Celine's Life Adventure

I borrowed a few books from the Vancouver Public Library, and the first I read and finished is Zero to One, Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future, by Peter A. Thiel. In summary, the book discusses questions and things startups should ask in their quest to build things that will change the world. Below are the seven question, in the book that you should ask for before launching that product. If you answer, yes to all seven items, then your chances of success will be higher. Can you create breakthrough technology? Is now the right time to start? Do you have the right team? Are you starting with a big share of a small market? Do you have a way to not just create but deliver your product? Will your market position be defensible 10 and 20 years into the future? Have you identified a unique opportunity that others don't see? I have a couple of product ideas that I think can be startups but going over this question, I always have a tough time answering 4, 5, and 6....

I completed a summary of my 1-week vacation in Manila. Day 0 of PH Vacation . Valentine's Day at Vancouver International Airport Day 1 of PH Vacation . Time with Family Day 2 of PH Vacation . Confirmation and Time with Friends Day 3 of PH Vacation . Errands Day 4 of PH Vacation . Interview and Ocular Day 5 of PH Vacation . High School Friends Day 6 and 7 of PH Vacation . Jomar's Hometown Day 8 of PH Vacation . Food and Pre-Cana Seminar Day 9 of PH Vacation . Last Day In this post, I want to list down where I ate when I was in the Philippines. 9 Spoons in Bayleaf Intramuros Food tasting for the wedding reception. Bacolod Chicken Inasal Jomar wants halo-halo. Baliwag Lechon Manok Thanks to Ms. Myna for bringing some during our potluck dinner. Binalot We had tocino, tapa, and bangus for breakfast. Casa Roces We had Sopa Molo Castiliana, Lengua in Mushroom Sauce, Pollo Iberico, Berenjana Casada, and Paella Valenciana after confirmation. Chowking We had Chin...

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...

After 10 hours looking at clouds and admiring the icy window, Ice on the plane window. Being back in Vancouver is good! What's the first thing we did as soon as we landed (and after security check)? Eat. Specifically, eat fish and chips from Pajo. Fish and Chips Dinner Pajo is a Steveston, Richmond local fish and chips place. It's one of the first fish and chips place I've tried when I migrated to Canada. I had it on my second day. Anyway, Jomar and I had salmon and halibut for dinner. We went home; unpacked and it's already 11 at night. Time to sleep because we're both going to work the following day. Wicked Cafe Breakfast After a surprisingly good night sleep, we're up and ready to go back to work. However, our fridge is empty, and we have no food for breakfast. Instead, we decided to have breakfast in a cafe which we always walked by on our way to work. Wicked Cafe (7th and Hemlock) For breakfast, I decided to have vegetari...

We have a 4-hour layover in Taiwan. What did we do in Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport? We walked around Terminal 2 and visited the Hello Kitty boarding gate. Jomar saw new Kit-Kat flavour which he purchased. We also had dinner in Mos Burger which is a fast-food restaurant chain that originated in Japan. It's pretty good. Now, I feel guilty that I didn't try McDonald's and check out the unique burgers they have in Taiwan. Year of the Pig! Flying Pigs Hello Kitty! Mos Burger Giant Dumpling Steamer Review of China Airlines We booked China Airlines because it was the cheapest flight for the days we need to be in Manila. The layover hours were not too long plus I've never been to Taiwan. Booking was convenient, the check-in process was natural, and the staff were friendly. The food exceeded my expectation. I daresay it's better than All Nihonggo Airlines (which I thought had fantastic food) but not at par with Singapore Airlines...

This post is first of my PH vacation series: Day 0 of PH Vacation . Valentine's Day in Vancouver International Airport Day 1 of PH Vacation . Time with Family Day 2 of PH Vacation . Confirmation and Time with Friends Day 3 of PH Vacation . Errands Day 4 of PH Vacation . Interview and Ocular Day 5 of PH Vacation . High School Friends Day 6 and 7 of PH Vacation . Jomar's Hometown Day 8 of PH Vacation . Food and Pre-Cana Seminar Day 9 of PH Vacation . Last Day It's our last day in Manila! Our luggage was packed and ready for our flight that night. Mass in Manila Cathedral Breakfast in Chowking Before leaving the Philippines and because it's Sunday, we have to go to Mass. We attended the 8:30 am Mass in Manila Cathedral. #Selfie inside Manila Cathedral An hour before Mass, we had lunch for breakfast at Chowking. Chinese-Style Pork Chop Lauriat After Mass, we saw a taho vendor. Of course, I had to have taho again while waiting for our Gra...

This post is first of my PH vacation series: Day 0 of PH Vacation . Valentine's Day at Vancouver International Airport Day 1 of PH Vacation . Time with Family Day 2 of PH Vacation . Confirmation and Time with Friends Day 3 of PH Vacation . Errands Day 4 of PH Vacation . Interview and Ocular Day 5 of PH Vacation . High School Friends Day 6 and 7 of PH Vacation . Jomar's Hometown Day 8 of PH Vacation . Food and Pre-Cana Seminar Day 9 of PH Vacation . Last Day It's Saturday and our last full day in Manila. We have a Pre-Cana Seminar at 1:00 PM. Binalot Breakfast We had Binalot for breakfast. Yum yum! Tocino, Tapa, and Boneless Bangus with Rice and Salted Egg served on banana leaves The Old Spaghetti House Lunch We had The Old Spaghetti House for lunch. Golden Crusted Chicken, Ham and Cheese Crepe with Angel Hair Pomodoro (my favourite!) Chicken Parmigiana with Spaghetti Pomodoro Manila Cathedral Manila Cathedral outside We arri...

It's the only day of the year we eat pie. That might be an exaggeration. We eat pie on Thanksgiving as well. Pi Day 2019 After work today, Jomar and I decided to go to Granville Island Public Market to eat savoury pie and sweet pie for dinner. Laurelles Fine Foods We decided to have our savoury pie from Laurelles Fine Foods. I chose the Salmon Pie while Jomar picked the Chicken Pot Pie. I like the chicken better. Chicken Pot Pie and Salmon Pie A La Mode After eating our savoury pie, we had sweet pie for desserts. Just like last year, we picked two pies from A La Mode. I (as predicted) chose Pecan Pie while Jomar wanted to try the Coconut Cream Pie. Surprisingly, I didn't enjoy the Pecan Pie as much as I did last year. It was too sweet. The Coconut Cream Pie is good but nothing like the buko (coconut) pie we have from the Philippines. Coconut Cream Pie Pecan Pie Where did you eat pie today?

This post is first of my PH vacation series: Day 0 of PH Vacation . Valentine's Day at Vancouver International Airport Day 1 of PH Vacation . Time with Family Day 2 of PH Vacation . Confirmation and Time with Friends Day 3 of PH Vacation . Errands Day 4 of PH Vacation . Interview and Ocular Day 5 of PH Vacation . High School Friends Day 6 and 7 of PH Vacation . Jomar's Hometown Day 8 of PH Vacation . Food and Pre-Cana Seminar Day 9 of PH Vacation . Last Day It's Thursday - our 6th day in the Philippines and our goal for today is meet friends in the morning and off to Jomar's hometown of Naic, Cavite to spend more time with his family. Breakfast with College Best Friend If you've been reading my blog (I don't think anyone does), I'm consistent with the people I meet. The last time I went back to Manila, I met exactly the same set of friends. I don't have a lot of friends (like my sister, Therese or my dad) but the ones I have, I treasu...

This post is first of my PH vacation series: Day 0 of PH Vacation . Valentine's Day at Vancouver International Airport Day 1 of PH Vacation . Time with Family Day 2 of PH Vacation . Confirmation and Time with Friends Day 3 of PH Vacation . Errands Day 4 of PH Vacation . Interview and Ocular Day 5 of PH Vacation . High School Friends Day 6 and 7 of PH Vacation . Jomar's Hometown Day 8 of PH Vacation . Food and Pre-Cana Seminar Day 9 of PH Vacation . Last Day This post is about our 5th day in Manila. Morning at Linden Suite I woke up at 6 in the morning and took a quick shower for another busy day. View from Linden Jomar and I had breakfast at the buffet (I didn't enjoy it but the service was excellent - super friendly staff) while waiting for Mary, my high school best friend. Not good breakfast buffet at Linden Mary arrived at around 8 am and I joined her for breakfast and we were chatting for 2-3 hours about life. I pray that everyone will ha...

Jomar and I will have our Philippine Catholic wedding in July. To enlighten those who want to have their Sacrament of Holy Matrimony in the beautiful and historic Manila Cathedral, I will share with you how much it cost. Why did we pick Manila Cathedral? I want to say that because it's historic and beautiful. But honestly, it's because Manila Cathedral has relevant information on their website for a couple like us living and already legally married abroad. Ms. Donna also responds to our emails and calls promptly. The bonus is it's historic and beautiful. According to one of my Ninang, " ang haba ng walk down the aisle mo ." I didn't think of that. I'm not sure if I like it. LOL. They also have a dashboard where you complete the forms, and it lists what you need to submit and when. It's pretty impressive. Wedding Preparation Step 1. Reserve a wedding date The first thing you do is go to their ...