Ibyang
Ibyang

Aussie Life

Sydney Festival 2014

5 February 2014 0 Comments Category: Aussie Life

Other than seeing the giant Rubber Duck in January, the Husband and I also went to the city to see the Festival Village and The Sacrilege, both attractions as part of the Sydney Festival 2014.

We went out one early Saturday morning in January and started the day by having breakfast at Le Pain Quotidien. 

Ahhh coffee. We had quite an irritating encounter with the first cafe we went into that morning that we had to cancel our order and moved on to Le Pain Quotidien. Our latte and flat white cuppas efficiently arrived and all was well again.


My breakfast was eggs, bacon and sourdough toast. The scrambled eggs was one the fluffiest and tastiest I’ve ever had.


There were different spreads available and free for those dining in at Le Pain Quotidien. My favourite from the lot are the Blueberry Jam and Noisella.


After breakfast, we walked around Hyde Park and saw a giant inflatable castle called Sacrilage. Stonehenge is reimagined as a life-size inflatable castle– with everyone invited to have a bounce. This new work by Turner Prize-winning artist Jeremy Deller has become a contemporary art feel-good hit. A cheeky, family friendly collision of history and art, Sacrilege is a chance for aspiring Druids of all ages to play with the past.


Explored the Festival Village to see what’s in it.

There were a few food trucks that served food for lunch. The line-up of food trucks were quite interesting but most of them opened in the afternoons.
Sydney Festival 2014
There was an outdoor library for bookworms.
Sydney Festival 2014
Cheerful blooms at Hyde Park that brought a smile to my face.
Sydney Festival 2014
We only stayed at Hyde Park for about an hour, just enough to feel the warmth of the morning sun and get a bit of exercise from the walking and exploration of the park.
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The Rubber Duck Is Back For The Sydney Festival 2014

The giant and oh-so-adorable Rubber Duck is back in Australia for the Sydney Festival 2014. It’s currently situated at Parramatta River in Parramatta Park between Pavilion Flat and Government Farm. It will be there until 10th-19th January. Click this link for details.
Created by Netherlands artist, Florentine Hofman, the giant rubber duck’s purpose is to relieve everyday tensions, as well as define them. The rubber duck is there to create a new perspective in a public place and simply amaze people.
We saw the Rubber Duck last year and yet it still charmed us when we saw it today. We knew it will be back in Australia but didn’t know where. I thought it will visit a different city this year. The Hubby and I braved the heat of the Sun and went out even if we planned to stay home. It turned out to be a fun adventure.
I’m so happy to see Duckie (I made him a nickname). January’s my birthmonth and I thought this morning, “He’s here for my birthday!” Haha. Of course that’s not true but nevertheless, it’s an amusing thought.  
If you have a chance, see the Rubber Duck and be charmed by it!
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Ramen Burgers, The Hightlight Of Our Night Noodle Markets Adventure

I have a thousand food and travel experiences in 2013 that I’d like to share and this month, I plan to do just that. So here’s what I planned to do. I will publish these 2013 experiences in real time but in a few days, I will archive the posts in its correct month. If you’d like to find a certain topic, you can always type in what you’re looking for via the search engine on the top left of this blog. 

October is Good Food Month in Sydney and one of the foodie events we always visit is the Night Noodle Markets. The Husband and I saw this as an opportunity for my Mom to also experience this event. 

The highlight of our Night Noodle Markets experience is trying out the Ramen Burger. I’ve read about this kind of burger which came out in America (a link was sent to me by a tweetheart) and has piqued the interest of us here in Australia. A Ramen Burger is basically a burger with noodles as the bun.

I found the queue to getting the Ramen Burger at On Ramen. The line was long. And the wait longer. At one time, all of us waited in silence as the staff announced that they’re not taking orders because of too much demand but we can still wait in line. So we waited. My expectations were low but since I was there and I had time to spare, I stayed in line. 
I ordered two kinds of Ramen Burger: Pork Belly Burger and Beef Burger. Both came with salad and a few slices of watermelon. Beef and pork belly were good! It was juicy and flavourful. The pork belly has a bit of spice so I immensely enjoyed it. The noodles as bun was messy and a bit oily, which was not a surprise. The Husband, my Mom and I shared these two burgers.

The beauty of food festivals is getting to try other dishes from different vendors. We usually get dimsums and spring rolls.
And then we bought Ippudo’s Pork Belly Pork Buns so my Mom can try it. These pork buns are love. A must try when you encounter Ippudo.
The lanterns they set up on the entrance to Night Noodle Markets served as an attraction to everyone. Lots of people taking photos of and with the lanterns. 

The Night Noodle Markets 2013 turned out to to be one of our memorable ones because we got to share it with my Mom. 
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Sydney Welcomes 2014!

1 January 2014 0 Comments Category: Aussie Life

Happy 2014!

This year’s Sydney New Year Fireworks was the best yet. I love this year’s show because they had fireworks at the Sydney Opera House. They have also improved the way they do the waterfall fireworks on the Harbour Bridge (it’s not as smoky as before). Another attraction were jet skis on the water that added “Wow!” to the ensemble. The 6.8 Million fireworks show drove 2 million people to different vantage points in the city and it was a party that didn’t disappoint. Below are photos and the full video for you to enjoy (photos from http://www.sydneynewyearseve.com/ and Reuters, while the video is from the Telstra website).

Message from Reg Mombassa (Creative Ambassador) on why he chose SHINE as his theme and the human eye as a symbol in this year’s fireworks show:

The eye struck me as a suitable logo for the Shine theme as the individual soul and personality of the human shines through the eye like some organic laser beam.  It also relates to the harbour setting as the eye is a watery harbour nestled in the superstructure of the face, a blue or brown eye pond surrounded by ridgelines, gullies and promontories of flesh and bone. The eye image is continued through the banners and backdrops for the various parties along with a forest of gum trunks, native animals and depictions of iconic Sydney buildings.

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November on Ibyangram

Ibyang + Instagram = Ibyangram

While my instagram photos are shared on my twitter page and sometimes on my tumblr and fb page, I would like to have a monthly dump of ibyangrams on AWCL too. It is thru instagram that I share everyday moments and random finds. I use instagram as my real time mini-blog. Every end of the month, I’ll be choosing a couple of photos from my instagram and share it here because I have something more to say about a certain ibyangram.

Christmas came in early this year as November was filled with moments spent with family. The whole month, I made efforts to spend as much time with my Mom and relatives here in Sydney and from America. There were lots of going around Sydney, eating out, big and small get-togethers and we even sneaked out of Sydney to spend a day at the Hunter Valley. To have family living in different parts of the world is always a great exercise on being present in the now and being grateful for time spent with them. Time with family is the best Christmas gift we have received this year.

I’m sharing a few snippets of our time together in last month’s Ibyangram and a few other things that made up my November.

Mom’s first Spring visit in Sydney. I’m so happy that she finally saw the pretty Jacaranda Trees that I’ve always talked about! 

Christmas came early this year in the guise of my Mom. So as I have my first cup of my favourite Toffee Nut Latte, I’m spending it with her.

An IKEA breakfast spread. Treating Mom to cheap Swedish brekkie haha!

Wearing Spring hues on a gloomy, rainy day. Wickedly happy colours!

Inspired by Royce’ Potato Chip Chocolate, the Husband created his version only that his one was dipped in Dark Chocolate.

Pastry breakfast for three at the La Renaissance Cafe. 

Exploring Watsons Bay. A charming little beach where we had fish and chips for lunch.

An El Jannah dinner! We finally have an El Jannah branch near our place. It’s the best charcoal-grilled chicken in Sydney. 

Grateful for thoughtful friends. Received a package from one of my dearest friends from Manila and it included a “bling-ified” Snoopy charm that can be used as a chain for phones. I love it! It’s so pretty. 

Spectacular view of a vineyard in Hunter Valley. Our family spent the whole day tasting wines, eating cheese and having lunch and coffee at the Hunter Valley Gardens. Oh and we did a bit of shopping too.

Rewarding ourselves with Adriano Zumbo’s Macarons. Delicious flavours: Pandan Sticky Rice, Toasted Marshmallow, Salted Butter Popcorn, Apple Pie & Chocoron (the one with the smiling face).

Lovely day, lovely wedding. Our family witnessed the beautiful wedding of my cousin. Lots of happy smiles and touching moments.

Afternoon Tea at Max Brenner. Left work early so I can hang out with the family for afternoon tea.

Shared our love for Korean Food to the family. Went to Koreatown in Strathfield for a Korean BBQ Lunch at Won Jo and then ended up having coffee and Bingsu at My Sweet Memory Cafe.
Gold Coin for the Philippines. Our office held a fundraising morning tea for the survivors of Typhoon Haiyan. We served Brazo de Mercedes & Leche Flan Chiffon Cake (from a Filipino bakery) along with biscuits & cheese, brownies, chips & scones. I’m so grateful to everyone who participated.
My lomo cameras have been calling out to me lately so I bought 3 rolls of 36-exposure films. I already finished a roll of film and currently waiting for them to be developed.

Grateful for my November. Later on, after a few years perhaps, I will chance upon looking at these November Ibyangrams again and all I’ll feel will be appreciation and love.

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