Ibyang Sanchez, Author at Ibyang

My “Keep Calm and Carry On” Reminders

3 March 2010 Ibyang Sanchez 7 Comments Category: Affirmations, Charmed Life of a Mrs, Tips

Do you want to make posters of the things you believe in or things you want to remind yourself all the time?

Let me share with you one way of making virtual posters online thru the Keep Calm and Carry On Image Generator.

What is “Keep Calm and Carry On”?
Keep Calm and Carry On was the third in a series of World War 2 posters drawn up by the UK Ministry of Information in order to boost the morale of the British people by passing on a message from King George VI. The posters were a stark white text on a red background, with the only image on the poster being the royal crown of George VI.

The first two posters, “Your Courage, Your Cheerfulness, Your Resolution will Bring Us Victory” and “Freedom is in Peril” were widely printed and distributed. However, the third poster, which carried the simple message “Keep Calm and Carry On” although printed, was never distributed, as it was intended only if invasion was imminent.
At the end of the war, the posters were collected up and pulped. It is believed that only two original posters out of a print run of over a million survive to this day.

The story would have ended there were it not for Stuart and Mary Manley, who run a bookshop called Barter Books in Northumberland. Whilst sorting through a box of old books, they found one of the few surviving original copies of the ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’ poster. They liked it so much that they had the poster framed and placed near the till in their shop.

They soon found that customers were very keen on the poster – even to the point of asking if they could buy it! So, Stuart and Mary started selling and printing facsimilie copies of the poster. The rest, as they say, is history…
In the nine years since 2000 the poster has become world famous, having been mentioned in news articles, on TV and having been seen in many disparate places from country pubs to the Houses of Parliament.

For more on “Keep Calm and Carry On”, you may continue reading here.

So this was what I did yesterday afternoon when I arrived home–made my own virtual posters via the Keep Calm and Carry On Image Generator.

I made a poster for when I’m feeling overwhelmed with so many things to do or if I need patience in dealing with something…

I made one that will give me courage, inspiration and that extra push to make things better not only in my life but also in others…

Third and last (for now), I made a poster of one of my Ibyang-isms and my most favorite affirmation…

I had so much fun doing these virtual photos. One day soon, I will print some of them and place them on my office desk or maybe post one poster on our refrigerator door. I might even make a poster for our bathroom! hehe.

Later, I will make funny quotes that will give me an instant cheer. For now, these three posters will do.

Thanks to Yasmine for sharing this “Keep Calm and Carry On” posters in her blog.

Why don’t you try it? Click this: Keep Calm and Carry On Image Generator and share your virtual posters on your blog. Let me know if you do so I can visit your site.

Recipe: Brownies

2 March 2010 Ibyang Sanchez 9 Comments Category: Food, Recipes, Tips

This is a recipe shared to us by one of our good friends. Simple, easy-to-do and a hit whenever we bring these to parties. Anyone can can create this delicious brownies by just following the recipe.

What you need:

250g unsalted butter

200g dark chocolate, broken up

150g chopped nuts

80g cocoa powder, sifted

65g plain flour, sifted

1 tsp baking powder

350g caster sugar

4 large eggs

What you need to do:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius
Line a 12 inch baking tin with grease proof paper.
In a large bowl, over simmering water, melt butter and chocolate until smooth.
Add nuts.
In a separate bowl, mix cocoa powder, flour, baking powder and caster sugar.
Add to the other mixture and stir together well.
Beat the eggs and mix until you have a silky consistency.
Put mixture in the baking tin.
Place in over for 25 minutes. May vary depending on oven. Test with toothpick to ensure that brownies have been baked through.

My Husband is the one who bakes at home and he has been baking brownies for quite some time now that he had somehow made them a bit more special. Aside from following the recipe above:

(1) He makes sure that the dark chocolate he uses are of good quality. There are cheaper brands of chocolates that taste alright but we always choose brands that we know would deliver the taste we are aiming for even if it means paying more.

(2) He puts the baking tray on the lowest level of the oven to achieve a more moist and chewy texture for the brownies.

(3) He sprinkles icing sugar on top of the brownies.

Happy baking and enjoy the brownies!

Believe in Balance

1 March 2010 Ibyang Sanchez 5 Comments Category: Deep Thoughts

Balance the present against the future and don’t put off all of your dreams and pleasures to another day. There has to be a powerful element of living life in the present in any balanced personal definition of success.

– Mirielle Guiliano

(image source)

Sharing with you one of my favorite quotes from one of my favorite authors. This is my way of sending you happy vibes as we start the third month of 2010 (Was it just me or did January and February really passed by quickly?).

May each of us have a productive and positive month of March and may we always remember to cherish every moment of everyday as we hope for our dreams to unfold in the future.

Wala lang.

28 February 2010 Ibyang Sanchez 8 Comments Category: Projects of the Mrs

Just played with a couple of photos taken today. If you notice two photos with somewhat different skintones, those are just results of some photoshop actions I’m experimenting with. It’s amazing that I have the same formula with these two photos and yet have different results: one became more orange while the other became greener. It had to do with the different exposures of each photo. Wala lang, trip lang.

Cafe in the Middle of Somewhere

28 February 2010 Ibyang Sanchez 8 Comments Category: Deep Thoughts

One of my usual coffee tambayan is Fresco Espresso cafe situated in the middle of QVB’s basement. As much as I appreciate cozy and quiet cafes, I also sometimes enjoy cafes that gives me a chance to people-watch.

I like seeing people walking past me as I sip my cup of coffee, most of them walking so fast in order to catch their train home. I like watching people and their outfits for the day, hear their laughter as they chitchat with friends, mothers and their bubs in strollers, backpackers with their big bags on their back, tourists trying to catch up with people walking so fast while taking photos–those are some of the things I see.

In the midst of hustle and bustle around me while I have my “me” time with a cup of coffee, I feel a sense of peace and quiet as I appreciate other people’s lives unfold before me.