Lesson 07: 100/0

Do you believe in “True Love”? Yes, I think most of us do not believe in true love.

Do you want to receive “True Love”? Yes, I think all of us want to receive the true love from other people. Receive true love from your husband, family members, boss, colleagues, strangers, and so on.

How to get really true love from them? There is only one way to achieve it. It is that you take full responsibility (100) for the relationship first, expecting nothing (0) in return. If you can do things by this way, you will get the true love and respect from others.

I think some of us will disagree with my point. You can provide me a lot of stories to prove that this principle is not correct. I believe in that your stories are true. I also can tell you a true story came from my own life.

It was happened when I was in Shanghai. One day I was driving to take my daughter back home. When I was driving through a junction, a car hit the left side of my car.  It was not a serious accident. At that time it was late for me to go to kindergarten.  The driver realized that it was his fault and he apologized to me with polite attitude. So I told him that I have to go to kindergarten right now and I can be back in 10 minutes. I also gave him my contact information. But when I was back, there were no one there. The next day, I got a call from police and I was told that I escaped from the accident and I should be charged to take the full responsibility for this accident.

The key point is that when you take the full responsibility, do remember to protect yourself. We can expect nothing but we can not be hurt. Although I believe that all the people in the world are honest, some people are really, really bad. They will take the advantage of our 100% responsibility to cheat or hurt us.  

Lesson 06: Schools kill creativity

Schools kill creativity

This is really a big topic. Before I start this speech, I would like to ask you a question. Do you know what happened the last week in China?

Yes. Last week there are over 9 million high school students to take the entrance test of College and University. They only have one chance to take this test. It is one of the most important milestones of their lives.

When I read this topic, I can not remember my school life. So this time I would like to share a true story with you. It is a true story because it is true school life about me.

My story is very simple. Do the test, every day, every week and every month. In the 6 years of my secondary school life, what I remember is one thing that is to do all kinds of test for one goal. The goal is to get high score in the final test.

So I can feel the pain that I got in my school life until now. I believe that I am smart but I do not have creativity. Why I believe I do not have any creativity? I can tell you another true story about my work. Do you know how I do my work? I just follow 3 steps to do my work.

One is to Google. I enter the key world and look for what I want.

Then I copy the coding that I am looking for.

Finally I paste the codes and do a little change.

After you hear my stories, do you think I am a creative guy? I think the answer is NO.

I hope my kids will not have the same experience in their school life.

Maxwell HU

2013-06-11

Lesson 05: Make People Feel Good

Make People Feel Good

Hi, good evening. Have you made other people feel good? But I really do not know I have made other people feel good because nobody have told me.

After I went through this topic, I can not help remembering 3 people that they really make me feel good.

One is my son. My son is only 4 years old now. He always gives a surprise when I go back home. In fact it is not really a surprise. It is just a load voice “surprise”. When I open the door, he will run quickly to the kitchen room to hide. Then he will jump out and speak loudly “surprise” when I step into the door. At that time, I really feel pretty good.

The other is my wife. She take good care of our kids include me. In the past 8 years, she devotes herself to this family and makes everything pretty good. I cannot help telling her that she is really making me feeling good. Thanks a lot, my honey.

Last is my previous boss named Lu. I never feel that he is the boss. This is the really reason that I followed him over 6 six years. He not only gave me a chance do the work that I am really interested in but also provided me a chance to improve myself. I also have a chance to make mistakes but I will never make the same mistake over 3 times. My father always tells me to be honest, work hard and take care of my family. He really succeeded in his business. But I do no have a chance to learn from him because I studied and worked in Shanghai which is far away from hometown. I really appreciated that I have a chance to learn from Lu and I felt I made a good process during the past 6 years.

Finally I hope one day, someone can tell me that I have made them feel good.

Maxwell Hu

2013-06-10

Lesson 04: Reach them in the world

This is really a good topic. If we can reach them, we can steal their good ideas, learn a lot from them and finally make good friends with them.

But most of us want to know how to reach them in the world. Yes, this is a good question. How to reach them in the world? Now I’d like to share my experience with you.

I think there are 3 steps to reach them.

First is to listen. Listen what they talk. My sister told me that if you have time, you should go to Victory College to take a look. Maybe there are some classes which are good for you. I accepted her advice.  Then I went to Victory College and take some public classes. I did not know which class is good for me at that time. So I just listen, listen and listen. Then I can get more information and it can help me make a decision.

Second is to join. This is a very important step. After you listen, you should make a decision if it is really good for you. If it is, you must join them and you can really reach them. After I took the public classes in Victory College, I signed one class which was helpful for me at that time.

Last is to act. When you join them, you can get more ideas from them. We can borrow these good ideas and use them. After I signed one class, I really got a lot of good ideas that is really helpful for me.

This is the way that helped me reach Victory College. I hope it can be helpful for you.

Thanks guys.

Maxwell Hu

2013-06-05

Lesson 03: What’s wrong with all-Chinese schools in Canada?

Is there any wrong with all-Chinese schools in Canada? My answer is definitely NO.

I am really a Chinese in my blood. I am growing up in China and my schoolmates are all Chinese. Although I moved to Canada last year, I can survive in this new country without studying in a mixture school. I realized that my English is not good enough to communicate with native people frequently. So I made a decision to take this small class to improve it. Maybe it is easy to improve in a mixture school, but it is no evidence that there is any wrong with all-Chinese schools.

I have two kids, one is 6 years old and the other is 3 years old. I do not worry about that they can not be involved in this country. I am really afraid that they can not speak mandarin. I am afraid that they will bring a girlfriend or boyfriend with different color in the near future. If there are all-Chinese schools in Canada, I think it is a good way to help them make more Chinese friends in this country. It can help them make a feeling that although we live in a different country, we are Chinese in our blood.

This is my opinion. Thanks.

Maxwell Hu

2013-05-21

Lesson 02: Don’t bother if you’re not sincere

It is really a famous and popular TV show in China. My wife watched this TV show every weekend. I always sit beside her and watch it, too.

In fact there a lot of guys join this TV show for special girl. But most of them failed. Why? I made a conclusion that top reasons are below.

• They do not have the same background such as family, education, career and so on.
• Most of these guys express their emotion with long and beautiful words, but it really is not attractive.

I still remember that my experience of my looking for a job. In fact the process is very similar to this TV show. I also made a conclusion that why I can pass the interview and got this job. The main reasons are below.

• We have the same background. I have over 8 years about data warehouse and ETL projects. The company is looking for ETL specialist, too. So we have the same background.
• Simple is the best. At that time, I just moved to Canada. I really did not know how to express my work experience clearly. So finally I repeated three words over and over again during the interview to show me up that I am really an excellent guy. The words are “I love data”.

Maxwell Hu

2013-05-17

Lesson 01: MOMENT OF EMBARRASSMENT

When I am driving a car, my kids sit in the back seats always sing. The song they sing is very popular. I think all parents have sung this song to their kids. It is “The wheels on the bus”. 

One day I drove with my kids to the park. They were very happy and they sang this song together. I really felt happy and I follow them to sing this song, too. “The wheels on the bus go round and round. Round and round, round and round. The wheels on the bus go round and round. All through the town.”  Suddenly my kids stopped singing and laughed aloud. When they laughed, I stopped singing, too. I asked them why they were laughing. They did not tell me. After a while they sang again. I followed them, too. But when I sang at the point of “Bus”, they stopped to laugh again. I really was confused and I asked my daughter sincerely. “Please tell me why you laugh aloud.” This time my daughter told me the real reason. “Dad, you said Bus like 84. It is not 84. It should be Bus.”  At this time I realized that my pronunciation was wrong. But I really do know where I was wrong. At this time, my wife said. “You can not open your mouth wildly.”

I felt a little embarrass at this moment and I realized that the pronunciation was very important. And I did not worry about my kids a lot because they can learn English faster than me.

Maxwell Hu

2013-05-07 

Never give up

I landed on Toronto with my family on Feb 1, 2012. When I settled down, I found that Canada is really a beautiful country but I did not know how to adapt to this new environment. There were no friends here. I felt lonely.

Fortunately there is a LINC program which is delivered by CIC. MicroSkills has this class and it is very close to my residence. I think I was a lucky guy that I had a chance to take the LINC 5 class. I still remembered the first day of my class. I was excited that I can not only improve my English but also make friends there. Joseph Ng is really a good tutor. Every month we had at least two times to go out to take other events. It helped me be family with this city as soon as possible.

I spent almost 3 month in this class. It was very important and helpful for me because it helped me to take the first steps towards the future. It also let me love this country more than before. This country, people and MicroSkills are so friendly to our newcomers. I think I cannot give up although there are a lot of difficulties ahead of me.

After I finished my 3 months’ studying in MicroSkills, I practiced my speaking and listening. Then I have a chance to take ELT class. During the period, I not only improved my English but also improve my confidence. Then I was about to looking for some job opportunities about my professional knowledge. At first I did badly on interviews. But I never give up and continued to sending my resume and improve my speaking. It lasted almost 3 months and I always told me never give up. Finally I got an offer.

Upon my experience, I believe that we should never give up. With everyone’s help and encourage, such as Joseph, Barber, Paul, my wife and so on, I found my way. I trust that if you never give up and take advantage of opportunities, you will find your way, too.

Several E-mail Demos

1.  a day off

Hi Barb,

I would like to ask for a day off on Wednesday because I received a message and I will have a telephone interview on Thursday, at 3 pm.  I would like time to prepare.

 Regards,

Maxwell HU

2. a week off

Hi Paul,

I would like to ask a week off next month from August 13 to August 17.

These days I feel tired and I went to see my doctor last week. He told me to take some tests and he helped me book an appointment for August 14. I think the tests are very important and I would like to ask for a week off next month.

Could you please let me know if you have made a decision? 

Best regards,

Maxwell HU

3. cover letter

Dear Hiring Manager,

I am writing to apply for the position of ETL Developer that I found posted on Workopolis.com.

As a hard working individual with excellent skills, I am confident that I am a very suitable candidate for this position. The attached resume will provide you with my additional details and experience. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

I am looking forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Maxwell HU

The War of 1812

Recently, Joseph presented some information about The War of 1812. It gave me a chance to learn some of the important historical events of Canada. The War of 1812 is one of the most important events which we should know.

In order to learn more about the war, I searched on the google.com website. I discovered that there are lots of information and many articles about this war. After going through some articles, I'd like to  recommend two of them.

One is "War of 1812" which is published on the website, wikipedia.org. You can find this article by using the link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_1812. This article is brief and to the point. I got a general outline of the war and the reason for President James Madison declaring war.

The other is a series of videos posted on youtube. You can search these videos by using the key words, "First Invasion War of 1812". There is a list from Part 1 to Part 12 for these videos. After I watched Part 1, I could not stop myself from watching the next part. So I recommended that you have a look if you have enough time. It will be worth your time.

After gaining some knowledge about the war, I have a strong feeling that we should show our respect to the war.  Battles such as the Battle of Queenston Heights and the Battle of Chrysler's Farm became iconic for Canadians. It welcomed an era of peaceful relations and trade with the United States. We should not forget the war and that those who died bravely in battle, earned everlasting glory.

Transcribe the audio

Transcribe the audio for 1:30 - 1:36 and 3:12 - 3:13.

1:30 - 1:36
Yes, all my life I have been waiting for an opportunity.

3:12 - 3:13
No, Not sitting down.
I feel cool.

My University Life in My Country

When I thought about this topic, I was so excited. Studying in university was a memorable experience in my life. It was so exciting that I can not forget.

When I first went to university, I was only 19 years old. It also was the first time that I moved out of my home and started living on my own. I spent about 7 years at university.

I still remember my classmates and roommates. I built a good relationship with them.  You may not believe it but there were 7 guys living in one living room. It's true.  The room had four bunk-beds . One was for our luggage and the other 7 beds were for us to sleep. It was crowded. Although we did occasionally disagree on some issues, we had a happy time and built strong relationships among us.

Living on campus was so casual. It also gave us a chance to fall in love with each other. My wife was my schoolmate. I still remember the scene when I first met her. It was an unforgettable moment. She was so beautiful that I was attracted to her. At that moment, I realized that I had fallen in love with her.

Now I sometimes think back to life in university. It was so sweet that I wish I could go back to the campus one day.

Whether OSAP is Available for Overseas Studies

If you want to go to college or university, you can get a range of grants and loans from OSAP. OSAP can help you start your education easier than you think.

If you want to study abroad, can you get the OSAP Financial Aid or 30% Off Ontario Tuition? The answer is Yes, but you have to confirm whether institutions outside of Ontario have been approved. OSAP only provides financial assistance for studies at approved institutions outside of Ontario or overseas . Last year, the government invested more than $3.5 million to establish over 1,400 Ontario International Education Opportunity Scholarships for students who wish to pursue part of their studies abroad.  You can go to the website and enter the school name to make sure the college or university is in the approved list.  Follow is the website: https://osap.gov.on.ca/SchoolSearchWeb/search/school_search.xhtml?commonTask=Y

START A PROGRAM AT COLLEGE

How do you start a program at college?

If you want to start a program at college, you have to do some planning and then some work.
First, you have to decide which program is the most suitable for you. There are a lot of colleges and programs you could choose. You have to compare some aspects such as distance from home, tuition fees, how many semesters and so on. You could search on some websites such as google.ca or ortariocollege.ca to search. I recommend the ontariocollege.ca because all the programs are described on this website.

Next,  You must register on the ontariocollege.ca website. Why? Because you have to apply to a program through this website. If you register, you can get your account and apply for the program which you want to take. You could apply for over 4 programs on the same time. After you apply for a program, you also have to pay for the application.

Finally, after you have paid the application fee, you will be waiting for an email from the ontariocollege.ca. You also will get an email from the college to which you have applied. You will be told when and where to take a test. After the test, the college will make a decision whether or not you have the ability to take this program. If you pass the test, you will get an entrance offer. The offer will be listed on ontariocollege.ca under your account.

If you want to get more information, you could go through the website ontariocollege.ca. This website is very important to you. It could help you apply to a college.

Victoria Day Long Weekend

Last weekend , I had spent my first Victoria Day in Canada. We had 3 days to take a rest or take a trip. I wanted to go out for a trip. Since I did not drive, it was not convenient for my family to go out on a trip.  At last, after I have discussed with my wife, we decided to go to my sister's house to celebrate the weekend together. I have two sisters in Toronto. I called them and discussed together. They were all happy and agreed with me.

On the morning of the Victoria Day, I got up early. My wife prepared some food and fruits. My kids also got up early because they were so excited. Around 9 o'clock, my older sister's husband drove to my apartment and took us to another sister's home. So we saved about $10 on travel.

We arrived at my sister's home at 9:30 a.m. It was about 20 minutes' drive way from my apartment. When we arrived, my kids were so excited because they met their cousins. They were so happy to meet again and they played on the garden. There is a big garden in the back of the house. And my sister planted some vegetables in the garden. We ate the freshest vegetables. They were so delicious.

ChongChong, my sister's son, prepared some balloons and ice cream for today's party. He had bought some groceries the day before. He also was so excited. His mother told us that since he knew that we were coming, he had been excited for these days.

We had a hearty lunch. And we had the freshest vegetable for lunch. Because these vegetables were planted on the garden, they were so delicious that I still could not forget the smell and taste. After the lunch, we all sit around in the garden and ate sunflower seeds. We had a long talk under the shade of the tree. It was a good and happy time for us to get together and talk.

Time went by so quickly. It was soon time for us to leave. But my children did not want to leave. They were so happy to get together. So we decided that we would come to my apartment next weekend, and we could have a hot pot together.

What is Djedmaatesankh

When I first read the word of djedmaatesankh, I did not  know what it meant. This word is difficult to read and remember. But after I read the article, I got some knowledge about Djedmaatesankh. It is the person in a mummy-case. Djedmaatesankh was a musician from the temple of Amun-re in Thebes. And her mummy-case is very beautiful. There are colourful paint and gold leaf on it.

Djed exhibits at the ROM and I have a chance to visit her next Friday. It is a good chance for me to learn more about Djed. I hope the day comes soon.

Compared Some Websites

The websites should be divided into three groups. Group 1 includes  craigslist.org and kijiji.ca. They are a kind of advertising platform. They are based on C2C model. Group 2 includes amazon.ca, tigerdirect.ca and ebay.ca. They are typical B2C websites. We could buy products from them such as books, computers, TVs, etc. They also provide all kinds of customer services such as shipping, seller feedback, etc. Questrade.com belongs Group 3. It is an online broker. This website introduces the business and provides online services.

		free shipping	associate programs	customer reviews	ratings	seller feedback/ messaging
GROUP1	craigslist.org	NO		NO	NO	NO
	kijiji.ca	NO		NO	NO	NO
GROUP1	amazon.ca	YES		YES	YES	YES
	tigerdirect.ca	YES		YES	YES	YES
	ebay.ca	NO		YES	YES	YES
GROUP3	questrade.com			YES

My experience of LINC CLASS

LINC is Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) Program. It is a good place for our newcomers to be involved in the living of Canada.

Now , I take the Linc5 class of MicroSkills. My teacher is Joseph. I find that he is a young teacher with more experience. I especially like the presentation time. Everyone could have chance to share happiness, ideas and experience with classmates. It can help us improve presentation skills. Before we take the presentation, we have to prepare for a long time. It is a good chance for us to practice English. I believe everybody have room to improve on this subject.

I also like the chance to go outside to family with this city. For example, we went to Honest Ed's last week together. And before we went to the Honest Ed's, we also have read and understand the advertisement. It is very helpful for us. I also remember that concert which was performed on Roy Thomson Hall. It was amazing it was free for such a wonderful concert.

At last, I take this opportunity to express my appreciation for giving me this free linc class to improve my English and  to make more friends.

The Living Status of Aboriginals

Last week, my teacher introduced us some knowledge about Aboriginals. This was the first time I have heard of  Aboriginals. I went to the Google to search for more information about them.
First, I was attracted by their dress and food. I joined in the spectacle of dramatic drums and colourful swirling dresses at the PowWow celebration. They also have native fare such as bannock, traditional fried bread, corn soup and blueberry tea. I also pay attribute to the Great Spirit of Manitoulin Island. Aboriginals also have their own songs and traditial cultures. Now there is a celebration about Aboriginal culture, history and traditions during Ontario's Heritage Week every year.

But I was also shocked by another aspect of Aboriginal living status after I saw a video which was  about Aboriginal poverty in Canada. Following are some tacts:
  1. 1 out of every 4 Aboriginal kids live in poverty.
  2. 33% food insecurity as compared to 9% of other Candians.
  3. 116 Aboriginal communities are living under Boil Water advisories.
  4. More than 1/2 of Aboriginals are unemployed.
  5. ......

Finally, I have only little knowledge about Aboriginals. But I think instead of joining in their native culture, songs and food, we should pay more attention to their living status. Our goverment should have the duty to improve their living status. In fact, Aborigianls are older than recorded time. They have the privilege to have a better living status.

New Blog, New Life!

I have created a blog for me to share my ideas and humor with my friends. Although I often read other pepole's blogs, I do not like to write blog. This was the first time for me to use a BLOG. I wish I would like it.