Cherished Memories Archives | Page 14 of 29

Manila Sunset

1 April 2011 Ibyang Sanchez 8 Comments Category: Charmed Life of a Mrs, Cherished Memories, Milestones, Travel

It’s good to be back on familiar grounds. It’s awesome to be welcomed by one of the best sunsets in the world–Manila sunset. It’s wonderful to be surrounded by family and friends whom we grew up with.

It’s great to be HOME again.

Arrived in Manila, 30 March 2011, 6:00pm

The Husband and I arrived in Manila two days ago and we are very, very, elated to be here. It’s been four long years since we’ve been here and we are discovering and exploring Manila like it’s the first time. So many things have changed here and we are embracing and cherishing every moment.

-o0o0o-

Just a few things:

My Blogmates: I will be keeping this blog as up-to-date as possible but I may not be able to reply to comments or visit you back. Thank you for always checking in and reading my stories. I will drop you a line in May.

Our Friends: We have your contact details and we will get in touch with you in the coming days for meetups. I’m still dazed and overwhelmed by just being here (at medyo nahihilo pa ako) so I’m taking it one day step at a time.

Everyone: I’m constantly updating my Twitter Page http://twitter.com/ibyang – this is where I relate my vaycay adventures and discoveries. This is where I also share photos from time to time. If you have a twitter account and would like to join me in my journey, please follow me. If you don’t have a twitter account, you can just bookmark my twitter page.

Happy 1st day of April! Sending you happy vibes today!

Fun-filled and Productive Weekend

21 March 2011 Ibyang Sanchez 6 Comments Category: Charmed Life of a Mrs, Cherished Memories, Food, Photography, The Married Life

I think my weekend started on the Thursday last week. Thursday after work, the Husband and I went a little pasalubong shopping and then after dinner, I finished two batches of laundry. We had a full weekend ahead of us so I thought I’d start on a bit of weekend chores. On Friday night, I finished all laundry and got our home de-cluttered a bit.

Woke up early on Saturday and wrote my March article for “Ang Kalatas” then got ready and
attended my goddaughter Madie’s dedication day. It was our first time to witness a dedication ceremony and it was lovely. Being one of the godmothers, I had to read a “gift”. The gift handed to me was the gift of teaching.

After lunch, we went home, rested a bit, got ready and we were out again. This time, we attended the 50th birthday of one of my aunts. Lots of food and happy faces.

And there was lechon!

The Husband and I didn’t have photos during the party because we were asked to cover the event. Thank goodness for set up of a photobooth (by Photo Ops), we had a decent photo. (For Sydneysiders, if you need a photobooth service, let me know and I’ll give you the contact details of Photo Ops).

Sunday we drove up to Brighton Le-Sands to witness my goddaughter Sophia’s christening. It was a beautiful ceremony. The priest gave an insightful homily on the responsibilities of parents and godparents to the children of God.

This was our third buffet for the weekend but it was great that each buffet had their “main attractions”. Sunday’s lunch buffet’s attraction were the seafood and I loved the oysters best!

After all the festivities were over, we went back home to the reality of de-cluttering. After all the three weeks of sorting out stuff, it’s not yet over (at least for me). Sunday afternoon, I spent my time cleaning the fridge and pantry, looking at stuff that we need to get rid of, checking expiry dates and making sure that they are prioritized to be eaten.

It won’t be long now before our great vaycay. As of today, the food inside our freezer and fridge are enough for us this week. By next week, I’d only probably cook just two meals and if we get hungry, we’d probably buy take away.

We haven’t packed yet! No, I’m not panicking yet. I’ve got everything organized inside my head–on how I’ll go about packing. Husband and I are still pre-occupied with work and all the photos we took for the past two weeks. Don’t worry, we will make sure that we finish your photos (you know who you are) before we go on vaycay.

I hope your weekend was fun and great too!

Restaurant: Manly Phoenix

1 March 2011 Ibyang Sanchez 6 Comments Category: Charmed Life of a Mrs, Cherished Memories, Food, Photography

I’m sorry for the absence of posts. I’ve been really busy with so many things these days. I try my best to update this blog all the time but whenever I get home from work, I feel exhausted sometimes. Anyway, even if my entries are always late, I will always share my discoveries with you sooner or later. Thank you dear readers for your loyalty.

This was where we had lunch on my birthday (yes, an overdue post…my birthday happened in January).

For my birthday, I wanted something familiar so we had Yum Cha at the Manly Phoenix. Plus, we love Yum Cha!

We haven’t been to Manly in a long time and it’s only in this visit that we learned about the restaurants situated in Manly Wharf. When we arrived in the morning, we had a walk thru the wharf and the minute we saw Manly Phoenix, I said, “I want Yum Cha!!! Other than food, I’ve been wanting to eat at this restaurant for ages but never seem to have the chance. So finally, after hanging out at the beach and the markets, we went back to Manly Phoenix for lunch. We were given a good table and this was our view…

It was a hot and sunny day and the skies were so blue. It was as if God was smiling back at me on my birthday.

Our first order was tea. Eventhough it was hot, I cannot eat Yum Cha without tea. It is recommended to drink tea during Yum Cha as it aids in digestion.

As soon as were were seated, the rolling food trays paraded infront of us. The first thing we grabbed were the pork dimsum.

Next came the spring rolls.

Then the pork buns.

We always order fried rice (we’re Filipino a meal won’t be complete without rice) even if we have pork buns.

We partnered the fried rice with two of our favourite Yum Cha treats…Pork Belly with Crispy Skin and

of course my super favourite, Roast Duck.

It was one of the most delicious feast I’ve ever had. Manly Phoenix’s Yum Cha was the best I’ve ever tried. All the dishes were served fresh and of good quality. The Pork Dimsum were juicy. The Pork Buns were soft and meaty. The spring rolls and fried rice bountiful. The Pork Belly succulent and the skin was very crispy. The Roast Duck was the best I’ve tasted. It was tender and the skin crispy plus it wasn’t oily at all. The sauce enhanced the flavour of the duck. I thought I have tasted the best roast duck in another Chinese restaurant but this one changed everything I believed in what a roast duck should taste.

The best part was they let me blew my cake! The staff were very friendly and gracious with our requests.

Manly Phoenix
East Esplanade, Manly Wharf

Opening Times

Yum Cha

Mondays – Saturdays : 11am – 3pm

Sundays and Public Holidays : 10am – 3pm

A La Carte
7 days a week from morning till 11pm

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

Welcome 2011!

3 January 2011 Ibyang Sanchez 11 Comments Category: Charmed Life of a Mrs, Cherished Memories, Food, Recipes

While I almost didn’t prepare anything for our Christmas Noche Buena, I was very much prepared for the New Year Media Noche. Celebrating New Year is more of a big deal for me because I love beginnings, I love starting anew.

Our table spread on New Year’s eve consisted mostly of fruits, a noodle dish, leche flan (for dessert), champagne to toast to the new year and my main, Baked Ham.

It has been my dream to bake my own ham so I decided last year that I will try my best to make one for the new year. Thank God I found half of a leg ham in the supermarket a week before Christmas. It’s so hard to find a small whole leg ham here (everything is so big!) so our best option was to get a half leg.

I started preparing the ham on the 30th December. Boiled the ham in pineapple juice, beer and brown sugar for an hour (no precise measurements, just “to taste”). Then sliced off the skin, scored the ham and pushed whole cloves unto the ham. The cloves add flavor to the ham and at the same time serves as decoration. Covered in foil, I stored the ham inside the fridge overnight.

Three hours before midnight of 31st December, I baked the ham (180-200 degrees) for an hour while brushing sauce from boiled ham unto the surface of the ham every 20 minutes. On the last quarter of the hour, I placed two pineapple slices on top of the ham.

It was a good first try and the Husband approved!