Chan Weng Kit's Blogspot: NSTC

Thursday, 21 December 2017

DAY 475/476/477

Dec 19, 20 & 21

1) Two interesting events to talk about in this blog post. Firstly, my friends and I were recruited to participate in a video- and photo-shoot, over the course of two days. The camera crew got us to pose for various shots, and to basically go about recreating our daily activities at RCSI. We were divided into two groups - one group went filming in the old building (main campus), while the other went to the new building. They had many takes of the same scene, capturing footage from various angles to be edited out later.

2) Our group began our filming near the walkway to the Anatomy Room. We filmed around the area, including the room adjacent to it (Harold Browne Lecture Theatre) but we were under strict instructions not to get footage of the Anatomy Room itself (due to privacy concerns). Next we headed over to the Albert Lecture Theatre for a couple of shoots. Then it was time for lunch! They made sure we were adequately fed by reimbursing our meals throughout the two days.

3) The next couple of areas we filmed were at the National Surgical Training Centre, where we pretended to be surgeons for a day. We tried venipuncture and cannulation, even posing as a maternal delivery team in the mock labour room! On the second day of filming, we filmed a bit at the library, including the Group Study Rooms. And after all this hard work, we found out that the total duration of the filming (which, by the way, is for RCSI's new website) was only two minutes tops! So much hassle for so little in return XD. Nevertheless, it was a thoroughly enjoyable experience.

4) The other event which happened was my GNIB Card Renewal. With the new system in place, the old "GNIB Card" would be replaced with an "IRP (Irish Residence Permit) Card". The only difference is applicants do not get their card immediately like they used to, instead they have to wait around 5-10 working days for the card to arrive by post. Anyway, I went to the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) to get my card renewed. They specifically write on the letter NOT to come more than 10 minutes before the appointment time, but I decided to rebel and came half an hour earlier.

5) In the end, coming half an hour earlier meant I was the second in line to be served. The whole process took close to an hour, and they handed me my stamped passport as evidence should I need to go travelling and not have my card ready yet. And that's basically everything I have to share in this blog. There is much more coming up though, so do stay tuned for more. Happy holidays, and see you soon. Cheers!

Photoshoot buddies :))

Would you trust us to fix you up? XD

At least I can pose to be one ;)

Food from the Dispensary was the order of the day, and all F.O.C. ^^

One of the filming takes in progress

This is a sneak peak of the new Coffee Doc (called Remedy!)

It reminds me of an underground cafe in a cave

"Remedy"

Tenby represent! #tenbians4lyfe

Granola pot and some cakes for tea

(They sure knew how to butter us up ^^)

Wednesday, 6 September 2017

DAY 369/370/371

Sept 4,5 & 6

1) The past few days have been chalk full of activity! School officially began on the 5th for us, while the 1st years had orientation on the 4th, followed by the customary White Coat Ceremony on the 5th. It's the first time anyone of us had been in the "Desmond Auditorium" for lessons, and it was, in a word, terrific! The larger seating space, coupled with the powerful audio system, two projected screens on either side, as well as the ever enthusiastic lecturers - ensured that our lessons were never boring. Which is just as well, seeing as our 8-5 lesson woes begin as early into the semester as tomorrow... Can't wait for the pain to begin then.

2) With the influx of old and new students, the new academic building is now operating at maximum capacity. Even waiting for the lift can take a while, so I have just resorted to using the stairs. On an unrelated note, in between lessons today (actually it was lunch break), some of us had signed up for a quick photo-shoot at the new building. We all met at the third floor, and the photographer took us to some really fancy rooms, to pose for photos. We modelled various procedures, including venipunctures (drawing blood from a patient's vein for a blood sample), delivering babies, performing CPR in a state-of-the-art operating theatre, among others. It was really fun doing stuff we haven't learnt yet, especially since we got a first hand look at the latest gadgets and gizmos in the National Surgical Training Centre (Levels 4 and 5 of the New Academic Building).

3) Today was also Club and Societies Sign-Up Day! Lots of clubs and societies, not to mention various tidbits for those who stopped by to sign up. As a committee member of the RCSI Cancer Society, I was promoting our society's first event - the Pink Party! We had loads of people come by to sign up, and quite a few bought tickets for the Pink Party, which is next Thursday (9pm onwards) at DTwo. The Sports Complex (the venue of the event) was buzzing with activity; all the committee members were doing their best to attract the others over to their booth. I did my best too, but after well over an hour, I needed some rest. So I returned to the library (2nd floor is my territory), and had a short nap. It feels odd sleeping in the library especially when there are no dividers (there were dividers in the old Mercer library), but if you're tired enough... XD

4) Anyway, I woke up reenergised, but still not mentally prepared for an 8-5 session tomorrow. I suppose that's one of the challenges of any university student - just waking up in time for lessons. That's the gist of the past few days, and I hope you enjoyed reading about them. Thanks very much for visiting, and have a great day. Cheers!