DAY 1637-1651

Feb 25 - Mar 11

Night has arrived, 

Another day survived,

The medical student returns late.

Dinner has gone to waste,

For they only long to taste, 

That warm embrace of their own bed.

In stress they thrive,

In sickness they strive,

For attendance equates to proficiency,

From dawn to dusk, 

They put on a mask,

To shield others from their own deficiency.

Exams are a priority, 

So say the majority,

The mindset of a student is resolute,

Like modulus in mathematics,

Or temperature in thermodynamics,

Their conviction is thus absolute.

From students to doctors in a flash,

From scratching their heads, to treating the rash,

Repeating to themselves that old lie,

That this will all be worth it before they die.

Years of stress have taken their toll,

The once bubbly figures have lost their soul,

The cost of their dreams was their own health,

Have they never learnt that health is wealth?

Pre exam week lunch with my friends @ Baby Sumo Restaurant

(l-r: Rachel, Myself, Sharifah, Afifah)

Dinner with my cousin Eo @ Arashi, Gurney Plaza

Thanks so much for the wonderful meal!!

DAY 1517-1528

Oct 27 - Nov 8

1) What a difference another two weeks makes! As Malaysia expands its partial lockdown (called the Conditional Movement Control Order or CMCO) to include most states, both my hometown (Ipoh, Perak) as well as where I'm currently studying (Penang) are soon to be affected. This one-month partial lockdown is in response to the resurgence of COVID-19 cases in the community, with yesterday recording 1,755 new cases - the highest number of daily cases thus far. As a medical student, what this means (according to the e-mail sent to us from the college) is that all classes will revert to online mode. However, they are hopeful that clinical teaching should continue as before, which means we do not lose out on the all-important practical skills.

2) As it is, my group (Group B) is nearing the end of our psychiatry rotation, with just a week and half left before our end-of-rotation clinical assessment. In the past two weeks, we visited the psychiatric wards, the Health Clinics (at Perak Road & Macalister Road), the psychogeriatric clinics, and the private clinics (at Adventist Hospital). I have had the opportunity of engaging with a variety of patients suffering from mental illness, and I have found the experience to be invaluable. It is really interesting to see how the mental illness develops in a patient, and to explore the bio-psychosocial stressors that predisposed and precipitated the illness. Unfortunately, there also seems to be a lot of stigma and misconceptions regarding mental illness, the result of which is that patients often present late or not at all. Therefore, the onus falls on us to educate the patients and their family (as well as the wider community) about the myths and misconceptions that people generally may have regarding mental issues.

3) An interesting incident happened to me yesterday. After a long day, I was heading to sleep after using the bathroom, when I found myself locked out of my bathroom door. Somehow the door had become locked and the door knob would not turn. I spent a good hour or so trying everything I could, including the old "credit card" method, as well as by using scissors to hold the latch and try to push it inwards. Nothing worked, and I began to panic at the thought of having to call a locksmith. In a last-ditch effort, I searched online and found a method involving a coin placed into the indent of the doorknob. Lo and behold - that saved the day! Few things have given me more joy and euphoria than successfully unlocking my bathroom door. Now I am extra careful in making sure I do not close the bathroom door completely, just in case it gets jammed again. 

4) The next two weeks will be busy for me, as I will probably be preparing for the end-of-rotation assessment for psychiatry. Until then, take care and look out for yourself and each other during this most trying of times. Thanks for visiting my blog as always, and have a great week ahead. Cheers! 

Meet-up after a year! @ Nando's Gurney Plaza

(l-r: Melvin, Melissa, Kuhan, Esther, Myself)

Lunch at Sepoy Cafe with long-time friends :)

(l-r: Myself, Amir, Mad Noor, Alvin)

With my ever supportive sub-group mates (Group B3)

l-r: Myself, Sharifah, Angel, Ain

Psychiatry has been a blast thanks to them ft. myself as moderator for problem-based learning

l-r: Myself, Aida, Fadhli, Ainin, Jia Min, Jit Hong

Very big fish head curry for lunch today XD

The other day I hurt my left knee when I fell while jogging. It had healed quite well until I was forced to wear long pants to clerk patients in hospital. As my wound was still not completely dry, it stuck to my pant leg and when I tugged a little too hard at it, the whole scab came off! So for the rest of the week, I had to apply some antiseptic (betadine), a cotton gauze, and basically wrap my left knee using a crepe bandage. I'm happy to report that the scar is all dry and well now :)

Green curry rice set @ Food Hall, Gurney Plaza

Salmon teriyaki for dinner today :)

Ayam penyet (lit. flattened chicken) set rice

(Lunch menu at Sepoy Cafe)

Night life at campus XD

(Jokes - there is no life at campus)

Beautiful rangoli art in our college (for the upcoming Diwali celebrations)

The door that would not open (a.k.a. my bathroom door)

After over an hour of fiddling around, this was literally my last attempt

Lo and behold - the knob turned!

Never have I been so indebted to a 50 sen coin :')

Signature chilli pan mee @ Food Hall, Gurney Plaza

Even more beautiful Diwali decorations at Gurney Plaza today

DAY 617-619

May 11-13

1) Now it's post-exam season, and immediately boredom has started to set in. No more getting up in the wee hours of the morning to study; no more studying in the freezing auditorium the night before an important exam. All gone; replaced by a lack of purpose or direction, an endless supply of YouTube videos to catch up on, and bright sunny Irish weather (!)

2) But all that's about to change. On Friday, I made yet another trip to the main campus. I met up with Dr. Sarah O'Neill (Director of the International Summer Research Programme), Niamh (who'll be participating in the same summer research programme in China), and Claire (who participated in last year's iteration and was there to give advice). After some slight delay, we met up at the Dispensary of the New Academic Building, where Dr. O'Neill briefed us on what to expect. The duration of the research would be 8 weeks, from 6th June to 3rd August. Two topics had been set for us, one on cancer and the other on Parkinson's disease research. Although I'm fine with both, I would personally prefer the research on cancer.  ; )
                                                             
3) That wasn't the only reason I went to town. I still needed a haircut, and where better to do so than Grafton Barber. The well-dressed gentleman who did my hair was extraordinarily friendly, and we talked about my nationality, where I was studying including what prompted me to come here, and what specialty I was interested in. In turn, I found out that he was the only one in the family practising as a barber, that he had practising for more than 60 years, and that he had a stent inserted for a coronary problem many years ago. It was quite an interesting haircut overall.

4) I'm well aware that this 13th of May is Mother's Day. It would be the most special one yet, as it would be the first time in two years that I would physically meet up with my parents! My host mother, Emma, was extremely kind by offering to drive me to the airport, while I nervously waited for my parents to show up. We found out that a sandstorm had delayed their flight by a while, so I was there slightly longer than expected.

5) In the end, I saw the familiar sight of my parents pushing the luggage cart, and my heart leapt. My mom certainly looked thinner, but other than that, two years had done nothing to change my parents. They looked and acted just as they did before, which made me feel very much at home. After introducing my parents to Emma, we all returned home. Emma went upstairs, leaving us to catch up on two year's worth of chat XD. I showed my parents around and talked for what felt like ages, until around midnight. Then it dawned on us that our flight would be very early the next morning.

6) Indeed, my parents had promised to take me on a week-long holiday trip, to Lisbon and around Naples. As I'm writing this, we are well into our holidays, but due to the really hectic schedule, I will need more time to write about them (I'll do so in a future post). But for now, I'm just elated to be reunited with my parents, and to listen to all their stories and share my own. Here's looking forward to the rest of the trip. Thanks for tuning in, and have an enjoyable week ahead. Cheers! :D

Two long years... :')

Nothing has changed over the past two years - except my face has gotten wider and rounder XD

Mother's Day Card ^^

Bilingual because I think my mum would appreciate it :))

Meet up with Dr. O'Neill, Claire, and Niamh

(at the Dispensary, No.26 ;D)

My new haircut

DAY 599-616

Apr 23 - May 10

1) After what I can only describe as an eternity, exam season has finally drawn to a close. Our three end-of-semester exams were on the 30th (Cardio-Respiratory), 3rd (Foundations in Pathology), and 9th (Foundations in Microbiology). This semester has not been an easy task, but I'm glad that it happened. It has made me realise that the pathway to any goal in life is never going to be easy, and that is exactly what makes it all worthwhile.

2) Finishing our exams, to me, is akin to moving from Jupiter to the Moon. Jupiter, with its strong gravitational pull - resembles my studies, and the constant nagging thought at the back of my head to stop whatever I am doing and resume studying. Au contraire, the Moon, with its relatively meagre gravitational force - represents the aftermath of my exam. There isn't any more central force keeping me in check, and I am free to explore and discover at my leisure.

3) There has been a drastic change in weather these past three weeks, with Dublin (and I'm sure, most of Ireland as well) experiencing a lovely burst of warm weather. In fact, the past few days have come very close to matching the weather back home... Speaking of home, the end of my exams also means that my parents will be coming to visit! In just three short days, I will be greeting them at Terminal 2, the same place we touched down on our first arrival to Dublin two years ago.

4) My dad informed me that he had a trip around Europe planned, but stopped shy of the details. "It'll be a surprise," he says. Indeed, the thought of reuniting with my parents after two long years brings more than enough joy to me - so everything else is just icing on the cake. I simply cannot wait :)

5) As for my plans for the summer, I applied - and was successful - in being selected for the International Research Summer School Programme. In the past years, there were four spots available each, for two universities (Hoshi University in Japan, and Soochow University in China). To my disappointment, funding was halted for the Japan programme, and the China programme intake was reduced to two. I can only count my lucky stars to be selected for this wonderful opportunity to do research over the summer in Soochow, China.

6) With the GE14 (Malaysia's 14th General Election) well and truly over, Malaysia has reached a decision. It is a decision that I believe many had hoped for, but not so many (myself included) believed would be possible. Vox populi vox Dei - "the voice of the people is the voice of God." The majority have spoken - let them be heard! :)

That has been roughly three weeks' worth of blog update. Thank you very much for visiting as always, and have a lovely week ahead. Cheers!

Marking my territory - in Beaumont Library

(frankly it's so empty here compared to the college library)

A vegetarian lasagna from Beaumont's Cafetaria

My host mom left this for me - I'm so touched <3<3

As you can see, there's really no one here :)

1784 is the name of the new cafe in the main campus

(they have a wide variety of food items which rotate every single day)

Such as this phyllo-wrapped rice pastry

(it kinda resembles ouzi)

Two falafel cakes served with pita, rice, and hummus, on a bed of greens :)

Fish and chips is my favourite at 1784

(loaded with a heapful of chips and mashed peas - it's heavenly!)

My post-exam meal - mushroom risotto with garlic bread and salad

(with an extra heapful of parmesan)

DAY 590-598

Apr 14 - 22

1) This past week, I have been busy with a number of things. In between slogging away for our final semester exams, I had other things on my mind as well. First off was an invitation to attend the International Student Ambassador Award Ceremony, which took place yesterday (Apr 20th) at Farmleigh House Dublin, Ireland's Official State Guest House. As much as I needed to study and catch up, there was no way I would want to miss such an important event. So early yesterday morning, I took bus 27b to Eden Quay, before walking to the bus stop near Temple Bar, before taking the 37 bus to Castleknock.

2) I arrived early (almost an hour earlier!) and began walking towards the venue. Here's where my luck ran out. There are four entrances to Farmleigh; I immediately discounted the entrance on my left as there did not appear to be a proper road leading to it. Instead I looked for the entrances to the right - first entrance was locked. So was the second a couple of blocks down. Since I was now at the junction, I decided to walk the rest of the distance to the main entrance of the premises. Surely they would be open, right? But no, sadly it was gated as well, with no guard there to even talk to.

3) After chatting with the others on social media, I decided to back track and look for the last remaining entrance to this place. On my return, I saw a number of Student Ambassadors who were just as lost as me. Together, we walked to the last remaining entrance point (the one on the left that I initially discounted) and it turned out to lead right to Farmleigh House! We were indeed fortunate that we arrived early, as we reached the venue just in time for registration.

4) There was a light reception in the conservatory - where Student Ambassadors, Scholars and other Country Representatives and VIPs had the chance to meet each other. Soon, the guest of honour - the Minister of Education and Skills, Richard Bruton T.D. arrived. After a short speech and officiating of the ceremony, it was time for the awards presentation. There were two groups of recipients - Scholars who were sponsored by the Government of Ireland International Education Scholarships, and the Student Ambassadors from the Education in Ireland programme. We found out Her Excellency Ambassador Siti Hajjar Adnin was initially attending, but was not able to make it, so a representative came instead.

5) After the ceremony, we were cordially invited for a luncheon at The Church Dublin - a cafe, bar, and modern Irish Restaurant. Throughout the whole trip, I had the opportunity to make a whole host of new friends, from countries as diverse as India, China, Canada, Japan, Vietnam, Thailand, Mexico, and USA. I've never been to The Church Dublin before, and had always wondered what it looked inside. To my surprise, it looked exactly like a church/cathedral - with it's sun filled terraces, huge stained glass windows, and massive pipe organ. Taking centre stage was undoubtably the wine bar, which stood on a raised, illuminated platform.

6) We had free reign to order whatever we wanted based on the set course menu, so I opted for the lamb stew. For dessert I went with the chocolate tart with vanilla ice cream. While the tart was decadent and rich, it was the lamb stew that truly amazed me. I usually am not a big fan of lamb as I find that it can be quite chewy, but this was literally melt-in-your-mouth goodness. Coupled with the light broth and accompanying veggies and it was truly a match made in heaven! Good food, good company - it's no wonder I had forgotten about my studies for the moment :)

7) As they say, all good things must come to an end. One by one, everyone started leaving... It would be the last formal/ official meeting that we would have as Student Ambassadors, and everyone was a little sad. Nevertheless, we exchanged contact details, and - with the advent of technology and social media - there's no excuse not to keep in touch with each other. After bidding "au revoir" (definition: goodbye until we meet again) to my friends, I proceeded to take the bus back home from Eden Quay. Thus capping off a perfect day with the best weather we could possibly have hoped for. That has been my blog update, and stay tuned for the next one. Thanks for visiting, cheers!

An unforgettable day, indeed!

Group photo with the Malaysian contingent! :))

On the way to Farmleigh House :)

Posing with my friends in front of Farmleigh House

Refreshments at the Conservatory

Danish pastries and scones - don't mind if I do! ^^

A sneak peak at the reception desk

With lovely Irish music accompanying the lovely weather

Minister of Education and Skills, Richard Bruton T.D. delivers his opening speech

Receiving my award as Student Ambassador for Education in Ireland ^^

Posing in the conservatory with my cert :)

The flowers were simply amazing!

Getting ready for group photo together...

Group photo at the entrance to Farmleigh House

Group photo No 2 with all the Student Ambassadors!

Group photo at The Church Dublin :))

Bread and homemade butter for starters

Classic Coke

Set Menu from The Church

So what's cooking?? XD

Decisions, decisions...

The lamb stew was definitely my favourite!

Warm chocolate tart with burnt orange sauce and vanilla ice-cream ^^

Crème brulee with shortbread biscuit :)

Just posing behind the stained glass