nap too, since I felt really tired (thanks to my sleeping late the previous night haha)

3) In the evening, we went for our last lecture (on research and volunteer opportunities), and that was it for the day! I'm planning to do some research in the summer, but we'll see how things go. Anyway, returned to the library to study for a bit, before coming back to RCSI later for an event - the RCSI Student Medical Journal (RCSIsmj) Club is organising a talk by Prof David Henshall regarding his research paper on epilepsy. I will be leaving soon after I finish typing this out haha.

4) The rest of the night I plan to study and relax in equal measure, since I feel completely spent and cannot concentrate much. That's all for tonight, and I hope you enjoyed reading. Thanks as always, and have a great day. Cheers!

Nutella, smooth peanut butter and marmalade jam

My lunch :D

Slides on opportunities for research, on our last lecture for today

DAY 141

Jan 20

1) Today has been a great day for me! For starters, my sore throat has subsided substantially, while my flu still remains though. At least I got a good night's sleep haha. Anyway, woke up really early to make it in time for the 8.00am class. Morning lectures are an absolute pain to wake up to, especially during the cold seasons. I guess I have to get accustomed to it then XD

2) Two lectures and an anatomy session later, and we had a break for lunch. Headed to the Coffee Doc, where I had my pizza with some friends. We still had some time afterwards, so I decided to study a little. Had to sit for the next lecture after that, before another short break and a small group tutorial after that. I took the opportunity to go to the library and unpack my stuff. Then I went over to Dunnes to do buy some bread and oranges.

3) Came back to the library, and before long I had to return to the college for one more small group tutorial. In this tutorial, we were assigned into groups of six, and we each have to contribute to a team project which has to be submitted in March. I am very excited to work together in a team ^^ Retuned to the library after that, where I had dinner. Took a short break + a short nap, before continuing to study till the night. I'll be going home soon... Anyway, that's been my day and I hope you enjoyed reading about it. Thanks as always, and have a great day. Cheers!

Toast for breakfast (I've finally finished the jam)

Dunnes Pizza for lunch

Baked chicken korma with roast potatoes and mixed veggies on rice

(My dinner)

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 34

Oct 5

1) Today was a relatively easy day for me. Woke up early as usual, before going for my usual jog at St. Stephen's Green. I was planning to do more rounds, but after that grueling 15 km run on Sunday, I could only manage 5 km today. I have to start training for the Run in the Dark event this coming November. Anyway, finished my run, had some cereal, before prepping for class.

2) Lecture started at 10 a.m., during which we were briefed on how we would be assessed in our upcoming Mid-Term Quiz. I still cannot believe that barely a month has passed and we are already plagued with exams, quizzes, formative assessments and the like. I guess they were right when they said medical school wouldn't be easy haha. Went to the anatomy room together with friends, and spent some time analysing and discussing what we had been taught.

3) A lecture after that, and it was my favourite time of the day, lunchtime! The queue at AK. Henry's was unusually long, but I suppose everyone was famished too. I had to wait patiently for about 15 minutes for my sandwich (et frites of course). There are so many choices available for sandwiches: you can choose white or brown bread, with mayo, butter or plain, a meat option and two veggie options, toasted or not, and with or without fries. And all for just €3.00! That would explain why the queue for sandwiches is usually the longest compared to the others.

4) Had a really satisfying lunch, before one more lecture for the day! It feels great to end class early, and I did not waste anytime in going to Tesco after that, to get some milk and bread. I still have some peanut butter and nutella, so that should take care of my breakfast from now on. The extra food will come in handy for my training I reckon. By this time, I made up my mind to have an early dinner. Went down to the kitchen to cook rice, steamed some broccoli, cauliflower and carrots, before making some tomato soup. Today's meal was plain and simple, but nonetheless nutritious (or so I hope haha).

5) Finished dinner, before coming back to my room to study. My card signing event is next Friday, and it involves a surgeon prosector asking you the various anatomical locations and functions of the body, either by using cadavers or preserved specimens. I am not looking forward to that, but I shall definitely try my best. Surely it can't be that bad, right? Anyway, that is all the time I have for today, and I look forward to relating my cycle of events tomorrow. Thanks for reading, and goodnight!

 I don't think I'll get tired of the sandwiches anytime soon,

although I might run out of captions for it XD

48 Leeson Street Lower,

Dublin 2, Ireland

(The top window, directly above the

left front door, is my apartment)

Simple and hearty, just the way I like it!

DAY 25

Sept 26

1) Today was our first lesson at 8 a.m. Back in Malaysia, I had no problem waking up early for school and would usually arrive before 7 a.m. But here, where the weather is cold, and the wind chilly, it's hard to find the strength to even crawl out of bed! Anyway, still made it in time for the first lecture on arteries and veins. Immediately after that was an hour break, so some of us went to the tutorial room to study, After that was the programme called "Passport for Success". Fancy name, but all they talked about today was on addiction and stimulants, and how to overcome them.

2) Two more lectures after that and that was it for today! For lunch, I dropped by at Mercer to meet Stephanie and Nee Kee, who had batch cooked some stuffed chicken and veggies. I won't lie - it tasted really good! After a really pleasant meal, I went to Meteor (a phone company) to buy a SIM Card. It cost me €10 and in my opinion, is a much better deal than the current €20-a-month plan that I'm using. Came back home, inserted SIM Card and changed my phone number. I'm glad to save €10 a month in this manner.

3) Not long after, went to RCSI again for table tennis, where I was taught how to play properly by one of the society members. It is really fun! Stopped halfway to attend the Meet and Greet session for the Art Society, where there was free pizza! The pizza went by sooo fast, and I only got a slice. So me and my friends made a trip to McDonald's, where they have some seriously cost-friendly deals. I had the €2.00 double cheeseburger, and it was awesome. Maybe it was just the cold or something haha. Spent some time chatting with each other, before calling it a day.

4) Walked back home myself as usual, and spent some time filling this post with some (hopefully) meaningful words. I'm sleep deprived, PLUS classes start at 9 p.m., so I'm ending on this note. Thanks my faithful readers for reading, and goodnight!

Stuffed chicken with sauteed broccoli

(Credits to Nee Kee for the meal!)

My slice of pizza at the student lounge

The lounge

Double cheeseburger for only €2!

Now that's a value deal!

From l-r: Me, Hong, Esther, Aysha

at McD

DAY 22

Sept 23

1) Today has been a quiet day. Woke up early because me and my friends would finally be able to set up our bank transactions, including my standing orders. Met up at 10.00 a.m. and walked to the bank together. What rotten luck! After filling in ALL my particulars, the machine at the kiosk decided to go out of order. I had to wait again at the next kiosk to redo it all over again. Luckily, only one person was there so I didn't have to wait too long. With all the transactions done, there is only one last thing to do: get my GNIB Card, which is like a study permit card.

2) Next up, I had to buy my 10kg sack of rice. Went to Asia Market to purchase the basmati option for €16.50. Last item to purchase was my vegetable source. Lugged the heavy sack to Dunnes (since I had to pass by anyway) and bought freshly prepared mixed vegetables. Finally, I carried everything home, in preparation for lunch. This afternoon, I cooked rice, steamed my vegetables, fried some mince meat before adding the last of my carbonara sauce into it; and voila! Lunch is served :D

3) I spent the better part of the afternoon going through lecture notes, trying to make head or tail of what I was reading. Next week onwards would be brutal; no more free Thursdays and Fridays, plus the introduction of the Clinical Practice module. Just trying to stay abreast with the lecturer isn't easy. There's just too much to study. So I gave up after a while and listened to songs and had my forty winks. Woke up and felt hungry, so went downstairs to prepare dinner.

4) For dinner, I had a frozen meal (the second of my two frozen dinners that went *SPLAT*). It tasted really good AND was easy to clean: two descriptions to make any college student's day. After that, went to RCSI for archery session. It was my first time, yet I managed to hit the inner circle, thrice! But the recoil took its toll on my left arm, as you can see from the pics below. No pain no gain I guess. There was free pizza after the session, and I duly regained the calories I had just shed. What a perfect way to end the day! As usual, walked back home to type this out. Thanks for reading as always, and goodnight!

Mixed vegetables with minced meat carbonara

What's left of my frying pan :{

Archery session in progress

Trying to act like a pro, although I'm obviously not haha

Those are all mineeeeee :D

Chicken ham dinner, bought at Dunnes for €3.25

Free Pizza!

Everything comes at a price... recoil from the bow haha

DAY 17

Sept 18

1) Today was an uneventful day for me. Woke up in the morning to jog at St. Stephen's Green. In case it wasn't already clear enough, I take my running really seriously. Came back to have breakfast and found out that my milk, for some strange reason, had gone bad. This is the second time my milk has spoiled long before the expiry date! Perhaps I should consider getting fresh juice or something else next time.

2) I was preparing to purchase medical insurance online, which is essential if I'm to apply for Garda Vetting. The cheapest one I could find was O'Driscoll O'Neil Insurance, for €120 per annum. I was filling up the form with a friend, when we discovered the cover start date. Not knowing which date was appropriate, we had to put the purchase on hold while we ask the students' services at RCSI tomorrow.

3) For lunch, I cooked rice, fried two eggs and opened a can of soup. I wanted to use minced meat for my eggs to make a nice omelette, but tragedy struck. Since I could not wait for the frozen meat to thaw, I decided to cut through it with a knife anyways. Managed to poke myself in the thumb. That's awesome, I thought. Still had the eggs to fry and soup to heat up, and blood was oozing out of the open wound. Luckily, I pressed really hard with my other fingers on my thumb, while using my right hand to do the cooking. Food turned out pretty good, if I may say so myself. Don't ask me about the washing up though.

4) All afternoon, I was doing one of three things: a) studying, b) listening to good songs, and c) lazing in bed. For dinner, I still had some spaghetti left so why not? Everything was routine until I discovered some black pieces floating about in the water I used for cooking my pasta. It turns out the pan I used was worn out and the black pieces were actually bits of carbon! Thankfully they were so minuscule that I decided I'd serve the spaghetti anyway and be done with the pan for good. Overall the pasta still tasted the same, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed I won't get sick the next day.

5) I already mentioned today was boring. After dinner, went back to my room to continue studying and browsing the Internet. Tomorrow promises to be much more eventful, and I can't wait for it! Thank you and goodnight!

My lunch, simple but actually really good

Beef and vegetable soup

Dinner is served! :D