DAY 617-619

May 11-13

1) Now it's post-exam season, and immediately boredom has started to set in. No more getting up in the wee hours of the morning to study; no more studying in the freezing auditorium the night before an important exam. All gone; replaced by a lack of purpose or direction, an endless supply of YouTube videos to catch up on, and bright sunny Irish weather (!)

2) But all that's about to change. On Friday, I made yet another trip to the main campus. I met up with Dr. Sarah O'Neill (Director of the International Summer Research Programme), Niamh (who'll be participating in the same summer research programme in China), and Claire (who participated in last year's iteration and was there to give advice). After some slight delay, we met up at the Dispensary of the New Academic Building, where Dr. O'Neill briefed us on what to expect. The duration of the research would be 8 weeks, from 6th June to 3rd August. Two topics had been set for us, one on cancer and the other on Parkinson's disease research. Although I'm fine with both, I would personally prefer the research on cancer.  ; )
                                                             
3) That wasn't the only reason I went to town. I still needed a haircut, and where better to do so than Grafton Barber. The well-dressed gentleman who did my hair was extraordinarily friendly, and we talked about my nationality, where I was studying including what prompted me to come here, and what specialty I was interested in. In turn, I found out that he was the only one in the family practising as a barber, that he had practising for more than 60 years, and that he had a stent inserted for a coronary problem many years ago. It was quite an interesting haircut overall.

4) I'm well aware that this 13th of May is Mother's Day. It would be the most special one yet, as it would be the first time in two years that I would physically meet up with my parents! My host mother, Emma, was extremely kind by offering to drive me to the airport, while I nervously waited for my parents to show up. We found out that a sandstorm had delayed their flight by a while, so I was there slightly longer than expected.

5) In the end, I saw the familiar sight of my parents pushing the luggage cart, and my heart leapt. My mom certainly looked thinner, but other than that, two years had done nothing to change my parents. They looked and acted just as they did before, which made me feel very much at home. After introducing my parents to Emma, we all returned home. Emma went upstairs, leaving us to catch up on two year's worth of chat XD. I showed my parents around and talked for what felt like ages, until around midnight. Then it dawned on us that our flight would be very early the next morning.

6) Indeed, my parents had promised to take me on a week-long holiday trip, to Lisbon and around Naples. As I'm writing this, we are well into our holidays, but due to the really hectic schedule, I will need more time to write about them (I'll do so in a future post). But for now, I'm just elated to be reunited with my parents, and to listen to all their stories and share my own. Here's looking forward to the rest of the trip. Thanks for tuning in, and have an enjoyable week ahead. Cheers! :D

Two long years... :')

Nothing has changed over the past two years - except my face has gotten wider and rounder XD

Mother's Day Card ^^

Bilingual because I think my mum would appreciate it :))

Meet up with Dr. O'Neill, Claire, and Niamh

(at the Dispensary, No.26 ;D)

My new haircut

DAY 458/459/460

Dec 2, 3 & 4

1) So the day has finally come for our JC3 end-of-semester exams. Looking back, it doesn't feel like four months have passed since we started our second year. But now it is time for us to put our knowledge to good use, as we brave through the roughly two-week long exams. While there are admittedly fewer modules this semester (compared to JC2), a couple of them are actually 2-in-1 combos, and in the case of our OSCEs, the content increased dramatically.

2) Nothing of interest has been going on the past couple of days, except for loads of revision in the library. The library staff were kind to offer us some sweet treats to destress, as well as Post-it Notes to write words of encouragement to each other. In addition, they had a stock supply of earplugs for us to use! But nothing beats the RCSI Gym Team, which offered us a new class called "Recharge", where students come along, get a blanket, and have a nap! While that may be very appealing to some, I personally prefer dozing off on the desk where I do my revision. I'm just that lazy to go all the way downstairs... XD

3) Our first exam (tomorrow) is the Data Paper, which combines our ICP (Intro to Clinical Practice) skills from the previous semesters. Lots of slides to go through, and lots of uncertainty on what sort of questions to expect. Next up is OSCEs, followed by our Molecular Medicine module, Anatomy Practicals, Neuroscience module, and finally EBH (Evidence Based Health)/ PHE (Public Health and Epidemiology) module. It is not going to be an easy two weeks ahead, but at least I can look forward to a nice, long holiday afterwards. That has been the summary of the past couple of days, and thank you for visiting. Have a nice week ahead, cheers!

RCSI Expo Stage

Thick cut chips for a buck?

Yes, please :)

Post-it notes!

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 305/306

Jul 3 & 4

1) On Monday, the new academic building finally opened its doors for us! Admittedly, only two floors were officially open while the rest are to be public only once the next school term starts (in September). Of course, that didn't stop me and many of my friends from snooping around haha. We went up and down all floors, marvelling at how new and fresh everything looks. For starters, the building is massive; five floors up and another four down.

2) The top two floors are used for surgical training (RCSI houses the National Surgical Training Centre), while the next two floors contain the library and computer room. The Ground Floor contains the aptly named "Dispensary" - which provides complimentary Nescafe/tea for the next couple months or so. Also on this floor is the lounge, where visitors can gather to converse and socialise over a cuppa. A floor down and we reach the auditorium, which can house up to 540 students. I just wonder if we'll have many (if any at all) lectures here next semester.

3) The second level below Ground Floor acts as a backstage to the auditorium, for props and stagehands I presume. One level further down and it's the gym - complete with rows of weights and gym machines. There's even a separate Women's Only Gym right beside. Lastly, the fourth level underground. This contains the sports complex, the size of four badminton courts and/ or a full basketball court. After spending some time there, we were kindly ushered out by a security guard as the place was off-limits...

4) My personal opinion of the new academic building is that it's wonderful! Finally, we have something tangible (physical) to showcase to visitors, to complement our academic prowess haha. Jokes aside, the space available has been very well utilised, and the facilities are top notch to say the least. There's more than ample space to take a break, and the environment is thoroughly conducive for studying. Perhaps a little too conducive...

5) Up till today, we've done ten experiments in the lab, with more to come. I'll finish my research by the end of this month, however, and after that I'll be expected to summarise my research in the form of an abstract. The prospect of presenting my research findings sounds very exciting to me, and I'm looking forward to it. Anyway, that is the end of my blog update, and a big thank you for visiting. Have a lovely day, cheers!

Hanging out with my friends at the new "Dispensary" on the Ground Floor!

(l-r: Echin, Me, Cass, Charmi, Raymond, SianWon)

Everything looks so fresh and updated <3 <3

The stairs to the auditorium

One could almost sleep here XD

The auditorium at level -1

Look at all the gym equipment!

The basketball court

Complimentary beverage at the Dispensary

Me, Zi Yan, Joshua hanging out for a cuppa

The first floor of the library

National Surgical & Clinical Skills Centre

The equipment looks familiar haha

Spiral staircase

Nobel Peace Prize...

Or bilateral trade?

Tripartite then :)

It wasn't an easy picture to take... ^^

For when you need motivation when doing squats...