DAY 808

Nov 18

1) It was something that I had always dreamed of, but never thought would come. As I attended my first PMCSA Farewell Dinner (as a volunteer) two years ago, I was filled with envy for my seniors, who were on the verge of completing their pre-clinical years here in RCSI, and would return to complete their remaining clinical years in Penang, Malaysia. I wanted time to pass faster as I had my fair share of problems then. The cold bitterness of winter, coupled with personal problems made me long for home.

2) Only then did I realise the importance of friends. Back at home, I always had my family to rely on, to fall back to when I had problems. But living abroad - that was a completely new chapter in my life, as I needed time to adapt. And adapt I did, gradually. Fast forward two years, and here I am - sitting in the same chair as the seniors (metaphorically of course XD), attending our very own Farewell Dinner. And how times have changed.

3) Through my blog (or should I say in spite of my blog), I've made so many new friends, and I've gotten much better at sharing my problems and helping each other out. My loathe for the winter cold pales in comparison to the warmth and kindness shown by my friends, and my initial desire to return home quickly has turned to wishing time could slow down - to allow me more time to cherish my final moments here in Dublin.

4) It is true I still have a month or so before I leave, and a lot more to accomplish before going back. Exams are the final hurdles in what has been an explosive semester, one that started off as a bang and has only increased in scale and magnitude. But as exams are important, so too, are memories. Memories are what I would look back to in the future, and memories are what keeps my smile going. And memories are what drove me to write a poem for our Farewell Dinner yesterday.

5) It was in the days leading up to our REGUB exam, that I decided to draft out a poem for the upcoming event. I had just watched an episode of QI (Quite Interesting) on YouTube, where the theme was "limericks". I decided to base my poem on just that, adding a personal touch to it by including many of our professors and lecturers in it. It was 1 full night of my best time (which I could use for studying or sleeping), but it was time well spent indeed.

6) As for the Farewell Dinner itself, it was spectacular. The PMCSA Organising Committee did an amazing job with the overall event, from the decor to the food, and the complementary gifts we each received. It was truly a night to remember, and it was certainly fitting that if I were to present a poem to anyone, it would be at this event. I shall cherish the memories made, the wonderful ups, and the not-so-wonderful downs, that have moulded me into who I am today.

7) The theme of the event was "A Midsummer Night's Dream" - and it truly felt like a dream. But as all dreams come to an end, so too must I wake up - for my exams! Coming soon in less than two weeks. That's it for my blog post, but do enjoy the many pictures we took of the event, and have a great week ahead. Cheers! :D

The leaving PMC Medicine Class of 2021

With Dr. Jane Holland - our Anatomy Lecturer whose rendition of "Hallelujah" could easily have been mistaken for a professional opera singer's!

#ourlecturersarebtterthanyours

With Dr. Fidelma Fitzpatrick - Consultant Microbiologist at Beaumont Hospital, and Senior Lecturer at RCSI. I first met her during prep for the "Antimicrobial Resistance" debate for Research Summer School last year, and she's been teaching us microbiology since IC1. A true legend.

With Ms. Judith Gilroy - Associate Director for Academic Affairs - Student, Academic and Regulatory Affairs (SARA)

Beaumont Buddies! Canteen Companions! Bichie Bros! (the last one is just shameless advertising for Richie and Barry XD)

(l-r: Richie, Hazel, Myself, Andy, Zi Yan, Barry)

With Chloe, who hails from China :)

With Kaung Sett - congratz and all the best with your new role as Student Ambassador for 

Education in Ireland! :)

From l-r: Melvin, Melissa, Myself, Jing Er, Esther, Zi Yan

With Richie "Bichie Bros" Hogan!

With Ice, Alison, Zi Yan and Myself :)

With some of the wonderful JC juniors

With Claire - RCSI Cancer Soc Co-President, SU Vice President and Education Officer, and a wonderful friend :)

I'll miss all of you guys when I go back! :'(

With my good friend an all-round great guy Hussain Sajwani ^^

With the irreplaceable Lai - a HUGE thank you for helping make this event so successful!

With Razleena Aida :)

  

With Ruth and Sarita :))

With Marris and Zi Weei - brilliant event guys!!

Friends Forever!

From l-r: Nee Kee, Khee Heng, Stephanie, Mateen, Jun Sing, Myself, Zi Yan

Our table of the night - gonna miss you guys!!

DAY 567-575

Mar 22 - 30

1) I've been pretty busy the last week, for a couple of reasons. RCSI Cancer Society organised their Daffodil Day Bake Sale, in an effort to raise funds for cancer research (Irish Cancer Society). Initially we were not given permission to use the Expo Stage at the No. 26 New Academic Building, but in the end we managed to set up there - and what a collection it was! Brownies, lemon squares, Rice Krispies, cupcakes, Daffodil flower badges, and even TWO tubs of Gino's Gelato (!) sponsored by Gino's themselves. While the other society members had baked most of these sweet treats, yours truly being the less culinary inclined could only provide moral support and manpower.

2) Initially, there wasn't that large a turnout - probably because the students had class. Soon, however, the numbers began rising, partially due to the awesome deals we gave them. €1 for a tub of Gino's anyone? We tried to give them the most bang for their buck, short of actually toppling the ice cream. After a while, the ice cream began to melt, turning into a gloop of still awesome goodness, so Claire had to take it to the refrigerator. All in all, it was a really good day to raise funds for charity. Just a pity I couldn't be around the whole day, as I had other business to attend to.

3) Among the many things I've done, none was more striking than my getting a haircut. I used to get my free haircut at the Dublin School of Barbering, but recently I've noticed the website (where you book your appointment) has been taken down, and my efforts to walk there to enquire have been unsuccessful so far. As I could not wait much longer (see my 'before' pic below and I'm sure you'll agree why) I decided to have a haircut anyway, at the Grafton Barber. They have a student deal for €10 on weekdays, before 12pm. So I got my haircut, and even received a complimentary coffee as well! Not a bad deal at all :)

4) Last week was International Cultural Night 2018. My friends have been working incredibly hard for this moment - where different student bodies compete in a dance-off to promote their culture and background. I wasn't participating in this edition (I did last year) as I could not commit to the long hours of practice, compounded by the fact that I've now relocated to Beaumont. To cut a long story short, PMCSA (the RCSI equivalent of MSoc) clinched Overall Champion with a brilliant display of diversity and artistic flair - as they enthralled the audience with their intricate dance moves, accentuated by their authentic costumes and outfits! A truly monumental feat, and a huge congratulations to all those involved! :)

5) Today was our OSCE Station exams. It is a practical exam, with no grade but a simple pass-fail system. Fail, and there would be a repeat exam the following week. No one wants to fail, and so, in the days leading to this date, my friends and I were practising like mad, to cover all possible scenarios. We each took turns playing the patient, examiner, and the medical student. The videos available - we felt - were not much help, but fortunately they provided us with the mark sheet criteria as well, so we could go off that. As my batch went into Tutorial Room 4 of the Smurfit Building today, my heart was beating with anxiety. What would be the task? Would I be able to complete them in time? (we had only five minutes)

6) In the end, I got a Mr. "Smith" (for those studying in RCSI, you'll remember him as the very famous surface model with Dr. Mark Murphy in those YouTube videos), and the task was posterior chest examination. I had just finished chest wall expansion when time was called, and it was feedback time, by the invigilator. "You've passed. Good technique overall. Congrats". That's all I needed to hear. One huge load off my shoulders. And now, just two weeks more till our Cardioresp mid-terms, and another two weeks till our final semesters. This semester - and indeed, this year - is passing by so fast I can hardly catch up. And with that, I'll end my blog update here. Enjoy the photos, and thanks for tuning in. Have a great one, cheers! :)

RCSI Daffodil Day Bake Sale!!

(with my new haircut XD)

Bake Sale!

(more pics below)

Congratulations guys - awesome job! ^^

The morning view as I await the bus to the city centre (Eden Quay)

A huge thanks to Education in Ireland for this! :))

That is a very impressive diagram indeed!

Whoever did this you've got real talent :)

From this...

To this!

Wearing the Irish Cancer Soc T-shirt, just in time for the Bake Sale

Cupcakes, Rice Krispies, brownies - for €1 a pop!

The pièce de résistance - Gino's gelato in two flavours - amaretto and strawberry!

The Post Office ("GPO Dublin")

Smurfit Building 2nd Floor - practising for our OSCE's

DAY 452/453/454

Nov 26, 27 & 28

1) One year has whizzed by so fast. I vividly remember volunteering to help out for the PMCSA Farewell Dinner last year - serving our catered food to the many guests. This is part of a tradition we have of saying goodbye to the third years who are transitioning back to Penang for their clinical years. And this year, it was time to bid farewell to our a-year-ahead seniors. I did not volunteer for the event, instead I attended as a guest.

2) This year, there were two distinct changes. (1) The addition of a photo booth for everyone, and (2) ample and delicious food. Last year's Dinner ran into some issues due to miscommunication with the caterers, so that we had less food than expected. Thankfully, this was well accounted for this year. Anyway, to kick things off, we had some opening remarks from the VIPs, followed by the ex-President of PMCSA 2016/17. Next up on our agenda was the presentation of the certificates to the third-year leavers. Everyone got up on stage for a quick group photo afterwards.

3) Then it was time for our three-course dinner. Lamb meatballs on bruschetta as entrees, with chicken and pasta for mains. And what better way to finish than with some lovely comfort food - chocolate brownies with vanilla ice cream. As we tucked into our food, we were greeted with an array of performances. First up was "The Rolled Up Genes", which performed three songs, followed by our very own Zi Yan, whose rendition of "Viva La Vida" left many of us awestruck. Addy and Jong serenaded everyone with a heartfelt duet of Wang Lee Hom's, with many more performances in between.

4) We still had two surprises left in store. First up was the prizes ceremony. We had a multitude of awards, from "Most Involved" to "Library Bookworm", and even "Most Adorable Couple"(!) And for the finale, a 15 minute long video from us, wishing them a safe journey and every possible success back home. It was a fantastic way to wrap up what was certainly "A Night in Paris" (the theme of the event). I'm sure next year will fly by as well, and before I know it, it will be our turn to have to say goodbye to our lecturers and friends.

5) That has been the highlight of my day, and I hope you enjoyed reading about it. Have a lovely week ahead, and thanks for visiting. Cheers!

Group photo with the third years

A Night in Paris

in honour of PMC RCSI Class of 2020

The decor was on point tonight

Exam Hall was the venue for the night

With Giovanni, first year med

With some of our volunteer first med friends

Our table

Went around taking photos with each table... :)

Going round taking pics at each table was so much fun! ^^

A "hot mess", but a very delicious hot mess at that :))

Brownies with ice cream

With Zi Yan and Acap

To many more years of happiness!