My Love. Stanley Park

I came to Vancouver to study English but also to enjoy nature fully.
I love being in the nature. Stanley Park is an ideal park for me.
I heard this park is the most biggest public park in Canada.

We can find a lot of things to see such as Lion's Gate Bridge which leads us to North Vancouver, Prospect point which shows us fantastic sunset, Totem poles, and Vancouver Aquarium.

We can also borrow a bicycle around Stanley Park. The pavement for people and driveway for bicycles are divided according to outline of the park. Riding bicycle will provides you to have more fun!

Vancouver Aquarium is also in Stanley park. We can see some fishes we've never seen in our country, so It would be interesting! Dolphin show is the main flower of aquarium. You can enjoy the main show as well!

We can find a sculpture which looks like a mermaid if we go to near the ocean. It is called "Girl in a Wetsuit statue". It sinks under water at night as the water rises. Isn's it interesting?! However, I feel sad whenever I see this sculpture. Because, she seems like she's been waiting for someone for a long time.

I will go to Stanley park today to be her friend and enjoy the nature ^^;;

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Are you a shopaholic?

"O.K. DON'T PANIC. Don't panic. It's only a VISA bill.
It's a piece of paper; a few numbers. I mean, just how scary can a few numbers be?"

This is the first paragraph of the book "The Confession of Shopaholic".
The story starts by the heroine Rebecca coming to a crisis by receiving a demand note.
This book is pretty fun to read because I could easily get into her.
I have never thought about myself as a shopaholic, but sometimes I'm out of control spending money for goods I don't need.

Here's a test for you to check if you are a shopaholic or not.

1. Do you usually go shopping when you are feeling depressed?

2. Do you spend a lot of money that you do not have on things that I do not need?

3. Do you get a rush when you make a purchase?

4. Do you have closets full of clothes that you have never worn?

5. Have you lied to your friends and family about how much money you spend?

If you answered “yes” to any one of these questions, you may just be a “shopaholic”.
You are in the lack of the self-control to resist the urge of buying a desired item
– even at the expense of their finances or relationships.

How to keep our spending under control?

1. Get rid of your credit card before you go shopping. Use only cash

2. If you would like to purchase, never allow yourself to purchase it on the spot.
Instead, walk away and give yourself a “mandatory waiting period”
If you still want the item in a few days, then you can go back and make your thought-out purchase.

3. Make a budget and put it on paper.

4. Write down everything you purchase for two weeks
;groceries, clothes, the electric bill, and even that chocolate bar from the vending machine!
Being more aware of your spending will also make you more in control.

Let's get our lives back in control! ^^

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Office Yoga

Many of us spend most of our working hours sitting at a desk, typing on a keyboard. Work place might be not an ideal spot for excercise but you don't need yoga mat, block, blanket to perform yoga at work. All you need is what is in front of you (your desk) and what is underneath you (your chair).

Work can be a stressful situation - people yelling, people running around, people refusing to put more paper in the copier. Stress generates more stress. However, practicing yoga at work helps keep you calm, helping you to rise above the stress rather than be piled under it.

Yoga helps to center you, and to focus on positive emotions - bringing you into balance. This, ultimately makes you a calmer, more productive employee. It also facilitates focus and concentration, allowing you to get things done one task at a time.


Also, practicing yoga at work gives you a well deserved break. Sometimes we get caught up in what we are doing that we forget to take a conscious breath, to open the body through a stretch, to get fresh air, or to take a moment for ourselves. Purposefully performing yoga, however, allows us to be more in tune with when our body needs a break. This rest is not only important to your muscular structure and physical functions, but it is also vital to your eyes, your mind, and your work morale. Some companies, in fact, have found that practicing yoga at the office helps employees get along easier, and generates a team building atmosphere.

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What makes homestay life successful?

I have stayed in homestay for 2months
and, I decided to move out to live on my own.

I thought Homestay allows me to get a room from a local family
and to better learn the Canadian lifestyle as well as improve my language ability.
I asked my agency to find a homestay for me, and the only request was the family should be native Canadians.
I didn't consider about food, environment, commuting...etc.
My homestay mom and dad were both working, so they were pretty busy all the time.
I actually didn't have enough chances to talk to them.
Also, they didn't care about my taste, so I couldn't have Korean food at all for 2months. T.T
The family often ate out and went out without students. It made me feel isolated.

However, I realized that the biggest problem was me.. myself!
I was too shy to talk to them first. I was trying to hide myself in my room.
I could have talked to them what I wanted.
I should have said I want to have some Kimchi MOM!
I could have made our relationship more friendly.
I was not expressing but just hiding my real mind.
Therefore, my homestay life wasn't that successful.
Don't expect the family to do things for me first. Let's be active and optimistic!

I failed at successful homestay life...><
Hopefully, this article is helpful for students who have difficulties with living in homstay.

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Enjoy the Vancouver's Summer with Frisbee -!!

Can you feel that a summer is comming?

According to a forecaster, from next week the temperature will be high maybe over than 20 degrees. Wow.. SUMMUR IS COMMING SOON.. Don't you think about diet? I got weight more than 5kg after comming in Canada..T-T

Let's work out!! How about a "Frisbee"? Doesn't it sound exciting?

The below chart calculate calories burned during play frisbee (Actually, frisbee is a kind of flying disc), based on your exact body weight. (Calories burned per hour are listed below for the example body weights of 130, 155 and 190 pounds.)

Um.. We already chose the item so let serch a place to play.
How about the English Bay? If you go to the English Bay, you will see people who play a frisbee.


Nice weather, beautiful beach and diet. Ah.. it doesn't need lots of money, either.
Isnt' it really "killing two birds with one stone" ?? No no.. "killing four birds with one stone"


It's time for you to study how to play frisbee.
See below the pictures. The pictures explain how you can grip a frisbee. It doesn't need a lot of skills and efforts. Just try~

On this Friday, the weather will shine therefore how about play frisbee on the English Bay?

HEALTH IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN STUDY. TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF.

( lf you would you like more information about "Frisbee", visit the website. This website could be help you. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disc_throws )

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Just say "Thank you" and "I love you"..^-^

How often do you say "Thank you" to your parents?

Every one always appreciates to their parents in mind, nevertheless they don't express that often, so I think the "Mother's day" and the "Father's day" can bolster their courage.

As you know in Canada, the "Mother's day" is always the second Sunday in beautiful month of May and the "Father's day" is a celebration in honor of all fathers and takes place on the third Sunday of June.

Korea also has the "Mother's day" and the "Father's day".. No, it's correctly the "Parents' day" on 8th May.

Usually on "Parents' day", people present carnations to their parents for appreciation.

The red carnation's flower language is "passionate(ardent) love" so I think carnations are very suitable for the "Parents' day". Because I think nobody can more love anybody than parents.

The first person who gave carnations to mother was Miss Jarvis. She who lived in Philadelphia wanted to cherish her died mother so she presented white carnations to her mother every year. Because white carnations represented a sweetness, purity and endurance of mother's love, meanwhile red carnations became the symbol of a living mother. That's why carnations became the symbol of the"Mother's day". (In Korea, we present carnations to both of parents on "Parents' day".)

The name of "Mother's day" is a little bit different among many countries, date too, however maybe the love for their parents is almost same.

Would you like express how much you love your parents?

Your parents don't want expensive gifts.

Just call your parents and say "Thank you and I love you.."

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'Cheesecake Etcetera'.. Could be good choice.

Your English is getting better? I know, when you hear this question you will be totally stressd out.

If you feel frustrated, how about eating a sweet food?
A sweet food is able to make you feel relax.

This restaurant could be good choice for you, even though you don't like a cheesecake much.
'Cheesecake Etcetera'
The location is very convenient to find, so you can find this restaurant easily.
2141 Granville St. Vancouver, BC V6H. If you want to see a map, you can use the gogle website.
The interior is a little bit antique so if you like that kind of atmosphere, it should be perfect for you.

The cheesecake price is not expensive to compare with other restaurants.
From $4.25 to $6 include tax, the highest price is for 'Gourmet special'.
You can taste very, very soft cheesecake with strawberries.
When I ate the 'Gourmet special', it melted by itself in my mouth. I can't forget the taste and the soft feeling.

Something oppress you? You feel tired?
Just melt that with soft and sweet cheesecake.

Caution : 'Cheesecake Etcetera' opens only 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. so when you go there, you should check time.

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