Celine's Life Adventure

We're flying again! First, some life updates. Last week, Jomar received news at work which would change our financial strategy. Thankfully, we booked our flight for this trip last January. It also helps that we have an emergency fund, and I still have work, so hopefully, things don't change too much. Alaska Airlines to United Airlines Three days before our flight, I received an email from Alaska Airlines that our flight had been cancelled and we needed to rebook. I calmly called the number they provided, and they rebooked us at no extra charge to United Airlines with a layover at San Francisco International Airport (SFO). Our original flight meant flying out of Vancouver International Airport (YVR) at 6:00 AM with a 5 hours layover in Seattle. With the United flight, we leave Vancouver at 12:00 NN with a 2-hour layover in San Francisco. It surprisingly worked out. Day 1: YVR to SFO to ONT Like any traumatized Filipino who lived and experienced

Because of the pandemic, our ability to travel is quite limited (though I heard the US-Canada land border has opened). So instead of posting travel pictures, I will share my favourite photo or event in the last month. For October, we had a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner. We spent four hours cooking and preparing our Thanksgiving spread from HelloFresh. Selfie with our Thanksgiving Feast Thanksgiving Dinner The food was delicious, and our family was complete, and we were all healthy. Indeed, there are many things to be grateful for.

This month we shopped, packed, and shipped our very first balikbayan box, and I hope it gets to my in-laws early or in time for Christmas. But the picture for this month is the different imported Filipino food that I miss. When doing shopping for the balikbayan box, we went to Superstore. So while Jomar is busy grabbing things we will put inside the box, I was shopping for things we'll enjoy here in Canada and can only get in the Superstore, which includes a lot of Filipino food. Cupp Keyk, Lemon Square Cheese Cake, Hi-Ro, Hansel, and Yakult I grabbed longganisa and lumpia from the frozen aisle and all these wonderful snacks from the international aisle. This was the first time I went grocery shopping without looking at the price. Filipino goodies are so expensive (at least according to my budget) here because they're imported.  Why am I so confident to spend? Because we accumulated a lot of PC points! Yay for points! I only paid $7 and some cents for groceries worth more than

We went to have dinner with the family yesterday. The dinner was at 7:00 PM, and we decided to hang out at River Rock Hotel. They have beautiful Christmas decorations at their lobby already. Of course, I decided to take photos as best as I could. We also watched Last Christmas  on Monday, which resulted in Jomar humming Christmas songs at random times. I also started playing Christmas songs while preparing breakfast. First Feel of Christmas Partial Panorama of River Rock lobby View while going down the escalators. Good things happen when you look up. After dinner, I wanted to test Night Sight on the updated Google Camera app on my Pixel 3. See the results below. Night Sight Without Night Sight I'm looking forward to Christmas, and the five vacation days I'll take.

It's Therese's birthday, and she always chooses a casual dining pub to have lunch or dinner with the family. Three years ago (2016), we went to Cactus Club Cafe Two years ago (2017), we went to Earls Kitchen + Bar Restaurants Last year (2018), we had Romer's Burger Bar This year (2019), we went to Moxie's Grill & Bar Moxie's Grill & Bar First, I love the service! Our server, Jessica, is friendly and she didn't hover around us as other waitresses do at other places. Second, I like the ambiance. Since we went there on Saturday for lunch, it's practically empty except for two other tables. We had fun catching up. It's been a while (Christmas?) since we're all together sharing a meal. It's great to spend time together. Lastly, the food is okay. I won't be coming back for the food, that's for sure. For appetizers, dad ordered Calamari and Tableside Fresh Smashed Guacamole which is amusing and fun to eat. Jessica smash

In celebration of Foursquare Day, I am starting a world tour (while staying in Metro Vancouver) with food based on the Food categories of Foursquare! You may read more about "World Food Tour" on this link . Afghan Restaurant category First on the Foursquare alphabetical list of categories is Afghan Restaurants. According to Foursquare, there are four restaurants who are categorized under Afghan Restaurants. We decided to try Afghan Chopan from the list because it's affordable and it's accessible. East is East is closer to our home and has a higher rating but the food is a mixed of Indian and Afghan food so we went to Afghan Chopan instead. Afghan Chopan Bakery and Diner It's a small place (with about 9 chairs and 3 tables) but the branch on No. 3 Road is closing permanently on April 20, 2018. They have a new branch around 10-minute walk near the Richmond Public Market at Westminster Highway. Afghan Chopan Bakery and Diner Menu Afghan Chopan B

First, thank you so much to all those who supported my birthday fundraising. I am not sure how much I was able to raise but I am sure that my mom gave $20 as a birthday gift so yay for mom. Second, Jomar arrived in Canada last October 21 and was planning to stay here until November 22 but we've been in a long distance relationship for 2 years now and we've been discussing getting married even before I left for Canada (plus, we got engaged last 16.06.16 (June 16, 2016)) so we decided to elope. October Last October 26, 2017, in front of my family and with the blessing of both our parents, we got married at the beautiful King George Park in Richmond, BC. I got my "garden" wedding and it happened in the most beautiful season of all, Fall. One of the reasons why I decided to stay in Canada is because of how amazing and beautiful Fall is. It's just amazing. We had a simple dinner at Kisha Poppo an eat-all-you-can Japanese restaurant. My mom enjoyed her unlimited

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

May is the month of celebration and eating out. Below is a list of some of the restaurants I went to this month. Enjoy! Vegetarian Burgers with yam fries before the movie Harvest grain vegetarian burger with lettuce, tomato, ketchup, mayonnaise and pickles, served on a brioche bun with sweet potato fries from Marine Drive Cineplex VIP area Travel the Dumpling Trail starting with Shibuyatei Sushi & Larmen Left to Right: Scallops Gyoza, Pork Gyoza, and Shrimp Gyoza Seafood Pancakes during Mother's Day dinner Seafood Pancake from Dai Jung Kum Old Style Bacon Cheeseburger from Fatburger An all time favourite! Our big, juicy ⅓ lb Alberta Angus beef patty topped with double Canadian Cheddar and maple bacon, lettuce, tomato, mayo, mustard and red relish with yam fries. Pasta during Alyanna's birthday Italian Feast: Chicken Parmigiana, Cheese Ravioli, and Lasagna Classico from Olive Garden My Fave Soup from Cafe 101 Bakery Sun dried

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 may have posted this line before, I have this love-hate relationship with my new home country. Though Canada still doesn't feel home, most of the time, I still feel like I am just on vacation and can't wait to go back home to the Philippines . Anyway, I love Canada! This last winter season (December to February) is the worst snow British Columbia has seen in x number years, specifically in Metro Vancouver. Growing up in a tropical country, I would only dream of seeing snow gently falling from the sky like in the movies. But being able to see it with my own eyes and touch it while waiting for a bus is really a dream come true. I love the snow and how gently it would fall. The biggest reason of this love and amazement for snow is it's my first time to experience it. But the day or two after a snowfall, is just really annoying. Icy roads, icy sidewalk, icy everything and the fear of slipping is something difficult to live with. Snow on my way home. Snow the fo

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.

After my DD Mau adventure with Therese, my mom, out of nowhere, asked me to have lunch at Lotus Pho Restaurant after church. Lotus Pho Restaurant is a traditional Vietnamese restaurant. Upon entering, the place is full people. It's the Sunday lunch rush. When we were seated and browsing through the menu, I just know that I'll have Vermicelli Bowl again just to compare it with DD Mau. Vermicelli Bowl with Grilled Chicken Slices, Fried Roll

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

Facebook ads are effective. The only reason I learned about the Canada Day celebration is because of the Facebook advertisement by the Richmond, BC page. When I saw it, I shared it with Therese so we could make plans for my first Canada Day! Canada Day High with our flag, shirt, cap, and cupcakes. What made us decide to go? Food. Specifically, pancake breakfast! We left home early and arrived at Steveston at almost 9:00 am. We walked around to check what food vendors will be available then lined up for our serving of the pancakes.

I've been to Korea twice and had a taste of authentic Korean food. Haroo brings the Korean experience in Richmond with its homey ambiance and great food. Last week, our family celebrated my mom's birthday and father's day. Since my mom has been raving about Dai Jang Kum and how she wants to bring us there to celebrate her birthday, Therese and I searched for the Korean Restaurant with the highest rating in Richmond. My Foursquare and her Yelp app both returned Haroo Korean Homestyle Cuisine . My parents enjoying the tea We arrived at Haroo at around 7:30 PM, it was a cloudy day and finding parking space was challenging. Be more patient when coming to the area on a busy weekend, since parking will be difficult.

Jomar is heading back to the Philippines soon. :( This is our last date in Canada, so we decided to check out the International Summer Night Market, also known as Panda Market. There are two summer night markets in Richmond; we decided to visit this one because it's closer to home. Mother with the Panda We had a great time! Jomar and I had takoyaki and okonomiyaki while my parents enjoyed some fried squid.

Right beside the Steveston Fisherman's Wharf, The Crab King Restaurant offers fresh crab and seafood that's delicious but a bit pricey. We went there at around 5:00 PM yesterday, still a lot early than the dinner crowd. It's more of an afternoon snack after a tiring game of Lazer Tag for my siblings. We were celebrating Alyanna's birthday. These are the food we had: Crispy Battered Prawns and Chips

I have come to realize that I do my best to post something new once a week. Since I didn't try any exciting restaurants this week or visit any cool place, I will highlight one food that people seems to love so much: Burgers! From fast food joints to high-end restaurants burger is a menu item that seems to always be there. Below are some of the burgers I have tried over the last six months in Lower Mainland BC. Bacon Cheeseburger Five Guys at 635 Robson Street Downtown Vancouver The Legendary White Spot at Bridgeport, Richmond Old Style Bacon Cheddar Fatburger at 111 Dunsmuir Street Downtown Vancouver