Celine's Life Adventure

It's THE big day! It's a busy day. I want to share what happened in the sequence they occurred. Hair & Make-up Our wedding is at 10:00 AM, and we got Julius Marquez and his team to do hair and make-up for 10 people. Julius Marquez doing my make-up They were at the location at around 1:45 AM to start doing our hair and make-up by 2:00 AM. Below is the schedule: 2:00 AM (4 heads): Celine (bride), Mitch (maid of honour), Deci (secondary sponsor), and Shelly (secondary sponsor) 2 in the morning 4:00 AM (4 heads): Mother, Mother-in-law, Therese (secondary sponsor), and Alyanna (bridesmaid) 3 in the morning 6:00 AM (2 heads): Keith (flower girl) and Carli (flower girl) but since Carli wakes up late Mama Chelle (godmother) used the slot Whew! Yes, I'm awake 10 hours before my wedding. Don't do a morning wedding if you don't want this torture (I'm kidding!). Thanks to all these wonderful ladies who woke up early for our special day.

It's the day before our Catholic wedding! I can't remember how I felt - scared? Nervous? Maybe. All I know is I'm going through the execution of all our planning for the last 8 months! Breakfast Since we didn't have any plans for the morning (thanks to Ms. Myna, Mitch, and Wayne for helping us with errands that we were able to have a relaxing morning), we had KFC for breakfast. I ordered A LOT of food for two people. What diet? What wedding? LOL! 2-pc Fried Chicken Fully Loaded Meal, Hot Shots, and Fries for breakfast After breakfast, Kuya Lito arrived, and we went down with a suitcase of all the things we need for the big day. Lunch We went to Max's along Roxas Blvd to have lunch with both families. It's the first time both Jomar's family and my family are meeting. Yes, they're meeting the day before our wedding. Crazy, right? Lunch with both families After our fun lunch, we went to the Bayleaf Hotel Intramuros to check-in.

Sorry for not posting again. I'm not sure what happened, but I just forgot to continue blogging. Today, we spent the whole day in Naic, Cavite where Jomar grew up. It was Nanay's (my mother-in-law) birthday. It was the only day this trip that we could spend with Jomar's family, so we spent the whole day here until around 5:00 PM. Breakfast The day before I called Amber to order some The Original Pancit Malabon (because it's my only chance) and Pork BBQ (because the Filipino BBQ in Vancouver is no match for the one from the Philippines). For breakfast, we went to Ministop (where there is a surprisingly long line) and end up eating four random Kariman flavours. Then, at precisely 8 AM, Kuya Lito picked us up at Go Hotel. We went to pick-up the food from Amber. I'm so excited to eat! Food priority! Lunch We arrived in Naic, Cavite - specifically, Jossel's beautiful home a little bit before 10 AM. We're greeted by this little guy, it's our

It's our 4th day in Manila. It's Wednesday, July 3, only three days before the wedding. Breakfast Today, we decided to go to Pan de Manila for some pandesal breakfast. We also got cafe mocha (because they don't have hot chocolates) and ate it at the store. This is the most nostalgic breakfast so far. After that, we decided to buy some taho. Pan de Manila for breakfast Taho Lunch For lunch, we went to one of our favourite restaurants, Alex III (Alex the Third) in Quezon City. They used to have boneless crispy pata which everyone loved (except me because I don't eat crispy pata). Crispy Pata Our whole family is there (including father). The lunch is to celebrate Kuya's graduation, so we extended the invite to Uncle Deo, Aunt Vickie, and cousin Stacy as well as Uncle Fred and cousin Raf. We ordered a lot of good food. Unfortunately, Jomar and I had to leave early because we really want to drop by QSR to meet and catch-up with Ms.

It's our third day in Manila. The agenda for today is to spend time with Uncle Deo, Aunt Vickie, and cousin Stacy. They are family on mom-side who flew all the way from the US to celebrate our wedding. Breakfast We (Jomar, me, Ate Ro, Kuya, and Baya) had breakfast at Chowking. It's always sweet and fun to spend time with the siblings. After eating breakfast, Kuya Lito (our ABC car rental driver) arrived, and we picked up mother from the condominium, and off we go to Grass Residences near SM North EDSA. We, finally, saw Uncle, Auntie, and cousin. The last time we saw them was 2017 (I think) when they visited us in Vancouver after their Alaska cruise but before their flight back to California. Kuya didn't see them at that time because they're busy working so the last time he saw them was more than ten years ago during our first time in the US. Intramuros We drove through Quezon Avenue and Espana, saw Quiapo Church, then inside Intramuros. Jomar and I fi

It's our second day back in Manila. For our 7:00 AM breakfast, we went to Jollibee in Sheridan with Mother, Ate Ro, and Baya. Then, right on time, Kuya Lito (our excellent driver from ABC Rental) arrived. We're off to Muntinlupa. Meeting Tita Mimi Tita Mimi designed the gown for both mother and mother-in-law, Mitch (maid of honour), Deci, Shelly, Ate Ro, and Baya. She also altered my dress and created everything else I would need for the big day - cord, veil, arras, pillows, etc. Trying the gown for the nth time this time with the bolero and veil.  Today, we're here to pay Tita Mimi and for mother, Ate Ro, and Baya to try their gowns for the first (and only) time before the wedding. I did measurements in Canada and sent it to Tita Mimi. It's a miracle that everything fit perfectly. The length needs to be adjusted based on their shoes, but that's about it. Meeting Julius After an hour or so at Tita Mimi's, Jomar and I dropped off mother, Ate Ro

I'm not entirely sure what to call this day. With 2 hours of sleep, I was awake at 4:00 AM. The first order of business is to have breakfast. We waited for freshly cooked fried chicken from Ministop. Yes, my first meal back in Manila is Ministop fried chicken. Ministop Fried Chicken for breakfast We went to the 7:15 AM Mass in Greenbelt Chapel - starting our vacation right. We went to Landmark to do some grocery. Then, to NAIA Terminal 1 off we go, to pick-up parents and siblings who arrived with China Airlines. All the folks waiting for loved ones at the Airport They were exhausted. After much discussion and debate, the five of us (Jomar, me, Ate Ro, Kuya, and Baya) went to Shakey's for lunch. Mojos! Mother requested Chowking noodles to go. Thankfully, my husband is such a trooper and went to buy the Chowking while we finish up lunch. Then, we went with Kuya to Gardini Fashion Center to do his only fitting for the wedding. Thankfully, everything fits perfectly,

I haven't posted in a while (busy and stress is an understatement), but in the next series of posts, I want to share the nearly two weeks we spent in Manila for our wedding. Breakfast and Lunch in YVR Our flight is at 2:25 PM (Pacific Time), but we're so excited that we're already at the airport at around 9:00 AM. We took a Yellow Cab going to Vancouver International Airport (YVR), and knowing full well that the check-in counter will still be close, we grabbed breakfast at Tim Hortons. Tim Hortons for breakfast before we leave Canada It's the same Tims I worked full-time for a week before I quit. But that's a different story. We were standing in line at 10:00 AM, and the employees of Japan Airlines (JAL) was only setting up. The check-in counter opens 3 hours before (not 4!). We stayed in line and was playing Harry Potter: Wizards Unite. Playing HP: Wizards Unite By 12:00 NN, we're done checking in and going to security. We're enjoying

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

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