Ibyang
Ibyang

The Married Life

June 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.

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.

Winter officially started in June. The weather has become colder by the day. Although we have a lot of “sunshin-y” days, it can never be too warm as the sun has moved away from this part of the continent. The days are shorter, the nights longer and darker. This season calls us to hibernate, slow down, hug our loved ones closer and find comfort in the things that make us happy. 

While I would love to just sleep Winter away, life has never been busier. My June has been a mixture of staying at home, doing some photography, helping the Husband with his projects and spending time with loved ones. I miss blogging…writing and doing photography for the blog. I wish I could easily find time to sit down and blog as regularly as before but it’s just not possible at the moment. The Husband and I are working on a new site we bought (ibyang.com) which will hopefully be up and running soon. I’ll keep you posted! In the meantime, I hope you’ll enjoy my compilation of June’s Ibyangram.

The first day of Winter was cold and gray. Perfect for having a cup of tea.

Amused at the huge-ness of this Upo (long melon/bottle gourd). Oh the possibility of so many dishes I can make from this! Grateful to my friend, Rache, for sharing the harvests from your neighbor’s garden.

The first Monday of June was a public holiday so we had lunch at home. Baked meatballs, stir-fried Long Melon some Banchan dishes: cabbage and radish kimchi.

I’m so cold that I just had to wear my ski socks on a Saturday morning.

I bribed the Husband with sweet watermelon & tea so he can watch The Legal Wife’s finale with me haha. The Legal Wife is a Filipino tv series which I watched for a few weeks. 

My photograph entitled “Walking Under A Thousand Torii Gates” is now housed in a 42cm x 52cm frame. This photo was captured while the Husband was walking under the torii gates of Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto, Japan. 

I seem to eat more ice cream in Winter. For tonight, Salted Caramel ice cream with wafer biscuits that tastes like Otap

A simple pleasure from America. My first Kate Spade bag.

The green stuff I bought all for $5.25! Some afternoons, I dropped by the Asian supermarket and find veggies which are on sale.

Winter Solstice. Shortest day of the year in Australia. It was a beautiful day so I hung outside our balcony and sunbathe for the a few minutes.

Sunrise hues of pink, orange and blue. The view from a moving train. 

My morning fuel. Whole grain flakes and various seeds & nuts topped with Avocado.

Pandesal, Ensaymada & Spanish Bread. Filipino breads for brekkie.

A pair of Winter slippers for a Socceroos fan. My twitter timeline were mostly about the World Cup especially in the morning. I’m not a soccer fan but I enjoyed reading news and hoorays of soccer fans around the world. 

From my parents with love. Finding comfort from chocolate-coated dried mangoes in this cold and windy day.

-o0o0o-
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June’s Long Weekend

The start of winter, the start of June, always gives us a long weekend due to the celebration of the Queen’s Birthday. I find it fortunate that we get a few days off to get our bodies adjust to the cold weather. My biggest challenge during Winter is getting out of bed in the mornings. Long weekends mean more mornings to sleep in. 

The Queen’s Birthday falls on the first Monday of June. The Husband and I decided to make the long weekend longer by taking Friday off too.  So we had four days of break and it was a good decision because we really missed being on holidays. 

I started the long weekend by having coffee with a mate from work. I seldom hang out with workmates and it’s refreshing to mingle with them once in a while.
Friday was spent having brunch and shopping in IKEA with girlfriends. We took our time and leisurely hung out in IKEA’s food court and picked up a few things we fancied in the kitchen and home section. It was so fun shopping with the girls. 

Friday evening was spent at our relatives’ place. My aunt hosted a party for her friends and we got invited. The Husband and I helped in making Taho (sweet tofu with caramel and pearls). We stayed until after midnight, chatting with my grandma, aunt and cousins.

Saturday was spent at home. Facetimed with my Mom while I had my coffee. Ate and slept the whole day. 

Woke up early on Sunday for mass and afterwards, Hubby took me to Coco Cubano for breakfast. It’s a luxury for us to have time to go out on Sundays and spend an hour or two at a cafe. It mostly happens only when we have long weekends.

The Husband enjoyed his favourite Havana Feast which consisted of bacon, eggs and chorizo on a bed of sourdough toast.

While I had their Vegan Pancakes with Berry Compote and Maple Syrup. So delicious. 

We slept in on Monday and savoured our time at home. It wasn’t a complete day of rest as we prepared for the workweek and did our usual house chores. The extra day at home gave me the chance to de-clutter a part of our closet. I was able to sort out and organise our undershirts, socks, tights and leg warmers for Winter. 

We returned to work on Tuesday morning. And although, the weather was rainy and gloomy, we didn’t complain. Instead, we’re just grateful for the four day break we had.

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May 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.

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.

After a subtle April, the last month of Autumn was festive and filled with sweet memories with loved ones. According to news, we’ve had a warm Autumn to the point of tagging the weather as an “Autumn Heatwave”. A first time for me to experience such weather in Sydney. The nice thing about it was it matched the kind of month I had. The month of May brought warmth to my heart and I think it’s a good way to end Autumn season.

Here are a few highlights of my merry month of May:

Last month of Autumn. Days are getting shorter. To watch the sunset, there is a need to be home early.

Buddha’s Tears: Green Tea With Jasmine. Served in a flask. Having my “Me” time in a tea shop called T2. I love their teas. A must try when in Sydney.

What tea time looked like with my family when we celebrated Mother’s Day.

Sweet treats from my sweetheart. A token of gratitude because I helped him with a recently concluded project.

Toblerone Crunchy Almonds. Something we picked up at the departure area of Sydney International Airport. I think it’s meant for departing passengers only as I never see these in the arrival area of the airport or in aussie supermarkets.

Leisure reading and a cup of strong flat white at Kinokuniya. Friday “Me” time.

It’s been awhile since I’ve cooked anything Korean. So instead of our usual Thursday dinner date in Koreatown, I went home early and cooked Beef Bulgogi. Jal meokkesseumnida!

Vivid Sydney 2014 started on the last week of May! It found the event quite crowded even on a weeknight. We went out to see thrice and took a few photos. I hope to share them soon.

His and Hers Taho. At our Sunday lunch party with relatives, one of my aunties taught us how to cook Taho (sweet tofu).
Friday Tea Time With Girlfriends. Spent an afternoon catching up with dear friends while savouring delicious cakes, coffee and tea at Cheeky Chocolate Cafe.

Rainy Saturday. The gloomy weather outside provides the perfect backdrop for my nap. Darkness is a gift when one needs sleep. 

Cadbury x Pascall collaboration = so good!
Japanese dinner at home! Okonomiyaki and sushi rice with seaweed. Itadakimasu! 
Goodbye Autumn, hello Winter!

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Chasing Sunsets And Dreams

Be with someone who will chase sunsets with you.
– my Ibyangism on sunsets and things that matter to you

I love sunsets. I love them for their beauty and its spectacular colours. It’s part of my everyday to look up and appreciate the sunset wherever I am. I have chased sunsets in every travel we’ve been. I even plan a part of our travel just to see sunsets in a certain place. I’m so glad the Husband always indulges me with my sunset quests. He plans our sunset chases with me and takes as many beautiful photos to amuse me. 

A few weeks ago, the Husband and I went sunset driving. We were driving on the highway, listening to our favourite songs and outside my window, the sunset was amazing.
Be with someone who’ll chase sunsets with you. Be with someone who’ll chase your dreams and passions with you. Be with someone who’ll support and share the things you love to do. If it’s important to you, it will also be important to one who holds you dear.

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Easter 2014

Over the years, we’ve somehow made a few family traditions during Holy Week and Easter celebrations.  It all starts with Palm Sunday mass which we attend on Sunday morning. This year, our parish priest, Father Peter’s message was, “As we begin the celebration of Holy Week and place a small palm across our homes, let us be aware of the need to weave the cross through our experiences”.
Good Friday was devoted to attending the Stations of the Cross. After that, we got together with relatives and had lunch together. Once lunch was over, we went back home and spent the rest of Friday and Saturday at home. The time spent at home was a chance at rest, reflection and some quiet time. 
On Easter Sunday, we left home early to hear the Sunday mass at St. Peter Julian’s Church. It was our first time to celebrate Easter in the city. To celebrate, we had breakfast at Guylian Belgian Chocolate Cafe. 

For lunch, we met up with our friends at Chinta Ria where we had a sumptous Malaysian lunch. We spent a few hours sharing good food and great company.

In the evening, we met up with relatives once again and had dinner together. Easter Sunday was a long day for us but we enjoyed it with people we love. 

Easter Monday is still a public holiday in Australia. We stayed at home just resting and getting ready for the work week ahead. Easter won’t be complete without Hot Cross Buns so we had a bun each for afternoon tea. We got our hot cross buns from Adriano Zumbo this time and it was very thoughtful that they included a small block of Lurpak butter with our purchase. Zumbo’s hot cross buns had a lot of raisins and apricot bits but quite heavy on cinnamon flavour.

It was an amazing four-day Easter break.  One of the best we’ve had. A time for God, family, friends and myself. All I have is gratefulness in my heart.

Hope you had a great Easter break too!

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