DAY 217

Apr 6

1) Today was definitely one of the more tiring days for me, and not just because I had a lot of decisions to make. First life-altering decision I had to make: should I attend classes today or stick to my original plan of volunteering for the RCSI Reach Sports Day? Finally, I made up my mind (for the second time) to go for the Sports Day, which was held in Dardistown, near the airport. Our meeting point was the Swan Pub, just one block away from RCSI. Initially, I thought that none of the other JC2 students would want to come, seeing as some of them (Group A) have Card Signings tomorrow, while others would not want to miss the Anatomy Practicals and Expert Patient Sessions. So I was pleasantly surprised to meet some of them who actually decided to come along.

2) We took around 40 minutes to reach Dardistown, after which we had about 20 minutes to prep. Niamh, Dawn and I were put in charge of the "Retrieve and Conquer Rounders" game. It was quite similar to a game of rounders, sans the bat. Essentially, two teams would go up against each other. The first team would be the pitchers - they would stand behind a white line and each would throw one tennis ball. After throwing, they had to run around four cones (this represented "bases") and return to the first cone (a complete "home run"). Meanwhile, the second team was waiting to catch the balls, after which they would try to get the balls back inside the cone. If they managed to return all the balls before the first team returned to the first cone, then they got the point. But if the first team returned first, they got the point. I can appreciate that it's not easy to understand this with just words, but with a bit of demonstration, we managed to get the kids to understand the rules.

3) Today I learnt two things - that children have boundless energy, and that they have an infinite tolerance for cold. I was literally freezing in the chilly morning air, which was further exacerbated by the strong winds. My fellow Irish friends would definitely concur. And yet, these kids were short-sleeved (for the most part) and jacketless, running and playing like there's no tomorrow. This reminds me of an HBPS lecture which I went to, in which the lecturer asked, "When a parent asks their child to put on an extra layer, who is the one who is actually cold, the parent or the child?" That's right, the parents are cold; that's why they ask their child to wear a jacket. Anyway, we judged a total of ten teams over five games, briefly stopping for lunch in the Clubhouse. Sipping piping hot coffee in the cold is fast becoming one of my favourite pastimes, and there was ample coffee on demand - which meant I had a field day.

4) By the time we finished, it was fast approaching two. Everyone gathered in the Clubhouse, and the results were announced. The overall champions of the day - White Team! The top three teams were also given medals. At the end of the day, I'll go home with a volunteer T-shirt, my stomach full with a free lunch (to my Chemistry teacher Ms. Chong, I guess there are free lunches in this world after all XD), but most importantly a hug and a thank you from one of the children. Small little gestures, but with a profound effect, on me at least.

5) But now we were approaching a crisis. Would the bus be able to make it back in time for the 3pm Expert Patient Session (EPC)? My watch showed 2.30pm when the bus finally started moving. With a bit of luck, and a lot of praying, we returned to RCSI on the dot. If you were there at 3pm and noticed a bunch of students literally running back to RCSI from the bus stop, that was us. Fortunately, the session had just started, so we didn't miss anything important. It was another lucky save for us then. Afterwards, I returned to the library, only to be greeted by free doughnuts and sorbet, courtesy of the SU4U team. The rest of the evening I spent trying to finish my ICP project, which I know I can't finish but I'll try regardless. It has been a long day, but one that I really cherish. It's a bit of a shame we weren't allowed to take photos of the children themselves - for privacy reasons, which I totally understand, but still disappointing nonetheless. So on that note, I think I'll end my blog here. Thanks for reading, and have a great day, cheers!

Me, Dawn, Niamh - the (self declared) best trio ever!

Hamburger et frites

Obstacle course for the kids :D

The hockey pitch - where we had our "Retrieve and Conquer Rounders" game

This was taken during lunch time, when everyone was playing tag rugby

The tennis balls we used ^^

Me, Mahitha (anatomy buddy), and Joo Kyung (Principal Seminar buddy)

We may be smiling, but right now, all I'm wondering is whether the bus would get us home in time XD

RCSI Sports Ground, Dardistown

Team SU4U 

Don't mind if I do

Free doughnuts at the Mercer Cafe, courtesy of team SU4U

My vantage point, where I observe life and contemplate my own existence in the process

Vegan choc and cookie flavoured sorbet

Can you guess which one I wrote? :P

DAY 216

Apr 5

1) Today has been a typical day for me in the library. Having struck the Histology Quiz off the list, I'm now left with the submission of two individual assignments, after which it will be the finals that I'm preparing for. I drafted out a simple schedule to follow for the next month or so, which (fingers crossed) will allow me to finish revision by the time exams come about.

2) I spent the better part of the morning working on one of the individual assignments (ICP1). We still have two more patient contact sessions - one at the next Healthcare Symposia, and the other at the Expert Patient Session tomorrow. After that, we'll have all the material to finish our ICP portfolio. Over the course of the afternoon, it was back to revising the usual cycle of GIHEP, FUN2, REGUB, and some anatomy.

3) Tomorrow represents a bit of a crisis for me. I agreed to volunteer for the REACH RCSI Sports Day 2017, but at the same time that means I'll have to forgo both Anatomy Practicals and possibly, the Expert Patient Session. It was a TOUGH choice, but finally I decided that I'd skip lessons tomorrow. Anyway, I'll worry about that another time. I still have all these lessons to sift through, and not a lot of time at all. Our first final exam starts barely three weeks from now, so it's best to start ASAP. That's been my day today, and thanks as always for reading. Have a great day, cheers!

Throwback to a coin

(Vote RSU - yep, just trying to throw in some subtle hints here ^^)

DAY 215

Apr 4

1) Today has been a really tiring day for me. I got up really early, so that I could revise just a bit more for the histology quiz at 8.00am. The problem with me is, somehow I cannot function normally in the morning. That means everything I studied the previous night will go down the drain, lost after my sleep. So to compensate for that, I need to revisit my notes just before the exam.

2) The test itself was challenging, but doable. I felt the initial questions were quite hard, while the later sections (REGUB) were a bit easier. All in all, it was a 45 minute paper with 30 questions. So few questions, yet so much time invested to absorb every minute detail. After the paper, it was time to reward myself, so I went to AK Henry's for a Full Irish breakfast. This is fast becoming a trend for me haha...

3) After that, we were free until 2pm, at which point we would have our Healthcare Symposia. So I took my stuff to the library, and it was time to sleep(!) Not the best way to establish a sleep pattern I admit, but since I'm only doing it for exams, it should be fine. Woke up in time for lunch, and after some dilly-dallying, it was back to RCSI for the Healthcare Symposia, which was on sickle cell disease.

4) Two women, both from Nigeria, came forward to talk about their experience with sickle cell anaemia in the family, and the associated stigma. One of them brought her daughter, who had the disease. It was really touching to hear about their plight, and to see how much they wanted to advocate for change and awareness. Next, we had one more lecture, before lessons ended!

5) Back at the lounge, there were doughnuts and pizza served, as well as a photo booth where we could get our photos taken. All of this was courtesy from team RSU, who are running for the next Student Union. Besides, there were tonnes of activities; everything from henna painting, to Twister, chess, card games, and even two PS4s! I didn't stick around for long though, but came back to take my belongings at the Coffee Doc.

6) Returned to the library, where *surprise surprise* another team, "ReSUrgence", had set up a stall at the library entrance, giving away free energy drinks. Grabbed my fair share of it, before returning to my spot to type this out. I'm spending the rest of the evening here, probably going to finish off my ICP Portfolio. Yes, there really is no end to the work, is there? But I'll admit, it's been really fun so far. Looking forward to more activities, and stay tuned for more... Thanks very much for reading, and have a great day. Cheers!

Shenanigans with my friends, courtesy of RSU 

(I like how they had enough space for a fourth photo, but instead chose to dedicate that slot for the team logo ^^)

Nothing like a Full Irish to brighten one's day ^^

Two doughnuts, along with some random pics from the photo booth XD

My two doughnuts ft. Melvin's two half-eaten doughnuts (L) and Melissa's doughnut (R)

Really intricate chess pieces, if I may say so myself

Nxf6# makes for a really beautiful mate for white (this was a friendly game between me and my friend, who shall remain anonymous for now - as friendships have been broken by lesser deeds XD)

Two cans of Red Bull, courtesy of team "ReSUrgence"

DAY 214

Apr 3

1) Today has been a long day of studying for me. Brought my stuff to the library first thing in the morning, and I've been there since. But as with all things in life, there were some unexpected surprises in store. At around 10am, a stall was set up at the entrance to the library, and on closer inspection it was the students of RSU, who were campaigning for RSU to be the new Student Union for the next academic year.

2) Free doughnuts and coffee were served, with the promise of free ice-cream at 3.00pm. And as we all know, the one thing that Malaysians love to hear, more than anything else, is the word FREE. I presume they managed to attract a huge number of students to vote for them just by that stint haha. But in all honesty, most of my friends are in this team, so when the time comes to vote for a team to be the new SU team, I know who I'm voting for.

3) The afternoons and evenings are essentially a rehash of what I do (almost) every single day: study, a short nap, and back to more study. Tomorrow's exams are very important in terms of contributions to our final mark, so I had to make sure I learnt the lectures inside out. Went home a bit earlier, to make sure I got enough sleep for tomorrow's exam. That's all for today, and thanks very much for reading. Have a great day, cheers!

Group photo with members of team RSU

RSU

Doughnut and coffee, a perfect combination

Pasta carbonara for lunch

The ice-cream proved to be a hit with everyone

Peppermint ice-cream ^^

After a double helping of ice-cream, coupled with a large cup of coffee in the morning, I was adequately equipped to last through the night, right up until my exams the next day (which ends at 8.45am), after which I'll crash XD

Coin-shaped chocolate (and on it is written "libertie, egalitie, fraternitie", the national motto of France and the Republic of Haiti

DAY 213

Apr 2

1) Today has been a major recovery day for me. Following a long day the night before, this was the time to rest and recuperate. And what better way to do that than by going to the library first thing in the morning? XD

2) I still had two more sections to cover for the histology quiz on Tuesday. So the entire morning and afternoon was dedicated to finishing off the remaining parts. Thankfully, by evening I had completely finished the required material. The only problem was, now I couldn't remember what I had studied a couple of days back! It's quite common really, to forget stuff that we once knew because there's newer stuff entering our brain.

3) Anyway, I have one and a half days more to revise that which I have already studied, to make doubly sure that I've covered everything. Out of all this though, there are two positives that have really lifted up my spirits - the increasing temperature, plus the fact that time is passing really quickly, and soon it'll be the summer break!

4) The end of this semester would unofficially mark our first year at RCSI. Each academic year is broken into two semesters, so on completion of Junior Cycle 2 (JC2) we'll be considered second year students, next semester. I can't wait to make new friends with the first year students, and introduce them to a whole new experience of life. And on that note, I'll end my blog there today. Thanks/domo arigato/nandri/terima kasih/merci beaucoup/muchas gracias/danke schon/daedanhi gamsahamnida/xie xie/do ze/go raibh maith agat as always for reading. Cheers!

Left entrance, first floor middle and right window is where I currently reside

My trusty notebook 

(considering it survived splashes of water, it truly is a rugged one ^^)

Breakfast

Pasta carbonara for dinner

DAY 212

Apr 1

1) Today has been a really tiring day, but no less exciting for it. The main itinerary of the day was the "Time Bomb Conference", organised by MMII (Malaysian Medics International Ireland). For this, I was up by 6.30am sharp, to ensure I reached Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute (TBSI) by 8.00am. We attended a short briefing, to ensure that we knew each of our roles inside out. Our schedule was fully packed for the day, so there was not much room for delay.

2) So in total, there were four talks by Dr. Ignacio, Dr. Little, Dr. Khoo, and Dr. Flannagan, respectively. In between each of these talks, there was a lot of interactive games to be had. The first of this was the "debates" segment, which was actually a Crisis event taken from a MUN (Model United Nations). Essentially, participants role-played as ministers of WHO in tackling a bio-war crisis, which had a certain "Professor X" who had created a "Virus X" and was threatening to unleash it upon the general public. The general consensus for the session was that there was a lot of active participation, with some groups actually able to cast suspicion on who Prof. X was.

3) In the afternoon, over lunch, the participants had the opportunity to visit various booths set up, which all had the common theme of "Time Bomb" or "emergency situation!" written all over them. Among this included sessions on Emergency First Aid; everything from DRABC's (first-aid procedure) to performing CPR and using AEDs (Automatic External Defibrillator). It was really fun and interactive throughout.

4) The last event I was involved in was the Forensic Games. Participants were broken up into groups, and rotated across four different stations, where they had to investigate the death of a certain "Uncle Soon". Afterwards, they had to piece together all the clues to formulate a prognosis as to how the victim died. There was a short quiz afterward, designed to test the knowledge and understanding of the patient's disease. I was particularly impressed by how fast everyone was able to answer the questions. Although some of them were quite straightforward, some required ample in-depth knowledge and the participants certainly didn't disappoint.

5) By four plus, the last event had ended, and everyone went back. Everyone except us, who were involved with the event. We had a semiformal feedback session, where we got a chance to voice our opinions on the event, and suggest improvements for the future. By 5.30pm, everyone was completely drained, so we called it a day. Yours truly still has an exam to worry about this coming Tuesday, so it was back to Mercer Library for another round of study. Of course, it is quite unreasonable to think that my brain will last long after what has been a hectic day, so I packed my stuff early and went home to take a well-deserved rest. That has been my day, and hopefully you enjoyed reading about it. Thanks as always, and have a great day. Cheers!

P.S. Do scroll down for many pics of the event. Enjoy ^^

Group Photo with the Street Doctors

The Stanley Quek Hall

TCD

Biscuits and fresh coffee/tea - who can resist? ^^

Conference set up, sans the participants XD

Chicken fried rice for lunch

CPR session

View from the second floor of TBSI (Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute)

Group photo with the Street Doctors of Ireland

TIME BOMB!!

Me and "Uncle Soon"

Yes, that's all that was left of poor Uncle Soon

MMII 2017 :D

Dinner in Mercer Cafe