New Year's Eve experience in Melbourne!

One of the main reasons why I love Melbourne so much is its culture and nightlife. Having only recently moved to this wonderful city, I was keen to see what it's like during NYE.

Our good friends, Aaron and Sally happened to be in town then. So, we booked ourselves tickets to one of the city's newest bars, Hopscotch. Conveniently located and in prime position to view the fireworks along the skyline at Southbank.

It turned out to be one of the best New Years experience I've ever had. See below of the video blog I made to document our experience!




 

A BEFITTING WEDDING FOR A PERFECT COUPLE

Earlier this month, I was fortunate enough to have witnessed and taken part in the one of the most magical moments. My best friends, Aaron and Sally took the ultimate commitment two individuals can make and pledged their full loyalty and become as one.  

Having grown up with Aaron on Norfolk Island we have formed a true lifelong friendship. And for as long as I've known both him and Sally, they have always been the type of people that have taken life on in their way, going against the grain. The couple to envy over, they have shared seven wonderful years together. 

In one of the wettest winters Australia has seen in recent history, the sunshine came out and beamed on these beautiful soulmates. The day could not have gone any better on the banks of the Hawkesbury River, west of Sydney.

The film below tells a story of how the day went. Told from a groomsman's perspective, my perspective.

Thank you Aaron and Sally for letting me be a part of your special day and thank you for allowing me to document and share it as it unfolded.

Told from a groomsman's perspective.

THE MOST BEAUTIFUL SURPRISE WEDDING

Last month I was fortunate enough to have been a part of an amazing moment.

My friends Jack and Danielle decided to surprise everyone by getting married on the spot, on what was supposedly their engagement party.

Naturally I felt compelled to document the moment. Thank god I had my trusty point and shoot camera!

Below is a film I made about the day:

A film about Jack & Danielle's surprise wedding.

I'd just like to thank the newly weds - Mr. and Mrs. Couch for allowing me to document and share a magical day.

MY ISLAND HOME

If you've never heard of Norfolk Island, I won't hold it against you. I kid you not, it's in the middle of nowhere, is barely even thirty-five square kilometres and has a population of no more than two-thousand people!

Google search it, I dare you!

Nonetheless, it is in equal top spot on my most photogenic places on Earth! (alongside New York City).

Everywhere you look it's just so stunning.

The island is so much more to me... It is also the place I call home. I spent the majority of my childhood there and my Aunty and Uncle still live there.

In addition, my closest friends circle are still the same group of friends I had on the Island. Even though we live in different cities doing different professions.

We try and make an effort to meet up fairly regularly. And, for the summer of 2015/16 we decided to go back to the Island.

Below is a highlights film I made and some photos I took during the trip.

SYDNEY BEERFEST 2015

A late post but nevertheless here's our adventure last month at the Sydney Beerfest 2015, where we pretended to know about craft beers.

Watch the film below to see how the day went!

A day exploring the beer festival.

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The super friendly team from Murray's Craft Brewing Co. their Pale Ale named 'Angry Man' would have to be one of the best beers that day. Photo by: Alysha Redston.

The super friendly team from Murray's Craft Brewing Co. their Pale Ale named 'Angry Man' would have to be one of the best beers that day. Photo by: Alysha Redston.

A WEEKEND OF CELEBRATION

Earlier last month we were lucky enough to have been involved in such a great moment. One of my closest friend Aaron and his beautiful fiancé Sally recently got engaged.

My girlfriend Alysha and I drove up to Sydney to celebrate that milestone with them along with all of their friends and family.

Since this was such a special weekend and Alysha and I don’t get to go away as much, we thought we would splash out and have a really solid weekend. We stayed at the Shangri-La, had a really nice time around Circular Quay and explored Newtown with my friend Douglas the next day.

Below is a film I made featuring some of the clips from that weekend. I hope you enjoy it.

Many thanks to Sally and Aaron for being good sports and allowing me to capture a bit of their special night and sharing it to the internet. 

Amazing soundtrack by:

Alina Baraz and Galimatias

Song: Pretty Thoughts

Links:

Alina Baraz
https://soundcloud.com/alinabaraz
https://www.facebook.com/alinabaraz
https://itunes.apple.com/au/artist/alina-baraz/id757852571

Galimatias
https://soundcloud.com/galimatias
https://www.facebook.com/galimatiasmusic
https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/galimatias/id502757487

UP, UP AND AWAY ABODE'S NEW HOT AIR BALOON

Living in Canberra you get used to seeing hot air balloons floating around in the early morning skyline. However it wasn't until I went to the 2015 Canberra Balloon Festival that I began to appreciate how romantic the concept of ballooning is. Seeing the balloons being set up, inflating and taking off blew my mind. 

Fortunately for me, work (Abode Hotels) had planned on getting its very own balloon with Balloon Aloft Canberra. Below is a video blog I made documenting the balloon's maiden voyage.

It's times like these that I truly appreciate how awesome living in Canberra is and how lucky I am to be doing something I love for a living.


Thank you to Abode Hotels for letting me get a ride! I can happily tick this one off the bucket list

CHECK OUT:

Abode Hotels -
http://abodehotels.com.au/

My 2015 Canberra Balloon Festival post -
http://andrewsanchez91.com/new-blog-1/2015/3/23/canberra-balloon-spectacular

Balloon Aloft- 
http://www.canberraballoons.com.au/

A.N.Z.A.C WEEKEND 2015

A short video blog about catching up with my childhood friends from Norfolk Island during the ANZAC weekend. This has become an annual reunion for us and still to this day I consider these group of guys as my best friends.

AMAZING DINNER AT 86.

First foodie blog post! 

After months and months of promising ourselves to go to 86 in Braddon, we finally made it. We've heard so many great things about the restaurant that we were quite happy it lived up to the hype. Service was friendly, vibe was electric and the food was genuinely delicious. 

A friend of mine pointed out that 86 is actually a culinary term used "to get rid of something" - We really liked how this key concept showed in how ripe and fresh the dishes tasted.

Below are our three favourite dishes from the menu;

Cured salmon with orange and radish.

Kangaroo, beetroot and balsamic.

Black chicken with slaw.

Spiced hot chocolate.

READY FOR WINTER!

Recently when my girlfriend was away overseas, she bought me a Timberland scarf and beanie. I've always been aware of the brand, having lived overseas in the US for six months two years ago. They're probably most famous for their boat shoes and boots. Apart from getting me the gifts she came back home with a pair of one of their boots. I was blown away with the quality and look of them. With her help (an anniversary gift) I eventually got a pair for myself, knowing it's a sound investment to combat the bone-chillingly cold Canberra winter. 

As you get to know me more, I cannot stress the importance of accessories and footwear in men's fashion. In my opinion, if you had to sink a good portion of money into your wardrobe, consider these two categories first! 

Having a good pair of winter boots is something that is still overlooked specially in the everyday man's wardrobe. The fact is that the warmer your hands and feet are, the warmer you will feel overall. Thus you'll feel a lot more comfortable. Lastly, wear a scarf. It is not girly! Man up. 

Below are a couple shots of what will be my winter essentials. The Timberland boots I got are the six-inch premium water proof boots in a dark brown colour. Now, you won't be seeing me jumping into puddles, but it's good to know that if you step in one your feet won't get wet! The neutral grey and plaided scarf will pretty much go with any jacket or outfit I may put on.

Ready for winter 1

EASTER LONG WEEKEND 2015

Easter time for me not only means chocolate and hot-cross buns, but a time of the year where I am able to drive home and see my family. Full time work and living about seven hours drive with no direct flights or transportation makes it really hard to visit. There's nothing more important than family and there's nothing like being at home. It's pure bliss and comfort.

The weather was terrible on the way up and for the most part of the Saturday. However, I didn't mind as it brought everyone together. It did thankfully clear up by late Sunday afternoon. Just enough time to sneak a walk before the sun set.

The weekend also marks my first time video blogging. Click below to watch!

Easter fishing
Easter fishing
Easter sunset