The Case of the Mailed ID Card.

Tuseday : I left my ID card in Singapore, so my sister had to mail it to me. Registered mail coz its really important. Lose your Singapore ID and it cost you $100 to replace it ! I had to go to the post office to pick it up. This is what happened at the post office

Lady : Hello, How can I help you ?
Celine : Hello, I'm here to pick up a registered mail from Singapore. ( hands her the letter for collection )
Lady : Is this package for you ?
Celine : Yupe !
Lady : And your name ?
Celine : Celine,
Lady : The package is for .. Vera.
Celine : That's me, my first name is Vera, Middle name Celine.
Lady : Can I see some ID ?
Celine : University ID is ok ?
Lady : Yupe. ( unfortunately, my UVic Id says Celine, not Vera Celine )
Lady : Do you have other official ID ?
Celine : Err.. its in the package
Lady ; ( Looks at me.. ) sorry dear, I cannot open the package without ID.
Celine : Err.. I need the ID in the package to show you official ID. I'm sorry I dont have my passport on me !
Lady : Well.. what shall we do here...
Celine : I can open the package for you since YOU can't open it ! ( Thinking " Oh no.. I am not going to take the bus all the way home and coming out again. ) SMILES really sweetly for the lady.
Lady : hmm....
Celine : (smiles again) sorry...but I live all the way in View Royal.
Lady : hmm.....
Celine : Its me, i promise, here, shows her UVic ID again..
Lady : can you please open it here ?
Celine: smiles ! Sure ! Rips open the package to my ID wrapped up in sheets of paper !
Lady : wow. ok. Please sign here.
Celine : Thank you so much ! Have a good day !

Lessons Learnt ?
1 ) dont leave your ID behind
2 ) Always tell them your first name. ( even when the whole world calls me Celine )
3 ) Smiling will get you a bit further !
4 ) Make sure I get my full name on all my IDs !

So..I didn't make it last week but I am going for sure ....

so sure that I am leaving in about 14 hours. I am however, NOT packed, NOT ready to go..
Doing the Math, I have 14 hours, taking away 2 for assignments and readings, 30 minutes of shower in the morning, 30 minutes to pack. Waiting for my laundry, folding and putting away my clothes, then packing. Cleaning my room. ( i love coming home from a trip to a nice clean room, dont you ? ) , 3 hours of class in the morning.. dropping by the AIESEC office to say hi to Jon M. That might just give me about, 5 hours of sleep you think ?

Hoping on the BC Ferries again, yes a long tedious 2 hours ferry ride to Vancouver from Victoria. ( i hate it but can't afford to fly ).

Last Night at 'Nachos after ESS Planning meeting' session : with Rob, Kirsten, Kelly and Emma.
Great Sissy Nachos ! That means ; more cheese and just tomatoes, green onions when Bev is not there !

We talked about how many female fire fighters are there in the world ? There is a city in BC where the fire fighters live together. Imagine being the only female fighter and you are living with 19 other guys ? I will go crazy ! Will you ?
How is discrimination still exists in society today ? Have we taken it too far ? ( Meaning, have we tried to protect the minority and females so much that we have overlooked the fact that we have now discriminated again the normal everyday people ?
E.g: some jobs have opened up to only females and visible minorities. So.. the guys are now discriminated against ?

Does anyone speak / write other languages ?

Ya.. a few people have asked me why i haven't blogged the last faw days. 3 days ! is not a lot is it ?

been busy with School, ESS and Meetings. Just a little overwhelmed !

No joke eh ? School is beginning to kill me.. after 3 years of university, now i am just starting to understand why some people cannot wait to get out of school. More disposable income, no more mid-terms and exams .. the fun has just began !

ESS : Great Sissy Nachos guys ! Planning Group Meeting was great. Good to be back on the team and great sissy nachos.. ( ask Rob )

Just wondering if there is anyone out there who is able to help me translate a short paragraph of words into another language. I am trying to collect as many languages as I can. Its for emergency planning, for the city of victoria. I would greatly appreciate it if anyone out there can help me out.

Meetings ( AIESEC and a few other )

Since i am back in school ( for many, it means school = volunteering with aiesec PLUS readings, midterms and exams )
I think I'll go to coastal conference and check out the AIESEC scene once more !

Presentation : there will be a presentation on Singapore at tomorrow's AIESEC meetings. Guess who is turning up with her flag ? Go Nadia !

Went to costco over the weekend and got myself a new book !

The Five People You Meet In Heaven by Mitch Albom

Book Review coming soon !

Sue the Casinos when you lose money !

Taken from reuters.iwon.com

Crazy News of the day : Man loses millions in Vegas due to gambling addiction.

Should he:
A) Stop gambling? B) Get help for addiction? or C) Sue the casinos?

Guess what ? He chose option C !

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A Southern California man has sued MGM Mirage for preying on his gambling addiction and inducing him to borrow and lose millions of dollars at its Las Vegas casinos.
The suit was filed on Monday in a Los Angeles U.S. District Court by Shibley Horaney, a resident of Newport Beach, California, who says that since 1995 he has lost and paid back about $4 million on credit provided to him by the MGM Grand and $1 million on credit from The Mirage casino.
In 2003, he borrowed and lost another $475,000, which the casinos are still seeking to collect.
Alan Feldman, a spokesman for MGM Mirage, declined to comment specifically on Horaney's suit, but said similar lawsuits in the past have been shown to have no merit.
"There are lots of cases where people make their own decisions and choices then turn around and sue the casino," he said.
The suit alleges that MGM contacted Horaney over the phone and by mail over a period of at least nine years, offering to provide free transpiration and hotel rooms as well as lines of credit to gamble at the casinos.
The lawsuit argues that California law bars such predatory conduct and does not allow collection of gambling losses.

Soooo.. I am not in Vancity

Due to unforseen reasons.. I shall blame it on lack of good snow for Sai to snowboard in. We cancelled out trip into Vancouver this week. Next week, however, I will be heading there. My list of things to do in Vancouver just got LONGER...

Attended an ESS course today, learn how to manage a group lodging facility for emergency purpose. What is most fun are the scenario questions that we have to go through... wait till you hear some of them.. and hear our response... ha ha ha.

Sunday morning..wee hours... need sleep... 'hmmm.. sleep' like what homer simpson would say.

Goodnight guys.

Vancouver for the weekend for me...

Heading out and over to the mainland, enjoy your weekends guys.

Oh yeah... news with Celine is that i will be migrating all blogdrive entries over to nomadlife.
Within a few days, nomadlife will be my only blog. Its getting too much work for two blogs.

Celine.

Print some skin off your ink-jet !

Seems like some scientists actually found a way to PRINT HUMAN SKIN, well, that's creepy.

Click for Article

It also says that bone and cartilage printing might soon follow. I totally agree that it could be useful on patients who have suffered burns and disfigurements, and totally a good thing coz patients no longer have to 'lose' a piece of skin from their thighs or butts. Medical discoveries are good stuff. They helped many people around the world. Thank Goodness, today's medical knowlegde is so advanced that we no longer die from a simple cold. Introducing modern technology into the medical world has also brought many people a new hope of life, curing many diseases, a new limb or even the ability to hear or see again.

On the other hand, what is the world coming to ? Do I hear a YEAH ! for the 'plastic surgery world'. Wont be long before some rich and famous will go for a total change of skin colour. ( coz i heard you can print skin in alien green ! ). Or different skin to match a certain tone of make-up ?

Maybe, just maybe, one day, we can walk into the supermarket and buy SKIN ! ( like paper... ) Maybe we can chose, glossy, smooth, sun-taned ! yeah !

Dont get me wrong I am glad to be living in this century.. but printing skin is a little too creepy for me now.

Beautiful British Columbia, Canada

As Craig commented in my first post :
Post much, and include pictures, for no one can rival the scenery of the great British Columbia...

Heres one for all the Canadians and British Columbians out there.

What do you need to know about Canada ?
Maple Syrup, Hockey, Beer, Hockey Eh ! the Moose, RCMP, Did I already say Hockey ?

The biggest change for me coming from Singapore is
1 ) Canada is 2nd biggest country in the world, Singapore might just qualify for the 2nd smallest
2 ) Living in Canada is like livin’ in the fridge, Singapore ? the oven.
3 ) Singapore is only twice the size of my little town, Victoria.

So... this is a map of Canada.

Right : Light Blue represents the coldest part of Canada. Blue represents warmer temperature, still cold nevertheless. Dark Blue, the less cold parts of Canada. ( Still cold sometimes.)
Left : Demographics. Pale yellow =Not many people live there, Orange ? More people and Red is where most Canadians live !


See the red area ? that is British Columbia, the province I call home.

British Columbia has a spectacular natural landscape. Its diverse culture and vibrant cities makes B.C a real Beauty. As a resident of BC, I am proud and love BC. Did anyone say Winter Olympics Games ? Yeah ! We are hosting it in 2010 !

BC is so gorgeous that even the car plates say Beautiful British Columbia


We boost the best weather. Some snow, some sunshine, lots of rain. If you like rain, move to Vancouver. Victoria, is a better choice in my opinion. I love walking the rain, on a hot summer’s night, jumping into puddles of water, thinking aloud, singing in the rain, I take a slow walk when I am thinking, I jump, scream and shout when I get new ideas. In the dead of the night, walking home from school, Who wouldn’t fall in love with Victoria, BC.

So, you never seen BC ? here are some pictures.










Pretty Eh ?

Heres more


Coming yet ? I LOVE B.C

Best Singles Ad Ever written !

Attended an ESS meeting last night. First meeting of the year, awesome stories and great catching up with the team !

The meeting started off with a good clean joke; Thanks Sandra !
It was an awesome joke, I liked it quite bit so.. here it is...

Best Singles Ad Ever Written

"This has to be one of the best single ads ever printed. It appeared in The Atlanta Journal.
SINGLE BLACK FEMALE seeks male companionship, ethnicity unimportant. I'm a very good looking girl who LOVES to play. I enjoy long walks in the woods, riding in a pickup truck, hunting, campings and fishing trips. Cozy winter nights by the fire. Candlelight dinners will have me eating out of your hand. I'll be at the front door when you get home from work, wearing only what nature gave me. Call ( 404 875 6420) and ask for Daisy. I will be waiting....."

Celine : This girl like trucks, camping, fishing trips.. sounds too good to be true ya ? Read on....

Over 15,000 men found themselves talking to the Atlanta Humane Society about an 8-week-old Labrador retriever. ( Men are so easy )

I am looking forward to the weekend, I will be hoping on the BC Ferries to Vancouver and visiting ex-LCP Craig ! One of the coolest guys ever !

Did i make you smile today ? If I did, YEAH !

I am so screwed....

Its 4am... I am still writing my proposals and assignments ! Help me.. my internal clock is messed up !

Record for the last month (Dec 26th to Jan 20) :

Latest time I went to bed: 5.40am
Least amount of hours I slept in 24 hours : 2.5 hours
Number of people who told me to go to bed in one night : 7 ! (all the way from UK ! Singapore ! )
Number of times my CD ( on repeat ) played in 24 hours : 14
Number of times I fell asleep on table : NONE ! ha ha ha
Number of times I thought I heard noises outside my windows onlu to find me over-imaginative ? : 12
Number of books I read : 4
Number of times I missed my first class in the morning : 2
Number of times I went to the bank: 6 Ha ha ha
Number of days snow was on my front door : 6
Number of times I went to my favourite Vietnamese restaurant : 2
Total amont of money I spend on groceries to date : $327.81 ! ( I will be eating in LOTS ! yummy self-cooked food

playing around with numbers...

its 5.40am !

Its 5.40am and I am still awake...

I guess only the crazy university students around the world can understand my plight !
My brain is all maxed out ! Configured my printer to work with my MAC OS, fixed a few gliches.
Finally finished my assignment...

Talked to a 'lost' friend.. i hope I will be awake enough for the day ahead.. going to catch some shut-eye.

Who is up at 5.40am and blogging ? Crazy girl !

University of Victoria, Canada

Since i spend sooo much time at school, here's one about it !



This is my school, picture taken from the air. You see a distinct circle in the picture, its called the university ring road. I love my school. I spend so many hours there, I spend most of my time in one of the buildings.

What is the best thing about my school ?

Buildings are on either side of the ring road. It takes 10 minutes to walk across the campus. The people are warm, friendly and happy, the lecturers actually know you on a personal level, rabbits run amok on my campus, Almost everyone knows everyone ! The beach is not too far away. Each building on campus has a story behind it ( did you go for WOW ? Week of Welcome ? ). SUB has a good diverse student population, every year, us students 'walk out' a new path ! You can hear the rain pit-pattering on the windows when it rains, when the sun is out, we mostly park our asses in front of the library. See below.



Its a smalll university, one that I adore, one where I will earn my degree and one that give me sweet memories to last a lifetime.

to all the UVic people out there, listen to the little radio station that runs from the SUB basement ! read the martlet and the ring, support the VIKES !

This is where I call home from Mondays to Fridays... where do you call home ?

Singapore Chilli Crab, DHL and UVic

Its not even a month and I am missing home food. Especially the infamous Singapore Chili Crab. Craig Atk asked if i knew anything about Singapore Chili Crab, so that motivated me to open my cook book and i am now so determined to cook Chili Crab this Sunday. Will be visiting Craig in Vancouver this weekend. I am sure he is looking forward to Chili Crab too !

Anyone wants a recipe for Singapore Chili Crab ?

Talking about food and cooking, I have been so busy the last few days, I really couldn't be bothered to cook anything huge and impressive. I use to enjoy baking, trying out recipes and having fun in the kitchen. This semester is already killing me !


------------------

A DHL truck rolled by outside my place today, I wondered for a moment if they have anything for me. Then I thought of the DHL mafia gang back home.. I hope they are still partying away in Singapore ! All the parties, the singing sessions, the chill out sessions... I miss them already.
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Since i spend sooo much time at school, there's one about it on my other blog..! I thought about school a lot today. Actually school work...

School is where I call home from Mondays to Fridays... 8.30am to 5pm !

Snow visited Victoria twice this year !

Picture of snow just outside my door. 15th January 2005.

Remind me to take a picture of ' snow and its aftermath" !

Dirty, ugly slush ! Yikes ! Almost slip and fell a couple of times while trying to get to the bus stop. Roads are deadly icy, ok, its not that bad. Drive carefully guys ! and no speeding and donuts !

so.... i thought i will add pictures of the things i did on Sunday instead of explaining them.




Picture of my study table and my kitchen !


and of course, My bathroom !

What did I do on Sunday ? 17th Jan ? I studied, cooked myself a good meal and studied ! Rained all day !

Back to school tomorrow !

" Petals around the rose "

I can't believe I was hooked on this game for a good 30 minutes ! Am I dumb or what ? Dr Duke, a.k.a the person who invented this explained that the smarter you are, the longer it will take for you to figure it out ! I disagreed with that, I believed in the opposite. My friend Adam, figured it out on the 3rd roll ! Now that is smart, being able to think out of the box, be creative !

Game can be found at http://crux.baker.edu/cdavis09/roses.html

The game is quite simple. All you need is a very basic understanding of math. The game is a classic example of how different people look at a problem differently, and most of all, how different views and produce different answers.

The problem is how we define the problem. Now.. this kept me thinking....so many times, when i pick a fight with someone, maybe the problem is that we are seeing different sides ! And sure, being the sometimes unreasonable crazy me, I almost unable to accept a arguement different from mine !

Funny thing is, although now that i realise this flaw in me, i might do not want to change it ! But I will bear it in mind the next time I pick a fight, I might still be stubborn though..

This game also taught me the concept of OVER-THINKING. How many times in our lives do we sit down and give a great deal of thought about a certain issue. Only to realise later that the solution is quite simple. I often make the mistake of over-complicating my problems, causing me to dig myself a deeper hole and be trapped in it. Sometimes, I feel that life is pretty simple. If I stop imagining that everyone out there is trying to compete with me ( for a higher grade, better salary, or even looks ), then we can prob go to bed a little happier and less bitter. I use to think, ( sure earned myself the title of Miss Perfect, or Miss-have-a-broomstick-stuck-up-my-ass ) that the whole world is trying to compete with me and there can be only one winner. GOOD GRIEF ! I am glad I grew out of that !

I was generally bitter about life... oh com'on admit it, at 17, when you are grounded or stuck at home with assignments and your friends happen to have 2 hours more before her curfew is up... It felt like the world was coming to an end and you can be SUPER bitter !

Then, for a really brief moment in the afternoon, I thought about my previous life. Does previous lives exist ? And if it does, who was I ? Was I as stubborn as I am today ? Was I kind ? Did I make a difference to the world ? Maybe I was the first women who captained a ship ? Maybe I was a dedicated mum ! Who was I ?

Well.. since I was crazy enough, I googled for websites that maybe ( just for the fun of it ) could tell me who I was in my previous life ! I didnt find anything... But stumbled upon stories about people ( especially the chinese, they do have quite a lot to say about that ) who remembered their past lives, stories about peopler recoginising their belongings ! Marrying the same guy.... crazy ! I am sure everyone heard about the Dala Lama. That's cool.

Later in the evening, I procrastinated for a while before starting on school assignments. What did I think of ? CALCULUS !

First Post..

First post, playing around with the features and stuff.



so this is me ( at seven ) yours truly.. since my first post should be about me.

Currently, a crazy 4th year student at University of Victoria, Canada.

Originally from Singapore, moved to Canada.

Got involved in AIESEC, had the time of my life.
Still having the time of my life but need to graduate from school.

Have a little travelling bug in me.

Never really did believe how young people can change the world, now I do.

Keep Smiling guys.. will blog soon !

Snow In Victoria !

SNOW in Victoria ! Today, I woke up to find lots of snow outside my window. Weather Channel had warned us of snow for a few days. We have about 1 inch to 8 inches in different parts of Victoria. School was really pretty but I didn't have my camera. Back in View Royal. I had a blast playing in the snow !

Windchill got to -8 degree at its lowest, most of the other times, the temperature danced around the freezing point. The roads were icy, about 6000 families didnt have power.... that's bad..

Matt in whistler is experiencing -52 degrees windchill !
Kirsten is in Brentwood, LOTS of snow !
My sister is in Singapore with the nice warm sun.....

Its only 38 hours of snow and I am missing the sun already..
Have you had your snowball fight and built your snowman ?