And we’re back at Cabramatta! 

We were just there two weeks ago but we enjoyed the place so much we went back and met up with friends for coffee and lunch before heading to the city to buy my new writing partner.

Started our foodie adventure at Cafe 86 (4/29 John Street, Cabramatta) so we can enjoy a refreshing glass of  Vietnamese Iced Coffee and Iced Jasmine tea. Our friend Yyoni loved it! We savoured it to the last sip.


Lunch was at another must-visit Vietnamese restaurant, Tan Viet Noodle House (3/100 John Street, Cabramatta) where we enjoyed rice meals of pork chops, rump steak and chicken cooked the Vietnamese way. Thanks to Yyoni and kids for bringing us here and for sharing our love for Vietnamese cuisine. We had so much fun catching up and eating great food.


Will share details of our Cabramatta foodie adventures soon. 🙂

Follow @ibyang

Spent Saturday morning at the Woodcroft Lake Festival with our relatives where we got to enjoy looking at stalls, watching shows presented by different organizations and eating good food.

Thank goodness the sun shone brightly (it was raining on Friday night) which made the experience more enjoyable. Below are snippets of what transpired that morning.

Woodcroft Lake. A few years back, I used to live with relatives and their home is situated near this gorgeous lake. I used to come here often to briskwalk and jog. This place has changed over the years as it now has an exercise area and shaded tables for picnics.

The things that made up the festival. The whole morning we were there, a program that showcased singing and dancing from kids were being held. Kids enjoyed getting on a few rides and a mini train that goes around the lake. The Fire Department was there to let kids experience how to carry a hose. 


There were a lot of food and craft stalls that cater to different people.  One of my favourites was a stall selling doll dresses worn by Cabbage Patch Kids. I love Cabbage Patch Kids! I have one when I was a kid and my heart fluttered in glee when I saw them. So cute! 

Bought two potted flowers from the plants stall. They were cheap and sold by a Filipina who was kind enough to let us leave the plants we chose and just come back for it after we’re finished enjoying the festival.

There were a variety of food stalls that cater to different cultures but I gravitated towards the Filipino stalls. That’s basically what we came for–to eat Filipino food not cooked by us hahaha. We had Fishballs, Fried Lumpia, Pork BBQ and Turon (not in photo), then chased them up with refreshing Sago’t Gulaman

I shared this photo on my instagram (@ibyang) and wrote:

“Making tusok tusok the Fishballs and making sawsaw the Lumpiang Prito on the suka.”
(only a Filipino who grew up in the Philippines will understand the humour behind that)
Before we left, I made one last stop at the Fairy Floss stall and bought a stick. It was HUGE and I love it! This photo of mine below with the Fairy Floss sums up what I felt that Saturday–a happy kid!
It was a beautiful night last night as the full moon shone thru to the first day of October. NSW is celebrating Labour Day today so we stayed up late and found ourselves hanging out at our balcony at 1:30am taking photos of the full moon. It took almost thirty minutes and three different lenses in order to capture the beauty of the luminous moon. Such a tranquil night and we’re grateful to have witnessed the the moon shining down on us.

Hope the start of your October is just as lovely as ours!
The Full Moon on October 1st
The Full Moon on October 1st
The Full Moon on October 1st
All photos taken using a Canon 7D with lenses 50mm, 17-85mm and 70-300mm
Special thanks to my husband, Chris, for lending his photos and expertise.

Follow @ibyang

Last year, the Husband surprised with an iPhone 4s. Last Friday, he surprised me with a MacBook Air!

It was just a matter of time until I get a new laptop, I just didn’t know when. I’ve always been a Windows user and have been happy being one. I’m just a simple girl really when it comes to computers. There’s a non-techie part of me that will always be terrified at learning new technology. The Husband has been encouraging me to switch to an Apple laptop but I’ve always hesitated. 

This year, I gave my netbook to my dad so for the past few months, I’ve been writing and doing photography tasks using a desktop computer and an iPad. However, this year, it’s been quite a challenge doing tasks via our desktop because we’ve been using it to watch TFC Online (we’ve subscribed so we can watch Filipino shows and news). So I had to think about getting a new laptop again so I can catch up on my blogging and other digital projects I’ve been conceptualising for the past months. Along with the thinking, I’ve been saving up money in case I do decide to buy one. Lately, the road seemed to have led me to buy a MacBook Air as it answers to a lot of my needs.

Last Friday, we head down to the city and went to the Apple Store. I’ve decided to get the MacBook Air (MBA) but I was also ready to walk out the Apple Store empty-handed in case my gut feel tells me otherwise. I didn’t know the Husband was brewing something in his mind while I fiddled with the MBA. His instagram below said it all…

So we talked to one of the Apple genuises about purchasing an MBA and willingly accommodated us. He told us that if we decide to buy, we can just go to the counter and they’ll get our purchase ready for check-out. We went to the 2nd level of the store and had a look at accessories and when we’re ready to go, we stopped by the counter and that’s when the Husband started talking to the staff. 

He was getting a MacBook Air!!!  And then he told me, “This is your Christmas gift!” I was shocked, surprised, overwhelmed and elated when I heard what he said.  Oh wow!!!!  ðŸ™‚ 🙂 🙂

Like a kid, giddy and giggly when I got my MacBook Air. 
September Surprise: A Very Early Christmas Pressie
September Surprise: A Very Early Christmas PressieSeptember Surprise: A Very Early Christmas Pressie

That evening at home, the Husband gave me a crash course on how to navigate the MBA. Oh ha? Si Husband, benefactor na, trainer pa! LOL. 

Right now, I’m still in awe of the Husband’s surprise and in happy disbelief that I’m writing this post using my new writing partner, the MacBook Air

Follow @ibyang

One of the staple traditions we have at home is celebrating Mooncake Festival. For years, even before when we were dating, we’ve always enjoyed this occasion as we both love eating mooncakes. This afternoon, we had mooncakes with a cup of Nespresso Cappuccino. The Husband made mine more frothy and I love it! 
Happy Mooncake Festival!


Bought the Casahana mooncakes this year. I got attracted to their pretty and good quality boxes which I thought would be nice storage boxes. 

Happy Mooncake Festival!
Happy Mooncake Festival!

The box we got contained two flavours of mooncakes. The first one was Pandan Delight which had a delicious egg inside it. It was sweet, moist and had a tinge of saltiness from the egg. 
Happy Mooncake Festival!
Happy Mooncake Festival!

The second mooncake was the Toffee Coconut. It was sweet as chocolate and had nuts all over. 
Happy Mooncake Festival!
Happy Mooncake Festival!
I’m glad that makers of mooncakes are becoming more creative with combining flavours. These two flavours from Casahana were truly a hit with us.

What flavour of mooncake did you enjoy this year?