Chan Weng Kit's Blogspot: Second Year Medical Student

Showing posts with label Second Year Medical Student. Show all posts

Tuesday, 3 July 2018

DAY 661 & 662

June 24 & 25

1) It was a terribly hot day today, and I was drenched after my usual walk to the school. On this day, Niamh and I went out for lunch with Nina, who brought us to a nice restaurant in Wenxing Square. You're given a bowl and are allowed to pick as many vegetables or meats that you want, with noodles an optional extra. Get the bowl weighed, pay, and wait for everything to be cooked and served piping hot.

2) It is a different way of ordering food, but absolutely delicious in the end - as you can garnish your bowl with a variety of condiments. Mine cost more expensive than my friends as I had the most meat, but it honestly came to only €3.00, which is a steal for me. And what better way to cool down on a hot day, than a trip to "Cuo Nei Village" for some lovely bubble milk tea! Afterwards, Nina brought us to a supermarket which we didn't know existed in the square.

3) Niamh got her fair share of nuts (and some bananas) while Nina got some bananas and a packet of milk. Then, we walked all the way back to the lab, where I continued with work as usual. That has been my day, and thanks as usual for visiting. Have a lovely week ahead, cheers! :D

"Malatang" - minus the spiciness as I had just recovered and didn't want to provoke another allergic reaction :)

Niamh and her huge box of nuts :)

(If I had to guess I'd say they're all gone by now...)

Zhajiangmian from Family Mart :)

Malatang (without any spice added)

Oh the nostalgia here is real...

(My dad and I used to get loads of this for munching on at night, to have along with our milk tea... :)

Red bean soup (with glutinous balls)

Reading material for research ^^

Bubble milk tea at "Cuo Nei Village" Cafe

Thursday, 1 February 2018

DAY 516-520

Jan 29 - Feb 2

1) And yet a couple of days past. I have been very busy recently. On Monday, I had to travel to the city centre to get a couple of things done. First, I had to withdraw money to exchange for pounds sterling, as I will be going to UK for UKEC's annual flagship event, the 'Projek Amanat Negara' (PAN). This year's conference is to be held in University of Sheffield, from 10-11 Feb 2018. An exciting new approach is in store for PAN XV as the perspective we want to take with the theme “Think Again: A Paradigm Shift” is to explore the impact of the Past on the Present, and onto the Future. We have an exciting lineup of distinguished speakers, and a lot of sessions planned throughout the day. I personally cannot wait for it!

2) Second on the agenda, was to top up my phone for the trip to UK. After confirming that roaming charges incurred would apply only after I used up the 6Gb free data in EU countries, I bought the €20 unlimited data plan from 3 mobile store.

2) Third on the agenda, was to get a haircut. If you've been following along previously, I frequently get my haircut at the Dublin School of Barbering, located near Temple Bar. On this particular day, I was unlucky as the barbershop was closed (for whatever reasons). So on to the next item on my list - to enjoy a nice buffet before returning home. As I had about an hour to spare before buffet service started, I chose to walk along the River Liffey. Along the way, I passed some beautiful bridges (O'Connell, Samuel Backett, Millennium, Ha'Penny, Sean O'Casey) and took some lovely snaps.

3) After whiling away the time exploring Dublin 1 and 2, I returned to have buffet at Jimmy Chung's. All filled up, it was a short walk back to the bus stop at Eden Quay, before taking the 27b bus back home. That has been a summary of a day in my life, and I hope you enjoyed reading about it. Have a nice day, cheers!

The iconic Samuel Beckett Bridge

O'Connell Bridge

Irish Life Centre

Statue of James Connolly, outside Connolly Station

The Custom House Dublin (Irish: Teach an Chustaim)

Pier

UN International Day for the Eradication of Poverty

Samuel Beckett Bridge

The architecture is simply brilliant :))

Sean O'Casey Bridge

Buffet Spread at Jimmy Chung's

Friday, 26 January 2018

DAY 511-515

Jan 24 - 28

1) As yet another week passes, I'm reflecting on what has transpired that is noteworthy. A couple of things come to mind. Firstly, I attended my first ever Grand Rounds, at the Robert Adams Lecture Theatre. As I mentioned before, it was a really good experience listening to different healthcare personnel (including surgeons, physicians and nurses) come to share any interesting or important info.

2) I've discovered an even faster route to the Northside Shopping Centre (where I do most, if not all of my grocery shopping). Turns out the fastest way from where I live to the shopping complex is literally a straight line - that skirts round the side of a building - right to the entrance! How I missed that earlier, I am not sure. It only occurred to me when I remembered my host family telling me about how they went there.

3) I've found out from my friend another backdoor route to Beaumont Hospital. There is a back entrance to the hospital (the one I usually use), but apparently there's also another one just round the side, which is really convenient for some of us. Both of these routes save a LOT of time compared to walking round the pavement to the main entrance. That results in me being able to wake up very late for class.

4) Lessons are going well so far, if at a really brisk pace. There's loads more content, and lots more to memorise. I know the general consensus is to understand it rather than memorise it, but when you're desperate and exams are coming... Anyway, that is about it for the week, I wish there was more but there isn't anymore. And on that rhyme, I'll end here. Thanks for reading, and have a nice day. Cheers!

Such a foggy day!

Visibility really not that good here haha

Almost reminded me of a scene out of a survival horror game XD

That's the route I took back home from shopping

(before I learnt the shortcut ^^)

Cheap quality meal of chicken, meatballs, potatoes and veggies

Wednesday, 10 January 2018

DAY 494-498

Jan 7 - 11

1) As the year kicks in, I find that I am no longer able to update my blog as regularly as I have up to this point. In spite of trying my utmost best, the various responsibilities and tasks that I have on my hand even before school reopens is enough to keep me from my favourite past time. However, what I have to skimp on quantity, I will absolutely not when it comes to quality. I'll just have to learn to compile days of activities into one blog post, with plenty of pictures in between :)

2) So I celebrated my birthday on the 8th. My good friend Zi Yan met up with me at the library. I had a couple of things on my agenda on this day, a) find a study table; b) buy some slacks and sweatpants; c) film a short video for my Student Ambassador vlog; d) get a haircut XD; e) celebrate my birthday! So we tackled the most pressing issue first - filming a video of my college, to promote RCSI in my blog for Education in Ireland. Alas, it was not meant to be. The staff on duty mentioned that we needed a "work permit" in order to film at the college. So I would have to email someone at Student Services to obtain permission first.

3) On to the next bit - celebrating my birthday the only way we knew how - buffet lunch! I thought it'd be fun to have buffet at Jimmy Chung's, which coincidentally was the first meal we had when we were dropped off in Dublin all those years ago ^^. The food was really good, not to mention the myriad of cakes and desserts. After stuffing ourselves silly, it was time to search for a study table. I'm not kidding when I say we literally searched the whole of Dublin 1 (at all the accessory shops and hardware shops) before FINALLY finding a suitable table at Argos. It was two small tables for €22.50 - and at this point, that sounded very reasonable to me. Bought it $$

4) By this time, it was getting dark, so I decided against the pants and haircut, leaving it for another day. I took the bus 27b back to Beaumont - right in front of my new accommodation. Speaking of my new home, it has been lovely so far. Prior to coming here, quite a number of seniors advised me against putting up at Beaumont, as it had absolutely no 'city life' to it. While that may be true, I am perfectly comfortable with living here so far, as everything that I could want is within walking distance. In particular, I am thoroughly impressed with the variety of meal options i.e. frozen meals here. There's a supermarket chain called Iceland here, and they have some top-notch meals at really cheap prices. That's my go to place from now on.

5) Classes begin again on the 15th, this time in Beaumont. While I am happy to be in a new environment, part of me is dreading what might come next. Many have commented that this semester is brutally challenging, so I look forward to it with equal parts excitement and trepidation. That sums up my blog post this time, and I hope you enjoyed reading about it. Thanks for visiting, and hope to see you in the next one. Cheers!