Cherished Memories

We had a fun day last Saturday with friends as we had karaoke lunch at Mizuya (yup, third time in just three weeks!). We booked a private room for two hours but we enjoyed the food and singing too much that we extended for another hour. Time is never enough when you’re having fun and catching up with good friends.

A few highlights:

The karaoke lunch was organized by one of our friends in honour of  those who celebrated their birthday in January and February. We especially cheered for two of our friends who celebrated their 35th and 40th this month.

We had the yummiest red velvet Darth Vader and Storm Trooper cupcakes during the event. 

We had to play and sing “Oppa Gangnam Style” twice for the kids.  I swear, there’s something about that song that makes the kids get on their feet and dance. And they can get enough of it! Nakakaloka!  After playing it the second time, they even requested “Do it again” and the adults all went, “Nooooo”. Haha. 

My BFF and I have this song that we always sing whenever we go karaoke. I consider this song one of “our” songs. Now that we’re at a different phase of our lives, we shared our song to her daughter/my goddaughter. It was an “awwww moment” when I saw a photo of us three. How time flies.  Never did we imagine we’d be singing our song with a little one in tow. 

Karaoke lunches are super fun! Our group enjoyed Mizuya‘s affordable lunch meals and we’re able to sing and be loud in the privacy of a room. I’m so glad we tried doing something like this.

After our party with friends, the Husband and I went to Chinatown to do a few souvenir shopping.

While we were at Chinatown, Tony Abbott (leader of Opposition) arrived to celebrate Chinese New Year. 

Our Saturday day-out ended late in the afternoon. A great day spent with good friends and the Hubby.

A day before we celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary, we were at the Sydney Opera House watching Liz Gilbert’s talk (I will write about it soon) . The Husband was a bit uncomfortable when we arrived at the concert hall because the attendees were mostly female but nevertheless he enjoyed it. At the end of the talk, Liz Gilbert came out to sign book and have a photograph with us. I have always been shy to ask for a photograph with a famous person but the Husband encouraged me to have a photo with Liz because he knew that it meant a lot to me. So I did get my photo with Liz and I glowed all the more with happiness.

If there is one thing I will tell you when it comes to finding your life partner is this: I hope you find someone who will do anything to make you glow with happiness. I hope you find someone who’ll willingly take a step back in order for you to shine. I hope you find someone who will see what you’re capable of and encourage you to grow. I have always said that love should always bring out the best in you. I’ve known my Husband for a total of 11 years now and what I said then about love is still true to me. When you’re loving each other the right way, you become the best person you are. 

After six years of being married, a few things have changed between the two of us, with how we view life and how we live life. But a lot of things remain unchanged: our values, our faith, the way we protect our little family, our friendship, the special people who make our married life more beautiful, the circumstances that makes us love each other more. If there are any changes in our lives, it is always a good change (if not better). We are grateful, always grateful. 
-o0o0o0o-
We had a quiet anniversary celebration in Sydney this year. Liz Gilbert’s talk is not really a “romantic” kind of date but since we’re out on the eve of our 6th anniversary, we made it special but having afternoon tea at Guylian Cafe. The Husband had coffee and I had a cup of hot chocolate.
Our 6th Anniversary Celebration
Our 6th Anniversary Celebration
We had their Salted Caramel Macarons which wasn’t as good as other macarons.

Our 6th Anniversary Celebration
And shared a cake called Caramelt which was soooo good. It’s Hazelnut Mousse with caramel ganache and chocolate cacao sponge coating with caramelised Toffee. 

Our 6th Anniversary Celebration
After the talk, we had dinner at Searock Grill
Our 6th Anniversary Celebration
A refreshing glass of Mojito for me.
Our 6th Anniversary Celebration

The Husband had Steak Frites which consisted of juicy rump steak topped with Cafe de Paris butter and sidings of salad and pomme frites.

Our 6th Anniversary Celebration
On the other hand, I enjoyed a plate of Crispy Pork Belly drizzled in caramelised black vinegar. It came with green papaya salad and fried shallots.
Our 6th Anniversary Celebration
We loved our dinner even if we weren’t really prepared to eat out that night. The plan was to just to have a quiet dinner at home. But we changed our minds the last minute because of the party vibe in Circular Quay. The quiet and cozy ambience of Searock Grill lured us into their restaurant and we were lucky that they served good food.

The following day, the 20th January, our anniversary, was spent in church and then Yum Cha lunch right after. Another fortunate accident was being seated near the TV which played the Australian Open. We enjoyed the food and the game while talking.
After our hearty lunch, it was business as usual since it was a Sunday. We went around the shops for a bit and did grocery shopping.

Our non-fussed anniversary celebration–fun and relaxed, the way we want it to be.
I was supposed to blog during the Christmas week but I couldn’t be bothered. The Husband and I went out with family and friends and spent some lazy days in between so I decided to just take the whole week off blogging. I will be sharing our Christmas week holiday in the coming days but in the meantime, here’s how we said hello to 2013.
Thank You 2012, Hello 2013!

This is probably our most non-fussed NYE preparations. I usually have a lot of things up my sleeve during NY celebrations because the event calls for an abundant table. It is Filipino tradition to have a lot of food on the table such as fruits (should be at least 12 different ones to signify each month of the year), something sweet and sticky, something noodly (for long life) and some meat (Lechon or Ham). For this year, we went on the minimal side of things. I’m so relaxed from our Christmas week holiday that I wanted to continue being one til New Year.

I baked Turkey Ham. Compared to my former baked hams, this was the smallest but definitely the fastest one to bake. Saved us time and electricity.

Thank You 2012, Hello 2013!
The plan was to cook Spaghetti but my Mom told me that since 2013 is the year of the Water Snake, she was told that a dish with soup is more auspicious. So I cooked Beef Pho instead as it had noodles and soup at the same time.
Thank You 2012, Hello 2013!

For something sticky, we bought Leche Flan instead of cooking Biko (which I did last year).

Thank You 2012, Hello 2013!
For something sweet, a round Japanese Cheesecake with fruit toppings.
Thank You 2012, Hello 2013!

And of course, the fruits!  We’ve got 15 different fruits that completed our simple but abundant table.

Thank You 2012, Hello 2013!
Thank You 2012, Hello 2013!
My Mom also sent us some Prosperity Candles that we lit at 11:30pm. 

_MG_8Thank You 2012, Hello 2013!
At the stroke of midnight, we watched the Sydney fireworks on TV and then said a prayer before we ate Media Noche.

Thank You 2012, Hello 2013!
The traditions we have at home is not so much about superstitious beliefs. We do it for fun and it is always cheerful to welcome the new year with table laden with good food.


Happy new year to all of you! I hope we all have a great and abundant year ahead. Always be blessed! Live, savour and be grateful.

Our Christmas week holiday was as balanced as I hoped it would be as we had time for ourselves, family and friends. We are so grateful the Husband’s office shutdown coincided with mine. Our last day of work was on the 21st December so we welcomed the holiday by partying with friends the following day and watching “Les Miserables” on Sunday.

Dates with the Hubby. If we’re not hanging out with people, the Husband and I spent time at home, catching up on sleep, movies and episodes of American TV series. This is the most relaxed of all our Christmas holidays as we didn’t do any major de-clutterings at home (just a few mini de-cluttering of this and that). We went to the nearby mall and had gelatos as we window shopped and do grocery. 
We were able to watch “Les Miserables”, a movie I’ve been waiting to watch. I love it! I have got to say that this I was in awe of the direction of this movie. I admire director Tom Hooper for turning a musical into a wonderful film. Hugh Jackman, Ann Hathaway and Sacha Baron gave stellar performances.

Christmas Party with Relatives. Our family get-together on Christmas Eve was doubly special because we celebrated the 50th birthday of my Auntie Bess. It was a busy but fun day surrounded by family. We left the party feeling very blessed from all the love of our relatives.

Christmas Day was rainy and gloomy. To us who were partied out, it was the perfect weather to stay at home and catch up on sleep. With less than three hours of sleep, we woke up early on Christmas morning to attend mass. 
Our Christmas morning breakfast which consisted of Baked Ham, Egg and Rice, Puto Bumbong, Kutsinta and Ripe Mangoes. So delicious! 
Spent Christmas Day and Boxing Day at home but on the 27th December, we went out to do some shopping. After dinner, we went to see “The Hobbit” with our relatives. We all loved the film! It was three-hour long but we didn’t notice and all of us are now looking forward to the next one.
Koreatown with Family. Shared our love for Korean food with relatives over the weekend. We met up at Strathfield, had BBQ lunch at Won Jo, coffee at My Sweet Memory, shopped at Morning Glory and even had our photos taken via their funky photobooth and had yogurt dessert at Yogurberry. We had so much fun!!! Can’t wait to do something like this again.
Now this ends my Christmas 2012 series. It’s been a love-filled Christmas. The Husband and I are grateful for everyone who’s been a part of it.

May all our hopes and wishes be granted
May this season fill our hearts with love and cheer
May we remember the true meaning of Christmas
Not just today but everyday.

From our home to yours…

Happy Christmas!
Thank you to everyone who thought of us during this special season. Please know that we are thinking good thoughts of you too and wishing you a blessed Christmas. Sending you lots of warmth and love from down under. – Chris and Ibyang

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