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Tuesday, September 30, 2014

The Husband's Birthday Celebration

The Husband turned 35 two weeks ago and I made sure he's had a fun September. He's not fond of making a fuss about his birthday but I made a bit of effort in making his month festive by doing little things here and there. I like seeing his face lit up whenever I surprise him with the things he love and enjoy.
Chris' 35th


Picnic at the park with our closest friends. Hosted a picnic party for our group of friends to celebrate September birthdays and milestones. There's nothing more fun than being surrounded by loved ones. Thankful to our friends for making this get-together a success. 
Staycation in Sydney. Travel is always something we both enjoy. Our Japan adventure in February was his advanced birthday gift (he wanted to experience Japan's winter season, hence, we needed to travel earlier this year).  On the week of his birthday, we took three days off work and explored a few places in Sydney. It was also our way to relax before we face the last few months of the year. 
On the way to the city, we stopped by Newtown and had brunch at Brewtown Newtown because C wanted to have his Brewnut (croissant donut)
Chocolate Crumble Brewnut
We attended mass after our brunch and walked towards Westfiield and looked around the shops. Once we got tired and hungry, we had our fill of ramen at Ippudo. Eating noodles is part of birthday traditions in our family because it signifies long life so ramen it was for late lunch.
After lunch, we checked-in at Amora Jamison Hotel, our home for two nights. We had a bit of a nap before dinner at Yayoi Japanese Teishoku Restaurant. It was a delightful experience. Hubby and I both had flavourful Wagyu beef dishes (his came in a burger and mine came in beef strips) and delicious dessert (Matcha Ice Cream and Sweet Red Bean Soup with little Mochi Cakes).
Back at the hotel, I presented Hubby his birthday cake for that night, a Baumkuchen Cake by Royce. This was quite different from the usual Baumkuchens because the edge was covered in Royce chocolate.
For our second day in city, we went to The Grounds of Alexandria in the morning. It was a pretty place with gardens, shops that sell food and plants and restaurants where you can have good food and coffee. In the afternoon, we explored Paddington where we looked at shops, took photographs of buildings and had coffee at book shop & cafe called "Ampersand". From Paddington, we walked towards the main city area (we did lots of walking and we loved it). Our last activity that night was a massage at I Am Siam, a Thai massage place in Regent Place
Our last day in the city was spent sleeping in, having a late breakfast of Mexican food, hanging out at the Apple store to see the newly-launched iPhones and having great coffee at Gumption Cafe.
A few more things that I did to make the Husband feel special: getting him a little Chocolate Mud Cake, cooking Japchae for the first time (I pulled it off and enjoyed making it so I shall now cook it often) and buying a little pressie that came in a white box *wink wink*. 
Japchae
And lastly, I presented him with one last Baumkuchen Cake, also from Japan but it's a different brand (was written in Japanese so I don't know the name). I served it with Maple syrup and coffee on Sunday. 
The Husband's birthday will not be as happy without our family and friends celebrating with us. So to all who remembered and gave thoughtful gifts, thank you very much! You made Chris very happy on his day.