Day 155

FEB 3

1) Today has been a pivotal day for me. For starters, we finally finished our first quiz! Any student studying here will tell you that the marks that this test contributes to the overall score, is so minuscule so as to be negligible, but I still wanted to prove to myself that I could do well if I tried hard enough. Now we'll just have to wait for the results and see :D

2) I have learnt that it is really difficult to achieve perfect scores in exams AND participate in all sorts of activities, competitions etc - a sacrifice has to be made somewhere. Last semester my focus was shifted more towards trying out new activities e.g. archery, squash, rock-climbing, table tennis etc and as a result there were gaps in my knowledge. So this semester I shall make it a point to focus a little more on my studies and less on extracurricular activities. Of course that doesn't mean I'll neglect them completely, just cutting down time spent doing them.

3) This semester has a lot going on; we have five modules - Health Behaviour and Patient Safety (HBPS), Fundamentals of Biomedicine (FUN2), Renal, Endocrine, Genitourinary and Breast (REGUB), Gastrointestinal and Hepatology (GIHEP) and Introduction to Clinical Practice (ICP1). In addition to this, we have one individual project, a team project, and individual portfolio to do. Not forgetting the GP visits, the Healthcare Symposia, and the Histology components, which we are expected to read up by ourselves. And we have but 4 months to accomplish all of this! P.S. This long paragraph is directed at those who think only their course is difficult. I'm not saying our course is the most difficult, but just so everyone is aware, we're all in the same boat...

4) As to how my day went, I can summarise it very simply; woke up really early to reach RCSI before 7.00am, did my last bit of revision before the 8.00am test, and then spent the rest of the day (until 4pm no less!) attending lectures one after the other. Went to the library, got some work done on my team project, before going to Dunnes to buy my groceries. I'm planning to cook tonight. The rest of the night was just me relaxing, contemplating on how to spend my weekend getting things sorted. And here I am, typing this piece of reflection out for my blog. I'm going home soon to cook, so I'd best get going. Thanks for reading as always, and have a great day. Cheers!

Baguette at AK. Henry's for lunch today :)

My last chicken dinner before I cook again

DAY 154

Feb 2

1) Today has been a really tiring day for me. Woke up to have breakfast, before packing up to go for our first lecture. Truth be told, I didn't pay much attention to these lectures because there weren't coming out for tomorrow's test.

2) Lunch time, and my friends and I rushed to the Coffee Doc to use the microwave before everyone else XD. You won't believe how long the queue can get if you're even a little slow. Anyway, after a quick lunch, it was back to the remaining two lectures for the day. I'm not proud of it, but I admit I skipped the last lecture so I could go to the library, get a little rest (I slept so badly the previous night), before concentrating on our first quiz tomorrow.

3) Soon afterward, I was accompanied by my friends who had also come to the library to study. Three topics were coming out tomorrow - Immunology, Anatomy of the Lower Limb, and HBPS Module. Thankfully I was able to cover most of these lectures before the end of the day. Later in the evening, all of us went back to RCSI, where we attended a short meeting concerning the upcoming Interfaith Ceremony, which pays homage to the deceased (who have voluntarily given their bodies for research) and their families.

4) I opted to join the group which would be reading reflections/ poems/ prayers during the event. We still have not finalise exactly what we intend to read, but that will be sorted out soon (I hope). Returned to the library for one final round of study, and that was it for the night. I've done all I can, and I'll just keep my fingers crossed haha. Thanks for reading as always, and have a great day. Cheers!

Meeting at Nightingale Lecture Theatre,

to discuss about preparations for the Interfaith Ceremony

My morning custom

Chicken korma with rice for lunch ^^

Dinner at the Mercer Cafe

DAY 153

Feb 1

1) Today has been a particularly long day for me. Woke up as usual for breakfast, before walking to AIB Bank to carry out some transactions. After that, I went to RCSI, just in time for our first lecture at 10am. We had two lectures before lunch break, one on FUN and the other on HBPS.

2) Had my lunch at the Coffee Doc with my friends. Strangely enough, ALL my friends had pasta today, with the exception of yours truly, who had pizza haha. Aisha was very kind to give each one of us an orange, as she had many from the CNY celebrations a couple days back. Shortly afterwards, it was another three straight lectures until 5.00pm, which included a new module, REGUB (Renal, Endocrine, Genitourinary and Breast) Module. Suffice to say, I wasn't thinking straight after everything was over.

3) Took my stuff to the library, where I soon had dinner. Came back to my desk to immerse myself in  my studies. Our primary focus is Friday's exams, which cover everything we've learnt so far for FUN (Immunology, Anatomy) and HBPS modules. In addition we have the Team Project and Individual Project to complete, with Principal Seminars coming up. Oh well, one step at a time I suppose. That's that for my blog update today, and thanks very much for reading. Cheers!

St. Stephen's Green Park

Toast for breakfast

My lunch today ^^

Dinner at Mercer Cafe

DAY 151

Jan 30

1) Today was a dreadful 8-1 class. What made it dreadful was not the duration, but the fact that it was a continuous 5 hours, without any chance for us to catch a breather. That, coupled with the fact that I had to wake up extra early so as not to miss the first lecture - and you would have needed phenomenal brain power not to let your mind drift as the day progressed.

2) Our five lectures were on various modules, from Fundamentals of Biomedicine (FUN2) to HBPS (Health Behaviour and Patient Safety) and Introduction to Clinical Practice (ICP1). We even had a senior student give a talk about a student exchange programme at the RCSI Bahrain Campus over one semester - so in all fairness there was a lot of variety today. As usual, once class finished, I grabbed my stuff and went over to the library, where I have remained since.

3) In the afternoon, I went through the next day's lectures before taking a short nap. It's amazing how a power nap can refresh a person's mind, especially after a long day. And what better place to do it than in the library haha. In my defence, many of the patrons here do this as well. Anyway, grabbed a quick dinner later in the evening, before coming back to my spot for another round of study.

4) It may seem like a dull life for a medical student to lead, holed up in a cubicle "studying one's life away" as they say, but I honestly enjoy it. Of course, I have not neglected my co-curricular activities as well, and I will definitely take part in any interesting events that happen to pass me by. Until then, I'll end on this note. Thanks for reading as always, and have a great day. Cheers!

My typical meal plan (packed for the go XD)

Still have chicken rice (from the PMCSA- CNY celebration)

Chicken Tikka Masala for dinner 

DAY 150

Jan 29

1) Today has been a typical Sunday for me. I woke up early as usual, before making my breakfast and dropping by Mercer Library. Thus began my usual stint of studying, which lasted till around noon. The thing I dislike is I feel that after learning something new, some of my previous knowledge will inadvertently be forgotten. Makes it difficult to retain what I previously learnt XD

2) Come afternoon, I reheated the leftover chicken rice (that I took back yesterday after the CNY event) and it still tasted fine. Took a short nap afterwards, before continuing my second round of studying. The focus now was on anatomy, as our Friday Quiz will cover that as well.

3) Soon, I was joined by Stephanie and Esther, who had come to study at the library too. Not long after that and it was dinner time. Went over to Mercer Cafe and to have my dinner, all the while unwinding while keeping myself occupied by watching YouTube videos.

4) A final bout of study later, and that was it for the night. Had a light supper (I'm a creature of habit haha), before walking back home to Leeson St. That would be a typical day for me, and I hope you enjoyed it. Thanks very much for reading, and have a great day. Cheers!