Ibyang Sanchez, Author at Ibyang

Back from Melbourne

24 January 2012 Ibyang Sanchez 6 Comments Category: Charmed Life of a Mrs, Cherished Memories, Travel

Just came back from a short vacation in Melbourne to celebrate my wedding anniversary with the Husband and my birthday. We had the best time as we indulged in great company, delicious food, a bit of shopping and relaxing and watching Roger Federer play at the Rod Laver Arena.

Was able to book us a table at MoVida Aqui, the best Spanish restaurant we’ve ever dined in.

A jug of Sangria

Bomba

Had syphoned coffee at Sensory Lab.

Dinner at MAMASITA, the best Mexican restaurant in Melbourne. Our dear friend Dith joined us.

Lunch at Dahon Tea, a classy Filipino restaurant in South Melbourne. We were joined by friends Lui, Abby, Nel and little Nixie. We also got to meet the owner and chef of Dahon Tea, Cherrie.

Had dessert at Chez Dre. They make the best cakes and great coffee.

Birthday brunch at my favourite brunch restaurant, The European.

Early lunch at Il Pomodoro at Federation Square. My birthday cake came in a glass! Creatively delicious Tiramisu.

Watched the 4th Round game of Roger Federer vs. Bernard Tomic and Caroline Wozniacki vs. Jelena Jankovic. I was extremely happy to be watching Roger Federer on the night of my birthday. It was spectacular to be back at Melbourne Park for the Australian Open and watch the games again.

I’m slowly shaking off my vaycay fever. I will share every detail of our Melbourne trip, our anniversary and my birthday in the coming days.

If you would like to get updates on food, restaurant & shopping finds, immediate updates on my wifely adventures and spur-of-the-moment thoughts, please follow my twitter account: http://twitter.com/ibyang . Thank you!

Wanderlust Wednesdays: Visitor Information Centre for Sydney Tourists

18 January 2012 Ibyang Sanchez 3 Comments Category: Tips, Travel, Wanderlust Wednesdays

It’s that time of the year when Sydney is flocked by more travellers than usual. Summer in Sydney (December to February), celebrations of the New Year, Chinese New Year and Australia Day, and school holidays are a few reasons why wandering around the city is at its peak.

The city of Sydney is trying its best to assists tourists and locals during their travel. In different parts of the city, you can find Visitor Information Centres where you can ask for directions or assistance.

A Sydney Guide and Sydney Map are also available in this booth for free. The Sydney Guide are initially sighted in Arrival areas of the Sydney Airport. But in case you forgot to grab one upon arrival, they are available in Visitor Information Centres too.

Other than information about the city of Sydney and recommended places to go to, the back portion of the Sydney Guide has numerous coupons that offer discounts to several tourist attractions such as the Sydney Tower Eye, Sydney Opera House, Sydney Aquarium and Powerhouse Museum. These are very useful to any tourists who would like to save a few dollars.

Travelling to Sydney? Check out the Sydney Visitor Centres website and the City of Sydney website for information about the city.

Discovered Inspirations: Believe

16 January 2012 Ibyang Sanchez 2 Comments Category: Deep Thoughts, Discovered Inspirations

It always amazes me when I see a random image that reminds me of a happy moment, make me stop & realize or inspire me. Things like these are like little treasures I find along the way of getting thru my day. It’s refreshing and priceless.

As the Husband and I were doing some furniture shopping during the Christmas holidays, I saw this inspiring message on a throw pillow. I took a photo so I’ll always be reminded that “BELIEVE” is a verb. On not-so-good days, I will look at this photo to remind me to never lose faith in the people and things I believe in.

Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.
– Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.
– Dale Carnegie

Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.
– Mother Teresa

Faith has to do with things that are not seen and hope with things that are not at hand.
– Thomas Aquinas

Faith is a knowledge within the heart, beyond the reach of proof.
– Khalil Gibran

Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe.
– Saint Augustine

To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible.
– Thomas Aquinas

Wishing you all a great week!

Style Musings: Inspired by the 80s

13 January 2012 Ibyang Sanchez 4 Comments Category: Charmed Life of a Mrs, Style Musings

January is my birthday month and I’m grateful that my month’s looking pretty damn good. Two weekends in the lead up to my real birthday, I have celebrated and will be celebrating it with friends. I feel really blessed to have friends who find time to celebrate my birthday with me.

My first birthday party was held last weekend with my Tweethearts and we’ve decided to have an 80s themed party. So my inspiration for an outfit were Madonna and Molly Ringwald (Pretty in Pink, The Breakfast Club).

(image source)

(image source: The Stiletto Effect)

I like seeing outfits that make me remember an era. I remember when my college friends and I would shop for clothes, we’d hear ourselves say, “This reminds me of a movie” or “This reminds me of the 70s!” when we see a certain outfit.

I don’t exactly have an 80s outfit so as I thought of preparing for the party, I decided to come up with an 80s-inspired ensemble instead of going full on 80s. I wanted an ensemble that will remind me of the 80s and one that I can still wear any day. When I buy clothes, I try to be practical and find pieces that will be used for more than one occasion.

The Shirt. I didn’t find it difficult to find a shirt that represented the 80s as it seemed that there are a lot of clothes out there likened to the style from that era. I found this pink chiffon shirt with heart graphics and I instantly thought of the movie “Pretty in Pink”. It’s pink, feminine and the style is similar to what Molly Ringwald was wearing on the first photo above. The clothing material is also perfect for the warm weather.

The Accessories. It’s only recently that I’ve become comfortable wearing a pile of necklaces. I found this bundled necklaces in an accessory shop in Sydney on sale and thought that maybe I should learn how wearing these kind of necklaces. I wore this when I watched the KPOP Concert last year and since then, it has become a favourite of mine. The bracelet I wore is also my favourite from Swatch.

The Skirt. I love wearing denim skirts because they’re so easy to pair up with anything. I already own a short denim skirt so I didn’t have to buy this one anymore.

The Shoes. One of my last few buys when I was in Manila. I chanced upon this on my last day and was easily charmed by the feminine eyelets of this pair. Celebrities of the 80s wore short boots with their outfits and this pair of open-toe ankle boots were perfect as it is Summer here in Sydney.

So here’s my interpretation of an 80s inspired outfit. Simple, feminine, a touch of ruggedness and a tiny bit of edge.

Ensemble:

Pink Chiffon Shirt: Paper Scissors
Denim Skirt: Esprit

Open-toe Ankle Boots: Unlisted

Bundled Necklace: Diva

Bracelet: Swatch

Taiwanese Cafe: ZenQ Desserts

12 January 2012 Ibyang Sanchez 5 Comments Category: Food, Restaurants

Asian desserts are fast becoming popular these days. The Husband and I got interested when we saw an Asian dessert cafe in Chinatown a few months ago because they look similar to the Philippines’ Halo-Halo (heller??? Asian dessert nga diba? So malamang hindi nalalayo ang Halo-Halo).

Anyway, we’ve been hanging out in North Ryde area pre-Christmas 2011 when we chanced upon a Taiwanese cafe called ZenQ Desserts.

ZenQ Desserts is the sister company of Chatime. The difference between the two is that ZenQ offers more variety from desserts to drinks.

ZenQ’s main ingredient is the Q Ball which is a traditional Taiwanese handmade dessert. It is made up of sweet potato and fresh taro mixed with tapioca and water formed into dough. After kneading, the dough will be shaped into a ball, then they boil it before serving.

ZenQ offers several dessert dishes but if you don’t have a certain liking for some ingredients, you have the option of creating your own dessert. You just need to choose your sweet base and then let the staff know what toppings you like and they will put them all together for you.

The Husband opted to try their Grass Jelly with ZenQ Signature Q Ball and Pearl. It was moderately sweet and refreshing.

Since it is the season of Mangoes, I opted to try their Mango Shaved Ice with Mango, Mango Jelly and Ice Cream. I love the “Mango-ness” of this dessert. The Mango was fresh and sweet while the shaved ice really tasted like real Mango.