DAY 190

Mar 10

1) Today has been a very long day for most of us. For starters, it was an 8-5 kind of day. As in lectures from 8 a.m. all the way to 5 p.m., with nary a break in between. Anatomy today was really fun; we learnt about the liver from Mr. Quinlan, a retired consultant orthopaedic surgeon. We also found gallstones in the gallbladder of the cadaver, something which we never would have expected!

2) In the afternoon, we had another bunch of lectures to go. It was at this time I decided that nothing was entering my mind, and if I had stayed I wouldn't have picked up much anyways. So I did what had to be done - packed my stuff and went to the library. Had a really short power nap, got up and felt a lot more productive than I would be if I had stayed on for the lectures. I studied the rest of the afternoon, before going to Dunnes to get some cookies.

3) In the evening, I went to RCSI to attend the Annual Inaugural Address of the RCSI Surgical Society. We were absolutely delighted to have Professor James T. Goodrich as Guest Speaker for the night. Prof. Goodrich is Professor of Clinical Neurological Surgery, Paediatrics and Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, as well as the Chief of Paediatric Neurosurgery at the Children's Hospital at Montefiore, New York. Essentially he shared his experience of what changed his mindset from that of a highly decorated US Marine during the Tet Offensive(!), to the world-leading neurosurgeon that he is today. All in all an extremely informative talk indeed.

4) There was a wine and cheese reception in the atrium afterward, at which I had the honour of getting a photo taken with him. That really made my day. Afterwards, he engaged in conversation with some of the other seniors and doctors, which is when I made my leave. I still had to go for dance practice in the Tutorial Room. Today, we did an entire run-through of our performance, from start to finish. I'm really taken aback by the passion and commitment shown by each and everyone present. It makes me want to give my absolute best also, to make this International Night a resounding success.

5) By 9.30pm, practice was over, and I returned, as you would expect, to the library. Took a while to type this out and upload the photos, and voila! That's the end of my blog update today, and I hope you enjoyed reading about it. Thanks as always, and have a great weekend. Cheers!

With Prof. Goodrich, 

Chief of Pediatric Neurosurgery at Montefiore Medical Centre,

Albert Einstein College of Medicine, NY

Albert Lecture Theatre, RCSI

RCSI Surgical Soc

Prof Goodrich's speech

One of the most bizarre cases in craniopagus (conjoined twins at the head) surgery, according to Prof Goodrich

Food and wine session in the atrium after the talk

DAY 189

Mar 9

1) Today has been a very long day for me, even though we had no classes at all! It started off fine, with me walking to the library and getting some studying done. Then, from 11-3pm, my friends and I were discussing on various activities, including the latest issues on MMII (Malaysian Medical International Ireland). We have a lot of things going on right now, so I guess the onus is on me to juggle my responsibilities efficiently, while not forgetting my academics haha. It feels like SPM (Secondary Five Exams) all over again...

2) Immediately after that, our HBPS group had a meeting from 3-5pm. We're essentially done with the project, with the exception of meeting the word count limit. I'm proud to announce that we're more than double the maximum word count XD. So the next meeting will (touchwood) see us carrying out the final proofreading, before submitting our first draft via Turnitin for feedback. We have until next Monday to do this, and tomorrow is a full 8-5 day as usual. It doesn't get any better than this *sobs*

3) But my day was far from over. In the evening, I still had to go to RCSI to practice for the Lion Dance in preparation for International Night. By the time I came back, I was both physically and mentally drained. Nothing a good sleep cannot cure, I reckon. So I'm going back a bit earlier tonight. Anyway, tomorrow classes start at 8.00am so there's really no other option. At least I can look forward to the coming weekends... That's all for today, and hope you enjoyed reading about my day. Have a great day, cheers!

Zi Yan's birthday cake

(forgot to upload yesterday haha)

The usual suspects for breakfast

DAY 182

Mar 2

1) Today has been another great day for me. It all started out as another normal day, with me packing my stuff and leaving for the library. Then at around 10.30am, we had another Lion Dance rehearsal session, where we finally(!) finished off the remaining moves. Now all that's left to do is practice, practice and more practice XD Shortly after, I received news that I had won the Anatomy Sketch Competition, organised by the BioSoc RCSI! So my prize is one College Ball ticket, for the RCSI College Ball this Saturday. Still contemplating if I should go or not, because not many of my friends are going...

2) Anyway, besides that awesome piece of news, my day has been going on pretty much as usual. Took a short nap in the afternoon and studied a little until the evening. Later on, I walked to RCSI for second Lion Dance rehearsal in one day. This was meant for us to familiarise ourselves with the conditions on stage, as we'll be dancing together with the other performers. Anyway, it was much shorter compared to the first rehearsal in the morning, and I'm happy to say we're mostly done. All that's left is some polishing and full dress rehearsal. So I returned to the library, where I had some supper afterwards - just some biscuits and an orange.

3) I am quite packed for the rest of the week - tomorrow I'll be going to UCD for Medic Night, and then on Saturday I will be attending our very own RCSI-MUN (Model United Nations, in which we assume roles as delegates of different countries and come up with a resolution to solve a certain crisis/problem). Then my Principal Seminar is on Tuesday, so not much time left to practice haha. Anyway, that has been my day, and I hope you enjoyed reading about it. Cheers!

Practice makes perfect ^^

#Pasta4lyfe hahaha

DAY 180

Feb 28

1) Today has been a normal day for me. As I have said before, I have a lot of catching up to do, and not a lot of time to do it. Anyway, after breakfast, I made my way to the library, where I've been the whole day. Later in the morning, I went over to RCSI for the lion dance rehearsal. I'm really happy because we made good progress, and will (hopefully) on schedule before our full dress rehearsal in a couple of weeks.

2) The whole afternoon I spent a) having lunch, b) taking a short nap, and c) trying my best to memorise my answers for the Principal Seminars. As my group is due to present next Tues, we have a lot to memorise, and a lot to present as well haha. Essentially it is one topic out of five, but we won't know which topic until ONE minute before the actual seminar. Definitely not something to be taken too lightly...

3) Come evening time, and I'm still in the process of memorising. Off and on, my mind drifts away and I'll take a break to do something else. As much as I might want to do well in my exams, I also recognise that there's absolutely no point in going all out, if it means over stressing my mind and body. Nothing else important happened today, other than me having some supper and returning home to sleep, of course XD. That's all for today, and I hope you'll visit again tomorrow for my next update, Stay tuned, cheers!

Yes - RCSI is also the professional training body for surgery in Ireland

The most important meal of the day - breakfast! :D

Pasta

DAY 171

Feb 19

1) Today has marked a return to my usual cycle of activities. Woke up early today, went down for breakfast, before packing up and heading over to the library. Studying becomes quite therapeutic after a while, and it has become less of a chore for me as the days pass by.

2) During the afternoon, I went over to RCSI, where we had another Lion Dance practice. Together, Khee Heng, Esther, and I came up with moves for the lion and searched for inspiration from past performances. PMCSA (Penang Medical College Student's Association) will be performing during International Night 2017 and we aim to promote our culture and heritage for everyone to see, so the pressure is really on us haha.

3) After a fruitful session, we split up and I went back to the library. I was contemplating going for badminton, but by that time the badminton session was almost over. So I decided against it and had a quick nap. Woke up and had a nice, long chat with my dad - where we discussed accommodation for the next semester. I guess we'll just have to wait it out then.

4) At night, I had chicken sandwiches for dinner, before continuing to study for a while. This Friday is our Card Signing, so we have that to prepare for. Plus tomorrow we have the Interfaith Celebration, and we will get a chance to meet the family of those who donated their bodies to the College. Our aim is to be as professional as possible, while reflecting on the knowledge we have gained by their sacrifice. That sums up my day, and I'll end on that note. Thanks for reading as always, and have a great day. Cheers!

ICHAMS 2017 - checked! ^^

My morning toast

With each passing day, spring is nearing its way

Cupcakes ^^

DAY 162

Feb 10

1) Today has been another day of drawing. Again, my entire day (to be fair, it was until evening) has been spent completing my art piece. Two complete days to finish me, and the end result you can see below...

2) I went over to RCSI in the evening, to practice for the Lion Dance. Finally, we managed to get the costume so we could do a full dress rehearsal. Basically we went over the moves and corrected some stances. It turns out there will be three dances of Chinese origin - the Fan Dance (performed by the girls), the Shaolin Kung Fu Performance and the Lion Dance! So it really is a unique opportunity to present our culture for International Night.

3) Afterwards, I went over to Dunnes to do my groceries. I have to force myself to cook tonight, eventhough I'm quite tired haha. Tomorrow, many of my friends are volunteering at Dunnes Stores, so I'll have to wake up earlier... Oh well, at least it's Saturday. Anyway, that's all for today, and I hope you enjoy reading (+ the pics XD). Have a great day, cheers!

Khee Heng and I, 

pro lion dancers

Toast as always

The last of my spaghetti

The lion costume!

And that is the product of two hard days' work

(the theme was anatomy, anything goes)

DAY 160

Feb 8

1) Today was an easy day for us. We had lectures from 10-1 and then it was holidays! Well, for two days to be precise. In short, we have Thurs and Fri off due to Charter Day, which apparently marks the 233th anniversary of the foundation of RCSI by Royal Charter.

2) So what would anybody do after lectures finished? Go to the library of course! I wasn't really studying to be fair, just relaxing and consolidating all my to-do stuff and projects. By evening, I had my usual dinner, before heading over to RCSI...

3) ...For our International Night rehearsal! Khee Heng and I are going to perform the Lion Dance (hopefully!) but there are many types of performances as well, reflecting our truly international spirit. We couldn't practice with the costume today, but we'll have ample time to do so next time. Anyway, practice lasted two hours, at which point I was done. Came back to the library to grab my stuff, and went home soon after. That has been my day today, and I hope you enjoyed reading. Have a great day, cheers!

St. Stephen's Green Shopping Centre

My kitchen

I never really noticed the clock to be honest XD