Montreal, Edition 2

Lots of stuff to cover in this week's rundown, so without further ado:

I'll begin with a run down research/lab stuff. This past week, I've been doing more observing of lab techniques that may be useful/interesting to know. I've successfully learned how to do genotyping and PCR in the lab, which may not seem like a big deal; but for a guy who hasn't touched the wet lab stuff in roughly 2 years, I feel accomplished. Unfortunately, I forgot to get a copy of the first gel I ran, but believe it when I say it was beautiful. lol. I'm waiting to be trained to handle the mice. Afterwards, I can start collecting behavioral data :)

I also met my PI for the first time this past week, and he seems to be a quiet but kind hearted man. We had a friendly chat about what I wanted to do in the lab, and he made sure to emphasize to me that he was available to talk whenever I needed to. So that's really comforting. :) Also comforting is that some of the lab is taking me to see Cirque du Soleil, which is performing shows playing in Old Montreal for most of the summer. I can't wait!

Also, the world can be smaller than you think. I had run out of laundry one day, and I needed to go to work. The only clean shirt I had was an Emory shirt, so I wore it. As I walked to my lab bench, one of the post docs asked me if I went to Emory. I said yes, and she said that she did, too! This started a long conversation about Old Emory vs. New Emory. For instance, she said that back in her day, Longstreet and Means dorms were renowned to be smelly. I told her she was right, except now they were replaced with new buildings. Amy also said that she hasn't been back to Atlanta, since she left; but I encouraged her to go back and see how much Atlanta and Emory have changed. So all in all, perhaps the fates wanted me to be in this lab. [insert twilight zone music here]

On the topic of Emory affiliations, I also met with some of my Emory PI's friends. My PI at Emory did his graduate studies at the University of Toronto and was kind enough to introduce me to his friends via email. So I had a great time having dinner with Karen, Jeff, and their cute six year old Thomas. We talked about their research, my research, and things to do in Montreal. We ended the evening with ice cream at this amazing little shop that makes fresh ice cream on site with fresh ingredients. I hope to make a second trip before I leave.

Apart from the research related events this week, I spent some time exploring more of the city. I had a craving for Asian cuisine, so I decided to visit Chinatown. Though it is much smaller than say Vancouver's Chinatown, the one in Montreal is still worth seeing. I stopped by a modernized Vietnamese restaurant and had a bowl of pho. Yum:

Pho with Taro Bubble Tea

Vietnamese Restaurant

The French Influence is Prevalent

In Chinatown, there were also delicious bakeries, and I of course had to buy some sweets to satisfy some Asian culture withdrawal. I shall return for more goodies and to try the Chinese restaurant next to the Vietnamese restaurant.

As I was getting on the metro to go back to my apartment, I decided to take a quick detour to Old Montreal (Vieux Montreal). All I can say that this place is like the romantic hotspot. It gives the impression of old Europe with its cobblestone roads and other architectural elements, and it is full of restaurants and shops and art exhibits. They even have those caricature artists along the main road. As I mentioned before, Cirque du Soleil's giant tent was visible on the Old Port from the hill leading into the heart of Old Montreal. I would post pictures, but after I went to Chinatown, my camera battery decided to die on me. Like Chinatown, I shall return with pictures.

This past Sunday, Montreal lifted the admissions fees to 24 of its museums; so being on a budget, I jumped at the idea! As expected, there were long lines, and I ended up only going to the Biodome and the Museum of Contemporary Art. The Biodome, like it sounds, shows 4 different natural habitats (tropical forest, etc). It's a bit kiddish, and the line was long, but I still had fun:

Parrots!

Hungry Penguins!

Also in the back ground is a staff member from the Biodome screaming, "NO FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY!"

The Biodome is also next to the 1976 Olympic Stadium. From the outside, you can see a lot of wear and tear in the concrete structure, but it's still picture worthy:

Thanks to the lady who was kind enough to take my picture.

I also went to the Museum of Contemporary Art. It really was quite an experience. Though I couldn't take many pictures since cameras were disallowed for most of the exhibit except for the one below, I was really taken aback by how out of the ordinary art can be. The ones I can remember distinctly were how artists incorporated film (as in movies) into art. For instance, there was one where the movie was of a woman make sounds with different dishes and then afterwards dropped them. Very odd. Also there was a piece with a bathtub inside a fish tank, and there was one intriguing perspective piece that consisted of a model within a model. In other words, there was a model of a house, you could see; but you could also see a much smaller model of the model that we see inside the model. It makes more sense if you see it. Sorry if that explanation is confusing.

Anyway, things to come: I have scheduled a week off to go see my cousins in Nova Scotia towards the end of June/beginning of July, so that should be fun. I haven't seen them in ages. Also Cirque du Soleil and several festivals, like the Comedy and Jazz festivals are soon.

Until next time!