sacha chua

Saturday night's barbecue with Sol Laforteza was _the_ best evening I've had in Canada so far, and I owe so very much to Dr. Oposa for introducing me to their wonderful family.

It was amazing how quickly they took me in and made me feel welcome. Upon hearing that I'd graduated from Ateneo, no fewer than three Atenistas started chatting with me about our alma mater. Then there were questions about high school, grade school (turns out a number of them had also been associated with St. Scholastica's College), the diabolo I brought... And of course, the brownies were a big hit.

What really made me melt, though, was how they repeatedly referred to the Philippines as home. Even those who had moved as far back as 1988 still had very active connections with the Philippines, still thought of retiring (or at least skipping the Canadian winter) in the Philippines to teach. With all of our tsk-tsk-tsking over the political messes the country gets itself into, there was still that underlying pride in our country.

And oh, how Filipino we were last night. From discussions of traditional delicacies to musings on the lyrical properties of deep Filipino, it was an evening celebrating our culture. Top it all off with truly horrendous puns (like the name of an actual salon: Scissors Palace), another Filipino specialty, and you've got a night to remember.

I had a lot of fun teaching Gretchen how to do the diabolo, and by the end of the night both she and Leslie could get it spinning pretty quickly. Tito Gil made very passable and amusing attempts. He's a natural comic and performer, positively twinkling with energy and joy. I'd like to be like that when I grow old! It'll take me years to gain the kind of ease and confidence he had, though... Amazing, really.

What a fantastic group of people! I'm really, really glad I had an opportunity to meet them, and I hope to get to know them better over the next couple of years.

そのコンピュータはかなり時代遅れだったので役に立たなかった。 The computer was so outdated that it was good for nothing.

On Technorati: filipino, philippines, party, friends

Tags: filipino, friends, party, philippines by Sacha Chua
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If you want to know what I've been up to all this while, check out 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001. <laugh> planner-notes-index.el does all the magic.

近年では、電子コンピュータがますます重要になってきた。 In recent years electronic computers have become increasingly important.

On Technorati: planner

Tags: emacs, planner by Sacha Chua
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Chargecards.ca has the goods on credit cards in Canada. Check out the list of student-friendly credit cards for no-fee low-minimum-income no-credit-history-needed deals.

If you're an international student, though, searching for a credit card is a frustrating experience. Under "Perfect for students!" and "Low interest rate!" signs, you'll find "Must be a Canadian resident." It isn't entirely fair how the Canadian government gets to consider you a resident for tax purposes but you don't get any of the resident perks, but that's life.

Don't give up, though! Some banks are at least aware of the predicament of international students. Calling up the International Student Centre yielded this quick tip:

Apply for the TD Canada Trust card at the Bay and Bloor branch (77 Bay Street, a short walk from campus). Don't forget to bring:

• passport
• study permit
• confirmation of address: rental agreement, phone bill, etc.
• proof of enrollment: status letter, etc.
• deposit (at least CAD 1000)

This still leaves me stranded because I'm not actually officially enrolled yet, but hey, at least other people can use the tip.

As long as you use a credit card responsibly, it's a great way to build credit history. It's a heck of a lot more convenient than cash—in fact, a little too convenient sometimes. Take care of that shiny new piece of plastic!

コンピュータがこの会社に導入されつつあります。 Computers are being introduced into this company.

On Technorati: finance, canada

Tags: canada, finance by Sacha Chua
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I went to a shop specializing in pens and organizers, but I couldn't find anything that matched what I had in mind. So I made my own planner templates using OpenOffice.org Calc and Inkscape. I made a week planner with plenty of space for action items and notes, a month list I can use to keep track of things like meals or whatever, and a booknotes template.

I'm going to test the templates over the next few days. If it works for me, then I'll put the templates up on the Net. They're for standard letter-size three-ring binders, so anyone can use them easily. =)

I'm a happy girl.

私達がコンピュータの使い方を知る事は重要になってきている。 It is becoming important for us to know how to use a computer.

On Technorati: planning, productivity, organizer

Tags: emacs, organizer, planning, productivity by Sacha Chua
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I've just finished watching the video my friends made for my birthday and send-off party, and now that I've recovered my breath from laughing so hard, all I can say is... wow!

Here's a toast to a totally amazing group of friends without whom I would be missing out on so much wonderfulness.

やめとけやめとけ。それより薬局に性能の良いコンピューターがあるんだよ。 Don't do that!!! There's a computer at the drug store.

On Technorati: friends, barkada

Tags: barkada, friends by Sacha Chua
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