DAY 146

Jan 25

1) Today has been a very, very relaxing day. I suppose it's to make up for the past couple of days which have been really trying. Anyway, our first class was at 10.00am today, so I had ample time to sleep in, have breakfast and finish doing my laundry. Our two lectures were on a new module - the Health Behaviour and Patient Safety - presented by Dr. Kelleher. One of the lectures was on IQ testing - something which I was really interested about. I used to do so many IQ tests online - to see what they were all about, so I was pleasantly surprised when it was included as part of the lecture.

2) After lectures, I went straight to the library - not to study, but to have lunch haha. I had four cheese pizza which I bought from Dunnes. It tasted great, but wasn't too filling unfortunately. Anyway, most of my friends had small group tutorials later that day, whereas mine is tomorrow. So I took a short nap in the library, as is my custom, before waking up refreshed and ready to study. Dabbled a bit with our team project (on Lewy body dementia), before reading up on the next couple of lectures.

3) Before I knew it, it was time for dinner! Went to the Mercer Cafe, and reheated my usual chicken tikka masala with rice combo. Returned soon afterward to continue studying, this time on Immunology. Our first quiz next Friday covers both Immunology (15 questions) and HBPS (5 questions). Granted, the weightage isn't too high at only 2.5%, but still it would be unadvisable to waste any mark haha. After a couple of hours studying, my mind was drifting away - so I decided to call it a day and enjoyed a little supper before walking home. That has been my largely unspectacular day today, and I hope you enjoyed reading. Thanks for reading as always, and have a great day. Cheers!

Mercer Library today :)

Breakfast toast

Pizza for lunch 

My batch cooked chicken tikka masala for dinner

DAY 32

Oct 3

1) Today was a typical school day. Woke up earlier than usual since class started at 8 a.m. Lectures went non-stop until 2 in the afternoon. I felt so sleepy during this time. Not to mention hungry.

2) After lessons, my friends took me to a restaurant called Dicey's Garden, where they had student deals for lunch, with huge portions, and only €5.00! I had the beef curry with rice and chips, and it certainly was HUGE! Ate to my heart's content, and my friends went back after that. I stayed on at RCSI to study, since I had a tutorial on how to use EndNote for referencing.

3) EndNote turned out to be rather complicated, so I'm going to have to review the lecture slides later on. Came back home and decided I would make a simple soup for dinner. Made some tomato soup, and that was enough for the day. Later, I discovered I had misplaced my computer mouse, most probably at the Computer Lab, where I attended the tutorial. I certainly hope to get it back soon, but it was my carelessness that got me into this mess in the first place. I'll be more careful next time.

4) The last part of the day is about me trying to study. I don't think I'm good at it, but I can at least try. Tomorrow's lessons also begin at 8 a.m., and I'm not looking forward to waking up so early in the morning. Oh well, cest la vie I guess. That's all for today, and goodnight!

 Underneath the mountain of chips lies

a heapful of beef curry and a huge portion of rice,

all for only €5!

Me and Jason in the Computer Lab,

Mercer Library

Dinner was a big bowl of tomato soup,

with some emmental cheese

DAY 31

Oct 2

1) Today was a tiring day. Woke up at around 8, after coming back from Belfast yesterday. Went out for a nice, slow jog around St. Stephen's Green. Ended up doing 15km according to the distance tracking app that I use. Was completely exhausted after that, but then I remembered I still had to do the groceries!

2) So off I went, dragging my fatigue driven legs to Tesco Baggot, still in full running gear. Bought my supplies to last me a long time, and came back to freshen up. For lunch, I made some spaghetti, finishing the last of the packet of pasta I bought weeks ago. It's amazing how long these dry items last.

3) After that, it was an afternoon riddled with study, naps, and chatting with my family. To be honest, I am starting to miss home more and more as time passes. Family, friends, relatives, teachers, students (haha) and the environment in general. At least I have great support here in Ireland.

4) I had an early dinner. Meal was simple yet satisfying, and afterwards it was back to surfing the net, watching vids online etc. Tomorrow class starts at 8a.m., and the only comfort lies in that it will not drag on until the evening. At least I'm grateful for that. And on that note, I bid you all a pleasant evening! Cheers.

Entrance to my room

It was a lovely day today!

Lunch a.k.a. spaghetti

 A random picture of my veins XD

The dining room

Ta-da! Dinner is served, my way

DAY 26

Sept 27

1) Today can be summed in one word: exhausting! Woke up at 7 a.m. (still don't know how I do it), before having a light breakfast and hurriedly watching the dissection video for anatomy practical today. Attended lectures beginning at 9 a.m. Immediately after the first lecture was dissection time (our second anatomy practical so far). Our surgeon prosector was Mr. Daniel Kelly, MCh, FRCSI. He lectured us on the inner workings of the thoracic cavity and neurovascular bundle. It was a lot to take in, as the information was almost overwhelming. But I will find a way to remember all this (I hope...)

2) After anatomy class, my mind was in a whirl and I couldn't think anymore, so we went for lunch as  usual. Tried the jacket potato today. It was really filling since it consisted of a WHOLE potato! At least I felt completely full afterward. Next, three consecutive lectures were to occupy our remaining time slot for today. Suffice to say, I was happy when the last lecturer finished her lecture.

3) Walked back home to Leeson Street Lower, where I immediately cooked rice. Today is my first time trying out the basmati rice I bought at Asia Market. It is a long, slender-grained aromatic rice which, in my opinion, tastes better than the rice I have been consuming all this while. I also discovered I can prepare, cook, eat and wash up a meal in less than an hour, every single time. So I need not worry about cooking being too time consuming.

4) Finished dinner and wanted to have an orange, but the last remaining orange I had seems quite unusual. The skin is at least doubly thicker than any orange I've had, and there's hardly any juice left. I decided not to have it, for fear of an upset tummy. Instead, I had a small praline for dessert. Satisfied, I returned to my room, had an hour's nap, and here I am typing this out. It has been a long day, and I need to revise some things the lecturer told us today. Cheers!

The ice hockey match in Belfast this Saturday!

Baked potato with rice and sauce on the side, €3.95

The usual suspect (Basmati rice, minced meat bolognese 

and mixed vegetables)

DAY 20

Sept 21

1) Today was a routine day. Got up to have some cookies for breakfast, before reading up on the previous day's lectures. There's just so much stuff to know, plus one more module (Introduction to Clinical Practice) to be introduced today! Oh well, I'm not complaining. As the saying goes, whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Left for lunch at AK. Henry's as usual, before going early into the lecture hall to grab a spot before lectures began.

2) Lectures were short today because a large segment, called the Passport for Success programme, had been postponed. We did, however, learn about essential clinical skills and the professionalism associated with it. Apparently, there are many aspects of Clinical Practice that we will cover, from GP visits, healthcare symposia, all the way to having to create our very own portfolio at the end of JC1 (Junior Cycle 1). Really looking forward to the Early Patients Contact programme as well.

3) After lectures ended, I decided to pay the Students' Services a visit, to see if I could purchase a souvenir from RCSI. They had a wide range of items, from ties to jackets and even hoodies. In the end, I decided on a red hoodie with the RCSI logo and name behind it, for €25. I expect to receive it by tomorrow. With everything I set out to do for the day finished, I walked back home, just in time to prepare dinner.

4) Clumsy clutz me tried to boil rice without adding water to the surrounding vessel. This had the effect of the heating element essentially heating up the metal part of the rice cooker, which would result in overheating, and ultimately damage to the cooker. Fortunately, the rice cooker automatically switched off before any real damage was done, and I was still able to cook with it. I have to be much more careful next time. Would not want to damage the beautiful kitchen for my other housemates.

5) With dinner done, and the pots and pans washed, I showered before booting the laptop up to type this. It is fast approaching 9.00 p.m. I plan to take a jog around St. Stephen's Green tomorrow, so I will be sleeping earlier than usual tonight. Anyways, thanks for reading and have a great night!

 Vegetable au gratin - €3.95

(I'm trying to increase my intake of vegetables for lunch, 

to compensate for dinner)

One of the lecture slides

Minced pork with rice, 

and consomme soup

Dunnes Stores sells some really good chicken and potage soup

I will try other flavours in the future! :)

DAY 18

Sept 19

1) Today was really exhausting. Woke up to have cookies for breakfast (since my milk spoilt), then studied before going to RCSI at 10 a.m. I went slightly earlier to play the grand piano in the Board Room. This time there wasn't any lectures going on so I could play to my heart's content. A random guy (probably a caterer) even popped by to see who was playing and gave me the thumbs up!

2) There was a break before lunch so me and my friends decided to go apply for a LEAP Card at Trinity College Dublin. It cost me €10, but now we can use it for public transport whenever we like. Had lunch at AK. Henry's as per usual, before lectures continued from 1-4 p.m.

3) After lectures ended, I stayed back at RCSI for a while. At 5 p.m., table tennis (or ping pong) session began. Five courts were set up at the multipurpose hall, and we had a really fun time. I am a complete newbie to the sport, so I just enjoyed hitting the ball around. Luckily, my friend Khee Heng gave me some valuable pointers. At 6 p.m., me and Zi Yan went to play squash. Again, being a complete beginner meant that it was an achievement just to be able to serve properly. Fortunately, everyone was very patient with me haha. It was a great experience though!

4) We met up at Mercer at around 7 p.m., to go to Boojum for dinner. Today was our Hong Kong friend, Venus' birthday, so we celebrated there. We pooled together some funds to buy her a small birthday cake, and even sang the Happy Birthday song! What a memorable evening it has been.

5) Walked back home, cleaned up and made an appointment online for my GNIB Card Registration. I'll be going in October to register for my card. Hopefully things will go smoothly as planned haha. Tomorrow is our first Anatomy practical, and I'm really looking forward to it. Until next time, this is me, Kevin, signing out.

The stuffed mushroom with carrots and wedges

€3.95

Three tacos with Mexican rice, pinto beans, chilli con carne,

tomato salsa, sour cream and cheese 

€6.00

  

The birthday cake!!

Group selfie!

From l-r: Viknesh, Nee Kee, Khee Heng, Aisha,

Me, Stephanie, Venus (birthday girl!), Kuhan, Hong,

Zi Yan, Melissa, Wendy, Melvin, Jason, Esther

DAY 13

Sept 14

1) Today was a longggg day. Woke up for breakfast as usual, and then went early to RCSI for a little tour. Went to the Board Room at the top floor, which had a beautiful grand piano. Too bad I didn't get a chance to play though, since a lecture was going on in the adjacent room. Met up with my friends for lunch, and then it was non-stop lectures until the evening.

2) Had lunch at AK. Henry's as usual. Tried the sandwiches, which were really good and filling for a €3.50 meal. Today we were introduced to two new lecturers for the "Fundamentals in Biomedicine" module. The lectures were chalk full of information, which means I have to do a lot of extra studying to catch up haha. So much for the holidays then...

3) After lectures, went out to have ice-cream with friends at Gino's Gelato. It has hands down some of the best ice cream I have ever tried. I sampled the Belgian Chocolate and Brownie ice cream. Simply heavenly!

4) Came home for dinner. Quickly heated up the frozen dinner I bought at Mark & Spencer the other day. Topped it off with an orange for good measure. After this, it will be revision for the lessons today and upcoming lectures. Next week we will be broken into groups for anatomy and clinical practice. Can't wait for that haha. Anyways, here's me half the world away, wishing you goodnight and till next time!

The Board Room in all its splendor

Grand piano!!

Gino's Gelato at Grafton Street 

 Chicken korma and pilau rice for dinner, plus huge orange for dessert

DAY 8

Sept 9

1) Today was a typical day of sorts. We had lectures from 1-5. Woke up early to have cookies for breakfast, before studying the lecture notes for the day. It's amazing how much information you can glean from Google. No one textbook or compilation of notes can replace what can be Googled in an instant.

2) Finished studying, met up an hour before lectures at RCSI with my buddies to have lunch, at AK Henry's. Food there is really cheap and filling, usually €5.95 for the non-vegetarian meal or €3.95 for the vegetarian one. A good meal really helps get the noggin' workin' haha.

3) Attended lectures for four hours straight. Towards the last lecture I was really struggling to pay attention. The lecturer's monotonous voice, coupled with her constant murmuring, certainly did not help either.

4) Forwent dinner, to play badminton at a hall called Archbishop Bryne's Hall or something. Around 15 minutes walk from RCSI. There were easily around 30 of us, having to share only three courts for badminton, so it was really packed!

5) After 3 hours of intense workout, we called it a day. Went back to RCSI to get my bag from the locker, before walking all the way back to Leeson Street Lower, where I had a lovely frozen dinner prepared by my housemate's mum. That has been my day; it has been great, and I hope all of you have a great one too. Cheerios!

My locker, with bag for badminton later in the evening

With my newfound badminton buddies!

Traditional food from Cyprus, according to my housemate's mum. Thanks so much, auntie!