DAY 358/359

Aug 25 & 26

1) As the days count down to a new semester, so too am I closer to finishing my posters/ abstracts. Yesterday I met up with Dr. Griffith to discuss on the progress of my poster, and he brought me down to the tea room where everyone was having some doughnuts. Turns out my friends from Soochow University are returning to China next Thursday, and this was a sort of "farewell" for them. I'll miss you guys!

2) For the most part, I've been in the library - grinding away at my research. There's not much interesting to talk about here; it's same old same old. So I'll be utilising a narrative technique which I hope will keep my blog going: I'll talk a bit about what I've learnt. This is mostly stuff I've read on Facebook - one of the most reliable sites for information after Wikipedia. All jokes aside, here we go.

a) Malaysia managed to hit a home run by getting Indonesia's flag wrong in the SEA games, then getting 8 out of 11 flags wrong in a medal tally broadcast, before finally getting it's own flag wrong. But hey, at least they get a cookie for consistency. Still, we're doing a great job in the games so let's keep fighting!

b) It's McGregor vs Mayweather tonight! Notorious vs Money; Ireland vs USA; UFC Lightweight Champion vs Quintuple Boxing Champion. My thoughts? My heart says Conor, yet my brain says Money May. Either way, the hype is REAL and I can't wait.

c) If the hype falls flat, where do I go next? Why, to Dragon Ball of course! A good way to maintain some semblance of proficiency in Japanese, while simultaneously enjoying one of Akira Toriyama's most cherished works. Dragon Ball Super streams live at around 1:30am, with subtitles about an hour or so afterwards.

d) Most importantly, I've got a pretty good feeling that the so-called "Dispensary" in the new building is going be converted to Starbucks! Or at the very least, it's going to sell Starbucks drinks, amongst other food items. Not too shabby, I must say XD

3) And that's about it. I've exhausted everything I've wanted to say, so on that note, I wish you all a very good weekend ahead. Thanks for reading, goodnight!

With Eolann, Judge, Flora, and the other Soochow University summer exchange students :D

The cookies were from the RCSI Alumni Meeting which took place recently

Waste not want not, as they say ^^

Back to Coronation Chicken haha

I've never been to the Tea Room before; glad that I have now :)

DAY 276

Jun 4

1) As the holidays progress and I get lazier, there's much less stuff for me to write about, as there's much less stuff that I do. So instead, perhaps I'll share something different with you today. I'll tell you about the things that I like about Dublin (and contrast them with my experience in other countries).

2) First off, friendliness. I'll admit, when I first heard from seniors that the Irish are extremely friendly, I thought they were exaggerating. But after two experiences on my own (the first being when I was running to catch the last train home from Cork, and the second when I got lost in Phoenix Park during the Purple Run Volunteering Event), I definitely agree with them. The only country that I consider on par with this level of friendliness is Japan.

3) Next, safety. Of course, there are exceptions to this and touchwood, I've been very lucky not to encounter any dangerous i.e. confrontational situations. But for the most part, Dublin is definitely a safe place to be. I actually do not feel unsafe walking back in the wee hours of the morning from the library back home. Even those that have had a little bit too much to drink, are generally (again, touchwood here) non-violent and will not confront you unless you provoke them first.

4) Lastly, and this is the best of them all - free hair cuts. I know this concept exists in the UK as well, but back home (in Malaysia), you can dream on about barber shops offering free haircut service. But here in Ireland, expert student trainee barbers will do your hair for free, and even thank you  for the opportunity to cut your hair! I don't think it gets much better than that. Especially given that I can't really tell the difference between a paid for haircut and a free one.

5) So that's that. Several things that I simply adore about Dublin (or at least the location I'm staying at right now). What do you guys think? Anything I missed out, or disagree with? Let me know by commenting on the Facebook page haha. That's the end of my blog today, and hopefully you enjoyed it. Have a nice day, cheers!

Yes, I signed a deal with Subway to advertise their products 

in exchange for free Subway sandwiches all year around XD

Throwback to when I was still on holiday mood ^^

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 129

Jan 8

1) Surprise surprise! Today was my birthday :D Got up early and found my phone chalk full of notifications from FB, Whatsapp, WeChat etc all wishing me well. I felt absolutely touched that so many of my family, friends and teachers took the effort to wish me on my special day.

2) So right after breakfast, I went to library and started replying each and every one of them. I'm not kidding, it took me until late afternoon and even then I wasn't close to finish yet. I had another Dunnes pizza for lunch, before continuing my "task" hehe. Later that day, Melissa and Melvin came to wish me Happy Birthday, and asked me my plans for the evening. I told them that some of my friends (Kuhan, Khee Heng and Zi Yan) were going out with me to Han Sung (a Korean restaurant in Dublin 1) to celebrate.

3) Later on, my friends and I went to Han Sung for dinner. Imagine my surprise when I saw the whole gang there, waiting to wish me! Melvin even took the liberty to treat me to my meal, and for that I'm really grateful. But there was more to come. After a really nice dinner, we came back to Esther's apartment, where I thought we were going to watch a movie. But before that, my friends presented me with a Black Forest cake, along with birthday cards from each and every one of them. Maybe to some of you this is quite common so you won't make much of it, but to me it is a big deal. We each had our share of cake, before finally settling on a movie choice- the one and only "Kung Fu Hustle", a Stephen Chow film that gets played over and over again each Chinese New Year.

4) After the movie- which I admit brought back lots of nostalgia watching it at home with my family- Jason had to leave, so the rest of us stayed back to play cards. After a couple of rounds, Melvin suggested we play a game called "Psych" so we downloaded the app on our phones. It's an interesting game where you have to submit your own answers to a really obscure question, hoping your opponents would choose YOUR answer. Really fun game, although I didn't really do well haha. By the time we called it quits, it was already 2.00am. I was contemplating spending the night there, but finally decided to walk home quickly. Came back and realised I hadn't done my blog for the day or the day before, which made me feel really bad. Made a promise to update the blog the next morning, and here it is - both blogs completed and I'm right on schedule. Thanks for reading everyone, and enjoy the rest of the day. Cheers!

"P.S. To all my family, relatives, friends, teachers, and acquaintances who wished me, thank you from the bottom of my heart. I appreciate our relationship and hope it remains true. And for those who did not, no worries as I understand that everyone has their own issues and others may be busy. I feel blessed to be a part of your lives :D"

Toast for breakfast

My Dunnes Pepperoni Pizza XD

Chicken Labb at Han Sung for dinner

That's me, grinning like a Cheshire cat while cutting my birthday cake :))

Group photo ^^

Black Forest Birthday Cake