Charmed Life of a Mrs Archives | Page 37 of 98

Why It’s Always a Pleasure To Visit Melbourne

21 February 2011 Ibyang Sanchez 4 Comments Category: Aussie Life, Charmed Life of a Mrs, Food, Travel

We were surprised to be given an opportunity to visit Melbourne twice last year. The first one was to celebrate the Husband’s birthday and the second was a mix of business and pleasure.

Here are some photos from our December trip which reminds us how much we love (and probably won’t get tired of) Melbourne.

This place is always camwhore-friendly. Whether in the streets, in an alley or in a restaurant, there’s always an attractive backdrop somewhere.

You’ll always discover a place to have brunch, whether in the city or in the suburbs. On our last trip, we spent more time in the suburbs than in the city. Loved this cafe called “liar liar” where we had Saturday brunch.

“liar liar” also served syphoned coffee which made me very happy.

Chocolate will always be part of the agenda. We love Koko Black so much, we just had to go back and have afternoon tea there.

It is also a place for discovering an old favourite. The biggest surprise we found in one of the suburbs we visited was “The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf”, one of my favourite cafes in the world.

Being reunited with my beloved Spanish Churros is another big treat. We had to stop over at Flinders Station on the way to the airport because I can’t leave Melbourne without having a bite.

And of course, being with our friends. Melbourne, we believe, is like a second home to us because we know that whenever we visit, we will always be in great, fun company.

Lastly, the trip was an opportunity to capture a special event in our friends’ lives.

I wonder when we’ll visit again.

The Sun Sets…The Moon Shines

10 February 2011 Ibyang Sanchez 3 Comments Category: Charmed Life of a Mrs, Deep Thoughts

Before the atmosphere was enveloped in darkness tonight, I had the best of both worlds as I stood for a moment in our home’s balcony.

On my left, the sun sets and the sky was a rainbow-full of colours.

Here’s another photo…this time I used an effect from instagram.

While the sun was slowly setting, this was what was happening on my right.

The lovely moon illuminates. I used an effect from instagram to enhance this photo.

Those were my left and right views as I stood in the middle of our balcony. A lovely way to end a happy and productive day. A great reminder that no matter how our day has been, the sun will set, the moon will shine (sometimes at the same time!) and tomorrow is another chance at hope, happiness, opportunities and love.

How was your day today?

(All photos taken by an iPhone 4)

Annie Leibovitz: A Photographer’s Life (1990-2005)

2 February 2011 Ibyang Sanchez 3 Comments Category: Charmed Life of a Mrs, Deep Thoughts, Photography

Have you ever wondered how you’ve come to like or love a certain photographer?

Being a photography enthusiast, I have always wondered why I’ve come to love my favorite photographers–and there are only a few. And no, it’s not because I’m an enthusiast that I’ve set a high standard. There are no high standards at all. In fact, I realized that when it comes to loving a photographer’s work of art, I only look for one thing. A soul.

There are a lot of great photographers. But there are a few who capture photographs with soul and one of them is Annie Leibovitz.

I’ve come to know her thru her photographs of Queen Elizabeth II, the Obama family, John Lennon and Yoko Ono and Demi Moore when she was pregnant (her nude photo in Vanity Fair that came out in 1991).

I’ve always admired her work because (1) she’s one of the most trusted photographers of well-known people; (2) there’s always something breathtaking about her photographs and (3) her photos have soul.

On our 4th wedding anniversary (20 January 2011), the Husband and I decided to celebrate the day by indulging in our love for photography. We are very lucky that the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney is exhibiting Annie Leibovitz: A Photographer’s Life 1990-2005. It was an opportunity to get to know Annie Leibovitz and her work. The exhibition showed photographs of her family, her travels, her triumphs and sorrow. Other than showing some of her most unforgettable work with well-known celebrities, the photographs were a record of some of the most personal moments of her life. It was a very engaging and lovely collection.

This is my most (super-duper) favorite photograph of hers. It was a photo of her deceased lover, Susan. The photo was captioned “Susan Sontag at Petra, Jordan 1994“. This photograph spoke volumes to me. When I saw this photograph, I was unable to move my feet and just kept staring at it. It almost moved me to tears. In this photograph, it somehow tells me how big the world is out there. How there are so much more to discover, to feel, to love, to share. After seeing all the photographs in the exhibition, I went back to this photograph one more time and look at it again before we left. One day, I’ll have a copy of this photograph hanging on a wall of our future home. Someday.

There will never be an exhibition without the book. Most of the photos found in the exhibition are in this 3-kilo book (yes, it was that heavy, I weighed it!) which serves as a souvenir to all who have seen her exhibition and a learning tool for enthusiasts like me. It is available at the MCA souvenir shop for AUD$85.00

The exhibition brought together almost 200 photographs and you need about 1 1/2 to 2 hours of viewing her photographs.

Annie Leibovitz: A Photographer’s Life 1990–2005
Organised by the Brooklyn Museum,
19 November 2010– 27 March 2011

Admission $15, concessions $10
MCA Members free
Children 12 years and under free
Family (2 adults and 3 children aged 13-17) $40

Click HERE TO PURCHASE TICKETS

She Just Wants Cake

22 January 2011 Ibyang Sanchez 12 Comments Category: Charmed Life of a Mrs, Cherished Memories, The Married Life

I asked her what she wanted for her birthday. She said, “I just want cake…a cute, yummy cake.”

So I decided to bring her to Adriano Zumbo’s Patisserie, which she has been longing to experience. Since she wanted something so simple, I knew I had to give her the best.

When I told her where we would go for her birthday, her face lit up and literally jumped for joy. She reminded me of a child, excited and can’t wait for a promise to unfold.

This morning, she woke up early even if she slept late. She said she can’t wait to have her cake. Her birthday cake.

And so we went out early. I took her to one of her favorite beaches and made her ride the ferry (which she loved). She enjoyed the sun, the blue waters, the crowd, her birthday lunch and most of all she enjoyed her birthday cake. She couldn’t stop smiling when she saw it.

According to her, she had a perfect fun day. Even if she only spent the day with me, she felt very loved by people that matter to her because she received lots of birthday greetings. For her that was enough.

I’m amazed at how she craves for the simplest of things even on her special day when she deserves all the best the world can offer. I feel blessed knowing I have someone like her who always choose the things that matter most rather than the superficial. And the greatest thing about her is that however small a gesture may be, she will make you feel how she truly appreciate you.

Happy birthday, dearest Wife. xoxo *C

Some Things Are Certain

20 January 2011 Ibyang Sanchez 12 Comments Category: Charmed Life of a Mrs, Deep Thoughts, Milestones, The Married Life

We didn’t know we would end up here.

We didn’t know that we’d complement each other.

We didn’t know that we would make a good team.

We didn’t know that we would have enormous mutual respect towards each other.

We didn’t know we’d have this much fun!

We didn’t know that we would share each other’s passion and be other’s champion.

We didn’t know that we would become the best of friends.

We didn’t know that we would end up being together. For the rest of our lives.

Ten years ago, we met and our lives changed. Four years ago, we took that biggest leap of faith and said “We do”. Today, we still know not a lot of things. Most times, we still take each other by surprise!

But some things are certain….
that we will always make each other laugh
that we are each other’s confidante no matter what
that I’ve got his back and he’s got mine
that we will never get tired of holding hands
that we never like complications
that we find joy in the simplest of things
that we love each other…truly, madly, deeply.

To my dear Husband, thank you for four wonderful years of good-sweet-lovin’. I love being married to you!