Day 155

FEB 3

1) Today has been a pivotal day for me. For starters, we finally finished our first quiz! Any student studying here will tell you that the marks that this test contributes to the overall score, is so minuscule so as to be negligible, but I still wanted to prove to myself that I could do well if I tried hard enough. Now we'll just have to wait for the results and see :D

2) I have learnt that it is really difficult to achieve perfect scores in exams AND participate in all sorts of activities, competitions etc - a sacrifice has to be made somewhere. Last semester my focus was shifted more towards trying out new activities e.g. archery, squash, rock-climbing, table tennis etc and as a result there were gaps in my knowledge. So this semester I shall make it a point to focus a little more on my studies and less on extracurricular activities. Of course that doesn't mean I'll neglect them completely, just cutting down time spent doing them.

3) This semester has a lot going on; we have five modules - Health Behaviour and Patient Safety (HBPS), Fundamentals of Biomedicine (FUN2), Renal, Endocrine, Genitourinary and Breast (REGUB), Gastrointestinal and Hepatology (GIHEP) and Introduction to Clinical Practice (ICP1). In addition to this, we have one individual project, a team project, and individual portfolio to do. Not forgetting the GP visits, the Healthcare Symposia, and the Histology components, which we are expected to read up by ourselves. And we have but 4 months to accomplish all of this! P.S. This long paragraph is directed at those who think only their course is difficult. I'm not saying our course is the most difficult, but just so everyone is aware, we're all in the same boat...

4) As to how my day went, I can summarise it very simply; woke up really early to reach RCSI before 7.00am, did my last bit of revision before the 8.00am test, and then spent the rest of the day (until 4pm no less!) attending lectures one after the other. Went to the library, got some work done on my team project, before going to Dunnes to buy my groceries. I'm planning to cook tonight. The rest of the night was just me relaxing, contemplating on how to spend my weekend getting things sorted. And here I am, typing this piece of reflection out for my blog. I'm going home soon to cook, so I'd best get going. Thanks for reading as always, and have a great day. Cheers!

Baguette at AK. Henry's for lunch today :)

My last chicken dinner before I cook again

DAY 49

Oct 20

1) Today was a full day for me. We had classes from 8a.m., so hurriedly had my breakfast before getting ready for class. Two lectures later, and it was time for lunch. Every student's favourite time of the day, apart from finishing time.

2) Went to AK. Henry's for my customary sandwich, but opted today for a baguette. I asked the server for extra fries, and he very generously piled them on for me. Service is top-notch over here hehe. Then it was two more lectures, including a small group tutorial at the Nightingale Lecture Theatre.

3) After lessons ended, I went directly to the Malaysian Hall to help my friends who were cooking for the PMCSA Sports Day event tomorrow, held in University College Dublin. I helped cut dice the carrots, while my friends chopped garlic and cooked rice together. More volunteers turned up later on.

4) At around 5pm, I decided to take a rest and came back to my apartment. Cooked some frozen stuffed mushrooms that I bought at Tesco for dinner. Turned out really great! Went to get the laundry done, and came back to type this out. I'm going out again for tennis practice at RCSI, since I will be representing for tennis tomorrow at UCD. That's all for tonight, and thanks for reading. Cheers!

 These bran flakes taste SOOOO good!

 Baguette with pesto chicken, egg mayo and stuffing,

with crisps on the side

View from across the canal near my house

 At the Malaysian Hall, Dublin

(to help my friends out)

View on my way back XD

 My apartment is the third one on the left

Two stuffed mushrooms for dinner

A light snack after a heavy workout at RCSI

DAY 42

Oct 13

1) Today was a really fun day. Woke up early to have breakfast, before making it to RCSI by ten. Lectures today were on different metabolic pathways, including those we studied in A-Levels, i.e. glycolysis, and the tricarboxylic acid (TCA)/ Krebs cycle. It was fun learning stuff we had already learnt before, but now in much greater detail.

2) Had lunch at AK. Henry's. The queue was really long, but I did not mind waiting for my sandwiches as we had lots of time to spare. Two more lectures after lunch, and that was it for today! But the downside to the early dismissal is tomorrow would be my group's first card signing, and I am not very confident about it yet.

3) As much as I was nervous about card signing, I still wanted to join the running group tonight. So we met up at RCSI at 6.30 p.m., before running the usual route to Phoenix Park AND back again. Today everybody upped the pace, and I had to dig deep to keep up. Fortunately I was not left behind and managed to finish together, as a group. Post run, we had some of the tastiest chocolate caramel milk and strawberry milk that I ever had.

4) After sweating it out, I returned home to cook dinner, or rather prep it, since it was store-bought. Nothing beats a hot meal after a long, cold run haha. Anyways, cleaned up afterwards, and will continue studying to cram as much information as I can before the dreaded card-signing tomorrow. To top it all off, our first quiz is on Monday, which covers more than 40 lectures in total! No pressure then. That's all I have time for tonight, and hopefully you enjoyed reading this update. Cheers!

 Sandwiches for lunch as usual :D

 AK Henry's

(Finally took a snap of my lunch area XD)

Essential post-run photos! :D

 Tonights Dinner

(Chilli Con Carne & Potato Wedges)

DAY 36

Oct 7

1) Today I woke up feeling a little under the weather. My throat was slightly sore, and I was having a cold. At least it is the last day before the weekends. So had my usual breakfast, before getting ready for school. This morning's lectures were on anatomy, before we entered the anatomy room for our practicals.

2) For students in Group A, there was card-signing today. Naturally, everyone was really worried as this was our first card-signing and we did not know what to expect. As it turned out, the surgeon prosectors (most of them, anyway) were understanding and would drop the occasional hint. All in all, it was far less nerve wrecking than I originally thought.

3) Had lunch at AK. Henry's. Today I tried their wraps, slightly more expensive at €3.50, but as you can see from the pics below, a really wholesome meal. I decided I wouldn't be cooking tonight, so I bought a panini for takeaway. Luckily I always carry around a spare container for food, just in case.

4) A couple of lectures after lunch, and school was over! Came back to my apartment, idled about contemplating life's intricacies, before having my dinner. The panini tasted great, even without reheating. It is really convenient NOT having to cook all the time haha. With dinner checked, I am going for a nap, before taking it easy for the rest of the night. Tomorrow there is an event called "Let's Talk About Autism". Most of my friends are going so I will be following suit. That's all for tonight, thanks for reading, and goodnight!

Breakfast

Lunch - a wrap for a change!

Panini with crisps for dinner