sacha chua

A colleague asked me about Web 2.0 and social networking conferences in Canada, so I figured I'd post it here too. Here are the big ones I know about:

• Mesh Conference (http://meshconference.com) is an annual Web 2.0 conference held in May here in Toronto. They get a good line-up of speakers, and they're always sold out.
• DemoCamp (http://democamp.info/) is my favorite Web 2.0 / small business community event series. You'll reach Web 2.0 thought leaders in Toronto, small businesses and entrepreneurs, people looking for jobs involving Web 2.0 and social networking, and students with great skills. Sponsorship (http://democamp.eventbrite.com/) is capped at $200 / sponsor / event. Events run every month or so, and there's one next week.
• Northern Voice (http://northernvoice.ca) is a Vancouver conference about personal blogging and social media. I've never been there, but I know people who like it.

Any really cool ones I missed?

Tags: canada, web2.0 by Sacha Chua
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Okay, I have officially settled in now. ;)

I used 437:08 local minutes and sent 579 text messages from July 12 to August 11. See, that's why I *had* to find an unlimited incoming and way-too-many-text-messages plan... 579 text messages! That's because I organize get-togethers with broadcast text messages. I find it so much nicer than push-to-talk, also. I wish text messaging service was more reliable, though; sometimes messages get delayed for hours or even days.

It's all about the mobile swarm.

On Technorati: phone, canada

Tags: canada, phone by Sacha Chua
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Finally sorted out a Canada-based credit card. Yay! I no longer have to course credit card purchases through the Philippines, getting dinged on the exchange rate. Too bad I didn't get it in time to pay for my flight.

The credit card representative handling my activation call was really hard-selling me on credit balance insurance. I wasn't too sure I needed it because I plan to pay the balance off in full each month, which is the proper way to use credit cards anyway. He was really pushing me to go for the 30-day review, but I was, like, ehh... Something about hard sells raises my hackles, and I was rather suspicious of the fact that I couldn't go without and just opt in afterwards.

So I Googled for "do I need balance protection insurance" and found the Government of Canada's helpful factsheet on credit balance insurance, which led me to the totally awesome list of consumer publications from the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada.

Hey, governments can rock after all. =)

On Technorati: money, finance, canada, credit

Tags: canada, credit, finance, money by Sacha Chua
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I thought I had escaped typhoons and bad weather. Turns out Toronto's got them too. Without the ever-so-convenient jeepneys that ply Manila's streets, I had to walk that soggy distance home. Good thing I'd brought a large plastic bag for my lunch and my binder. The bag kept my binder mostly dry. My computer was also safe and sound. Water leaked through my rain cloak, though, and my clothes were slightly damp by the end of the trip. Still, I couldn't help but feel happy

As soon as I got home, I dropped my clothes in the laundry, combed my hair, and settled into a warm, fuzzy, pink bathrobe. Hooray for bathrobes!

I found out that the rain cloak I _so_ love using isn't rated for typhoons. Should I get an umbrella as well? A foldable umbrella would fit into my black-and-orange bag, but I'm not sure how sturdy it could be. A full umbrella would be too inconvenient for me, so I guess I'll have to find a decent foldable umbrella. Someone sent me a link to lifetime-guaranteed umbrellas before. I should check them out.

My black stretch pants turned out to be a little too long, and they got stretched even further by the weight of the rain and the stress of being stepped on every so often. I am going to have to buy another, sturdier pair of stretch pants. This pair will not do. As I have given up on them, I may as well try hemming them to match my length. If I mess up, I wouldn't have lost much. If I manage to sew it, I'll have gained a new skill! (Thanks again to St. Scholastica's College!)

The sun has just come out. Maybe I should've just waited for the rain to end. Hmph.

On Technorati: canada

Tags: canada by Sacha Chua
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Check out Red Flag Deals for great promos in Toronto. The articles are also immensely useful.

On Technorati: canada

Tags: canada by Sacha Chua
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