Welcome to The Field Trip: IEP Conference

Hello everyone! There will be a field trip to the IEP Conference on Jan 14th, 2011. The IEP Conference is organized  by CIC, and is regarded as one of the most innovative and respected events for skilled newcomers seeking practical, effective career advice.

 This IEP Conference focuses on the following 5 areas:

-Healthcare
-Engineering
-Business Services
-Information Technologies & Communications
-Finance & Accounting

If you are interested in any of them, come and join us.  It is a good apportunity to learn some information. Don't miss it!

Time: Jan 14, 2011
Location: Lower Level of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre
Online Registration for the 2011 IEP Conference is now open.

Children's Education

In my opinion, a child is always a child, in particular my son, a 9-year-old boy. So I always treat him as a child. I think there are lots of toys and games in his world. I seldom think that he has the same feelings as adults. But one thing changed my opinion.

Last night, we were talking about what happened during the day as we usually do at supper.  My son suddenly asked me, "Am I silly? " I was confused and asked, "Why? What happened?" He said he spent $5 to register for the chess tournament in school. I know he is very interested in chess, but he is not good at it. So I said,"That is wonderful! I support you." He said,"You know, this money is my pocket money. I have been saving it up for a long time. I could use it to buy cookies. But now I use it to buy failure and ridicule. It is not worth it. I am really silly." I got it. He was worried about failure. He cared about what people thought of him. The most important thing was he could think about how he spent the money. I was glad he could think like that. So I encouraged him. I told him that as new learner, it was not important to win in the contest. It was an opportunity to learn from others. He should enjoy playing chess. On the other hand, as a newcomer, it was important for him to participate in all kinds of activities in school. It could help him to get used to the life in Canada. It was very worth spending the money. After hearing my explanation, my son looked happy.

Actually, parents' leading and encouragement are very important to children during their growing years. We always say that parents are the first teachers of children. That is so true. With the help of parents,  children have more confidence to overcome difficulties. In addition, from this incident, I recognized sometimes parents should not treat their child as only child. They are smarter than we imagine. We should learn to help them in an appropriate way.

                                          

Shopping Online

With the development of Internet technology, a new thing was born, shopping online. People changed their traditional shopping way. Sometime they do not go to the stores in person to buy what they need. They buy goods on the  Internet. They choose and compare goods online, pay online, and the goods what they buy are delivered directly to their home. that is shopping online. It is easy and convenient. It is also a tendency in the future.

There are many online stores on the Internet. My favorite online store is Taobao. It is also one of  the most popular online store in China. It looks like a huge mall. Of course it is a virtual mall.  But it covers nearly every things form clothing, accessories, digital products, home daily, maternal and children, digital entertainment, insurance to service. Every kind of products will provided different brands. It is good for you to compare quality and price. You can learn the goods' appearance by the picture. The features or functions are described by the sellers. There are also many comments from other buyers.

 Basically, the price of items are cheaper than them in the store. The most important thing is there are some solutions to protect customers benefit. For example, when you are buying  items, you pay it to the Zhifubao, which is the medium between sellers and buyers. When you receive the items, then check the quality of the items. If you are satisfied with it, you notice Zhifubao give the money to the sellers. If you are not satisfied with it, you return the items and get back your money. So sometimes I prefer to buy accessories, digital products and home daily in online store . It saves money and time. I don't like buy clothing or shoes in online store. Because I need try them on to make sure they suit for me. Anyway, we choose appropriate way to shop.

"Forcing a Tenant to Move"

This video is talking about a dispute between a tenant and her landlord. The Tenant, Sophia, sued the landlords Lillie and Vincent for forcing her to move and return $2570.88. They are describing the fact to a judge in the court.

Sophia had rented the basement for 14 years. She had no idea if the basement is legal for rent. There is big problem in the basement and it must be handled. She is forced to move out. When she found a gas leak, she called Lillie. Lillie asked Sophia for help by taking the stove out. The gas had gone for two weeks.

FAQ on Landlord & Tenants

A. What temperature must my landlord keep my apartment at?
Answer: My landlord should keep my apartment at 22℃~23℃. That is a comfortable temperature. If it is lower, it would be cold. If it is higher, it is easier to catch a cold when we go outside.

B. How much can my landlord raise the rent?
Answer: According to Canadian economic growth, I think the rent should increase by less 3%.

C. Can my landlord evict me for having a pet?
Answer: Before I sign the agreement, my landlord should agree with me on whether I can have a pet. If I have a pet and break the rule, I don't think he has the right to evict me. First, he can suggest to me that I give up the pet.

WELCOME TO MICROSKILLS LINC

Are you looking for a LINC school to improve your English? Well, MicroSkills LINC is a good choice. It is located at 200 Consumers Road. It provides English language programs from Level 1 to Level 7. It also provides childminding for children who are between the ages of 18 months and 5 years. So you can concentrate on your study without worrying about taking care of your kids. If you have the time, you can take writing and pronunciation classes after school. The instructors are helpful, professional and dedicated.
Furthermore, MicroSkills LINC is one part of Community MicroSkills Development Centre. There are many services and programs for newcomers, such as Job Search Workshops, HOST program, Settlement & Support Services and Newcomer Services. So if you study in MicroSkills LINC, it is convenient to participate in the other programs. For more information, please visit our website at www.microskills.ca/LINC_East.html.