It was my first time to watch a ballet performance and I was so excited at the thought of being inside the theatre and watch a show I’ve never seen before. I went with tweethearts Jo and Pen on Friday night who were all first timers as well.  Since the show was at 8pm, we orchestrated an early dinner meet-up with the whole Tweethearts gang at Westfield Sydney.

Arrived at Westfield Sydney at 5pm, dropped by the Nespresso Boutique then went up to Level 5 to meet with everyone. While everyone started with dinner, I was the only who made a quick run to Via del Corso for some Salted Caramel and Peanut Butter macarons and a cup of long black. On night outs such as these, I can’t skip my afternoon tea as I need it to stay awake til at least 12 midnight. I rarely need coffee in the mornings because I’m a morning person but it’s in the afternoon that I need a little caffeine kick to sustain whatever energy I may have during the day til evening.

While I was savouring my macarons and coffee, the Husband started bringing dinner to our table. He had his favourite American Hautedog and Chips from Snag Stand and then a little later, He brought me my Breaded Chicken and Fried Egg Rice from Din Tai Fung.

We had an hour and a half to catch up but it felt like minutes. Ang dami talagang kwento!!! Kulang ang oras.  And to think that we all talk fast! LOL.  But we’re grateful nonetheless.  At least sa maliit na paraan, naisingit ang pagkikita kahit sandali lang.

Russian Ballet: Sleeping Beauty

We marveled at the exquisite beauty of State Theatre when we arrived at a few minutes to 8. It was overwhelming to see exquisite details of their ceilings, walls, chandeliers and statues adorned in every corner. The theatre was old but well-maintained.

Russian Ballet: Sleeping Beauty
Russian Ballet: Sleeping Beauty Russian Ballet: Sleeping Beauty

According to our friend Pen, Sleeping Beauty is one of the most watched ballets in history. The music was written by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, the original scenario was conceived by Ivan Vsevolozhsky and the choreographer of the original production was Marius Petipa {source}. The show had three acts and lasted almost three hours.
While some parts were a bit dragging and may have induced a few yawns (hello, classical music! nakakahele kaya! and I think that is still a compliment haha), over-all it was entertaining. The production was simple but the costumes and tutus of the ballerinas were very colourful. We were a bit disappointed that there wasn’t a real orchestra especially that the sound system of State Theatre seemed ancient (and at one point it stopped! que horror!). The dancers moved gracefully and I swear I looked closely if they’d missed a beat or make a mistake, especially in unified acts, and they didn’t (if they did, I was probably busy yawning). The Prima Ballerina who played Aurora (Sleeping Beauty) was an enchanting presence on stage.  She illuminates! Another character that I fancied was the man who played Blue Bird (he was dressed in blue and according to the program he was a bird). He was really fantastic. 

I have such high respect for ballet dancers and every time I see them dance perfectly, I know that for every step and position, it took them hours of practice and huge amounts of discipline to get it right. Sleeping Beauty may not be a perfect production but I commend them for giving us a good show on Friday night.

To watch a ballet production such as Sleeping Beauty is quite an honour because the show has been running since 1890. I’m glad I had a chance to watch it with friends and appreciate the art of ballet even more. 
The Sleeping Beauty production ran in Sydney for only four days from 30 August to 2 September and it was directed by Evgeny Amosov.

Thanks to family and friends from Manila we now have a couple of coffees from the Philippines. I was sent a bag of Figaro coffee beans in Autumn thru my Mom. My thoughtful friend, Joyce, also learned of my mom’s vaycay so she sent us two kinds of coffee, one of which was the Rice Coffee from Banna, Ilocos Norte.

I’ve drank this Rice Coffee a couple of times but last Saturday was the first day of Spring so I brought out our Spring-looking cups and do a bit of photography. Can you see the colour pattern in this photo below? Blue kung blue! I love it! 🙂  With matching smoke coming out of the cups too!
I Welcomed Spring with Good Coffee

Now more about Rice Coffee. 

Rice coffee is not coffee. Rice coffee is made from roasted rice. When my Husband saw this, he immediately thought of his loving grandmother who used to roast rice grains, afterwhich when poured with hot water results into an aromatic and sweet beverage.

The aroma and taste of my (deceased) grandmother-in-law’s rice coffee was very similar to the Rice Coffee that was sent to us. In preparing a mug of rice coffee, half teaspoon of granules is enough. Then add half a teaspoon of sugar to make it sweet. Adding milk or creamer is optional.  I prepare our rice coffee using the french press to lessen the granuels making the blend smoother.

Rice Coffee is a good alternative to coffee as it is caffeine-free and has detoxifying properties.  During night time this can be your “calming beverage”. Since it came from rice, it also has the benefits of uncooked rice such as B vitamins and fibre.
I Welcomed Spring with Good Coffee

The Original 100% Rice Coffee is manufactured by SCUFYND Food Products, Brgy. Sinamar, Banna, Ilocos Norte. Available in grocery stores in Ilocos Norte.
Happy first week of Spring! 🙂

Celebrated Father’s Day with relatives yesterday [Australia celebrates Father’s Day every 1st Sunday of September]. We got invited to a delicious lunch of ribs, lasagna and salad at my aunt’s place. Delicious food and fun company.  The Husband and I brought a small Cookies and Cream Sponge cake for dessert.  Spent the rest of the afternoon playing basketball and photographing newly-blossomed flowers in my aunt’s backyard.  Hope you had a lovely weekend too!
Father's Day Weekend
Father's Day Weekend
Father's Day Weekend
Father's Day Weekend
Father's Day Weekend
Father's Day Weekend
Father's Day Weekend
It’s the last day of Winter and there’s a sigh of relief at the thought that it is ending. While this year is probably one of the perfect Winters I’ve had in Sydney, just a few days that we had rain and lots of sunshiny days, my “tropical body” is nothing short of excited to welcome the warm season ahead.

As my way of saying goodbye to Winter, I’ve prepared a list of items that helped me get thru each and every cold day. For those in Australia, these might give you an idea on what to look out for in winter sales (currently on-going!) and for countries about to experience cold weather, this list might give you an idea on winter essentials to buy.

Puff Jacket. I’ve got trench coats for different levels of winter coldness but there comes a point when I would only wear my puff jackets because they’re the only ones who can keep me warm during negative degree temperatures. The one I’m wearing below gives me maximum warmth as this jacket’s insulation is made of furry material (“Carpeted itong jacket na ito!” is what I always tell the Husband). Although puff jackets make me feel like I’m a walking marshmallow and make me look shapeless, I don’t care. Once it’s hugging my body, I’m able to face any coldness the winter brings. My tip in finding a puff jacket: try it on and see how the insulation feels on your body and how thick the insulation is ( “is it keeping your body warm enough?”).

Scarves. Like the puff jacket, I have different kinds of scarves to cater to different levels of coldness. Scarves are your neck and chest’s bestfriend as it adds warm and protection to your body.  The knitted scarf is the one that ultimately keeps me warm on very cold days.
Style Musings: My Winter Essentials

Knitted Beannies. On very cold and windy days, wearing a beannie is a must. It keeps your head covered and hair in placed. 
Style Musings: My Winter Essentials

Knitted Gloves. All the gloves I wear during winter are knitted as I love the cozy feel of them. 
Style Musings: My Winter Essentials
Style Musings: My Winter Essentials

These two pairs below is gadget-friendly.  The brown pair has the finger part cut up but if you’re not using your hands for tapping gadgets, you can wear the top part to cover your fingers. 
Style Musings: My Winter Essentials

This fuchsia pair has grey tips on the thumb, pointing and middle fingers so when you wear this pair, your fingers are able to tap gadgets. You can wear this pair of glove without taking it off in order to tap your phone or tablet. Very clever!
Style Musings: My Winter Essentials

Knee-high socks and toe socks. Although I wear tights on some days, I have a lot of days when I only need to wear socks as my legs doesn’t feel cold much compared to my upper body. However, these knee-high socks are helpful when I’m wearing high boots.  The toe socks on the other hand are helpful when I’m at home as it keeps my toes warm during bedtime.
Style Musings: My Winter Essentials

Winter Boots for the Home. I found this cute winter boots at Target on sale and got it so I can use it at home.
Style Musings: My Winter Essentials

Laced-up Boots in Canvas. Another great find for me as it was on sale. I use this when I’m tired of wearing heavy leather boots. They keep the feet warm and so comfortable. Since it’s canvas, this can be worn during Spring and Autumn. 
Style Musings: My Winter Essentials

Tomorrow Spring will officially start but it will still be a fair bit cold on the first two-three weeks. I’m no plans of putting these pieces that kept me warm this season as yet but the thought of wearing lighter clothes excites me.

Hope Winter was kind to you this year!