Driving in the Snow !!

Today it was really terrifying driving in the Snow. When I left home this morning it was just some flurries mix with rain & it is was still drive able condition hence I drove to work in the morning.

However, when I pass Port Mann Bridge & nearing Surrey it started to snow heavily. I couldn't see the lane divider's on the road, hence it was a very stressful 8 mins drive before I reach the destination. The reason why I was so sure the duration was 8 mins cause my GPS stated that I will reach my destination in another 8 mins. With the roads & sidewalk all covered with snow it was hard to determine if you are driving in the correct lane or you are about to fall into the ditch .... the only thing you can depend on is to drive in the path the previous car left when they drove on the road.

I was thankful that I finally reach safely at work ... Luckily the snow stop about 9 am & the sun came out to melt away all the snow & my drive home from work were snow free.

Next time it snow ... I will definitely take the Public Transport !!

My New Corolla.

Finally, we have bought a Car just in time for Christmas & My Birthday !! We went down to the Toyota Dealership on Sunday 19th Dec as we know that they have some discount on 2010 Toyota Cars. We were actually looking at either getting a Yaris or Corolla & finally we went with a Corolla since the Engine is 1.8 L & it only cost abt CAD 1k extra. At 1st we wanted to get the 2010 Corolla CE model - the most basic model + Air Conditioning & Power Window & TRAC n VSC ... & the price came up to roughly CAD 21,800 (with CAD 2k Discount) BUT we nearly walk out since the salesman wouldn't give me the In-Car Bluetooth as an extra FOC .... then he was so anxious & went to talk to his manager & only to realise that the colour of the car we wanted is all out.

Then his manager came along & recommended us the LE model i.e. with Smart Key System, Auto-Climate Control, Air Con, Power Window, 16" Alloy Wheel, TRAC n VSC, Fog Light, Auto Headlight etc. With an extra of CAD 1400 extra ..... we didn't want so much extra but the manager who coincidently was from Singapore ...... hence he was kind enough to give us another CAD 400 dollars discount & In-Car Bluetooth for Free. So the final total came up to CAD 22,500. (i.e. with CAD 2,900 discount)

Finally, I picked up the car today & was very nervous driving it since I was not very familiar with the car & the road here. Luckily I have my GPS to depend on.







Loving it already !!

Snow !!! Snow !!! Snow !!!

It really snowed heavily last night & we woke up to a White White Morning !!! The snow was thick & was about 10cm high. The kids & my wife was to delighted .... we spent some time playing in the snow & also taking photos. The kids really enjoyed making Snow Ball & Snow Angel ........ Everywhere was like covered with PURE WHITE SNOW !!! It was amazing ... it was really a different experience when you actually see it compared to just seeing it on TV.

FALL has gone !!!

Move over "FALL" .... "WINTER" is here !! Today it had started to SNOW !! Although EXPECTED from watching the weather forecast but I was still surprise to see light SNOW covering the grass when I stepped out of the house in the morning. Then later in the afternoon .... SNOW started to fall again but it was not enough to make a SNOWMAN or SNOW-ANGEL.

My 2 kids are really excited to see snow & my son manage to make a SNOW ball this morning. Hopefully, it will have heavier SNOW fall in coming weekend... so that we can make a SNOWMAN & SNOW-ANGEL coz they have been practicing hard on the CARPET.

As for me ..... it will be a COLD COLD winter, since I need to get out of the house b4 7 am where sunrise will not happen until 7:45 am & the temp is very low.

Brrrrrrrr !!!!

EIT status obtained.

Finally today I have received the Welcome Package from APEGBC for successfully enrolled as an EIT. The process was much faster compared to what I have anticipated .... the most valuable document in the package is the "Certificate of Enrolment".



Now, all I need is an employment opportunity as an EIT. Hopefully my current employer will have opportunities opening sometime in the future.

Got KINECT !!!

Today we finally bought our own XBOX 360 with KINECT !!


We were really amazed with the technology when we 1st play the bundle game - Kinect Adventure. There maybe some hiccups here & there when registering my kids hand movement but overall playtime was fun !! The DVD even had some demo games - Dance Central, Kinect JoyRide & Your Shape Fitness Evolved which was also great to try them out.




YEEEEE HAAAA !!!

1st Day @ Work

Today is my 1st day of work & it is my very 1st official work in Canada. Had to wake up @ 5:30 am to get ready today & left the house about 6:20 am. Walk all the way to the Skytrain & transit to a Bus to the place I work. (Total Journey time = 1 hr) Working hour is 8 - 4 pm.

The company was pretty big (abt 4 floors) & everyones sit in a cubicle (even the Managers) .... it have a Cafeteria, Gym, 3 Small Pantry at each level, Personal resting area (for personal phone calls or small meeting) etc. It was like a maze in the office as everything looks the same.

Including me there are 5 new employees for the Temp Admin job. Hence this week is a training & HR orientation week. Moreover, we were all given a Log In username & password for accessing the Network & Internet - moreover we have our own personal e-mail but we still do not have our own PC to work with. PC setup will complete by Friday.

The most overwhelming thing about today is that we were each given the Company Guideline Booklets to read through which was about 50 pages thick & all the points was like it was written by a LAWYER ...

Halloween Night !!!!

Today is Halloween !!! And it is our 1st time celebrating it... most of the houses where you can go trick or treating has fabulous & scary decorations.













We went Trick or Treating with the kids & has collected lots & lots of candies, chips & lollies.



Although, it was quite cold tonight but we still manage to go around trick or treating. My wife remarked that the atmosphere today seems like Chinese New Year .... where we go around houses to collect Ang Pow. But instead we go from one house to another shouting "Trick or Treat" & the house owner will start giving treats to the kids. Tonite you can really see all sort of ghost, ghouls, vampires, superheroes, princess etc ... roaming the streets.(seems like all the kids in the area are out tonite). The kids really had great fun tonite & the most astonishing things is that my son didn't even complain about feeling tired or need my wife to carry him.

Happy Halloween !!!

2 Different Positions Interview in 1 Same Company .....

Talk about irony ..... today I went back to the company which abt 2 months ago I was there being interviewed by the Director of Manufacturing who made the remark "Who trained you to be a Manufacturing Engineer ?" .......

But this time it was the Engineers that the position I applied for ... that interview me for a Technician position ...... this time round the 2 Engineers said that I'm over qualified for the Job & ask me to better look for an Engineer job.

Haiz .... what am I going to do? I'm sort of stuck in the middle .... being Engineer some may think under qualified or wary in employing new immigrant ..... while as Technician people think that you are overqualified & worry you will jump to the greener grass when opportunity hits .......

With whatever bad experience I had today... there is still a good news. Which I was offered the Admin job by the "Big Company", I spoke of before. Although it will be a 4-6 months job but I think it is a good start & will let me gain more Canadian Experience. Start work in the beginning of NOV.

Application of EIT status

Today my pocket has suffer a "BIG BURN" ..... lost CAD 500++.

It was an inevitable move, I have to apply for licence with APEGBC to work as an engineer in Canada but I could not get the full P.Eng status before I have 1 year Canadian Engineering Experience. Therefor my only option is to apply for EIT (Engineer In Training) and after I gain the 1 year requirement, then I will apply for P.Eng. The application fee cost abt CAD 502 (i.e. include HST 12% tax) ... however this is a one time payment & when I apply for P.Eng this fee is waived ..... but I need to pay for other stuff like Examination, Seminar & etc later for the P.Eng.

I can hold on to the EIT status for 8 years (as long as I pay annual fee of CAD 100++) hence I do not have a job at this field yet, it is a good to have this status as it shows employer that my degree is accredited by Institution. For those not accredited, they have to take several test & getting references before they could get the status. As for me I only need my University to send my academic transcript to them & once receive I will get the status in 2 weeks time. But in order to get the transcript I have to pay my UNI AUD 27 ... which I went to the bank to by a bank draft which cost me CAD 34++ (i.e. exchange rate + 6.50 fee). Then I have to send the application for to my Uni by registered mail ... which cost abt CAD 14++.

Hopefully with the receiving of my mailed application to my Uni & them processing & sending the transcript to APEGBC & APEGBC processing ...... I will get the EIT status in 6 weeks time minimum.

Well Structured Recruiting Process .....

Phew !!! I have not seen a company so well structured & stringent in their recruitment process. I went for an interview 2 weeks a go for a certain "BIG COMPANY" which I do not feel secure mentioning them here ........

After that I believe they have shortlisted me as they quickly went to checking my international references the following week ...... coz I receive notification from my former supervisors that the "BIG COMPANY" has e-mail the reference check form for them to fill in .... mostly the questions are regarding my personality, group work attitude, punctuality at work & etc.

Then this week I receive an e-mail from them requesting me to fill up an authorization form from my University to release my academic details to them for proper verification.

The WEIRDEST thing is that I only applied for a 4 months "ADMIN" job in the company i.e. they require someone who can read basic drawings & digitized their current & past paper document. Do they really need to go to such extend in checking my backgrounds & confirming it ??

Hopefully they will employ me at the end with all these processes.

Thanksgiving is Today ...

Today is thanksgiving & my wife decide that we should try to celebrate it with a Feast. This would be our 1st Thanksgiving here .... instead of having Roast Turkey (which is too large for us) we had roast Chicken's Thigh with Drumstick. We had Pumpkin Pie for breakfast .... which is not to our taste ... probably the cinnamon taste is too strong.




Firstly, she made the Cranberries sauce for the Chicken. (Cranberries + Sugar & Cook)


Before Cooking


Finished Product

Then she started preparing the Mashed Potato. (Potatoes + Carrots + Cheese + Butter + Seasoning) Followed by baking the Chicken & Fries. We even had cantaloupe for dessert.



Yummy it has been a while since we had such a Feast !!!

ps. My daughter even taught us a song that she learned at school ...

Thanksgiving is coming & Mr. Turkey said,
Oh My I need to be careful or I will lose my head,
The Pumpkin heard the Turkey,
Goodness Gracious My,
They will mix me up with Sugar & Spice,
Then I will be a Pumpkin Pie.

3 Interviews ..

This week I had 3 interviews.. on Monday, Wednesday & Friday. The interview on Monday was a position for Production Technician .... which is actually a position for Production Worker. When the manager met up with me ... he quickly said that this job is not suitable for you .... & they may have an opening for Process Engineer in 2 months time ... probably will keep in contact with me.

The 2nd interview was with a Bio-Tech company, they are manufacturing a vision machine to count CFC (colony forming cells). The are hiring a Technician as well, the interview seems to proceed smoothly .... the interviewer even commented that I was at the top now as I could answer all of their hypothetical question, but he has another 2-3 more interviewee to go through.

The 3rd company is the Province's largest Natural Gas provider .... but the Job is as an Admin personnel who has to re-organize & digitize their paper documents, candidate has to be able to read simple technical drawings & well verse in computers. Moreover, this a temp 4 months contract job. The interview went pretty well as well.

I'm highly interested in the 2nd job but the pay for the 3rd job is good. Both company has prospect & may be a good place to start & advance my career. But all I can do now is leave it to "GOD" to decide.

Kirsten's 2nd Week of School

This week the Kindergarten class is split into Morning (starts 9 am) & Afternoon (starts 1 pm) session. Kirsten was registered in the morning class. This arrangement was so that the kids get the feel of what school is all about & gradually the class session will increase. On Monday & Tuesday it was a 1 hr session, Wed was 1 and half hours and Thursday & Friday was 2 hrs session. On Wed Recess was introduce & we prepared some snacks for Kirsten to have at school. During Recess kids are ask to have 15 mins of snack & play time outside the class. This is true for all kids in other Grades as well.

Kirsten's class teacher seems to be very well organize & nice too. She gets every kids to recognize their name cards & place it on the attendance board before the class starts. Then she gets them to sit on the carpet area & wait for the others before starting to sing a song. When heading home time, she will get the kids to clean up all the toys together followed by getting the backpack & jackets on while lining up. Then one by one student in the queue she will ask the child if there are anyone picking he/she up .... else he/she has to stand aside & wait for the guardian to pick the child up. The reason I said she was well organize cause I didn't see the other classes doing this routine. In total there are 4 Kindergarten class in the school & roughly abt 20 students in each class.

Next week all the students will attend the morning class & gradually increase the class session.... from 9 to 12 pm then 9 to 1 pm then 9 to 2 pm & finally 9 to 3 pm. Moreover, all student will be introduce to Lunch at 12 pm on next Tuesday ... it will be a 30 mins Lunch & 30 mins play time outside. All K-class student will be wearing a Purple Vest as a safety precaution so that the teachers & other Grade's kids will keep a look out for any of them who wander away from the group.

One thing we found out while at Kirsten's school is that they do not have textbooks that we used to lug all the way to school during our Primary days in Malaysia .... here the learning session is more lively for all Grade 1 to 7. Teacher regularly bring the kids out of the classroom to learn about stuff .... & more interactive sort of learning .... not like the old method of teacher at the front of the board teaching & kids on their tables listening. Kids here really have a better life ... & better learning environment.

Kirsten's 1st week of School ...

Basically the 1st week of school is more of an introductory & no classes was held. On the 1st day (7th Sept), we went to the school at abt 10:15 am & was to assembled in the GYM. The Principal of the school gave us a Welcome Speech & then got us to register for the time for the Classroom Visit which was yesterday & the Parents Interview which happened today.

Classroom Visit on 8th Sept 1pm

We brought Kayden along to Kirsten's School for the Class Room visit. At the beginning the teacher (Mrs. Ellis) requested all the kids to sit in a circle on the carpet while she took out a Apple Pictured Cards with individual student's name written on them. By coincidence Kayden was also sitting on the carpet with the other new student. Then the teacher begin to pronounce each name that was written in the Apple Picture Cards ... Kirsten quickly acknowledge her name when it was called.

To our amusement, Kayden waited patiently for his name & when the teacher was done.... he turned over & told us "Missing My Name !!" ... then when the teacher re-counted the number of kids on the carpet & the name Pictured Card place side by side on the floor & realised 2 more name Pictured card is not in place. When she look around & ask Kayden ... "Are you sure you are in Kindergarten ?? Or you are somebody's little brother ??" ... Kayden quickly stood up & cling on to his MUM's leg & broke into tears. The teacher was shock by his reaction ... hence ask him to join & wrote his name in another Picture Card.

Then we started with singing some songs ... which it is Kirsten's turn to broke in to tears ... she was upset because she doesn't know the songs & refuse to dance N sing along. Next the teacher took the name cards out individually & ask each student which activities (Painting, Drawing, Lego, Straws, Logs, Train, Blocks) they wanted to play ... Kirsten was 1st up & she chose Painting while Kayden chose the Train. While all the student was doing the activities, the teacher made round to mingle with the Parents & Student .. when she reaches us .. she ask how old is Kayden & said that he is very Adorable.

After the activities ended, the teacher requested all the student the clean up & work together to put away the toys / building materials. Then they all sat down back on the carpet for a Story Telling session .. Finally, the teacher ended the 1 hour session with asking all the students which activity they like best .... again Kayden waited patiently for his name to be called ..... & when asked he shouted "TOO TOO TRAIN !!" ... which made everyone Burst into Laughter.

Family Interview on 9th Sept 10am

Today's family interview was short & swift. The teacher just ask a few question to Kirsten & she was a bit held back hence all her answer was short. Then the teacher ask us if we had any question regarding the school, classroom, schedule or anything. Then she collected the School Supplies with the help of Kayden & Kirsten by asking them to sort each stationaries into the correct Bin. Then we went back to the table & the teacher requested Kirsten to show her the Summer Memories stuff that she had brought along ... hence she showed teacher the Picture Collage of us @ Stanley Park which I made & also a Picture Kirsten drew herself regarding the things she saw @ Stanley Park. Finally, the teacher requested to take the picture of Kirsten but she just doesn't want too ... then the teacher ask if Kayden is to take picture as well... will she do it too ... she said NO again.... lastly the teacher ask her .. "If Daddy take it for you... is it ok?" then she submitted. While we are leaving ... the teacher made a joking remark ... "Can we get Kayden to join Kindergarten ? He seems ready"...

As for tomorrow's school activity there will be a Family Picnic @ the School Park which most likely we will not be there. Classes will officially start next week .... stay tuned for some updates then....

Sorry for the long winded story !!

SUMMER IS OVER !!

It has been a long while since I posted anything on the blog ..... today officially Summer is over as the temp plummeted to within the teens while it was always around 20++ degrees past week & the highest it went up to 30 degrees. Summer here is different from Malaysia as you can feel the HEAT & the scorching sun burning your skin ... whereas in Malaysia it is more HUMID & HOT. The UV here is very high as you can really feel the burn & your skin turn dark very quickly.

Fall has finally arrive today & to be so in the following weeks. Cool & Sunny days .... but what is dreadful about Vancouver is that it rains almost 70% of the time during Fall, Winter & Spring ...

Driving License Received ...

Yeah !! Just received my driving license today. Driving license here seems much more important than the PR card / Identity card ... most of the time when ask for identification, they will ask for driving licenses first. Hence there are also several security feature in it.

1) Picture with Signature below
2) Small hologram picture with Birth Year
3) Magnetic Strip at the back
4) 1D & 2D Barcode at the back
5) Hologram Sticker of the BC logo at the back



My wife says my picture on the driving license looks like a Wanted Criminal !!!

Road Test !!

YAHOO !!!!! I got my interim full fledge Class 5 Driving License today, I can now drive - the actual driving license will come by mail in 10 days. Normally, when you pass the Knowledge test you will be only allow to take the Class 7 Road Test which is a "N" license & the license has many limitation regarding passenger & stuff. Since I have a Malaysian license & have more than 2 years experience they allow me to skip the Class 7 & take the Class 5 right away.

At the beginning when I heard from the others that the Road Test here is difficult, I thought to myself that I'm gonna probably take the test 2-3 times before I pass. I was really happy I manage to PASS it with just 1 try .... although I did take about 7 driving lessons from a instructor. (i.e. each lesson is 2 hours & cost CAD 70)

Getting a driving license here really cost a BOMB !! The "Road Test" itself cost CAD 50 & since I do not have a car I need to rent my instructor's car which cost CAD 100. (this include 1 hr pre-test lesson & 1hr rental for the car to take the test) After I passed the test I need to pay another CAD 31 for the 2 years validity of my driving license. Nevertheless, I'm really delighted that I have PASS.

ps. Will go to Burnaby ICBC on Mon to pick up my Malaysian Driving License which was taken away by them when I pass my knowledge test.

Most memorable Interview.

Had a Face to Face interview today with the Director of Manufacturing of the hiring company, it was a new established & small company hence I believe they do not have HR personnel involved in the hiring process. I was sort of dumbfounded by most of the questions ask, this is because during my working experience most of the job description & knowledge needed was from another department / designated engineer's responsibility hence I have limited knowledge to the job description he mentioned. What astound me even further is that he made a remark ..... "Who trained you to become a Manufacturing Engineer ?" ... I didn't actually answer him & he was not looking for an answer either. Truthfully, nobody ever teaches me much on becoming a Manufacturing Engineer ... most of the stuff I know was self-taught & follow what the predecessor has done. After his remark I look back & realized I have been doing CRAP all these years.

Finally , the Director shared his 20+ experience in the Manufacturing & I was really impress with his experience and what he has done to achieve this position. I was not so much disheartened by his remarks or experience but it made me wanting to work under him even more & hopefully he can mentor me on this job. The only worry I had is that with my Crappy experience, will I be able to meet up to his EXPECTATION ???

Anyway, I will be knowing the outcome by the end of the week or is it by next week .... so FINGER CROSS !!

Volunteering Job

Just started the 1st day of my Volunteering Job here as a Senior's Computer Class Assistant. When you are looking for work here many people around will tell you about the infamous question by HR ...... 'Do You Have Canadian Experience ?'. Hence many new migrant will be pissed cause how are we ever gonna get Canadian Experience unless someone gives us a chance & hire us. To me... I'm not really pissed & I haven't encounter anyone from HR asking me that "YET" .... HR has the benefit of doubt because the references you gave maybe from your home country & difficult for them to check & they also wants you to know the way they work here in Canada .... "MORE LAID BACK" I presume.

Therefor, I opted to do volunteer jobs from speaking to other people here & some research on the Internet. By doing this you will show the potential employer that you are gaining "Canadian Experience" while giving back to the COMMUNITY which is the large part of life here. Young Kids here are being taught in school to participate in teamwork & community work .... this help establish a good base for them.

Another option to gain "Canadian Experience" is also by starting with a lower paying job i.e. work at a supermarket or departmental store ... which I have difficulty looking cause they do not usual post online & they wanted resume sometimes ... which I do not know how to make one .... do I tell them I have a degree? Shall I LIE about my experiences? (definitely NOT cause you lose all Reliability & Trustworthy if you do so). Just don't know where to start.

Hopefully, this Volunteer Job will all PAN out to be a good starting & help me build my creditability.

Stanley Park Visit ..

Visited the Stanley Park today, we took the Bus No 19 from Metrotown. The worst thing is the ride is abt 1 hour & the kids was restless during the bus trip. Stanley Park is sooooo BIG.... it is considered the biggest park in Vancouver City. We didn't get far by foot & only manage to visit the Klahowya Village Exhibition .... they have the Miniature Train Ride, Dance Performance & etc. It was a great experience to learn abt the Native Tribe in Canada ...


Stanley Park Map

One of the Playground @ Stanley Park

Entrance to Klahowya Village Exhibition

Story Telling Area

Stone Etching of Klahowya Tribe's Sacred Animal

Kid's Farmyard aka Petting Farm

Klahowya Tribe Dance

Entrance to Vancouver Aquarium.... LONG QUEUE (luckily we didn't plan to enter)

Drawn Potraits Anyone ??

Raccoon rummaging the Garbage Bin