Comments(0) For the first time since 1976, the Canadian dollar is more valuable than the US green buck!
Hmm, is Canada doing something right, or…what is the US slipping into?
Comments(0) I didn’t know letting Singlish roll off my tongue after being pent up for a month could be so liberating haha.
Three weeks ago I met a Singaporean in one of my classes; a week or two after that I heard Singlish in the same class and three of us got acquainted; and then today one of us bumped into another Singaporean in the bathroom and so 4 of us attending the same class got acquainted.
SRC (Singapore Raffles Club, the Singapore student association equivalent in UBC, although anyone is welcome to join) had an ice-breaker session today, and so we went and got acquainted with even more Singaporeans. The food wasn’t too good, the games not exciting, but it was a good meet-other-Singaporeans session I suppose.
My $0.02 worth: Overseas Singaporeans (especially so) really need to work on their EQ (emotional intelligence). This I say after having met Singapore students both in Shanghai and here. (Of course, myself included)
And I finally got to take a picture with Joy, a friend from Pri/Sec school yay!
The laundry guy (I call him this because I first met him in our hostel’s laundry room one midnight), Joy, and me!
Comments(4) 
“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.” — Marcel Proust
Comments(4) 
It was a ride into the unknown…
…on a gondola (aka Cable Car)
World Famous Lumberjack Show. It was good! And genuinely entertainingly educational!
Do you see the rabbit?
The lumberjack carved a mini chair for a 4-month-old! *cue for audience to go “awwwww* Audiences are really very sporting here 
I think I wanna try paragliding (tandem). It costs $190 + taxes… in exchange for a never-in-my-lifetime-before view. Hmm. Well, but Grouse Mountain is only about 1000+ metres above sea level? I will also receive a video and pictures of me gliding down… Hmm.. encouragement, anyone?
This grizzly bear and another one were found as orphan cubs and taken into care by the rangers at Grouse Mountain. Before animal rights activists get angry, this enclosure is certainly not the usual captivity in zoos. The rangers built this in order for the bears to slowly adapt themselves to the wild. Once they are ready, they’ll be set free.
The peak of Grouse Mountain
It was a cloudy day.
View from the gondola upon descent.
The skyride (gondola ride) costs $34.93 (incl. tax) (two-way) and all the shows are free. There’s Theatre in the Sky (2 shows), World Famous Lumberjack Show, Rangers’ Talk, etc. Plenty to see and learn about wildlife and how capable lumberjacks are with their work with logs. Logs used to be obtained from Grouse Mountain in the past.
If you place a reservation with The Observatory (dinner dining restaurant), and order at least an entrée, you will receive complimentary skyride passes! Which is actually very value for money.
I think I’ll make a trip to Grouse again in Winter to snowboard/ski! If I go again before that, it means I’ll be paragliding…encourage me! Haha.
Comments(0) The last place I thought I’d meet with homophobia was right here in Canada.
Granted, she is a Singaporean christian. A christian Singaporean. And a very staunch, conventional, close-minded one at that.
It still isn’t a good enough reason for such bigotry.
I’m torn between wanting to educate her and saving myself the exasperation. Since I knew she would be that kind of person, why did I bother to correct her use of pronouns when she asked whether I’ve met a special someone?
She’s one of those kinds. The kind parents throw money to another country’s economy just so that she can live in her own comfortable well.
At a time like this I realize my folly of taking for granted the acceptance from people around me. Now I’m so angry over some ignorant comments.
I think she pretty much said all the things she was taught to say. All the things people like her would ask and say. Am I serious about it? Will I grow out of it? Maybe I’ve been in a girls’ school for too long? Was it the boyfriend that made me like this? According to her, proper churches deem gay-friendly churches as “cult groups”. What say you about God loves all? By violating the first natural right of mankind, equality and acceptance, you think your kind dominates your fellows which God could never intend. She also assured me that she’ll “still be [my] friend”, like I’m someone who has chronic bad breath or something to be assured with “don’t worry, I’ll still be your friend”. WTF?!
She also hopes that my relationship will end, and very generously invited me to join her at her church.
If you are an exemplary of a church-going product, I refuse to step into that brainwashing institution, thank you very much.
Disclaimer: I’m not accusing Christians as a whole. But you gotta admit, there are just some of you who simply tarnish your own great religious identity.
Comments(0) Have you ever watched a play where you see smoke coming out of characters’ mouths? I did! Today!
I caught Shakespeare’s (the Bard’s) Romeo & Juliet at Bard on the Beach (an annual festival kinda thing, only in the summer) today! Yes, it was a very good production, but I think the most common words that came out of the audience’s mouths right after the show weren’t “that was brilliant”, but rather, “it’s soooooooo cold!!!”
Romeo & Juliet was performed on the main stage, which, along with all the other stages in their tents, were an open concept, so the back of the stage is uncovered. Thanks to the rain and direct sea breeze, the audience was freezing.
I believe this was the backdrop?
The main stage (centre of stage is where the famous balcony scene is)
Comments(0) You know, if you really manage to come over, I’ll sign the papers.
Keywords: Same-sex marriage; non-residents welcome; $100.
How To Get Married In British Columbia
Are you eligible to marry in BC?
You do not have to be a British Columbia resident to be married in the province. However, you are required to get a Marriage Licence valid only in British Columbia.
Anyone over 19 years of age is eligible to apply for a marriage licence in BC. Anyone under 19 years of age must first obtain the consent of both parents. Click here for the consent form or get the form from the local Marriage Licence Issuer. No one under 16 years can be married without the consent of the Supreme or County Court.
If one or both individuals were recently divorced within the last 31 days, proof of divorce must be provided. No licence is issued until the courts finalize a divorce, normally 31 days after the divorce decree is issued by the Courts.
To marry, blood tests are not required under British Columbia legislation.
Apply for a Marriage Licence
To get married in British Columbia, the Marriage Act requires that the couple get a Marriage Licence. You may get married during the three-month term of the licence.
Only one member of the couple needs to apply for a marriage licence. Click here for the marriage licence application and fee. Find here locations of Marriage Licence Issuers. Please bring the following identification for both individuals who plan to marry.
- Full name, including given names
- Birth date and birth place
- Marital status
- Current address
The marriage licence is issued at the time of application. The marriage licence is non-refundable, valid for three months and may not be extended.
Arrange the Marriage Ceremony
In British Columbia, couples can choose a religious or civil ceremony, which must be witnessed by two people.
To perform the religious ceremony, you can choose a religious representative who must be registered with the Vital Statistics Agency, under the Marriage Act.
In BC, civil ceremonies are performed by marriage commissioners, who are appointed by the Chief Executive Officer of the Vital Statistics Agency. For more details, click on Information about Marriage Commissioners.
If you plan to have a civil ceremony, contact and book a marriage commissioner as soon as possible once you set your wedding date. Make sure you provide the necessary information on your wedding:
- Date and time of your wedding ceremony
- Location and address
- Payment of fees to the commissioner
Additional information can be helpful, including the number of guests and people in the wedding party, plus any special wardrobe or other requests.
Find here the approved wedding ceremony for your use. Any changes should be discussed with your marriage commissioner. Please note that the bold text is mandatory for all civil ceremonies in British Columbia.
Register the Marriage
The marriage commissioner or religious representative who will perform the wedding ceremony will help complete the Marriage Registration Form. Within 48 hours of the wedding ceremony, the form will be sent to the Vital Statistics Agency, where the marriage will be registered and a legal record will be kept.
Proof of Marriage
At the time of the ceremony, your marriage commissioner or religious representative may provide a statement of marriage, which can be used temporarily as proof of marriage. However, it is not a legal document.
You will receive a legal Marriage Certificate from the Vital Statistics Agency after the registration of the marriage.
Which name can I use?
After marriage, you can continue using or choose to use your own surname at any time. You also gain the right to use your spouse’s surname. This does not result in a legal change of name or any automatic change to your identification records.
If you choose to use hyphenated surnames, a legal Change of Name is required.
Comments(2) Do you know that you can get by college without writing your own term paper? I’m not saying I condone such practice, I’m just amused at the ease and marketability of such a service.
Essays, book reports, graduate research, master’s thesis or term papers can be customized (anonymously, I suppose) and delivered to you on time, complete with well-cited, current and academic resources. It is plagiarism free and never resold to another customer.
To give you an idea of the cost, an undergraduate level paper is charged at $20.95 per page, and $27.95 per page for a rush job (anytime within the next 3 days). A paper at graduate level would be $27.95 per page and $31.95 per page for a rush job.
Hmm. So now you know an option you can take if you’re ever desperate (I hope it’s not even an option to you though), or how your classmate manages to cough up a paper even though they are snowed in with other commitments, and then reject attending costly social events.
This is a sponsored post.
Comments(1) *THIS IS NOT A SPONSORED POST*
I’m recommending Pfingo of my own accord.
There’s a certain mobile number I always call when I’m in, but mostly out of, Singapore, so I take into my own hands when it comes to exploring the various means I can call Singapore cheaply, or in this case, ABSOLUTELY FREE!
Albeit for 3 months.
Calls are free, and call quality is excellent (no static, no echoes, no robotic voices).
Special thanks goes out to Ms Fluorescence for telling me about it! So here I am to be the bearer of good news for you guys! Not excluding friends who are currently in Singapore, Pfingo will be your best friend for making calls to/in Singapore. For 3 months after you sign up, you get unlimited incoming and outgoing calls to Singapore lines (both fixed and mobile). You can call from your PC as long as you have a broadband internet connection. If you have a wifi-enabled phone (I wish), you may also do the same as long as you’re connected to the internet. Basically it works like SkypeOut, just that it costs you nothing. Nothing!
Click on the banner at the end of this post to find out more.
Pfingo is a operated by Starhub, and is now offering unbelievable deals with their free 6-month trial.
You can ignore the rest of the digits that talk about subscription rates. Focus on the free trial. 6 months free trial. 3 whole months of unlimited calling to Singapore. Friends in Singapore can call you with your chosen Pfingo number too. Then there’s the $3 credit for you to make other international calls. And the $5 SMS credits. Pfingo is handing you money, so are you going to take it?
As long as I’m online, friends can actually call me on my Pfingo number (Singapore number) using their Singapore phones and get charged local rates while I get the incoming call free, or just give me a missed call so I’ll call you back for free (assuming you have free incoming calls on your phone)!
Launch Specials * New users who register for pfingoTALK or pfingoACTIVE by 31 October 2007 will try the services for FREE for six months. They will also receive S$3 worth of IDD credit and S$5 worth of SMS credit to get started *
On the other hand, to thank the trial users for their support for pfingo, they will enjoy a waiver on the pay-as-you-use subscription fee (S$12 for 12 months), as well as 12-month subscription to the “myGlobal Number: Private” service (they can select either a US, UK or Australia phone number) worth S$18, to continue to test new pfingo services.
During this trial period, you are on our complimentary pfingoTALK PRO
plan in which you will enjoy unlimited free incoming and outgoing
Singapore calls. You can use your free credits given for International
calls(View IDD call rates here)
and SMS. International SMS at S$0.10/SMS and local SMS to Singapore
mobile at promo rate of S$0.03/SMS. You can also purchase additional
IDD and SMS credits from our pfingo Store now.
All trial users have the following options:
Option 1:
If you do not renew, we will automatically convert your pfingoTALK trial account to pfingoTALK BASIC plan. You will enjoy an additional 1 year complimentary pfingoTALK BASIC plan in which you will continue to keep your existing 3-series number for 12 months. All outgoing charges to Singapore numbers will be charged at S$0.01/min. International SMS at S$0.10/SMS and Singapore SMS at promotion rate of S$0.03/SMS valid until 31 Dec 2007. International call (IDD) rate applies. You can purchase additional IDD and SMS credits from our pfingo Store. Your remaining credits at end of trial will be carried forward to your complimentary pfingoTALK BASIC plan.Option 2:
You can sign up for pfingoTALK PRO plan (refer to Pro plan rates here) from as low as S$8/mth at the end of your trial period to enjoy unlimited free incoming and outgoing Singapore calls. International calls/SMS and Singapore SMS charges applies. Your remaining credits at end of trial will be carried forward to your pfingoTALK PRO plan.
Okay, to be honest, I can get pfingo store vouchers (credits I believe) if I successfully refer people…so you know what to do, yeah? Anyway, even without the referral programme, I’d still highly recommend Pfingo!
Comments(0) If you need to offer a gift to an acquaintance and don’t know what the safest thing to get is, gourmet gift baskets may be your best bet. Unless, of course, the other party has certain dietary needs which you overlooked. Simple food baskets are always welcome by almost anyone, and will be especially well received by a gourmand (rates quantity higher than quality).
If UBC’s I. House manages to arrange for me to spend Thanksgiving dinner with a Canadian host family, preparing a food basket might be just what I need. Though I shall have to ask around what to put in the food basket.
Just like its name implies, this international assortment contains “A Little Bit of Everything.” With four cheeses, ham, cookies, condiments, chocolates and crackers, it offers enough treats to serve at a small party or gathering and also makes a great gift. Might we suggest adding this and our “Create Your Own” basket to your shopping cart to create the perfect gift for under $70.
Other:
Or
Our Custom Baskets give you the freedom to choose from our wide assortment of gourmet cheeses and other wonderful delicacies to create your own perfect gourmet gift basket. Just add this item to your shopping cart, then shop for any additional items you want in the basket (these items will be charged at the price listed in addition to the cost of the basket). We’ll beautifully arrange every item you’ve added to your cart in a festive basket, overwrapped with strong cellophane. (Due to their highly perishable nature, please do not add smoked fish to these baskets. Please, also keep in mind that the size of our largest basket for this gift is about 13 x 11 inches, which can fit up to approximately 15 items).
Or maybe I’ll just give chocolates.
This is a sponsored post.
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