Celine's Life Adventure

As part of my World Food Tour series, Jomar and I went to Simba's Grill Vancouver. They are an African Restaurant according to Foursquare. It's our first time to try African cuisine. Let's see how it went. African Restaurant Category There are 7 restaurants categorized in Foursquare as 'African Restaurant' and I searched the description for usually the top 3 and decide from there. Foursquare City Guide's African Restaurant in Vancouver I would prefer to go to the first suggestion BUT in this case Jambo grill is a fusion of four countries, Iran, India, Africa and Canada which is why I decided to go to Simba's Grill. They described the cuisine as 'East African Fusion Cuisine'. That's good enough for my food tour since they're combining favorites from East Africa. Simba's Grill We arrived at West End at around 6:30pm and we didn't know that there's an abundance of restaurant along Denman Street. There are even line up...

I have been so busy at work and with my new role as Customer Success that I didn't have any new food adventure the last two weeks. Last night, I did spend two hours writing a short post in LinkedIn about my experience as customer success manager so far. Personally, it's a quiet and busy May. However, I am always excited to go to work and help customers and Geppetto users as best as I could. I've never felt this energized in a long time. Thanks Gumstix and Gordon for the opportunity to grow my muscles in promoting and selling Geppetto. Always happy and grateful with the team of engineers and developers I work with everyday. Though, I think I need a vacation soon.

I would like to think that everyone wants to change the world and (hopefully) make it better. We want to solve poverty, racism, sexism, war, and all the problems in the world. In trying to think of all the negative, we get overwhelmed and are unsure how to start. That's me 8 years ago. I just graduated from college and I want to change the world. How I change the world? I still want to change the world but instead of getting overwhelmed from all the negative news being thrown at me everyday. I realized (5 years after graduation) that I can change the world - MY WORLD. This is not conceited that it's about me and my world. But changing the portion of the world that I can actually change. To solve poverty, I make sure that my family has something to eat three times a day and that we have a loving home. But that's just meeting basic needs, living out of poverty means having hope in the future. I make sure to give hope and encouragement to my parents, siblings, husban...

Last month, Jomar and I started our World Food Tour by visiting Afghan Chopan and Bakery for Afghan Cuisine. Today, Jomar suggested that we skip the alphabetical Foursquare categories and go straight to Mexican Restaurants because it's Cinco de Mayo. Mexican Restaurant Category Because we're in North America, there's an abundance of Mexican Restaurants in Vancouver. I picked the first one on Foursquare recommendation and we went to Sal y Limon. Sal y Limon We arrived at Kingsway and even inside the bus we can see the long lines outside. It was 6:30 in the evening and it was so hot outside. While waiting, I was silently praying that the food is worth the heat and the wait. Appetizer We had Nachos with chicken. If you check their website and their printed menu, Nachos is not yet there but it's printed on a paper along with the kid's menu near the counter. I love their Nachos! The topping was generous and not just on top of the nacho. It was de...

I failed my goal for the year of writing two posts a week. I completely missed making a blog post last weekend. A lot has happened in two weeks. Work Permit First, Jomar received his work permit! Finally! I should do a post on how to get your boyfriend in the Philippines to Canada and how Jomar and I did it. He is still looking for employment as an Android Developer. With God's grace, I know Jomar will find his own Gumstix. A company that will embrace and appreciate his skills and talents as much as Gumstix did for me. Promotion Second, I got promoted last week. Gordon and I had late lunch at The Bridges Restaurant. It was my first one-on-one with our CEO and I was scared. Hence, the title doing things afraid. I realized that fear or being scared is normal. We all feel it. The difference would be if we let fear paralyzed us from moving forward. Beautiful day to have lunch at The Bridges Restaurant A lot has happened since the start of the year. My direct manager mo...

When Jomar and I got married 6 months ago, we agreed to watch a movie at the cinema once a month (minimum). For the 5 of those 6 months, we have been watching movies at Cineplex Cinemas Marine Gateway and VIP. This month we decided to watch at Fifth Avenue Cinemas. First one inside the theater! Fifth Avenue Cinemas As the name implies, this cinema is at 5th Avenue corner Burrard. Walking distance (if you like walking) to both home and work. This location is restricted to age 19+ because they serve alcohol at the Licensed Bar and Lounge. Licensed Lounge Theater There are 5 in this location and the one we went to is smaller than I expected and it's ground level. The seats were low. April date Food and Snack I was disappointed by the food offering. I don't know but I was expecting it to have as many food choices as they have in their Marine branch but they only serve like 9 items and even the snack bar didn't have Outtakes - only popcorn. Food was st...

I have a secret to tell you. I love KFC. I tried KFC in 4 countries (out of the 11 I've been to). KFC Philippines has the best gravy. Meanwhile, KFC Malaysia has the most flavorful spicy chicken. KFC China (at the airport) is usual (no crazy flavor when I was there. Lastly, KFC Canada has the least tasty chicken. Well, until we tried their Spicy Chicken with Waffles. Chicken and Waffles I enjoy chicken and waffles. When I go to places that offer breakfast, it's one of the things I looked for (followed by Eggs Benedict or Omelette). It's no question that Jomar and I are going to try Waffle Double Down when we saw an ad for it. KFC's Waffle Double Down The verdict? It's crunchy outside, soft inside waffle in between two crunchy, spicy, boneless fried chicken. Instead of mayonnaise, the sauce is maple syrup. It was great! Unfortunately, it's available for a limited time only so be sure to try it while it's still available. More chicken and ...

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...

I want to write posts to help immigrants in Canada with their career. This post is for new immigrants who were fully employed white collar workers from their home country and yet unsure on how to move forward with looking for work in their industry or field in Canada. In this post, I will share with you my opinion and stand on whether you should go take a temporary job. I have been in Canada for only 2 years so the wounds are fresh and I want to share the lessons I learned. What is a temporary job? As the name implies, it's supposed to be temporary. These are the type of work unrelated to your career goals. This is the type of work that will help you earn money to meet your families needs. According to Wikipedia , Temporary work or temporary employment (also called oddjobs) refers to an employment situation where the working arrangement is limited to a certain period of time based on the needs of the employing organization. What are examples of temporary jobs? These are ...

Spring is here! It still rains more than usual but flowers are starting to bloom and the cherry blossoms are out and beautiful. There's a row in our street! I feel so blessed every time I see them. Mewtwo I caught my first Mewtwo last Friday in Pokemon GO! There were like 50 or so people at 10 in the morning on a non-working holiday in Downtown Vancouver. It was unexpected and I am impressed. Walking Downtown After the raid, we decided to walk around Downtown and it was my first time (yes, more than 2 years in Vancouver and I still haven't visited all the tourist spots) to see the Olympic Cauldron. I didn't expect it to be that big. Olympic Cauldron Downtown Vancouver We walked around the section of the Seawall and learned so much about the interesting people in BC's history by reading all the display information available. The Drop Canada Place It was a great way to spend a holiday morning! I love this city.

I made a post that Jomar and I are doing a one-month challenge of not eating outside food (with some exceptions) as outlined in this blog post . Below is the results after a month. Physical I lost 4.5 lbs by not eating at restaurants. I know it's not a lot. However, if you see the graph below the sudden spike mid-month is when we went to movies and decided to eat outside food (talk about poutine, burger, nachos, pop corn, and all the salty food you can think of). Financial This is the biggest change. We "saved" or didn't spend almost $400! I didn't expect that we will save that much. Or that we spent that much in eating out during January and February. Restaurant / Dining Out Spending When we started this, I thought that because we didn't eat out our grocery bill will double or increase but it stayed the same. So weird. Grocery Spending What do you think of our challenge? Jomar said we had lots of loopholes (LOL) so it wasn't a...

Now a days, it's so easy to get food from restaurant from another part of the city. With the rise of food delivery apps like UberEats, DoorDash, SkipTheDishes, and so many others, it's so convenient to get your favorite burger without having to leave the comfort of your homes. This post is my review of each apps that I have used and the results. DoorDash Let's start with the one I use almost once a week. At Gumstix , we have our team weekly lunch and I am the one assigned to arrange food delivery or make reservation on rare occassions that we decide to leave our office. DoorDash is my go to app because of the Group Order feature. I just have to pick a restaurant, click Group Order, and send the generated link to my colleagues so they can add their order. We even have a set limit for each person so that we can stay on budget. As of this post, I have ordered 32 times at DoorDash from 24 different restaurants. Check out our Weekly Team Lunch map below. DoorDash is ...

I have been living in Canada for almost three years now. Life is good here but I always think of ways to help the Philippines. I have been helping Filipino entrepreneurs in Vancouver, BC go online . I also sponsored two Filipino child, Paul Syrus (through Compassion Canada) and Princess Mae (through World Vision Canada). I have been exchanging letters with them and am getting to know their families and communities. Lastly, Jomar and I have been doing our best to look for imported products from the Philippines. Our soy sauce and vinegar is Datu Puti. We almost always have Lucky Me Pancit Canton in stock just in case. We recently purchased Sunflower Crackers because I missed it. We also have Ligo sardines or sometimes Mega depending on where we did our grocery shopping. Lastly, just yesterday we found Boneless Bangus on sale! It's only $5.00 CAD and that's cheap! One bangus is usually $8.00. I should have purchased more but we have a small fridge. Oh and one time at the ...

Jomar and I did a no eating out challenge for one month. As soon as we can eat out again, we made an agreement to only eat at a restaurant once a week (before our challenge we dined out on average 3-4 times per week). The Plan I plan to try one new restaurant per week but to make it more interesting for each week it should be from one of the Foursquare category. For example, on week 1 we will try an Afghan Restaurant then the following week it will be African Restaurant. It's not just one new restaurant; it will be one different category as well. Partial list of Foursquare category Why Foursquare? Because I love it - just check out my post two years during Foursquare (4.16.16) day. The Goal Why do I want to do this? Well, obviously I love to eat. Next, I love to travel and by trying out different cuisines every week is like getting to know that country and culture through their food. Lastly, I want to explore more of Greater Vancouver area. Actually, this adventur...

Happy Pi Day! To celebrate today's Pi Day, Jomar and I went to Granville Island Public Market in search for pie. I didn't know that there's a store that specializes in the pie! It's like pie heaven. Coconut Cream Pie, Banana Cream Pie, Blueberry Pie, and Apple Pie Pumpkin Pie, Lemon Meringue Pie, Pecan Pie, Raspberry Rhubard Pie A La Mode Located inside the Public Market, A La Mode offers a wide selection of homemade sweet and savoury pies. Whether you’re after a toasty beef pot pie or a sweet slice of lemon meringue, we’ve got what you’re looking for. Enjoy a slice in the market or take a whole pie home to share. - Granville Island Directory My Pick We decided to try Pecan Pie (my fave) and Apple Pie (because it's safe). Our assessment is pecan pie over apple pie but it was the BEST apple pie we EVER tried. I don't know why but in the Philippines when we try apple pie it seems always sour. Apple Pie Pecan Pie Pi Day story In ...