Monday, February 26, 2007

Of Foreign Weather 2

Not a fairy tale, but a foreign story come true. Snow really do comes in infinite fanciful shapes.

Not all snowstorm are able to produce such define, visible snowflakes, but when it does, it can be quite beautiful, and the cold can be easily be forgotten.

A car covered almost entirely by snow.

Such freezing weather make it ideal for ice sculpting. A bear drinking ice cola out in the cold.

However, such weather also creates falling icicle that start falling when the sun shines upon them or when the temperature fluctuates above the freezing mark.

Water from a broken pipe that turn solid once they are exposed to the cold air.


Snow may be white naturally, but once they enter the human world, they transform.

They transform from white, to beige, to brown, and finally black. While the streets blanket in white after a snowstorm, they soon turn to the unsightly form after mixing in with the streets of the humans.


Is the snow black or is the human world black?

Black snow and black ice mixed with fresh white snow. It takes something white to reveal the black within.

And everyone brings home a little snow.

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Friday, February 16, 2007

This is life 30: Of foreign weather

It was a mild winter for the start of January, with the some greenary present.
This winter, other than the bare trees, may seem like any park in Singapore.
But it just took 10 days for the temperature to drop from 10 degress above zero to 10 degress below zero. Of foreign weather, it can reach near 20 degress below zero, and factoring in the wind chill, it brings the temperature down a further 10 degrees.
Of truely foreign weather, of the reality of winter. The white winter land of Canada is finally here to experience.

Some flowers surviving the frigid foreign weather.

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Thursday, February 08, 2007

This is life 29: Of foreign people

In many information sources, guidebooks, they often mention that Canadians are friendly people. Upon arrival, it seems true. Friendly people are quite almost present in many places. Shopkeepers or salesperson would say the few magic phrases of 'Hi' and 'Thank you' and 'Have a nice day'. In many cases, people would hold the door for each other and would apologise if they accidentally get into each other's way.
It is relatively to travel on the roads, because the drivers are really patient and would usually allow passengers to cross the road, even when the traffic indicates the 'red man'.
Cars would have to stop and allow passengers to alight or board the streetcar, which stop in the middle of the road.
It is possible to detect at least 5 different languages spoken by the people along the streets. Of course, English being the most common, with Cantonese, French and Korean being the majority. It may be puzzling to Singaporeans that most Chinese in Toronto speak Cantonese much more frequently than Mandarin. However, outside the tiny island, this is the truth. Canada government, other than compulsory English, allows every immigrant to practice and retain their own cultures.
And everyone have to know their English, even the conspicuous Chinese uncle behind the counter selling Chinese herbs; with a Canadian accent to complement.

Saturday, February 03, 2007

This is life 28: Foreign Shopping, St Lawrence Market

A visit to St Lawrence, quite the most happening market around, should be on all travellers' itenary.

The market sells a wide variety of fresh produce, both local and imported, while providing a comfortable, clean browsing space.
The variety is really stretches as far as the animals in the zoo.
All colours from the vegetable farm.
Harvest from the sea, including the Alaskan crab.

Probably the most famous produce of Canada, the maple syrup.

Quite the world's best market.


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