Celine's Life Adventure

During my first 12 months in Canada, I visited museums and tourist spots just to get-to-know the country and province a little bit better. I learned about the Aboriginal or First Nations or Native Americans before the Europeans came (the first immigrants). The designs here at the arrival area is inspired by the stories of the First Nations. It reminded me so much of the exhibit at the Museum of Anthropology (MoA) at University of British Columbia ( UBC ). The Legend of the Raven and the Fog Woman This airport and the appreciation and continuous support to remind immigrants on the history of this country is something I really love about Canada and British Columbia. Yes, a pond (but with fake fish) in the middle of all the boutique stores. YVR is inspired by nature. Boarding is in an hour. In the meantime, I will go back to my Code Academy lessons and I might grab a snack from either A&W or Church's Chicken (can't decide yet). Have a great day or night de

I am writing this at the airport while waiting for my flight from Vancouver, Canada to Beijing, China. I have a 6-hour layover in Beijing before my flight to my dearest Manila, Philippines. I am excited to see friends and of course, Jomar. I am looking forward to all the Filipino food that I miss back home. A few days ago, Gordon (CEO of Gumstix ) asked where I was going for my vacation. I said, "I am going back home." I, honestly, did not expect his response, "But this is your home." If you've been reading this blog (I doubt people read this but oh well), you would notice that I have a love-hate relationship with Canada and as much as it has become a home the past almost 2 years, Philippines will always have a special place in my heart. I don't know. Maybe this feeling will be gone after a decade of living outside of the country but right now, all I know is I miss home every day. I read this post from a fellow immigrant (I think she's fr

May is the month of celebration and eating out. Below is a list of some of the restaurants I went to this month. Enjoy! Vegetarian Burgers with yam fries before the movie Harvest grain vegetarian burger with lettuce, tomato, ketchup, mayonnaise and pickles, served on a brioche bun with sweet potato fries from Marine Drive Cineplex VIP area Travel the Dumpling Trail starting with Shibuyatei Sushi & Larmen Left to Right: Scallops Gyoza, Pork Gyoza, and Shrimp Gyoza Seafood Pancakes during Mother's Day dinner Seafood Pancake from Dai Jung Kum Old Style Bacon Cheeseburger from Fatburger An all time favourite! Our big, juicy ⅓ lb Alberta Angus beef patty topped with double Canadian Cheddar and maple bacon, lettuce, tomato, mayo, mustard and red relish with yam fries. Pasta during Alyanna's birthday Italian Feast: Chicken Parmigiana, Cheese Ravioli, and Lasagna Classico from Olive Garden My Fave Soup from Cafe 101 Bakery Sun dried

Completely unrelated to this post but I had to share: It was a longer day at work than usual, especially for a Friday. But the real bummer is when I arrived home my 5-month old Asus Chromebook won't turn on. I tried the basic troubleshooting of plugging it in and hold the power for 60 seconds. I called Asus and I am under warranty for the next 24 months which is great but the repair process takes a week + shipping time AND I am leaving for the Philippines on Friday. So... I will be laptop-less. There, I said it. May is a busy and festive month for our family. We are celebrating two things: Mother's Day and Alyanna's birthday! Let me share with you a glimpse of what we did to celebrate both. Mother's Day Therese is the master planner in coming up with surprises for our parents. We created this Messenger group with just the four of us. She will buy flowers, I will buy the cake, Alyanna cooks breakfast, and Kuya shows up.  Flower delivery arrived a day earlier than

I am, finally, all caught up with my posts and can now share about my adventures this month. White Rock, BC Canada Last Saturday, it was our youngest siblings birthday. We had lunch at Olive Garden (unlimited bread sticks!) and after that we went to White Rock Beach. This is our second time here but it will be the first time for our only brother since he almost always have work during the weekend. Beautiful sunny day at White Rock Beach Lots of seagulls It was a short (1 hour) trip. We walked along the pier, had some ice cream to go from The White Coffee and Ice Cream, and went back to the car since we only paid 1-hour worth of parking space. Long road and view of the mountains from the horizon It was a great day spent with my parents and siblings. I can't wait to go back to the beach and spend time swimming and enjoying the sun.