DAY 768-773

Oct 10-15

1) Utter disbelief. From the moment I saw the advertisement on FaceBook calling for debaters to represent RCSI, to finally getting selected, the hours spent researching and simultaneously preparing for my exams, speaking my heart and soul out during the debate itself, and finally bringing the victory back to RCSI - the 2018 Irish Medical Organisation Debate was as memorable as it was nerve-wracking.

2) Shortly after spotting the ad for debaters to represent RCSI, I was at a crossroads. On one hand, my studies were my absolute priority, but on the other - could I really relinquish the chance to pursue my passion for debating? It was a difficult decision to make, and I wasn't even sure if I would get selected. The rules were as follows - each institution selects one representative; there will be a total of six representatives from RCSI, UCC, UCD, Trinity, NUI Galway, and Limerick respectively. Then we would be randomly assigned to two groups of three, and our positions decided for us. Although there were two teams against each other, at the end of the day, there was only one medal up for grabs - the IMO Debate Medal 2018.

3) The topic was "THW Enact A Presumed Consent, Or "Opt-Out" System of Organ Donation". So I made a promise to myself - I wouldn't think about the debate preparations while studying in the daytime. Only when I came back at night would I modify and refine my script. The day after my exam, I started to focus more on the script. A few days later and it was time.

4) The competition started sharp 6pm, with the welcoming speech by Dr. Peadar Gilligan - the President of the Irish Medical Organisation. With little fanfare, he introduced the panel of adjudicators as well as the debaters. Side government consisted of representatives from Trinity and UCD, while side opposition had RCSI, UCC, and NUI Galway. And so it began. Rules were Parliamentary Style - 8 minute speech, with POIs (points of information) permitted between the 1st and 7th minute. No reply speech followed afterward.

5) Suffice to say, I gave it my best shot. Then I had the opportunity to listen to the others' speeches and they were incredible. When everyone had finished, the judges were ushered elsewhere to discuss the results, and we were invited to the atrium for a well deserved round of wine and cheese. It was fun getting to know everyone whom I had just debated with (and against haha), and to get their opinions on how they really felt about the issue.

6) And then came the moment of truth. If I'm being honest, I just wanted the whole event to be over so I could go home quickly. Never in my wildest dreams did I think they would call out my name as the winner! Utter disbelief - that I managed to repay the trust that the Debating Committee had placed in me (by choosing me to represent RCSI), as well as clinch the victory for the host institution. We took loads of pictures with everyone, and then it was time to go back home.

7) I still had to return to Beaumont, so I walked all the way back to Eden Quay, and took the 27B bus back - all the while in shock! All my hard work had finally paid off. And now, back to study. It never ends for the third year medical student XD. At least I'll be doing that with a big smile.

That's a wrap - thanks very much for tuning in, and have a lovely week ahead. Cheers! :)

Trying desperately to remain calm, despite progressive tachycardia XD

From l-r: Lorcán (UCC), Finbarr (NUI Galway), Dr. Paedar Gilligan (IMO President), 

Me (RCSI), Melissa (Trinity College Dublin), Talia (UCD)

Receiving the Irish Medical Organisation Debate Medal from none other than the IMO President himself - Dr. Peader Gilligan

Taken just before the event began - butterflies doing dive-bombs in my stomach right now XD

My turn to speak - time seems to stand still as I rant about my four main points - the lack of evidence, presumed consent is not explicit genuine consent, the potential for abuse, and donation as a gift.

Post event celebration with Melissa and Finbarr!

(Thanks so much Melissa for coming to support, and for the pics! :)

Thank you very much for the advice and critique, Mr. Adjudicator 

(I'm terribly sorry I honestly cannot remember his name - it must be the adrenaline-induced amnesia...)

It's a beauty alright :')

Just look at this very classy pewter bell!

An eventful night to say the least ^^

Staying hydrated to prevent hyponatraemia!

DAY 395/396/397/398

Sept 30, Oct 1, 2 & 3

1) Lately I've been slacking off with the blog updates again. Simply put, I've been rather busy preparing for Quiz 1, as well as the upcoming Card Signing next week. As a result, I've been accumulating lots of pics from each day. First and foremost was the recently concluded "Late Night Coffee with MMII", organised by the Malaysian Medics International Ireland. We met up with our friends from UCD and TCD at the Accents Coffee and Tea Lounge. The turnout was much more than I had anticipated, with a really strong showing from Trinity. Anyway, the objective was just to get to know each other, and introduce the committee members of MMII as well as their future plans. We had loads of fun chit-chatting and playing card games, and just indulging in pure shenanigans.

2) On Saturday, it was time for some kickboxing lessons. I've discovered the morning trams come at rather long intervals, which means I have to wait for a long while for the next one to arrive. I arrived for practice a little late as a result. We worked more on our kicks for this session compared to the previous one. After that, it was just a typical day in the library for me. Ditto for Sunday, with the exception of ultimate frisbee practice at 8pm. We went through various drills, including a mock game between ourselves. It was all good fun.

3) Yesterday (Monday) we had classes from 9-5pm - something that none of us like but have gotten somewhat used to. The only problem was Quiz 1 was the next day at 8am. So it was another hectic day to revise the lectures in time for today's quiz. I did not go home last night as I was afraid of missing the tram the next morning (on weekdays, the trams can get extremely packed, and I've missed many a tram due to overcrowding). Instead, I decided to crash at my friends' place. Thankfully, all of my friends live together in the same apartment, which made it easier to stay the night. Did my fair share of studying, before getting a good night's rest on the couch. It was just for a day anyway.

4) Today was Quiz 1 - 8.00am at the Exam Hall. Overall, I found it challenging and some of the questions a little vague. Nevertheless, I've done everything I physically can to prepare so I've no regrets. After all, they're plenty of quizzes and exams after this, so a lot more opportunities to improve. Post-quiz, my friends and I went for a nice Full Irish Breakfast at AK Henry's, before continuing lessons (at 10am!) for the rest of the day. The learning process never stops, so they say... Anyway, that has been my past four days, plus plenty of pictures to make up for the lapse in blog updates. Hope you enjoyed reading, and thank you for tuning in. Stay tuned, and have a good one, cheers :D

RCSI, UCD, Trinity - seniors, peers, juniors alike

(all brought together over a cup of coffee (or 10!))

The muffins at The Dispensary are simply to die for! 

Triple dark chocolate, and salted caramel <3<3

With Jason - RCSI chap

Good coffee, good banter

Imbibing copious amounts of coffee - a medical student's favourite pasttime :D

With friends from all over (some RCSI, some TCD...)

You've got your wish Vik - you're FEMES now :^)

(Me, Vik, Varman, Jason, Hai Wen)

The World Map at Accents Coffee and Tea Lounge

That is probably the most filling meal you can get at Dunnes (and for only €6.00!)

Ham-stuffed whole baked potato, Asian noodle salad, cous cous, and spiced potato salad :D

"We're supposed to be different!" XD

Spending the night away...

Post Exam Hall blues...

Featuring a slightly blurry image of Ali Rifai of the RCSI SU!

Exam Hall

That is the epitome of a cheap and hearty meal!

(Full Irish Breakfast at AK Henry's - €3.75)

Nothing like a wholesome breakfast to shake off post-quiz stress

Guess what's inside? ^^

Apple, Banana, and Apple! XD

DAY 297/ 298

Jun 25 & 26

1) I've been quite busy these past two days. Mostly because I'm packing up to shift houses this Saturday. So yesterday, I met Erika (the exchange student from Hoshi University, Japan) near RCSI and I decided to show her around, as she's only been here for three weeks. So we went on a walking tour to Trinity College Dublin, before walking past the Ha'penny Bridge to Dublin 1. While walking towards the Spire, we made the acquaintance of a fellow student from UCD, Patrick "Paddy" O'Grady.

2) Together, the three of us walked around Dublin 1, passing Penneys and the Ten Thousand World Buffet and The Savoy. As we were about to double back, we met Melvin, who sadly was in a rush to go somewhere. So we continued our way back to the bridge, before walking along the River Liffey to Dublin Castle. That's opposite the Queen of Tarts shop where I bought some lovely pies on my second day here in Dublin. How time flies...

3) But I digress. We found out more about each other, especially Paddy since we had only just met him haha. After spending some time in the St. Stephen's Green Park, it was time for dinner. I brought my friends over to Wok In, and got the beef curry with rice. By this time, it was getting late, so I had to excuse myself to finish my packing at home. That was the gist of my day yesterday :)

4) Today was back to the labs for me. I spent the entire morning and part of the afternoon finishing off the second product (now labelled KC4), only to find out in the end that it wasn't the product that we were looking for! We've now followed two different sets of instructions to synthesize this compound, yet no luck so far. So using Reaxys (a web-based tool for the retrieval of chemistry information and data from published literature), Donal and I found another published article detailing the process. We've set up the experiment as described, and left the intermediate on stirring overnight.

5) Hopefully the product will turn out fine when we finish up tomorrow, as we've run out of the starting material already. Anyway, that's been my day today, and I hope you enjoyed reading about it. Have a great day, cheers!

Me, Erika, and Paddy at Dublin Castle central square

Posing in front of the Spire

(which is completely overexposed haha)

Having dinner at Wok In ^^

Need to filter ppt tomorrow...

Note to self: When they say add SOCl₂ drop by drop, they really do mean that

(case in point the balloon on the right burst because of the pressure build up due to the sulfur dioxide gas produced - gave me the shock of my life!)

DAY 206

Mar 26

1) Today has been a day of much study, and not much else XD. We had to turn our clocks one hour forward due to daylight savings, which meant I got one hour less sleep! Woke up still groggy, and packed up my stuff to go to the library.

2) Studied the morning away, before taking a short break for lunch in the Mercer Cafe. Came back to take a short afternoon nap, before waking up feeling all refreshed. I continued studying for a bit, then Jason and I walked to Trinity College Dublin, for our run through of the first MMII event - "Time Bomb". I'm in charge of the 'debates' segment as well as forensic games.

3) Meeting lasted for around three hours, at which point I walked back with my friend Aser. Today's weather was a little breezy but much better than a couple of days back. Anyway, I had my dinner back here, before continuing to study for the rest of the night. We have Card-Signing 2 in five days, and just four days later is our Histology Quiz. That's the end of my day, and I hope you enjoyed reading about it. Thanks and have a nice day, cheers!

Trinity College Dublin

One of the rooms to be used

The Stanley Quek Lecture Theatre

DAY 43

Oct 14

1) Today was a jam-packed kind of day. Woke up in the morning, had some bran flakes for breakfast, before reaching RCSI before nine. As usual, we had lectures, and then anatomy practical sessions (since today is Friday). After that, a brief respite before our dreaded card-signing at two sharp.

2) Decided that I would indulge a bit for lunch, before coming back to study. So I went alone to Dicey's Garden, where I sampled their traditional Irish stew. I must admit, it was one of the best stews I ever had, maybe even surpassing the oxtail soup I had back in Ipoh! After that, travelled back to Coffee Doc in RCSI, before trying my best to study for the card-signing.

3) At 1.45 p.m., all of us entered the Anatomy Room. Our surgeon prosector today was Clive Lee, Head of the Department of Anatomy. In no time, he started off the session, occasionally handing out tidbits of additional info or providing a hint or two. The first group did really well, while it was tough luck for us in the second group. Most of us got a B, myself included. It really boils down to luck, and the kind of questions we got.

4) When it came to me, he handed me a scapula (shoulder bone), asked me its attachments, continued with a thoracic vertebra and asked me all the annotations before handing me a rib and finishing by asking me to list its articulations with the thoracic vertebra. I think what I'm hinting at, is that I was bombarded with a lot of questions, and not given enough time to think. Anyway, I accept the result, and I'll try harder next time.

5) After that was yet another lecture, but by this time my brain was completely fried so half my concentration was gone. Barely scraped through that, and today's session was finally over! Returned home for a short rest, before coming out again at 6.30 p.m. to RCSI. This evening we had our first belaying session, which is essentially a technique climbers use to exert tension on a climbing rope so that a falling climber does not fall very far.

6) At 7.30 p.m., we moved over to Trinity College, where there was a large indoor climbing gym. I practised setting up my harness with the double figure 8 knot, before proceeding to climb to the very top, using only grips of the same colour (mine was green, for beginners). I successfully did it twice, and managed to get some rope burn on my left arm, and bruises on my right knuckle. A great souvenir then I guess XD. Lastly, I was the belayer myself while someone else climbed up the rocks, all under the supervision of a trainer. After satisfying the requirements, I was awarded my first rock climbing certificate/ license! This more than made up for my card-signing results.

7) Came back at around ten, before reheating my frozen dinner tonight. Had a nice meal, got myself cleaned up, and headed back to my room where I'm typing this out. A well spent day, if I may say so myself. Thanks for reading, and goodnight!

 Dicey's Garden menu for today!

Traditional Irish Stew, with sides

(A crude combination, but tasted great!)

 Quiche lorraine for tea,
before going for rock climbing

 Indoor climbing gym at TCD

Start of climb, with my less than enthusiastic belayer XD

Keeping it going....

Made it!!

That's a thumbs up by the way...

The price of not descending the wall properly haha

 Hunter's chicken with spicy rice,
because I was just too hungry

 My climbing licence yippee!