Hi all the CHBE Grad Club Blog readers,

The CHBE Grad Club is wishing a happy holiday season full of joy and relaxation for each and all of the readers. We are also wishing the best for everyone in the new year!

Best wishes,
CHBE GSC

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Hi friends, yesterday, November 11 was the Remembrance Day, a memorial day observed in Commonwealth countries since the end of World War I to remember the members of their armed forces who have died in the line of duty. [Wikipedia] It happened to also be the US Veteran Day, an official United States holiday that honors people who have served in armed service, also known as veterans. [Wikipedia]

Canadians from coast to coast paused Monday to honour the sacrifices of soldiers who fought in past wars, and the many who serve in modern-day operations and conflicts around the world. [CTVnews]

For most of the graduate students, it might be a day of break from study and research. Some might go home to honor family, friends and relatives that had served in the war.

The picture below summarized very well the essence of Remembrance Day.

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Dear friends,
Tomorrow is October 31st, the day of the Halloween! Or in simplified Chinese, 万圣节. Maybe someone can let me know how to say it in Farsi. 😀

Let’s party and have fun, although our department does not traditionally have a Halloween party (correct me if I’m wrong), there are lots of Halloween party out there. One worth noting is the GSS Halloween Party. Link here.

Anyways, if you’re not going to a party, things that we can do on Halloween.are:
trick-or-treating (or the related “guising” or “trunk-or-treating”),decorating, carving pumpkins into jack-o’-lanterns, lighting bonfires, apple bobbing, visiting haunted attractions, playing pranks, telling scary stories, and watching horror films.

Have a fantastic Halloween week!

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Dear graduate students,
On this special Canadian Thanksgiving Day, I hope you enjoy a great meal yesterday (I always find good food more enjoyable than research)!

Do you know that Canadian Thanksgiving day (Oct 14), 2013 is on a different day than American Thanksgiving day (Nov 28, 2013)?

Also, on the occasion of Eid-ul-Adha, the Grad Club is wishing happiness and joy for everyone in this department, and a blessed celebration for all Muslim members of our CHBE community!

Eid-Al-Adha is also knwon as Hari Raya Haji in Malaysia.

All the best,
Hafiz
President, CHBE Grad Club

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Today is the Mid Autumn Festival of year 2013 and also called the Chinese Moon Festival where Chinese around the world traditionally travels home to have family gatherings, enjoys mooncakes and celebrates the festival by carrying lanterns. If you wish to try out mooncakes, you can get them from T&T supermarket.

Quoting Wikipedia, Mid Autumn Festival is a festival of:
1. gathering, such as family and friends coming together, or harvesting crops
2. thanksgiving, to give thanks for the harvest, or for harmonious unions
3. praying (asking for conceptual or material satisfaction), such as for babies, a spouse, beauty, longevity, or for a good future.

If you see a fellow Chinese graduate student, faculty or staff member, don’t forget to say Happy Mid Autumn Festival! Or, more awesomely, in Chinese phonetics, Zhong Qiu Jie Kuai Le!

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I, on behalf of the CHBE Grad Club, wish happiness and joy for everyone in this department, and a blessed celebration for all Muslim members of our CHBE community!

Happy Eid al-Fitr or in Malaysia, Hari Raya Aidilfitri!!

Best wishes from
Hafiz Rahman
President
CHBE Grad Club

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Persian New Year 2013 will be here in 2 days! I wish everyone Nowruz Mubarak!
What are all of you doing to celebrate?

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If you’d like to know more about the culture and backgrounds of 2013’s Chinese New Year, please visit:

http://www.chinaholidays.com/guide/chinese-culture/chinese-new-year.html

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