Happy Birthday, Canada! On July 1st, Canada will celebrate its 148th birthday. Here is your Canada Day events schedule across the country. Check it out! Origin Canada Day is a federal statutory holiday celebrating the anniversary of the July 1, 1867 enactment of the British North America Act, which called the Constitution Act today. Canada Day was originally called ‘Dominion Day’ but it was renamed in 1982. How to celebrate On Canada Day people gather downtown or in central locations in their respective hometowns. They wear red T-shirts with Canadian maple leafs and some people even paint their faces. There are many events like concerts, parades, etc. and you can enjoy eating various street foods. The biggest highlight is a fireworks display! Usually it starts at 10 or 10:30 P.M. This year’s celebrations for Canada Day Here is your complete events schedule for enjoying Canada Day across the country! Canada Day 2015 in Ottawa Parliament Hill 9am to 9:30am – Flag-Raising Ceremony 9:30am to 10am – Changing of the Guard 10am to 10:30am – Carillon Concert 12pm to 1:30pm – Canada Day Noon Show 2pm to 5pm – Swing Dancing, A Flock of Flyers : remix, Ottawa Stilt Union 7:30pm to 10pm – Canada Day Evening Show Major’s Hill Park (There are a lot of activities!) 9am to 3pm – NRJ 104.1 Ottawa – Gatineau 9am to 5pm – Commemorate the 200th anniversary of Sir John A. Mcdonald’s birthday, Historica Canada’s Trivia Challenge, GoodLife Fitness (Get in The Best Shape Of Your Life!) etc. 2:45pm to 3:15pm – Inner City Sirens 2, Fesso the clown 3pm to 3:30pm –...
The Culture Behind Chopsticks Unless you grow up using chopsticks, getting the hang of it can be difficult. Each country in Asia has its own culture and etiquette about using them, as well as different shapes, etc. So today we’d like to introduce you to the interesting world of chopsticks! The Origin of Chopsticks Chopsticks were invented in ancient China as early as 1766 ~ 1122 B.C. The first ones were probably used for cooking, stirring the fire, and serving or seizing bits of food, not as eating utensils. Types of Chopsticks China Longer than other styles at about 25 centimeters, thicker, with squared or rounded sides and ending in either wide and flat tips or tapered pointed tips. The most common type of material in regular households is lacquered bamboo and in restaurants, melamine plastic for its durability and ease of sanitation. Korea Medium-length with a small, flat rectangular shape, and made of metal. Traditionally they were made of brass or silver, with only rich families using silver chopsticks because silver was very expensive. Many Korean metal chopsticks are ornately decorated at the grip and they are used simultaneously with the Korean spoon. Japan Shorter length sticks tapering to a finely pointed end. Traditionally Japanese chopsticks were made of wood or bamboo and were lacquered. It is common for Japanese sticks to be of shorter length for women. Vietnam Long sticks that taper to a blunt point, quite like the Chinese style. Traditionally lacquered wood or bamboo. Etiquette China When eating rice from a bowl, it is normal to hold the rice bowl up to one’s mouth and...
Maybe Asia This Summer? Have you ever visited Asia? Asia has a lot of amazing and awesome places. Here are some suggestions for good places to visit. Let’s take a look! East Asia Shanghai, China Shanghai is the largest city in China by the population. Shoppers should make a beeline for the Fabric Market, where you can have a suit or dress tailor-made for you at bargain prices. Check out the fashionable restaurants, bars, and nightclubs at night! Seoul, South Korea Seoul is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea and the world’s second-largest metropolitan area. You can see a lot of skyscrapers and the N Seoul Tower. Go to the historical sites! In Seoul, there are many historical sites like the Gyeong-bok Palace and Changdeokgung Palace. You can also eat Korean food and enjoy the amazing nightlife. Tokyo, Japan Tokyo is the capital and largest city of Japan. You’ll meet many skyscrapers as well as the Tokyo Tower. You can enjoy karaoke and eat lots of Japanese food. Taipei, Taiwan The city of Taipei is the capital and a special municipality of Taiwan. You can eat high-quality food at very cheap prices. Also, it has a beautiful night view and amazing architecture. South Asia Jaipur, India The word Jaipur means “Palace of Jai king”. It is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Rajasthan in Northern India. You should visit Vidhan Sabha, its view at night is gorgeous. Southeast Asia Phnom Penh, Cambodia Phnom Penh is the capital city and largest city of Cambodia. Beautiful sites like Wat Phnom, Veal Maen,...
Who Is The Fastest? We can’t imagine our life without the internet anymore. Have you ever thought about how your country compares to others in terms of internet speed? Which country do you think has the fastest internet connection in the world? Here are the top ten countries with the fastest internet. See if yours made the list! No 10. Finland In the fourth quarter of 2014, average speeds for broadband internet connection were 12.1 Mbps (megabytes per second), up 33% from a year ago. No 9. Czech Republic Average connection speeds in the Czech Republic in the fourth quarter of 2014 were 12.3 Mbps, up 8.4% from a year ago. No 8. Ireland Ireland was ranked number 8 at 12.7 Mbps. Their average connection speeds increased about 24% from 2013. No 7. Latvia In the first quarter of 2013, internet speeds in Latvia were 9.8 Mbps. But later their internet speeds hit 13.0 Mbps, up 25% from a year ago. No 6. Netherlands The Netherlands had an average broadband connection speed of 14.2 Mbps, up 15% from 2013. No 5. Switzerland In 2013, average broadband connection speeds were 12.1 Mbps. By the first three months of 2014, they rose to 14.5 Mbps. No 4. Sweden Not to be outdone, the Swedes had speeds averaging 14.6 Mbps, up 34% from a year ago. No 3. Japan Japan fell from second place to third, with speeds averaging 15.2 Mbps, up 16% from 2013. No 2. Hong Kong Hong Kong just stole second place from Japan. The average speeds reached were 16.8 Mbps, up as much as 37% from 2013. No 1....
Exploring the Culture Of Vancouver As a translation agency, we are always keen on exploring new cultures, traditions, languages, and the differences and similarities between them. Today, however, we would like to take a look inwards, to our own Canadian – and more specifically Vancouverite – background. We will focus on the habits of Vancouver inhabitants. 15 fun facts about Vancouver and its inhabitants A nice day is a day without rain no matter how cloudy it is. You know the difference between West Van, the West End, and the Westside. You know that there’s a Third Beach and Second Beach but no first beach (it’s English Bay). Going for a hike in the mountains and to the beach on the same day seems perfectly doable to you. Yoga pants are a way of life. Rent and housing prices don’t seem that bad. You can tell when the Canucks are playing by the number of people wearing hockey jerseys on the bus. You consider anything below 5 degrees to be freezing and above 20 to be insanely hot. The city receives a mere sprinkling of snow and you call it a snow day. You know what 4/20 means and why on that occasion you don’t go to the Art Gallery to admire the paintings. You know what UBC, SFU, ICBC, PNE, and VPL mean. You’re tired of eating so much sushi. You know that Vancouver Island is not in Vancouver. You know the proper pronunciation of the Vietnamese soup Pho. Even on the sunniest days, you have an umbrella with you because… you never know. Contact Us! Here at LingoStar,...
Foreigners living in Canada Canada is known to be a melting pot of cultures, languages, and traditions. Foreigners living in Canada come from all over the world for its high standard of living, plentiful opportunities, and beautiful nature. The pros of living in Canada are countless, however, foreigners will always miss something from their homeland, after all, they cannot deny their roots, they can even feel homesick sometimes. We decided to ask people from other countries now living in Canada – from longtime immigrants to aspiring permanent residents, from temporary workers to exchange students – to list the things that they miss most about their home countries. Some ideas of what foreigners living in Canada could miss Onsen and Sentō – Japan Onsen is the Japanese term for hot springs, while sentō refers to public bathing facilities. Therefore, there are thousands of onsen and sentō of many kinds scattered around Japan, outdoor or indoor, ranging from very basic to the utmost in luxury. A great way to relax after a stressful working day. Bidet – Italy Italians feel lost without it! Considered a luxury good in Canada, you will find a bidet in every Italian house, right beside the toilet. Really convenient item, once you get used to it you won’t be able to go back to a “bidetless” routine. Sophisticated online banking – Slovakia For most people, electronic banking means ATMs or direct deposit of cheques, however, the Slovak system allows many more types of transactions, mostly on computers or smartphones, which is the reason why e-shopping is so well-developed and popular all over the country. Christmas markets – Czech Republic Traditional handicrafts, local food and beer, carols...
