Celine's Life Adventure

Jomar has been great at finding activities and events we should go to during the weekend. Today, we went to Memorial South Park at 41st Avenue and Ross Street in search of Filipino food and a sense of home in Vancouver. We visited each booth representing either a company sponsor or a fiesta in the Philippines. There was a Pahiyas booth and Sto. Nino one. Initially, we couldn't find where all the food stalls are, but we saw people crowding a section of the park and knew right away it's there. Pahiyas Bahay Kubo The first order of business is to get Pinoy BBQ. Then, we had dinuguan, tocino, kwek-kwek, turon, and finished our meal with Potato Corner fries and Sago't Gulaman. Food coma! We watched the parade as well. It was great!

Jomar and I decided to do what most tourists do when they visit British Columbia - go to Whistler. I decided to pay Landsea Tours for bus transportation going to and from Whistler. It will be a day trip. It's our first "vacation" trip EVER as a married couple (not counting going back to the Philippines). On the way to Whistler Village We started the day by walking to Park Inn & Suites by Radisson. It's the closest hotel to our place and is our designated pick-up point. We arrived an hour early and had breakfast at Tim Hortons across the street. Tim Hortons breakfast Our bus arrived with Mickey is our tour guide and bus driver for the day. It's a full bus. We picked up more tourists around Downtown, Vancouver. Then, we started our journey. Empty bus (for now) We were rewarded with a beautiful view of Howe Sound as the bus driver through the Sea to Sky Highway. My photos did not give justice to the beautiful view, so here's a short v

As soon as Jomar and I got back from our "big" Philippines wedding, it's summer in beautiful Vancouver! We attended one of three Honda Celebration of Lights. We're only free to watch Team India on July 27. After attending the 5:00 PM Saturday Mass celebration at St. Augustine's we walked with our chair to Vanier Park. There's a lot of people from couples like us to families with young kids to groups grilling meat. It was a great atmosphere and a reminder of why I love Canada and Vancouver. Moreover, we enjoyed a wonderful, clear day and the amazing sunset. The crowd at Vanier Park Beautiful Sunset Dusk. The show is about to start. Honda Celebration of Lights 2019 It's the second year we're watching at least one team participating in the competition. I told Jomar this is one of our annual summer things. Here is a 4K / HD video of the fireworks show. It's in 3 different files because for some reason either Google Camera or Goo

We're finally in Japan and on our way to Canada. This time we have more time to roam around and decide where to eat (unlike our layover coming from Canada). We walked the whole airport (at least the area we have access to) and checked out places that serve Katsu Curry and Ramen. Somehow, we ended up having a meal at Yoshinoya. Eating Katsu Curry in Japan Enjoying a bowl of ramen in Japan After our meal and while walking to our boarding gate, we purchased a bunch of Kitkat with unique flavours. I think this is where I will end my series of blog posts about our trip to the Philippines. Sorry, it took three months to share them here. As soon as we got to Vancouver, we went straight home. I ordered Indian food using SkipTheDishes and cooked some rice for our lunch and dinner. We went back to work the following morning. It's great to back!

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 just had my interview for a US Tourist (Nonimmigrant) Visa this morning, and in this post, I want to share the process and my experience to hopefully help you with your application. I am a Canadian Permanent Resident (PR) card holder with a Philippine passport. Do I still need to have a valid US Visa to enter the US? Absolutely! How much does it cost to apply for a US tourist visa from Canada? USD$160.00 (depending on the conversion rate; I paid around CAD$215.00) How do I apply for a US tourist visa (as a Philippine passport holder with a PR card)? Part 1. All online Complete the Nonimmigrant Visa Electronic Application (DS-160) form. Pay the visa application fee. It's all online. You will need a valid credit card to do this. Schedule your appointment . Read and follow the instructions carefully and thoroughly. Part 2. Prepare things to bring You are required to print the DS-160 with the barcode. Yes, a  printed  copy is required. If for some reason, yo

It's delicious, flexible, and affordable. Every Wednesday, Gumstix pays for our team lunch which I manage (meaning I order food for the team). One of the places we're consistently ordering from is Russet Shack. Today I want to share what customized baked potato variety I have tried from this place. Yes, I daresay that this is the best-baked potatoes in Vancouver. If there are other places that you think is better, please let me know in the comments below, and I would love to try them out. Chili & Cheese Potato Greek Potato  with chicken shawarma, feta cheese, and tzatziki sauce Chicken Avocado with Chipotle Sauce Potato Mexican Potato  with avocado, beef chilli, chicken shawarma, cheddar cheese, feta cheese, and mozzarella cheese. Canadian Potato with steak Russet Shack Menu (as of April 2, 2019) You can visit their website at Russet Shack ( https://russetshack.com ) to learn more. They are also on DoorDash, SkipTheDishes, Foodora, and LazyMeal if you pre

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.

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