DAY 404/405/406

Oct 9, 10 & 11

1) Today I went for another Friendship Lunch, this time at TR1. Friendship Lunches are co-hosted by RCSI CoMPPAS, RCSI S.U. & RCSI Peer Mentors. As a friendly second med student, I take it upon myself to ensure that the juniors are comfortable making friends and getting to know the seniors better. It is imperative that we form a strong peer mediated support system to ensure everyone feels comfortable with the environment they are in, as well as the course load that they are undertaking. I am therefore of the opinion that these lunches are a great way to integrate and assimilate with the rest of the faculty.

2) Today's lunch had a lower turnout than I expected. That being said, it gave us even more reason to socialise and engage in some highly (un-)intelligent conversation! After speaking with some of the first years, they told me that while RCSI is absolutely brilliant when it comes to international outlook, they felt that there was more that could be done to ensure that students came out of their shell to make new friends, rather than remaining within their social circle/clique. I think that would be something to aspire towards, and may I recommend, as a means of achieving this goal - to have more friendship lunches in the future? XD

3) Alongside the friendly banter, we also spoke to Dr. Orna Tighe, Vice Dean for Student Support and Development, and Senior Lecturer/Academic Administrator MCT. She asked us the type of clubs and societies that we had joined, and even shared with us her experience with cricket. After a lengthy conversation, she made her leave. It was getting late by now, and the first years had lessons soon, so we finished the last of our coffee and headed back.

4) In the evening, Zi Yan and I attended the "Psychological Consequences of Medical Emergencies: Live Panel" session, organised by the RCSI Friends of MSF (Doctors Without Borders). Basically we were shown a documentary called "Ross Kemp: Libya’s Migrant Hell". Essentially, what he does is show us the horrors he finds. He meets women held in a house against their will and forced to work in what is clearly the sex trade. He enters one of Tripoli’s three recognised detention centres, where 490 male refugees are locked up indefinitely, beaten, starved and abandoned by every person and government in the world. He interviews a smuggler who has transported 2,000 people into Europe along a coast where smuggling now accounts for half of the local economy. And he spends a night at sea with the Libyan coastguard, getting shot at in the process.

5) Kemp’s style may be about as subtle as a sledgehammer, but when he says, with tears in his eyes, that “I don’t care who you are or where you come from … as human beings we have a duty to try and stop this suffering,” it’s a deeply powerful plea. And even sending foreign aid is up for debate - is it really helping those in need, or are is foreign aid providing a corrupting influence on weak governments? After all, in order to get to the powerless, you often have to go through the powerful. And therein lies the problem.

6) After a long day, I went off for a long overdue haircut, at the Dublin School of Barbering. One free haircut later, and I returned to the library. That has been the gist of my three days, and I hope you enjoyed reading about it. Until next time, cheerios! :D

Friendship Lunch - a great way to meet new people and make new friends!

(With Dr. Orna Tighe)

Sandwiches and wraps

An eclectic mix of people from various backgrounds and academic pursuits

With Dr. Orna Tighe and RCSI friends

RCSI Friends' of MSF - Libya's Migrant Hell documentary

Before...

And after!! ^^

The Green Rooster Barber Shop

a.k.a. Dublin School of Barbering :)

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)

DAY 226

Apr 15

1) Today was another long day for me in the library. As usual, I went to the library right after my breakfast, It was time for study, and so I focused on anatomy. At this point, I would rather the exams just come a little quicker, so that I can focus on one particular module. As it is, I'm not sure where to begin, and what to study haha. So I'm just going with whatever catches my fancy, which happens to be anatomy.

2) The cafeteria and toilets have run out of tissue paper, which is a shame. On top of that, the waste disposal bins have not been properly emptied for the past couple of days, which means they are now overflowing with garbage. Hopefully, this problem will be rectified soon, and we can all go back to our daily routines.

3) I have not enough content for my blog today, so I'm going to tell you something really funny that happened during our last Card Signing. So the examiner asks Student A, "What is the embryological remnant of the falciform ligament (of the liver)?" to which she replies, "The umbilical vein." The examiner continues, "So which one?"At this, the student hesitates. "Right. Ugh... left."

4) So now the examiner turns to Student B and asks, "Was she (Student A) wise in changing her decision?" Student B replies, "Yes." The examiner then asks, "Why do you think so?" "Because when are you are wrong, you should change your decision," comes the answer. At this point, even the examiner, who is usually a really strict guy(he works in the A & E department), can't help but stifle a laugh. The rest of us burst into laughter, and the mood is lightened for the rest of the test.

5) If you didn't get the joke, or didn't find it funny, that's fine. I'll put it down as my current mental state, that I'd find something like that worth laughing at. And to explain the joke a bit, the falciform ligament is attached to the liver, which is on the right side of the body. So he thought the student would answer right umbilical vein instead of left. But in this case, the student was right. Right about it being left. Okay, I have to stop before I further confuse everyone. Bottom line - the answer is left umbilical vein as the right regresses.

6) That's all for my painfully uneventful day today, but at least I reinforced one part of my anatomy, while hopefully entertaining you with a story. Thanks very much for reading as always, and have a great day. Cheers!

Flowers blooming in spring - a sight for sore eyes ^^

Don't forget to donate or/and share! 

THANK YOU VERY MUCH :D

Random pic of lunch

DAY 218

Apr 7

1) Today marks the second last day of our term. Next Tuesday, we have one more session, and then it's self revision from then onwards. So I woke up early again to make it to the 8.00am class, which was a HBPS lecture with a twist. Presented by a mother who spoke on a sequence of medical errors which led to her son's untimely demise, this was definitely a very difficult safety case from the perspective of a family member.

2) Anatomy lecture followed immediately afterwards, followed by anatomy practicals in the Anatomy Room. In the afternoon, Group A (the second group) had their card signings, while I just revised some previous lectures. At 3.00pm, we had our final Healthcare Symposia, which was on addiction and homelessness. We gained a better appreciation at how addictive drugs can be, as well as how intense the withdrawal symptoms could be.

3) Afterward, I packed my stuff and went to the library. In the evening, I had my dinner in the Mercer Cafe, before coming back to study. I finally have enough information to fill up my ICP Portfolio, but I still some ways to go before being able to submit it. Best to get started then. That's the end of my day, and I hope you enjoyed reading. Thanks as always, and have a great day. Cheers!

Yet more flowers in St. Stephen's Green

Breakfast as usual

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 175

Feb 23

1) Today has been a busy day for me. Oddly enough, we had the shortest amount of lectures ever, at only two hours! So what was keeping me occupied for the rest of the day? Well, for starters, I went to Beaux Lane House (just opposite Mercer Library) after class ended, for an interview with Professor Kathleen Bennett, Associate Professor in Pharmacoepidemiology and Biostatics in the Population Health Sciences Division, RCSI.

2) Along with Dr. Caitriona Cahir, Prof. Bennett asked me about my background and my interests in conducting research over the summer. After a nice long talk, we agreed that I would be doing statistical analysis in the month of August, for approximately four weeks. I was delighted to know that I would have the opportunity to not only gain some research experience, but also to come up with an abstract for the research done!

3) Furthermore, I've agreed to volunteer to test out a new app called Headspace, which basically teaches us how to relax through meditation. Research is being conducted into this and I signed up to provide feedback on it. That means I get a full year access to the app, provided I fill in some questionnaires about my experience thus far. Free access AND better mental health - what's not to like? ^^

4) In the evening, I went over to the National Surgical Training Centre (just opposite RCSI) to chart my laporoscopic surgical skills progress. I finally managed to do all five laporoscopic tasks (which included extracorporeal and intracorporeal suturing) and we were introduced to two new tasks, one which tested manual dexterity by using one hand to fit in pegs into the pegboard. The other task required us to (virtually) position a rotating arrow so that it was perpendicular to a cube. They were both a lot of fun, and will provide valuable research into how our manual dexterity varies over time across a broad range of factors i.e. training, hobbies, sports etc.

5) Returned to the library after that, and it was freezing outside! The winds have gotten THAT much stronger, as if it weren't already cold enough. Perhaps Dublin should try installing one of 'em wind generators, to provide free electricity for everyone XD Anyway, that's all for today, as I have my Card Signing tomorrow. Thanks for reading as always, and have a great day. Cheers!

That's a fully functional artificial human body, capable of reenacting human-like body function

(and reportedly costing upwards of €100k)

That is my last batch of fried rice :)

 

Before the pegs are placed in the pegboard

After ~~

DAY 171

Feb 19

1) Today has marked a return to my usual cycle of activities. Woke up early today, went down for breakfast, before packing up and heading over to the library. Studying becomes quite therapeutic after a while, and it has become less of a chore for me as the days pass by.

2) During the afternoon, I went over to RCSI, where we had another Lion Dance practice. Together, Khee Heng, Esther, and I came up with moves for the lion and searched for inspiration from past performances. PMCSA (Penang Medical College Student's Association) will be performing during International Night 2017 and we aim to promote our culture and heritage for everyone to see, so the pressure is really on us haha.

3) After a fruitful session, we split up and I went back to the library. I was contemplating going for badminton, but by that time the badminton session was almost over. So I decided against it and had a quick nap. Woke up and had a nice, long chat with my dad - where we discussed accommodation for the next semester. I guess we'll just have to wait it out then.

4) At night, I had chicken sandwiches for dinner, before continuing to study for a while. This Friday is our Card Signing, so we have that to prepare for. Plus tomorrow we have the Interfaith Celebration, and we will get a chance to meet the family of those who donated their bodies to the College. Our aim is to be as professional as possible, while reflecting on the knowledge we have gained by their sacrifice. That sums up my day, and I'll end on that note. Thanks for reading as always, and have a great day. Cheers!

ICHAMS 2017 - checked! ^^

My morning toast

With each passing day, spring is nearing its way

Cupcakes ^^

DAY 43

Oct 14

1) Today was a jam-packed kind of day. Woke up in the morning, had some bran flakes for breakfast, before reaching RCSI before nine. As usual, we had lectures, and then anatomy practical sessions (since today is Friday). After that, a brief respite before our dreaded card-signing at two sharp.

2) Decided that I would indulge a bit for lunch, before coming back to study. So I went alone to Dicey's Garden, where I sampled their traditional Irish stew. I must admit, it was one of the best stews I ever had, maybe even surpassing the oxtail soup I had back in Ipoh! After that, travelled back to Coffee Doc in RCSI, before trying my best to study for the card-signing.

3) At 1.45 p.m., all of us entered the Anatomy Room. Our surgeon prosector today was Clive Lee, Head of the Department of Anatomy. In no time, he started off the session, occasionally handing out tidbits of additional info or providing a hint or two. The first group did really well, while it was tough luck for us in the second group. Most of us got a B, myself included. It really boils down to luck, and the kind of questions we got.

4) When it came to me, he handed me a scapula (shoulder bone), asked me its attachments, continued with a thoracic vertebra and asked me all the annotations before handing me a rib and finishing by asking me to list its articulations with the thoracic vertebra. I think what I'm hinting at, is that I was bombarded with a lot of questions, and not given enough time to think. Anyway, I accept the result, and I'll try harder next time.

5) After that was yet another lecture, but by this time my brain was completely fried so half my concentration was gone. Barely scraped through that, and today's session was finally over! Returned home for a short rest, before coming out again at 6.30 p.m. to RCSI. This evening we had our first belaying session, which is essentially a technique climbers use to exert tension on a climbing rope so that a falling climber does not fall very far.

6) At 7.30 p.m., we moved over to Trinity College, where there was a large indoor climbing gym. I practised setting up my harness with the double figure 8 knot, before proceeding to climb to the very top, using only grips of the same colour (mine was green, for beginners). I successfully did it twice, and managed to get some rope burn on my left arm, and bruises on my right knuckle. A great souvenir then I guess XD. Lastly, I was the belayer myself while someone else climbed up the rocks, all under the supervision of a trainer. After satisfying the requirements, I was awarded my first rock climbing certificate/ license! This more than made up for my card-signing results.

7) Came back at around ten, before reheating my frozen dinner tonight. Had a nice meal, got myself cleaned up, and headed back to my room where I'm typing this out. A well spent day, if I may say so myself. Thanks for reading, and goodnight!

 Dicey's Garden menu for today!

Traditional Irish Stew, with sides

(A crude combination, but tasted great!)

 Quiche lorraine for tea,
before going for rock climbing

 Indoor climbing gym at TCD

Start of climb, with my less than enthusiastic belayer XD

Keeping it going....

Made it!!

That's a thumbs up by the way...

The price of not descending the wall properly haha

 Hunter's chicken with spicy rice,
because I was just too hungry

 My climbing licence yippee!