• 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?

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

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

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

On Technorati: canada

Naturally, people started coming online maybe twenty, ten minutes before I had to leave. Still, it was really nice being able to briefly chat with Dominique and my mom. =)

Then I was off to the Science Centre (see blog post before this one), and then to a whole day of fun. =) Calum was really nice. Over salmon sashimi and California maki, we chatted about Japan. He's planning to go there in September, so I told him about things he must not miss: okonomiyaki, street food, that nifty deep-fry place Dave Brown told me about, rush hour in the train system, the hordes of photographers in Meiji Temple on major festivals... He told me hilarious stories about lay-off season at Nortel. Heh. Crazy.

Then he showed me what suburbian entertainment is like: basically, shopping at big box stores like Sam's Club and Future Shop. ;) I told him that we had warehouse supermarkets in the Philippines too (Pricesmart, Shopwise), but yeah, Sam's Club is _way_ bigger than Pricesmart. Mom would have a lot of fun going through that place. =)

He showed me Lake Ontario, too, bemoaning his lack of a real camera that day. I told him about Papa shooting stock shots while on vacation, Kathy's instinctive protection of camera equipment when she slipped... See, I grew up around photographers. ;) I might not know all the jargon, but I can relate.

Lake Ontario is pretty! And it has geese! =) Nifty...

We topped a fun day off with soft-serve ice cream. (I told him about the time I did Linux support for ice cream, and Peppy and I ate ice cream until the world turned funny colors... ;) ) It was great!

Much better than trekking around and figuring things out on my own. =) Excellent day!

On Technorati: friends, canada, fun

It was absolutely wonderful. My dad knows how much I love hands-on science, having had to take me to the Science Centrum in Manila more times than should be appropriate for a grade school kid. (Hi dad!)

I _love_ discovery places like that. I love playing around with the exhibits. I learned that I have, err, the gripping power of a 10- to 13-year-old. And that I can jump lightly. And that sound waves do interesting things in long tubes. And that they've got this really cool marble drop. And rollercoasters are tons of fun; a lot of science goes into their design!

Ooooh. I also got to see an authentic Jacquard's Loom. People who actually paid attention in operating systems class or introductory computing class (especially the ones I taught! ;) ) will probably go "Ooooh" too. A real, actual Jacquard's Loom, the only one left in Canada. Nifty.

The Matter exhibition was under renovation. Waah. And we were too early for the Extreme Science show. But hey, more reason to come back next time, right?

Anyway, that _totally_ rocked. =)

On Technorati: fun, canada

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

The streetcar runs along Gerrard Street E, so it's a pretty convenient location. Now I have a regular Wednesday evening thing...

彼はコンピューターに精通している。 He is acquainted with computers.

On Technorati: canada, busking

I biked up to St. Clair (uphill! on a one-speed bike! ack!) to apply for a social insurance number, only to find out that I needed an employment contract from the school or from an employer providing services on campus. Without a social insurance number, I couldn't apply for a bank account. Oh well. I guess I'll go again when I get the contract.

Still, nothing can put a damper in my mood. I signed up for Bikeshare! I can bike around Toronto! Wheee!

コンピュータに関する本を全部集めなさい。 Put all the books about computer together.

On Technorati: canada

I need a savings account with Internet banking that either allows me to auto-debit credit card payments at the end of each month or lets me transfer the funds online. Most of my research grant will sit there. If I can get high interest, all the better.

If not, I can maintain a current account with good ATM placement and no withdrawal fees for my day-to-day cash expenses. I'm tracking cash and credit separately, so I should be able to get an idea of how much cash I'll need each week.

So, what are my options?

The International Student Center's page on transferring funds to Canada lists the following banks as being close to the St. George campus.

The Toronto Dominion Bank
Bloor & Bay Branch
77 Bloor Street West
Toronto, Ontario
M5S 1M2

The Bank of Nova Scotia
Bloor & Spadina Branch
332 Bloor Street West
Toronto, Ontario
M5S 1W6

The Royal Bank of Canada
Harbord & Spadina Branch
648 Spadina
Toronto, Ontario
M5S 2H7

The Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC)
Spadina & College Branch
268 College Street
Toronto, Ontario
M5T 1S1

The Bank of Montreal
Bloor & St. George Branch
262 Bloor Street West
Toronto, Ontario
M5S 1V9

For President's Choice:
LOBLAWS
12 St. Clair Ave E
Toronto, ON

Darn. Why didn't I still have Internet? I was tempted to run to a cybercafe and look up instructions for machine-washing. Yes, silly thing, but the Internet has everything. (Hey, I picked up tips for handwashing off the Internet before.) Then I thought twice about spending more time and money looking something like that up, and I decided to go with... err... figuring things out.

It was with great trepidation that I measured the appropriate amount of detergent, minding the sign on the wall that very sternly warned me not to exceed the detergent manufacturer's recommended amounts. I had previously picked out the box from a bewildering array of powder and liquid detergents because it was the only one that advertised "Color-fast!" in bright, bold letters. (Yes, humans are suckers for packaging.)

Still, I didn't want to take any chances given my partiality for red and orange tops, so I washed my white blouses separately.

Setting the washing machine to "Bright Colors" resulted in the cold wash cycle that many of my clothes needed, and I figured that my sheets and towels wouldn't complain about not being washed in a hot load. I sorely missed Internet access at that point, as I could have quickly checked the Net to see whether I should have separated my towels and sheets instead. (Note to self: must set up wireless...)

The rest of the wash was uneventful. I used my cellphone to remind me to transfer my clothes to the dryer after half an hour, and pick them pup after an hour after that. I whipped up a quick mushroom-and-cheese omelette for lunch while waiting for my clothes to dry. Surprisingly straightforward.

Keeping the no-ironing trick in mind, I folded the clothes as soon as I took them out of the dryer. I was pleased to see that most of my clothes seem to have survived the ordeal not much worse for wear, although either the dryer or the washing machine had started fraying the threads in my black socks and ever-so-nice striped red long-sleeved blouse. I guess I should wash those separately, then.

I need to look up that demo on how to fold shirts. I remember seeing a video of how to fold shirts correctly and efficiently. It's one of those lifehacks floating around. Hmm...

Casualties:

• Black socks, one pair
• Red long-sleeved blouse
• White and green pajamas: tinted slightly reddish

Go ahead. Laugh. Remember, you were a newbie once...

On Technorati: canada

Non-Filipinos may not understand precisely how important text messaging is. Heck, even with a Net connection at the lab, I _still_ didn't feel quite connected until I sent my first text message and got back a reply.

Whee! Whee! Whee!

Canadian cellular providers all suck. Fido sucks less than the others because it actually allows me to use my Nokia cellphone to text the Philippines for CAD 0.20 (although the guy warned me that cell providers in the Philippines might drop text during peak seasons like Christmas).

Rogers is also a GSM provider, but they said they can only text to around 10 countries. (Which doesn't make sense, because Fido and Rogers are practically the same company now...)

None of the providers will let me send e-mail from my phone. =(

But I'm so desperate for some kind of connectivity that I'll settle for text.

先日、パソコンショップでＳＩＭＭの掴み取りをやっていた。いくらなんでもマニアックすぎる。 SIMM had been grasped as much as possible in the personal computer shop the other day. It is too maniac.

On Technorati: canada

Why _do_ I want cellular coverage, anyway? Is it an ingrained habit that makes perfect sense in the Philippines but not in Canada, like the way our vestigial tailbone must have served some purpose a long long time ago?

Twitch, twitch.

I'd like to moblog. It's a great way to keep track of my little discoveries around Toronto. Ideally I should be able to take a picture and record some sound while walking along. Non-cellphone way: fish the digicam out of the bag, snap a shot, then start sound-recorder on my system.

Aha. I want to be able to get in touch with people at home, who aren't always going to be at their computers. For example, when arranging Skype sessions. _That's_ my main use case. Non-cellphone way: Chikka or some other web/mail to SMS thing. Of course, that means I should've set up a Chikka account first... Hmm.

Hmm. Let's try using those workarounds first.

If I do take the plunge, here's more info:

Rogers texting plans and international text info: $ 0.20 to text Globe, Smart, or Sun

Same price for Bell international text messages. Bell can take messages from ICQ. Bell prepaid? Hmm.

At CAD 0.20, that comes out to roughly PHP 9.12, which is actually cheaper than international text from the Philippines.

HMMM. Looks like we might actually be able to make this work. And of course, there's missed-call stuff... =) Now I just have to figure out if I can cheaply send long e-mail with pictures attached...

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: canada

Her daughter and I had a nice chat last night. Juelle is taking up graphic design in Ryerson. She candidly admitted that she hadn't been to the Philippines in a while and preferred Canada over the Philippines. She asked if I was planning to go back.

I said yes without hesitation. When I saw the curiosity in her eyes, I couldn't help but talk about how despite the political circus and the economic problems of the Philippines, it's still _home_ for me. It is a country that desperately needs us. It is a place where we can make such a great difference.

I don't look down on people who have moved to other countries. I think that their support is a form of patriotism, too, sending much-needed dollars back home. I'd like to straddle the divide by spending time in both worlds, learning new things and meeting people in Canada and then using my contacts and experience to bring investments to and improve education in the Philippines.

I'm putting this up on the Net so that you can remind me, if I start to forget, that in the Philippines there are classrooms without teachers and students without mentors. There are companies and organizations waiting to be born or accelerated. There's so much we can do, so much we can give.

There are lifetimes more to make a difference in other places. Life's lottery has given me the Philippines, and I will do right by it.

新しいパソコンを買うつもりで金を溜めているんだ。 I am saving money in order to buy a new personal computer.

On Technorati: canada

64 bytes from debian-mirror.cs.umn.edu (128.101.80.133): icmp_seq=1 ttl=51 time=28.7 ms

Way, way, fun.

ニューヨーク州アーモンクに本社のあるＩＢＭは世界最大のコンピュータ会社です。 International Business Machines Corporation, based in Armonk, New York, is the world's largest computer firm.

On Technorati: canada

学生はこのコンピュータを利用できる。 Students have access to these computers.

On Technorati: canada

コンピュータのキーボードの操作は、手動タイプライターほど努力を要しない。 The operation of a computer keyboard requires less effort than that of a manual typewriter.

On Technorati: canada, gradschool

I'll be holding my despedida and advanced birthday party on July 9, 2005 (Saturday). Sorry about the short notice, but it was so hard to plan anything not knowing if I'd actually be leaving.

Sacha's 22nd birthday party and 2nd despedida

http://www.adphoto.com.ph/uploads/Main/map.gif

Don't bring gifts. My baggage allowance is too small. ;) I would, however, really really appreciate it if you could write me a letter telling me what you've been up to this last year (or last N years, depending on when we last talked). We're also going to talk about our plans for the next two years, so spend some time thinking about your two-year plan (what you want to do) and be prepared to share it with everyone in a speech of maybe a minute or two.

Come and hang out. I want to know what you're interested in, and I want you to get to meet other people I know just in case you find that you've got similar interests and goals.

Light snacks will be served.

This is pretty much an open party, so if you know people who know me and don't mind talking about their goals and giving advice or whatever for about a minute or two, drag them along. =)

COME!

そのコンピュータは最新式だ。 The computer is up to date.

On Technorati: canada, gradschool, party