Celine's Life Adventure

Every Christmas our family will have secret Santa. On top of whoever I get for that year, I also give each member of the family a Christmas gift. This year, I was busy with work and moving out of our family home that I didn't have time to think and plan what to give them. Instead, I end up giving them gift cards which I don't really like because it seems impersonal. Hand-Written Cards So together with the gift cards, I wrote a Christmas letter to my parents, three siblings, and Jomar. Therese received a gift card from Sephora and I remember writing how proud I am of the woman she has become and I have no doubt that she will be an amazing lawyer some day. Meanwhile, Hovey received a VISA gift card to buy whatever it is he needs and I told him in my card that he is the most hardworking person I know and whatever career or line of work he decides to do, he will be great. Christmas Cards from UNICEF Lastly, for Alyanna I got a gift card from EB Games so she could final

It's my second Canada Day and Canada is turned 150 years young. Why do we celebrate Canada Day? My brother and I were discussing last Thursday (while watching the Canadian Football League game between Ottawa and Calgary) what's the equivalent of Canada Day in the Philippines. I told him it's the Philippines Independence Day. How come we don't celebrate it back there? As migrants to Canada, how come we (our family) feel this joy and excitement as we look forward to celebrating Canada Day? How come we don't feel the same way back in Philippines? Is this about patriotism? Does this mean we hate the Philippines? On top of head, the only difference I could think of is the way each country celebrates the day. Back in Philippines, there's no fanfare, no parade, no celebration as if indirectly telling Filipinos that this day is just any ordinary day and we're not celebrating anything. Not only that, in the news, you will learn and hear about people p

Completely unrelated to this post but I had to share: It was a longer day at work than usual, especially for a Friday. But the real bummer is when I arrived home my 5-month old Asus Chromebook won't turn on. I tried the basic troubleshooting of plugging it in and hold the power for 60 seconds. I called Asus and I am under warranty for the next 24 months which is great but the repair process takes a week + shipping time AND I am leaving for the Philippines on Friday. So... I will be laptop-less. There, I said it. May is a busy and festive month for our family. We are celebrating two things: Mother's Day and Alyanna's birthday! Let me share with you a glimpse of what we did to celebrate both. Mother's Day Therese is the master planner in coming up with surprises for our parents. We created this Messenger group with just the four of us. She will buy flowers, I will buy the cake, Alyanna cooks breakfast, and Kuya shows up.  Flower delivery arrived a day earlier than

Last February, I highlighted the snowy winter I have experienced for the first time. This time I will be sharing with you the beautiful pink colors of Spring. I will also dedicate a section for what our family had been up to. Lastly, I will make a list of the new restaurants I have tried this month! Family Highlight It's Kuya's birthday! Unlike, Therese's celebration last month, Kuya (kuya is Filipino for "brother") decided he wants us to have dinner at home. Pizza delivery, home cooked Filipino-style spaghetti, and cake that I purchased from the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts near our office. Happy Birthday only-brother! Weather: Spring is Here! Yay! After months of Winter and snow, spring is finally here! Sakura everywhere. Cherry Blossoms after the rain April 5, 2017 7:15 AM Sunrise Cherry Blossoms April 11, 2017 After two weeks... Just like that they're all gone. Summer is just plain green so the next season I am loo

Every month starting March, someone from our family is celebrating their birthday: March: Therese April: Hovey May: Alyanna June: Mom July: Dad And yes, I am the odd one out since my birthday is all the way in November. For this month, Therese decided we eat at Earls Kitchen + Bar Restaurant . Since we are excited about dinner, we have been looking at the menu deciding what to get a couple of days before her actual birthday. Appetizer For sharing, we had Bacon Mac + Cheese and Crispy Chicken Tenders Bacon Mac + Cheese Crispy Chicken Tenders Main Course For our main course, Alyanna had Pepperoni Pizza, I had Bacon Cheddar Burger, Therese had California Chicken Burger, Mother had Chicken, Brie + Fig Sandwich, and Kuya had Louisiana Fried Chicken Sandwich. Pepperoni Pizza Bacon Cheddar Burger with Yam Fries Desserts The best part of any meal (or at least this one) is desserts. Sticky Toffee Chocolate Pudding Partially Eaten Gold Digger Happy bi

I don't think people read my blog so I found work in Canada! Yay! To end my first week at work, Therese and Alyanna went to check out the Richmond Night Market. It was AWESOME! Seriously, you should check it out. The entrance is $3.25 for general admission. What did we enjoy while inside? The Games - it was Alyanna's first time to try the carnival, you-have-no-chance-of-winning games. Haha! We tried two games, the pop the balloon with dart to get a stuff toy, which we won (Thanks to Alyanna's strong arms). The other game we played was shoot round hoops to bottles, which we failed. It was fun.

I keep on saying, Brooklyn Pizza. Okay. There's a pizza chain in the Philippines called Brooklyn Pizza , and they serve one of the best chicken wings ever. Here in Canada, there is a Boston Pizza chain, and since our family loves pizza, we just need to try it out. One Friday afternoon, our whole family including my boyfriend Jomar went to McArthurGlen Designer Outlet because Hovey is looking for shoes. Alyanna, on the other hand, is not keen on coming but I told her that a churro cart ( Hugo's Churros ) is sometimes there.  Read on my hunt for churros post . When we arrived at McArthurGlen, there are no Churros much to Alyanna's disappointment. To negotiate I told her, we could have pizza and when we searched for the nearest pizza place I haven't tried (using Foursquare , of course), Boston Pizza at No. 3 Road was the first answer. After Therese and mother were done buying bags, off, we go! I love the ambiance of Boston Pizza! It was sports-themed. I remember wat

One weekend, Alyanna was demanding that we eat at Olive Garden because a YouTuber is promoting the unlimited breadsticks. Therese and I searched for the closest Olive Garden, and there's only one in BC! Just one! We took a 30-minute drive (more than 40 km) to eat at Olive Garden located in Langley. The trip was worth it. Olive Garden Exterior

Today, our family celebrated Victoria Day by having a picnic at Centennial Beach. It was our first time to visit a beach in Canada and my first time to have a picnic with Jomar. Family Picnic with the rest of the Couples of Christ family My dad cooked the most delicious Filipino adobo for sharing. It was so good that the other family decided to bring some home with them. My mom was thrilled because a family brought ginataan , a Filipino sweet dessert she'd been craving for a few weeks now.

After graduation and the joy of your first pay slip, one of the next major events in one's life would be their wedding day. Thus, I find so much pleasure that Jossel Tigcal (Jomar's brother) and Rosemarie Turan invited me to be part of this glorious and blessed day. Here are some of the photos that I have of their wedding.

My sister (Therese) sent this piece of writing via email last November 20. It's a narration of her point-of-view of her last day in the Philippines. Hasta la vista, tchau, au revoir, arrivederci, auf wiedersehen, goodbye, paalam! It is said in different languages but has an unambiguous meaning. Goodbyes aren't always easy, but you know what they say: When a door closes, another opens. I woke up just like any other morning. Darkness filled my room, and I could barely see. I tiptoed out, so I wouldn't wake my little sister, Alyanna, who seemed enjoying her sleep. I couldn't believe it was my last night sleeping on that firm bed, I thought as I was showering. When I was finished, I found my mom packing. She had been packing for months now. It seemed endless. She had her hair in a messy bun, her lips in a pout, and her eyebrows in a crease. She finally noticed me and yelled with annoyance, “What was taking you so long? Hurry up! Hovey’s going to use the shower!” I did

The first time I was able to ride the plane was the year 2004. Our family is going to Hong Kong for a 3-day vacation. It was the first time I saw an airplane up close and as a teenager going up in a developing country - it's like a dream country. Below is the summary of what I remember from a trip that happened almost ten years ago: Eating hot noodles in one of the small eateries in Hong Kong. They served it in such big bowls! Having breakfast in McDonald's and was seriously shocked that they don't serve fries - they still have hash browns though. I was shopping galore at a Giordano shop which was on a 50%-off sale. Mother was asking a stranger for directions in Filipino - as it turns out the person she's talking to is from Malaysia. Riding the cable car in Ocean Park Riding the train which goes through the sea - seriously scary. I imagined a movie when the tunnel would collapse Going to their market and buying souvenirs Staying in a beautiful hotel Cold weath

I celebrated my 24th birthday last November 8. Below are highlights of the week that I had. To start, last November 4 -  +Jomar  and I had my fave Kare-Kareng Gulay from Giligan's. November 5 - for my love of Mexican food, +Jomar  and I had dinner in Mexicali

As I write this, it's been more than five years ever since our family vacation in California... I remember how we lined up in the US Embassy in Manila to get our US VISA. It was May 2007. They fetched me from La Salle because I have to adjust one of my classes. Accounting class to be exact. I just started college back then and was seriously stressing out over my basic accounting - it was just not meant to be. We got our VISA. My mom and I got ten years of multiple entry VISA while my siblings got five years. We're set for our family vacation December 2007 - January 2008. We're going to visit my aunties - the three sisters of my mom who all live in West Covina, Los Angeles, California, USA. We're excited! That was my first 12-hour flight. After going through the US immigration and going out LAX, my siblings and I love the cold weather! I mean, coming from the heat of the Philippines it was refreshing.