DAY 276

Jun 4

1) As the holidays progress and I get lazier, there's much less stuff for me to write about, as there's much less stuff that I do. So instead, perhaps I'll share something different with you today. I'll tell you about the things that I like about Dublin (and contrast them with my experience in other countries).

2) First off, friendliness. I'll admit, when I first heard from seniors that the Irish are extremely friendly, I thought they were exaggerating. But after two experiences on my own (the first being when I was running to catch the last train home from Cork, and the second when I got lost in Phoenix Park during the Purple Run Volunteering Event), I definitely agree with them. The only country that I consider on par with this level of friendliness is Japan.

3) Next, safety. Of course, there are exceptions to this and touchwood, I've been very lucky not to encounter any dangerous i.e. confrontational situations. But for the most part, Dublin is definitely a safe place to be. I actually do not feel unsafe walking back in the wee hours of the morning from the library back home. Even those that have had a little bit too much to drink, are generally (again, touchwood here) non-violent and will not confront you unless you provoke them first.

4) Lastly, and this is the best of them all - free hair cuts. I know this concept exists in the UK as well, but back home (in Malaysia), you can dream on about barber shops offering free haircut service. But here in Ireland, expert student trainee barbers will do your hair for free, and even thank you  for the opportunity to cut your hair! I don't think it gets much better than that. Especially given that I can't really tell the difference between a paid for haircut and a free one.

5) So that's that. Several things that I simply adore about Dublin (or at least the location I'm staying at right now). What do you guys think? Anything I missed out, or disagree with? Let me know by commenting on the Facebook page haha. That's the end of my blog today, and hopefully you enjoyed it. Have a nice day, cheers!

Yes, I signed a deal with Subway to advertise their products 

in exchange for free Subway sandwiches all year around XD

Throwback to when I was still on holiday mood ^^

DAY 251 & 252

May 10 & 11

1) I'm counting down on the number of days left till our final paper. It's two more days till bliss. As usual, yesterday and today have seen me in the library, chipping away at the lectures. I'm trying to complete them by tonight.

2) These past few days, I have been going home later than usual, so as to cover more lectures. Of course this would backfire on me, and I've noticed that I take longer naps in the afternoon to compensate. At the very least, I know it's all coming to an end soon. That would mark the end of one academic year at RCSI.

3) I have a lot of things planned in mind during the summer break, most of which I'm keeping a secret because a) I'm busy and it's hard to type it all out, and b) I like to keep it secret so that I have something left to write about later haha. Anyways, the library is getting less packed now, and I'm assuming it's because some of the seniors have finished their exams.

4) To be honest, I find the HBPS (Human Behaviour and Patient Safety) Module to be quite interesting, especially the different stages of human development. However, I'd rather it remain non-testable in exams. Apparently, the seniors had to tackle two papers -both MCQ (multiple choice) and SNQ (short notes) compared to ours - just MCQs. So for that, I'm not complaining. Anyway, I think I'll end here, as I'm out of things to mention, plus I need to get back to my studies. Thank you for reading as always, and have a great day. Cheers!

The Savoy Cinema 

 [and if you had to ask, the movie (Fast and Furious 8) was awesome!!]

Lunch today, 

courtesy of George's mum who made a big batch of makaronia tou fournou (oven baked macaroni)

Thanks very much :DD

DAY 250

May 9

1) Today has been back to the books, after yesterday's somewhat premature celebration. Apparently, quite a number of students in the previous years have taken the HBPS (Health Behaviour and Patient Safety) Module for granted, and as a result, some of them had to resit the paper, having failed to meet the 55% requirement for MCQ. I am trying my level best not to make the same mistake.

2) My strategy for tackling all 38 modules is simple: finish ten modules a day, and for the penultimate day, dedicate that to full-on revision. That should give me some confidence, as the questions are only multiple choice, unlike past years when there were Short Notes Questions as well. Of course, I may underestimate the content and end up having no safety net to do revision, in which case I just might emulate my friend and pull an all-nighter. After all, it's the last paper and I have nothing to lose haha.

3) When exams are over, I will have much to prepare for. Starting with our planned trip, I will have to gradually pack my stuff to shift houses, in addition to resuming training for the Dublin Marathon which I'm participating in. By the way, I'm still in the process of raising funds in support of the Irish Cancer Society, so if you're feeling generous... And if not, it's all good. Anyway, I will be hitting the books soon. Have a great day, cheers!

https://sse-airtricity-dublin-marathon-2017.everydayhero.com/ie/irish-cancer-society-fundraiser

P.S. Just follow the link above to donate for a good cause :D

Dundrum stop at the LUAS Station yesterday

That's my lunch ^^

DAY 248 & 249

May 7 & 8

1) The past two days have been very eventful for me. Yesterday was a full day as usual for me in the library, where I studied for the GIHEP paper today. As I had expected, our GIHEP paper was not easy. Many of the questions had more than one possible answer, and the problem lay in choosing the best option. As always, I did my best, so I'll just have to wait and see.

2) Today was a much more exciting day for me though. After our exams, I had to go to Dublin 1 to sort out some documents. Walked back to RCSI, where Zi Yan and I took the LUAS to Dundrum. It's our friend Hong's birthday today, so we went for buffet lunch at a restaurant called Global Cuisine. It was not easy to find the place, as it was in an obscure location at the cineplex, just beside Dundrum Town Centre (the largest shopping mall in Ireland). The food was really good, and at 9.95 euro, much cheaper than Dublin 2.

3) After a wholesome meal, some of us went shopping at Penneys, while the rest of us took the tram home. But that's not the end of our escapade. At night, some of us (Jason, Alvin and me for now) are going to watch Fate of the Furious (a.k.a. Fast and Furious 8), a film which I have been yearning to watch ever since it came out. Now is the best time to watch it, and then binge study the rest of the week for this Saturday's final paper, the HBPS. All in all, it has been a really meaningful day for me, as we near the end of our exams and the holidays are just round the corner. That's all for my two days' worth of blog updates, and thanks for reading. Have a great day, cheers!

The birthday boy Hong :)

That's as candid as we'll ever achieve...

Group photo :))

Dundrum Town Centre

Global Cuisine Buffet Lunch

That's my friend Alvin, who was really keen on being in my blog ^^

Happy days!

DAY 247

May 6

1) So far, so good. I've covered as many lectures as possible, but I know I won't be able to finish them by tonight. Ideally, I wanted to have tomorrow as a sort of revision day, where I consolidate everything I learnt so far. However, that would not be possible. So I'm going to finish as much as I can tonight, and then continue with the remainder tomorrow. And then if I still have time, I'll do some revision (of my revision haha).

2) It's just two days more till my exam, which means I really have nothing much to add. Everyone I know is studying in the library, and it really helps seeing them here, as it goes to show that everyone is in the same boat. I have some bittersweet news to share, but I'll just wait until after the exam. You know, just to keep the suspense going... Thanks for reading, and have a great day. Cheers!

Flowers in the spring time <3

My breakfast

DAY 246

May 5

1) Today has been another day for me in the library. I got here after my breakfast, and began studying for the GIHEP paper. There's a lot of material to go through, so hopefully I will be able to finish in time. Sometimes when I find myself really stressed out, I think back to the days when I was at home, idling about doing nothing while waiting for my results. And I can still remember how I promised myself I would call upon these memories to remind me how boring it feels to have no objective in life. I'm glad it helps to some extent.

2) My afternoon was spent listening to some songs, and getting a short nap. Then later in the evening, I had to go to Dunnes to get a loaf of bread, among other things. Came back to have my dinner, and to relax for a while.

3) Afterwards, I continued with my studies as best as I could. This will be the pattern for the next week or so, until our last exam (HBPS) which is next Saturday. Until then, it's back to some studying for me. Thanks for reading as always, and have a great day. Cheers!

Nice designs around the city

DAY 244 & 245

May 3 & 4

1) I've taken the liberty to combine two blogs into one again. In all fairness, I was busy studying my derriere off yesterday. I had to commit all 40 lectures of REGUB to memory; and I'm not exaggerating when I say that I did not budge from my cubicle yesterday. I even got up very early today to do some last minute revision and cramming haha.

2) But of course, this pales in comparison to what some of my friends did. But how much more intense could their studying be, I hear you ask? Well, one of my friends did not get ANY sleep at all - he just decided to pull an all-nighter. And the only thing on all of my friends' minds after our exams today? Sleep. I admit I was one of them as well.

3) In the end, I found this paper to be harder than the previous one, but that is probably because I had more time to study for that. After this, we have only two more papers, and we're done :D The next paper, GIHEP, is four days' away. So at least there's more time to study. C'est la vie I guess... On the plus side, today was absolutely balmy, and is the first time in a long while that I've been able to walk out with a single layer. I still brought my jacket, because I've found a country whose weather is just as fickle as London's.

4) Coming to Ireland, I've learnt a valuable lesson - that nothing takes precedence over my own happiness. If it means that I don't do as well as my friends, or that I achieve less than my peers, then so be it. At least I'm happy with the way things are. So on that note, I'll end today's (and yesterday's) blog update. Thanks for visiting, and have a nice day. Cheers!

So many flags... ^^

Finally decided to treat myself to a Subway

(I needed a new bottle anyway XD)

DAY 242 & 243

May 1 & 2

1) I've been at it again. Skipping my blog update for a day so I could focus a bit more on my studies. By this point, it's pretty clear my daily routine is quite straightforward -get out of bed, have breakfast, off to library, and study. Yesterday was no exception. I did everything I could to memorise all the drug names and actions. 

2) Today, I woke up extra early to refresh what I studied the previous day. It was a short paper; only 1 hour 30 minutes. But the questions were very specific. When we compared answers, we found that many of them would be acceptable, but it had to fit the context of the question. Essentially, the devil's in the details. Personally, I found it challenging, especially the MCQ section. 

3) But there wasn't time to rest after that. Our REGUB exam (which I just found out is worth more credits than our FUN2 and GIHEP - 10 credits vs 6 credits for FUN2 and 8.5 for GIHEP) is just two days' away. That means two days (inclusive of today) to cram 40 lectures' worth of stuff into our brains. For those reasons, I've forced myself to cut down on other things, and just focus on completing as much as possible before the exam.

4) The good news is the following exam (GIHEP) is four days away, and covers much fewer lectures (30). And after that, we have a further five full days before our final paper, the HBPS exam. So without a doubt, time pressure is most critical for the REGUB paper. And with that, I'll end my blog for today (and yesterday haha). I should be getting on with my revision. Anyway, thanks for tolerating my frustrations and rants, and have a nice day. Cheers!

Musical band performing on Grafton St.

Lunch for today :D

Dinner in Mercer Cafe

DAY 241

Apr 30

1) Today has been another full day in the library. At this point, I'm seeing all my friends at the library at one point or the other; most of them are there with me throughout the day. Even the Mercer Cafe has become a place for discussion of exam questions... As for me, lunch and dinner is when I completely disengage from my studies, and I'm not about to change that.

2) Today's focus was primarily on FUN2, as we only have till tomorrow to finish study. Granted, the earlier lectures were easier to revise because we used many of them in our Principal Seminars presentations. But still, that doesn't make it any easier to memorise the litany of drug names, mechanism of action, and side effects.

3) Anyway, I continued pushing- stopping for short breaks and naps. At least I managed to finish cooking yesterday night, so I have food for the week. It would be too much of a hassle to cook smack in the middle of the exam period, so it's better I get it over with. After our paper on Tuesday, followed by REGUB on Thursday, we'll be left with only GIHEP and HBPS. All of this can't come soon enough, as I have other things planned during the holidays... But for now, it's back to studying. I'll end on this note, and thanks for reading as always. Have a nice day, cheers!

RCSI

My lunch today ^^

DAY 240

Apr 29

1) Today has been another long day for me in the library. After having my breakfast, I came to the library. Gradually, the weather is getting warmer. Let's hope it stays that way haha. Anyway, I've been focusing on two modules - REGUB and FUN2.

2) The difficulty lies in preparing for both; I have only five days to finish both REGUB and FUN2 modules. That doesn't seem too difficult until you realise that there are 23 FUN2 lectures and 40 REGUB lectures. Not an easy task, but I hope to cover at least most of them before the exams...

3) In the evening, I went over to Dunnes for some grocery shopping. I am planning to cook again tonight, so I will probably come home a little earlier. I can't wait for summer to come along, and at least I won't have to wait too long. That's all for my blog today, and thanks for reading. Have a nice day, cheers!

Nearing the end of the tunnel, both literally and figuratively

My last pasta meal

DAY 238 & 239

Apr 27/28

1) I have been a bit busy preparing for my Anatomy Practical today, which explains why I didn't update my blog yesterday. Nothing much happened yesterday that was of interest, other than that I was studying for pretty much the entire day. Today's practical exam would be of paramount importance, since it contributed a significant amount to the FUN2, GIHEP and REGUB modules.

2) In addition to that, the anatomy stuff we covered here would also be asked in the MCQ paper for all three modules. So it was really important to make sure I went through all the lectures. For this, I came to RCSI earlier than usual and continued revising, just before the exam. At 9.00am, our group was called in, and I was sent to one of the tables.

3) There were two prosectors, and they had been allocated 4 minutes each to cover all three modules (FUN2, GIHEP, and REGUB). It all passed by so fast, and before I knew it, I was out the door and making my way to the Coffee Doc to grab my bags. Part of me is a little upset, as I knew I could have done better, but at that point in time that was the best I could do. Nothing else but to focus on the next exam - which is our FUN2 exam, on May 2nd.

4) I returned to the library and had a short nap. I woke up feeling much better, and started going through the lectures for REGUB and FUN2. These are the next two exams, and only two days apart of each other. There isn't much time left to revise, so I have to allocate my time wisely. After these two exams, there would only be two left - GIHEP and HBPS. And then - bliss! But of course, I shall take things one step at a time. I'll end on that note, and thanks for reading. Have a nice day, cheers!

No caption needed

My dinner today :D

DAY 237

Apr 26

1) Today has been yet another long day for me in the library. I came extra early to study, but I quickly discovered that having more time isn't of much use if you cannot concentrate. So I took some time off in between periods of study, and that seemed to help me learn better.

2) I've reverted to studying Anatomy rather than the REGUB lectures, since we will have our Anatomy Practicals (the equivalent of the final exam for Card Signing haha) in two days. I took the opportunity to look through my own notes too, to speed up my learning.

3) In the evening, I dropped by Dunnes Stores to pick up some groceries. Many exams are looming ahead, so I think it's good to stock up so I'm not distracted during the exam period. I want to write more, but sadly I have neither the content (nor the time) to do so haha. But after exams, they'll definitely be some really interesting things coming up. Stay tuned... and thanks for reading. Have a nice day, cheers!

Dunnes Stores :D

Pasta for lunch

DAY 236

Apr 25

1) Today has been another full day at the library. Made my way to the library right after breakfast, and here I am studying. It's been a long day going through the REGUB lectures, and still tons more to go through.

2) My afternoon was spent napping and just taking some short breaks in between the studying. For a brief moment, hail began to fall. And just as quickly as it had come, it just disappeared- replaced by a sheet of rain which barely lasted five minutes. This was followed by clear, sunny weather. And we complain about the weather in Malaysia...

3) Evening came and went. After a while, I realise that if you pen yourself up for too long in a particular area, you lose all sense of time. And since the sky turns dark only at about eight or nine, very often I completely lose track of what time it is. I suppose it's no surprise that I constantly have to check not just the time, but the date as well. Anyway, that was my day today, and thanks for reading. Have a nice day, cheers!

Hail - disappeared almost as suddenly as it appeared ^^

DAY 232

Apr 21

1) Today has been a fruitful day for me. As usual, I went to the library after breakfast, to revise for my OSCE and history taking exams. At around a quarter past eleven, I made my way to RCSI for an anatomy revision. There were only four surgeon prosectors, so lots of students were crowded over each prosector. Still, it was a very informative session, just ahead of our anatomy practicals exactly one week from now.

2) In the afternoon, Hong and I walked over to South Street Restaurant on George St, where there was an appreciation lunch organised by PMCSA for all the volunteers and participants who helped out with their various activities. We were all treated to a 2-course meal, which was really generous of them indeed. After our fabulous meal, I returned to the library with Melvin and Melissa.

3) Spent the afternoon sleeping, before going to Dunnes to buy a loaf of bread and some biscuits. The rest of the evening was just more studying and revising. After supper, I decided to call it a day and packed my stuff to go home. That has been my day, and thanks for reading. Have a good day, cheers!

Thanks PMCSA for the wonderful treat :)

South Street Restaurant

Minestrone soup for starters...

Lasagna as the main course

It was a full house of us RCSI students today :D

DAY 231

Apr 20

1) Today has seen the resolution to many issues that have plaguing my mind. Firstly, the issue regarding my accommodation. The first host family had sadly rejected my booking application, explaining that they did not have the room vacant for the duration of my stay. So I was forced to find another one on the hostingpower website. I found another one that was a bit further, but still rather convenient for me.

2) I was searching for alternative solutions in case I got a negative response. Fortunately, this afternoon I received confirmation that they would be delighted to have me staying with them. What a sigh of relief, and a valuable lesson for me not to delay looking for accommodation ever again.

3) Another stroke of luck for me was not having to book transportation from Munich to Nuremberg for a second time, and risk losing a hard earned €50.00. My friends and I are going for a trip during the summer, and I was booking the Flixbus to Nuremberg and back. After booking, they said a confirmation email had been sent to me, and I was required to access it to confirm my booking. But when I checked my email, it was nowhere to be found!

4) So I wrote an email to them a couple of days ago, explaining the situation. And the automated reply asked me to be patient as they had received many emails of this kind, and they needed time to reply to all of them. I was seriously agitated over this, because I thought I had just squandered away my parent's hard earned cash. Although my dad told me not to worry and that it wasn't a large amount, I still felt really bad. And today, I received the confirmation of my booking, plus the voucher to print out as proof that I had already booked the tickets!

5) Besides all this, it has been a productive day for me. At around 10.00am, my friends and I went to Millin basement, where our senior Addy was kind enough to take time off to help us out with our history taking. We went through history taking for all three systems, and while I can't speak for the others, I definitely learnt a lot! It's indeed a privilege to have such good support and rapport with our seniors. Coming back, I managed to go through the Gastrointestinal and Cardiorespiratory Examinations, which form our OSCE examinable material. All in all, a day well spent indeed. That's all for today, and thanks for reading. Have a nice day, cheers!

Throwback to when Jason decided to cartoonise us all

(ahead of the MMII Time Bomb Event ^^)

My lunch dad