DAY 123

Jan 2

1) Today has been an interesting day for me. Woke up early, had my toast for breakfast, before going to three places - Euro Giant (to buy five containers), Asia Market (to buy oyster sauce and dark soy sauce), and Tesco Baggot (to buy veggies and sausages). I cooked frice rice for the whole week! Really proud of my achievement as it is my first time, using less than ideal utensils.

2) Went to library after that, before having fried rice for lunch as I Skyped with my parents. Took a short afternoon nap after that, and by then it was evening already. As the library closes at six (during the holidays), I went to Khee Heng's apartment where I spent the rest of the evening.

3) Tonight's animated movie was "Barefoot Gen", an anime film depicting World War II in Japan and the bombing of Hiroshima. Very powerful film, especially considering its age. Anyway, had my cookies and coffee (I bought a tin to last me a couple of months XD) for supper, and then made my way home. The weather in January is really cold, and even my landlord said that people in Ireland are not used to this degree of cold. So that's all for today, and thank you as always for following my blog. Have a great day. Cheers!

 

Toast for breakfast

 

My secret ingredients for fried rice ^^

Prep before cooking 

Fried rice!!

Enjoying my fried rice in Mercer Cafe

Pasta for dinner

DAY 114

Dec 24

1) Today was a very relaxing day. Woke up later than usual, then went down to have breakfast. While preparing my toast, I also cooked pasta for the week. I'm trying to batch cook to a) save cost and b) save time. I'll try out for a week and improvise as I see fit.

2) Remained home for much of the morning, and went to Tesco Baggot later on to get more groceries. Reheated my just-cooked-this-morning-pasta for lunch, and it tasted absolutely fine. Took a short nap, before walking all the way to my friend, Khee Heng's apartment. Stopped at Euro Giant to get two more containers, so I wouldn't run out in case of emergency.

3) Reached Khee Heng's apartment at around 3.00pm. Then we continued our anime-watching for the day, stopping briefly to go out for dinner. Originally we planned to go to Boojum, but as it was closed, we went to Hot & Chilli instead. I tried the mixed kebab meal this time around, and it was great!

4) Walked back in the windy weather, where we continued our anime, "Fate/ Stay Night". Finished the first season, and started a bit of the next season. We should finish the series by tomorrow or day after. Anyways, we stopped early so I had time to write this blog update before returning home. That's all for today's blog.

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year! May the coming year fill your home with joy, your heart with love, and your life with laughter! Cheers!

Toast, along with the four meals I made for the rest of the week :D

Bentley Continental GT, spotted on my way to Tesco Baggot

The tiles can be flipped, the left pic showing trees before blooming and right pic after they have bloomed in springtime (pic taken near St. Stephen's Green)

Mercer Library, closed until 27th Dec )):

Origami dinosaur, made by Khee Heng

Dinner at Hot & Chilli

Nothing like some chamomile tea on a chilly day ^^

DAY 65

Nov 5

1) Today was a typical Saturday. Woke up to have my breakfast, before video chatting with my dad. Connection was pretty bad towards the end, so we stopped shortly after. Went up to study for a couple hours, before deciding to go out for some fresh air.

2) Had lunch at Boojum. Today I tried the pollo (chicken) burrito bowl, and it was marvellous. Tasted better than the chilli con carne and beef barbacoa which I tried previously. After that, I went grocery shopping at Tesco Baggot. Bought extra cookies for my trip to Mt. Errigal soon.

3) Came back to have a short nap, then studied till dinner. Tonight, I cooked rice with Scotch egg and veggies. Simple and delicious, just how I like it haha! Going back up to study and relax again, so I'll end on this note. Tomorrow I'll be going shopping with my friend Khee Heng, and I hope to get another pair of shoes too. That's all for today, and thanks for reading! Goodnight.

 Pollo burrito bowl for lunch today!

 If it ain't broke, don't fix it XD

DAY 52

Oct 23

1) Today was a normal day. Woke up to have breakfast, before continuing yesterday's studies. Around noon, I decided I'd have a long overdue break, so went to Boojum again for lunch. Today I had the beef barbacoa burrito bowl, with extra spicy sauce. Apparently, there's no such thing as spicy here, which is surprising considering Boojum is a Mexican resto. The food tasted great though, no question about that.

2) Went to Tesco Baggot to do the week's groceries. Ended up buying a small Reese's Peanut Buttercup as a treat for myself haha. Then I had to carry my groceries all the way back home. Thankfully, Tesco is really quite near my house, so I didn't mind the walk, or the chilly weather.

3) Had no mood to study in the afternoon, so I prepared my documents for tomorrow's GNIB registration. Basically we have to register with the Garda Police in order to continue studying in Ireland. After a long time, I managed to settle all the documents which I'm bringing tomorrow. Went downstairs to prepare dinner, and here I am, back in my room and typing this out. Time to study now, so I'll end on this note. Thanks for reading, and have a great day. Cheers!

 Beef Barbacoa Burrito Bowl at Boojum (5B's XD)

Voila! Dinner is done!

Scotch egg

 A small treat for myself

DAY 44

Oct 15

1) Today was a long day for me. Woke up to have breakfast, before trying to study. Covered some chapters by afternoon, before deciding to pay Boojum a visit.

2) Lunch at Boojum was great. I ordered the burrito bowl which cost me €6.00, but was really filling. Afterward, I went to Tesco Baggot to get my groceries for the week.

3) Came back to have a short nap, before continuing my studies for a bit. Then I went down to prepare food for dinner. Today's special was spaghetti with mince meat in tomato sauce. Tasted really good on a cold day like this.

4) I couldn't bear the noise in my room, so I came over to Mercer, where I am studying at my friends' apartment. Will be done soon, then I'll walk back home to my apartment, for a good night's rest. That's been the gist of my day, and while not the most interesting, I hope things will get sorted out soon. Goodnight!

 Big bowl of cereal to start the day!

 The trees look so beautiful this morning!

 Burrito Bowl at Boojum for lunch

 What a pleasant day for a walk!

 Walking towards my apartment...

Boojum Loyaty Card - my first two stamps! XD

Dinner by the maestro!

DAY 34

Oct 5

1) Today was a relatively easy day for me. Woke up early as usual, before going for my usual jog at St. Stephen's Green. I was planning to do more rounds, but after that grueling 15 km run on Sunday, I could only manage 5 km today. I have to start training for the Run in the Dark event this coming November. Anyway, finished my run, had some cereal, before prepping for class.

2) Lecture started at 10 a.m., during which we were briefed on how we would be assessed in our upcoming Mid-Term Quiz. I still cannot believe that barely a month has passed and we are already plagued with exams, quizzes, formative assessments and the like. I guess they were right when they said medical school wouldn't be easy haha. Went to the anatomy room together with friends, and spent some time analysing and discussing what we had been taught.

3) A lecture after that, and it was my favourite time of the day, lunchtime! The queue at AK. Henry's was unusually long, but I suppose everyone was famished too. I had to wait patiently for about 15 minutes for my sandwich (et frites of course). There are so many choices available for sandwiches: you can choose white or brown bread, with mayo, butter or plain, a meat option and two veggie options, toasted or not, and with or without fries. And all for just €3.00! That would explain why the queue for sandwiches is usually the longest compared to the others.

4) Had a really satisfying lunch, before one more lecture for the day! It feels great to end class early, and I did not waste anytime in going to Tesco after that, to get some milk and bread. I still have some peanut butter and nutella, so that should take care of my breakfast from now on. The extra food will come in handy for my training I reckon. By this time, I made up my mind to have an early dinner. Went down to the kitchen to cook rice, steamed some broccoli, cauliflower and carrots, before making some tomato soup. Today's meal was plain and simple, but nonetheless nutritious (or so I hope haha).

5) Finished dinner, before coming back to my room to study. My card signing event is next Friday, and it involves a surgeon prosector asking you the various anatomical locations and functions of the body, either by using cadavers or preserved specimens. I am not looking forward to that, but I shall definitely try my best. Surely it can't be that bad, right? Anyway, that is all the time I have for today, and I look forward to relating my cycle of events tomorrow. Thanks for reading, and goodnight!

 I don't think I'll get tired of the sandwiches anytime soon,

although I might run out of captions for it XD

48 Leeson Street Lower,

Dublin 2, Ireland

(The top window, directly above the

left front door, is my apartment)

Simple and hearty, just the way I like it!

DAY 31

Oct 2

1) Today was a tiring day. Woke up at around 8, after coming back from Belfast yesterday. Went out for a nice, slow jog around St. Stephen's Green. Ended up doing 15km according to the distance tracking app that I use. Was completely exhausted after that, but then I remembered I still had to do the groceries!

2) So off I went, dragging my fatigue driven legs to Tesco Baggot, still in full running gear. Bought my supplies to last me a long time, and came back to freshen up. For lunch, I made some spaghetti, finishing the last of the packet of pasta I bought weeks ago. It's amazing how long these dry items last.

3) After that, it was an afternoon riddled with study, naps, and chatting with my family. To be honest, I am starting to miss home more and more as time passes. Family, friends, relatives, teachers, students (haha) and the environment in general. At least I have great support here in Ireland.

4) I had an early dinner. Meal was simple yet satisfying, and afterwards it was back to surfing the net, watching vids online etc. Tomorrow class starts at 8a.m., and the only comfort lies in that it will not drag on until the evening. At least I'm grateful for that. And on that note, I bid you all a pleasant evening! Cheers.

Entrance to my room

It was a lovely day today!

Lunch a.k.a. spaghetti

 A random picture of my veins XD

The dining room

Ta-da! Dinner is served, my way

DAY 24

Sept 25

1) Today woke up early as usual to jog around St. Stephen's Green. Did 8 full rounds, which should translate to around 10km. The weather is getting colder and colder these days. Even with the Sun fully up, I can't feel the heat. And the winds are becoming stronger too. At least it's not raining. Anyway, came back for breakfast before - you guessed it - studying and revising the week's lectures.

2) For lunch, I heated up a frozen dinner - chicken korma with pilau rice. Tasted really good and hearty after the morning run. In the afternoon, I decided to pay Tesco Baggot a visit and found the prices there to be much (and I mean MUCH) cheaper than at Dunnes. I am definitely going to do my groceries at Tesco from now on!

3) Dinner comes soon enough when you're hungry. I blame the cold weather for it. I cooked pretty much what I will be cooking for a really long time here; rice with minced meat and vegetables. I used up the last of the rice which I brought to Ireland. After this, I will open the basmati rice I bought at Asia Market.

4) Not much transpired after that. Washed up, packed my stuff for tomorrow's lessons, before returning to my *studies*. Tomorrow's class starts at 8.00 a.m. Apparently the seniors weren't telling us everything when they said that class at 8 is only for the JC2 cycle. Thank god I'm an early riser then. Tonight's post is shorter than usual. But anyway, that's all folks! Cheers!

Lunch was delicious!!

One of the more amusing signs I saw on my way to Tesco

Dinner by the MasterChef XD