Day 650

June 13

1) Yet another fine day in the labs, and today I'm learning more about the equipment and techniques from Chris and the others. I've even started synthesising compounds to be used for further reactions. The routine is gradually starting to sink in - it's 8.30am in the labs, and then around 11.30am everyone makes a beeline for the cafeterias, and we're back in at around 1.30pm, after which we have dinner at 5.30pm.

2) It's a routine that is new to me, as I am not used to having lunch or dinner this early. But according to my friends, it is important to go early or the food in the cafeteria will run out, leaving less variety if you go late. So this afternoon, I went with Linda and her boyfriend to have lunch. In addition to the rice with three sides, I got some cold "mung bean soup" (綠豆汤) which made a very nice dessert in the hot weather. 

3) While chatting about our hobbies, I found out that many of them enjoyed playing badminton (in addition to table tennis) and they actually invited me for a round of badminton that evening! While I wasn't entirely dressed for the occasion, I wasn't about to miss an opportunity to play badminton, while at the same time getting to know each other better. So after our light dinner (just simple noodles with egg and tomatoes), we walked to the campus gymnasium. Turns out they only charge after 7.00pm, and that too a very reasonable 5 yuan per hour. 

4) We played doubles for the most part due to the lack of available courts and because there was so many of us. It was so fun playing badminton after more than a year of not picking up a racquet (my racquet string broke during a particularly intense game of badminton in Ireland last year and I have yet to replace it). We ended up playing almost three hours (from 6-9pm) and after that I was completely done! The long walk back home (around 35-40 min) felt even longer as my muscles ached from the vigorous activity. But it was a heck of a nice time that I had, and I'm looking forward to our meeting again next week. Until then, thanks very much for visiting my blog, and have a nice day. Cheers! :)

The Pharmaceutical Sciences Building

(I'm on the top floor :))

Rice with two meats and one veggie, accompanied by a nice cold dessert :)

Having lunch with Linda and her boyfriend

Noodles with egg and tomato - my dinner! ^^

My lab buddies (soon to be badminton buddies too ^^)

Unfortunately, I don't have pics of the gymnasium or the badminton courts, but I will in the future. :)

DAY 46

Oct 17

1) Today was the big day. Exam time! Woke up extra early to make it to RCSI before 7.45 a.m., before proceeding to the Exam Hall. Our paper was only 30 minutes, but consisted of all the modules we had studied so far. That is forty plus lectures in total. Anyway, it was difficult as I expected, but not overly so. Felt a great sense of relief once it was over.

2) Immediately after that, we had two lectures before lunch. In all honesty, there was no way anyone would be able to concentrate after the exam, but we tried our best anyway. Went for lunch at Dicey's Garden with my friends. I tried the chicken kiev and it was A1! There was a lecture immediately after that, but then the final lecture was two hours after that. So I went to Coffee Doc to study, and got myself some popcorn, for the heck of it haha.

3) After the last lecture, we planned to celebrate my friend, Khee Heng's (belated) birthday. But he had a table tennis tournament to participate in, so we waited for him and Zi Yan. Afterward, we decided upon Boojum, and met there at 7.00 p.m. We ordered our dinner, before "surprising" him with a nice, chocolate birthday cake from Dunnes! Had loads of fun hanging out and relieving stress at the same time.

4) Came back home at night, before hurriedly typing this out. I have many activities planned in the coming posts, so do stick around and I'll be more than happy to write about them as I proceed with life in Ireland. Thanks for reading and have a great day. Cheers!

Lunch menu at Dicey's today!

 I'll cut down on the fries next time XD

My €2 small popcorn

That's a good meal right there!

The Birthday Cake!!

Groupie, because why not?

 Chocolate cake from Dunnes (€5.00 only!)

The birthday boy, Khee Heng! :D

DAY 25

Sept 26

1) Today was our first lesson at 8 a.m. Back in Malaysia, I had no problem waking up early for school and would usually arrive before 7 a.m. But here, where the weather is cold, and the wind chilly, it's hard to find the strength to even crawl out of bed! Anyway, still made it in time for the first lecture on arteries and veins. Immediately after that was an hour break, so some of us went to the tutorial room to study, After that was the programme called "Passport for Success". Fancy name, but all they talked about today was on addiction and stimulants, and how to overcome them.

2) Two more lectures after that and that was it for today! For lunch, I dropped by at Mercer to meet Stephanie and Nee Kee, who had batch cooked some stuffed chicken and veggies. I won't lie - it tasted really good! After a really pleasant meal, I went to Meteor (a phone company) to buy a SIM Card. It cost me €10 and in my opinion, is a much better deal than the current €20-a-month plan that I'm using. Came back home, inserted SIM Card and changed my phone number. I'm glad to save €10 a month in this manner.

3) Not long after, went to RCSI again for table tennis, where I was taught how to play properly by one of the society members. It is really fun! Stopped halfway to attend the Meet and Greet session for the Art Society, where there was free pizza! The pizza went by sooo fast, and I only got a slice. So me and my friends made a trip to McDonald's, where they have some seriously cost-friendly deals. I had the €2.00 double cheeseburger, and it was awesome. Maybe it was just the cold or something haha. Spent some time chatting with each other, before calling it a day.

4) Walked back home myself as usual, and spent some time filling this post with some (hopefully) meaningful words. I'm sleep deprived, PLUS classes start at 9 p.m., so I'm ending on this note. Thanks my faithful readers for reading, and goodnight!

Stuffed chicken with sauteed broccoli

(Credits to Nee Kee for the meal!)

My slice of pizza at the student lounge

The lounge

Double cheeseburger for only €2!

Now that's a value deal!

From l-r: Me, Hong, Esther, Aysha

at McD

DAY 18

Sept 19

1) Today was really exhausting. Woke up to have cookies for breakfast (since my milk spoilt), then studied before going to RCSI at 10 a.m. I went slightly earlier to play the grand piano in the Board Room. This time there wasn't any lectures going on so I could play to my heart's content. A random guy (probably a caterer) even popped by to see who was playing and gave me the thumbs up!

2) There was a break before lunch so me and my friends decided to go apply for a LEAP Card at Trinity College Dublin. It cost me €10, but now we can use it for public transport whenever we like. Had lunch at AK. Henry's as per usual, before lectures continued from 1-4 p.m.

3) After lectures ended, I stayed back at RCSI for a while. At 5 p.m., table tennis (or ping pong) session began. Five courts were set up at the multipurpose hall, and we had a really fun time. I am a complete newbie to the sport, so I just enjoyed hitting the ball around. Luckily, my friend Khee Heng gave me some valuable pointers. At 6 p.m., me and Zi Yan went to play squash. Again, being a complete beginner meant that it was an achievement just to be able to serve properly. Fortunately, everyone was very patient with me haha. It was a great experience though!

4) We met up at Mercer at around 7 p.m., to go to Boojum for dinner. Today was our Hong Kong friend, Venus' birthday, so we celebrated there. We pooled together some funds to buy her a small birthday cake, and even sang the Happy Birthday song! What a memorable evening it has been.

5) Walked back home, cleaned up and made an appointment online for my GNIB Card Registration. I'll be going in October to register for my card. Hopefully things will go smoothly as planned haha. Tomorrow is our first Anatomy practical, and I'm really looking forward to it. Until next time, this is me, Kevin, signing out.

The stuffed mushroom with carrots and wedges

€3.95

Three tacos with Mexican rice, pinto beans, chilli con carne,

tomato salsa, sour cream and cheese 

€6.00

  

The birthday cake!!

Group selfie!

From l-r: Viknesh, Nee Kee, Khee Heng, Aisha,

Me, Stephanie, Venus (birthday girl!), Kuhan, Hong,

Zi Yan, Melissa, Wendy, Melvin, Jason, Esther