DAY 415/416/417

Oct 20, 21 & 22

1) I've been to a couple of events in the past few days. First off was "Career Clues Night", an event organised by the RCSI Paediatrics Society. Four speakers were invited to share their experience and career pathways. We had a General Practitioner, PhD Scholar, and Lecturer (Dr. Mark Murphy), a Professor of Pathology/Consultant Histopathologist (Prof. Mary Leader), a Consultant Neonatologist (Prof. Martin White), and a Consultant General and Colorectal Surgeon (Mr. John Burke). Overall, it was a thoroughly interesting talk, where we gained an insight into the pros and cons of each career, as well as the motivation behind considering each one. I also got a chance to take a photo with Dr. Murphy, who, if you're an RCSI student, will be all too familiar. After all, he appears in all of our OSCE tutorial videos; demonstrating proper technique as he goes through the examinable material for the each module.

2) The next event was "A Special Guest Lecture - Dr. Christian Gilchrist". Dr. Gilchrist is currently Chairman of the Department of Surgery at Bronx-Lebanon Hospital, New York, where he also initiated the Breast Care Centre in 2014. Prior to that Dr. Gilchrist served as both Attending Surgeon and Chief at the Tufts Floating Hospital for Children, and earlier in his career as a Military Surgeon in Operation Desert Storm. It was with passion and gusto that he recounted the many challenges he faced working in (to put it mildly) less than safe working conditions, including the tragic Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Attack, where a former physician stormed the hospital and opened fire in that building, killing a doctor on the 17th floor and wounding six people on the 16th floor.

3) Subsequently, I've been to the Expo Stage, where RCSI Envirosoc had an event in promoting environmental awareness. Clean Coasts (a programme operated by the Environmental Education Unit of An Taisce) was also present to talk about their projects, and there were lots of freebies and goodies. Besides, we had our first full Exco Meeting for the newly established RCSI Model United Nations Club (RCSIMUNC). Not giving anything away, but we have some really cool (over the top) ideas coming your way, so stay tuned! Fast forward to today - I went for my weekly kickboxing practice. Turnout was particularly poor due to Reading Week (everyone had booked their tickets away from here). And the rest of my day has been spent revising (I'm so far behind haha), chatting with my parents, and just idling about. It's been a packed couple of days, and looking forward to the next couple of events. That's been my blog update, and hopefully you enjoyed reading about it. Thanks very much for tuning in, and have a great week (and to my friends on Reading Week - safe journey!) :D

With Dr. Mark Murphy (GP, and RCSI OSCE folk hero)

Success Leaves Clues - "Career Clue Night" featuring the four speakers of the day

"A Career in General Practice" - Dr. Mark Murphy

The pathway to a GP

Group photo with Dr. Murphy, taken at the Atrium

My hands a little unsteady here oops...

Green Week - RCSI Envirosoc

RCSI Envirosoc Photo Booth - with Kaung Sett :)

Besieged in the Bronx - Dr. Christian Gilchrist

Attendance was great for the event

Pretty rainbow today <3<3<3

Bagel and a cappucino

DAY 395/396/397/398

Sept 30, Oct 1, 2 & 3

1) Lately I've been slacking off with the blog updates again. Simply put, I've been rather busy preparing for Quiz 1, as well as the upcoming Card Signing next week. As a result, I've been accumulating lots of pics from each day. First and foremost was the recently concluded "Late Night Coffee with MMII", organised by the Malaysian Medics International Ireland. We met up with our friends from UCD and TCD at the Accents Coffee and Tea Lounge. The turnout was much more than I had anticipated, with a really strong showing from Trinity. Anyway, the objective was just to get to know each other, and introduce the committee members of MMII as well as their future plans. We had loads of fun chit-chatting and playing card games, and just indulging in pure shenanigans.

2) On Saturday, it was time for some kickboxing lessons. I've discovered the morning trams come at rather long intervals, which means I have to wait for a long while for the next one to arrive. I arrived for practice a little late as a result. We worked more on our kicks for this session compared to the previous one. After that, it was just a typical day in the library for me. Ditto for Sunday, with the exception of ultimate frisbee practice at 8pm. We went through various drills, including a mock game between ourselves. It was all good fun.

3) Yesterday (Monday) we had classes from 9-5pm - something that none of us like but have gotten somewhat used to. The only problem was Quiz 1 was the next day at 8am. So it was another hectic day to revise the lectures in time for today's quiz. I did not go home last night as I was afraid of missing the tram the next morning (on weekdays, the trams can get extremely packed, and I've missed many a tram due to overcrowding). Instead, I decided to crash at my friends' place. Thankfully, all of my friends live together in the same apartment, which made it easier to stay the night. Did my fair share of studying, before getting a good night's rest on the couch. It was just for a day anyway.

4) Today was Quiz 1 - 8.00am at the Exam Hall. Overall, I found it challenging and some of the questions a little vague. Nevertheless, I've done everything I physically can to prepare so I've no regrets. After all, they're plenty of quizzes and exams after this, so a lot more opportunities to improve. Post-quiz, my friends and I went for a nice Full Irish Breakfast at AK Henry's, before continuing lessons (at 10am!) for the rest of the day. The learning process never stops, so they say... Anyway, that has been my past four days, plus plenty of pictures to make up for the lapse in blog updates. Hope you enjoyed reading, and thank you for tuning in. Stay tuned, and have a good one, cheers :D

RCSI, UCD, Trinity - seniors, peers, juniors alike

(all brought together over a cup of coffee (or 10!))

The muffins at The Dispensary are simply to die for! 

Triple dark chocolate, and salted caramel <3<3

With Jason - RCSI chap

Good coffee, good banter

Imbibing copious amounts of coffee - a medical student's favourite pasttime :D

With friends from all over (some RCSI, some TCD...)

You've got your wish Vik - you're FEMES now :^)

(Me, Vik, Varman, Jason, Hai Wen)

The World Map at Accents Coffee and Tea Lounge

That is probably the most filling meal you can get at Dunnes (and for only €6.00!)

Ham-stuffed whole baked potato, Asian noodle salad, cous cous, and spiced potato salad :D

"We're supposed to be different!" XD

Spending the night away...

Post Exam Hall blues...

Featuring a slightly blurry image of Ali Rifai of the RCSI SU!

Exam Hall

That is the epitome of a cheap and hearty meal!

(Full Irish Breakfast at AK Henry's - €3.75)

Nothing like a wholesome breakfast to shake off post-quiz stress

Guess what's inside? ^^

Apple, Banana, and Apple! XD

DAY 392/393/394

Sept 27, 28 & 29

1) The past couple of days have given me some much needed study time, especially having Thurs and Fri off. My timetable has subsequently been packed full of miscellaneous activities, completely unrelated to studying. So I've decided to participate in this year's PMCSA Games, held annually between RCSI and our friends from UCD. We had our first practice (Ultimate Frisbee), and it was lovely fun.

2) I've also come down with a sore throat and runny nose. It seems almost everyone is getting sick at this time of the year - many of my friends have either gotten sick or are sick too! It could be the drastic change in temperature that's causing this. But anyway, I have my first quiz (Quiz 1) next Tuesday, so there really isn't much time to think about this...

3) Kickboxing practice has been brought forward to the morning (usually it's Sat afternoon) due to the coach being busy. I look forward to my second practice with the other members, as I find kickboxing a great way to destress and have a good workout! Also, I will be attending the MMII Event "Late-Night Coffee with MMII" tomorrow night, at Accents Coffee and Tea Lounge. Again, it's basically another excuse for me not to study and hang out with my friends instead.

4) To cap it all off, our group (for the EBH/PHE Team Project) will be meeting up tomorrow, to see how far we've progressed. Frankly, I am looking forward to completing this once and for all, as it is taking up a lot of my valuable time. Time which I can put to good use - such as sleeping. This reminds me, the library has come up with a policy - you can only leave your belongings (at your preoccupied space in the library) for up to 30 minutes. Any longer than that, and someone else can take over your seat, and your belongings removed to a secure location.

5) The decision was made after many students left their stuff and went off for hours at a time. I think it is a good idea, but honestly I would prefer if we were given a bit more time. Library spots are a "hot" spot given the nature of our study, as well as the studiousness of my friends. Given how almost everyone I see is literally buried in books/ self-made notes, it can all be a bit daunting. But I guess everyone learns to cope eventually...

6) So that has been my recount of the past couple of days, and I hope you enjoyed reading about it. Thanks for visiting as always, and have a good day. Cheers!

Free Friendship Lunch - 

with Dr Ebun Joseph (Career Development Consultant) 

and two Student Representatives :D

Sandwiches and banter - just in time for the afternoon lectures!

Jigsaw: 5-A-Day for Positive Mental Health

(RCSI Health & Wellbeing Week)

Follow the trail of food - just kidding (okay only partially ^^)

DAY 389/390/391

Sept 24, 25 & 26

1) And so begins that marked increase in tempo, signalling that exams draw close. It can be seen in various forms, from the decreasing number of vacant seats in the library, to the amount of new information we're exposed every day, and also the "off days" we have on Thursday and Friday - the proverbial calm before the storm. The exam I'm referring to is actually a quiz - our first quiz to be precise, and on paper, it shouldn't be too hard.

2) But the reality is that life is passing by faster than I would prefer. Barely after being introduced to a whole range of terms in various fields of the health sciences, the next day brings about completely new terminology and suddenly, twenty lectures have been covered! That being said, at least the holidays will come sooner as well.

3) On a more positive note, I went for my first kickboxing lesson on Saturday. I wanted to join last year but somehow never got the chance, so this year I made it a point to show up for practice. Our coach is Eddie, and he met us all at Damer Hall, just beside the Unitarian Church. It was so much fun practicing some punches and kicks, and it certainly brought back good memories of my childhood years practising Taekwondo. I made many friends too, from various parts of the world.

4) That has been my past couple of days summed up, and I hope you enjoyed reading about it. I'm rather busy this week in particular, with lots of datelines and projects to complete, so just to inform everyone who is kind enough to patronise my blog XD. Thanks very much for visiting and as always, have a great day. Cheers!

Kickboxing fam :D

The Dispensary has some really nice wraps - for only €3.20!

That's a huge fruitcake if I've ever seen one - at the Dispensary :D

All those gloves for training...

As you can tell, I'm one shy of the BIG one!!