DAY 272

May 31

1) Today we return from Zadar, Croatia to Dublin. It has been a thoroughly enjoyable 16 days, with great food, awesome weather, and even better company. Some of my friends ask me why I take so many pictures, and sort of miss out on experiencing the moment? My answer is simple - I do it for the memories. Twenty years down the road, I will look back at all these pics that I took and relive the experience in my mind.

2) Anyway, we started the day by finishing packing, then going to the bakery opposite our house to stock up on food for breakfast and lunch. Next, we went to the designated pick up point, where our pre-booked taxi would bring us to the airport. There was a bit of tension when the taxi did not arrive until 10 minutes later, since we needed to check in luggage before the gate closed.

3) Luckily, the taxis arrived eventually, and brought us to Zadar Airport in time to check in. We found out later that our flight had been delayed by about 45 minutes. So we sat and waited. It was a three hour flight back to Dublin. Once we touched down, we were greeted by cool weather (seriously, does Dublin EVER get hot?!)

4) From there, we checked out and went our separate ways. I boarded the Bus no. 16 back to RCSI, where I spent some time at the library. For dinner, I went over to Wok In, where I had the duck noodles. It felt so good to taste something Asian after a continuous diet of sausages and bread XD. Anyway, I packed up early and returned home. That concludes our 15 day trip across three countries, and tomorrow things get back to usual. Thanks for reading as usual, and have a nice day. Cheers!

Final group selfie before parting :'(

DAY 253 & 254

May 12 & 13

1) Euphoria is an affective state in which a person experiences pleasure or excitement and intense feelings of well-being and happiness (I got that from Wikipedia XD). Today, I believe many, if not all of us were in a state of euphoria when our last exam paper was collected from us. Weeks upon weeks of studying and sleepless nights culminated in this brief moment of pure joy. For me, I spent yesterday cramming every last bit of info into my brain, before waking up at around four today to continue doing so. As you can imagine, my concentration was just about enough to get me through the exam, and thereafter my mind was completely gone.

2) So where's the first place you go to once exams are over? Why, the library of course. Frankly, I didn't have anywhere else to go, so I went over to the library, now as deathly quiet as ever. First thing I did was have a nice long chat with my parents, informing them about the exam and my plans for the summer. Next, and here comes the crucial bit; I fell into a deep slumber at my desk. Had a really really good sleep (the best I've had in weeks haha), and woke up re-energised. In the afternoon, I indulged in my first post-exam movie - Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. I had always wanted to go watch it when it first hit the cinemas, but never got round to doing so. A quick review: superb fan service, great soundtrack, awesome visuals (except for some really ghastly CGI at the end), and less than satisfactory ending. Personally, I'm a sucker for happy endings, so having *SPOILERS* all the main characters die in the end is never going to have a positive impact on me. But it was really enjoyable as a whole.

3) I did not have any food left for dinner, so I went to McDonalds and treated myself to a nice ol' Big Mac. Turns out with a voucher, you can get a Big Mac and medium fries combo for just €3.90! That's a value meal if I've ever seen one. I returned to the library, where some of my friends got together to discuss on our holiday trip. I promise to reveal everything in the next blog update, since this update is getting a bit long. Anyway, as I was walking out of the library to go home, my friends Raveena and Zack approached me. They commended me on my blog, and admitted to being ardent fans of my daily musings. This really touched me, as I felt that my daily efforts were being appreciated. In all honesty, it gives me great satisfaction to receive such praise as it does creating these updates for all my readers, and I hope to be able to continue doing so.

4) All in all, it has been one heck of a year for me. Learning new skills, adapting to a new environment, making new friends, living away from my family and relatives - the list just goes on. But one thing's for sure, I've come out the opposite end stronger, tougher and overall a better person (hopefully). That's the end of my blog today, and I hope you enjoyed reading about it. To all my friends and batch mates, HAPPY HOLIDAYS! You truly deserved it after all the effort and hard work. And to those who haven't finished their exams yet, keep on pushing. The end is closer than you think. Have a great weekend everyone, cheers! :DD

Zack and I, posing in the courtyard

Some sweet treats, courtesy of the Archery Society :D

That's me lunch

McD's for dinner 

DAY 251 & 252

May 10 & 11

1) I'm counting down on the number of days left till our final paper. It's two more days till bliss. As usual, yesterday and today have seen me in the library, chipping away at the lectures. I'm trying to complete them by tonight.

2) These past few days, I have been going home later than usual, so as to cover more lectures. Of course this would backfire on me, and I've noticed that I take longer naps in the afternoon to compensate. At the very least, I know it's all coming to an end soon. That would mark the end of one academic year at RCSI.

3) I have a lot of things planned in mind during the summer break, most of which I'm keeping a secret because a) I'm busy and it's hard to type it all out, and b) I like to keep it secret so that I have something left to write about later haha. Anyways, the library is getting less packed now, and I'm assuming it's because some of the seniors have finished their exams.

4) To be honest, I find the HBPS (Human Behaviour and Patient Safety) Module to be quite interesting, especially the different stages of human development. However, I'd rather it remain non-testable in exams. Apparently, the seniors had to tackle two papers -both MCQ (multiple choice) and SNQ (short notes) compared to ours - just MCQs. So for that, I'm not complaining. Anyway, I think I'll end here, as I'm out of things to mention, plus I need to get back to my studies. Thank you for reading as always, and have a great day. Cheers!

The Savoy Cinema 

 [and if you had to ask, the movie (Fast and Furious 8) was awesome!!]

Lunch today, 

courtesy of George's mum who made a big batch of makaronia tou fournou (oven baked macaroni)

Thanks very much :DD

DAY 250

May 9

1) Today has been back to the books, after yesterday's somewhat premature celebration. Apparently, quite a number of students in the previous years have taken the HBPS (Health Behaviour and Patient Safety) Module for granted, and as a result, some of them had to resit the paper, having failed to meet the 55% requirement for MCQ. I am trying my level best not to make the same mistake.

2) My strategy for tackling all 38 modules is simple: finish ten modules a day, and for the penultimate day, dedicate that to full-on revision. That should give me some confidence, as the questions are only multiple choice, unlike past years when there were Short Notes Questions as well. Of course, I may underestimate the content and end up having no safety net to do revision, in which case I just might emulate my friend and pull an all-nighter. After all, it's the last paper and I have nothing to lose haha.

3) When exams are over, I will have much to prepare for. Starting with our planned trip, I will have to gradually pack my stuff to shift houses, in addition to resuming training for the Dublin Marathon which I'm participating in. By the way, I'm still in the process of raising funds in support of the Irish Cancer Society, so if you're feeling generous... And if not, it's all good. Anyway, I will be hitting the books soon. Have a great day, cheers!

https://sse-airtricity-dublin-marathon-2017.everydayhero.com/ie/irish-cancer-society-fundraiser

P.S. Just follow the link above to donate for a good cause :D

Dundrum stop at the LUAS Station yesterday

That's my lunch ^^

DAY 247

May 6

1) So far, so good. I've covered as many lectures as possible, but I know I won't be able to finish them by tonight. Ideally, I wanted to have tomorrow as a sort of revision day, where I consolidate everything I learnt so far. However, that would not be possible. So I'm going to finish as much as I can tonight, and then continue with the remainder tomorrow. And then if I still have time, I'll do some revision (of my revision haha).

2) It's just two days more till my exam, which means I really have nothing much to add. Everyone I know is studying in the library, and it really helps seeing them here, as it goes to show that everyone is in the same boat. I have some bittersweet news to share, but I'll just wait until after the exam. You know, just to keep the suspense going... Thanks for reading, and have a great day. Cheers!

Flowers in the spring time <3

My breakfast

DAY 246

May 5

1) Today has been another day for me in the library. I got here after my breakfast, and began studying for the GIHEP paper. There's a lot of material to go through, so hopefully I will be able to finish in time. Sometimes when I find myself really stressed out, I think back to the days when I was at home, idling about doing nothing while waiting for my results. And I can still remember how I promised myself I would call upon these memories to remind me how boring it feels to have no objective in life. I'm glad it helps to some extent.

2) My afternoon was spent listening to some songs, and getting a short nap. Then later in the evening, I had to go to Dunnes to get a loaf of bread, among other things. Came back to have my dinner, and to relax for a while.

3) Afterwards, I continued with my studies as best as I could. This will be the pattern for the next week or so, until our last exam (HBPS) which is next Saturday. Until then, it's back to some studying for me. Thanks for reading as always, and have a great day. Cheers!

Nice designs around the city

DAY 244 & 245

May 3 & 4

1) I've taken the liberty to combine two blogs into one again. In all fairness, I was busy studying my derriere off yesterday. I had to commit all 40 lectures of REGUB to memory; and I'm not exaggerating when I say that I did not budge from my cubicle yesterday. I even got up very early today to do some last minute revision and cramming haha.

2) But of course, this pales in comparison to what some of my friends did. But how much more intense could their studying be, I hear you ask? Well, one of my friends did not get ANY sleep at all - he just decided to pull an all-nighter. And the only thing on all of my friends' minds after our exams today? Sleep. I admit I was one of them as well.

3) In the end, I found this paper to be harder than the previous one, but that is probably because I had more time to study for that. After this, we have only two more papers, and we're done :D The next paper, GIHEP, is four days' away. So at least there's more time to study. C'est la vie I guess... On the plus side, today was absolutely balmy, and is the first time in a long while that I've been able to walk out with a single layer. I still brought my jacket, because I've found a country whose weather is just as fickle as London's.

4) Coming to Ireland, I've learnt a valuable lesson - that nothing takes precedence over my own happiness. If it means that I don't do as well as my friends, or that I achieve less than my peers, then so be it. At least I'm happy with the way things are. So on that note, I'll end today's (and yesterday's) blog update. Thanks for visiting, and have a nice day. Cheers!

So many flags... ^^

Finally decided to treat myself to a Subway

(I needed a new bottle anyway XD)

DAY 242 & 243

May 1 & 2

1) I've been at it again. Skipping my blog update for a day so I could focus a bit more on my studies. By this point, it's pretty clear my daily routine is quite straightforward -get out of bed, have breakfast, off to library, and study. Yesterday was no exception. I did everything I could to memorise all the drug names and actions. 

2) Today, I woke up extra early to refresh what I studied the previous day. It was a short paper; only 1 hour 30 minutes. But the questions were very specific. When we compared answers, we found that many of them would be acceptable, but it had to fit the context of the question. Essentially, the devil's in the details. Personally, I found it challenging, especially the MCQ section. 

3) But there wasn't time to rest after that. Our REGUB exam (which I just found out is worth more credits than our FUN2 and GIHEP - 10 credits vs 6 credits for FUN2 and 8.5 for GIHEP) is just two days' away. That means two days (inclusive of today) to cram 40 lectures' worth of stuff into our brains. For those reasons, I've forced myself to cut down on other things, and just focus on completing as much as possible before the exam.

4) The good news is the following exam (GIHEP) is four days away, and covers much fewer lectures (30). And after that, we have a further five full days before our final paper, the HBPS exam. So without a doubt, time pressure is most critical for the REGUB paper. And with that, I'll end my blog for today (and yesterday haha). I should be getting on with my revision. Anyway, thanks for tolerating my frustrations and rants, and have a nice day. Cheers!

Musical band performing on Grafton St.

Lunch for today :D

Dinner in Mercer Cafe

DAY 241

Apr 30

1) Today has been another full day in the library. At this point, I'm seeing all my friends at the library at one point or the other; most of them are there with me throughout the day. Even the Mercer Cafe has become a place for discussion of exam questions... As for me, lunch and dinner is when I completely disengage from my studies, and I'm not about to change that.

2) Today's focus was primarily on FUN2, as we only have till tomorrow to finish study. Granted, the earlier lectures were easier to revise because we used many of them in our Principal Seminars presentations. But still, that doesn't make it any easier to memorise the litany of drug names, mechanism of action, and side effects.

3) Anyway, I continued pushing- stopping for short breaks and naps. At least I managed to finish cooking yesterday night, so I have food for the week. It would be too much of a hassle to cook smack in the middle of the exam period, so it's better I get it over with. After our paper on Tuesday, followed by REGUB on Thursday, we'll be left with only GIHEP and HBPS. All of this can't come soon enough, as I have other things planned during the holidays... But for now, it's back to studying. I'll end on this note, and thanks for reading as always. Have a nice day, cheers!

RCSI

My lunch today ^^

DAY 240

Apr 29

1) Today has been another long day for me in the library. After having my breakfast, I came to the library. Gradually, the weather is getting warmer. Let's hope it stays that way haha. Anyway, I've been focusing on two modules - REGUB and FUN2.

2) The difficulty lies in preparing for both; I have only five days to finish both REGUB and FUN2 modules. That doesn't seem too difficult until you realise that there are 23 FUN2 lectures and 40 REGUB lectures. Not an easy task, but I hope to cover at least most of them before the exams...

3) In the evening, I went over to Dunnes for some grocery shopping. I am planning to cook again tonight, so I will probably come home a little earlier. I can't wait for summer to come along, and at least I won't have to wait too long. That's all for my blog today, and thanks for reading. Have a nice day, cheers!

Nearing the end of the tunnel, both literally and figuratively

My last pasta meal

DAY 238 & 239

Apr 27/28

1) I have been a bit busy preparing for my Anatomy Practical today, which explains why I didn't update my blog yesterday. Nothing much happened yesterday that was of interest, other than that I was studying for pretty much the entire day. Today's practical exam would be of paramount importance, since it contributed a significant amount to the FUN2, GIHEP and REGUB modules.

2) In addition to that, the anatomy stuff we covered here would also be asked in the MCQ paper for all three modules. So it was really important to make sure I went through all the lectures. For this, I came to RCSI earlier than usual and continued revising, just before the exam. At 9.00am, our group was called in, and I was sent to one of the tables.

3) There were two prosectors, and they had been allocated 4 minutes each to cover all three modules (FUN2, GIHEP, and REGUB). It all passed by so fast, and before I knew it, I was out the door and making my way to the Coffee Doc to grab my bags. Part of me is a little upset, as I knew I could have done better, but at that point in time that was the best I could do. Nothing else but to focus on the next exam - which is our FUN2 exam, on May 2nd.

4) I returned to the library and had a short nap. I woke up feeling much better, and started going through the lectures for REGUB and FUN2. These are the next two exams, and only two days apart of each other. There isn't much time left to revise, so I have to allocate my time wisely. After these two exams, there would only be two left - GIHEP and HBPS. And then - bliss! But of course, I shall take things one step at a time. I'll end on that note, and thanks for reading. Have a nice day, cheers!

No caption needed

My dinner today :D

DAY 237

Apr 26

1) Today has been yet another long day for me in the library. I came extra early to study, but I quickly discovered that having more time isn't of much use if you cannot concentrate. So I took some time off in between periods of study, and that seemed to help me learn better.

2) I've reverted to studying Anatomy rather than the REGUB lectures, since we will have our Anatomy Practicals (the equivalent of the final exam for Card Signing haha) in two days. I took the opportunity to look through my own notes too, to speed up my learning.

3) In the evening, I dropped by Dunnes Stores to pick up some groceries. Many exams are looming ahead, so I think it's good to stock up so I'm not distracted during the exam period. I want to write more, but sadly I have neither the content (nor the time) to do so haha. But after exams, they'll definitely be some really interesting things coming up. Stay tuned... and thanks for reading. Have a nice day, cheers!

Dunnes Stores :D

Pasta for lunch

DAY 236

Apr 25

1) Today has been another full day at the library. Made my way to the library right after breakfast, and here I am studying. It's been a long day going through the REGUB lectures, and still tons more to go through.

2) My afternoon was spent napping and just taking some short breaks in between the studying. For a brief moment, hail began to fall. And just as quickly as it had come, it just disappeared- replaced by a sheet of rain which barely lasted five minutes. This was followed by clear, sunny weather. And we complain about the weather in Malaysia...

3) Evening came and went. After a while, I realise that if you pen yourself up for too long in a particular area, you lose all sense of time. And since the sky turns dark only at about eight or nine, very often I completely lose track of what time it is. I suppose it's no surprise that I constantly have to check not just the time, but the date as well. Anyway, that was my day today, and thanks for reading. Have a nice day, cheers!

Hail - disappeared almost as suddenly as it appeared ^^

DAY 234

Apr 23

1) Today has been a long day for me. I came to the library right after breakfast. At half past ten, I went over to RCSI to have a mock OSCE practice with my friends. We wanted to use the Physiotherapy room but unfortunately it was locked, so we found Tutorial Room 5 and used it. Unfortunately, there was only one physio bed for us to use, so we took turns.

2) In about three hours, we covered all the possible questions for each of the three systems (GI, Cardio, and Resp). There's just so much to remember for each individual task, and even in those three hours, we had completely ignored the second part of our OSCE - the History Taking part. Since college closes at three, we decided against coming back after lunch, and instead practise on our own.

3) I came back to the library, where I had a short nap as I was exhausted. Woke up refreshed, and began browsing through my notes again. At this point, I think it's safe to say everyone knows their notes inside out; it's just a matter of not freezing up and blurting out something absolutely ridiculous haha. I shall go back earlier tonight so that I will be fresh for tomorrow's exam. So on that note, I'll end my blog for today. Thanks for reading, and have a great day ahead. Cheers!

I see this gate more often than I see my apartment XD

DAY 233

Apr 22

1) Today was a rather unexciting day. I've come to the library after breakfast -as I usually do, and I've been here for the entire day. As our OSCE exams are in two days' time, that's been what I've been doing for the most part. Plus a bit of procrastinating here and there of course...

2) In the afternoon, I had a short chat with my parents. They encouraged me to cheer up, as exams were about to start (and therefore end soon haha) and soon summer would come. Then, my friends and I would be free to take a long deserved trip. But I had to finish my exams first of course.

3) The rest of the night was just me and my notes. I've to start leaving the library earlier, so that I can get enough sleep to function the next day. Time's ticking - perhaps it's best I continue with my business. That's all for today, and thanks for reading. Have a great day, cheers!

Ducks in St. Stephen's Green

My batch-cooked lunch

DAY 230

Apr 19

1) Today has been a long day in the library. As exams approach ever so closer, I'm afraid there is not much activity going on for me, other than me trying to study whatever I can. Thus, I envision my blogs getting shorter for the exam period.

2) As for my day today, it was well spent in the library. I came over to the library before 9.00am, and I've stayed there since. Of course, I'm not studying all the time, rather, doing all that needs to be done there. Things I've noticed so far - the library's getting more crowded. There are now more waste disposal bins lying around. I think they learned their lesson from the Easter Day clean up haha.

3) In the evening, I went over to Dunnes to get more groceries for the week. I was up all night cooking yesterday, which is why I was feeling quite sleepy in the afternoon. At least I have meals for the rest of the week. The last thing I want to do is worry about what to have during exam periods. In just four days, our first exams will commence, which will mark the beginning of a long, long race to the finish (our exams end May 13th). At the very least, we end our semester earlier compared to our friends at UCD.

4) But they start their exams a lot later than us too. So I guess it evens out a little bit. I frequently wonder how I'd find life in UCD? Especially the syllabus and the projects involved. Anyway, that's all for my blog today. I've to get cracking with my studies haha. Thanks very much for reading, and have a great day. Cheers!

Mercer Library - my first home in Dublin

The product of my late night cooking yesterday

My dinner - chicken fillet roll  ^^

DAY 228

Apr 17

1) Today has been a long day for me in the library. I have run out of stories to tell, of experiences to talk about, so I'll just narrate the day's events. I was supposed to go for a haircut this morning, but little did I know almost all the major stores and shopping complexes were closed today! Even Dunnes Stores - where I wanted to do my groceries, was closed. I presume it's due to yesterday's Easter celebrations. So no haircut today then. I think I learnt how to write "shop closed" in Irish though. It's siopa druidte. At least that's what the sign said, if I remember correctly XD

2) I came back to the library, where I proceeded to finally book a room to staying with a host family. None of this is definite yet, and I'm praying this is not a scam either. But still it had to be done quickly since summer is coming, and I don't have much time left until my exams. Had lunch at the Mercer Cafe (it still hasn't been cleaned yet!), before taking a short nap in the afternoon.

3) The rest of the day was, as you can imagine, me trying to study. Today's focus was more on the OSCEs, which includes History Taking, Cardiovascular and Respiratory, and Gastrointestinal Examination. A lot to remember, not to mention a lot to recall, as we had studied Cardio and Resp. in the previous semester. Hopefully, we'll find some time to do a couple of mocks before the actual exam, to get a feel of what it's like. That's the end of my not-so-exciting day, but as the saying goes, "like a rainbow after the rain, there's always a good thing after the pain". I'll be counting on that haha. Thanks for reading as always, and have a great day. Cheers!

Spotted outside Mercer Medical Centre

Finally opened up a new tin of raspberry jam

My first Boojum in ages :D