Preparation Is Key

a friend from the philippines recently visited us. though he was here on business trip, he has plans of migrating here within the year.

as expected, he was curious to see what everyday life in canada is like. he asked about our first few months, what the biggest adjustment was, what i like about canada, what i don't like about canada, differences between canada and the philippines, and what pointers i can give him.

it was funny reminiscing about our first few months. feels like it has been ages when it has only been 2 years ago. and in the 2 years we've been here, i've also gone back to the philippines 2 times. haha...

so what did we tell him? a lot! and i intend to share them with you. one by one. topic by topic. one topic per post.

he was armed with a long list of questions. and our answers would trigger more questions. he wasn't interested in sight seeing but was more interested in seeing everyday life. and in discussions about everyday life.

and if there is one thing i would highly recommend prior to coming here, it would be to do as my friend does. which is exactly the same thing we did prior to coming here. research. ask questions. research some more. and ask more questions. after all, as they say, preparation is key.

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National Occupational Classification

one of the requirements for obtaining points in the work experience category of canada's point system is that your occupation must be in the Canadian National Occupational Classification (NOC).

what is the NOC?

NOC stands for National Occupational Classification. it is the job classification system of Canada that explains in detail the duties, skills, talents and work setting for all the occupations in canada.

there are 10 skill types as follows:
0 Management Occupations
1 Business, Finance and Administration Occupations
2 Natural and Applied Sciences and Related Occupations
3 Health Occupations
4 Occupations in Social Science, Education, Government Service and Religion
5 Occupations in Art, Culture, Recreation and Sport
6 Sales and Service Occupations
7 Trades, Transport and Equipment Operators and Related Occupations
8 Occupations Unique to Primary Industry
9 Occupations Unique to Processing, Manufacturing and Utilities

and 4 skill levels:
A occupations which usually require university education
B occupations which usually require college education or apprenticeship training
C occupations which usually require secondary school and/or occupation-specific training
D on-the-job training is usually provided for occupations

it is important that you meet the requirements of the NOC in obtaining points for work experience. look at the descriptions carefully and check that it matches your work experience. if your current work experience is not listed in the NOC, then review all the jobs you had in the past ten years and see if one of your past jobs match any of the occupations listed. you can view a full listing of all the occupations and their descriptions here.

you must remember that your application as a skilled worker will be denied if (1) none of your work experience is on the NOC list or (2) if your experience did not occur in the past 10 years prior to your application.

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Pretty, Little, Yellow Flowers

i have a confession to make -

i love dandelions. i love seeing grass filled with those pretty, little, yellow flowers.

yes i know. they are weeds. but i love them just the same. i am guessing it's either the color combination that gets me or the novelty of seeing them in abundance here.

and i have to admit that i love receiving them from my kids as well. everytime i pick my kids up from school, i am met with a dandelion that they carefully handpicked for me. and while others would merely toss them aside, the dandelions that they handpicked for me gets displayed in their "own spot" until they wilt away.

one time, my daughter had a "eureka" expression on her face as she excitedly shared with me her new discovery. "mom! now i know why i see some bees in our school... because there are lots of sunflowers!"



when i told her that they are not sunflowers, she had a puzzled look on her face. "but mom, all my classmates call them sunflowers."

at this point, i had to decide very quickly whether to pop her balloon or not. there is something about kids and their delight for all things simple that make me hesitate to bring her back to earth.

so while i had to correct her and tell her that those are dandelions, i couldn't break her heart and tell her that they are actually weeds. she will eventually find out. but for now... i will let her enjoy this pretty, little, yellow flowers.

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Tagging: Grim Angel, Creative Thoughts, Computer and Electronics Hot Deals, Jenn Was Here, Pinay sa Korea and Reminiscence of my Adventures

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World's Greatest Mom

desperateblogger gave me this award. came just in time for mother's day.

and now i'm sharing it with all the moms out there. moms, feel free to grab this award. we all deserve it.

happy mother's day!

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