DAY 256

May 15

1) Today I expected to spend a leisurely day contemplating on life, idling about with nothing in mind- just before our trip tomorrow. But instead, I found myself moving to and fro, sorting out everything and encountering some hiccups in the process.

2) The first thing I did was go to the bank to withdraw some cash. Unfortunately, I couldn't remember my PIN number and had to call up customer service. Worse still, the lines were all haywire today, which meant I could not reach anyone even after close to an hour of trying. Finally, it dawned on me that I could find a way to retrieve the number, but I had to come back again later. In the end, after close to three hours, I managed to withdraw some pocket money for the Europe trip tomorrow.

3) In the afternoon, my friends and I met up at the Coffee Doc to discuss on the exact details of our trip, down to times and transportation. We also sorted out all the necessary documents, printing extra copies for each other just for good measure. Zi Yan and Kuhan had to pack up earlier, as they were moving out from Mercer today. Meanwhile, I was fortunate enough to be able to exchange money for Croatian kuna (their currency).

4) By and large, our travel itinerary is complete, save for a few empty time slots. Here's hoping all goes well, since it's our first time travelling together for a long period of time. I cannot wait for tomorrow, as it is the start of a wonderful adventure haha. I'll be taking a nap soon, as our flight is at seven tomorrow and we plan to reach the airport before five. That's all from me today, and the next blog update will be from somewhere in Germany (I hope XD). Thanks for reading, and have a nice day. Cheers!

"All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go..."

Keeping my fingers crossed that this adapter will work in all European countries haha

Lunch from AK Henry's today ^^

DAY 255

May 14

1) The first day after our exams feels a tad strange. The hours spent studying, replaced by a void of complete freedom to do whatever we want. Well well well, time for me to explain everything in detail. I've a couple of announcements to make. Firstly, regarding me and my friends' summer trip. Zi Yan, Kuhan, Melissa, Melvin and I are going for a 13-day trip in which we'll cover a couple of cities in Germany (Berlin, Dresden, Munich, Nuremberg), Austria (Salzburg, Vienna) and Croatia (Split, Zadar). This was all done before/ in between our papers so you can imagine all the hassle involved haha. We're meeting up tomorrow to finalise all the documents and make sure everything is in place.

2) So a bit of a disclaimer: if subsequent blog updates are a bit sporadic during this time period (May 16-30), that just means a) there's poor Wi-Fi connection in the hostels, b) we're taking overnight trains so we need all the sleep we can get, or c) I'm just way too tired after all the walking haha. Worst case scenario, I'll return and upload all the photos and comments on each area we visit. This is unlikely, because I will most probably continue with my usual daily postings.

3) Secondly, and here's the bittersweet part I guess haha. Previously, I had informed many friends and relatives that I'd be returning for the summer. Unfortunately this would not be the case ): The reason being that I've secure two research placements for the summer. The first research is in the Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, under Dr. Darren Griffith. The second is in the Population and Health Sciences (in Beau Lane House), under Professor Kathleen E. Bennett.

4) These are both part of the RCSI Research Summer School, and I've been really lucky to be awarded a scholarship grant of €2,000 to carry out my research. Great experience, plus a stipend to boot- what's not to like? The only downside being I will be not be coming back as I initially thought I would. Believe me, I had a long chat with my parents regarding this, and they were really supportive of me staying. After all, here's a golden opportunity to dip my feet into the field of research (Malaysia is less well known for research, unfortunately), so they advised me to take it.

5) So that's that folks. That was basically what I wanted to tell everyone for quite a while, but I never found the time to do so. Tomorrow I'll be really busy, packing my stuff, printing out documents and also exchanging for some foreign currency. Anyway, that's the end of my blog, and I hope you enjoyed reading about it. Thanks for reading as always, and have a great day. Cheers!

For those days when I crave a bit of home haha :p

Some really nice juggling/ balancing acts,

 just in front of St. Stephen's Green Shopping Centre

Ross the performer

A rare indulgence for me

(€13 for a nice pair of trainers, just in time for the Europe trip ^^)