ForumTitleContentMemberSexCountryDate/Time
CanadaWhat's For Dinner?
QUOTE (Crikey! @ Feb 27 2008, 04:46 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Oh, how do you make that Nini? I have Adobo seasoning and I don't know what to do with it. unsure.gif


It's ridiculously simple, and the recipe looks barbaric. We have this every week though laughing.gif

1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup soy sauce
generous amount of white or black pepper
three garlic cloves
two bay leaves

2 pounds chicken thighs
15-20 brussel sprouts, cut in half

Simmer vinegar, soy sauce, pepper, garlic and bay leaves in a saucepan. Add chicken thighs and sprouts. Turn 'em over occasionally until tender. Serve with rice - make enough for leftovers!

Ta-da!
~Nini~FemaleCanada2008-02-27 17:04:00
CanadaWhat's For Dinner?
We had chicken adobo last night with brussel sprouts - Bee has had a phobia of the veggies in the past, but I convinced him to try it. And he liked it! biggrin.gif

I think tonight's dinner will be Korean shortribs from TJ's with some rice, and maybe a salad. Num num.
~Nini~FemaleCanada2008-02-27 15:47:00
CanadaA US TD Bank ? Anyone heard of it or tried them?
QUOTE (xtinab @ Dec 1 2008, 11:24 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
I was also surprised about the cheques here. A friend of ours pays at target and Kroger and such with them. The first time I saw it I was very confused! Same thing with paying bills by cheque. I found that very odd, yet Im still trying to convince him to send all the papers back that they send with the bill IN with his payment. Way too much garbage being mailed to us!! Take it back!


Same here! The concept of paying by cheque at a store boggles my mind, but it's a common thing in these parts. My husband still pays his bills by cheque, through the mail. I chortled when I saw him with his chequebook, stuffing envelopes laughing.gif

I dunno, I guess I've just been spoiled with my Canadian bank back home and how accommodating everyone was back there that I feel nothing will live up to it. That, and I'm just very unfamiliar with how things operate here. I am a little intimidated to open a bank account, to be honest - the recent events with the economic crisis and the various banks going under or needing bailouts have left me pretty leery. TD Bank is probably the one that I'd go to, from what I've heard Canadian banks have been one of the steadiest in the crisis thus far and unfortunately there isn't an RBC near us. sad.gif

We've been a little unimpressed with the international services at Commerce Bank, but I'm hoping from what you guys mentioned that the service will get a little better.
~Nini~FemaleCanada2008-12-01 21:47:00
CanadaThe Annoying Co-Worker Thread
I love this thread! :D

My coworker M is frighteningly dumb... as in, a couple of years ago, she was violently sick all over the office one lunch break, and had us piece together the story that she'd eaten an entire cheesecake the night before, NOT knowing that it was dairy, knowing that she was extremely lactose-intolerant. I'm not quite sure how she managed to get a master's degree in rehab counseling, because she's always wandering into my office and asking me to babysit her through everything.

Last month, she'd asked me to help her serial-tag some barbering equipment she was purchasing for a client, and the mistake I made was to give her the tags and wander off, thinking that she knew what she was doing. When I came back to help her with another issue, I saw that instead of writing the corresponding serial numbers on the tracking form, she'd stuck the tags RIGHT ON THE FORM. Then she started cussing me out when I pointed it out to her, blaming me for telling her to do that. I'm not known to lose my temper, so you can imagine how silent the office went when I started shouting back at her, "How the hell did you think you were going to tag your equipment if the tags were on the form?!" -_-
~Nini~FemaleCanada2010-09-14 20:00:00
CanadaAnyone feel like they've made a huge mistake?

About clothes... If you go to better stores, you'll find better quality clothes. You'll find jeans that fit properly and all of that stuff. There are tons of stores that sell the proper fitting jeans.... you just may have to spend a little more.

Banana Republic for example is a great place if you're looking for slimmer fits. They're a little pricey but not insane. It all depends on the store.


Yea, that's the flip side of what I do for clothes. The BR outlet store (all outlet stores, really) is amazing if you're willing to fight the crowds and shop out of season. I also comb things at Urban Outfitters and American Eagle since they actually have my size there :P
~Nini~FemaleCanada2010-09-26 22:27:00
CanadaAnyone feel like they've made a huge mistake?
I love Whole Foods too, and we're really lucky to have one about ten minutes down the road. My only regret is that Whole Foods bears the brunt of all the yuppie, snob, elitist, omg you eat organic?! jokes because of its (admittedly marked up) prices. It's annoying trying to explain to my coworkers why I willingly shop at WF - they think I just like to drop tons of money on food, I just like it because their service and quality of food is what I'm more used to from back home.

The other place we like to shop at is Wegmans (also nearby!), but we still run mostly around their organic section. Even their house bakery uses HFCS in it, which is frightening... I mean, don't in-house bakeries have more control over that sort of thing?

As to the clothes issue... I'm a tiny, tiny person who has always had difficulty in finding clothes, no matter where I am, and I'm resigned to poking through kids' sections for non-glittery work clothes here, so I completely feel your pain :)
~Nini~FemaleCanada2010-09-26 15:49:00
CanadaAnyone feel like they've made a huge mistake?

I've become an inveterate label reader in the grocery stores - if it has HFCS in it, I don't buy it. So many things here do taste sweeter and fatter - it's as if the food's natural flavour has to be 'enhanced' with sweet and fat additives instead of enhanced with herbs and spices. It's no wonder so many people in the US have a weight problem. I gained 15 pounds after I moved up here. I've now lost it again but it was by eliminating everything made with HFCS. I couldn't believe it when I found a brand of milk with HFCS! Geeze!


Me toooooo... we should have prizes for speed-reading in the grocery aisles. Though HFCS in milk is new to me O.o
~Nini~FemaleCanada2010-09-24 20:41:00
CanadaAnyone feel like they've made a huge mistake?
It's harder than I thought it would be, for sure. I'm still struggling with it even three years after living in Philly - the difficulty of finding the things I want, the loneliness in having few friends (and even then, those who truly understand what things were like back home are very rare), and the marked differences between here and there. I'm still not happy to live here, but I've become used to it, found things in Philly that I have learned to enjoy and be happy with. It's never going to be the same as back home, but that's what makes home so much more wonderful when I go back to visit!

My husband has become really understanding about my feeling of "being trapped" and learning not to take it personally, because I've told him that ultimately it was my decision to come to the US. He knows he is really, really lucky that he was the one who got to "stay" in his hometown, and has often spoken about living somewhere else so he can have that experience. We're talking about moving to Seattle someday since that would be closer to my city, plus we'd love the weather so much more! :)
~Nini~FemaleCanada2010-09-24 15:06:00
CanadaWoW'ers stand up and be counted!!!
I heard that QuestHelper is really good at telling you what quests are left in the zone to complete, though I've never used it myself. My Lorekeeper experience was done mostly through being completionist during leveling, and a lot of google searching :P
~Nini~FemaleCanada2010-09-30 22:35:00
CanadaWoW'ers stand up and be counted!!!

LoL @ the vent mentions. On a game that Mel and I actually met on before we started playing wow, the first time talked to her on vent when we were just friends, I made fun of her accent. I actually love vent, especially in PUG's. Yes, I can be kind of loud and abnoxious in between pulls sometimes, mostly if i've had a couple (too many) drinks. But it's all in good fun. For those of you who don't talk much in vent, do you consider yourselves introverted or extroverted in real life?


I'm pretty introverted IRL, and it goes the same in vent. I'm pretty comfortable with my guild, but when it comes to PUGs, no way. Plus, there's that whole "omg a girl?!" aspect which I'm so tired of getting when I do say something. :P
~Nini~FemaleCanada2010-09-21 20:48:00
CanadaWoW'ers stand up and be counted!!!
I tried to read through the entire thread to see if folks were on my server, but my eyes kept crossing... oy, I need sleep.

Anywho!

Lethon - Horde - Llysara (priest), Mhairi (paladin), Alaeine (mage)
Cenarion Circle - Avaryne (Horde priest), Mhairi (Alliance pally)

Aaaaaand Brewfest is back! Who's got their mount? :D
~Nini~FemaleCanada2010-09-20 21:20:00
CanadaOff Topic Part Cinq

Holy carp. Where have you been?


Mentally, out to lunch. I'm doing night school to finish off my degree, plus I was promoted about six months ago, THEN six weeks later my partner was promoted to a different agency and left me to run the department by my tiny lonesome. It's been a grueling half-year. :P

So, what've I missed? :)

Edited by ~Nini~, 14 September 2010 - 07:22 PM.

~Nini~FemaleCanada2010-09-14 19:21:00
CanadaOff Topic Part Cinq
*wave*

'Lo, everyone! :D
~Nini~FemaleCanada2010-09-14 17:25:00
CanadaDon't you love it when...
Oh, well done Spirit!

Pandora - whee! biggrin.gif

Edited by ~Nini~, 31 October 2008 - 11:08 AM.

~Nini~FemaleCanada2008-10-31 11:08:00
CanadaDon't you love it when...
Don't you love it when you get a new job! There is something about the freshness of it that is exhilarating. (I think it's the sheer lack of disillusionment and shattered hopes six months later... biggrin.gif)

Edited by ~Nini~, 29 October 2008 - 09:09 PM.

~Nini~FemaleCanada2008-10-29 21:08:00
CanadaMoving: Canada to USA. What company did u use to ship ur stuff?
I shipped three boxes of personal belongings, plus my monitor and my computer. UPS packaged the computer for me in a carton and I had the original box for my monitor. All in all it cost $350 and hours of paperwork laughing.gif That was through ground shipping, which takes between 7 to 9 business days. Mind you, this is from Vancouver to Philadelphia.
~Nini~FemaleCanada2007-10-15 17:36:00
CanadaMoving: Canada to USA. What company did u use to ship ur stuff?
Yeah, I also called UPS and FedEx yesterday about shipping my (few) boxes and computer to PA.

FedEx told me that they had to ship my stuff through the air using their Express system - apparently they can't ship personal belongings through Ground, so that's automatically four times more expensive. Also, the girl sounded really annoyed and terse, which got on my nerves very quickly.

UPS was a little better, but the girl on the other end also wasn't sure about which procedure would work best for me - she said that I could do it through ground, but couldn't ship anything ahead of time (which I expected anyway) and she didn't know which form I needed or what I should do to prepare for the shipment.

Both places quoted me roughly $100 to ship my computer through ground. They also told me that I'd have to pack the desktop myself, which is contrary to what I've heard (apparently they won't insure it if it's self-packed, but FedEx said that they'd offer liability coverage anyway).

I am seriously considering renting a car or a u-haul and driving across the continent. sleep.gif

Edited by Nini & Bee, 11 September 2007 - 10:50 PM.

~Nini~FemaleCanada2007-09-11 22:50:00
CanadaMoving: Canada to USA. What company did u use to ship ur stuff?
I was considering UPS to ship my computer, but now I'm rather hesitant. I know they'll insure it if I let them package the tower, but neither do I want broken bits when I get to PA. *sigh*
~Nini~FemaleCanada2007-06-28 19:04:00
CanadaMoving: Canada to USA. What company did u use to ship ur stuff?
Ooooh, good thread. Thanks, Liz.

I'd also be interested in shipping companies or experiences with shipping computer towers (especially if you don't have the box that came with it... yeah, I know :angry: ), if any of you want to share.

I know I'd personally be moving cross-continent (from Vancouver to Philadelphia) so I know I'm looking at a ton of money, myself. :wacko:

Edited by Nini & Bee, 05 June 2007 - 08:28 PM.

~Nini~FemaleCanada2007-06-05 20:24:00
CanadaThe Canuck EI Thread
I didn't even do a cover letter. Maybe that's why I got rejected laughing.gif
~Nini~FemaleCanada2007-11-29 18:11:00
CanadaThe Canuck EI Thread
Yeah, I filed over the internet too, but that was after I spoke to a person who gave me the internet address. I don't remember the process, but it was pretty simple - I was able to put in my US address and everything.
~Nini~FemaleCanada2007-11-27 15:05:00
CanadaThe Canuck EI Thread
I guess they decided to cut corners by putting "SERVICE CANADA" at the top of the envelope and not at the bottom for the country... laughing.gif

Quick question - are we able to file our reports electronically, or does it have to be mailed in? I received an access code, but haven't tried to do it electronically in case I fankled something up. Knowing my luck...
~Nini~FemaleCanada2007-10-22 16:11:00
CanadaThe Canuck EI Thread
*crosses fingers* I applied for EI today! Here's hoping that nothing catastrophic will happen.

I spoke to a really nice woman on the phone who gave me awesome instructions. A few false starts here and there, but overall I'm hoping to get my packet in the mail soon. (Okay, so I'm dying for something to do sleep.gif)

The only thing I really need to do is get my ROE from a past employer - since I have absolutely no paystubs, I'm going to hope that a few emails from that job will suffice for proof of employment.
~Nini~FemaleCanada2007-10-15 17:21:00
CanadaThe Canuck EI Thread
So after reading this, I'm a wee bit confused. I'm leaving exactly a week and a half after my last day at work, so should I wait until I hit the US before I file for EI? I don't understand this "two week period" thing, and I'm also not sure whether I'll be eligible since I don't know if I made the minimum cutoff point for hours.

So much stuff to understand sleep.gif
~Nini~FemaleCanada2007-09-26 17:42:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General DiscussionMy wife received 10 year GC today :)
Congratulations! :D
~Nini~FemaleCanada2007-08-01 14:53:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General Discussion10 GC in only 2-1/2 months
Congratulations! :D
~Nini~FemaleCanada2007-08-01 14:22:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General DiscussionWOOOOOOOOOW FINALLY Journey completed
Congratulations! :D
~Nini~FemaleCanada2007-08-01 14:22:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General DiscussionClaudeth's I-751
Good luck on your application! smile.gif
~Nini~FemaleCanada2007-11-24 23:48:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reportsfwaguy
Woooooo! Congrats! :D
~Nini~FemaleCanada2007-05-03 11:01:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsAPPROVED K1 VISA
Congratulations! One more across the border! :D
~Nini~FemaleCanada2007-05-04 13:30:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsTWO APPROVAL EMAILS RIGHT NOW
Congratulations! :D
~Nini~FemaleCanada2007-05-03 19:45:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsI-129f
I've probably repeated this too many times for our regulars, but I was able to visit my fiance in the States while our petition was processing. I had a letter from my employer, my schedule for the summer semester in school, and my itinerary for the trip, which all showed intent to return to Vancouver.

Mind, the officer at YVR just asked me a bunch of questions when I mentioned that I was visiting my fiance, and looked at my passport and the itinerary - he didn't ask to see anything else, even though I had it.

As Ephesus said, make an informed decision based on advice given here and other places, and decide if it's worth the potential hassle for either of you. (And I definitely agree that keeping a positive attitude at immigration will definitely help - it sucks to travel these days, but it sucks for the officers who have to endure that same grouchiness person after person!)

Edited by Nini & Bee, 10 May 2007 - 01:07 PM.

~Nini~FemaleCanada2007-05-10 13:06:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsApril Filing NOA1 Question
I know that you can sign up for email notifications through the USCIS website, but you'll need your case number for that, which is given to you on your snail-mailed NOA1. I believe you can also get your case number once the check has been cashed; they print it on the back of the check, if I remember correctly.

Good luck and welcome to VJ! Hope your process goes along smoothly and quickly. :D

Edited by Nini & Bee, 03 May 2007 - 10:32 AM.

~Nini~FemaleCanada2007-05-03 10:31:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsNo Noa1 yet....
I'd suggest waiting the week then giving them a call. It just sounds like the usual response they'd give to everyone else.

Good luck!
~Nini~FemaleCanada2007-05-17 16:37:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsSinh & Lien Approved
Congratulations! :D
~Nini~FemaleCanada2007-05-16 21:50:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsWahoo! But has it gone further than I think?
Congratulations! :D
~Nini~FemaleCanada2007-05-18 21:27:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reportsapproved!!!
Congratulations! :D
~Nini~FemaleCanada2007-05-16 12:24:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsI got touched!!!!Touched!!! Touched!!!!
Even geeks can find love. >.>;

</derail>
~Nini~FemaleCanada2007-05-15 12:07:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsI got touched!!!!Touched!!! Touched!!!!
Yay! :D
~Nini~FemaleCanada2007-05-15 11:55:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsShould I call VSC, is so what number?
Where are you getting the timelines for RFEs? Besides, as kitkat1 said, each case is different. Yours could be approved in a few days or a few months. Be glad you're going through Vermont where things move faster than CSC; just give the adjudicators some time to look over your application.
~Nini~FemaleCanada2007-05-20 15:28:00