DAY 431/432/433

Nov 5, 6 & 7

1) After a very busy couple of days, things have settled down a bit. But not for long, as we have the first of many quizzes/tests this week. Tomorrow is the JC3 Outbreak Quiz, an hour long quiz on some statistics using Excel. On Thursday, our group (Group B) has our Card Signing 2, which I have had no chance to prepare due to the myriad of activities I have been involved in lately. Finally, next Thursday is our Quiz 2, which includes everything we've studied since Quiz 1.

2) Anatomy Class today was quite interesting, as we were covering the lectures on the eye. We got Mr Quinlan as our surgeon prosector, and he went through the lecture, testing us on our knowledge. Although it may sound really gross (and indeed I felt the same initially), we had the opportunity to remove the eyeball from a prosected specimen, by first removing the muscles attaching the eye. By using an aptly called "bone nibbler", my friend Stavros picked away at the pieces of bone that contained the eye in the socket.

3) Once that was done, we switched roles, and I worked around the eye - cutting away at the muscles that held it in place, with a scissors. It took me a LOT longer than I had expected, but at last we managed to remove the eyeball. It was the first time I had actually seen the eyeball, including its contents - the lens, aqueous humour, vitreous humour etc. You know the saying "to sneeze your eyeballs out"? After today, I highly doubt that is actually possible. Indeed, the Mythbusters have proven that it is possible to sneeze with your eyes open, and your eyeballs definitely do NOT pop out XD

4) Apparently there is a train strike tomorrow, affecting all Intercity, National Rail, and DART services. Although no mention of the LUAS was made, I really am not taking any chances. I've decided to put up at my friends' place for the night, so that I won't be late for my exams tomorrow. Anyway, that has been a summary of my day(s), and I hope you enjoyed reading about it. Thanks for reading, and have a nice day. Cheers!

Spending the night at an undisclosed location

Free Cake

(Don't ask where it came from, just know it's free XD)

Looks delish (I didn't try it though)

What I expect to be calculating tomorrow

Free Tesco muffins (from MUNC Event)

DAY 407/408

Oct 12 & 13

1) Today was our first Card Signing of the semester! Quick recap: card signing is like a viva/oral exam, where an examiner asks each student content on anatomy. Bones, prosections, X-rays, CT scans, the cadavers themselves – anything can be tested, depending on which surgeon prosector you get.

2) Anatomy practical classes last 1.5 hours; our time slot for today was 11.30-1.00pm. I remained in the anatomy room after that, right until our card signing at 2.00pm. It may seem a tad extreme, but I was joined by many students who were eager to run through their anatomical knowledge one more time, just before the test.

3) For our card signing, we got a new examiner (someone who hadn’t taught our group before). She reassured us that everything would be fine, and told us not to panic. And so it began! Eight or nine lectures on the anatomy of the head and neck, each lecture densely packed with info – all condensed into a Q and A session lasting less than 3 minutes.

4) And the best part? Card Signing is worth only 1.25% each! The difference between an A and a B is less than half a percent! So why bother so much? It all comes down to two things: a) the herd mentality, and b) preemptive/ prophylactic planning. When everyone is studying so hard (both in the library and in the anatomy room), it is difficult to lax about and as a consequence, our peers constantly keep us on our toes.

5) What do I mean by prophylactic planning? At the end of the semester, there is a full anatomy practical exam, worth around 12.5%. This is the real reason we go through all the lectures so fervently – to prep for this practical, as well as all the MCQs and SNQs which test the limits of our knowledge. It is not an easy task, but thankfully, with a lot of peer collaboration, as well as student assisted learning (by our seniors), things are not as bleak as they seem.

6) In the end, I did reasonably well for my oral. All the hard work had paid off. And what do we have immediately after card signing? You guessed it - more lessons. Until 5.00pm, to be exact. There just isn't a break, is there? XD Jokes aside, I've spent the remainder of the day finishing up various tasks, and didn't touch any of our lectures tomorrow. That has been my day, and I hope you enjoyed reading about it. Have a good one, and see you next time. Cheers!

With Panchanit "Ice" Horsaengchai - just before anatomy lessons today

Nothing like a full Irish breakfast to get ye olde noggin' runnin' XD

As if one skeleton wasn't enough...

My illegible notes

DAY 395/396/397/398

Sept 30, Oct 1, 2 & 3

1) Lately I've been slacking off with the blog updates again. Simply put, I've been rather busy preparing for Quiz 1, as well as the upcoming Card Signing next week. As a result, I've been accumulating lots of pics from each day. First and foremost was the recently concluded "Late Night Coffee with MMII", organised by the Malaysian Medics International Ireland. We met up with our friends from UCD and TCD at the Accents Coffee and Tea Lounge. The turnout was much more than I had anticipated, with a really strong showing from Trinity. Anyway, the objective was just to get to know each other, and introduce the committee members of MMII as well as their future plans. We had loads of fun chit-chatting and playing card games, and just indulging in pure shenanigans.

2) On Saturday, it was time for some kickboxing lessons. I've discovered the morning trams come at rather long intervals, which means I have to wait for a long while for the next one to arrive. I arrived for practice a little late as a result. We worked more on our kicks for this session compared to the previous one. After that, it was just a typical day in the library for me. Ditto for Sunday, with the exception of ultimate frisbee practice at 8pm. We went through various drills, including a mock game between ourselves. It was all good fun.

3) Yesterday (Monday) we had classes from 9-5pm - something that none of us like but have gotten somewhat used to. The only problem was Quiz 1 was the next day at 8am. So it was another hectic day to revise the lectures in time for today's quiz. I did not go home last night as I was afraid of missing the tram the next morning (on weekdays, the trams can get extremely packed, and I've missed many a tram due to overcrowding). Instead, I decided to crash at my friends' place. Thankfully, all of my friends live together in the same apartment, which made it easier to stay the night. Did my fair share of studying, before getting a good night's rest on the couch. It was just for a day anyway.

4) Today was Quiz 1 - 8.00am at the Exam Hall. Overall, I found it challenging and some of the questions a little vague. Nevertheless, I've done everything I physically can to prepare so I've no regrets. After all, they're plenty of quizzes and exams after this, so a lot more opportunities to improve. Post-quiz, my friends and I went for a nice Full Irish Breakfast at AK Henry's, before continuing lessons (at 10am!) for the rest of the day. The learning process never stops, so they say... Anyway, that has been my past four days, plus plenty of pictures to make up for the lapse in blog updates. Hope you enjoyed reading, and thank you for tuning in. Stay tuned, and have a good one, cheers :D

RCSI, UCD, Trinity - seniors, peers, juniors alike

(all brought together over a cup of coffee (or 10!))

The muffins at The Dispensary are simply to die for! 

Triple dark chocolate, and salted caramel <3<3

With Jason - RCSI chap

Good coffee, good banter

Imbibing copious amounts of coffee - a medical student's favourite pasttime :D

With friends from all over (some RCSI, some TCD...)

You've got your wish Vik - you're FEMES now :^)

(Me, Vik, Varman, Jason, Hai Wen)

The World Map at Accents Coffee and Tea Lounge

That is probably the most filling meal you can get at Dunnes (and for only €6.00!)

Ham-stuffed whole baked potato, Asian noodle salad, cous cous, and spiced potato salad :D

"We're supposed to be different!" XD

Spending the night away...

Post Exam Hall blues...

Featuring a slightly blurry image of Ali Rifai of the RCSI SU!

Exam Hall

That is the epitome of a cheap and hearty meal!

(Full Irish Breakfast at AK Henry's - €3.75)

Nothing like a wholesome breakfast to shake off post-quiz stress

Guess what's inside? ^^

Apple, Banana, and Apple! XD

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 203

Mar 23

1) Today has been a nice day for me, as I managed to get many things done. In the morning, we sat for our Quiz 2, which comprised three modules -HBPS, GIHEP, and REGUB. I found the questions challenging, partly because I didn't have enough time to prepare. At least that's settled for now, and I don't have to worry about it any longer. Now the next important date is Card Signing 2, in just 8 days' time.

2) I finally finished taking my medicine. Somehow I feel really tired and sleepy after taking it, so it is good that I don't have to take it anymore (touchwood). Took my stuff to the library, where I have been reviewing today's lectures. A short nap in between did me wonders, and I woke up refreshed. I continued studying into the evening.

3) At around six, I returned to RCSI, where my friends and I are practising really hard for the International Night 2017, held tomorrow at the Olympia Theatre! Today is our last chance for rehearsal, although we may have some time to practice on location tomorrow before the actual performance. This promises to be loads of fun, and I can't wait to see how our performance turns out, as well as watch the other performances. I'm sure they'll be spectacular! Anyway, that's the rest of my day in a nutshell, so I'll be ending on this note. Thanks for reading as always, and have a great day. Cheers!

Free pizzas after our final practice together! ^^

A full Irish breakfast - a rare treat at AK Henry's after our second quiz

Fried rice for lunch

DAY 63

Nov 3

1) Today was a very light day for me in terms of studies. Just three lessons and we were done! As usual, woke up and got ready for class before 8 a.m. Mind you, I slept at 3.00 a.m. plus on the same day, so it is no mean feat haha.

2) After the first lecture was an hour break. Took the opportunity to grab a really hearty breakfast at AK. Henry's. After that, it was two consecutive lectures, before we got to go home! The only reason today was sooooo lax is because we have our second mid-term quiz tomorrow! So we have three mid-term quizzes, before the finals on the first week of December.

3) Went to Dicey's for lunch with my friends. I had the battered cod today and it was great as usual. Really crispy batter and soft, flaky fish - unlike the usual mushy type that is the bane of many fish shops I've sampled. So with lunch settled, I came home to start studying.

4) Soon, it was dinner time. Went down to cook rice as usual, but with a different type of sauce: madras curry sauce! Tasted very, very good in my (unbiased) opinion hehe. Then it was back to the books, for the remainder of the night. Tomorrow is another quiz, and also another feather in my cap. Goodnight, and thanks for reading!

 A full Irish today, but that's because

I didn't have anything to eat since my lunch yesterday!!

Le Menu at Dicey's 

Battered cod with Tartar Sauce

Cooking has become less of a chore, 

and more of an avenue to express my culinary creativity XD