DAY 234

Apr 23

1) Today has been a long day for me. I came to the library right after breakfast. At half past ten, I went over to RCSI to have a mock OSCE practice with my friends. We wanted to use the Physiotherapy room but unfortunately it was locked, so we found Tutorial Room 5 and used it. Unfortunately, there was only one physio bed for us to use, so we took turns.

2) In about three hours, we covered all the possible questions for each of the three systems (GI, Cardio, and Resp). There's just so much to remember for each individual task, and even in those three hours, we had completely ignored the second part of our OSCE - the History Taking part. Since college closes at three, we decided against coming back after lunch, and instead practise on our own.

3) I came back to the library, where I had a short nap as I was exhausted. Woke up refreshed, and began browsing through my notes again. At this point, I think it's safe to say everyone knows their notes inside out; it's just a matter of not freezing up and blurting out something absolutely ridiculous haha. I shall go back earlier tonight so that I will be fresh for tomorrow's exam. So on that note, I'll end my blog for today. Thanks for reading, and have a great day ahead. Cheers!

I see this gate more often than I see my apartment XD

DAY 226

Apr 15

1) Today was another long day for me in the library. As usual, I went to the library right after my breakfast, It was time for study, and so I focused on anatomy. At this point, I would rather the exams just come a little quicker, so that I can focus on one particular module. As it is, I'm not sure where to begin, and what to study haha. So I'm just going with whatever catches my fancy, which happens to be anatomy.

2) The cafeteria and toilets have run out of tissue paper, which is a shame. On top of that, the waste disposal bins have not been properly emptied for the past couple of days, which means they are now overflowing with garbage. Hopefully, this problem will be rectified soon, and we can all go back to our daily routines.

3) I have not enough content for my blog today, so I'm going to tell you something really funny that happened during our last Card Signing. So the examiner asks Student A, "What is the embryological remnant of the falciform ligament (of the liver)?" to which she replies, "The umbilical vein." The examiner continues, "So which one?"At this, the student hesitates. "Right. Ugh... left."

4) So now the examiner turns to Student B and asks, "Was she (Student A) wise in changing her decision?" Student B replies, "Yes." The examiner then asks, "Why do you think so?" "Because when are you are wrong, you should change your decision," comes the answer. At this point, even the examiner, who is usually a really strict guy(he works in the A & E department), can't help but stifle a laugh. The rest of us burst into laughter, and the mood is lightened for the rest of the test.

5) If you didn't get the joke, or didn't find it funny, that's fine. I'll put it down as my current mental state, that I'd find something like that worth laughing at. And to explain the joke a bit, the falciform ligament is attached to the liver, which is on the right side of the body. So he thought the student would answer right umbilical vein instead of left. But in this case, the student was right. Right about it being left. Okay, I have to stop before I further confuse everyone. Bottom line - the answer is left umbilical vein as the right regresses.

6) That's all for my painfully uneventful day today, but at least I reinforced one part of my anatomy, while hopefully entertaining you with a story. Thanks very much for reading as always, and have a great day. Cheers!

Flowers blooming in spring - a sight for sore eyes ^^

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Random pic of lunch

DAY 219

Apr 8

1) Today has been another day for me in the library. I woke up early, packed my stuff and headed to the library. Continued working on my ICP Project, right until lunch. Today there was a meet up between RCSI and UCD friends enrolled in the PMC programme. For the first time, our friends from UCD came over to RCSI, rather than the other way around.

2) There was lots of games and activities, with prizes to the winning teams in the end. We stopped for lunch, where we talked about life at each other's campus. It was quite interesting finding out about life at UCD, as well as their curricula. Anyway, before everybody went home, there was one last surprise - celebrating our good friend, Melvin's birthday!

3) We pulled the oldest trick out of the book - someone distracted Melvin while Kuhan brought in the birthday cake. After the cake cutting, Melissa presented him with all the cards which we had so meticulously created for him. He was at a lost for words. After the celebration, some of us stayed back to play basketball and frisbee, while I went back to the library.

4) A nice nap later, and I went over to Dunnes to do some grocery shopping. Today is Saturday, which is the day for cooking. I will be leaving slightly earlier tonight, so that I can cook. The rest of my evening was spent figuring out how and where to even begin with my studies, as there's just so much catching up to do. Anyway, I'll figure something out soon. I hope XD. That's the end of my blog, and I hope you enjoyed reading about it. Thanks for reading, and have a great day. Cheers!

Group pic ^^

Birthday cake, for birthday boy :D

Before medical school (everyone's sane)

After medical school (a little less so)

DAY 218

Apr 7

1) Today marks the second last day of our term. Next Tuesday, we have one more session, and then it's self revision from then onwards. So I woke up early again to make it to the 8.00am class, which was a HBPS lecture with a twist. Presented by a mother who spoke on a sequence of medical errors which led to her son's untimely demise, this was definitely a very difficult safety case from the perspective of a family member.

2) Anatomy lecture followed immediately afterwards, followed by anatomy practicals in the Anatomy Room. In the afternoon, Group A (the second group) had their card signings, while I just revised some previous lectures. At 3.00pm, we had our final Healthcare Symposia, which was on addiction and homelessness. We gained a better appreciation at how addictive drugs can be, as well as how intense the withdrawal symptoms could be.

3) Afterward, I packed my stuff and went to the library. In the evening, I had my dinner in the Mercer Cafe, before coming back to study. I finally have enough information to fill up my ICP Portfolio, but I still some ways to go before being able to submit it. Best to get started then. That's the end of my day, and I hope you enjoyed reading. Thanks as always, and have a great day. Cheers!

Yet more flowers in St. Stephen's Green

Breakfast as usual

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

DAY 185

Mar 5

1) Today has been a typical day for me. I got up a bit later than usual, as I had been cooking the previous night. Had my breakfast before packing up to go the library. I've been there the whole day, studying and relaxing in equal measure.

2) In the afternoon, my friends and I went to the Group Study Room 1 (which they had booked earlier) to practice our upcoming Principal Seminar topics. The main focus now is to get all that information into the five minute time limit. Hopefully, things go smoothly and we'll make it in time haha.

3) Come evening time, and I had my dinner. Afterwards, a little more studying and memorising for the Principal Seminars, and I was done for the day. Lessons begin again tomorrow, and it's back to the old grind, so to speak haha. That's all for today, and thanks for reading. Have a great day, cheers!

Custom House Quay at night ^^

Brown bread, for a change :)

My last batch of pasta

DAY 183

Mar 3

1) Today has been a fun day for me. Went to Mercer Library as usual to to do two things: prepare for Principal Seminar and also to prepare for RCSI MUN (Model United Nations) tomorrow. I'll be representing the delegate of Canada, and we'll be discussing about Antibiotic Resistance. Hopefully it'll be loads of fun and I'll get to make new friends haha.

2) In the afternoon, I met up with my friends in the Study Room upstairs and we each tried to present on the five topics for the Principal Seminar. We're sorted it out for the most part, but there is still some fine tuning to be done. Then at around 5.00pm, Nee Kee, Esther and I left for UCD to attend a talk - "The Medic's Guide" - which taught us the skills required to be competent doctors as well as the opportunities available.

3) There were a total of five speakers - the first was Mr. Mark Cumisky, Career and Skills Consultant, who talked about "Medical Specific CV Writing and Interview Skills". Next was Stage 3 Medical Student Ms. Lade Adeusi (UCD), who elaborated on the relevance of research and publication in early medical life. After a brief intermezzo where we had some nice 'nasi lemak' or coconut milk rice, the session continued with three Malaysian doctors currently working in Ireland, narrating their experience as well as the path they took to achieve their goals. The last doctor - Doctor Kevinder Singh, was of particular interest as he was a former PMC student just like us.

4) After his talk, some of my friends went to ask questions on the opportunities available and his recommendation on what to do next after graduation. Still a long way to go, but you can never start too early. All in all, a very informative event and I took back quite a lot from it. I have also obtained a clearer picture of what to expect and the challenges ahead when we graduate with our degree. On that note, I'll end my blog update here. Tomorrow there's MUN for me so I need to be there early haha. Thanks for reading, and have a great day. Cheers!

Group photo time!! ^^

Morning toast

UCD Health Sciences Centre

Group photo with our UCD friends! 

The first speaker of the night - Mr. Mark Cumisky

Our dinner for tonight - nasi lemak! ^^

Ms. Lade Adeusi - second speaker for tonight

Dr. Arimin Mat, our fourth speaker for the night

DAY 164

Feb 12

1) Today has been a normal day for me. Woke up and had my breakfast, before going over to the library. Basically, it was studies till lunch time, trying to make up some lost time haha. Afterwards, I had a nice long chat with my parents. Although I miss them (dearly), I'm really glad to hear everyone's doing fine back home...

2) By the time we finished, it was almost late afternoon. I decided to tackle a bit of my Team Project and Individual Project Assignments, and that took up the rest of my time. For dinner, I sampled some of my batch cooked fried rice, and it tasted really good haha. I'm definitely making more next time.

3) As night fell, I found myself studying yet again, revising on past lectures as well as reading up new ones, in anticipation of tomorrow's schedule which is - yet again - another 9-5 lecture. Anyway, I'm going back earlier tonight to print out stuff and do the laundry. So I guess that will do for today. Thanks for reading as always, and have a great day. Cheers!

That's my jacket ^^

Morning toast

Fried rice for dinner :)

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