DAY 830-832

Dec 10-12

1) And just like that, our final paper of the semester - Tropical Medicine - has come and passed! And with that comes a great big void - what to do next? One moment we're so hardcore studying that barely after finishing each paper we're already studying for the next, and now there's absolutely nothing left to study! As I pondered over what to do next, it hit me that in less than a week, I wouldn't be here anymore!

2) For lunch, my friends and I (Joshua, Ishtar, Jeffrey (Kaung Sett), Melvin, Melissa, Zi Yan, myself) planned a nice buffet lunch at Jimmy Chung's. We were originally supposed to meet up at 11.30am, but I was delayed a little as I needed to close my AIB Bank Account. Anyway, we met up there and enjoyed lunch, after which Joshua was really kind to hand us all goodbye cards. As you know, the RUMC students (a.k.a Melvin, Melissa, Zi Yan, myself) will not be returning to Dublin next semester, so it was our last chance to meet up before parting ways...

3) While I may not be physically here in Dublin, I wanted to be able to take as much as I could back home with me, hence the many pictures below! But before all that, Melissa was meeting up with Dr. Fitzpatrick to say goodbye, and she kindly informed me so I tagged along. We sat down for a nice cup of coffee over at "Remedy" - the college cafe. It was such a change of pace to be idling about (with good company of course) compared to what we had been doing the past two or three weeks.

4) Dr. Fitzpatrick had a function to attend to, which is when we decided to take as many photos as possible. We went to the "historical" section of the campus, and took lots of profile pic worthy photos. I had dinner with Zi Yan, and we talked about our trip to the Giants Causeway tomorrow. It was a guided tour with the "Wild Rovers", but more of that in the next post.

5) After dinner, Zi Yan and I went over to the "Friendship Room" (an obscure room in the main campus) to watch a movie. We originally wanted to use one of the giant screens in the student lounge or in the library study rooms, but we couldn't find a cable to connect to my laptop. After a long battle over what movie to watch, we settled on "The Incredibles 2" as we had both watched the first movie and not the second. It was quite an entertaining movie, albeit more suited for a younger audience (this coming from someone who still watches Spongebob XD)

6) Soon after, I had to go back home, in order to pack up and mentally prepare myself for the trip tomorrow. Bear in mind that at this time I was already sleep deprived many times over due to the end-of-semester exams haha. Anyway, that's it for this edition of the blog, stay tuned for the next one - which will be on our day trip to the Giants Causeway.

7) As always, huge thank you for reading, and have a nice day. Cheers!

P.S. Now that you're braved through the text, please enjoy some really nice photos below :)

Barry had to leave early to meet his brother at the airport, so this is a nice picture of Andy, myself, and Barry at the study pods immediately post-exam :)

Dinner from Burritos and Blues (note the marked absence of a lot of students in the Dispensary - that's the absence of all IC2 students who'd finish their exams today XD)

Having a lovely chat with Dr. Fitzpatrick over a cuppa, at Remedy Cafe

(l-r: Melissa, Melvin, Dr. Fidelma Fitzpatrick, myself)

I got myself a nice cup of hot chocolate, to go along with the mince pies that Dr. Fitzpatrick ordered for us <3 <3 <3

Paying the board room a visit - note beautiful grand piano on my left :)

All dressed up with nowhere to go

(and yes, the eagle-eyed among you will notice that this is the college tie that I have on me)

Paying the College Room a visit

(beautiful college crest behind us)

Remedy Cafe in the main campus

RCSI logo and motto - Consilio Manuque - which means Scholarship and Dexterity

Profile picture worthy I might say haha

The old repainted piano is now in the student lounge of the main building

Posing in the board room

(same place where the grand piano is located)

Mr Skeleton - the Harold Brown Lecture theatre is where most students in Junior Cycle wait in before getting called to the Anatomy Room for our Anatomy Practical Finals

Here's where we wash up before and after our dissection visits to the Anatomy Room

I have no idea why I took this picture - just thought it looks cool haha

(it's actually the door handle in the board room)

Poster of Malaysia in the Friendship Room, which contains stuff from the various clubs and societies (I'm assuming this poster would be used by the PMCSA to promote our country)

The College Hall, where exams are held 

(we have a larger hall aptly called the "Exam Hall" 

where more students can be seated for their exams :)

I ordered the Big @$$ Burrito, which comes with all the fixings, served on a bed of nachos and cheese. Simply heavenly! :)

DAY 774-780

Oct 16-22

1) And another week has passed. As I count down the days till our exams finish, I'm increasingly aware that I will soon be leaving Ireland. It is indeed a shame that as much as I would love to maximise my remaining time here doing fun exciting activities, I still have to keep my studies a priority - or I wouldn't be going back XD.

2) As it is, my friends have been very supportive, and I find myself hanging out with everyone a little more. Knowing that everyone is going through the same phase certainly helps, as we can relate to each others' problems. My routine has not changed one bit - I still arrive early at the library everyday, and I leave when it closes - 10pm on weekdays, and 8pm on weekends.

3) One thing I've discovered is that breaks are really important. Everyone deserves a break, regardless of how close exams are or how much left they need to cover. I've always felt a lot more energised and in the mood to study after a well-earned lunch break with friends in the canteen. And I realise that when I do return to Malaysia, it is these memories that I will take home with me - not the ones spent cramming information in a secluded spot in the library.

4) In less than a month, it will be time for our annual Farewell Dinner - for the Malaysian (and international) students returning to Malaysia for their clinical stage of the course. It was only yesterday when I attended my first Farewell Dinner, for the seniors two years above. I still remember thinking what a long way we have to go, and yet here I am. Frankly, time has wheezed by (mostly due to the studying XD) and soon it will be time to bid each other farewell. But it's never goodbye, only until we meet again.

That's it for today's blog update, and thanks for tuning in as always. Have a nice week ahead, cheers! :D

With Andy, Barry, and Hazel at the (staff) canteen, Beaumont :))

- ft. a rare 1920 note called "Reichsbanknote" in front of my plate -

With Amirah and Ice at "1784" Cafe in the main campus, St. Stephen's Green :))

Munch ado about nothing ^^

Ein Hundert Mark (One Hundred Marks)

- 1920 note from Hazel's inventory -

Roast chicken with roast potatoes and carrots

(I've discovered stuffing is free XD)

Jacket potato with a side of chips - dinner on a lazy Sunday...

Spice burgers with mash potatoes and kale - courtesy of my awesome host mom Emma! :D

Beaumont Hospital is getting into the Halloween theme now!

Ghastly...

Baked salmon and vegetable mash, drowned in gravy

(believe me the gravy is very much necessary XD)

A rare look into the staff cafeteria :)

Finally received my certificate for being a Peer Led Tutor at RCSI

- I covered Fundamentals in Biomedicine 1 (FUN1) with Joshua last semester :)

A huge burrito bowl at Burritos and Blues - a long-term craving satisfied! ^^

(the red dots are form the hot sauce you can see on the left)

Microbiology Tutorials at the ERC Integrated Lab of the RCSI Smurfit Building

6 hot wings with fries and salad - at "1784" in the main campus :)

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 399/400/401

Oct 4, 5 & 6

1) Three more days have passed, and three more days' worth of activities to talk about. First and foremost, my conquest at Boojum has finally ended, culminating with my triumphant victory in the form of an official Boojum T-shirt! The envy of many a student, this special tee is only available after collecting 40 stamps on their loyalty card. That, or you could just buy it, although where's the fun in that? And as with many things in life, once a chapter ends, another one begins... So begins my next journey to get yet another one, so that I have one for mum and dad should they come visit next summer.

2) Another trip to Dicey's this Wednesday. At this point, even the two servers know each one of us. Melvin, Melissa, and Kuhan decided against going to Dicey's; they went to Burritos and Blues to try out their luck instead (flip a coin, win a burrito challenge). Also, special shoutout to Uzair Malik and Talal, who actually approached me to be in my blog. Lots of appreciation for that, guys!

3) Arguably the most important event was today's one - the Bake Sale co-organised by UNICEF and RCSI Caribbean Society (CAS). All proceeds would go to charity, in aid of the victims of Hurricane Irma - a Category 5 hurricane that caused widespread damage and destruction particularly in parts of the northeastern Caribbean and the Florida Keys. While the Bake Sale was on the whole day, I went over to man the stands around noon. It was very touching to see many so many students contributing to a good cause, and many of them gave extra/ would not accept the change that we returned to them.

4) Tomorrow is another exciting adventure for me - as I'll be joining the Class Trip to the Cliffs of Moher. We managed to get a bargain of a deal, as our ticket cost only €25 - compared to the usual €40-50 deal. Looking forward to a lovely trip, with lots of pics to follow. That has been my blog update, and thank you for tuning in. Have a great weekend, and see you in the next one. Cheers!

RCSI CAS-UNICEF Bake Sale - to raise money in aid of Hurricane Irma victims

The definition of hard work and sacrifice XD

Even the server was all smiles for me ^^

The spoils of victory :)

RCSI friends :D

The most candid photo you'll ever see

Bake sale in the New Academic Building

The cookies were simply amazing!

My contribution to the cause - €5 for a fantastic marshmallow leaden cream cupcake, and Rocky Road dessert

Posing for SnapChat advertising

(I realise I'm not model material, but hey - free promo no? XD)