Snippets of an Aussie Christmas

Even though I miss  being with our family and friends in the Philippines during this time of the year, I love spending Christmas in Australia more.  Since I moved here, I intentionally don't go home for the Christmas festivities as I don't want to spend my holiday in the Philippines stuck in horrible traffic.  In 2007, I went home on the 26th of December because somehow the Christmas shopping and parties had settled down a bit.  Maybe someday, when I've mustered enough patience to wait in hours and hours of traffic, I would go home again on Christmas.  But for now, I'll come home on a different time and make my family and friends feel like Christmas anytime of the year with my presence.

I love how simple and laid-back the celebrations are in  here.  Christmas in Australia is not as commercialized compared to countries in the west.  The city and malls are not big on decors and lights but more on events that will entertain people.

I love that the Christmas rush and traffic here are not as terrible compared to other countries.  Even if malls only  extend their business hours on the last week before Christmas, traffic in and out of the malls still prove to be a bit of a breeze.


I love that Christmas celebrations here are spent in the comforts of our home or in parks and beaches, instead of the malls.  Shops are all closed on Christmas Day and some open on Boxing Day (26th December).  Shopping in all states resume on 27th December.

I love the simple way of gift giving--at work, most gifts were chocolates and pastries baked by my workmates themselves.    

I love that we get to spend the whole week from Christmas to New Year on a holiday.  We get to balance our time for family, relatives and other things we'd like to do during the Christmas Holidays because the Husband and I always have the week off.

Some very personal snapshots of our celebration with relatives:

 

Hope you all had a lovely time spent with family and friends during this time of the year!

Season's Greetings from AWCL!

Dear Family and Friends of AWCL,

Thank you for the love and support you have given me and my blog.  Thank you for inspiring me to write what I share.  Thank you for the generosity of giving tips and leads.  Thank you for the precious time you spend in my little home in the blogosphere.  

From my family to yours....a very happy Christmas!!!

Ibyang

P.S.  A special "Thank you" to my dear Husband, Chris, who plays an integral part in making it possible for me to maintain this site.  Other than being the genius of the technical backbone of the site, he is mainly the reason why I am able to write no matter how busy I am.  When my world seems all very hectic, he generously becomes the "charmed house husband" taking care of chores at home so I can concentrate on writing for AWCL.

Fuji Pan Japanese Bakery

This year's Best Bread Discovery goes to....(drumroll) Fuji Pan Japanese Bakery!  This is just according to me and the Husband. 

Walking around the streets of Chinatown, we chanced up this small Japanese Bakery called Fuji Pan.  "Pan" in Japanese means "bread" and Fuji Pan's bread and pastries are so much delicious than other Asian bakeries in the metro.  Whenever we are nearby, we make sure to bring home some goodies from this bakery.  

Our favourite from their breads are the Nicky Lawson (Pork Floss Bun) and the Sausage and Cheese Bun.  We usually have them for breakfast on Sunday mornings.  

Nicky Lawson (Pork Floss Bun)

Sausage and Cheese Bun 

Snow White Chocolate

We've also tried the Snow White Chocolate which is bread with white chocolate fillings.  The fillings has a very mild sweetness which I like.

Fuji Pan Japanese Bakery

605 George Street

Sydney NSW 2000

Phone: 02 9283 2268

Wanderlust Wednesdays: Snapshots from Surfer's Paradise

*Sigh*...how time flies.

I can't believe it's only been a week since we've gone to the Gold Coast.  When we arrived back in Sydney a week ago, we dove back into our normal lives right away.  Our short but well-spent vacation before Christmas was an eye opener to me.  Seeing the life in Gold Coast for just a few days made me appreciate the more laid-back and simple life (if Sydney is laid-back, more so the Gold Coast).  I will share my thoughts on this on another time, in a different entry.

Surfer's Paradise (Gold Coast, Australia) is one of the most iconic beaches in the world - as recognised by both the Discovery Channel and Lonely Planet. Three kilometers of golden beach on the doorstep of the Pacific Ocean, it is the perfect place to chill out & soak up some rays, go for a swim, catch a wave, stroll or jog, or just kick back & people watch. 

I haven't downloaded our Gold Coast trip photos from our cameras to the computer but I have a few snapshots of the morning we spent lazing under the sun at Surfer's Paradise.


There was dessert cafe called Wendy's near the beach so I grabbed a Raspberry Smoothie to hydrate us and cool us down as we stay out in the sun.

Photo with Santa at Cavill Avenue...the beach not too far away from where this was taken.

The Husband and beautiful sky

Looking out the water

Then went back and lied down to relax instead

The weather was gorgeous (thank God!) as we stayed out in the sun for more than two hours.  After we hung out at the beach, we found a Korean BBQ restaurant nearby where we had lunch.  

More of our Gold Coast adventures in the coming weeks.

Hope your Wednesday was fun!

All photos taken by the Panasonic Lumix GF1.

Cake Pops by Jack Pops

LOOK!  One of the yummiest desserts sent to "A Wife's Charmed Life" this year from Jack Pops...

A loving wife and mom to two boys, Jackie's (my friend and owner of Jack Pops) love for baking led her to creating sweet goodies in the form of cake pops. 

These are basically cake truffles on a lollipop stick. Each Cake Pop is carefully hand made into a ball shape, put on a stick then dipped in delicious chocolate coating. Jack Pops gives you that extra “wow” as Jackie decorates them with colourful sprinkles, jimmies, or drizzled icings or monograms. Should Jackie's clients request for a personalized Cake Pop design to cater to an occasion, she is also able to do so.

Jack Pops are always a hit at parties as kids and kids-at-heart enjoy the creative and delectable cake pops that Jackie makes.

For the Husband's birthday this year, I requested Jackie a special cake pop for him.  Since my Husband is a photographer, she made a Canon Cake Pop for him.

Get to know more about Jack Pops by subscribing to their facebook accounts: 

JACK POPS SYDNEY and JACK POPS MANILA

For orders, please email Jack Pops (Sydney) via cakepops5@gmail.com or Jack Pops (Manila) via jackpops.manila@gmail.com