Recently in My Life Category

I would like to introduce this network for every Canadian adult.
I joined this network and have my blood information on its database.

The first step to do is to go to One Match site. Filling the online form and wait them contact you.
Basicly you will get an phone call to confirm you really want to join it and make sure you know what you do.

Then you will receive a mail with a test swab pack including return envelope.
The test kit has instruction and it is easy for you to collect test sample yourself.
I have an photo of it.

Just use the swab to touch the inner cheek to get sample by four times. And mail it out.

The network will let lab to doing the test and try to match it with others'.

If match, you can save a life.

Do not fear the process to retrive the stem cell. It is a hi-tech age. Stem cells can be obtained from the circulating blood.

My 4 and half years old daughter, Gloria, is pointing her Mii.

Just come back from San Francisco last Saturday. We went to T&T and Costco for grocery.
Later afternoon, we stopped in the EB Games, a game store.

We found Wii there and it is $269.00 with Wii Sports. After a short discussing with Vivian and We decided to buy it.

Grace and Gloria are so exciting. When we headed into home with the Wii box, they can not wait any more.
I unpacked the box, connect the cables and setup the console. They phoned their friends to announce this great news.

I do like the Tennis. I played about 1 hour yesterday. I think it works on fitness job.

See some photos in the next post.

I alway want to have a US Bank account for some reasons. Do you want it?
As a Canadian, I can visit US any time without Visa.
Let me tell you the reason why Canadian needs a US Bank account.

I do buy some stuff from eBay. More and more seller just sell item to US or ship to US address only. The most big issue is they just accept the payment in confirmed address. That means I have a Canadian Paypal account. I can not buy anything as a gift to US address. You may ask why not buy it from a Canadian seller. The answer is less Canadian seller on eBay.
If I have a US Credit Card with US billing address, I can link it to my new US Paypal account and make it as confirmed address. Then I can buy or sell in USA.

And also some online merchants, such as Amazon, has two sites. One for US customers, one for Canadian customers. If I use a user account in amazon.com, I can make an order and ask them ship it to Canada. It accepts Canadian credit card and will ship the orders to US address. If I want some books, I have to use amazon.ca site. You know, the price on these two site are different. The international shipment may tax related.

And some online merchants, do not accept Canadian credit card.

That make me think about to have a US credit card and a cheque account.

The following is the real-time chatting between CSR of Bank of America and me.

This morning, The official death toll climbed to 14,866, as rescuers pulled at tangled chunks of buildings for signs of life on Wednesday.

Hundreds of thousands of troops, firefighters and civilians raced to save more than 25,000 people buried across a wide swathe of southwest Sichuan province under collapsed schools, factories and hospitals after Monday's 7.9 magnitude quake.

China government send the first request for help to other country, Japan.

China has asked Japan for aid after an earthquake killed nearly 12,000 people and Tokyo is set to provide an initial $4.8 million in cash and goods, the Japanese foreign minister said on Tuesday.

Japan itself suffered a devastating earthquake in Kobe in 1995 that killed more than 6,400 and caused an estimated $100 billion in damage.

The United States, Britain, the European Union, South Korea and Taiwan have also offered assistance since the disaster, which came three months ahead of the Beijing Olympics.

The International Olympic Committee on Tuesday said it had decided to donate $1.0 million and the United Nations also offered support.

I got China Earthquake news just after it happen. I was surfing at 1:00AM (PST) May 12.
My friends from China send this news through MSN and QQ.

News Site reported that it is in Wenshui(汶水), Sichan(四川).

I tried to contact my friend, XiaoQing, right in Sichan. I tried different ways, such as cellphone, MSN, QQ. Even the VOIP Phone.

I sent a SMS to him through VOIPstunt.

In the morning May 12, I sat in the office and check the message. He send a message to me . Said he is OK now.

He left the building and stay out side from 2:30 PM and whole night in the park. No sleeping.
I contact him yesterday night. He is in the office. When we were chatting, he said, it shakes again, I have to go off the building. His office is in the third floor.

Later, he left the message. The company he works announced that everyone take the vacation until next announcement.

The official Xinhua News Agency said the death toll exceeded 12,000 in Sichuan province alone, and 18,645 were still buried in debris in the city of Mianyang, near the epicenter of Monday's massive, 7.9-magnitude quake.

My friend, Awflasher, has a very detailed post with photos and videos.

To help the people on my homeland. I make a donation to them through Canada Red Cross.
I can not do it yesterday, because Red Cross site is under maintenance. I do it this morning.

If you want to do something, you can make a donation to help them.

It is a little bit early to say Happy Chinese New Year.

Feb. 7 is the Chinese New Year's Day.
Year of The Rat

Gong Hei Fat Choi

Vivian, Grace, Gloria and me have wonderful time yesterday afternoon. We went to Michael J. Fox Theatre to watch the magical show.

A month ago, it is a dinner time. I got a phone call from the Burnaby Fire Fighters Charitbale Society. She asked for a donation or a magic show for The Fire Fighters Charitable Fund. I was thinking about it just a second and made the decision. I purchased four tickets around $50. Later they sent me the tickets and I mailed cheque to them.

I'd like to support our Fire Fighters. They do what they can do to protect our community, protect our property, and save the people.
I bought the tickets, the money will go to the charitable fund.

It was light rain. A firetruck parking outside of the theatre. Some fire fighters were giving some toy firefighter hat, and booklets.
The show is wonderful. I have never seen this before in the theatre. I just wath magic show on TV.

My daughters like magic show.
The show is provided by Magic 'n Miracles. The schedule are here.
Two hours show. After one hour, it is a break. Both Grace and Gloria get a white cat toy from the firefighters.

This is the 14th Annual Firefighters Magic Show. I think we will go for this Magic Show every year.

It is a popular digital pet for the kids. My elder daughter, Grace, has one. She got it as 7 years old birthday gift.
She always brings TamaGotchi to school and take care of it very nice.

I love this song, she played sometime when I have a nap on the sofa. Let's play it.

I got an email from Chapters Indigo Online. You know I made an order yesterday afternoon. I ordered two books.
1) Search Engine Visibility
2) Professional Search Engine Optimization With Php: A Developer's Guide to SEO

The email said the confirmed order has been shipped. It is such a good news. The speed is so fast.

I would like to check the status of this shipment with the tracking number.

When I click the link it provided, it gave me the following error message.

Does it mean the Chapters' business is too good? Their website can not afford such many users at the same time?

Or

The site is broken by some hackers?

I am scared about the later one.
All user's information should be kept safely, including all credit card information.

Update:
It is only happen under Firefox. IE is OK.

I went to Burnaby Public Library with my daughters, Grace and Gloria.

I borrowed three books, Windows Server Hacks, Windows Server Cookbook and JavaScript for Dummies. Just three.
Grace, my six years old daughter and her little sister Gloria, three years old, borrowed 21 books. Seven times of mine.

They like reading, both of them.

Sometimes I have to say, Grace, have a rest for your eyes. Or, Grace, go out to play your bicycle.

It is inherited from me, I think. I like reading different kinds of books.

We bought a dictionary for Grace. Each of her classmats has a dictionary from school. The teacher said, the dictionary of school is too easy for her. So Vivian asked which one is suitable. Then we bought this one. Collins Gage Canadian Junior Dictionary at Chapters.

The words on the cover are:
The leading reference for Young Writers

This dictionary is so good, with over 30000 entry words, and lots of full-colour illustrations.
When she reading some book, stopped by a word, she can use this dictionary. She knows how to use it.

She learns so quick.

I am proud of her.

Last weekend, there were reports on a higher probability of an earthquake in western canada.
CBC news said:

Seismic scientists say there is a greater probability of a major earthquake on B.C.'s South Coast in the next week, following a series of minor quakes that have worked their way up from Washington.

But seismologist Garry Rogers of the Geological Survey of Canada added that despite the increased probability of a big quake, the chances are still very low.

Some people heard the news and go to store to buy lots of water and some homeowner and business man go to buy earthquake coverage for their home or business insurance.

Please be noticed, most of insurance company may accept these mid-term changes, but they will retain the additional premium of addition of earthquake coverage, i.e. no refund if such coverage is to be cancelled later.