Celine's Life Adventure

I have been eager to travel since the pandemic began. My mom is celebrating her 60th birthday this year and on the same weekend as Father's day which means my siblings and I can plan a trip and won't feel guilty splurging them a little bit. Day 1 (June 18, 2021) We started our trip with an Uber ride to my parent's place in Richmond, BC. My dad is so excited to see me 😂! He cooked all my favourite dishes because I know I will feast on them - he prepared tortang talong, boneless bangus, and chicken adobo. Sarap! At 11:30, we started our drive to Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal. We got lost because of Apple Maps and we were teasing my younger sister about it the whole time. I guess it won't be a family road trip if you don't make the wrong exit and have to find a way out the highway. Spirit of Vancouver Island Ferry Our boarding time is 1:00 PM and it's our first time riding the ferry. It was a short 90-minute ride. The water was calm and you can clearly see the islands

Last May 9, 2021, Jomar and I decided to take a walk along the seawall, and we end up taking 15,000 steps. We walked east along West Broadway; when we reached Cambie, we walked north until we crossed the Cambie Bridge going to Downtown Vancouver. We walked near the Seawall near Yaletown until we reached the Burrard Bridge, where we crossed to go back to Fairview and back home. In the middle of Cambie Bridge West View from Cambie Bridge The following weekend we decided to cross Burrard Bridge again. This time we met with my younger sister, Therese, who now lives in West End. The three of us walked to her favourite spot in English Bay Beach. We set up her beach mat and sat down.

We have on hand  limited quantities of high-quality Parol (Christmas Lantern) from the Philippines. It's available for pickup in Richmond, BC. Only CAD 200 14-inch Boungavillae Capiz Parol (Christmas Lantern) 14-inch Boungavillae Capiz Parol (Christmas Lantern) from The Philippines is available now in Metro Vancouver 14-inch Starlight Capiz Parol (Christmas Lantern) 14-inch Starlight Capiz Parol (Christmas Lantern) from the Philippines available now in Metro Vancouver How to order Capiz Parol in Metro Vancouver? Complete this order form . Pick-up only in Richmond, BC. Payment will be cash  (exact amount only) on pick-up or prepaid using Interac E-Transfer . Visit the website for more pictures.

It's so beautiful! I am not sure what else to say. This particular spot is near Granville Island. Looking at this picture gives me so much joy. Our life in Vancouver means walking around to run errands, but there are days where I had to make a conscious decision to slow down and appreciate all this beautiful blessings. Vancouver is so picturesque. Cherry Blossoms near Granville Island Since working from home, my mental health has suffered. I work 8-9 hours a day and I kept on thinking of the next thing to do - what to have for each meal, the floor needs to be mopped, the bathroom needs to be cleaned, do we have to do groceries today. My head is in constant buzz of the next chore, next work phone call. Sending my hug to fellow humans who has to work and maintain a livable home. Walking around our neighborhood and telling myself to slowdown is necessary. Happy Friday!

I am unsure how many people actually read my blog. But if you have, I mentioned way too many times that one of the reasons I decided to stay in Canada is because of the seasons. This month Vancouver got its once a week dose of snow. February Snow at Vancouver School Board Park It's amusing to see that a week before this photo we've had so much sunshine. February Clear Sunny Day at Vancouver School Board Park Happy Snow Day!

We're starting 2021 with a pandemic. I don't have a lot of pictures this month and the "best" one is this picture of our Cineplex popcorn while watching NFL playoff. Cineplex Popcorn + NFL Games Stay safe!

2020 is a challenging year. Our family is big on Christmas. I remember the first time Jomar joined us for the first time, and he said it's amusing because you have a "program". LOL. We have a Christmas Eve dinner. My sisters usually pick a cuisine, and we either order in or cook wonderful dishes we share at 6:00 PM. After dinner, we would watch one to two random movies, and by midnight we would exchange gifts (secret Santa is an annual tradition). It's my first time preparing Noche Buena. I usually just bring desserts, and my mom and younger sister do the plating and table setting. This year is my first attempt at both! This year it's different. We didn't go to Richmond, but we joined via video call. They ordered Chinese food, and we did too. We ate at the same time and were on a call the whole time. After dinner, Jomar and I watched the classic movie "It's a Wonderful Life" for the first time. By the time the movie is over, it's 11:00 PM. We

We are now experiencing beautiful, crisp, and a bit cold Fall weather in Vancouver. It's so beautiful. The seasons are one of the reasons I decided to stay in Canada. Beautiful trees in front of the Vancouver Art Gallery Robson Square Vancouver School Board Park on a beautiful day I am blessed to experience and see the seasons with Jomar. :) Other than seasons changing, I got a haircut after 15 months, and I will be leaving Gumstix after more than 4 years. Before and After Haircut - I love Suki, and I think I just found my forever salon here in Canada.

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

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'

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.

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.

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.

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!