ReNe: the start of classes

So classes have started.

(Officially they started yesterday but I didn't have classes yesterday.)

This means I will be a lot busier. I'm taking two classes this semester -- Biol 5476 (Modeling Biomolecular Systems I) and Biol 5495 (Computational Molecular Biology). Looking at my schedule, it's something like 4 + 6.5 *official* hours a week. Seniors have assured us that we will spend much, much more time than that.

MiKE: picture post

On the first day, I came across this building in the vicinity of the Junction of Church and Isabella street. Just looked so much like a HDB 5 room point block apartment that I had to take a picture of it:

The Ubiquitous view of the CN Tower, which, apparently will be dethroned as the world's tallest free standing structure sometime this week by a structure in Dubai. This shot is looking south from the entrance to Grange Park, late at night when I walked back from OISE to Canadiana. This is the park that many of the local residents, notably the large Chinese population, and especially the senior citizens, would gather in the morning for the morning exercises.


Speaking of Chinese people - here is a shot of Chinatown, along Spadina Avenue, which I live, but about 1-2 km north of where this picture is taken. Does not look like what I would have imagined Toronto to be eh? Would have been unremarkable if one was told this shot was taken at Hong Kong/ Vietnam, isn't it?


One of the many stalls there. This one actually sold - look carefully now - longans and rambutans, and i think i saw a sign for durian somewhere. Did not check out the prices though; just browsed, took the picture and left. Serene noticed the sign for Toronto Fruits & Fruits.


A shot of the bunk beds in Canadiana - this is a quad share room, and I'm standing as far back as I can away from this bed, i.e. there is not much space in the room. Like I blogged about it - not the most neat, these people.

MiKE: Settling in, feeling poor.

After about a week here, I'm beginning to feel somewhat more optimistic, though at times there are moments of panic and depression, usually linked to the quickly diminishing wad of Canadian dollar bills, and the lack of sufficiently intimate human contact in this sea of people. No of course I am not talking about exchange of genetic information, or amylase containing solutions...

Like, for example, today, i was out shopping at Walmart. And I needed someone to give me the second opinion on what I should/ should not get. Nobody was there. Dinner? Alone. I always thought I was more of an introverted kind of person, and at least those MBTI kind of personality tests that I have taken have shown as much. But even so, I am now realizing just how much human contact I actually need. Which is not trivial, i'd say.

After the last blog entry, which was only about the first day, I managed to catch some sleep, 'reset the brain' a bit, to clear the mind, then went for a slightly less ambitious schedule, but still, managed to go bank rate shopping along Dundas St West, hopping, early in the morning from Bank of Montréal (at Bloor Street, first), which said that they would take 30 days to clear my cashier's cheque from Citibank Singapore (which therefore disqualified them from taking up my business), then to The Royal Bank of Canada, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, Toronto Dominion Canada Trust, then eventually at Hong Kong Shanghai Banking Corporation.

For those who know Toronto, Dundas Street West is a major East-West street, which I started walking from University Avenue, all the way to Spadina. Chinatown, happens to be more or less centered around the Dundas - Spadina junction, and it is there that HSBC has its Chinese/Cantonese speaking branch at Chinatown Centre. After going through the rest of the banks, it was a pretty no-brainer to open an HSBC account - they were offering a 5% promotion interest rate on their SAVINGS account.

But before I managed to get to a banker, since the receptionist (a senior looking Chinese person who spoke to me in Cantonese first) had asked me to either wait until past 3 as the bankers were all held up, I went for lunch, and visited the Vietnamese restaurant next door. This was quite welcome, as I only had a wrap from Starbucks in the morning with my latte, which cost all of $10, and nothing else to eat till about 3pm. So, as expected, I over-ordered, got myself the XL sized (Canadian XL, not Vietnamese XL) special beef noodles with soup, and 2 shrimp spring rolls:


And I could not finish the noodles, and had to pack one of the rolls, which I eventually ate about 11 pm on my way back from OISE to Canadiana. I was there late cos they have 24 hour free access to the computer services, which meant chatting and mail checking and whatever else one needs to do on a computer connected to the Internet.

Also on the same day, I managed to get myself a phone (a neat little Nokia 6300) and a phone plan with Fido, the competitor to Rogers (some tell me that Rogers owns Fido...) which did not stock many models of Nokias; also, I managed to meet Vincent, a Singaporean student studying sociology at the University of Toronto, and had dinner with him.

After being filled with Asian food, accomplishing some of the more pressing tasks that I needed to do, and meeting someone I could talk with natively, I began to feel somewhat better.

ReNe: festival of nations

Heard there was an international festival (the usual; food, crafts, performances) at Tower Grove Park, so a few of us made arrangements to go.


Watching some performances. It was quite crowded, but not too bad. Tower Grove Park is quite big and so the 'festival' was able to sprawl out.

Verdict? Not bad. Getting there would be hard without a car (and in the summer heat), though there are buses from CWE, but the overall atmosphere is quite fun. The food and crafts are okay, fairly pricey though, but I guess the proceeds are going towards funding the festival.

Would I go back again next year? Yes, if I'm free.

S&M: tour of anheuser-busch brewery

Today, we went for a tour of the Anheuser-Busch Brewery. Getting there involved a ride on the metro (to Convention Center station) and then a bus (30, I believe). Not terribly convenient, but the long trip was worth it.

The company's most recognizable mascots. They were *huge*. The full-grown Clydesdale should stand 18 hands (about 6 feet) at the shoulder and weigh between 2000 and 2300 pounds.

"In 1933, August A. Busch, Jr. gave a hitch of Clydesdales to his father in celebration of the resumption of brewing in St. Louis following the repeal of Prohibition. Clydesdales--a powerful breed of draft horses--originated in the Clyde valley of Scotland, and they are known for the distinctive, feathery hair on their fetlocks--the lower parts of their legs above and behind the hooves."

---Kim Knox Becklus

Inside the air-conditioned stables. These are pampered horses...


As we walked through the grounds, we could smell the cooking malt. Mike was commenting that the smell reminds him of the area in front of Ikea in Queensway (back in Singapore), where there used to be a brewery before it moved away. I can't recall that, but for me, the smell reminds me of Horlicks, something I haven't drunk or eaten since I was a kid.


I didn't really know what to expect -- a factory, perhaps? However, I was pleasantly surprised, for the old buildings that constitute the original brewery are very beautiful and well-maintained. I suppose it is not a surprise as they do open these areas, which are still in use, to the public.

The occasional quirky architecture. Is that meant to be a gargoyle or is that another company mascot?


And at the end, there were 2 complimentary glasses of beer. Each.

Friends in Singapore know I don't, or didn't use to, drink because I'm a lightweight, alcohol's expensive and I'm a cheapskate, I ride a motorbike, alcohol interferes with athletic performance; etc. But since I've left Singapore, somehow, I found myself taking the occasional tipple. Even before I left, there was the dinner with Jessica and Kelvin that ended with a round of drinks on Mt Faber (I had a magarita). When I got to St Louis, there was the ladies' nite at Blueberry Hill (I had another magarita, but while I paid about US$10 for a dainty glass of magarita with crushed ice in Singapore, I got a generous plastic cup of magarita with ice cubes for US$5 in St Louis); Dan's BBQ (had a few sips of Mike's beer); the brewery tour (where I had about a glass of beer).

Well, when in Rome...

The beer at the brewery was good. Really, really fresh, of course.

Hic.

S&M: visit to the arch

Today, we visited the Arch. School's starting next week and Mike's leaving Monday morning... and I felt that we should enjoy ourselves. While staying at home is enjoyable, we tend to feel sluggish after a while. So we decided to do the touristy thing.

The Arch is actually a rather nice place to visit. The area around the arch is a pleasantly wooded park, flanked by the Mississippi on one side and a oddly green pond on the other.


At the base of the Arch, there's a subterranean level of museums, shops and theaters. Wonderfully cool after the summer heat outside.




The fun, if cliche thing to do, is to take a tram ride to the top of the Arch. Though the actual ride to the top takes only 4 mins (the ride down takes 3 mins), including the gawking time at the top and the queuing time (especially the queuing time!), it takes about an hour. The picture below shows the capsule that is the 'tram'; it seats 5 and is not for the claustrophobic. Even for me, I had to stoop to get in and keep my head bowed slightly when seated.

As we went up, I remembered how a woman we met on the flight from Chicago to St Louis was telling us cheerfully about how the tram broke down a few weeks back.


Views of, St Louis city from the top of the Arch, and Illinois across the Mississippi, respectively.


To be frank, the views are rather insipid. The city isn't as bustling as some other urban areas and the view of Illinois is rather bland. The viewing windows are tiny and double-plated, so you don't get a panoramic view, and there are no cool features like (Toronto's) CN Tower's glass floor. That said, I still had a lot of fun. The ride up was certainly novel and there were plenty of other things to do as well; for $14, we got a ride to the top and a wide-screen (otherwise known as IMAX) film about Alaska. The museum exhibits were free ('Museum of Westward Expansions') and nicely done. I enjoyed it.

ReNe: traffic direction

At a BBQ last night, someone asked, "So what's the biggest culture shock so far?"

Both Mike and I were quick to think of the same thing -- the traffic direction. Vehicles in the US drive on the right-hand side of the road, while vehicles in Singapore follow the British system, which is the opposite. It was particularly notable for us since we used to ride back in Singapore and so it's rather disconcerting for us. For the first few days especially, whenever we sat in a vehicle and that vehicle made a turn, we kept having this nagging feeling that it was *wrong*, that the we should be turning into the *other* lane....

Oddly enough, right-hand driving aside, there wasn't a huge culture shock. Or maybe not yet. Or maybe I'm just numb myself because there are too many things new and happening, and the shockable part of my brain has already short-circuited.

Perhaps it's because the language is familiar. While the food here isn't our idea of comfort fare, it isn't terribly exotic either. In contrast, while we were in Japan, or Thailand, though the food and many customs were similar to what we are used to, continually hearing a foreign language constantly reinforces the fact that we're in a foreign country.

Or perhaps American culture has invaded the rest of the world to that extent.

So we're getting used to the vehicle direction and I'm still bracing for culture shock.

ReNe: apartment starts to shape up

After a few days, the apartment is starting to look more livable.

The bar counter, which I like very much. Though it also means that cooking disasters end up smoking the entire apartment. This picture was taken before we bought a desk, so Mike's doing the internet cafe thing. Not as comfortable as it looks. The overhead cabinets look cool, but to be honest, I can barely reach the bottommost shelf, much less the higher ones, so it's quite wasted.

I must say something about the barstools -- after scouring the thrift shops and malls, we eventually bought these from Bed Bath & Beyond ($20 each) and carried them ALL the way back from BB&B across 2 mall lots (and the warehouse malls here, or whatever they are called, are huge), to the metro, and then from the metro station again to the apartment. It was at least a 30 mins walk.

The kitchen area. The fridge and stove are bigger than the appliances we had back in Singapore. The microwave and rice cooker, I got from a graduating student, a Taiwanese. The oven and dishwashers were new toys for me. =) I mean, I have used an oven before, but that was over a decade ago when I was still living with my parents, so I've not baked anything since. But this is the first time we've both seen a dishwasher. We learned something too -- don't use regular (hand) detergent in the dishwasher. It foams up really, really badly. Like overflowingly badly. On the upside, the kitchen floor is cleaner now. We had to go out to buy detergent for the dishwasher, which looks like a viscous thick gel, and come with all sorts of additives that are not so good for the hands, like bleach.

The rice cooker, by the way, deserves a little description. It was carried all the way from Taiwan, and is a famous brand 'Tatung'. Mention that to any Taiwanese and they would (probably) nod knowingly. That Taiwanese student, and I, both assumed that I would know how to use it, but when Mike and I got back, we stared for a while at the rice cooker. It had a pot for the rice, a lidded and flattish pot that can sit on top of the rice pot, and a flat steamer, but it also had obvious water stains in the heating compartment. We presumed that for the rice cooker to be used as a steamer, water is poured directly into the heating compartment, but is that correct?

Luckily, when we went out later that night with some Taiwanese students, we asked them. (Turned out if we used it the way we normally do in Singapore, we would probably crack the rice pot! Another student had made that mistake!)

Note for the Taiwanese -- we in Singapore (Japan also, I think) do not pour water outside the pot, only inside.

And note for the Singaporean -- in addition to the water in the rice pot, water is ALSO added outside the rice pot, in the cooker. So the rice is 'double-boiled'. Yeah, the rice cooker can also do doubled boiled soups. And the amount of water in the rice pot has to be reduced slightly because additional steam now comes from the water outside the rice pot.

Because of this difference in cooking methods, Taiwanese rice is a little sticker than what we normally get in Singapore. Takes a while to get used to...


We finally bought the lights a couple of days back. Found both the desk lamp and floor lamp at the thrift shops, for less than $30. It was a really good deal because both were pristine, not even used. Interestingly, in the foreground, with the exception of the french press, 2 black bowls and the plastic tumbler, everything else, I found in the thrift shops. Even the Brita water filter ($12), which was almost completely new.

The chair Mike is sitting on -- he loved it when we saw it at Goodwill and carried it all the way back. It is not light of weight.

Didn't bother to buy a bed, only the mattress. This is a 'full' sized mattress, the equivalent of a 'super-single' in Singapore, but a little wider. Many things here in the US are bigger -- even the bolster (known as a body pillow here) is much bigger.


Some organization to the primping area, finally. I got the wooden thingy for $4 at Goodwill. The shaver ($4), new, was also from Goodwill.

So sad. I lost an earring down that sink when I was washing my earrings... a diamond stud that was my first earring, and the only non-cheap earring I have (everything else is under $3).

ReNe: clearing my mobile phonebook

So I've just finished deleting the singaporean phone numbers from my mobile phone.

(I thought that since the sim cards in the US are locked to the mobile phones, I would have to get a new phone, but it turned out that some providers allow you to use your own phone. Going with T-mobile, I just got a new sim card and used my old phone, which meant I had all my old settings and information saved on it.)

Like clearing the flat before we left, it was one of those actions that felt like, yeah, I'm really leaving. Weird, I know, since I've already left and has been in St Louis for over a week. It felt sad, nostalgic and yet exciting.

And like clearing the flat, it brought back a few memories. As I keyed in the numbers into gmail, I ran into names I've not called in the past few *years*. For example, I have names from the RFL ride of 2001, but I've not called any of them since 2001. I also ran into names I don't recognize... Names from university days... It's incredible how much it is easier to let stuff accumulate electronically because the space taken up doesn't actually grow in physical volume.

S&M: settling into st louis

Been busy the last few days settling into my new apartment. Spent Thursday and Friday shuttling back and forth numerous places; from the temporary dorms at Danforth campus to Central West End (CWE), where my apartment is (I'd be studying at the medical campus, which is over at CWE); from the thrift shops along Forest Parkway and back; from the malls at Brentwood area and back...

And all done at over 100F or 40C temperatures. I may have mentioned it in passing before, but I'd say it again -- it's freakishly hot here. And it was no joke walking back and forth in that heat. Most amazingly, we carried back 2 barstools from Brentwood, and on another occasion, a sturdy dining chair from Goodwill.

But we officially moved in Friday morning. It felt great to have a place of my own again, even if it's a rental. For one, I can walk around barefooted. First thing I did after all the stuff and suitcases were put away was to clean the floor (the non-carpeted parts). On my knees with a wet toilette because there was no mop yet. Luckily the studio is small.

The other great thing was to be able to prepare our own meals again. It's expensive eating out, and food choices here tend to be higher in fat. Even a salad, though generous, comes laden with grated cheese and dressing. Thinking about it: the past week we spent at the dorms, we had to eat out for almost every meal (except for the times we bought back bagels for breakfast); the week prior was spent at Mike's brother's place, where we also ate out everyday; and the week before that was spent clearing our flat at 88 and settling administrative stuff, so we hardly cooked as well. I'm trying not to think about the amount of money we spent eating out..

Furthermore, we spent a lot of money over the past few days buying stuff for the apartment, though the place isn't quite done yet. I'd still need some stuff next week, like a vacuum, lamps and another table, but for now, it's livable. Today was spent vegging out, just a lazy Sunday. Probably the first day we've had to relax in the past 3 weeks.

Earlier today, I was comparing this move with the first time we were setting our own place at Blk 70. The second time we moved to Blk 88 doesn't really count because we had a lot of furniture by then. Moving into Blk 70, we had minimal stuff and some furniture like a couple of shelves, some chairs, tables... Everything else, we bought new. New bed, bookcase, tables... New toilets. New KITCHEN. Thinking about it, we spent a LOT of money.

Moving to North America was more extreme; we literally arrived with 2 suitcases each. But this time, we've realized that we didn't need so much things. For example, back then, we had desktops, and we had 2 stereos (one for the bedroom and one for the living room). What the hell did we need 2 stereos for?? We also had a lot of CDs. Because we had a lot of CDs, we needed 2 CD towers. Now, we have ripped everything onto our portable HDs and everything plays off our laptops. That's it.

Another important thing we've realized is that we didn't need all new stuff. I've bought or been given some used stuff from graduating students (rice cooker, microwave, frying pan, small desk), and I've bought some stuff from thrift shops like St Vincent de Paul and Goodwill, which were amazingly cheap. Very decent crockery going at around 50 cents (USD) and cutlery going at 10 cents. I got a nice, small stainless steel pot at $4. Some stuff were really new, like this Brita water filter; a piece of plastic was chipped off (it helps hold the filter cartridge in place but is not crucial) and I guessed perhaps it was for that reason that the previous owner gave it to the thrift shop. I bought it for less than half what it would have retailed for new. One of the purchases I was really pleased about was this winter trenchcoat at $6.

It's a mixed bag of stuff at the thrift shops. The electronic equipment were mostly old and probably not working, and the appliances were also not too confidence inspiring. One can find very good quality flatware though, at rock bottom prices. It's almost impossible to find forks and spoons but for some reason, knives (the butter spreading kind) are everywhere. Furniture tended to be old, but as long as it's undamaged and still sturdy, it's generally a good buy. The dining room chair I'm sitting on right now was a good buy at $25; it's sturdy and comfortable. In contrast, this office chair a student gave me for free (when I bought her desk), was cheap and hence light and flimsy. Shoes were still in surprisingly good condition and clothes; that's the biggest section. If you can be patient in digging through to find your size, it can be a good bargin.

I wished I bought more used stuff. =P
Would have saved me a bundle.

So yeah, those yuppie days when we got married, moved into our first flat and were feeling rich since we were both working; they seem like a long time away now.

The issue about using used stuff is also a bit of environmentalism as well. I really would have like to get all second-hand stuff, partially on the principle of it, but I just can't find some stuff so it can't be helped. I had also been reading about freegans and I agree with their reasoning.

On another note, it's 7:17pm right now and it's still bright outside. I'm not sure what time the sun rises because I usually wake at 8:30am and the sun is high in the sky by then, but sunset here is about 8-8:30pm. It sets slowly; the sun first starts to dip beneath the horizon around 8, but there's still plenty of light from the fading rays until 8:30.

And a final random observation. A senior wasn't kidding when she said that one of the reasons she moved away from her first apartment at CWE, one that faced Forest Park, was because of the noise -- in addition to the medical campus, there's a huge hospital and many other medical facilities around the area, and hence there are ambulances and medical helicopters. The place I got is slightly further away so it's rather quiet. No ambulances yet, but I heard 3 helicopters in the past 2 hours or so.

S&M: pictures of the empty apartment (park 44, st louis)

When the place was totally empty...


The living area... 15x15 (feet), fully carpeted (and just shampooed so the whole apartment smells... not wholly unpleasant, but it smells like bitter chrysanthemum, which, oddly enough, remind me of the hair-lice killing solution I had to use before when I was a kid...)


What you see just as you enter the front door... toilet and primping area... There's actually another closet just facing the sink. The layout is rather much like a hotel room, with the toilet near the front door, followed by the kitchen and finally the living area.

All our worldly possessions....

The little balcony. This unit gets the afternoon sun, so if it wasn't for the air-conditioner (which, by the way, is included with all utilities in the rental), the apartment would be unbearably warm.

Sleeping on the floor because the company I bought a mattress from is f***ked up.

S&M: finding a rental in st louis

Feeling accomplished today.

In the morning, various administrative stuff at the OISS, bank and departmental office got done, and in the afternoon, it was apartment hunting.

The first I looked at was very old. Calling it 'classic' would be kindly. I liked the hardwood floors, generous closets and slightly tall ceilings, but the kitchen was really odd. There were no windows, which would make venting cooking fumes difficult, and the cabinet doors tended to stick.

The second was upon a friend's recommendation, which I have to say plays a huge part. I liked the layout of the unit, especially the counter between kitchen and living area, the little balcony, and the free Wi-fi. The place was also newer than the first. The only thing I didn't like about it was the carpeting... It's thick-pile carpet. Luxurious, but it's gonna be a bitch to clean I think, and really warm in summer.

Still, I was not particularly fussy and didn't want to look around too much, so I placed a deposit on the spot. After all, I mostly liked it, with the exception of the carpet, it was within my budget and quiet. If I really didn't like it, I'd simply find another place to stay once the lease is up. It's not like I'm buying an apartment. =)

And in the evening, Rene and Chialing picked us up to watch Les Misérables at the Muny. For free. =)

S&M: exploring st louis by metro

While we were ferried around yesterday in the luxury of a car, today, we decided to venture out on the metro. Armed with a one-day pass, we first headed towards St Louis Galleria (Richmond Heights station).

My impression of the Galleria: classy.
Not that the brands there were exclusive or ultra-dear, but the entire feel of the mall is elegant and moderately expensive. We initially wanted to get a replacement cable for my Macbook but the Apple store didn't have just the cable on its own. We got out fairly quickly.

We went round to a few of the places around the Brentwood area, including Best Buy and Diebergs, a moderately up-class supermarket, before taking the metro up to Illinois (Emerson Park station), and then back to the Gateway Arch. Didn't know there were a huge underground area under the Arch that comprises museums and theaters, but as it was quite crowded, we decided to leave off the tram ride up the Arch for another day.

By that time, we were feeling burnt and sleepy.

Coming from an equatorial country, it was hard to believe that there are places in the temperate climates that could be hotter than Singapore (or any of the surrounding south-east asian countries), with the exception of deserts, but right now, it is hotter in St Louis than it is in Singapore. The air is also drier, and to make it worse, there is comparatively little shade. Unlike Singapore's generous rainforest trees, when there are trees, they tend to be roundish and compact. Moreover, there is hardly any cloud cover.

The other thing we noticed was the lack of sidewalks here and there. Americans, at least here in St Louis, really do seem to drive everywhere. There are even drive-thru ATMs.

Initially, I thought traveling by Metro wasn't too bad after all, but by the end of the day, I was convinced I really should learn to drive and get a car.

S&M: day 1 in st louis

Woke up this morning at 8am feeling much better than last night, though comfort level was still very low. No food, no coffee, and the nearest place to eat (Wohl Center) was apparently not open till 11am. Went out at about 9 with two main aims: maps and coffee, but we got sidetracked at the residential life center when we found out we can get net access if we have an ethernet cable. Promptly went back to the room and dug around, and yes -- ethernet cable. Physical subsistence was forgotten as we logged on. Comfort levels now considered significantly higher.

Rene (my student mentor) picked us up at 10. First order of the day -- getting me a local mobile phone. Initially I thought I would have to sign a contract and get a new (hopefully) free mobile phone, but after much talking with the helpful guy at T-mobile, what I did instead was to get onto a monthly plan (no difference in charges between contract and monthly, except that I don't get a free phone) and continue to use my current mobile phone. I was pretty zoned out and in desperate need of some caffeine, nodding away and smiling vacuously, but in the end, I got a new SIM card and a new plan. So far, I still think it's a pretty good deal.

After that, breakfast. Blood sugar levels elevated, I was much better to pay attention as she brought us (me, Mike and Chialing) around the medical campus and pointed out good places to rent. Shopping at St Louis Union Station and Farmers' Market at Soulard followed. I'm really intrigued by the Farmers' Market. Reminds me of St Lawrence's Market in Toronto, but not as clean and much cheaper and bigger. Got to figure out how to get there on my own in the future. But by 3+, I was starting to feel jet-lagged and sleepy, and it was just as well Rene and Chialing were done for the day as well, so we all went back.

And, although we really shouldn't, we took a nap. Or more accurately, passed out from 4 till 9.

Note: (large) box of grapes and strawberries @$1 each, and bag of dozen mini bagels also @$1; Farmers' Market