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Showing posts with the label Canada

A Couple Hours at Kits Beach

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It's a beautiful Sunday when I woke up to my mom's message that they want to visit Kitsilano (it's a neighbourhood here in Vancouver, relatively close to where Jomar and I live). I called her and asked where they're planning to go. She went on to say that they're about live Richmond already and are going to pick us up. We hurriedly prepared for a day at the beach. I grabbed a book, a water bottle, and the usual contents of my bag. We also brought our folding chair. Before heading to Kits Beach, we went to the McDonald's along 4th Avenue. My parent's bought lunch. Baya, Jomar, and I headed to Cobs bakery and enjoyed their croissants. We drove going to Kits Beach, picked a spot under a tree and was enjoying the smell of the sea, the soft breeze, and the wonderful view. It's such a nice change of pace. We were physically distancing from other people and have hand sanitizers to use when we touch things outside what we have. Baya, Jomar, and I also walked alo

How different life is before and during COVID-19?

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What's the difference before March 12 and after March 12? Let's start at the "beginning." March 12, at around 1 in the afternoon, I received an email from our VP of HR announcing that we will be working from home starting March 16 to last for a month, but can be extended as needed. Jomar is on the same boat, and we work for different companies. The weekend before working from home, we went to Mass (which would be our last, as BC has banned gathering with more than 50 people). We also celebrated Pi Day - we ate out and walked around Kitsilano. We didn't know that dinner at Red Beef Noodle would be the last time we're going to eat out.  What changed for us? 1. We're working from home. We're lucky to still have work. It means we're working in our small apartment and can hear each other attend meetings. I always tell Jomar it feels like we're in a co-working space, and I frequently apologize to him since I have more meetings. We ordered Domino'

April 2020: Spring is here!

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Since this is a travel blog (at least it's supposed to be), COVID-19 has made it challenging to travel. For April, spring is finally here, and the flowers near our home are in bloom. Beauty in our street :) This is the view of our backyard. Spring Staying home is not fun, but these beautiful flowers make things so much better.

Work from Home March 2020

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March 2020 is when we started working from home full-time. Below are the photos of the last moments we were out of the house. Taking a walk along the seawall on a beautiful day. Beautiful Vancouver Robson Square I still feel like a tourist in Vancouver.

No Travel February 2020

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I have been thinking about how much I "neglect" this blog. It's my travel blog, but I haven't been doing a lot of travel lately. In this post, I'll share with you the photos I took last February. Winter was still here in February. But we get sunny days like this one too Watching the Vancouver Whitecaps FC in person That's a "summary" of February in pictures.

Coldest Day Ever!

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I arrived in Canada in 2015, I've lived in Metro Vancouver ever since, but today is the first time I experienced -8 degrees Celsius (17.6 Fahrenheit). I know other places in Canada get way more snow than us and get way colder, but this is unusual for this city. This is us on our way to work, Monday morning. Jomar and I had to dress in layers for the first time this week. We had a shirt, sweater/cardigan, scarf, gloves, and boots. We also had to stroll because it's hard to judge a patch of clear, slippery ice. Otherwise, it's beautiful. Growing up in a country without snow, it still feels magical. Sunday morning: view from our "balcony." Sunday morning: VSB Park on our way to Church Monday morning: Beautiful Granville Loop Park Tuesday morning: Granville Loop Park I'll take photos of Granville Loop Park every day for this week just to see snow accumulation overnight. :) Stay warm, Vancouver and Canada!

Vancouver Christmas Market experience and review

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Jomar and I have been planning to go here last year and even the year before, but somehow we never have gotten around to it. Today, after the Pokemon GO Community Day, we went to Jack Poole Plaza where the Vancouver Christmas Market is located. Then, it started raining. Merry Christmas! Nope, I'm not going to be drenched in the rain and endure the cold to be here. This rain is not in the forecast so it was completely unexpected. We decided to let the dark clouds pass inside the Starbucks at Shaw building across the street. After an hour, it stopped raining. Thank God! We lined up again and entered. It was still before sunset so it's bright. We took pictures around and feasted on the many great foods! I wish we could eat more but at some point, you just know that you're full. Top left: DAS BRAT from Freybe (THE Brat seasoned with marjoram and caraway served on an artisan bun with warm sauerkraut). Top right: Tender Beef Gulasch in a bread bowl from Das Gulasch

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