CMB course in Australia

I have signed up for a 2-week Marine Microbial Ecology workshop that is organised by Center of Marine Bio-innovation. It will be held in Sydney Institute of Marine Science (SIMS). I am really looking forward to it because the course have a few very prominent researchers who will be teaching us different aspects of Marine Microbial Ecology. The microbial/ metagenomics portion of the course will definitely help to fill in some knowledge gaps which I have in my own research.

Stayed a night at my friend, Aaron's place in order to catch the early AirBus to the airport this morning. It is always "interesting" to walk in Auckland city at night - there are drunk and loud people everywhere, shouting at the top of their voice, some lying down on the floor etc. Aaron's place is VERY small - you walk into his apartment, and there is the kitchen-dining-living room, and then there is a bed room which was obviously converted from the balcony! The three of us (Aaron, his roommate and me) squeezed in that small room. He had to share a bed with him, and let me sleep on his bed instead... Aaron is a good guy!

The 3-hr flight to Sydney was not too bad.There was in-flight movies, the seat is relatively spacious. Air NZ is indeed not too bad. Edwin, my old junior college friend came to pick me up from the airport. He had left his family back home, and came to Sydney to explore the opportunity to expand his Singapore business to Australia. Thus, he said it was great for him not only to catch up with an old friend, and also have someone to talk to on the weekend... I definitely understand his feeling. I had the same loneliness when I was in NY all alone many years ago. We had lunch at a local Malaysia restaurant, and then coffee along the beach. We talked about old memories, and new future plans - kids, family, work etc. Great catching up with him.

He send me to the Sydney Institute of Marine Science (SIMS) at Chowder Bay, Mosman. I was really lucky that he volunteered to drive me there, because it was located in NO WHERE! There is only one bus that runs every hour, and the nearest supermarket is a 45-min walk! Anyway, I got to the place, and have no idea where to meet the rest of my classmates?!..and to make things worse, I have no way of calling any of them since I do not have an international roaming cell phone. Well, I saw the student name list on one of the building door, and saw that Meagan (one of the students) is coming in at about 4pm, and she has a mobile. I decided she would be my best bet, and thus I waited on the stairs for her.... (TO BE CONTINUED)

P.S. Photos will be coming later. No time to upload...sorry.