Sunday, July 24, 2011

News You Can Use - Citizenship Study Guide

Discover Canada was updated on March 14, 2011. The citizenship test is based on the information in Discover Canada, but you do not need the updated version to prepare for the citizenship test. The test does not contain questions on the new material. To prepare for the citizenship test, you can study any copy of Discover Canada issued by the Government of Canada since November 12, 2009.


Study Guide - Discover Canada The Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship


Free Online Canadian Citizenship Practice Test (Discover Canada)

Discover Canada: Sample study questions


2011 Canadian Citizenship Test Passing Guide

Thursday, July 21, 2011

How do you value your time?

Lately, I feel that I am operating in a perpetual fire-fighting mode because I devote more time to putting out fires than preventing them. Unfortunately, I can't control what I can't control, and I try to calm down myself and get the things I can control, done. Anyway, I remembered this story I like and I thought I'll share with you here. Even if you know it, maybe you can get another meaning to its interpretation. Then, ask yourself "What is the best use of my time right now?"



Imagine there is a bank that credits your account each morning with $86,400. It carries over no balance from day to day. Every evening deletes whatever part of the balance you failed to use during the day. 

What would you do? Draw out every cent, of course! Each of us has such a bank. It's name is TIME. Every morning, it credits you with 86,400 seconds. Every night it writes off, as lost, whatever of this you have failed to invest to good purpose.

It carries over no balance. It allows no overdraft. Each day it opens a new account for you.
Each night it burns the remains of the day. If you fail to use the day’s deposits, the loss is yours.
There is no going back. There is no drawing against the “tomorrow”.

You must live in the present on today’s deposits. Invest it so as to get from it the utmost in health, happiness, and success!

The clock is running.
Make the most of today.

To realize the value of ONE YEAR, ask a student who failed a grade.
To realize the value of ONE MONTH, ask a mother who gave birth to a pre-mature baby.
To realize the value of ONE WEEK, ask the editor of a weekly newspaper.
To realize the value of ONE HOUR, ask the lovers who are waiting to meet.
To realize the value of ONE MINUTE, ask a person who missed the train.
To realize the value of ONE SECOND, ask a person who just avoided an accident.
To realize the value of ONE MILLISECOND, ask the person who won a silver medal in the Olympics.


Treasure every moment that you have! And treasure it more because you shared it with someone special, special enough to spend your time.


And remember that time waits for no one.
Yesterday is history.
Tomorrow is mystery.
Today is a gift.
That’s why it’s called the present!!

Author unknown

Source: 
http://starteasy.com/ggalore/time/



"Transformation happens right now, not yesterday and not tomorrow - in this very present moment, which is all you really have." - Jillian Michaels

Monday, July 18, 2011

News You Can Use - Self-Study Guide for Skilled Immigrants

Finding Talent is a training video developed by TRIEC.  It uses a storytelling approach to present the business case for hiring skilled immigrants and to demonstrate techniques which will allow companies to leverage the talents of skilled immigrants.


The Finding Talent video and self-study guide will provide you with valuable information on 
finding a job.

You will benefit from this video most if you:
- watch the whole video from beginning to end first 
- replay segments that are most interesting to you 
- talk about the video with a friend or family member
- do at least some of the optional activities included in this guide
- consult the resources to further your learning 
- seek employment-support services as you need them 
- are open to seeing things from a different point of view



Use this self-study guide to learn about the topics covered in the video. It provides an 
overview of each video scene, identifies key learning objectives, and offers optional activities for 
you to reinforce your learning.

  • self-study guide for skilled immigrants who are employed or looking for work

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

THEY'RE DIFFERENT - AND THE SAME


Being myself a parent of two "Millennial generation" sons, I can say that it is not easy to "manage" them. But, is FUN! Now, for those of you who are really managing these young employees, I think you will find the below article helpful on how to get the most out of working and training with them.

"Twenty-somethings are better educated, more diverse in their background, less religious, more accepting
of differences, more in need of nurturing yet more optimistic and more confident than those who are
older. They're more trusting of their elders than were the baby boomers, whose mantra was not to trust
anyone over 30.

But despite these differences they're also conventional: They believe that successful marriages, good parenting
and helping others are far more important than career and financial success. Researchers have
concluded they're more comfortable with their parents' values than any previous generation was and they
have fewer spats with their parents than those parents had with theirs. More than six in ten say families
have a responsibility to take in an elderly parent.

Computers aren't “technology” to these young people. They're a way of life. Work isn't work. It's an
extension of life. Are you listening, all you managers from previous generations and especially those in
global businesses? Half the world's population is under 30. Get in step with them or get left behind." - read more here.