Celine's Life Adventure

It's my third day back home and it feels great to take a break from my routine life in Canada. Date with Jomar When I planned my itinerary for this vacation, Jomar requested that we have a date. I moved things around and told him that I would free up Tuesday morning and we could go out then. I asked him to surprise me with what he had in mind. Manila There is a building along Pedro Gil that look likes a dome. I have been curious about it but didn't thought of checking it out. Apparently, it's the National Museum Planetarium. It was close for so long until recently and Jomar wants us to visit the Planetarium while it's still open. We went there at around 9:00am after having the remaining Kare-Kareng Gulay for breakfast. The exhibit was okay. There was nothing that made me say wow and it was last updated 2009(?) so the information is a bit outdated. National Museum Planetarium Jomar also wanted to see one of the shows which costs Php 50.00. It was a 30-minut

For my second day in Canada, Jomar and I spent the morning having our planning meeting. It took us the first 3 hours of the day to discuss our plans. Then, I had "Me" time. I went to Let's Face It to have a facial. After that, I went to Chowking. I got my first dose of cultural difference between Canada and Philippines. I was in front of the cashier and said, "Hi". She just stared at me impatiently. I gave her my order (Yang Chow fried rice) and she offered toppings which I declined. What's so shocking about the encounter? Well, in Canada, there's always pleasantries and small talk. Always. When ordering, the cashier would almost always ask, "Hi there, how's it going?" or "Hi there, what can I get for you today?". They don't just stand there and wait for your order. It's different. When I was new to Canada I always feel awkward about the pleasantries and small talk but now that I am used to it, I am surprise when it does

As soon as I boarded my flight to Manila from Beijing, I fell asleep. I did sleep for an hour, watched Sing, then watched The Intern. I was in the last 2 minutes (2 minutes!!!) of the movie and they closed all in-flight entertainment because the plane had landed. I was sitting in the first row of the economy class and I only have my backpack to carry so I am the first person out of the plane (well, first person from the economy class since they apparently, give priority to Business Class).  I love saying Magandang Umaga! I am home. The Immigration was quick since I was one of the first few people out of the plane. After the immigration, I waited for my luggage which felt like a really long time but no more than 15 minutes. I went out and walked down the arrival extension area of Terminal 1 and saw Jomar. He booked an Uber and finally, home to my dearest Gateway Regency.  I unpacked and went straight to bed (around 2AM). Good morning Manila! I woke up at 5AM and decided to ta

I arrived at Beijing a few minutes after 1:00 PM (Local Time). The 10-hour flight was tiring. I remember why I disliked flying trans-pacific. During the flight, I watched The Lego Batman Movie, played in-flight games (Luxor and Suduko), and watched Beauty and The Beast (Emma Watson is so beautiful). Plane Food from YVR to PEK Layover Highlights First, the WiFi access is challenging to get but possible. Second, there's a special line for those in transit. Lastly, the best way to check if you have internet connection is to go to Yahoo.com, yes, Yahoo. All of your Google services, Facebook, and Twitter won't work. Even the GPS of your mobile device will not work. Beijing Capital International Airport (BCIA) What I did in my six hours in Terminal 3 of PEK? As soon as I got to the departure floor of Terminal 3, the first thing I did was find the currency exchange to have my limited Canadian dollar changed to Chinese Yuan. Then... I went shopping around for key cha

During my first 12 months in Canada, I visited museums and tourist spots just to get-to-know the country and province a little bit better. I learned about the Aboriginal or First Nations or Native Americans before the Europeans came (the first immigrants). The designs here at the arrival area is inspired by the stories of the First Nations. It reminded me so much of the exhibit at the Museum of Anthropology (MoA) at University of British Columbia ( UBC ). The Legend of the Raven and the Fog Woman This airport and the appreciation and continuous support to remind immigrants on the history of this country is something I really love about Canada and British Columbia. Yes, a pond (but with fake fish) in the middle of all the boutique stores. YVR is inspired by nature. Boarding is in an hour. In the meantime, I will go back to my Code Academy lessons and I might grab a snack from either A&W or Church's Chicken (can't decide yet). Have a great day or night de

I am writing this at the airport while waiting for my flight from Vancouver, Canada to Beijing, China. I have a 6-hour layover in Beijing before my flight to my dearest Manila, Philippines. I am excited to see friends and of course, Jomar. I am looking forward to all the Filipino food that I miss back home. A few days ago, Gordon (CEO of Gumstix ) asked where I was going for my vacation. I said, "I am going back home." I, honestly, did not expect his response, "But this is your home." If you've been reading this blog (I doubt people read this but oh well), you would notice that I have a love-hate relationship with Canada and as much as it has become a home the past almost 2 years, Philippines will always have a special place in my heart. I don't know. Maybe this feeling will be gone after a decade of living outside of the country but right now, all I know is I miss home every day. I read this post from a fellow immigrant (I think she's fr

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

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

I am, finally, all caught up with my posts and can now share about my adventures this month. White Rock, BC Canada Last Saturday, it was our youngest siblings birthday. We had lunch at Olive Garden (unlimited bread sticks!) and after that we went to White Rock Beach. This is our second time here but it will be the first time for our only brother since he almost always have work during the weekend. Beautiful sunny day at White Rock Beach Lots of seagulls It was a short (1 hour) trip. We walked along the pier, had some ice cream to go from The White Coffee and Ice Cream, and went back to the car since we only paid 1-hour worth of parking space. Long road and view of the mountains from the horizon It was a great day spent with my parents and siblings. I can't wait to go back to the beach and spend time swimming and enjoying the sun.

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 am so busy with work that I have forgotten about this blog. I am writing this 21st of May and just changed the date to January 31, 2017. The adventures of the first 15 days of the year is about time I spent with Jomar before he heads back to the Philippines. We went to Museum of Athropology (MoA), Granville Island, and watched a movie at Cineplex. Our last dinner date together (for this trip) is at the best burger restaurant in Vancouver, Romer's Burger Bar . After a food coma dinner, we walked to Cheesecake, Etc. for some desserts. What happened the rest of the month? On top of my workday work routine, I got to meet with Amit last January 19. We spent 30 minutes talking how life has been since we both came to North America. He works at Google and he is one of the Developer Relations folks that manage the community in APAC but decided to come back for family reasons in North America. The best photo we could do - a failed selfie outside Crepe & Cafe which apparen

First post for 2017! I should write about my trip to Seattle last month but ... For this first post, I am going to share with you some photos I have when Jomar and I visited the Museum of Anthropology in UBC (University of British Columbia). This is Jomar's last weekend in Canada for this trip and hopefully he could come back soon with a working visa or a Permanent Residence card. View from the train station Anyway, our date started with my dentist visit. It's my first dentist visit in Canada and it's reassuring to hear that my teeth are doing well. Plus, it's nice that our work health plan covers for majority of it so not as much expense. After the dentist, Jomar and I went to Granville Island to buy this texting gloves we saw and he purchased this cute Rubik's Cube keychain for him and his brother. Fave view when walking to Granville Island