Celine's Life Adventure

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.

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

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

This post is first of my PH vacation series: Day 0 of PH Vacation . Valentine's Day in 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 It's our last day in Manila! Our luggage was packed and ready for our flight that night. Mass in Manila Cathedral Breakfast in Chowking Before leaving the Philippines and because it's Sunday, we have to go to Mass. We attended the 8:30 am Mass in Manila Cathedral. #Selfie inside Manila Cathedral An hour before Mass, we had lunch for breakfast at Chowking. Chinese-Style Pork Chop Lauriat After Mass, we saw a taho vendor. Of course, I had to have taho again while waiting for our Gra

This post is first of my PH vacation series: 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 It's Saturday and our last full day in Manila. We have a Pre-Cana Seminar at 1:00 PM. Binalot Breakfast We had Binalot for breakfast. Yum yum! Tocino, Tapa, and Boneless Bangus with Rice and Salted Egg served on banana leaves The Old Spaghetti House Lunch We had The Old Spaghetti House for lunch. Golden Crusted Chicken, Ham and Cheese Crepe with Angel Hair Pomodoro (my favourite!) Chicken Parmigiana with Spaghetti Pomodoro Manila Cathedral Manila Cathedral outside We arri

This post is first of my PH vacation series: 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 It's Thursday - our 6th day in the Philippines and our goal for today is meet friends in the morning and off to Jomar's hometown of Naic, Cavite to spend more time with his family. Breakfast with College Best Friend If you've been reading my blog (I don't think anyone does), I'm consistent with the people I meet. The last time I went back to Manila, I met exactly the same set of friends. I don't have a lot of friends (like my sister, Therese or my dad) but the ones I have, I treasu

Jomar and I will have our Philippine Catholic wedding in July. To enlighten those who want to have their Sacrament of Holy Matrimony in the beautiful and historic Manila Cathedral, I will share with you how much it cost. Why did we pick Manila Cathedral? I want to say that because it's historic and beautiful. But honestly, it's because Manila Cathedral has relevant information on their website for a couple like us living and already legally married abroad. Ms. Donna also responds to our emails and calls promptly. The bonus is it's historic and beautiful. According to one of my Ninang, " ang haba ng walk down the aisle mo ." I didn't think of that. I'm not sure if I like it. LOL. They also have a dashboard where you complete the forms, and it lists what you need to submit and when. It's pretty impressive. Wedding Preparation Step 1. Reserve a wedding date The first thing you do is go to their

This post is first of my PH vacation series: 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 It's our 4th day in Manila and this is my 5th blog post about our vacation. The agenda for today are the following: Interview with the priest at Manila Cathedral. Ocular and food tasting at Bayleaf Intramuros Potluck dinner with friends in Linden Suites Morning at Intramuros We're awake by 4:00 am again. Jet lag is real and we're off to Intramuros by 6:00 am. Breakfast at Jollibee Our first goal is to have breakfast at Jollibee. This is our 1800-calorie breakfast. We didn't eat the

This post is first of my PH vacation series: 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 This is the 4th blog post of my Philippine vacation last February and it's describing our 3rd day back in Manila. It's Monday, February 18. Because jet lag is real, we were already awake at 5:00 in the morning. The agenda for the day is quite boring. Go to Tita Mimi (our seamstress and designer) in Muntinlupa Go to Pioneer to get the property title of the condominium. Go to Ortigas to withdraw money from our stocks account. Good morning! Tita Mimi is referred to us by Ms. Myna and she lived a

Jomar and I have not yet received the Sacrament of Confirmation which is a requirement to receive the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony. At the recommendation of Manila Cathedral, we looked at both Quiapo Church and National Shrine of Saint Michael and the Archangels (NSSMA). We decided to go to NSSMA for confirmation the day after we arrived from Canada. What to prepare? Bring the original and a photocopy of your Baptismal Certificate Wear a white shirt with a collar Be ready to donate Php 650.00 Talk to friends to be your Ninong and Ninang (Godparents) and yes, you need a pair. What to expect? We arrived there at 7:30 am because jetlag is real and we were awake by 4:00 am. There were around 13 people waiting. At 7:45 am, the security guard started giving out forms which we had to complete. Then, at around 8:00 am, he started giving out numbers. Later on, they started giving both the form and number at the same time. The office opened shortly after 8:00 am. Confirmati

This post is the first of my PH vacation series: 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 It's our second day in Manila. We arrived at our hotel at around 10:00 PM. We checked in to freshen up, unpacked, and we were in bed by 11:00 PM. I woke up at 1:00 AM then at 4:00 AM. Breakfast I sent father an SMS at 4:00 AM to let him know that we were awake and could pick us up. So we went downstairs and planned to call father, and he just arrived. Perfect timing. We had breakfast at a nearby McDonald's. Unfortunately, the hot chocolate is not as good as the one from Canada. Confirmati