fbpx
Skip to content

Sing in Can | Life – Travel

My Life in Canada as a Singaporean

In mid 2019, I resigned my day job and went to do something I had always wanted to do: get out of my comfort zone in Singapore and stay in a foreign place, where there’s 4 seasons and culture vastly different from home. Under the pretext of studying for a certificate in Business Administration, I went on this advernture of a lifetime to Vancouver, Canada. Here was the year when I lived to learn.

ZY Rise of Dragon Conjurer Sing in Can 2
The Rise of the Dragon Conjurer

In the bustling city of Vancouver, there lived a legend. Unbeknownst to the Vancouverites, DC had a special power he was born with.

ZY Squamish Road Trip Whistler Cypress from Vancouver British Columbia Canada
Squamish Road Trip

Caught between the start of the rainy winter and our exams, we decided to #YOLO and squeezed a day out to Squamish and Whistler!

There's No Shokubutsu in Vancouver!

Shower foam PK – L’Oreal, 400ml, with OP at $11.99, DP: $4.99 vs Nivea, 500ml, with OP at $8.99, DP: $3.99. Which one should I choose?

I Killed A Spider, And Tales of Living With Spiders in Canada

When I first came to Canada, living with spiders was never on my mind. Never had I expected that I would be roommates with a spider.

ZY_Rare Sunshine Vancouver Autumn Fall
Vancouver Presents Fall Colours With Rare Sunshine

Vancouver is basking in a sunshine after days of gloomy rain, offering us a view of the Fall colours before they wither away into Winter!

ZY_Cloudy Vancouver Autumn Fall
Cloudy Vancouver in Autumn

The low rise buildings in Vancouver offer me a a panoramic view of the rolling clouds that stir excitement in me, before or after rain.

SiC Fall in Vancouver
Fall in Vancouver

Sing in Can experiences the shift in seasons from Summer to Fall, right in Vancouver, Canada. Here's the first weekend of Autumn!

SiC Vancouver in 20 Hours How to Get There
Getting to Vancouver Island From Greater Vancouver Area

Before we explore Vancouver Island in 20 Hours, we had to figure out how we could get to the island. Of all the options available, BC Ferries was the most affordable and easiest option.

SiC Vancouver in 20 Hours
Vancouver Island in 20 Hours: Nanaimo – Ucluelet – Tofino Road Trip

Explore Vancouver Island in 20 Hours, exploring Little Qualicum Falls, Port Alberni, Sproat Lake, Wally Creek, Ucluelet and Tofino. No nights required!

SiC NICE Hot Meals Business Venture Pitch Practice Title v2
“Winning” A Business Venture Pitch!

My team and I joined an Entrepreneurship course just to understand the scene. Never did we realise we could score so well for our business pitch!

Cleveland Park by Capilano Lake - Mountain Skyline Meets Water
Crazy Facts About Canada That Will Blow Singaporeans' Mind Apart

After I arrived in Vancouver and started to live my life as a Singaporean in Canada, there were some things that I found out that blew my jaded mind!

SiC SFU in Winter
I Visited SFU For Its Movie Scenes And I Ended Up In A Post-Apocalyptic RPG Scene

SFU grounds were the backdrop of a number of Hollywood movies. The brutalist buildings were the reason it was featured mainly in sci-fi films. My trip felt more like one in a post-apocalyptic RPG scene instead.

SiC Arriving in Vancouver
Sing in Can Arrives in Vancouver!

Sing in Can arrived in Vancouver Airport and shared the first hand, detailed experience on obtaining the Study Permit and getting a SIM card in the airport.

SiC YT Job Search Workshop
Sing in Can Attended A Job Search Workshop

Not everyone is born with the skills to look for a job effortlessly. Hence, Sing in Can joined a Job Search Workshop to assimilate into the Canadian way of life.

SiC Hong Kong to Vancouver on Cathay Pacific A350 Business Class
Cathay Pacific A350 Business Class – Hong Kong to Vancouver

Sing in Can took a 12-hour flight from Hong Kong to Vancouver, Canada, on Cathay Pacific Business Class in its spanking new A350!

SiC Cathay Pacific Lounge Hopping
Cathay Pacific Lounge Hopping – The Bridge & The Pier

As part of my journey from Singapore to Vancouver, I stopped over at Hong Kong Airport, the hub of Cathay Pacific, to explore 2 of its airline lounge.

ZY First New Year UBC Richmond 2
First New Year in Vancouver, Canada

As well travelled as I was, I had never spent my New Year overseas. Vancouver, Canada became the first plave I spent my New Year 2019/2020 overseas!

SiC Singapore to Hong Kong on Cathay Pacific B777 Economy Class
Experience on Cathay Pacific Before It Tanked – Singapore to Hong Kong Flight on Economy Class

My adventure to Vancouver, Canada started on 2 flight sectors via Cathay Pacific, the first being on Economy from Singapore to Hong Kong.

SiC First Snow
It’s Snowing in Vancouver! (Finally!)

Vancouver welcomed its rare snow dump in 2020, after weeks of forecast since December. It's gonna last for a week, and then it will be back to Raincouver.

ZY Vancouver Christmas Trinity Street
Hunt for The Hidden Christmas Light Up At Trinity Street, Vancouver

Find the Christmas light up that is not found in your usual Vancouver travel guides!

SiC YT First Christmas
First Christmas in Canada

For my first Christmas in Canada, I spent an evening in Canada Place on the Eve, and went to Richmond on Christmas Day itself.

SiC Autumn Colours in Vancouver
Autumn Colours in Vancouver, Canada Under the Sun

Sunshine burst onto Lower Mainland British Columbia after a week of rain. The red and yellow crowns of Autumn bathed in golden sunlight as I captured their beauty.

SiC Hello Raincouver
Hello, Raincouver!

I started getting used to the constant rain in Vancouver, the facet of city life that gave rise to Vancouver's alt-name: Raincouver.

SiC First Month in Vancouver
First Month as Sing in Can

My first month as a Singaporean in Canada was bittersweet. Imagine coming down with food poisoning with so many things to settle!

ZY Hastings Park 2
Enjoy Summer at Hastings Park PNE: Playland | Empire Fields | Sanctuary | Pacific Coliseum | Momiji Garden

Hastings Park in Vancouver, Canada is more than the theme park. It is also a great joy to walk and explore from Spring to Autumn.

ZY New Brighton Park
Summer in Vancouver – New Brighton Park

Vancouver has plenty of nature and parks, but none is like New Brighton Park in East Vancouver. The hidden gem is barely a 20 minutes walk from PNE!

SiC Spring Blossoms Part 2
Spring Blossoms in Vancouver 2020 Part 2 – Short Walks Around Neighbourhood

Short walks around the neighbourhood during the stay home era meant discovering more blossoms, especially as we march into spring in Vancouver!

SiC Spring Blossoms Life Before Stay Home
Spring Blossoms in Vancouver 2020 – Life Before Stay Home

Here are the flowering sights in Vancouver, spring 2020, right before the city went into stay home mode.

SiC Life in Early Morning Mode
Life in Early Morning Mode – Vancouver Amidst Pandemic

It has been almost 2 weeks since the BC government stepped on the brakes in response to the pandemic. Everyone is practising physical distancing, and the Metro Vancouver, the situation is most stark in downtown Vancouver.

ZY Flying During Pandemic
Flying During Pandemic – My Journey Home from Vancouver – Los Angeles – Singapore

Armed with 3 face masks and my luggage, I set off on my 26 hour journey back home, from Vancouver to Singapore, in the thick of the pandemic.

ZY Goodbye Vancouver
Goodbye Vancouver

Over the weekend, I flew back to Singapore. This post marks the end of my 1 year life as a student across the Pacific at Vancouver, Canada.


Follow My Blog

Get new content delivered directly to your inbox.

en_USEnglish