DAY 521-525

Feb 3 - 7

1) On Saturday (Feb 5), an entourage of RCSI students attended the inaugural Student Medical Summit 2018 - held at the UCD Science Hub building. It was the first time many of us had been that part of the campus, and according to some of our friends at UCD - it is one of the most impressive. Essentially, this one-day conference consisted of an undergraduate poster presentation competition, as well as several keynote speeches from prominent figures across the country.

2) I reached early and registered, before setting up my research poster at the designated area. There would be two rounds of judging, to reduce personal bias. We had 15 minutes to present and answer any questions. Before we knew it, judging was over - after which eight finalists would be shortlisted. The finalists would be given five minutes' presentation time, and a further two minutes Q and A session.

3) After our first keynote speech, the finalists were announced. Among us, Melissa would be progressing to be finals! We proceeded to have lunch in the hallway, before returning to Moore Auditorium to support our friend. It was an exciting session, with some really interesting research presentations. The judges went out to deliberate, while the last keynote speaker gave us his talk on 'obesity'. As the event drew to a close, the judges reached a verdict - Melissa was the inaugural champion! Congratulations are in order :D

4) We stayed back for a while after, to enjoy some finger food and free flow of drinks (i.e. alcohol). As the sky became dark, we made our way back - for me, it was a long way back to Eden Quay, and from there, another bus change to Beaumont. Anyway, that has been a summary of the past couple of days, and I hope you enjoyed reading about it. Have a nice day, cheers!

Group pic with everyone. Awesome job guys :D

Congratz Mel!! :))

It was a really impressive building (a bit cold though tbh)

Nice way to kick-start the day :)

Another group photo cuz why not XD

Unique structure

Lunch would not be complete without dessert

Lunch is served!

Post-conference party

Finger foods and wine

At the 'old' Student Centre, capping off a long day

DAY 78

Nov 18

1) Today was a mentally draining day. Woke up for breakfast, before preparing the last of my notes for the day's Card Signing. During the first lecture, I noticed a splinter in my left hand. Luckily, after a few futile attempts of my own to remove it, my friend Stephanie offered to help and with her longer nails, managed to remove it. It felt so good haha... Attended lectures from 9.00am till noon, before heading over to Dicey's for lunch.

2) Today I tried the sirloin steak, and it was really really good! Nothing like a hearty meal before an important exam. Came back to RCSI, where there were some students from Oman who had a booth set up to celebrate their 46th National Day today! They offered everyone traditional snacks (called halwa), sweet dates, and their very own version of coffee. They even dressed me up in the traditional turban, and presented me with a lovely souvenir in the form of a badge of Oman. What a lovely group of friends!

3) Soon after that, it was time for Card Signing, so I entered the Anatomy Room. Our surgeon prosector was Mr. B. E. Lane, the first prosector we met in the Anatomy Room. My turn came soon enough, and he held nothing back, going so far as to ask me anatomy from the previous card signing. I tried my best, and in the end managed to get a B. I think it was a fair reflection of my performance, and I'll try harder next time...

4) We had two lectures after that, but my mind was already gone long before that. It was all I could do to stay awake, as the clock ticked away minute by painful minute... And then it was over, for now. I still have a Histology exam on Monday, which is worth 10 marks. I will be preparing for that soon, but right now, I need a break from all that cramming haha. Anyways, the rest of today is pretty much the same as before, so I'll just leave it as that. That's all folks, thanks for reading. Cheers!

The splinter after just after being removed

(the reddish area directly below my ring finger)

Dicey's Menu for today

Sirloin steak with pepper sauce

46th National Day for Oman!!

Me posing with a turban :D

Cake! ^^

Oman friends

Sweet dates and halwa <3

My dinner today :p

(Forgot to thaw the frozen meat today)