Celine's Life Adventure

My mom's birthday is the same weekend as Father's Day, so we decided to take a day trip to Seattle, Washington, USA. We left home at 5:30 AM and went to the car rental with my younger sister, her boyfriend, me, and Jomar. She rented an 8-seater minivan which is perfect for us. We picked them up in Richmond and left their home to start our drive at around 6:30 AM. We went through the usual USA border processing with our Canadian passports (woohoo!) and my dad's Philippine passport and US visa. We had a short stopover at a McDonald's. Pike Place Public Market Center , Seattle, WA, on a rainy spring day Then, we're off to Target near Pike Place Market. My youngest sister wants to see what Target looks like. It's her first time in Seattle. It's also our brother's first time in the city. We explored Pike Place (mostly lining up at the excellent food plac...

It's airport day! Good morning! I woke up at 4:00 AM to prepare for the day. At 5:00 AM, Tita Vickie toasted the delicious pandesal and prepared hot chocolate to ensure we won't get hungry while waiting for our flight. I am so blessed to have Tita Vickie and Tito Dea in my life. They drove us to Ontario International Airport (ONT) for our flight. I didn't do any web check-in and was feeling paranoid. Thankfully, the staff of Alaska Airlines was pleasant. After getting our boarding pass for both flights, we hugged Tita Vickie and Tita Dioly goodbye and went through TSA. Then, we waited for our flight. We explored ONT and found the ramen vending machine, but everything was sold out. I was so looking forward to writing about it. Anyway, we just sat near our gate, and I napped. A few minutes before boarding, I told Jomar I was hungry. We're boarding soon, so I grabbed a sandwich from Hudson News and devoured my half. Jomar wants to eat his...

Good morning! Happy Palm Sunday! I woke up at the usual time of 7:00 AM and heard movements in the kitchen. Tita Vickie is preparing breakfast and even made the most amazing tablea hot chocolate. One of my mom's fondest childhood memories is drinking tablea hot chocolate and how it's still the best, and I agree. Tablea  Hot Chocolate After breakfast, we went to Palm Sunday Mass at St. Martha Catholic Church. During Mass, I felt a sudden wave of gratitude. I am truly blessed to have a wonderful family. Thank God for blessing my mom's kind, funny, loving, and forgiving sisters, and we (me and my siblings) are lucky to have such wonderful Titas. Thank you, Lord, for my immediate and extended family. After Mass, we made a quick stop home. Then, Jomar, me, and Tita Dioly rode to Resurrection Cemetery in Ate Stacy's car. I took videos and pictures of the hills covered i...

Good morning from California! I woke up at the usual time (thank God there's no timezone difference between BC and California) and heard movements in the kitchen. So I went downstairs and saw my Tita Vickie preparing breakfast. We had spinach and mushroom omelette, longganisa (Filipino sausage), boneless bangus (my favourite!), and sinangag (garlic fried rice). Thanks, Tita Vickie, for preparing breakfast. Tita Vickie, Jomar, and I ate first because everyone else was still asleep. Tita Cherry came down first, and we discussed extended family, Philippine politics, and life in general. Then, Tita Vickie's phone rang. It was Tito Edil (eldest sibling of my mom and Titas), who lives in Philadelphia. He said, "Happy birthday!" and Tita Vickie said, "It's not my birthday." On cue, Tita Dioly went downstairs, and we greeted her with a happy birthday. Tito Edil ...

We're flying again! First, some life updates. Last week, Jomar received news at work which would change our financial strategy. Thankfully, we booked our flight for this trip last January. It also helps that we have an emergency fund, and I still have work, so hopefully, things don't change too much. Alaska Airlines to United Airlines Three days before our flight, I received an email from Alaska Airlines that our flight had been cancelled and we needed to rebook. I calmly called the number they provided, and they rebooked us at no extra charge to United Airlines with a layover at San Francisco International Airport (SFO). Our original flight meant flying out of Vancouver International Airport (YVR) at 6:00 AM with a 5 hours layover in Seattle. With the United flight, we leave Vancouver at 12:00 NN with a 2-hour layover in San Francisco. It surprisingly worked out. Day 1: YVR to SFO to ONT Like any traumatized Filipino who lived and experienced...

Have you watched the movie "A Walk to Remember" or have read the book? I will never forget one of Jamie's wishes, to be in two places at once. Landon made this happen by bringing her to a boundary of two states (North Carolina and Virginia). Ever since seeing that movie, I thought to myself, I should do that. Dramatic Sunset at the border Last Sunday, my parents and I went to Seattle to buy Jollibee, visit Pike Market, and attend Sunday Mass at St. James Cathedral. On our way back to Canada, there was a long line of cars at the border. Border We were right at the Peace Arch. I told my parents I will go down to stretch my legs and to take photos. I was so giddy since I felt like this is the only chance I have to be at this park. This is from the US side. This is the Canada side. I did what Jamie did, I placed my right foot on Canada while my left foot is still in the US. I was smiling from ear to ear, thanking God for the opportunity to do that....

As I write this, it's been more than five years ever since our family vacation in California... I remember how we lined up in the US Embassy in Manila to get our US VISA. It was May 2007. They fetched me from La Salle because I have to adjust one of my classes. Accounting class to be exact. I just started college back then and was seriously stressing out over my basic accounting - it was just not meant to be. We got our VISA. My mom and I got ten years of multiple entry VISA while my siblings got five years. We're set for our family vacation December 2007 - January 2008. We're going to visit my aunties - the three sisters of my mom who all live in West Covina, Los Angeles, California, USA. We're excited! That was my first 12-hour flight. After going through the US immigration and going out LAX, my siblings and I love the cold weather! I mean, coming from the heat of the Philippines it was refreshing.