Yesterday, we had a Professional Development (PD) at our school to incorporate a PYP program, which is the Elementary school version of an IB program or International Baccalaureate program, that most of us think of at a high school level. I originally saw this video in Saint John, New Brunwick a year ago.  I've seen a few up-to-date versions of it, exactly twice, while I'm working here in Beijing, China at the Canadian International School of Beijing.  My class alone has 18 students from 11 countries!  A very international group of students, whose parents are looking for the best education possible. Seeing a few versions, makes me feel like the U.S., Canada & Europe are sleeping right through and not really making the changes we needed ... 11/12/2010

Who am I and what time is it?   Air Canada fed us 3 times, had dinner 1st, Cup of Noodles 2nd with chopsticks and with breakfast as the last meal, even though we landed at 3:55 p.m.  Thursday, Beijing time or 4:55 a.m. in Saint John’s Atlantic time zone.   Two FULL planes later, It’s been 17 hours and I’m finally in Beijing, China!  I think this was a longer trip than Hawaii, even though we took the North Pole route from Toronto to Beijing. I was greeted by the owner’s chauffer with my 3 huge suitcases, my Macbook  Pro case (that has all of my tech devices; camera, video camera, ipod, and all chargers) & my messenger’s bag (my girl bag) after Chinese customs at the Dragon Wall with a sign saying CISB and my name below.  He drove me to my new residence & school and was greeted by the VP... 09/25/2010

I accepted an international job early last month and I’m currently waiting for the “GREEN” light for my Chinese “Working” Visa, coming from the Chinese Embassy in Ottawa, ON. I began this morning, with 2 high school kids coming to my backyard, 2 hrs late, to take all of my construction items to their ½ ton dump truck.  This included: 1970’s plywood cabinets, old gyprock from sides of kitchen, laundry room & roof, 2 floorings, Laminate Pergo & vinyl underneath it. I currently have a skeleton of a kitchen, since I’m in the middle of remodeling my kitchen, where the only thing left is a small island bar sink & dishwasher.  Everything else is in my living room in boxes, hallways and my stairways.  All my important stuff I can find; my microwave is on a box, my toaster is on the floor & my c... 09/03/2010

      Today is a beautiful sunny & warm provincial holiday in New Brunswick, it’s New Brunswick Day!  It’s celebrated every year on the 1st Monday of August, since 1976.  Each year, the province picks a city for the official provincial ceremonies.  This year the NB celebrations are in the Town of Richibucto.   Many new residents are coming in from various parts of the world and immigrating into New Brunswick for a new life. People here today, will be going to live entertainment with music, family activities, face painting, listening to storytellers and eating & drinking with their friends & neighbors. First Nations communities originally occupied the land for over 6,000 years.  In the 1600’s & 1700’s the area was colonized by the French and than later the British.  In 1867, New Brunswic... 08/02/2010

Two years ago we had a problem, we had a small 4'X4'  2nd Floor Side Deck with a gigantic hole in it that needed to be torn down before one of us fell through it!  We brought it down before we repainted our home. We had a red pine deck on the back yard of our home, that needed serious cleaning, since it had darked over the years before we bought the property.  It probably had enough mold that most other people would have torn the deck apart.  We rented a power sprayer for a weekend and successfully found out that not only did we have a pine deck, but it was Red Pine, which is relatively rare these days.  Here's a photo of the back deck.     Then we figured out how much we would need to build a cedar deck, with hemlock posts for a huge side deck to look at our Grand Bay-Westfield view.  ... 07/06/2010

In the past 3 years as a REALTOR in the Saint John area, I've seen many Realtors that speak before they think!  They usually let their ego do the talking and lose their client or opponent Realtor at the other end.  Being a former Math & Science teacher, I learned this early, but make it a point to reinforce it daily! I'm the quiet type and have an advantage, since I listen for fluctuations in their speaking (when on the phone)  and read body language (when in person).  I never let them realize this, I just let them talk, so I get even more information from them. This blog is for many of the Realtors who have never really got their "Listening Skills" down.  I will be discussing the very basics on listening skills to help them negotiate the next deal and come back with their clients needs... 06/07/2010

             Meeting enthusiastic Elizabeth Rowe, Owner of Urban Deli, gives you the feeling that she loves the daily challenges of her new business in Uptown Saint John.  Opening July 13, 2009, she has watched her business evolve, just like a child from infancy, from  opening the doors and running it day-to-day.  She loves the daily interactions with people; clients, suppliers & staff! Elizabeth and her business partner, Gord Hewitt, purchased their building on 68 King Street East, across from the Brunswick Square area in April 2008.  The building is designated Heritage, which means there are guidelines to follow on the exterior; therefore the Urban Deli canopy needed to comply and reflect heritage by including sculpted edging and the new front door had to reflect heritage. Although cl... 06/03/2010

We finally have a COSTCO that will open next month in May!           I love IKEA stores!!!  I think IKEA home furnishing stores are innovative, keep you organized within your home or office and have items I've never seen in any other store!  These popular European stores are all over the world, but the only ones I've seen are in Canada and the U.S.  Their kitchens are to "die for". In fact, the closest eastern stores are either Montreal, Quebec or Boston, Massachusetts, where both of them are at least 8 hours away! So I went to http://www.ipetitions.com website and created a petition to get as many local Saint Johner's signatures as possible! By using an assortment of websites, I hope to create enough traffic to create the desire to have an IKEA here in Saint John, NB.  I'm trying for 1... 04/04/2010

            I worked two long productive hours this afternoon at our the Saint John Home Show, our local home show to bring out people from their long winter ordeal.  It was very busy to say the least! I came home and my spouse had taped our 3 bedroom walls to repaint them in a light brown, color is similar to the photo above, from the original pucky yellowish tan.   I painted the majority of the walls and my spouse did most of the trim work.  We finished around 8:00 p.m. and since my spouse had to catch a flight to Raleigh, NC tomorrow early morning ~ 5:00 a.m. in Fredericton, NB (which is about 45 mins away) he got ready to get come rest.                                                                                                               Since, most people forget the time cha... 03/13/2010

Ever start your day planning something and find out that interesting things can develop that make your day very different.  This day pulled a few things together, that will help me in the next few months.  I’m beginning my paperwork for Canadian Citizenship and I learned something today about Beavers & their significance in Canada.  Researched a little deeper about Beaver Dams & Beaver Lodges only after I took these photos just east of Saint John, New Brunswick (CANADA) on the town lines between Norton & Bloomfield on Old Hampton Rd. after taking a ride to one of my listings in Sussex.  Please enjoy these next fascinating photos of the beauty of Atlantic Canada...   Beavers in North America, are native to Canada, much of the United States and parts of northern Mexico.   Beaver's preferr... 02/27/2010

     I’ve become a very savvy computer whiz through my former education in Math & Science, being a former educator and having all of those SEO’s on ActiveRain teaching me and all of the other co-computer savy REALTORS®.  The Information Era is here to stay!!! Today, salespeople who accept & embrace the internet ultimately make their businesses more profitable, while the Realtor who chooses to ignore the internet usually pay the price by going “Out of Business” very quickly.   The Realtors who recognize this & make it easy for their consumers to access their information and see what makes them superior also succeed in generating many more sales.    We have on our fingertips, the ability to analyze our customer’s behaviors by the way they navigate on our particular websites.  That can tel... 01/31/2010

           Why Should You Hire Me?   Real estate has gone from paper & pencil days, to high-tech knowledge! Today, there are many other local REALTORS® that you can hire in the Saint John community.   Some of those REALTORS® have never had additional training other than the formal training they received from the Province/State they got their original training from, with some many years ago.  Others say they are certified but never show their credentials on additional training.  Now the question should be:  Why do some REALTORS® keep training, while others just look for the next listing or client?   Don’t get me wrong, the training I received from New Brunswick Real Estate Association was wonderful and I learned plenty, but it was just the “Tip of the Iceberg”.  The extra training I obta... 01/10/2010

Despite the recent economic trouble Saint John's economy has been growing. Over the past couple of years Saint John has had some major energy projects on the go, although most of these projects are completed the economic spin offs are under way. Whether or not you're local you don't have to look far to see how well we're doing here. All throughout the city ground is being broken on all kinds of developments. Now that most of the industrial development has been completed, Saint John is seeing a BIG boom in retail development. Here's a list of some of the latest developments: Complete renovation and over haul of the McAllister Place Shopping Center Ongoing building of the East Point Shopping Distric, now underway is the new Costco Store and TD Canada Trust building. Lancaster Mall on the ... 11/20/2009

So we are celebrating the bountiful harvest!!!  Each year, for the last 2 years, I have been chosen to be the Mascot for our Royal LePage Atlantic Kiosk.  The Kiosk is located at the local mall here in Saint John, New Brunswick, and is located in the center aisle of  the mall.  At our Kiosk we have photos of existing homes for sales on moveable display cases that potential buyers and sellers love to go and flip them over.  We also have a computer with a countertop so potential buyers or sellers can sit and discuss any details with the Realtor.   Each year, very young kids and their parents come in around 5:00 p.m. till 8:00 p.m. and do their "Trick or Treating" from store vendor to store vendor...  It's especially a busy place when the weather is probamatic; today being windy and rain s... 10/31/2009

Canada's national resale housing activity climbed to the highest level of any third quarter on record.  MLS systems of Canadian real estate boards totalled 135,182 units in the third quarter of 2009, according to statistics released by The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA). This is the highest level of activity on record for the period from July to September. The number of transactions was up 18 per cent from the third quarter of last year, representing the biggest year-over-year increase since early 2002. Climbing to $327,736, the national MLS® residential average price rose 11 per cent from the same quarter last year. This information can be found on the CREA Stats website, dated today, October 15th, 2009. http://creastats.crea.ca/natl/ Do you believe the trend will continue up?... 10/15/2009

Own a Piece of History, With this Brick 1883 Victorian Italianate Style Home In Uptown Saint John!               4 bedrooms, 1.5 baths.  Year Built:  1883,  Sq. Ft. 2500                                          $249,000  CDN Live in this designed builder's home, that William N. Dewitt built for himself in 1883. in the early 1900's real estate Broker William Earl Anderson obtained the home. this fabulous architecturally designed victorian solid brick home, Italianate style with 2500sqft, walking distance for a professional family in the heart of uptown saint john. park the car and walk to irving corp offices and uptown jobs, schools, theatre, entertainment & fine city restaurants. enjoy living is a spacious victorian home with high ceilings, crown moldings, and beautiful stained glass wi... 09/03/2009

Lately, I have read many articles about Realtors and their Brokers complaining about how bad their listings are going and how the economy is getting worse.  Well, since at this moment in time, if your hands are tied, make an effort and donate, either your time, your money or your service during these critical and unprecedented times. With the holiday season around the corner, I honesty believe the best thing you can do for yourself (as a professional) and your family, is to donate your time, money or service to: 1)  "Toys for Tots" program, or the also called "Marine Toys for Tots" foundation, 2)  Deliver a turkey or other food items to the Salvation Army, 3)  Donate blood at your local Blood Clinics, 4)  Teach a child how to read, 5)  Teach a child how to do math,  6)  Volunteer at you... 12/11/2008

I work for a wonderful company that has REALTORS who contribute to a worthwhile foundation that helps many women & children! Royal LePage Atlantic has REALTORS that are dedicated to the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation.  The Shelter Foundation is the largest public foundation in Canada that are dedicated exclusively to ending violence against women and children.  Royal LePage pays the costs of administration so that 100% of all money and effort goes towards helping local shelters and supporting violence-prevention programs in the New Brunswick area of Saint John, Rothesey, Sussex, Shediac and Moncton in New Brunswick, Canada. Royal LePage REALTORS across Canada have raised more than $7 million since 1999 to help over 30,000 women and children each year. This Friday, October 24th, 2008 at... 10/23/2008

On Wednesday, Oct 1st, 2008, we had both the Queen Mary 2 and the Norwegian Dream at our Saint John, New Brunswick port.  We had approximately 5,000 more people in our city in less then a day.  In the spring to fall months, we have cruise ships in port every week.  The temperature within the Bay of Fundy doesn't exceed 55 degrees Fahrenheit.                        Here are the differences between the two cruise ships:                                        Queen Mary 2                             vs.             Norwegian Dream   Gross Tons:              151,400                                       vs.             50,760 Builder:                    Chantiers de L'Antique                   vs.            Chantiers de L'Antique (France) Original Cost:           550 million (Euros)       ... 10/03/2008

My top restaurants in Saint John, New Brunswick. I've put together a list the top five places I eat in Saint John. Although these aren't my favorites, they are practical, quick and easy. [Dining] Vito's Restaurant & Lounge (Uptown & Rothesay Ave)- Vito's offers some great Italian food at great prices in a relaxing and comfortable atmosphere. [Grab A Pizza or Pasta] Angelo's Restaurant (Quispamsis and Hampton)- Offers amazing Italian food. Although the dining room is small, it's well worth it. Very reasonable prices as well. [Relax, Eat, and have a drink] Sebastien - Offers a variety of dishes and known for their massive selection of Martini's and drinks. Luxury and intimate setting. Super place for socializing and light business [Grab something quick] The Wild Carrot Cafe (City Market) ... 09/16/2008