Chan Weng Kit's Blogspot: Hot Chocolate

Monday, 24 April 2017

DAY 235

Apr 24

1) Today marks the first of a long list of exams, which stretch on until the 13th of next month. So registration for our OSCE exams was from 8.15am onwards, and I came early to register. There were a total of 13 groups, and each group had around 16 students. Each group took around 15 minutes to rotate between the two tasks. One station was an examination station, with 6 tasks supposed to be completed in 6 minutes. The other station was a history taking station, which had a "patient" explaining their problems as we asked them questions.

2) I can't really judge my own performance, other than to say that I gave it my best and have no regrets. Only time will tell if it was good enough. Anyway, a huge burden lifted off me, I returned to the library. Tried to do a bit of Anatomy (which is in three days' time) but I was just so drained that I dozed off. Woke up feeling better, and then it was time to meet up with Ms Cheah, our Marketing Executive from PMC, along with Ms Devaki, the Assistant Registrar. After taking some nice pics of us in front of the college, we headed to South Street Restaurant (yes, the one we went to a couple of days earlier for the PMC Appreciation Lunch haha).

3) Among us, we ordered a couple of appetizers and main courses to share. The dishes came out meticulously plated, and they tasted as good as they looked. Really decent quality, especially considering the price. During the dinner, we had a long chat about issues regarding management and communication among the Malaysian and international students here in RCSI. We also talked about strategies to help international students assimilate into life in Malaysia when they come to Penang. The chief problem apparently was the language barrier, which seemed to indicate that patients in Malaysia could not speak an iota of English.

4) To me, that seems a little insulting really. I can definitely understand if the international students find it difficult to understand our accent, but to say that our patients cannot even converse in simple English is stretching it a bit. If anything, most Malaysians from the Colonial era speak perfect English. Either way, I suppose I'll find out for myself when I return haha. So after a lovely meal, Ms Devaki had to return home, while Ms Cheah invited us to go "jalan-jalan" (go along for a stroll) with her.

5) We wanted to go to Butler's Chocolate, but unfortunately it was closed. So instead we went to The Rolling Donut where they had a €5 deal - one doughnut and large cup of coffee/tea/hot chocolate. We continued our nice chat, this time about our prospects of returning to Ireland after completing our housemanship. We learnt a lot from Ms Cheah, who told us about our seniors' experiences. By the time we left, it was approaching nine. I returned to the library to type this out, and to collect my things. I shall return home soon, so I can get a good night's rest. It has been a really long day, but definitely one to cherish as we got to meet up and chat with Ms Devaki and Ms Cheah.

6) Before I end my rather lengthy post, I would just like to personally thank Ms Cheah for spending us for the meal, and also the doughnuts afterwards. It was very nice meeting up with you, and it provided a nice reprieve after our first exam. Many days of studying ahead of me, so I'd best get cracking then. That's all for today, and thanks for reading. Have a nice day, cheers!

From left: Me, Aisha, Melvin, Lyana, Melissa, Frank

(posing in front of the main entrance to RCSI)

I don't think we're really good at doing "candid" shots

Garlic mushrooms (with Lyana's stamp of approval) ^^

Tiger prawns salad

Hmmmm.... now where would I have seen this before? XD

This looks a bit familiar too hahaha

(Don't mind me please my mind isn't quite it's usual self)

The Rolling Donut

4 doughnuts for the four of us :)

The Nutella doughnut (Sinfully delicious)

Got the inspiration for this shot from Ms Cheah

A large hot chocolate to wash it all down

Saturday, 12 November 2016

DAY 72

Nov 12

1) Today was a phenomenal trip climbing Mt. Errigal. For your information, "Errigal" actually means "King of the Hill". Anyways, at around 7.00pm the night before, we took the bus from the Swan Pub, Dublin all the way to Errigal Youth Hostel in County Donegal. We reached there at around one in the morning. Slept like a rock until the next morning haha. Woke up to a hearty buffet breakfast, with breads of every kind, jams and spreads, cereals, fruits, and beverages. We even got a chance to prepare and pack our lunches. I made two salami/ sausage/ cheese sandwiches for lunch, when we made it to the peak of Mt. Errigal.

2) At about nine, we started walking out of the hostel. After half an hour, we finally made it - to the BASE of the mountain. Now only would the ascent start. It's strange; I've been climbing up Bkt. Keledang back home in Perak, Malaysia and this mountain would be roughly the same height. But it was sooo much steeper, the terrain was sooo much more uneven, muddy and slippery, that I slipped and tripped at least a dozen times today. In hindsight, I'm really glad I didn't bring my trusty Nikon D40X, because my shoes, socks, and even the lower portion of my pants were caked with mud by the time we finished.

3) Me and my friend Zi Yan kept helping each other throughout the journey. Whether it was taking photos, taking breaks together or just motivating ourselves to keep pushing, it was great to have him to rely on. After a back-breaking three and a half hours we finally reached the peak of Mt. Errigal! It was really foggy at this time, so not exactly the most conducive for picture perfect photos. Nevertheless, the fog cleared during our descent, which made the scenery much more breathtaking. After our lunch at the peak, some of the more 'adventurous' among us decided to climb the neighbouring mountain, just because. So me, Zi Yan, Melvin and Melissa, being the sporty type, decided to follow suit as well.

4) Thankfully, the second mountain was lower than the first, so we reached the peak in about an hour (from the mid-point). We took some really nice photos here, since the weather had cleared by now. At around this time, the "adventurous group" again suggested going round the mountain before descending. This was too much for the Malaysian contingent. We had given it all and made it to TWO summits in ONE day, so we decided to call it a day and began our full descent from the second mountain. Descending was almost as difficult as ascending, if not more precarious. Rocks that gave way when stepped on, tall grass that cunningly concealed deep holes, and huge gusts of wind that threatened to push us away - these were just some of the obstacles we faced while descending. Finally, salvation! Marched all the way back to our hostel, while the light drizzle kept us company.

5) Back at the hostel, I spent the better part of an hour cleaning up my shoes and socks from the now dried-up mud. Did the best I could, and left them to dry afterwards. By this time, many of us were already volunteering to chop onions, peppers and boiling rice. So I waited diligently for the food (hehe) and after a while, dinner was ready. Grabbed the piping hot rice, served with choice of black pepper chicken or/ and chicken curry with peppers, courtesy of the Vice President of the Climbing and Mountaineering Society, Nick. For an amateur cook, his dishes tasted extremely close to professional standard. Either that or we were famished after the excursion. Took seconds and even thirds, before finally feeling full. Later on, Zi Yan and I made some hot chocolate with milk, and it tasted soooo good after a large meal. Sat down to complete today's blog, which has been both the most stressful, tiring yet enjoyable day thus far. Enjoy the abundance of pictures that I've uploaded, and remember that they don't always tell the whole story - the mountain was a lot steeper, the rocks a lot sharper, and the rain a whole lot heavier than what the pictures would have you believe. But most importantly, the scenery was even more beautiful and breathtaking, and I would not have traded it for anything. That's all for today, and I hope to bring you more exciting updates in the future. Have a nice day. Cheers!