DAY 409/410/411

Oct 14, 15 & 16

1) So I've been quite busy these past few days. On Saturday morning, I went for the weekly kickboxing practice. Immediately after that, it was to St. Stephen's Green Shopping Centre, where I had volunteered to help out with Down Syndrome Ireland. If you have been following my blog posts for a while, then you will appreciate that I have been very active in volunteering, especially for Down Syndrome Ireland. The previous two events were the Dunnes Bag Packing at Henry Street, and the Purple Run at Phoenix Park, respectively.

2) This time around, we were selling trolley discs (I don't know why they call it that, they were just key chains) and pens to raise funds for Down Syndrome Ireland. Our target this year is €30,000 - a figure which may seem overly ambitious at first, but I am hopeful we will achieve. So I met up with Ms. Kathleen Fitzsimmons, Corporate Fundraiser of Down Syndrome Ireland. A stall had been set up at the entrance of the mall, along with the donation boxes and merchandise. There were 3 different slots for the day - 10-1pm, 1-4pm, and 4-6pm. I chose the 10-1pm option. For whatever reason, I was given the responsibility of being supervisor for that time slot.

3) We had volunteers from two different schools - Holy Loreto Foxrock and St. Michael's. That was more than we needed, which was just as well as we could now have shifts. Our strategy was simple - two volunteers at the entrance to the mall, and two more at the stands where we had set up. After thanking us profusely for devoting time off to volunteer, Ms Fitzsimmons had to go off for a meeting. So off we went as well.

4) After a while standing and supervising, I got bored and decided to help the boys out. I took a poster on Down Syndrome and followed the boys as they asked for contributions. As with everything in life, there were some really kind people, and a few less pleasant ones. Overall, I was genuinely touched by how many people actually cared for and donated (often more than the €2 we sold the trinkets for), and didn't want anything in return. Apparently, Maths Week Ireland is from 14-22 Oct this year, and another group had set up a maths stand right behind us. And guess what - they donated to us as well! :D

5) The hours passed, and soon Ms Fitzsimmons returned. We took some photos together, and then we were off for the day. The 1-4pm volunteers were on the way, so we made our leave. The others went home, while I went for buffet at the top floor (it's been a while ^^). At around 3pm, we had a nice badminton session with RCSI Badminton Club at the new sports complex. The rest of the day was spent in the library, sorting out the various "stuff" that I had before their datelines. Anyway, that has been the summary of my day, and I hope you enjoyed reading about it. Thanks very much for visiting, and have a great day. Cheers!

Group Photo 1 (with volunteers from the two schools)

Group Photo 2 

(if you have to ask why I'm in shorts, that's cuz I just finished my kickboxing session)

Maths in the City - set up stall just behind ours XD

A nice view of St. Stephen's Green Shopping Centre on a lazy Sunday

Maths Week Ireland

(P.S. I'm not in any way affiliated with The Rolling Donut)

So much enthusiasm for maths <3

DAY 205

Mar 25

1) Today has been a really enjoyable day. I woke up extra early today as I was going to Phoenix Park! Now, I've gone to Phoenix Park many times before (the last time was when I visited the Dublin Zoo) but today's event was a bit more special - we were going to volunteer for the Purple Run event, in conjunction with Down Syndrome awareness. So off I went and took bus 46A, which brought me right to Phoenix Park gate.

2) The only problem is Phoenix Park is HUGE! It took me close to an hour of walking(!) to reach our meeting point, even with the map provided by the event organisers. Thankfully, it was a lovely day, full of sunshine and warmth; a far cry from the gloomy, wintry setting just a couple of days back. I met up with some other volunteers, almost all of which were from UCD. Then I was assigned for the distribution of T-shirts and registration, and we worked together as a team.

3) For over an hour, we worked non-stop has hordes of participants came to sign up and grab a free T-shirt. We were soon out of stock for most sizes, which was rather unfortunate. Finally, we finished our stock, and by this time the first runners were returning from their 5km course. We cheered the winner of the event, a young boy who did it in a blistering 18 minutes! The rest of the pack weren't far behind, and it was indeed heartwarming to see families, mothers pushing their strollers, toddlers, the elderly - generally people from all walks of life came to take part in this very special event.

4) The last part of our volunteering involved dishing out food and beverages to the now tired competitors. We took lots of pics of the event, as well as group photos for remembrance. Then it was time to pack up, and we helped load all the extra stuff into the van, to be brought back. The event finished at around 2pm. Overall, it was helped by the marvellous weather; sunny and cool in equal measure, and perfect for a leisurely stroll. I found out I was the sole volunteer from RCSI; everyone else was from UCD haha. Anyway, all of us walked back to the bus station, and I alighted at the city centre, where I walked to the library as usual.

5) I've been in the library for the rest of the day, and I had a nice chat with my parents during lunch. It didn't matter that I couldn't hear a word they were saying - we managed a way around that XD. Took a short nap in the afternoon, and I continued my studying in the evening. All in all, a day very well spent. I guess the weather influences me more than I think. But jokes aside, volunteering for this sort of events really helps give purpose in my life, and seeing the cheerful look on people's faces for a simple gesture is truly worth it in my opinion. And on that note, I shall end my blog here today, Thanks for reading as always, and have a great day. Cheers!

Group photo with all the volunteers! ^^

Finally I found this place...

Our stand, where we gave away free T-shirts for those who signed up :)

The turnout this year was great, at just over 1200 participants!

My crew and I, manning the station together ^^

The overall champion, coming home in just over 18 minutes - a phenomenal time!

Even photographers need to pose :)

Group pic with the other volunteers 

(most of which I had already met in the previous event, the bag packing event at Dunnes Stores)

Yes, that is a defocus image of a Smarties chocolate bar

Thanks to everyone who volunteered today, this event was a complete success ^^

DAY 163

Feb 11

1) Today has been an interesting day. For starters, me and my friends volunteered to help promote Down Syndrome awareness, as part of the UKEC (United Kingdom Education Centre) initiative. Zi Yan and I opted to volunteer from 10.00am, at Dunnes Stores near Henry St. There were a couple of tasks at hand, a) bag packing for the patrons of the store, b) collecting donations for charity, and c) handling out pamphlets and stickers, all in the name of raising public awareness on Down Syndrome.

2) We were the only two from RCSI at that particular time slot; the rest of the volunteers were from UCD. We quickly made friends, and talked about life in UCD and their studies. The hours passed quickly, and by noon we were done! Based on my observations, almost half of the customers actually donated, which is quite impressive. It is true then as they say, it is better to give than to receive :D

3) After the event, Zi Yan walked to Moore Market to grab his fruits and veggies, while I walked back to the library. Finally I have a chance to study and catch up on some long overdue projects haha. That has taken up the rest of the day, except for when I went to Dunnes to get a loaf of bread myself. It has been an enriching experience volunteering, and it adds a new dimension to my life; to help without expecting anything in return - and that is a valuable lesson indeed. That's all for today, and I hope you enjoyed reading about it. Have a nice day, cheers!

Group photo at Dunnes!! ^^

My fried rice (that's four meals here haha)

Breakfast as usual :)

Seriously, if you don't get the reference, that's probably better anyway XD

No caption needed (seriously the graffiti here is really good haha)

The iconic Temple Bar

No caption needed

Three friendly pigeons (outside Ilac Shopping Centre)

Me and Zi Yan, volunteers for the day!!

It seems I made an error- this is the last spaghetti dinner I promise XD