DAY 689-694

July 22-27

1) These past few days have been a mad dash for me, as I try my level best to finish up the remaining experiments in both the chemistry and biology labs. As (I think) I mentioned earlier, the MTT Assay results for the two compounds that I synthesised were not good, so I will be redoing the same experiment again, using a different cell line. On Wednesday night, I was in the biology lab carrying out serial dilution of my compounds and adding them to the 12X8 wells. It really is a quite tedious process, especially if you are not adept at pipetting (that's me XD).

2) This morning, for the first time I presented a PowerPoint presentation for the morning seminar. I talked about my research project which I did last year, under my Principal Investigator Dr. Darren Griffith. It was a short presentation, after which the floor was open to any questions. Professor Long (who is present for all these seminars) then asked me many questions regarding my project, at one point also asking me to introduce myself. Talking about the project made me feel all nostalgic, as I remembered the long hours I put in for those two months. It was an interesting session, but there would be more to come...

3) In the afternoon, it was time for the Work Report - a "big" seminar where everyone gives an update on their work progress for the past two weeks. I was obliged to give mine as well, seeing as this would be the last Work Report seminar I would be attending. So I gave a long talk about my research project, on the design and synthesis of specific protein degraders. I received a warm response from the Professor, and that was instant relief and joy for me.

4) In the evening, all my lab mates and I went to take pictures at various scenic points in the campus, as they were planning to make a photo album for me to take home. It was a pleasant surprise when Prof. Long suggested that, and I was very touched at how supportive my friends were in coming and taking loads of pictures together with me. We took photos in front of the lab, the library, the gate, and the old campus gate replica. Fast forward the next evening, and everyone went to the area around Dushu Lake, where we got a fantastic view of the sunset. We took many pictures as you can expect, till everywhere was dark and I had to return to continue my experiments.

5) So on Friday night, I was preoccupied with two tests in the Biology lab - the re-test of the MTT Assay for my two compounds, and the adding of primary antibodies to my proteins for my Western Blot test. The latter requires more steps tomorrow actually, including the addition of the secondary antibodies that bind to the primary ones. Too bad I won't be here in tomorrow, as I'll be travelling to Shanghai with my friends. So on that high note, I think I will end my blog update here. It's been a while since I last published, so I hope you enjoyed reading about the updates. Thanks for visiting my blog, and have a nice weekend ahead. Cheers! :D

Beautiful group pic in front of the Binglin Library (苏大独墅湖校区炳麟图书馆)

Right in front of the Pharmaceutical Sciences Building :)

Another one, cuz why not XD

And one more for the record...

Casually posing at the campus entrance :D

With Dr. Hu, post-doctoral researcher in the Medicinal Chemical Biology Lab

With Kong Jiao and Han Yuqing

From l-r: Feng Shun, Zhou Jujun, Yours truly, Chris, Zhou Tan, Dr. Hu

V for Victory! XD

The replica of the gate in the main (old) campus, complete with motto and flag

Tried the food in Cafeteria No. 1 for a change

Candid group photo at dinnertime :)

Very touched and grateful to receive this water bottle and a T-shirt as a parting gift from Prof. Long and co. <3 <3 <3

Presenting these couple of slides again made me remember the good days I spent last year doing research for the first time :')

It was pouring cats and dogs in the afternoon, so Chris recommended I order takeout, and he recommended this dish

(滷肉饭) "Lu rou fan" - one of the most beloved Taiwanese comfort foods ever. Just like the famous red braised pork belly (红烧肉) in mainland China, "braised pork belly with rice" is essentially one of the most popular comfort foods in Taiwan, originating from either Taiwan or Shandong, China (depending on who you ask haha)...

And that's the dish! The pic doesn't do it justice at all, as the meat (top left corner) is way too dark in this photograph, and so is the slightly tangy seaweed soup (left). Absolutely delicious is my verdict! ^^

DAY 671

July 4

1) Believe it or not the same thing has happened again today - it has been raining since morning. By some miraculous stroke of luck, I've been able to escape it in the morning, reaching the gates just as it started to drizzle. So on a day that is rainy and damp, what better way to cheer everyone up than by ordering a nice feast - straight to our lab! That's exactly what my lab mates in the Biology Lab did, and this time, we each picked a dish each.

2) I chose the "三鲜火锅" (a hotpot consisting of three different types of meat - namely pork, shrimp, and crab). Someone else ordered the delivery today, as if you use it for the first time you are entitled to a discount. We made the mistake of not asking for five individual rice servings (for the five of us), so when the delivery came sans rice, we had to order another time XD. That aside, it has a certain warm, fuzzy feeling - everyone gathered round the table picking out their favourite dishes, while outside is pouring like nobody's business.

3) As for things that I actually accomplished today, well, I spent most of the day in the biology lab. Today I learnt about the MTT Assay, a colorimetric assay for accessing cell metabolic activity. We will use this to test our compounds that we synthesize in the chemistry labs. And just in time, I've completed two of the compounds to be tested. Hopefully, in the following days, I'll have the opportunity to learn more about the various steps involved. That's basically it for today, and I hope you enjoyed reading about it. Have a nice day, cheers! :)

Absolutely mouth-watering if you ask me ^^

If you think I wrote that in Chinese, well sorry you're wrong haha

Three meats, tofu, and rice! :)

Hotpot (the one that I ordered :)

Counting cells and preparing the required amount of nutrition to culture the tumour cells

This may not look like much but you never know :^)

DAY 663

June 26

1) Today was the big send off for two of our seniors in the lab. They have graduated with their PhDs and will be pursuing research as post docs in America. It was with this in mind that they invited Prof. Long, along with all of us (thanks so much for the invitation!) to a sumptuous buffet dinner at the luxurious five-star Kempinski Hotel. I may have failed to mention this earlier, but the research I am undertaking here is under Prof. Yaqiu Long - who, as well as a Distinguished Professor, is also Vice Dean of the Medical College.

2) I was first introduced to Prof. Long a few weeks after I came to Suzhou. She would always be present for the morning seminars, where she would ask questions and comment on the presentation in general. Today, we would meet up again with her, as my lab mates and I took the "Didi" taxi service (it's Western counterpart being Uber) to the venue. We arrived early, and were treated to a fantastic view of "Jinji Lake" (lit. Golden Rooster Lake - 金雞湖) from our seats.

3) Soon Prof. Long arrived with the others. This is the first buffet I've had since coming here, and it was noticeably different to the ones I have had in Ireland. Loads more seafood (including crawfish - a specialty here in Suzhou) and freshly made sushi and sashimi; a truly satisfying meal! And the beautifully crafted deserts were just the thing to cap off a perfect night out (and fitting send off) for our senior friends. We had a toast with everyone (as well as some group pics, as you can see below haha), before taking a leisurely stroll along the pier.

4) It was chit-chat and small talk with my friends, and we talked about how fast time flies, as well as our future. It was really warm outside, so were glad to return to the air-conditioned building. Prof. Long brought the girls home in her car, while us men (haha) took the taxi back to the campus. From there, it was a slow walk back at night for me - after a hugely memorable evening. I've made loads of friends in my time here in Suzhou, and it will not be easy when it is my turn to leave. For now, I can only hope to preserve these precious memories in both my words and in the photos you see below.

5) That has been my day today, and thank you very much as usual for tuning in. Have a lovely week, and see you all in the next post. Cheerios! :D

Group pic with everyone! <3<3<3

(Seniors Qin and Song will be leaving for USA very soon)

(Top l-r: Chris, Dr. Hu Wei, Zhou Jujun, Zhou Tan, Me)

(Bottom l-r: Qin Li Huai, Song, Prof. Long, Kong Jiao, Han Yu Qing)

Wefie ^^

With Prof. Yaqiu Long :)

That's Jinji Lake if I'm not mistaken XD

Buffet here I come :))

Not sure where to begin...

Smorgasbord of seafood

Freshly prepared sashimi

My platter

Rows of sushi

(the first pot contains "nattou" - or fermented soybean, truly an acquired taste!)

Very tempting if you ask me XD

Look at all the crawfish! :)

The desserts were de-lightful! 

Pistachio and mango gelato - YES please!!!

Night tour of the hotel pier ^^

The light-reflected water looks beautiful in my opinion

Kempinski Hotel at night <3

Yes - it is a five-star hotel all right :)