My Chinese schoolmates from Fudan and I made our UBC Student Card and UPass today. Really fast and easy!

Yeah I know my hair sux. I kept asking the person-in-charge whether I should take another picture since my hair was covering my eyes, but they already started printing the cards! Bleh. The Upass on the right gives me unlimited access to most of the public transportation in Vancouver! How cool is that!

I thought this sign was pretty witty.

We went to Metrotown’s Metropolis’s T & T Supermarket. Gosh, I thought I was back in China. Almost all its patrons and service crew are Chinese, and the paging done in the supermarket is in Cantonese. People speak Mandarin and Cantonese there like everyone was back in China. I seriously thought I was. Anyway, Chinese/Asian head to this supermarket because the familiar can be found there, and Chinatown is way to expensive.

So we sure did buy plenty of things from T & T and this shop that sells everything for a dollar or less (EXCLUDING TAX. YOU MUST PAY TAX FOR EVERYTHING HERE. IT IS NOT INCLUSIVE IN THEIR PRICE TAG. THERE IS GST AND PST (PROVINCE SERVICE TAX)). 13% TAX CAN YOU BELIEVE IT. IF YOU EAT-IN IT’S GONNA COST YOU 15-20% TIP. TIP!!! MONEY YOU GIVE IN THE NAME OF VOLUNTARISM HAS A MINIMUM SUM LIABLE!!)

Skytrain (their version of a subway) ticket dispensers. (Only your integrity is at stake if you don’t purchase one)

There are no barricades whatsoever to check your tickets. There are supposedly inspectors who go around checking that you bought tickets (we didn’t meet any), but it’s mostly based on a trust system. Such sophistication!

And we missed our last bus back to UBC! We went to the wrong bus stop and saw the last bus leave! Of course, at that time we didn’t know it was the last bus did we. I approached another bus driver and managed to take it and then transfered to another bus nearer UBC and thus here I am! Mental note: leave downtown before 6pm in order to avoid being stranded.