DAY 701

Aug 3

1) I haven't slept at all tonight. Mainly because my transport (very graciously arranged by Dr. Wang) would come at around 3:15am, which meant I had to be up and ready before that. So I decided against any sleep at all, and just stayed up contemplating what would be my last night here in Suzhou, China.

2) At 3:00am, I say a final goodbye to my accommodation, and head out to the main gate - only to find that it's pouring cats and dogs. Luckily there is some cover from the rain, although after a while the strong winds blow the rain diagonally so I still end up wet. Thankfully, the car arrives soon enough, and I hurriedly store my luggage in the boot and get in. Safe and sound, for now. Phew...

3) I get some rest while on the journey to the airport. Miraculously, I open my eyes just as he pulls over - at the correct terminal. After signing a form (to confirm we arrived at the correct destination), I head inside the airport. The first thing is to check in with Emirates, when I realise there would be a problem. My flight is at 7.00am, and now is only 4.45am, but the queue in front of me is so long that I'm pretty sure we would take an hour at least to check in our luggage.

4) At just past six, I've finally gotten my luggage weighed and stowed away. Hurriedly I head to the customs, and find another long line of people waiting. It should take another hour according to the rate they are going at. Very fortunately, at 6.30am, they suddenly open a new gate, and we are some of the first in line! Because of this, I finish customs immigration and inspection at quarter to seven.

5) As I reach the correct departure gate (very close to the inspection area, thankfully) I realise that the gates haven't even opened yet. Then, a stewardess makes the announcement that there has been a delay due to poor flight visibility. After several moments of waiting, the final departure time is announced at 7:30am - much to everyone's relief. It certainly brought back memories when I was travelling with my parents and we were returning to Ireland, only to have our flight delayed from afternoon all the way till late night!

6) By 7:20am, everyone was invited to board, and we had a safe (if uneventful) flight to Dubai, where we transited. Luckily our luggage was transported directly to the final destination i.e. Dublin, so I didn't have to worry about it. I spent a solid couple of hours just resting and eating complimentary ice cream from Emirates :) In the afternoon, we boarded the connecting flight back to Ireland.

7) The only problem on my mind was the slight delay we had in taking off. This would affect our landing time, meaning we arrived later than usual. Before this, I had promised Niamh to help her carry some stuff back home, where her parents were waiting (and very kindly would drop me off at my accommodation). But in the air, I had no way of contacting them or anyone for that matter. So I felt bad for making them wait for so long. Immediately after clearing immigration and retrieving my baggage, I made a B-line for the exit.

8) After a nice chat with Niamh's parents, they drove me all the way back. It was very nice touching down in Ireland, but it definitely took some adjusting to after so long in a different country. I still remember waking up the next morning thinking I was still in China XD. It was really a couple of near misses that I had, especially with the timing of the flights and transport - so I'm just glad to be safe and in one piece. Anyway, all's well that ends well as they say. That's it for my blog today, and thanks very much for visiting. Have a nice day, cheers! :D

Beautiful Shanghai Pudong International Airport

One last look before I bid farewell to China! :(

The ground floor of our accommodation, taken at 3:00am XD

Flight EK305, scheduled for 7:15am

Shanghai Pudong International Airport

(this was after I cleared customs and everything else, just in case you were wondering ^^)

Indeed, it does look like poor visibility was a problem here

Waiting right at the departure gate

Very spacious and comfy flight

I know some people complain about airplane food, but personally I love it!

(Especially their apple juice, it's really good :))

Complimentary ice cream from Emirates ^^

Mango flavour

Beautiful architecture of Dubai International Airport

Another round of food - oh YES! XD

Guess who got a haircut after MORE than 2 months?!

(back safe and sound)

DAY 383/384/385

Sept 18, 19 & 20

1) The past three days have been a flurry of activities. For one, we've returned to the old Anatomy Room (after restoration), and been assigned a cadaver for each table. It's our last semester in the Anatomy Room, after which we will be transferred to Beaumont Hospital. While rushing to make it for the 8.00am class on Monday, I managed to take a nice, picturesque shot of the sunrise at Dundrum, complete with contrails from multiple aeroplanes. A beautiful sight to brighten up my day.

2) Tuesday was mostly studying, with many of us opting for Dicey's after lessons. We introduced our Thai friends to the humongous and delish portions that is synonymous with Dicey's, and they thoroughly enjoyed it. Come evening time, Vik and I (representing the RCSI-MUN Society) went for the President's Meeting, along with the other clubs and societies of RCSI.

3) Earlier today, Melissa and Melvin had invited us for a BBQ dinner at their church (Grosvenor Road Baptist Church), and Zi Yan, Kuhan, Lai, Giovanni, and I decided to come along. We took the bus to Dublin 6, and walked a short distance to Grosvenor Road (pronounced "Grovner Road" apparently). We had a lovely time meeting other students from various countries, and the banter was that much more memorable with good food. We had grilled sausages and burgers, with all the fixings. Then it was time to roast our own marshmallows over a fire pit. I even had a stab at making my first ever legitimate s'more (Graham cracker, chocolate, and roasted marshmallow dessert), and it tasted great!

4) After our appetite was satiated, it was time to demonstrate our musical talent. Some members began strumming their guitars, while the rest (myself included) sang in unison to some popular hits. Zi Yan helped project the lyrics on to the screen so all of us could sing along. In a nutshell, we had a ball. It was getting late, so after thanking everyone for their hospitality, we excused ourselves and left. Melvin, Melissa, and Zi Yan went off separately, leaving us behind to take the bus back to Aungier Street. From there, I took the LUAS back home - just in time to have a nice long chat with my dad, and to type this out. School tomorrow (today XD) starts late, so I can afford the liberty of staying up to type this out. Anyway, that's been the gist of my past three days, and hopefully you enjoyed reading about it. Have a nice day, cheers!

Free advertisement for Cancer Soc, as while as Taylor's College XD

A beautiful sunrise illuminating the Dundrum skyline :)

So what will I go for today? :p

Me, Kuhan, Hong, Varin, Ice, Khee Heng,

enjoying a well-deserved lunch

Grosvenor Road Baptist Church

The open barbecue pit, before the sky got dark

Candid photo

Good food, even better company :D

Of burgers and banter

(seriously I'm running out of captions here XD)

Let there be light! ^^

Roasting marshmallows

(I think my phone camera quality is great :D)

Roasted marshmallow on skewer, soon to be transferred to...

To a digestive cookie, and on top of a bed of chocolate bids, to form...

Hey presto, a s'more! :D

Semi-melted ice cream tasted a million times better than it looked :)

Group pic 

(cheers to a wonderful night out, and to many more!)

DAY 110

Dec 20

1) Today was an incredibly fun day! Woke up and had breakfast as usual, before going to the library to chill. I'm probably the only one who goes to library to NOT study haha. Anyway, after a couple of videos and songs, it was time for lunch.

2) My friends and I decided to try out Pitt Bros, which had a tantalising student deal. For €8, we got to choose a main course (brisket, pulled pork or a combo of both), one side (fries, coleslaw or burnt end buns), a soft drink and free flow of 99's. Being young at heart, it was of course the UNLIMITED ice cream that resonated with us the most, and we wasted no time in devouring our meat so we could have dessert XD.

3) After an enjoyable meal, we went back to Kuhan's apartment, where me and my friends spent pretty much the entire day watching anime. We had finished watching "One Punch Man', so today's agenda was binge watching "Attack on Titans" or better known as Shingeki no Kyojin (進撃の巨人) Took a short break for dinner, where Khee Heng and I went to Boojum. Returned to continue our "friends bonding" session, and by 11pm we decided that would be it for the day.

4) Packed my stuff away, before heading home for a well deserved sleep. But not before meticulously typing the day's adventures out. Looking forward to trying out new things in the future, and I hope you enjoyed reading as always. Thank you very much, and have a great day. Cheers! ^^

Assortment of toast 

Pitt Bros

Kuhan, Khee Heng, Zi Yan and me

Pitt Master's Combo, with fries

All the 99's you can stomach 

Boojum for dinner :D

DAY 80

Nov 20

1) Today has been a typical exam prep day. Woke up slightly later than usual, and went down for breakfast. Came back up to prepare for my Histology Quiz tomorrow, until about noon.

2) Walked past O'Connell Bridge today and past the River Liffey (about 25 min walk) to have buffet lunch at Jimmy Chung's Chinese Buffet. It was a bit expensive for €12.90, but I saved on dinner, so I guess that evens out haha. Anyway, the buffet here is by far the best I have had, compared to the other ones (although those were cheaper).

3) After sampling their main courses, I had a go at their desserts, and boy were they delish! From apple crumbles to banana fritters with syrup, to an assortment of cakes with cream, and everyone's favourite - ice cream! It was certainly worth the high(er) asking price.

4) Came back home, walking through the chilly weather (temperatures today dipped below zero throughout the day, and the wind made sure we felt a lot colder than that). Chatted a good deal with my parents, before my customary nap. And then it was back to the lecture notes, where I shall devote the rest of the night towards. That's all for today, and hopefully the nice pics of food will make up for the lack of activity I've been doing lately XD. Thanks for reading, and have a great day/ night. Cheers!

Twas a chilly day ^^

Used to be €9.90 for adults ):

Some appetizers

Main dishes (assortment of meats)

Snacks

Apple crumble with vanilla ice cream

Jellies and pudding

Assortment of cakes, with heavy cream

A bit of everything for me