to SIM or not to SIM

Wow only 5 weeks left!

I have an appointment with a travel agent who deals only with the DownUnder area and a little bit of Asia for Monday evening. Looks like I might take a "backpackers fare" with Singapore Airlines that includes up to 5 stop overs either on the way there or the way back. Mmm Fiji anyone?

Anyhow, now that airfare is mostly out of the way, and I'm pretty sure I'll be booking with OzIntro, the only things left for me to really stress over for now are packing and gear.

I have an awsome, if large, bag, (65L!) so thats not worring me. I also have my travel pillow, a saklock, a waterproof bag cover just in case, a day pack, travel guides etc.

Now all I need are some decent cross trainers, which reminds me, are those really so different from runners/sneakers?

And of course, a mobile phone. For what ever reason, this is causing me all sorts of grief. I have a contract here in Canada, but the last time I travelled I ended up paying over $40 in roaming fees, and that was only to the US!

I've heard alot of talk about SIM cards, but I dont think you can really buy those here. It seems mostly that you either buy minutes, or you have a phone on a contract.
I guess what I need to know really is, should I bring my cell phone over and see what I can work out with my provider? Or should I wait and pick up a phone with a SIM card or pay as you go kind of thing over there?

The other thing is, I have an MP3 player here, which I can barely imagine living without (especially on long bus rides) but it takes a USB port to charge, and I really dont want to have to hit up an Internet cafe ever 2 days for 4 hrs if I dont have to. So I've been thinking about an MP3 phone. It would mean one less electronic to charge/get stolen, and one less thing for me to worry about.

Of course, the easy answer here is to just say no to a phone in general and rely off pay phones and international calling cards ... but if I need to find work, I need a way for someone to get ahold of me.

Who would have thought something that seems so easy could be so ... convaluted? well back to searching on the web, and hoping Bell eventaully gets around to answering their emails >.<