Aussie Life Archives | Page 24 of 42

New Passport

5 June 2010 Ibyang Sanchez 9 Comments Category: Aussie Life

I can’t believe I didn’t have a valid passport for the past 14 months. I totally forgot all about it. Good thing, there weren’t any emergency reason for me to travel out of the country.

This year, I really had to apply for my first Australian Passport because I’m sponsoring my Mom’s visit to Sydney soon (yes, she’s coming over and I’m getting more and more excited!) and we needed it for my Husband’s application for permanent residence visa.

The application was quite tedious. There were documents that needed to be prepared and signed by a Justice of Peace. Sometimes I really hate applying for stuff here simply because they’re tedious. But then, we all know that it’s only because they just want all documents authentic. A matter of security, really. The only consolation after the passport is processed, it is good for 10 years (adult passports). In a way, it’s worth all the trouble in going thru the application.

The memorable and irritating thing about my passport application was that the Post Office Manager that interviewed me was really very rude and mean. I was on time for the interview, greeted him hello and he only frowned back. He really scared me. He made me feel like I was a criminal even if I was paying them for their service. He was so unpleasant and he appeared angry as if I’ve done something wrong. After checking all my documents, he said it was good to go. The same day, he called me in the afternoon (at nearly 5pm which was closing time) only to tell me to come back and he forgot to photocopy one of the documents I brought. The nerve! I took the day-off just to attend the interview and now he calls to say that I needed to go back due to his inefficiency. I was really pissed off at him but I just let it go.

With all the hassles the application has brought me, I’m grateful that it took the Passport Office less than 10 working days to send my passport to me. That’s my only consolation. And now that I have a passport again, I won’t have to worry about passport applications again for the next 10 years.

The Australian Passport comes in a neat plastic packet. When you open it, the left side contains the passport, while the right side contains a Travel Smart (Hints for Australian Travellers) booklet. It’s a booklet especially produced by The Lonely Planet for Australian Government.

The Australian Passport is expensive but once I saw and felt the quality of paper they used, I found out that it’s very good quality, definitely worth the money I paid for.

The Travel Smart booklet contains information that an Australian should know on traveling such as travel tips, insurance, entry permits, visas, travel money, packing tips, what one can bring in and out of Australia and most especially where Australians can get help when they’re overseas. Really very helpful and handy.

Now I wonder when I’ll be able to use it. Hmmm….

My Little Experience with iPad

30 May 2010 Ibyang Sanchez 15 Comments Category: Aussie Life, Charmed Life of a Mrs

After so many delays and false starts, the iPad has arrived in Australia. Finally, it is here!

Apple lovers and gadget enthusiasts flock the Apple stores (there is a new Apple Store in Bondi Junction Mall that also opened last Friday) to have a look and feel of this new gadget.

We arrived at the Apple Store in George Street around 7pm and there was still a line outside. We thought the queue was for those buying iPads so we bypassed!!! We were there only to look and try it out so we confidently walked right in—and no one called our attention–so I guess, we just got lucky.

Lucky too that we got an iPad to try right away. Believe me, everyone was taking their time fiddling with it. The Husband tried it out and his first reaction was “Ang bigat ah” (it’s heavy). It was 680 grams (more than half a kilo) and your hands may feel the weight after just a few minutes of holding it.

It was bigger than I imagined. I knew it was about 9.5 inches but it was way more better than using an iPod Touch or iPhone for typing, watching videos and playing games. I liked that I didn’t have difficulty typing in words on the iPad, my already small fingers fits in the keys!

A bigger screen means bigger words…bigger tweets! Hello there tweetmates!

We found this very useful application called Epicurious which contains tens of thousands of recipes, organised thematically and searchable based on ingredients or keywords. You can even search based on what you have in the fridge The app creates a shopping list based on the recipes you’ve chosen and, once you’re back in the kitchen, it makes it easy to follow the cooking instructions on screen. The good news is that the Epicurious is FREE! 🙂

We found a lot of Adobo recipes! 🙂

We tried playing the Marble Mixer game. It was fun because it’s two to four players. I imagine playing this game with my 9-yr old cuzin Patrick.

We also tried reading the very interactive “Alice in Wonderland” e-book. A great reading experience for kids and kids at heart. Another free application.
Bigger images!!!! “A Wife’s Charmed Life” looks better in the iPad doesn’t it? Hehe. Shameless plug, I know. I’m just sharing the experience and fun with you. 🙂

For someone like me who is not an Apple fanatic, this is the only Apple product (to-date) that I saw myself using the minute I learned about it. For the past months, I’ve found a lot of reasons why iPad can be more useful to my lifestyle and the possibilities of what I can do with it in relation to my work, blogging, photography and love for reading.

During Saturday lunch with the Husband, I asked him if it is a good product and he said “Yes, but it is not a need for me so I won’t buy it.” Then I asked him if it will be something good for me to have and he replied, “Yes, you actually need it more than I do.” That’s nice to hear, I’m glad my Husband supports me with what I do and my interests. With that, I told him maybe he can give it to me as an advance Christmas present. I told him I’ll leave it up to him on when he wants to give it to me—“Surprise me!” was what I said. So we’ll see what happens.

The Husband Has Voted

10 May 2010 Ibyang Sanchez 12 Comments Category: Aussie Life

I was surprised to know that my Husband already voted and sent his Official Ballot to the Philippine Consulate on Wednesday afternoon. I thought he would leave it to the last minute but other than being excited and hopeful, he wanted his vote to count.

For registered Filipino voters here in Australia, the deadline is today at 8:00PM (Australian Eastern Standard Time), so I hope everyone who registered can make it.
To all of us Filipinos all over the world, voting or not voting, let’s all pray for a fair and peaceful elections. Good luck to us all.

12 May 2010, 8:13AM (Australian Time):
I forgot to mention but a few people asked if I voted. I didn’t vote because as of now, I am an Australian Citizen. Maybe one day, I would be able to vote again once I acquire dual citizenship.

Hen’s Party at The Tea Room, Drinks at The Royal George

13 April 2010 Ibyang Sanchez 24 Comments Category: Aussie Life, Charmed Life of a Mrs, Cherished Memories, Milestones, Photography

I had one of the most fabulous afternoons with my girls on Saturday (10 April 2010).

In celebration of our good friend Hilda’s birthday and upcoming wedding, we organized a Hen’s party for her at The Tea Room.

It was a High Tea affair so we all dressed up to the nines as we sipped our choice of tea/coffee and enjoyed delicious cakes, pastries, sandwiches and scones.

The pastries and sandwiches were served in three-tiered serving racks on very classy English-inspired plates. Not only did our table looked so alive with all the food but the dining ware and glassware made it more vibrant and abundant. It was so lovely.

The food was a winner. Not only did they looked inviting and cute but they tasted great too. Worth every penny spent.

My plate: a slice of egg sandwich, a scone (it’s big!) and a mini-cupcake.

Since we were in a celebratory mood, we had champagne!!! Happiness is drinking champagne at 12 noon with your girlfriends haha! :).

I was the official photographer of the event but my Husband also came with me to the restaurant so he can take photos of the group for a few minutes. The minute the food were being served he left me to my own devices.

This was my first time to shoot a Hen’s party and I’m very challenged by the fact that the star of the day is a friend of mine. I have seen Hilda in so many different light and we have gone thru a lot of good and bad times together. There is a certain level of familiarity between us already because we practically treat each other as sisters. I was afraid that familiarity will make me take some things for granted when I’m taking photographs of her.

Days before this event, I had to think of different scenarios inside my head. I came up with a very concrete idea on what I want to capture that day. Other than the food, the place and the scenes that will take place, I wanted to capture her–her glow, her peace and her happiness.

And this was what I have captured. Here’s the lovely and glowing bride-to-be. I’m so so happy for her.

The group gave her a tiara and sash to wear.

This was not the usual hen’s party where you have strippers or naughty games but nevertheless, we played a couple of games and we enjoyed it. Rachelle won on the first game, while I won during the second game.

As a token for everyone’s presence, I made Girly Loot Bags and gave them to the girls. I called it a Girly Loot Bag because each bag contained body wash, lotion, lip gloss and nail emery boards.

After High Tea, some of the girls went home but some of us decided to have more drinks at a bar. My Husband joined us so he took care of taking photos so I can just focus on having fun with my girls.

Rache, Yons, Hilda and I walking in the streets of Sydney.

(This photo reminded me of the Sex in the City girls walking in the streets of New York. I love it!!!!)

We found ourselves a the Ivy (yes, that’s the name of the place). The Ivy is a compound of bars and restaurants. It’s one of nicest places to dine here in Sydney.

We had drinks at The Royal George. Talked some more…laughed some more.

It was one of those perfect Saturday afternoons with friends. We all had a great time especially the Bride-to-be.

Acknowledgements:

To all the girls, for the great time, the laughter and for joining in all the fun. We shall continue this party on the wedding.

To Michelle, for organizing the whole event and for bringing all of us together.

To Rachelle, for the bubblies.

To Abby, for the games that made the afternoon more exciting.

To my husband Chris, who helped me in preparing the Girly Loot Bags, for helping me take photos and for patiently tagging along with us after the High Tea Party. I know you don’t mind helping out but I’m truly grateful that you chose to spend your time with us instead of stay home and rest.

To Hilda, thank you for spending your Hen’s Party with us. Your friendship means a lot to all of us, no matter what happens, we are always here for you.

All photos by Chris and Ivy Sanchez, Copyright 2010
Canon 7D with 17-85mm lens and Canon 400D with Fujinon 55mm lens
Flash: Canon 430EX

Holy Week and Easter Spent with Family

7 April 2010 Ibyang Sanchez 8 Comments Category: Aussie Life, Charmed Life of a Mrs, Food, Photography, The Married Life, Travel

There are some occasions that I exclusively spend with family and relatives, one of those are Holy Week and Easter, for the simple reason that my clan usually have some activities planned during this time and it is tradition that we celebrate the Easter festivities together.

It is of normal occurrence that my Grandma’s birthday falls on the week of Holy Week. On Holy Monday, we celebrated her 81st birthday .

On the morning of Good Friday, we were at the airport to pick up my uncle who vacationed in the Phils for a few days.

From the airport, we drove back to their place where my Husband and I spent the whole day catching up with our relatives as we enjoyed eating Baked Salmon, Ginataang Hipon with Kalabasa for lunch and dinner and homemade Turon for afternoon snack.

Black Saturday, since our goal is to have a more relaxing weekend with less household and cooking chores, we decided to have breakfast at one of our favorite cafes. We arrived at the cafe early to avoid the morning crowd and to have a more peaceful breakfast. We just shared a slice of toasted banana bread as we sipped our cups of Choffee.

Back at home for lunch, I cooked half a kilo of Green King Prawns in butter and garlic, dipped in Calamansi sauce. It was fresh and delicious, with a taste of sweetness.