DAY 199

Mar 19

1) Today has been another typical day for me. Went to the library after my breakfast, and began studying for the whole morning. Today's focus was more on the Healthcare Behaviour and Patient Safety Module (HBPS), and I covered as much as I could.

2) After my lunch, I intended to chat with my parents for a while, only to find out the audio wasn't working - neither of us could hear each other! After many, many attempts, my dad came up with a solution - to use my mum's phone instead of the house PC, and it worked like a charm! I spent quite some time talking with my parents, until the effects of my medicine started kicking in and I had to go XD

3) Took a short nap, before waking up and studying for a bit. Then it dawned on me that I still had one more unfinished folio, and that was the Early Patient Contact (EPC) Individual Project. So I spent the rest of the afternoon tackling that, and I still haven't finished yet. Went out to Dunnes in the evening to do some grocery shopping (I'm planning to cook tonight), coming back in time for dinner. The rest of the night has seen me studying as usual, but I'll leave slightly earlier tonight as I need to go back to cook. Anyway, that has been my day today, and I hope you enjoyed reading about it. Thanks as always, and have a great day. Cheers!

Funny cartoon ^^

DAY 198

Mar 18

1) Today has been a typical day for me in the library. Frankly, as the days lead up to the first of our final exams (next month), most of my days will be spent here in the library...

2) My day started off as usual, with me leaving for the Mercer Library after my breakfast. I've been there since then. Most of my time has been spent studying and just revising past chapters, but I've also noticed that the medicine I'm taking has it's effects - it makes me quite groggy. As a result, I have no choice but to take a rest for a while after each dose. And sometimes, the effect wears on even after I wake up, and that spoils my mood to study haha.

3) This morning my friends and I had a short meeting on the upcoming MMII event held in Trinity College, Dublin. We were given a slot to fill for their event, called "Time Bomb". More info will be revealed soon XD. Anyway. we hope to make this conference a highly successful one, so lots of preparation and rehearsals are needed.

4) It was pretty much the same cycle for the afternoon and evening, my mind gradually giving up and refusing to absorb anymore. So I relaxed for a while, had a light supper, before packing and leaving for home. Not a terribly exciting day by any means, but still worth it haha. That's all for today, and thank you for reading. Have a great day, cheers!

Beautiful view

Breakfast :D

DAY 197

Mar 17

1) Today is St. Patrick's Day. While almost everyone was busy parading through the streets in commemoration of St. Patrick (the foremost patron saint of Ireland), your truly was busy at home, recuperating. Some of my friends did go out and told me the winds today were very strong.

2) I've spent the entire day at my friend's apartment, and throughout the whole day I've been really unproductive. I found out quickly that the medicine I take does have some side effects, primarily fatigue. Every time I finish taking it, I end up lazing on the couch, unwilling to move. Anyway, I did try to get some work done, and revise some of the Anatomy topics ahead of our next Card Signing.

3) In the evening, I tried my best to study as well, but it didn't go as planned. After a while, my mind would wander off. So after a couple more futile attempts, I decided to take a break and listen to some relaxing songs instead. That's the end of my day today, and thanks for reading as always. Cheers!

A beautiful shot of St. Stephen's Green in the morning

Dinner as usual ^^

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 188

Mar 8

1) Today has been a memorable day for me. Things started off as usual, with me walking to the library after breakfast. Did a little studying (busy trying to catch up with the previous lessons), before going out with my friends for lunch.

2) Yesterday was my good friend Zi Yan's birthday, but unfortunately we had our Principal Seminars so we decided to celebrate his birthday today! In the end, he chose Han Sung - a Korean restaurant with really delicious food at an affordable price. I had the jjajangmyeon (black bean noodles) and they tasted sooooooo good :D

3) Afterwards, I went back to the library, where I had a short nap and continued browsing the web. Had a light dinner in the evening, before going for our next dance practice. Today's one was especially long, since we are approaching the date for International Night, and everybody just wants to perform their utmost best. Anyway, after rehearsal, we still had a small surprise left for our friend Zi Yan...

4) ... a birthday cake for the birthday boy!! Plus each one of us had made a personalised card for him. It was so much fun hanging out together, celebrating his birthday and also just relaxing after finishing our Principal Seminars. After a while, I came back to the library to pack up and leave. The library has just started operating until 1 a.m. (Extended Hours), which means I can stay a bit longer than I usually do. This is especially useful for me during the weekends, when the library closes at just 10.00pm. Anyway, that's all for today guys. Thanks for reading as always, and have a great day. Cheers!

From l-r: Melissa, Melvin, Hong, Zi Yan (The Birthday Boy!!), Wendy, me, Nee Kee, Joey, Praw, Stephanie, Esther, Kuhan, Khee Heng, Jason ^^

There was a strike in the middle of O'Connell Bridge today,

as people marched in support of repealing the Eighth Amendment (which states that abortion is an offence; the strike coincides with International Women's Day)

Delicious black bean noodles at Han Sung Korean Restaurant

Group photo time!!

Dinner is served :)

Birthday Card for Zi Yan

 HAPPY BIRTHDAY BUDDY!! :D

DAY 186

Mar 6

1) Today has been a really cold day. As I was walking to RCSI in the morning, my cheeks were freezing, especially when the wind blew. And blew the wind did, which made me wonder when spring would come. According to the weather forecast, the temperature in Dublin for the next couple of weeks are not expected to change. I can't wait for the time when I can wear a T-shirt and shorts again, but I guess I am in for a long wait then haha.

2) Today's lessons were not particularly long, but this was to facilitate the Principal Seminars, which start today. Mine is tomorrow, and I've been busy trying to finish my presentation within the time limit. There's just so much to talk about, and not a lot of time to present it all. Anyway, after our lessons, I packed my stuff and went to the library as usual.

3) Had my usual lunch and afternoon nap, before studying for tomorrow's lectures on Anatomy. Towards the evening, I continued practising on the five topics for the Principal Seminars. On a side note, it just struck me how fast this semester is passing us by. We are less than a month and a half away from our first exam (OSCE - Objective Structured Clinical Exam), which is on the 22nd next month. Anyway, time to pick up the pace as they say. That's all for my blog today, and I hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for reading as always, and have a great day. Cheers!

Mercer Library

(my second home)

Breakfast

Rice with mince meat, onions, mushrooms and egg

DAY 174

Feb 22

1) Today has been a typical day for me. It started out with the first lecture at 10.00am, which continued till 2.00pm. Not a very wise decision to plan a timetable which stretches for four hours, postponing our lunch time till after that. Anyway, some of us (*coughs coughs* myself included) decided to take a leave of absence, and in my case I went to the library to study for Card-Signing.

2) Had my lunch, followed by a short nap. Woke up to continue revising on past lectures, before going to Dunnes just opposite the library to do my groceries for the week. I am planning to cook tonight, so I might be going home slightly earlier tonight. And so I returned to the library to continue my study.

3) Dinner was fried rice as usual, and an opportunity for a brief respite. Afterwards, another round of studying, and that was it for the day. Had a light supper, and packed my bags and went home. Today is rather cold (with strong winds and rain) so I was fortunate enough to bring my waterproof jacket. Anyway, that has been my day, and I hope you enjoyed reading about it. Thanks as always, and have a great day. Cheerios!

To remind me why I'm here...

An apple instead of orange ^^

Question time: what do you think?

I'm whipping a new batch of pasta tonight

DAY 67

Nov 7

1) Today was a slow day. Woke up in the morning to have my breakfast, before going to RCSI at around 10 a.m. I can't believe the weather was 1 degree Celsius this morning! Thankfully, the winter jacket I bought just yesterday kept me warm and toasty. After two lectures, it was time for lunch. Went to AK. Henry's and had their brown bread sandwiches, with chips. Then, it was time for yet another lecture. Somehow made it through, and that was it for today!

2) Walked to Mercer with my friends, where we practiced our Principal Seminars. Essentially, we are given 10 topics to prepare, but only have to present one topic, in 5 minutes or less. My seminar is this Thursday, so I have to prepare well since it is worth 10 marks. Finished practising, and I walked home to Leeson Street.

3) Went to prepare dinner, before sorting out my stuff for the day. This included confirming the appointment for our GP Visits, handing in the Cheque Refund Form for the Irish Mace Debates, receiving my package for the Run in the Dark Event which I'm taking part in etc. All in all, a day well spent. That's all from me, and thank you all for reading. Cheers!

Brown Bread Sandwich with Turkey Slices, 

Egg Mayo and Mozzarella Cheese

Voila - dinner is served! :D

DAY 57

Oct 28

1) Today was yet another routine day. But I got a lot of things done, so I'm not complaining. Woke up to have breakfast, before studying for my Principal Seminars which are just around the corner.

2) Not long after, it was lunch time! I was contemplating whether to have it at Boojum or Dicey's, but in the end, Dicey's won. So I went there and tried their beef meatballs, humongous and marinated with a thick, savoury sauce. It was, in a word - divine! Absolute bang for your buck, if you ask me.

3) Went for a short walk to check out the vicinity for other food outlets, before walking back to my apartment. Another study session later, and I went to prepare dinner. Emptied out the last of my veggies, before cooking rice with some mince meat in tomato sauce.

4) Then it was back to the old grind, so to speak - until my friend reminded me I hadn't written my blog today yet! So hurriedly typed this out, and this is the result haha. Hope you enjoyed reading my blog update, and have a great day/night (depending on which part of the hemisphere you're in)!

Beef Meatballs 

Yum....

The meatballs were HUGE!

The Dicey Bar

Lovely artwork...

Dinner for today, served Kevin's way :)

DAY 56

Oct 27

1) Today was another routine day. Woke up to have bran flakes for breakfast, before trying to study for a while. My roommate had gone for a trip, leaving the room all to myself. So just continued reading the lecture notes, trying to cram as much information as I could into my brain before our next quiz...

2) Lunch time! Decided that Dicey's would be my stop for lunch today, so went there and had the beef lasagna. It tasted sooooo good! I think it's the quality of beef that they used, but it was really a pleasure to dig into. The thing I like about Dicey's is they change the menu everyday, with different combinations and options for sides etc. That makes it my go to place when I'm at a loss of what to eat.

3) Came back in the afternoon to message some of my friends back home. It's really nice to keep in touch with them and just chat for old time's sake. Before I knew it, it was evening and I went down to prepare dinner. Opened up the new pack of farfalle pasta, and it actually tasted quite good! Would be trying out different recipes with it in the future.

4) Anyways, finished dinner and came up to study, again... Then I remembered I haven't done my blog for today so here I am, typing this as I contemplate what to read up on next. That's all for tonight, and as usual, thanks very much for reading. Goodnight!

 Road leading to Dicey's Garden

The menu for today

If that doesn't get your appetite going,

nothing will XD

A testimonial I wrote for the scholarship board of RCSI,

which they promised to publish in their Student Journal of RCSI

 Farfalle/ bow tie pasta,

tasted great with my tomato sauce

DAY 55

Oct 26

1) Today was a routine day. Woke up to have my toast for breakfast, before studying a bit to keep up to date. Then, I travelled all the way to near River Liffey for a free haircut which I had booked earlier, but ended up being told that the student barbers were all on holiday and would be only back next week. I wasn't very happy about that, having just walked half an hour to get there, but that's what happens when we expect free things, right? There's always a catch haha

2) Decided to have lunch at Dicey's. Today the roast lamb with mint sauce caught my fancy, so I decided I'd have it, accompanied by all the fixings. The lamb was completely unlike that which I had in Malaysia - it was tender, juicy and sliced really thick, all the makings of a winner right there! After lunch, I dropped by RCSI to hand in my deposit refund form, to retrieve the deposit that my dad had paid earlier.

3) With that done, it was back home for me. Came back to have a chit-chat with my dad, before studying for a bit. Then I took a short nap, before waking up to prepare dinner. After dinner, headed back up here to complete this blog update. Will be cycling through the daily routine of study, YouTube vids and staring into empty space... Just kidding about the last one. Anyway, that's all for today, goodnight!

Breakfast time!

The Dublin School of Barbering,

which allows their students to give haircuts for free (not today tho D: )

This was supposed to be a before-after pic

St. Stephen's Green Shopping Centre

RCSI Main Entrance

Hmmmm... what should I have today? 

Roast lamb with mint sauce-pure bliss!

All dolled up with nowhere to go ^^

 Scones (€0.60) are a lifesaver 

when the hunger pangs strike

These taste so good, and are really healthy too!

Rice with mince meat in tomato sauce, with salad greens 

for dinner