Ibyang
Ibyang

The Married Life

7th Year: Seven Things We Are Grateful For Today

Seven years ago, we said “Yes!” to a lifetime adventure called Marriage. 

Seven things we are grateful for today:

Our faith in God and the values that we share.

How much we adore each other. That after all these years we have remained in love and still find each other’s ways cute and adorable. That we are still cheesy and make an effort to surprise each other. 

That we are the best of friends. There’s magic in being the best of friends with your partner. We just have so much fun! Also, there’s so much respect that goes into a relationship when you treat each other as friends. 

That we have family and friends that support and love us. Our life together has been blessed by wonderful people around us. 

We are blessed in lots of ways, everyday and always. Married life isn’t always rosy but at the end of each day, there will always be something/s to be grateful for.

We share our passion for the things we love: travel, photography, food, books and writing.

Our hopeful dreams and positive outlook for the future. Brought about by a few challenges through the years, time has taught us to be resilient together. As a team, we learn our lessons and move forward together.

-o0o0o-

Seven years…what a great milestone. Thank you dear Husband for seven wonderful years. 🙂

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The Rubber Duck Is Back For The Sydney Festival 2014

The giant and oh-so-adorable Rubber Duck is back in Australia for the Sydney Festival 2014. It’s currently situated at Parramatta River in Parramatta Park between Pavilion Flat and Government Farm. It will be there until 10th-19th January. Click this link for details.
Created by Netherlands artist, Florentine Hofman, the giant rubber duck’s purpose is to relieve everyday tensions, as well as define them. The rubber duck is there to create a new perspective in a public place and simply amaze people.
We saw the Rubber Duck last year and yet it still charmed us when we saw it today. We knew it will be back in Australia but didn’t know where. I thought it will visit a different city this year. The Hubby and I braved the heat of the Sun and went out even if we planned to stay home. It turned out to be a fun adventure.
I’m so happy to see Duckie (I made him a nickname). January’s my birthmonth and I thought this morning, “He’s here for my birthday!” Haha. Of course that’s not true but nevertheless, it’s an amusing thought.  
If you have a chance, see the Rubber Duck and be charmed by it!
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December 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.

We had a sad start to December as we said goodbye to family living in America and the Philippines. There is that sudden silence when family reunions end. And the only way for things to go back to normal is to go back to the usual daily grind. The Husband and I went straight back to work and eased in slowly to our normal. December is always a festive time and it helped a lot in easing sadness we felt at the start of the month. Work has winded down but it is temporary. The last week of December, we focused on relaxing and getting ready for the new year. 

There’s more to my December than just Christmas celebrations and I’ve got my Ibyangrams to speak for it…

Goodbyes, even if temporary, are always painful especially when family is involved.

 New frozen yogurt place at Townhall Station. Their Taro Yogurt was delicious.

 Dried GREEN Mangoes. My newfound love.

 Happy find: HOP’s chocolate-covered Polvoron.

Hubby tried out the Sony lens for smartphones. No plans of buying it…yet.

New grand cru of Nespresso called “Cioccorosso”. A marriage of dark chocolate and fruit notes, sweet and refreshing. Pefect for Summer weather.

Jackie Ohh by Ray-Ban, a 1950s-inspired pair of sunnies. I find its cat-like tips very retro. I wrote about it here. 

Off to work in a pair of shorts. This was when we expected heatwave temps of 39-41 degrees.

Gifted myself with a little Bodum French Press so I can savour good coffee when at work. Thanks to my dear friend Xingkit for sending me a bag of UCC Blue Mountain Coffee. I love it!

My work area has a Christmas corner! Grateful for mates who visit me, have a bit of chitchat and a chance to say our Christmas greetings. 

My Lomo Fisheye Photos arrived two weeks after I sent it for developing. The romance of film photography is love.

 Snacking on Banana-Q, Krispy Kreme doughnuts, iced coffee and Caramel Sundae.

 My Lumix GF1 has a new baby sister…the Lumix GM1. 

Already loving what I’ve discovered about the Lumix GM1 with 12-32mm lens (in the first hour that I’ve played with it): it weighs 274 grams, height is shorter than an iPhone 5s (it’s sooo small & light), functions can be activated via touchscreen, has built-in Wi-Fi so photos can be sent to your phone, ISO goes up to 25,600 if in manual setting and the sensor has an auto shutter to protect from dust. 

Coco Cubano now open in Blacktown! Located at the 4th Level of Wespoint. Come here for great coffee and meals.

Oh what a gift it is to have good coffee with a great view of blue skies and sunshine.

Tiny chocolates on the side of our coffee makes our drinking experience a little more special.

My pretty goddaughter Madison. We bought her a cup of Babyccino so she can enjoy “having coffee” with us. She was very happy as she drank her pretend coffee drink.

Hello Kitty finds: ID Lanyard, pillbox and insole cushions.

They reminded me of Geishas in Japan so I bought these cards at a nearby shop. Such a cute find.

Gift from my Tita Cyn who knows that I love LeSportsac bags and floral patterns. She said this bag is “So you!” because the floral pattern looked like Cherry Blossoms.

Something fun for dinner: Chicken Sisig. Made a not-so fatty version by mincing chicken breast instead of pork.

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Christmas 2013 Celebrations

The start of December meant the start of Christmas celebrations. While we’re still busy finishing tasks at work, our free time were spent preparing for meeting up with loved ones. Our Christmas was a balance of simple merriment and quiet moments, making this year our most relaxed Christmas. 

I realized that having a relaxed Christmas is all in the attitude. Instead of thinking how Christmas is always a busy time, the Husband and I just went with the flow and didn’t care about crowds in the malls or panicked that we haven’t completed gifts for loved ones. We just did what we could with the free time we had after work. On Christmas week, we’re happily eating out and leisurely hung out at the shops in the midst of shoppers. It also helped that get-togethers with loved ones were organised in advanced. 

Below are a few snippets of how we spent Christmas:

Our annual get-together with Kolokoys (the name of our group) was an afternoon of catching up and playing games. We alloted one Saturday so we can have enough time spent with each other.
Our Sydney Tweethearts get-together was a breakfast party in the city. 
Drinks after work with my team was a good breather for all of us. It was also a celebration for the great year we had at work. 
Christmas date with Hubby in the city. We walked inside Strand Arcade and I had a photo of my favourite Christmas Tree in the city. Before we went home, the Husband indulged me with a cup of Toffee Nut Latte. 

Last day of work was on the 24th. We had a festive breakfast at work as the boss grilled some bacon, eggs and sausages.  It was a chance for the whole office to sit down and enjoy a meal for one last time before 2013 ends. After work, I met up with Hubby for late lunch.

We spent Christmas morning at church and then had a lovely lunch with family. It was an opportunity not just to spend time with family living here in Sydney but we took time out to video call family living in the Philippines and America. Technology these days are such wonderful help in getting connected to loved ones around the world. We had lots of yummy food that left us full and satisfied but made room for the grand finale, a Chocolate Hazelnut Gelato Cake. 

Boxing Day, the 26th is when some parts of Australia come alive with malls opening and offering big discounts on their merchandise. A lot of people troop down to malls and shop to their hearts content. The Husband and I took a quiet route of watching a movie instead of go to the shops. We enjoyed the second Hobbit movie. 
Last Sunday of 2013 was Yum Cha lunch with friends. A solid 4-hour of eating good food and catching up. A great way to end our Christmas week.


This Christmas, the Husband and I decided not to give gifts to each other. We wanted to focus on spending time with loved ones and true meaning of Christmas, which is the birth of Jesus. 
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