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Contact: Brittney MacDonald, Life & Style Editor
Milifeandstyle@theotherpress.ca

This issue:

(¥ Smart Student Banking

(Y Fall trends from the runway

(Y Listed: 10 things to pair with your pumpkin spice latte

And more!

The local shape of the season

   

» Fall events in the Lower Mainland

 

Alex Stanton
Staff Writer

Bu“ the dog days of
summer and the slushy
months of winter, we've got fall.
When it comes to Vancouver,
there’s not much to say about it. I,
for one, enjoy it. It’s not too hot,
nor is it too cold. It’s occasionally
rainy, yeah, but it sure beats the
hell out of a sweltering day ina
room with busted AC or a road-
ruining dump of snow.

Like any other season, there’s
no shortage of annual cultural
events, but this time of year you
generally don’t have to worry
about the weather going to either
extreme. Even our home, known
around the world as “No-Fun
City,” is host to plenty of stuff to

do during this quaint season.

Vancouver Halloween

: Parade and Expo (October

: 15-18) — From Fan Expo to

: Northwest Fan Fest, Vancouver

: plays host to a number of events

: where people get in touch with

: their inner geek, dressing up as

: their favourite fictional characters
: while browsing the wares of

: hobby shops. These events always
: attract massive numbers, and

: now those with a die-hard love

: for Halloween can celebrate

: a couple of weeks early at the

: Tom Lee Music Hall and PNE

: Exhibition Forum, ending off the
: festivities with a free parade in

: the downtown core. With four

: days to check it out, there’s plenty :
: of time to experience the myriad
: activities available to guests,

: including a booth featuring the

: Other Press’s own Comic Corner

: author.

Fright Nights (October

9g—November 1) — In what has

: become as much of an institution
: in Vancouver as the PNE (as well

: as yet another way to celebrate

: All Hallows Eve), the annual

: horror makeup thatss applied to

: Playland brings something new

: to the table every year. This year

: is no exception; aside from the

: seven haunted houses, there’s

: a comedy troupe called The

: Monsters of Schlock, as well as

: The Beast, a recent thrill ride that
: drew a massive crowd when it

: debuted a couple months ago.

Twenty-eighth Vancouver

: Writers Festival (October

: 20-25) — For the 28th year,

: more than 100 notable authors

: are descending upon Granville

: Island for five days to host

: numerous panels, workshops,

: and performance events for those

: who have a knack for creating
: worlds with words. There are

: authors representing every corner :
: of Canada, as well as parts of :
: the United States and Europe,
: including Sara Tilley, Steve

: Burrows, and Elizabeth Hay.

Alien Contagion: Rise

: of the Zombie Syndrome

: (October 6-November 1) —

: When you build an interactive

: theatre show centring around

: aliens who crash land ona

: post-apocalyptic, zombie-

: infested Earth, those with a wild
; imagination are certain to come.
: Taking place in an apparently

: top secret location, audience

: members use their smartphones
: to solve a mystery filled to the

: brim with science fiction tropes.
: Although this is the fourth in

: the Zombie Syndrome series

: produced by The Virtual Stage,

Image via metronews.ca

: knowledge of previous events
: isn’t necessary.

TEDx Vancouver 2015

: (November 15) — making a

: name for itself with insightful

: talks by some of the most

: influential, brilliant minds

: alive today, the now famous

: educational brand TED has

: allowed its name to be used by

: any individual or non-profit

: group that feels they have ideas

: worth spreading. This year, the

: overall theme for this particular

: TEDx is identity. Through talks

: via satellite and live speakers, this
: educational event aims to answer
: three very hard questions: Who

: are we? Whoam I? Who will I

be?

Vancouver is a diverse city,

: and luckily for us that means
: plenty of interesting activities—
: no matter what youre into!

 

Smart Student Banking

» Which bank gives the best bang for your buck?

Aaron Guillen
Contributor

Gus your money can be
tough. Personally, I love to go
out with my friends to watch a
movie, or eat at a new restaurant
once in a while. If you can’t keep
track of your spending, you will
soon find yourself at wit’s end
with your finances. With the
inevitable recession creeping
around the corner for all
Canadians, I felt like it was time
to start taking a serious look at
my money.

A couple weeks ago, I began
looking to find another bank,
because I had recently begun a

: part-time job at a local grocery
: store and was determined to
: begin investing.

Hoping to complete this

: task within a day, I jumped

: onto the Internet to find the

: best deals there were. From

: CIBC to Scotiabank, all I could

: dig up were low interest rates

: for students. Although they

: promised many unlimited

: avenues, the thought of having

: merely 0.1 to 0.2 per cent interest
: until I hit $5,000 sickened

: me. Additionally, many of the

: savings accounts that I found

: had strings attached. Either

: you were restricted to a limited

: amount of monthly transactions,
: or you weren’ able to touch your

: finances without incurring a fee.
: Needless to say, I was unsatisfied.

A couple days later, |

: stumbled upon an RBC ad on

: the front of a 24 Hours daily

: newspaper. It promised high

: interest rates of 0.65 per cent

: and free online transfers,

: so limmediately booked an

: appointment. The next day, I

: walked out of their office with

: a card in hand, but feeling

: unfulfilled. Within the previous
: 30 minutes, they revealed to me
: that I could only have one ATM
: cash withdrawal per month and
: the free online transfers they had
: promised were exclusive to RBC
: accounts. The more I thought

: about it, I realized the mistake I

: had made and the unfortunate
: circumstances I was placed in.
: You see, RBC has great deals,

: which included free iPads, but
: not for students under the age
of 19.

That night, I went online,

: searching yet again for a great

: deal. Among an assortment

: of tabs, I recalled my parents

: with their Tangerine account. |

: inquired, and they promised me
: that by simply opening a savings
: account, I would receive $25 as

: well as start off with an interest

: rate of 2.1 per cent. It seemed

: promising, especially the free

: money part.

: The next morning I canceled :
: my newly established account

> at RBC and have since been

: trying out Tangerine, and so far
: [like it. I still worry about my

: spending, but it’s much less than
: I did before. I can personalize

: how much I want to transfer to

: my savings account each day,

: week, or month, which makes

: budgeting a lot more bearable.

Though this situation turned

: out perfectly for me, you might

: not face the same circumstances.
: Each person’s financial situation
: and wants are unique; find the

: bank that works best for you.

: Take your time to hunt out the

: ideal setup. The economy is ever-
: changing, so be sure to make

smart investments.