DAY 660

June 23

1) Tragedy struck as I couldn't go to bed the night before, having developed a rash over what I can only attribute to the hotpot I had. My whole body was itchy, and I was waking up to scratch so often that I couldn't fall asleep. In the morning, I felt that I had had enough, so I messaged Nina to ask her if she was free. I knew she was having her exams soon, so I didn't want to disturb her if possible.

2) Nina came to the apartment to meet me, and together we walked to the Dushu Lake SEID Hospital, only to be told that there wasn't any skin specialist available, and that the GPs would not see me. So we instead went to Suzhou Kowloon Hospital. It was a long bus ride there, so I was really glad to be seen and treated early. The doctor diagnosed me with urticaria, something which I knew I had for a while already. It was just the food I had the previous night that had caused it to flare up. 

3) I got four types of medicine - two oral and two topical ones. As it was approaching lunch time, we went to a nearby McD for lunch. Nina then went to a nearby area to study for her exams, while I took the long bus ride home. Took the medicine, applied the cream, and the rash has gone away since, and touchwood has not returned. It was a bit of an experience for me, and I (half-jokingly) think that both me and my computer have had a makeover here in Suzhou. I've been really lucky to have such good friends to help me through my troubles. I really appreciate that, from the bottom of my heart.

4) That has been the gist of my day today, and I hope you enjoyed reading about it. Thanks for visiting as always, and have a nice week ahead, cheers! :)

A nice lunch with Nina, after our trip to the hospital...

Shanghai Jiaotong University Suzhou Kowloon Hospital

Not a very nice sight, but enough to convince me to see the doctor ):

Dushu Lake SEID Hospital - our first stop...

Didn't get to see a doc here, so we had to move to Kowloon Hospital many bus stops away

That's the patient registration card and prescription form (I think haha)

You can actually see my name on the board :)

Prescription for yours truly

Doctor's handwriting XD

Outpatient department of Kowloon Hospital

Receipt at McD

Nothing like a Big Mac

(fast food isn't cheap here in China though haha)

That's the McD that we went to :)

Two friendly officers :)

NUSRI - National University of Singapore Suzhou Research Institute

My meds :0

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

DAY 599-616

Apr 23 - May 10

1) After what I can only describe as an eternity, exam season has finally drawn to a close. Our three end-of-semester exams were on the 30th (Cardio-Respiratory), 3rd (Foundations in Pathology), and 9th (Foundations in Microbiology). This semester has not been an easy task, but I'm glad that it happened. It has made me realise that the pathway to any goal in life is never going to be easy, and that is exactly what makes it all worthwhile.

2) Finishing our exams, to me, is akin to moving from Jupiter to the Moon. Jupiter, with its strong gravitational pull - resembles my studies, and the constant nagging thought at the back of my head to stop whatever I am doing and resume studying. Au contraire, the Moon, with its relatively meagre gravitational force - represents the aftermath of my exam. There isn't any more central force keeping me in check, and I am free to explore and discover at my leisure.

3) There has been a drastic change in weather these past three weeks, with Dublin (and I'm sure, most of Ireland as well) experiencing a lovely burst of warm weather. In fact, the past few days have come very close to matching the weather back home... Speaking of home, the end of my exams also means that my parents will be coming to visit! In just three short days, I will be greeting them at Terminal 2, the same place we touched down on our first arrival to Dublin two years ago.

4) My dad informed me that he had a trip around Europe planned, but stopped shy of the details. "It'll be a surprise," he says. Indeed, the thought of reuniting with my parents after two long years brings more than enough joy to me - so everything else is just icing on the cake. I simply cannot wait :)

5) As for my plans for the summer, I applied - and was successful - in being selected for the International Research Summer School Programme. In the past years, there were four spots available each, for two universities (Hoshi University in Japan, and Soochow University in China). To my disappointment, funding was halted for the Japan programme, and the China programme intake was reduced to two. I can only count my lucky stars to be selected for this wonderful opportunity to do research over the summer in Soochow, China.

6) With the GE14 (Malaysia's 14th General Election) well and truly over, Malaysia has reached a decision. It is a decision that I believe many had hoped for, but not so many (myself included) believed would be possible. Vox populi vox Dei - "the voice of the people is the voice of God." The majority have spoken - let them be heard! :)

That has been roughly three weeks' worth of blog update. Thank you very much for visiting as always, and have a lovely week ahead. Cheers!

Marking my territory - in Beaumont Library

(frankly it's so empty here compared to the college library)

A vegetarian lasagna from Beaumont's Cafetaria

My host mom left this for me - I'm so touched <3<3

As you can see, there's really no one here :)

1784 is the name of the new cafe in the main campus

(they have a wide variety of food items which rotate every single day)

Such as this phyllo-wrapped rice pastry

(it kinda resembles ouzi)

Two falafel cakes served with pita, rice, and hummus, on a bed of greens :)

Fish and chips is my favourite at 1784

(loaded with a heapful of chips and mashed peas - it's heavenly!)

My post-exam meal - mushroom risotto with garlic bread and salad

(with an extra heapful of parmesan)

DAY 584-589

Apr 8 - 13

1) On the 7th, I caught a plane to Manchester - my second time in as many months. I was going to complete the Greater Manchester Marathon 2018 - in aid of the Children Adventure Farm Trust. Having already completed a marathon in Dublin last year, I was initially keen on participating in the Virgin Money London Marathon. After checking the available slots, however, I decided to take part in the Manchester one instead.

2) The day prior to the event, I took the earliest flight (the cheapest one too) to Manchester, and arrived before 9.00am. As I could not check in to my AirBnB accommodation yet, I took a taxi to Trafford Centre - a large shopping centre boasting Europe's largest food court in The Orient, and UK's busiest cinema (at over 28,500 visitors per week). What impressed me most was the intricate rococo/ baroque architectural style throughout the entirety of the complex. Particularly striking was the huge chandelier that resembled a huge diamond - hanging in the Great Hall.

3) At around noon, I booked a taxi to my AirBnB; my host - Fabiola - was waiting for me at the doorstep. She was a great host, showing me around and even helping me book a taxi back to Piccadilly Station the following morning! For the rest of the day, I didn't go exploring any further as a) I was already tired, b) tomorrow was the big day! Sleep came soon enough, and the following morning, I had to walk 1.5mi to the starting point of the marathon.

4) After checking that I was in the correct start area, it was time for the marathon to begin! And so began the long, monotonous journey for a grand total of 26.2mi (42.195km). I'm not going to lie - I haven't felt that much physical pain for a long time. I had tried every trick in the book to keep me motivated, and I was now running on fumes and pure mental fortitude. A group of runners - all dressed up as the characters in "The Wizard of Oz" - came by and kept spurring me on. It was all I could do to nod weakly and grimace as my thighs cramped.

5) Finally, after what seemed an eternity, I passed a bridge, turned a right, and found myself staring down the main straight. Right at the very end - a bright blue banner (of the finishing line) came into sight. I kept on pushing, and with a final burst of speed, cruised past the finish. Job done, collected a nice, chunky finisher's medal as well :) Now came the really hard part - willing myself to walk back. It was another 1.5mi; what would normally take me around 25 minutes now seemed impossible. I had literally given it my all, to the extent that I had nothing left in me.

6) All in all, I stopped twice to rest whilst on my way back. Took a shower, had dinner, and a nice, well-deserved sleep. I needed the rest too, as my flight was in the wee hours of the morning. To cut a long story short, I took the cab to Piccadilly the next day, then the train to the airport. Unfortunately, my flight was postponed for just over an hour. Which was a lot better than the next SEVEN flights that were cancelled due to the appalling weather conditions in Manchester that day. I reached Dublin at around ten, and took two buses back home. And that sums up my trip to Manchester - a very eventful and memorable trip at that too :) Thanks for reading, and have a great week ahead. Cheers!

P.S. As with trips like this, do scroll down for a truckload of pics. :)

After half a day of running, that is the look I had...

Here I am, happily chugging along, wearing the vest for my chosen charity :))

Beneath the two thumbs up lay a mountain of pain

That moment of pure bliss!

Last minute dash for glory...

And I'm back again :)

The elusive Manchester Piccadilly station photo XD

At the Innside Hotel - to collect my race pack :)

If only I could do that after the run XD

Free T-shirt ^^

Wearing the Children Adventure Farm Trust vest :)

Thanks lady who helped me take the photo in front of the giant shoe :)

'The giant shoe'

If you think I stopped mid-race to snap this you're sorely mistaken :^)

Post-race pose with medal

A day I shan't soon forget...