DAY 52

Oct 23

1) Today was a normal day. Woke up to have breakfast, before continuing yesterday's studies. Around noon, I decided I'd have a long overdue break, so went to Boojum again for lunch. Today I had the beef barbacoa burrito bowl, with extra spicy sauce. Apparently, there's no such thing as spicy here, which is surprising considering Boojum is a Mexican resto. The food tasted great though, no question about that.

2) Went to Tesco Baggot to do the week's groceries. Ended up buying a small Reese's Peanut Buttercup as a treat for myself haha. Then I had to carry my groceries all the way back home. Thankfully, Tesco is really quite near my house, so I didn't mind the walk, or the chilly weather.

3) Had no mood to study in the afternoon, so I prepared my documents for tomorrow's GNIB registration. Basically we have to register with the Garda Police in order to continue studying in Ireland. After a long time, I managed to settle all the documents which I'm bringing tomorrow. Went downstairs to prepare dinner, and here I am, back in my room and typing this out. Time to study now, so I'll end on this note. Thanks for reading, and have a great day. Cheers!

 Beef Barbacoa Burrito Bowl at Boojum (5B's XD)

Voila! Dinner is done!

Scotch egg

 A small treat for myself

DAY 48

Oct 19

1) Today was a "normal" kind of day. Had breakfast as usual, before studying lecture notes until it was time to leave for RCSI. I actually arrived an hour earlier than usual due to a mistake in my calendar online. I blame the timetable setters for this...

2) Had lunch at Dicey's Garden, since we had time for it. This time I opted for bangers and mash, and it was superb! All in all, a very satisfying lunch for me. My friends tried the lamb and found that really delicious too. 

3) Afterwards, it was just lectures and more lectures until we were basically sick and tired of it. Another long day then. Came back to cook some dinner, before coming up to write this. Gonna take my bath now, before coming back up to do what I came to Ireland to do: goof off of course! Just kidding; more studying beckons...

4) That is all for tonight, and tomorrow will be a brighter, happier, and hopefully HOTTER day. Thanks for reading, and goodnight! 

Had a pining for some sausages after the "hot dog controversy" back in Malaysia XD

 No fries today, as promised...

Dinner was two parts great and one part awesome!

DAY 47

Oct 18

1) Today was a COLD day. Woke up for breakfast, before hurriedly packing my stuff for school. This week's lessons are really shocking: from 8-5 almost every single day! It's enough that we just finished our mid-terms, but now this?! At least we have the whole of next week off before the cycle continues haha.

2) Anyway, it was 7 ºC today, which is much colder than usual. My friend, Stephanie, suggested that we try Butlers Chocolate, located on Grafton Street. Having never had it before, coupled with the cold weather, it was a unanimous decision to go. Oh, the aroma of hot, roasted cocoa delights the nose, while the rich, creamy chocolate soothes the mind and soul! Instant bliss, and a perfect reason to continue slogging off at our studies afterwards.

3) Had sandwiches for lunch at AK. Henry's. It's always crowded there during lunch time, since the food tastes really good, and at a reasonable price too. After lunch, it was another three hours of intense lectures, with nary a break in between. One lecture even had 73 slides in it! Oh dear...

4) Somehow made it through the day (all hail the chocolate XD) and was instantly rejuvenated when lessons ended. Made my way back home, before stir-frying some vegetables to go along with my frozen dinner. Feeling fully satisfied, it was time to update my daily blog, so here I am, typing this out. Soon I will be studying to catch up with the lectures, amongst other things hehe. Stay tuned... and goodnight!

Butlers Chocolate, literally Heaven on Earth

The Cookies Chocolate - €3.80

(the hot chocolate literally has cookies in it)

4 hot chocolates for 4 medical students...

That's me, Wendy, Stephanie and Praw! :D

 One can just smell the difference haha

 Salted piece of decadence to go along with the hot chocolate...

 At AK. Henry's

 Same old, same old

 Chicken Curry and Rice, with Vegetable Stir-Fry

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 27

Sept 28

1) Today was a sunny day. Woke up early, to complete my pilgrimage to St. Stephen's Green for my morning jog. I finally managed to dip under an hour for eight large rounds at the park. Came back for some cereal, before starting my daily routine of playing catch up with my lecture notes.

2) Made lunch slightly earlier, since I was planning to use the lunch time afterward to seek assistance for my phone. Hurried to finish washing up, and got myself ready for the first lecture today. With the first lecture done, I went over to Meteor to ask why I couldn't use the mobile data despite topping up €10 just two days back. After much talking, we finally managed to sort it out, and now my mobile data is available again.

3) Then it was back to lectures, including our first healthcare symposia, where a patient would present their story and we would learn to take down notes. They spoke really quickly and with a strong accent, so that it was not easy to pick up what they had to say. Anyways, we still tried our best. It was certainly interesting though, to listen to them explaining about their problems (in this case, arthritis) and how they learned to cope with it.

4) Back home, I prepared dinner as usual. Finished the last of my minced meat, which is great, since the expiry date was yesterday... Anyway, I still have a frozen dinner which I can reheat for tomorrow, so I'm still covered. Took a quick nap, before waking up rejuvenated, and proceeded to type this out. That's all the time I have, and thank you for reading. Bye!

Spaghetti for lunch

My room, which I share with my roommate 

from Myanmar

Bon apetit!

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 24

Sept 25

1) Today woke up early as usual to jog around St. Stephen's Green. Did 8 full rounds, which should translate to around 10km. The weather is getting colder and colder these days. Even with the Sun fully up, I can't feel the heat. And the winds are becoming stronger too. At least it's not raining. Anyway, came back for breakfast before - you guessed it - studying and revising the week's lectures.

2) For lunch, I heated up a frozen dinner - chicken korma with pilau rice. Tasted really good and hearty after the morning run. In the afternoon, I decided to pay Tesco Baggot a visit and found the prices there to be much (and I mean MUCH) cheaper than at Dunnes. I am definitely going to do my groceries at Tesco from now on!

3) Dinner comes soon enough when you're hungry. I blame the cold weather for it. I cooked pretty much what I will be cooking for a really long time here; rice with minced meat and vegetables. I used up the last of the rice which I brought to Ireland. After this, I will open the basmati rice I bought at Asia Market.

4) Not much transpired after that. Washed up, packed my stuff for tomorrow's lessons, before returning to my *studies*. Tomorrow's class starts at 8.00 a.m. Apparently the seniors weren't telling us everything when they said that class at 8 is only for the JC2 cycle. Thank god I'm an early riser then. Tonight's post is shorter than usual. But anyway, that's all folks! Cheers!

Lunch was delicious!!

One of the more amusing signs I saw on my way to Tesco

Dinner by the MasterChef XD

DAY 23

Sept 24

1) Today was a rainy day. Woke up to have some peanut cookies for breakfast, before trying to cover some of next week's lecture notes. Had an early lunch because there was badminton later in the afternoon. For lunch, I opened up the tin of tomato paste, so I could create spaghetti with minced meat bolognese. Worked pretty well I reckon, and only my opinion counts for this haha.

2) After lunch, waited for a while before suiting up for badminton, at Archbishop Byrne Hall. Turns out it is so much closer from my residence to the venue than from RCSI. It was raining a bit when I left, but thankfully nothing heavy; just a light drizzle. Badminton session commenced from 1-4 p.m. I partnered a friend, Andrew, a local here. We had a ball of a time, chatting in between matches as we let the others play as well.

3) Came back, got myself cleaned up, and prepared dinner. Tonight I would be having rice, with minced meat and mixed vegetables in a tomato sauce. Now you, the reader, know to what length I go to cut costs haha. Anyway, the food tasted delicious, so I won't complain. Ate an orange afterward because, digestion. Continued studying and covering lectures, until 9 plus.

4) Walked down to Mercer's to meet up with friends. We were going to watch a movie, called Tangled. I'm sure most of you reading this will have seen it, but I have not. It was not too bad, although if I'm honest, I prefer hand drawn animations better. But to each their own, I guess. So after that, returned home to my trusty laptop. Tomorrow promises to be a breath of fresh air, and I for one can't wait for it! Thank you for reading and have yourself a pleasant evening!

Spaghetti bolognese a la Kevin XD

Free banana after badminton session

Dinner - unusually filling and wholesome!