DAY 489-493

Jan 2 - 6

1) If you've been following my blog recently, I'm sure you would have noticed the increasingly sporadic blog posts. I suppose it was unavoidable; as medical school progressed, so too did the workload, and on top of all that, I have other responsibilities to shoulder as well. Most recently, after coming back from my "Winter Wonderland" trip, I was faced with another challenge - to pack my stuff and shift to Beaumont - where I'll be spending the rest of this year.

2) So I've spent the past couple of days packing. It's amazing how much more stuff I have compared to last year (when I moved out of Leeson to Dundrum). Finished stowing away all my belongings and cleaning my room, and bade goodbye to my wonderful host Suzanne, before calling a taxi all the way to Beaumont - from one end of the city to the other.

3) Me new host - Emma, greeted me with open arms at the doorstep of her house. After an evening of just relaxing and taking some much needed rest, I've been exploring the vicinity the following morning. There's a medium-sized shopping centre (Northside Shopping Centre) just 10 minutes away. Also, Beaumont Hospital is right behind my house - literally. However, the Education Centre (where RCSI students are based and attend lectures) is located at the opposite end of Beaumont, right beside the main entrance. That means I will have to circumvent the perimeter of the hospital, which is a piece of cake compared to having to travel by bus all the way from the city centre.

4) I'm currently in the library typing away. No one else is here except for two other students. It is a quiet Saturday, just two weeks before school officially reopens. I might as well savour the free time I have now before things become hectic again haha. Anyway, that's all in this blog update, and I hope you enjoyed reading. Thanks for visiting, and have a great day. Cheers!

Last pic with Suzanne and Muireann,

in front of my accommodation for the past half year

My room after my Herculean effort in packing up and cleaning up

My new room :))

(Just after I unloaded my belongings...)

The laceration marks after lugging REALLY heavy luggage that cut into my skin XD

St Luke the Evangelist,

Kilbarron Rd

Northside Shopping Centre

(a slightly smaller St. Stephen's Green Shopping Centre)

Small and comfy interior

Lunch at Sbarro just now

This is literally behind my house

In the virtually empty RCSI Beaumont Library ^^

DAY 302/303/304

Jun 30, Jul 1 & 2

1) So finally, I've shifted house! From 48 Leeson St Lower, Dublin 2 - all the way to 11 Sweetmount Drive, Dundrum 14. From sharing a room at a student apartment, to living with a host family for the next half a year. It's been a completely new experience for me, packing and bringing all my stuff with me to my new home.

2) The only experience I have had prior to moving in was coming to Dundrum for buffet with my friends. So at the very least, I was familiar with the location of the LUAS station (not to mention the very reasonably priced and highly rated Global Cuisine Buffet). There is also the Dundrum Town Centre - the largest shopping centre in Ireland! Yesterday, I tried the buffet again, as it was just as good as I remembered it.

3) Today, I did some walking at the shopping centre, before having lunch at Subway (at the Food Hall). It really is a lovely walk, with lots of outlets and beautiful design layouts. After touring around the mall, I walked to Lidl, a German global discount supermarket chain (somewhat similar to the convenience stores we have back home). Everything is just so convenient around here, and all within walking distance. There's even an Apache Pizza, which opens until 5am everyday of the week! Not to mention home delivery for extra.

4) My host family has been very welcoming and accommodating of my stay so far. I'm living with Mrs. Fallon, who lives here with her two daughters. Mrs. Fallon was very interested in knowing where I came from, so I pointed to the appropriate location on the map in my room. We spent some time talking about Malaysia and Southeast Asia in general, and she recounted her stories with past tenants. Then I excused myself to unpack my belongings. Speaking of my room, it is very well furnished, with study lamp and many cabinets and dividers to organise my things.

5) I've to get used to a different schedule from the next week onwards. This is because I need to take the LUAS (Irish tram service) to RCSI everyday from now on, including the summer break as I am working there in the labs. It is really convenient, though, that the last stop for the LUAS is right in front of RCSI, hence it is nigh impossible to get off at the wrong stop haha. (Here's hoping it never happens). Anyway, that is the end of my narrative, and I hope you enjoyed reading about it. Thanks very much for visiting my blog, and have a nice day. Cheers!

My house is the one on the left ^^

My room

Plus all the cabinets to put my belongings

The bridge is the iconic landmark for the LUAS station 

(less than 10 minutes' walk away from home)

Came back to Leeson to take the last of my belongings, and to say goodbye )':

The walkway to the main shopping centre

Having buffet lunch at Dundrum Shopping Centre

A stunning angle (imho) of the Food Hall, 

located at the top floor of Dundrum Shopping Centre