DAY 830-832

Dec 10-12

1) And just like that, our final paper of the semester - Tropical Medicine - has come and passed! And with that comes a great big void - what to do next? One moment we're so hardcore studying that barely after finishing each paper we're already studying for the next, and now there's absolutely nothing left to study! As I pondered over what to do next, it hit me that in less than a week, I wouldn't be here anymore!

2) For lunch, my friends and I (Joshua, Ishtar, Jeffrey (Kaung Sett), Melvin, Melissa, Zi Yan, myself) planned a nice buffet lunch at Jimmy Chung's. We were originally supposed to meet up at 11.30am, but I was delayed a little as I needed to close my AIB Bank Account. Anyway, we met up there and enjoyed lunch, after which Joshua was really kind to hand us all goodbye cards. As you know, the RUMC students (a.k.a Melvin, Melissa, Zi Yan, myself) will not be returning to Dublin next semester, so it was our last chance to meet up before parting ways...

3) While I may not be physically here in Dublin, I wanted to be able to take as much as I could back home with me, hence the many pictures below! But before all that, Melissa was meeting up with Dr. Fitzpatrick to say goodbye, and she kindly informed me so I tagged along. We sat down for a nice cup of coffee over at "Remedy" - the college cafe. It was such a change of pace to be idling about (with good company of course) compared to what we had been doing the past two or three weeks.

4) Dr. Fitzpatrick had a function to attend to, which is when we decided to take as many photos as possible. We went to the "historical" section of the campus, and took lots of profile pic worthy photos. I had dinner with Zi Yan, and we talked about our trip to the Giants Causeway tomorrow. It was a guided tour with the "Wild Rovers", but more of that in the next post.

5) After dinner, Zi Yan and I went over to the "Friendship Room" (an obscure room in the main campus) to watch a movie. We originally wanted to use one of the giant screens in the student lounge or in the library study rooms, but we couldn't find a cable to connect to my laptop. After a long battle over what movie to watch, we settled on "The Incredibles 2" as we had both watched the first movie and not the second. It was quite an entertaining movie, albeit more suited for a younger audience (this coming from someone who still watches Spongebob XD)

6) Soon after, I had to go back home, in order to pack up and mentally prepare myself for the trip tomorrow. Bear in mind that at this time I was already sleep deprived many times over due to the end-of-semester exams haha. Anyway, that's it for this edition of the blog, stay tuned for the next one - which will be on our day trip to the Giants Causeway.

7) As always, huge thank you for reading, and have a nice day. Cheers!

P.S. Now that you're braved through the text, please enjoy some really nice photos below :)

Barry had to leave early to meet his brother at the airport, so this is a nice picture of Andy, myself, and Barry at the study pods immediately post-exam :)

Dinner from Burritos and Blues (note the marked absence of a lot of students in the Dispensary - that's the absence of all IC2 students who'd finish their exams today XD)

Having a lovely chat with Dr. Fitzpatrick over a cuppa, at Remedy Cafe

(l-r: Melissa, Melvin, Dr. Fidelma Fitzpatrick, myself)

I got myself a nice cup of hot chocolate, to go along with the mince pies that Dr. Fitzpatrick ordered for us <3 <3 <3

Paying the board room a visit - note beautiful grand piano on my left :)

All dressed up with nowhere to go

(and yes, the eagle-eyed among you will notice that this is the college tie that I have on me)

Paying the College Room a visit

(beautiful college crest behind us)

Remedy Cafe in the main campus

RCSI logo and motto - Consilio Manuque - which means Scholarship and Dexterity

Profile picture worthy I might say haha

The old repainted piano is now in the student lounge of the main building

Posing in the board room

(same place where the grand piano is located)

Mr Skeleton - the Harold Brown Lecture theatre is where most students in Junior Cycle wait in before getting called to the Anatomy Room for our Anatomy Practical Finals

Here's where we wash up before and after our dissection visits to the Anatomy Room

I have no idea why I took this picture - just thought it looks cool haha

(it's actually the door handle in the board room)

Poster of Malaysia in the Friendship Room, which contains stuff from the various clubs and societies (I'm assuming this poster would be used by the PMCSA to promote our country)

The College Hall, where exams are held 

(we have a larger hall aptly called the "Exam Hall" 

where more students can be seated for their exams :)

I ordered the Big @$$ Burrito, which comes with all the fixings, served on a bed of nachos and cheese. Simply heavenly! :)

DAY 794-807

Nov 4-17

1) Time for a much needed update of my blog. I've noticed that the length between each blog post can be used as a yardstick for how busy I am at the moment. Which obviously would indicate that I am up to my neck with work. I'll try to summarise the things I've done in the past two weeks or so.

2) On Nov 3, Malaysian Medics International Ireland (MMII) organised a Research Symposium at the Trinity Biomedical Science Institute (TBSI). I was privileged to be invited to present my research project(s) at the event, as well as being on the panel for a discussion session on lab-based research vs clinical research, along with other professional researchers/doctors. There was a huge turnout (it's Trinity so yeah XD), and I was very happy with the enthusiasm shown by the future student researchers. The panel discussion was awesome as well, moderated by Eunice, who did a great job distilling the many questions that the audience had regarding research. Most of them who came had little research experience and were looking for tips and advice on how and where to begin with research.

3) On Nov 5, we had our REGUB (Renal, Endocrine, Genitourinary and Breast) exam. It was raining in the morning, and I had to run to a different bus stop to catch an earlier bus to the main campus. It didn't help that the bus stop provided no shade from the rain. Anyway, I made it to college with time to spare, got myself a large cup of coffee, and with my veins pumped with caffeine I sat for the paper. Done and dusted. I was unproductive for the rest of the day, but that's just the side effects of the caffeine wearing off I guess XD

4) On Nov 7, my good friend Zi Yan and I went for the "Run In The Dark" event. There were two options - 5km or 10km, and we opted for the longer distance. The temperature at night wasn't as cold as it was for the marathon, and I was really glad to finish without stopping (thus partially redeeming myself for the full marathon XD). We collected our goodie bags, and stayed behind to get some KFC. That was the end of the night for us, and we went back home soon after.

5) On Nov 10, Zi Yan and I attended a SafeTALK training course, organised by the AMSI RCSI (Association of Medical Students Ireland). The talk focussed on suicide prevention, and how to be alert and spot "invitations" which are the signs that someone may be considering suicide as an option. It also aimed to get everyone talking about mental health, and to move away from considering it a taboo subject. I found the talk very helpful, as the presenter had been through this harrowing experience themselves.

6) On Nov 16 (i.e. this morning as I'm typing this), we had our OSCE examinations in Beaumont. Three systems were covered this semester - gastrointestinal (GI), lower limb (LL) neurological sensory, and LL neurological motor, respectively. We had five minutes to perform the entire examination, so the day before, my friends and I practiced the night away. I was the first batch examined this morning, and was very happy indeed to have passed well. The OSCEs in Intermediate Cycle are pass/fail, so the strategy would be not to fail, rather than perform flawlessly.

7) Now that I've covered everything that has passed, I'll share with you everything ahead. Tomorrow (Nov 17), PMCSA is organising a Farewell Dinner for the students leaving for Penang (i.e. us) at the end of the semester. It will be a tear-jerking moment for us as we part ways with our peers, friends and colleagues for the past 2.5 years. But as all good things must come to an end, that doesn't mean we have to be all sad about it. Thus, I've made the decision to dedicate a poem to everyone at RCSI, to remember and treasure the memories we made, and to remind everyone that this not a goodbye, but rather a see you again soon.

8) On Nov 23, RCSI Cancer Society is having a Bake Sale in conjunction with Movember - which aims to promote men's health and fund research on prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and suicide. It is a great cause, and we even have a competition on growing a mo' (moustache) for the entire month. Zi Yan and I are one of the eight teams participating, so if you'd like to support us (please do) you're more than welcome to donate to this link (https://www.gofundme.com/v25pxh-movember). Just make sure to indicate in the "Leave a Comment" section which team you are voting for. The end goal is the same though - all proceeds will go to the Movember Foundation. So what are you waiting for - donate to the Running Mo's! ^^

9) On Nov 26, we will have our CNSLF (Central Nervous System, Locomotor, Forensics) module exams, which thankfully, are in Beaumont. It will be another harrowing week for us, as the following week is our end-of-semester exams. To make matters worse, we have practically ONE day in between each of our exams, and we have both MCQs (multiple choice) and SNQs (short notes) to cover. That will be one heck of a week for us, and you can expect me to be in the library ALL DAY LONG for that.

10) Following our end-of-semester exams (which end on Dec 12), I will have 3 days break before I must bid Dublin farewell to return to Malaysia - capping off an incredible 836 days spent abroad! That would summarise the events for myself, and for the next couple of weeks, I may find it difficult to post regular updates on my blog due to the mounting pressure of exams etc, so do bear with me. That's about it for this edition of my blog post, and I hope you enjoyed reading about it. Have a nice weekend, cheers! :D

P.S. A TONNE OF PHOTOS COMING YOUR WAY, SO DON'T LEAVE WITHOUT SCROLLING DOWN FIRST. CHEERS! :)

Thank you very much MMII for having me over to present my research experience!

(at Trinity Biomedical Science Institute)

Certificate ^^

Turnout was great - really happy with the overall planning and organising!

 From l-r: Desmond Chua (4th year UCD), Myself (3rd year RCSI), Dr Roshaida Abdul Wahab (PhD Candidate UCD), Dr Wan Mahmood (Specialist in General Medicine, Diabetes and Endocrinology), Dr. Arimin Mat (Research Fellow in Endocrinology UCD), Eunice Lim (Moderator, 4th year UCD)

As mentioned before, the turnout for the Research Symposium was very good! ^^

Enjoying a brief respite (while contemplating how to tackle upcoming REGUB exams)

Post REGUB exam meal with everyone!

l-r: Andy, Barry, Winston, Mat Noor, Kuhan, Myself

(enjoying a good breakfast at "1784" Cafe at RCSI SSG)

The Running Club of RCSI - over 60 people signed up for the "Run In The Dark 2018"!

A beautiful night to remember!

Zi Yan and myself, after completing the Run In The Dark 2018! 

#TeamRunningMo's 

Very glad to have finished in one piece XD

Colourful lights illuminate the bridge at night :)

All that glisters is not gold—

Often have you heard that told.

Many a man his life hath sold

But my outside to behold.

Gilded tombs do worms enfold.

Had you been as wise as bold,

Young in limbs, in judgment old,

Your answer had not been inscrolled

Fare you well. Your suit is cold—

Cold, indeed, and labor lost.

A well-deserved meal post-run :)

Indeed, the side dividers are the thing I miss most about the old Mercer Library

(pic taken outside the Beaumont Library)

Attended the safeTALK on suicide prevention

Bulletin Board in No. 26 York St. New Academic Building

Movember 2018 - advertising for a good cause - so make sure to donate!

(link: https://www.gofundme.com/v25pxh-movember)

THANK YOU <3 <3 <3

l-r: Myself, Hong, Zi Yan practising for our OSCE exam the next day :)

(at an undisclosed location somewhere in the heart of Beaumont Hospital :)

Sneak peek: This is the same room to be used for our OSCE examination the next day

Providing FREE counselling advice! :)

DAY 789-793

Oct 30 - Nov 3

1) This is turning out to be one hectic month. We have yet another quiz on Monday (Nov 5), this time on the "REGUB" module (Renal Endocrine, Genitourinary and Breast). Amidst all the studying and stressing about, I've found some time off to attend a session with the other PMC scholars at RCSI. This is the first meeting we have had as a group, and we aim to expand on this to facilitate better transitioning from each year to the next, especially the transition back to Penang, Malaysia.

2) It was a short and informal meeting we had with Mr. Philip Curtis, Director of Student Recruitment, Admissions & Student Services. He informed us that he would have a meeting with the UCD correspondent, to see if we could form a group comprising PMC Scholars over the years. The main goal would be from an academic point of view, including feedback on how to improve the programme as a whole.

3) The rest of the week has been pretty much the same, but one thing I've come to appreciate more is the drastic change in colour as autumn comes. The fallen leaves turn the ground many shades of red, brown and orange. I'm not sure why I haven't noticed it before, but it looks very beautiful! I won't be seeing much of that back home, that's for sure. So best to make the most of my time here. Sadly, most of it will be spent burying myself in my books. Anyway, that's all for today's blog update, and stay tuned for more. Have a good one, cheers!

PMC Scholars from across three years!

Back row l-r: Melissa, Me, Talal, Mr. Philip Curtis

Front row l-r: Engracia, Aisha, Sarah, Shu Chen, Jamie

Empty library is the best library ^^

Halloween food!

Roast chicken with carrots and colcannon mash

(mashed potatoes with chopped cooked kale, green onions, milk or cream, and lots of butter)