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Showing posts with the label Canada

TELUS presents Vancouver Santa Claus Parade 2019

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This is the 3rd consecutive year Jomar and I went to the Santa Claus Parade in Vancouver. Each year we try to improve our experience. In 2017, we were standing up at Robson and Howe. The following year, we took our foldable chair and enjoyed the festivities along Howe on the east side between Georgia Street and Robson. Before the parade started This year we decided to move and enjoy it along Georgia Street between Burrard and Hornby on the south side of the street. In time for the event, I purchased a mobile phone tripod to (hopefully) get better videos. My phone can take 4K videos so below is a playlist of the parade. This event is usually my signal that it's officially Christmas! I can't wait to experience more Christmas festivities in Vancouver.

Holiday Dinner at West Restaurant

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Last Tuesday, our team went to West Restaurant for dinner to celebrate the holidays and 2019. The food, service, and ambiance were perfect. I plan to come back with Jomar soon because West Restaurant is closing by the end of the year. End of 2019 Gumstix Team

First Feel of Christmas

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We went to have dinner with the family yesterday. The dinner was at 7:00 PM, and we decided to hang out at River Rock Hotel. They have beautiful Christmas decorations at their lobby already. Of course, I decided to take photos as best as I could. We also watched Last Christmas  on Monday, which resulted in Jomar humming Christmas songs at random times. I also started playing Christmas songs while preparing breakfast. First Feel of Christmas Partial Panorama of River Rock lobby View while going down the escalators. Good things happen when you look up. After dinner, I wanted to test Night Sight on the updated Google Camera app on my Pixel 3. See the results below. Night Sight Without Night Sight I'm looking forward to Christmas, and the five vacation days I'll take.

Celebrating Life and Love at Top of Vancouver Revolving Restaurant

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Today is our second wedding anniversary, and we decided to celebrate it in multiple ways. Happy Anniversary! Movie Date We kicked off our celebration with dinner at Dublin Crossing Irish Pub on Marine Drive. Followed by watching Maleficent: A Mistress of Evil in Cineplex. Stuffed Yorkshire Pudding When we got home, we decided to exchange our gifts. Of course, Jomar gave the better gift of a Harry Potter Stationery Set, a 2020 planner with my exact specifications (background: when I was in high school and college, I use my planner, not as a planner, but more of a scrapbook and I still have those with me. It's filled with short notes, receipts, and pictures that reminded me of how blessed I am), and an anniversary card with such a sweet message I got tears in my eyes. Gifts from Love Love We called it a night and slept until 9 in the morning, Saturday.   9 AM is usually late for us as we're typically awake by 6 or 7 AM. I cooked breakfast, and we watche

Is VanDusen Glow in the Garden worth it?

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Jomar has a particular skill of making our weekends extra special. I'm usually contented with being at home and doing nothing, but he would always spend time searching for activities around Vancouver. This weekend he suggested we go see Glow in the Garden at VanDusen Botanical Garden. The Visitor Center is covered in cobwebs. Hootenanny After going through the visitor center, the first thing you'll see (other than the food trucks) is a giant owl and a "BOO" sign. We were there before sunset, so it's still bright as day (even though it was raining just a couple hours before this picture was taken). Scarecrow Walking past the food truck and what seems like a short bridge, there's an arrow guiding you which way to go - the Scarecrow zone is next. Yes, the yellow light is a scarecrow. A short walk and we're at the entrance of this beautiful tunnel. I don't have any photos inside, but I manage to get a video of it.

Affordable Team Building Place in Vancouver

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I work with a small team. We're only 8-9 people in the office, so planning an affordable team night out in Vancouver is always a challenge. However, I found Colony Entertainment District, which is mind-blowing amazing. Colleagues! Cost You pay for food and can use all the games and amenities they have. You may also need to spend a toonie here and there for the arcade games and foosball. Ping Pong Table What's inside? They have arcade games and foosball that your team can enjoy. They also have a pool table, a ping pong table, and a bocce space. They have A LOT of TVs if watching sports games is your thing. Moreover, they have quiz night every Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday (be sure to check the website for updates), which sounds a great bonding night. Nachos for Sharing Tip Be sure to make a reservation.  If you're after the pool table, ping pong table, and foosball, try to get a spot upstairs.  If you're after playing arcades or bocce,

Last game of the season for Vancouver Whitecaps FC

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It's the last game of the season for Vancouver Whitecaps FC. Jomar and I decided to watch it live in BC Place. We even got team shirts to show our support and love for the team (although they did terribly this year). We went to Tim Hortons this morning and have oatmeal for breakfast before heading to Mass. At 10 AM, we're already in Downtown Vancouver walking along Robson street looking for a place to have lunch. Most of the restaurants are still closed except for fast-food chains, McDonald's, A&W, and Subway. Then, Jomar saw that there are people inside Patron Tacos & Cantina. Empanads Quesadilla We had lunch there and enjoyed watching the Sports Network Top 50 plays of the month. A quick review of the Patron, the food is delicious, but I don't think it's worth the price. Go to The Mexican along Granville Street, it's delicious and great value for money. Anyway, after lunch, we started walking to BC Place. They were giving out 1,500 Wh

Poutine with Purpose 2019 Vancouver

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Jomar and I love to eat out a minimum once a week. He's always on the lookout for events that we can do during the weekend when he stumbled upon Poutine with Purpose . For every poutine you buy and enjoy during Poutine with Purpose Week, one simple, healthy meal will be provided to a youth in need. Saturday Evening We attended the 5 PM Mass at St. Augustine's and decided to have dinner at one of the restaurants on the list. We went to Colony Entertainment District to try the Colony Poutine. Colony Poutine It was a busy Saturday, and the table we're eating on is reserved at 7:30 PM, so we quickly enjoyed our dinner and walked to the bus stop to go home. Looking towards the direction of Granville Bridge is this beautiful sunset glow. I love Vancouver! Sunset Sunday Afternoon Sunday is usually reserved for staying at home and watching NFL all day. However, since it's a beautiful clear day, Jomar and I decided to take a walk by the Seawall between