Chan Weng Kit's Blogspot: Grafton Barber

Tuesday, 15 May 2018

DAY 617-619

May 11-13

1) Now it's post-exam season, and immediately boredom has started to set in. No more getting up in the wee hours of the morning to study; no more studying in the freezing auditorium the night before an important exam. All gone; replaced by a lack of purpose or direction, an endless supply of YouTube videos to catch up on, and bright sunny Irish weather (!)

2) But all that's about to change. On Friday, I made yet another trip to the main campus. I met up with Dr. Sarah O'Neill (Director of the International Summer Research Programme), Niamh (who'll be participating in the same summer research programme in China), and Claire (who participated in last year's iteration and was there to give advice). After some slight delay, we met up at the Dispensary of the New Academic Building, where Dr. O'Neill briefed us on what to expect. The duration of the research would be 8 weeks, from 6th June to 3rd August. Two topics had been set for us, one on cancer and the other on Parkinson's disease research. Although I'm fine with both, I would personally prefer the research on cancer. ; )

3) That wasn't the only reason I went to town. I still needed a haircut, and where better to do so than Grafton Barber. The well-dressed gentleman who did my hair was extraordinarily friendly, and we talked about my nationality, where I was studying including what prompted me to come here, and what specialty I was interested in. In turn, I found out that he was the only one in the family practising as a barber, that he had practising for more than 60 years, and that he had a stent inserted for a coronary problem many years ago. It was quite an interesting haircut overall.

4) I'm well aware that this 13th of May is Mother's Day. It would be the most special one yet, as it would be the first time in two years that I would physically meet up with my parents! My host mother, Emma, was extremely kind by offering to drive me to the airport, while I nervously waited for my parents to show up. We found out that a sandstorm had delayed their flight by a while, so I was there slightly longer than expected.

5) In the end, I saw the familiar sight of my parents pushing the luggage cart, and my heart leapt. My mom certainly looked thinner, but other than that, two years had done nothing to change my parents. They looked and acted just as they did before, which made me feel very much at home. After introducing my parents to Emma, we all returned home. Emma went upstairs, leaving us to catch up on two year's worth of chat XD. I showed my parents around and talked for what felt like ages, until around midnight. Then it dawned on us that our flight would be very early the next morning.

6) Indeed, my parents had promised to take me on a week-long holiday trip, to Lisbon and around Naples. As I'm writing this, we are well into our holidays, but due to the really hectic schedule, I will need more time to write about them (I'll do so in a future post). But for now, I'm just elated to be reunited with my parents, and to listen to all their stories and share my own. Here's looking forward to the rest of the trip. Thanks for tuning in, and have an enjoyable week ahead. Cheers! :D

Two long years... :')

Nothing has changed over the past two years - except my face has gotten wider and rounder XD

Mother's Day Card ^^

Bilingual because I think my mum would appreciate it :))

Meet up with Dr. O'Neill, Claire, and Niamh

(at the Dispensary, No.26 ;D)

My new haircut

Wednesday, 28 March 2018

DAY 567-575

Mar 22 - 30

1) I've been pretty busy the last week, for a couple of reasons. RCSI Cancer Society organised their Daffodil Day Bake Sale, in an effort to raise funds for cancer research (Irish Cancer Society). Initially we were not given permission to use the Expo Stage at the No. 26 New Academic Building, but in the end we managed to set up there - and what a collection it was! Brownies, lemon squares, Rice Krispies, cupcakes, Daffodil flower badges, and even TWO tubs of Gino's Gelato (!) sponsored by Gino's themselves. While the other society members had baked most of these sweet treats, yours truly being the less culinary inclined could only provide moral support and manpower.

2) Initially, there wasn't that large a turnout - probably because the students had class. Soon, however, the numbers began rising, partially due to the awesome deals we gave them. €1 for a tub of Gino's anyone? We tried to give them the most bang for their buck, short of actually toppling the ice cream. After a while, the ice cream began to melt, turning into a gloop of still awesome goodness, so Claire had to take it to the refrigerator. All in all, it was a really good day to raise funds for charity. Just a pity I couldn't be around the whole day, as I had other business to attend to.

3) Among the many things I've done, none was more striking than my getting a haircut. I used to get my free haircut at the Dublin School of Barbering, but recently I've noticed the website (where you book your appointment) has been taken down, and my efforts to walk there to enquire have been unsuccessful so far. As I could not wait much longer (see my 'before' pic below and I'm sure you'll agree why) I decided to have a haircut anyway, at the Grafton Barber. They have a student deal for €10 on weekdays, before 12pm. So I got my haircut, and even received a complimentary coffee as well! Not a bad deal at all :)

4) Last week was International Cultural Night 2018. My friends have been working incredibly hard for this moment - where different student bodies compete in a dance-off to promote their culture and background. I wasn't participating in this edition (I did last year) as I could not commit to the long hours of practice, compounded by the fact that I've now relocated to Beaumont. To cut a long story short, PMCSA (the RCSI equivalent of MSoc) clinched Overall Champion with a brilliant display of diversity and artistic flair - as they enthralled the audience with their intricate dance moves, accentuated by their authentic costumes and outfits! A truly monumental feat, and a huge congratulations to all those involved! :)

5) Today was our OSCE Station exams. It is a practical exam, with no grade but a simple pass-fail system. Fail, and there would be a repeat exam the following week. No one wants to fail, and so, in the days leading to this date, my friends and I were practising like mad, to cover all possible scenarios. We each took turns playing the patient, examiner, and the medical student. The videos available - we felt - were not much help, but fortunately they provided us with the mark sheet criteria as well, so we could go off that. As my batch went into Tutorial Room 4 of the Smurfit Building today, my heart was beating with anxiety. What would be the task? Would I be able to complete them in time? (we had only five minutes)

6) In the end, I got a Mr. "Smith" (for those studying in RCSI, you'll remember him as the very famous surface model with Dr. Mark Murphy in those YouTube videos), and the task was posterior chest examination. I had just finished chest wall expansion when time was called, and it was feedback time, by the invigilator. "You've passed. Good technique overall. Congrats". That's all I needed to hear. One huge load off my shoulders. And now, just two weeks more till our Cardioresp mid-terms, and another two weeks till our final semesters. This semester - and indeed, this year - is passing by so fast I can hardly catch up. And with that, I'll end my blog update here. Enjoy the photos, and thanks for tuning in. Have a great one, cheers! :)