Charmed Life of a Mrs Archives | Page 10 of 98

A Penchant For The Old Manila

18 June 2013 Ibyang Sanchez 2 Comments Category: Charmed Life of a Mrs, Deep Thoughts, Good Reads

One of the few realizations we had when we vacationed in Manila was this: that we come back because we want to have a feel of what our life used to be. Going back to our mother country means we get to reminisce of our childhood and relive a life we once used to be a part of. Seeing Manila grow and change with the times is a milestone but a part of me wishes that some things and places are still maintained to how it’s supposed to be. That’s why I love reading books and watching old films where I get to see how things were when Manila (and the Philippines) was young.

A penchant for the old. My love for what Manila used to be.
Curly Tops from my childhood. The romance of using a telephone.

I was fortunate to come across the book “The Manila We Knew” in April. It was a collection of stories and essays of life in Manila. Stories that capture one’s love for a city and its soul, life and history. In its pages you’ll find romance and tragedy, hope and struggle.

I started reading a few pages on Sunday morning and it brought me back to a time when I wasn’t even born yet, when life in Manila was simpler. I’m glad that thru this book, I get to have a peek of what it’s like to be part of the old Manila.

Vivid Sydney 2013 – Our Favourite Photographs

10 June 2013 Ibyang Sanchez 2 Comments Category: Aussie Life, Charmed Life of a Mrs, Photography, The Married Life, Travel

This is the last instalment of my Vivid Sydney 2013 posts. If you missed the first two parts, please check this and this.

I just want to share a few of our favourite photos from the three nights we went out exploring. Most of these are just shots of the Harbour Bridge and the images on Sydney Opera House.

Under the Harbour Bridge, with the city of Sydney Opera House (left side) and the city of Sydney (right side). I love all the elements in this photograph. Technically, this photo took a lot of tries. Night photography is not easy and to put people into the frame is more challenging (I had to not move for a loooong time). And then we added that “halo heart” around me which made it very tricky. Nevertheless, we are very happy with the result, we did it! Big thanks to our photographer friend Larry, who created this concept.

Vivid Sydney 2013 - Our Favourite Photos

Surrounded by the glowing lights of Sydney. Here’s the Husband who lights up my world with a thousand bright colours {cheesy!! pardon me but that’s really what I wrote in my instagram :)}. It’s seldom that the Husband and I have a decent photo and this one below is a rare moment when a photographer friend makes a superb job of photographing us.

The iconic Harbour Bridge captured in different lights with a backdrop of the city. It was the first time they lit this up for the Vivid Sydney. Two years ago, we were in one of the pillars of this bridge taking photos of Vivid Sydney (VS) from above. This year, we had to go near it…and under it because it’s one of the main attractions of VS.

The Sydney Opera House showed the best spectacular images to-date. The biggest attraction during Vivid Sydney is the Opera House. We always have high expectations when it comes to the lighting of its sails simply because it is Australia’s most famous icon. And this year, the Opera House’ light show exceeded our expectations. It was the most attractive light show of the Opera House and we loved its concept “Play“.

“Play” showed images that reminded us of the 80s such as the cassette tape.

In line with concept of play, an image pertaining to a Pinball Machine was shown.

An image of Luna Park, Australia’s amusement park.

Artworks and movements projected on the Opera House.

I believe this year’s Vivid Sydney was the most successful we’ve had. On the last weekend of Vivid Sydney, we learned that hundreds of people went to the city to see it. The thick crowd was likened to the New Year’s Eve Sydney celebrations. Nowadays, it’s not just Sydneysiders that come to see it but also travellers from all over the world. It’s amazing that this city is slowly becoming known for Vivid Sydney.

Vivid Sydney had a dramatic end on 10th June when on the last few hours, a blanket of fog covered the city. The fog seem to have brought an ambiance of sadness but to me, it was the perfect dreamy way of taking a bow and bidding us adieu.

Vivid Sydney 2013 – Our Darling Harbour Experience

Beauty Stash: Zoya Nail Polish

31 May 2013 Ibyang Sanchez 1 Comments Category: Beauty Stash, Charmed Life of a Mrs

Here’s my favourite brand of nail polish…ZOYA, one that I discovered when a relative from America brought this little bottle and gave it to me.

Why I love it:

1. Easy to apply–it glides and covers easily!

2. It stays on for 5-7 days even if I wash the dishes everyday.

3. It’s lasts long and doesn’t easily chip.

4. It’s a non-toxic nail polish.

Zoya Nail Polish was created by Zoya Reysis who, as a pregnant aesthetician and salon owner in 1984, wanted to create a healthier option. While it is not water-based, it is free of toluene, formaldehyde, and DBP. It’s the top-rated and longest wearing natural nail polish. It receives top ratings in fashion, health, and pregnancy magazines world wide. It is also used in the finest salons and spas world wide and is available in over 240 fashionable colors. (source)

I’ve never seen ZOYA available in stores here in Sydney. With salons, I wouldn’t know too as I’ve always done my nails on my own. But I found out recently that there’s an online store here in Australia that sells them.

The Art of Beauty Australia website currently has a clearance sale and I was able to buy three ZOYA bottles.

From L to R:

Laney. Silver metallic duochrome. A frosty hint of green creates a unique “oil-slick” look.

Lana. A very different rich red metallic duochrome. A frosty hint of orange creates a unique “oil-slick” look. (By far, the most complimented nail colour I’ve worn)

Reece. Rose metallic duochrome. A frosty hint of gold creates a unique “oil-slick” rose-gold.

While I still use an array of nail polish, ZOYA is my favourite from all nail polishes I’ve used.

We Got The Cinema Theatre All To Ourselves

28 May 2013 Ibyang Sanchez 2 Comments Category: Aussie Life, Charmed Life of a Mrs, Entertainment, The Married Life

This is just something for the books and an experience that the Husband and I won’t ever forget.

We were supposed to go up the mountains last Friday but changed our plans due to the awful weather (unpredictable rains!) so we decided to book tickets to the latest Star Trek movie. It was a Friday afternoon and we saw a few people lined up at the counters. When we got inside the theatre, it was us and only us. Wow!

At first I found it quite scary to be just us alone in the huge theatre. I think the big space and darkness overwhelmed me. But once I got over it, it was sooooo much fun watching a movie like Star Trek with just us inside the theatre. I got to laugh and scream as loud as I can. We had no inhibitions as to how we’d react. Plus, the Husband and I didn’t have to whisper our side comments during certain scenes. It felt like we’re just sitting in our lounge room only we had a bigger screen!

Good thing the Husband brought his little flash with him that he was able to take a photo of me inside the theatre. I told him this happy circumstance might never happen again so we should have a photo.

And by the way, Star Trek Into Darkness was an entertaining film. It was definitely worth watching on the big screen.

The Blessing of Spending Time With Friends

27 May 2013 Ibyang Sanchez 0 Comments Category: Aussie Life, Charmed Life of a Mrs, Cherished Memories, Food

The best way to go back to “our normal” is to spend time with friends again. And that’s what we started doing two weeks ago. One week of recuperation from flu and one week of getting on top of work at the office, I’m back at socializing again.

I feel very grateful that since we came back from holiday, we’ve gotten “Welcome back!”, “I miss you!” and “Let’s catch up!” messages from our dear Sydney friends. It sure is nice to come home to a place where friends welcome you back with open arms. So after working out our schedules, it’s about time we start seeing our friends here–because we miss them too!

Annie and her delicious macaroons. We haven’t seen each other for a long time so I’m very glad we had the chance to re-connect. We met up for tea after work and caught up on what’s keeping us busy. A sweet bonus was being gifted with two boxes of delicious macaroons. She baked them herself and it tastes as good as the ones we buy from Manila (pang Goldilocks levels!)

My Sweet Memory (Cafe) moments with Jackie. She’s my ever-dependable coffee-date-in-the-city-after-work kind of girlfriend. Every chance we get, we try to squeeze in an hour just to sit down and catch up. That’s why the moment I was physically well, we blocked our scheds for a quick coffee klatch. Update galore kami ng aming Manila vaycay (she also vaycayed in Manila recently).

Tintin, Jamie and Me. Since Tintin moved to Sydney, we’ve been foodie mates ever since. Two weeks ago, we had a date with Jamie Oliver–well, not the person, just his food. We had a lovely pasta dinner and a fresh fruit dessert on a rainy Thursday night. It was nice to know that Tin is enjoying her new-found life in Sydney. It’s refreshing to see Sydney thru her eyes.

Fun Thursday with Friends (a.k.a. Gala Galore). Last week, I took half a day off work just to spend time with girlfriends who were also on a day-off that day. Ganyan ang true friends–nagda-day-off para maglakwatsa LOL. We started off with lunch at Chef’s Gallery, went around the shops at Westfield, had tea at Laduree, dinner at Lamesa and ended the night at Badde Manors. It was so much fun! We spent the whole time just talking about girly stuff, wifey and mommy stuff, relationships, etc. Lahat na!

As we get older, moments with friends are a luxury. I’m glad I have girlfriends who message me from time to time just to know how I am. I’m grateful we have friends who also believe in the importance of nurturing friendships by spending time with us.

Not only do I feel normal now after two weeks of seeing friends but my “homesick-from-travel” heart feels healed. Now I can’t wait to see all our other friends soon.