Coffee Date at Coco Cubano

It's been a long time since I've caught up with one of my dear friends and thankfully Meds and I found time to sit down and have a meal a few weeks after I came back from Japan. 

We both love drinking coffee and so I invited her to visit my area so we can have good coffee at Coco Cubano.

We met up in the middle of the afternoon and I haven't had my lunch so we ordered food as well. I got the Classic Burger made up of Wagyu Beef sandwiched in between cheese, tomatoes and lettuce. It's huge and very filling. I enjoyed eating this juicy burger with Coco Cubano's chunky chips. 

Meds, on the other hand, got Garlic Pizza. We both love this simple pizza. Very cheesy just the way we like it.

After our coffee date, Meds shared a photo of her artwork on IG. I love it! She made an art diary of our coffee date. She's amazing! She's captured our meal, coffee and even our Japan photobooks which I shared with her, all thru an artwork.

It was a great catch-up that lasted til dinner time. Meds and I are the kind of friends where we could talk for hours and still have something to talk about. It's the kind of friendship I'm grateful for.

Coco Cubano
Level 4, Westpoint Blacktown
Phone: 02 9676 4444

April In 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.

April felt like lightning...it went too quickly in a good way. Each day was filled with productive tasks, spending time with loved ones and a chance to reflect and better myself.

The Anzac Bridge on a backdrop of blue. 

Autumn.

Real cherry blossom flowers in my tea pot. Something I picked up when I was in Japan. The subtle floral flavour of cherry blossom flowers makes me feel like Spring time.

A cup of Kibunye Burundi. Floral aroma, fruity taste, sweet and clean finish.

Getting cooler by the day. Time to bring out my Hello Kitty socks to keep my feet warm during sleep time.

Dough Collective, my newfound bakery in the city. Their bread tastes good based on the samples they have out for the customers to try. Bought the Ham & Cheese Toast, Chocolate Baguette & Cheese & Garlic Baguette. 

Yukgaejang (Spicy Beef Stew). Dinner on a cool night.

Cloudy with a little wind. Refreshing to have a bit of walk at the park on a Saturday morning.

Saturday lunch date with Grandma. 

Alone for lunch so I decided to have some Sushi. From the sushi train: Fresh Salmon, Scallops and Chicken Karaage.

Attended training today. Learned about the Myers-Briggs personality test and learned a few things about myself in the process.

I attended a session on MINDFULNESS. It was an enlightening experience! I now have a deeper understanding of its concept and how I can be more present in the moment. I also learned how to go thru mindful meditation while at a standstill and while doing an activity. So grateful for this gift of knowledge.

Hubby gifted me with a new trolley bag and it arrived at the office so I took it home with me on Maundy Thursday.

This Hello Kitty foldable eyelash curler is such a useful find. It's lightweight and doesn't take too much space in my little beauty purse.

Captain America. Enjoyed the movie.

It's almost the middle of May and lately I've been pre-occupied with a few commitments. Time passes by so quickly when I'm busy and enjoying. I wish I could blog the way I used to but it seems I'm unable to do so at the moment. Maybe one day. For now, I hope you bear with my intermittent blogging.

Style Musings: Uniqlo Pop Up Store in Sydney

Uniqlo (means Unique + Clothing), is one of my favourite Japanese clothing stores. We discovered Uniqlo when we travelled to Seoul a few years back but it's only last year that I paid attention to this store.

I love Uniqlo because of their minimal and classic styles, the clothing material they use, reasonable prices & how their clothes cater to a particular season (Heattech for cold season & Airism for warm season). I also like their collaboration with different brands, artists and designers. 

Last month, Uniqlo finally opened their first store in Australia. The flagship store opened in Melbourne but Sydneysiders like me were somehow grateful because on the first day of operations, their online store when up and running as well. 

I ordered a denim dress and an Andy Warhol bag online on the Wednesday they opened and in two business days, my package arrived in Sydney. I'm impressed! 

Last week, Uniqlo Australia announced that there will be a pop up store in Sydney and they opened today. The pop up store is open from 3rd May to 30th September. 

 (last two images from Uniqlo Australia)

I've seen photos online and there was a queue to get in. I'm going to wait a while before I make my visit. I'm just happy now that for a few months, Sydneysiders will be able to avail of their winter clothes (we need them here in Sydney too!). According to news, a big Sydney store will open by end of 2014.

Beauty Stash: Human Nature Products

This was something I picked up during our visit in Manila last year. I plan to share my other beauty finds when we were there but for now, I believe these Human Nature products deserve its own blog feature. 

What attracted me to Human Nature products? It's organic, reasonably-priced and has pretty packaging. I also like that they have a great website where you can learn about their company and products and shop online too. 

These are the products I've tried so far:

Calming and Rejuvenating Massage Oil. I suffer from frozen shoulder (stiff shoulders due to cold weather, lifting heavy items, computer stress, poor posture, etc) during cold season and I found that massaging oil on my shoulders and back helps in preventing this to occur. I massage some oil on before bedtime and it keeps my shoulder and back warm at night. I like the smell of both variants, it really calms and rejuvenates, and at the same time moisturises my skin. 

Natural Strengthening Shampoo and Conditioner (with Soothing Aloe). I'm not very lucky when it comes to organic/natural shampoos and conditioner because sometimes they still make my scalp dry. Thankfully, these ones from Human Nature feels gentle to the scalp. I noticed too that I have less hair fall when I use these. 

Sunflower Beauty Oil. I've read on HN's site of the many uses of this wonder oil before deciding to buy it. I love this oil and I'm so glad I gave this one a try. I use it as a moisturiser before bedtime. After a few days of use, I noticed the size of my pores have minimised and my skin has become less oily. My breakouts have lessened too and it brightened my skin. I normally use a different moisturiser during Summer season but even if this was made of oil, it's still perfect for Summer as it's not sticky. It's the perfect moisturiser for the whole year. 

If you're in Manila, visit one of their stores (locations list) or if you would love to do some online shopping for natural beauty products, check out Human Nature's website (http://humanheartnature.com/buy/index.php/).