DAY 235

Apr 24

1) Today marks the first of a long list of exams, which stretch on until the 13th of next month. So registration for our OSCE exams was from 8.15am onwards, and I came early to register. There were a total of 13 groups, and each group had around 16 students. Each group took around 15 minutes to rotate between the two tasks. One station was an examination station, with 6 tasks supposed to be completed in 6 minutes. The other station was a history taking station, which had a "patient" explaining their problems as we asked them questions.

2) I can't really judge my own performance, other than to say that I gave it my best and have no regrets. Only time will tell if it was good enough. Anyway, a huge burden lifted off me, I returned to the library. Tried to do a bit of Anatomy (which is in three days' time) but I was just so drained that I dozed off. Woke up feeling better, and then it was time to meet up with Ms Cheah, our Marketing Executive from PMC, along with Ms Devaki, the Assistant Registrar. After taking some nice pics of us in front of the college, we headed to South Street Restaurant (yes, the one we went to a couple of days earlier for the PMC Appreciation Lunch haha).

3) Among us, we ordered a couple of appetizers and main courses to share. The dishes came out meticulously plated, and they tasted as good as they looked. Really decent quality, especially considering the price. During the dinner, we had a long chat about issues regarding management and communication among the Malaysian and international students here in RCSI. We also talked about strategies to help international students assimilate into life in Malaysia when they come to Penang. The chief problem apparently was the language barrier, which seemed to indicate that patients in Malaysia could not speak an iota of English.

4) To me, that seems a little insulting really. I can definitely understand if the international students find it difficult to understand our accent, but to say that our patients cannot even converse in simple English is stretching it a bit. If anything, most Malaysians from the Colonial era speak perfect English. Either way, I suppose I'll find out for myself when I return haha. So after a lovely meal, Ms Devaki had to return home, while Ms Cheah invited us to go "jalan-jalan" (go along for a stroll) with her.

5) We wanted to go to Butler's Chocolate, but unfortunately it was closed. So instead we went to The Rolling Donut where they had a €5 deal - one doughnut and large cup of coffee/tea/hot chocolate. We continued our nice chat, this time about our prospects of returning to Ireland after completing our housemanship. We learnt a lot from Ms Cheah, who told us about our seniors' experiences. By the time we left, it was approaching nine. I returned to the library to type this out, and to collect my things. I shall return home soon, so I can get a good night's rest. It has been a really long day, but definitely one to cherish as we got to meet up and chat with Ms Devaki and Ms Cheah.

6) Before I end my rather lengthy post, I would just like to personally thank Ms Cheah for spending us for the meal, and also the doughnuts afterwards. It was very nice meeting up with you, and it provided a nice reprieve after our first exam. Many days of studying ahead of me, so I'd best get cracking then. That's all for today, and thanks for reading. Have a nice day, cheers!

From left: Me, Aisha, Melvin, Lyana, Melissa, Frank

(posing in front of the main entrance to RCSI)

I don't think we're really good at doing "candid" shots

Garlic mushrooms (with Lyana's stamp of approval) ^^

Tiger prawns salad

Hmmmm.... now where would I have seen this before? XD

This looks a bit familiar too hahaha 

(Don't mind me please my mind isn't quite it's usual self)

The Rolling Donut

4 doughnuts for the four of us :)

The Nutella doughnut (Sinfully delicious)

Got the inspiration for this shot from Ms Cheah

A large hot chocolate to wash it all down

DAY 217

Apr 6

1) Today was definitely one of the more tiring days for me, and not just because I had a lot of decisions to make. First life-altering decision I had to make: should I attend classes today or stick to my original plan of volunteering for the RCSI Reach Sports Day? Finally, I made up my mind (for the second time) to go for the Sports Day, which was held in Dardistown, near the airport. Our meeting point was the Swan Pub, just one block away from RCSI. Initially, I thought that none of the other JC2 students would want to come, seeing as some of them (Group A) have Card Signings tomorrow, while others would not want to miss the Anatomy Practicals and Expert Patient Sessions. So I was pleasantly surprised to meet some of them who actually decided to come along.

2) We took around 40 minutes to reach Dardistown, after which we had about 20 minutes to prep. Niamh, Dawn and I were put in charge of the "Retrieve and Conquer Rounders" game. It was quite similar to a game of rounders, sans the bat. Essentially, two teams would go up against each other. The first team would be the pitchers - they would stand behind a white line and each would throw one tennis ball. After throwing, they had to run around four cones (this represented "bases") and return to the first cone (a complete "home run"). Meanwhile, the second team was waiting to catch the balls, after which they would try to get the balls back inside the cone. If they managed to return all the balls before the first team returned to the first cone, then they got the point. But if the first team returned first, they got the point. I can appreciate that it's not easy to understand this with just words, but with a bit of demonstration, we managed to get the kids to understand the rules.

3) Today I learnt two things - that children have boundless energy, and that they have an infinite tolerance for cold. I was literally freezing in the chilly morning air, which was further exacerbated by the strong winds. My fellow Irish friends would definitely concur. And yet, these kids were short-sleeved (for the most part) and jacketless, running and playing like there's no tomorrow. This reminds me of an HBPS lecture which I went to, in which the lecturer asked, "When a parent asks their child to put on an extra layer, who is the one who is actually cold, the parent or the child?" That's right, the parents are cold; that's why they ask their child to wear a jacket. Anyway, we judged a total of ten teams over five games, briefly stopping for lunch in the Clubhouse. Sipping piping hot coffee in the cold is fast becoming one of my favourite pastimes, and there was ample coffee on demand - which meant I had a field day.

4) By the time we finished, it was fast approaching two. Everyone gathered in the Clubhouse, and the results were announced. The overall champions of the day - White Team! The top three teams were also given medals. At the end of the day, I'll go home with a volunteer T-shirt, my stomach full with a free lunch (to my Chemistry teacher Ms. Chong, I guess there are free lunches in this world after all XD), but most importantly a hug and a thank you from one of the children. Small little gestures, but with a profound effect, on me at least.

5) But now we were approaching a crisis. Would the bus be able to make it back in time for the 3pm Expert Patient Session (EPC)? My watch showed 2.30pm when the bus finally started moving. With a bit of luck, and a lot of praying, we returned to RCSI on the dot. If you were there at 3pm and noticed a bunch of students literally running back to RCSI from the bus stop, that was us. Fortunately, the session had just started, so we didn't miss anything important. It was another lucky save for us then. Afterwards, I returned to the library, only to be greeted by free doughnuts and sorbet, courtesy of the SU4U team. The rest of the evening I spent trying to finish my ICP project, which I know I can't finish but I'll try regardless. It has been a long day, but one that I really cherish. It's a bit of a shame we weren't allowed to take photos of the children themselves - for privacy reasons, which I totally understand, but still disappointing nonetheless. So on that note, I think I'll end my blog here. Thanks for reading, and have a great day, cheers!

Me, Dawn, Niamh - the (self declared) best trio ever!

Hamburger et frites

Obstacle course for the kids :D

The hockey pitch - where we had our "Retrieve and Conquer Rounders" game

This was taken during lunch time, when everyone was playing tag rugby

The tennis balls we used ^^

Me, Mahitha (anatomy buddy), and Joo Kyung (Principal Seminar buddy)

We may be smiling, but right now, all I'm wondering is whether the bus would get us home in time XD

RCSI Sports Ground, Dardistown

Team SU4U 

Don't mind if I do

Free doughnuts at the Mercer Cafe, courtesy of team SU4U

My vantage point, where I observe life and contemplate my own existence in the process

Vegan choc and cookie flavoured sorbet

Can you guess which one I wrote? :P

DAY 215

Apr 4

1) Today has been a really tiring day for me. I got up really early, so that I could revise just a bit more for the histology quiz at 8.00am. The problem with me is, somehow I cannot function normally in the morning. That means everything I studied the previous night will go down the drain, lost after my sleep. So to compensate for that, I need to revisit my notes just before the exam.

2) The test itself was challenging, but doable. I felt the initial questions were quite hard, while the later sections (REGUB) were a bit easier. All in all, it was a 45 minute paper with 30 questions. So few questions, yet so much time invested to absorb every minute detail. After the paper, it was time to reward myself, so I went to AK Henry's for a Full Irish breakfast. This is fast becoming a trend for me haha...

3) After that, we were free until 2pm, at which point we would have our Healthcare Symposia. So I took my stuff to the library, and it was time to sleep(!) Not the best way to establish a sleep pattern I admit, but since I'm only doing it for exams, it should be fine. Woke up in time for lunch, and after some dilly-dallying, it was back to RCSI for the Healthcare Symposia, which was on sickle cell disease.

4) Two women, both from Nigeria, came forward to talk about their experience with sickle cell anaemia in the family, and the associated stigma. One of them brought her daughter, who had the disease. It was really touching to hear about their plight, and to see how much they wanted to advocate for change and awareness. Next, we had one more lecture, before lessons ended!

5) Back at the lounge, there were doughnuts and pizza served, as well as a photo booth where we could get our photos taken. All of this was courtesy from team RSU, who are running for the next Student Union. Besides, there were tonnes of activities; everything from henna painting, to Twister, chess, card games, and even two PS4s! I didn't stick around for long though, but came back to take my belongings at the Coffee Doc.

6) Returned to the library, where *surprise surprise* another team, "ReSUrgence", had set up a stall at the library entrance, giving away free energy drinks. Grabbed my fair share of it, before returning to my spot to type this out. I'm spending the rest of the evening here, probably going to finish off my ICP Portfolio. Yes, there really is no end to the work, is there? But I'll admit, it's been really fun so far. Looking forward to more activities, and stay tuned for more... Thanks very much for reading, and have a great day. Cheers!

Shenanigans with my friends, courtesy of RSU 

(I like how they had enough space for a fourth photo, but instead chose to dedicate that slot for the team logo ^^)

Nothing like a Full Irish to brighten one's day ^^

Two doughnuts, along with some random pics from the photo booth XD

My two doughnuts ft. Melvin's two half-eaten doughnuts (L) and Melissa's doughnut (R)

Really intricate chess pieces, if I may say so myself

Nxf6# makes for a really beautiful mate for white (this was a friendly game between me and my friend, who shall remain anonymous for now - as friendships have been broken by lesser deeds XD)

Two cans of Red Bull, courtesy of team "ReSUrgence"

DAY 214

Apr 3

1) Today has been a long day of studying for me. Brought my stuff to the library first thing in the morning, and I've been there since. But as with all things in life, there were some unexpected surprises in store. At around 10am, a stall was set up at the entrance to the library, and on closer inspection it was the students of RSU, who were campaigning for RSU to be the new Student Union for the next academic year.

2) Free doughnuts and coffee were served, with the promise of free ice-cream at 3.00pm. And as we all know, the one thing that Malaysians love to hear, more than anything else, is the word FREE. I presume they managed to attract a huge number of students to vote for them just by that stint haha. But in all honesty, most of my friends are in this team, so when the time comes to vote for a team to be the new SU team, I know who I'm voting for.

3) The afternoons and evenings are essentially a rehash of what I do (almost) every single day: study, a short nap, and back to more study. Tomorrow's exams are very important in terms of contributions to our final mark, so I had to make sure I learnt the lectures inside out. Went home a bit earlier, to make sure I got enough sleep for tomorrow's exam. That's all for today, and thanks very much for reading. Have a great day, cheers!

Group photo with members of team RSU

RSU

Doughnut and coffee, a perfect combination

Pasta carbonara for lunch

The ice-cream proved to be a hit with everyone

Peppermint ice-cream ^^

After a double helping of ice-cream, coupled with a large cup of coffee in the morning, I was adequately equipped to last through the night, right up until my exams the next day (which ends at 8.45am), after which I'll crash XD

Coin-shaped chocolate (and on it is written "libertie, egalitie, fraternitie", the national motto of France and the Republic of Haiti