feeling rotten

its over...

its strange to describe the range of emotions tt i've felt over the last 12 hrs. If i cld summarise it into short simple words, they would be perplexed, distressed, resigned, relief and ectasy. A while entired spectrum of human emotions covered in one day. That explains the tiredness. Or perhaps its the effects of post-exam syndrome. at least i can cut myself some slack for awhile. be a rather long time till my next sittings again.

Today marked the last of the 6 papers this semester. 6 terrible, digsuting and revolting papers. they irk me, eat into me and consume me. but i stuck it in.. with no goals, no mission plan watsoever. trust me, i knoe the results are gonna hurt. big time. but tts beside the point. never cry over spilt milk or in my case spilt coffee since i favor it to the former. so lets just say i'm chilled. ice cold...

after the paper today, went out with babe to watch enchanted the movie. a light hearted comedy more suited for kids though. But given the few remaining brain cells i had left in my head, i thought it wld be a smart choice. besides the movie was pretty hilarious at times, and the lead actress did manage to capture the innocence and naivity of her fictional character in fairy tales right into the character tt she played in real life. That to me was the whole highlight of the movie.

and as u knoe.. i wln't hesitate to put a carrie underwood music video here!!!

Following that, i and babe went down to pantry magic again to check out the ongoing kenwood promotions and i manage to get a mixer for myself! *woots*.. birthday present complimentary of Da-yi-ma, Er-yi and Popo. Thanks u all! lurve u guys to death! check her out.. ain't she gorgeous? ah...

totally adore the baby yellow... my fav color of all time...

by the way, in case u were wondering. i gave up the notion of getting a kitchen aid due to tis hefty prices and the better reviews tt i've accquired from the kenwood. Besides this beauty came at such a steal!!!! saying so, i still want a digital kitchen scale and a blow torch.. *grumbles*

also dropped by shermay's cooking school to get some valrhona chocolate. divine stuff i say. only the best if u wanna make the best stuff. hehe. there was a class going on at tt moment taught by shermay herself. xmas desserts! the aroma of egg nog wafting thru the kitchen was intoxicating...

orite, so home once again, it was back to more oven action. serving up orders! so glad i get to bake again. guess my fresh stock up of ingredients are gonna help towards my xmas bakes. oh!! gingerbread man cookie competition by baking bites... now tts a must join!

but for now, its time for the tired little gurl to head to the bed. Fatigue sets in. *yawnz*

all the best for ur paper tmr babe. Lurve ya...

I don't wanna hurt you

I don't wanna make you sway

Like I know I've done before

I will not do it anymore

I've always been a dreamer

I've had my head among the clouds

Now that I'm coming down

Won't you be my solid ground?

Sway -- The Perishers (a song tt has been playing on repeat mode on my playlist. thx bestie.)

peace before the storm

Peace before the storm

perhaps its a miracle, God's way of telling me that everything will be alright. With the chilly winds tossing my hair gently in all directions, i feel his gentle touch. I know he's there. probably comforting me before the coming storm...

Find Me Here
Speak To Me
I want to feel you
I need to hear you
You are the light
That's leading me
To the place where I find peace again.

You are the strength, that keeps me walking.
You are the hope, that keeps me trusting.
You are the light to my soul.
You are my purpose...you're everything.

How can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?
You calm the storms, and you give me rest.
You hold me in your hands, you won't let me fall.
You steal my heart, and you take my breath away.
Would you take me in? Take me deeper now?

How can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?
And how can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?

Everything -- Lifehouse

its time to lay down to rest.

just another nightmare

just another nightmare

don't go there...

In this oh-so frequent happening, i saw flashes of light, certain unhappy scenes, a vision during which I saw myself slouching out of bed to answer a light night call. A rather uninvited one of course given the ungodly time of the night. It was the traffic police... no, wait, it wasn't a dream. it was for real...

my heart skipped a beat, and my blur mind drew back into focus in a split second. It dawned upon me tt my brother who had driven the car out was probably in some sort of trouble. and he reallie was... oh gosh, you could never guess..

Apparently, our smart alec had parked our giant of a car across the opening of two private estate houses thus obstructing the flow of traffic. Residents had reported the matter to the police and thus the call. Still sleepy, i managed to catch the last sentence with much clarity ' he has to move the car away, if not we'll tow it away'; that being said with much boredom rather than threat in his voice. trust me, you have to pity the poor policeman stationed there who had to wait on us for about an hour.

So with tt i picked up the phone and started to call him. once.. twice... three times, all to no avail. I must have been driven out of my wits cause the next moment, i was dragging mum into the picture. When i let light upon the whole situation, she was FURIOUS!!! gosh.. tt man just refused to answer his phone (we figured tt he left it in the car while going into his friend's hse).. so, we begged the police to give us a grace period as we frantically raced out of the condo down to the main road to hail a cab to the destination which i ingeniously seeked out thru his viewing history on the net. haha.

Kk, so the police were there. Matters were dissolved. Warnings were posted. Guess what after that, we just left the crime scene, drove our mini armoured vehicle back home. Without kor kor of course coz according to mummy, he's in the wrong and waiting for him would just be plain stupid. Hmph.. i agree actually. My beauty sleep disrupted by police.. arghs...

the outcome of doing so, as predicted, he thought that our car was stolen.. WAHAHA. and called every single phone there was in the house. However, under the strict ruling of the queen in the house, no one was supposed to answer them. Just to give him a taste of his own medicine... you should have seen the both of us choking back our laughters as we mimicked the scene where kor finds the car missing from the spot he left it. haha. It's just hilarious!!!

oh well, mum is still mad. and I am just simply amused by the whole incident. haha. .. but no.. its time for bed again. no more nightmares for me please... *cross my fingers*

ok, wait! apparently the story doesn't stop there. i heard harsh whispers in the middle of the night coming from outside the window. Struggling out of bed once more, i saw a dark figure posed outside my room. it was kor!!! 5 am in the morning, u've got to be kidding me. how did he get back so fast? haha. well, shared a few good laughs after i let him in the door regarding the whole incident.

Lesson learnt: bring ur hp with u no matter where u go. it makes a hell lot of difference!

---------------------------------------------------------

kk, finally tmr is the end of the dreaded examinations. Gosh, can't believe it coming to an end. Perhaps i'll find happiness after tt. Drats, first day of period. how wonderful... lets pop a bottle of champagne to celebrate the end.. wat the heck! i've got my period! *sigh*... orite. back to the books in preparation for season disaster no. 6. pls stay tuned.

dreaming of christmas bakes, of warm cookies, crisp biscotti and chilly weather.

'the world is flat and i still got a chance with you ' (obstinance to the point of insanity)

sudden revelation

Sudden revelation

its 6 am in the morning. I wake up from my shallow slumber. One bogged by images of color yet stained by memories; ugly ones involving arguments and shouting. I heard that dreams are never in color, but i guess I could never make do with just black and white. My brain works a bit harder.

Triggered off by daily events, dreams are the manifestation of your thoughts during the day.

If so, then why do I have to bring these such ugly things into my dreams. I shift and stir and finally awaken from the state of light sleep perturbed by heavy thoughts. I took a deep breathe, and knew that I couldn't slp any longer. Or rather, I didn't want to slp anymore...

lord, pls help these dreams stop...

feeling better

i feel fine...

after the raging war against the monstrousity within. I have conceded.

to all the frens ard me who have shown concern. Thanks a million! U're efforts to make me smile are greatly appreciated.

Nonetheless, the paper coming up tmr is definitely a blanket wetter. I wld have sworn i wldn't have been so depressed if there weren't the exams breathing down my neck. Now as u can see from the big- ass tickertimer above head. its 21 days to my 21st birthday! haha. Sweet...

So instead of putting any more depressing images on my blog. Here are some wonderful photos just to brighten up ur day! i mean if they do work for someone like me, they surely will work for u too. hehe.

Rainbow collage. Beautiful. Colors soothe the soul anytime. Especially in a multitude of shades.

Candy coated lips.. now tts a new one! hehe. gosh.. think i do have a fetish for lips. hehe...

When i first saw this photo, it brought an instantaneous smile to my face. Innocence and pure fun combined with a delightful splash of colors. This little girl has eyes that smile...

photos courtesy of Pink Sherbet

kk. tt shld be enough dosage of colors for now. Now its back to my boring black and white notes once again. More birds more luck! wonder if the duck i ate this afternoon counts?

dun resent me

Emotional Crisis

Feeling slightly depressed now. Perhaps it was the lashing i got from my mum just now. or perhaps its just the exam period doing its mojo on me. Watever it is, business still carries on. Finally got some orders after a approximate 2 week stall. Nobody wants cakes during exam period... *sigh*. well, at least my luck turned for the better. Churned out my signature blueberry cheesecake and cappuccino cupcakes for order after the worst paper i had ever sat for in aero history. But oh well, tts a whole different story altogether...thank goodness i've got the colors to cheer me up. Happy Birthday Junkai Jin Kai ( its reallie my bad tt i got it wrong...)

Lately I haven’t been feeling myself. Constantly surrounded by a cloud of surreal warm fluffiness. Love I thought was the remedy to everything. I thought that by surrounding myself in companionship, sweet things all days that I could run away from the person that I am.

~ The deep dark menacing shadow that lurks within. These few weeks while I attended meticulously to deeds of love and spending time with someone. I had neglected him. Thrown him to a corner where he stomped his feet, flinged his arms against the iron walls that I had built around him. Now, he has set him free, with a stroke of luck, a crack appeared in the walls of his prison. He crawled thru, willing himself to seek vengeance. Now I’m at his bidding, I have become it.
My heart has returned to its state of constant doubt and anger. I know that I can never enjoy another night of peaceful sleep without the constant fear of death sneaking up from behind. The magic spell has lost its magical effect, the force-field of charm broken down and engulfed by a sea of fury and rage. Victimized, I think too much, worry too much and frown too much.

I know I cannot rise up to expectations of the many people around me. I have used you, used your happiness to chase away the blues. Now it pushes me away. Repels me like two opposite poles of a magnet would. I no longer wanna immerse myself in a surreal world, to suppress my sad thoughts. I need to find myself again…

to tt person: I have no idea why u said tt i'm being unfair coz i ain't. I've tried my best already. But somehow it isn't good enough for you. I've never been perfect and neither have you. So don't make me feel any more like shit than i already am feeling. perhaps u're nonchalent to this, but everything you say to me has a very big impact. So if u say I'm not good enough, then in my heart, I've detoriated to the status of the scum of the earth. Strong on the surface, it hurts like hell inside. Just gotta let it off my chest. i can't be who you are...

colors fade to grey...

Cupcake Hero : Cranberry

Cupcake Hero: Cranberry

yesh! finally i get this event entry done on time! *cheers* now i ain't a procrastinator anymore! hmph.. strangely, this was all done during the hectic exam period. Oh well, baking is there for a reason: to preserve my sanity. hehe. gosh, its either i'm living in a pig sty or the cupcakes are tt alluring, there are flies flying across my computer screen! argh.

Okie.. so back to the entry. Lets see. Cranberries! hmph.. when i first saw the theme ingredient posted by Laurie for this month's cupcake hero. i was lyke 'WOAH!', reason being tt i hardly ever dealt with cranberries in my baking. Partly because cranberries are soo expensive and that it is only available in dried form here in Singapore. Wld take an enormous effort to ship over the real juicy stuff from overseas. So oh well, i had to make do with whatever resources i had.

Given the rainy weather for the past few days, i had always turned to a cup of tea for comfort as well as to provide a little warmth to the tummy. A little taste of heaven in a cup i wld say. Hence i toyed with the idea of infusing the taste of tea into the batter. Now, tt was tough since i only had earl grey tea bags at home as my stock of tea leaves had ran out previously and i was stuck at home revising for the exams.

Brillance strikes and i tweaked a cupcake recipe which used milk as the moisturizing agent. Warmed it and put my tea bags in to allow the flavor to seep in. In a while, the room smelt of earl grey. *swoons*...

So there it was, my creation, Cranberry Earl Grey Cupcakes with Orange Cream Cheese frosting. Hmph, well, a cupcake would just be a piece of cake if the frosting wasn't present so wala! i decided to match an orange flavored cream cheese topping to the cake as i thought the cheese would compliment and not mask the lovely light aroma of the cuppies. and indeed! they were excellent! with the toasted walnuts and more cranberries. It wil beginning to look like some sort of autumn harvest festival goodie. Oh gosh.. lyke falling maple leaves.. sigh..

Gosh.. now... gotta get back to studies! haha.

oh yesh.. and pple! do pls come for the TGEO party.. i gurantee it wld be a lot of fun!!!! *=)*

Checklist:
Made an Order for Obolo Desserts
Reserved the Birthday Venue
Buy Wine for the Party ( how many bottles u guys reckon i shld get?)
Order Birthday Cake (GOSH!!! small and quality stuff or big enough to feed the crowd yet lacking in substance? dilemma...)
Send out email invites to Guests.

conclusion: i am a lazy ass!

Meanwhile, the desperate attempt to search for a substitute to the kenwood mixer my aunt has plans on taking back is now on. Got my eyes on the kitchen aid beauties. Hmph, most probably placing my order soon. My whole savings these few months, gone into this little gadget. *pouts*. Shrugs, its okie... Its worth it! *chanting*

Here's my piece of trivial for today. Cupcake Chardonnay! i spied on it while surfing ytd. haha, the flavors pple have now a days. New world wines gone wild!?! Wine research is such a profound thing these days, its hard to catch up with the new regions of vineyards ard the world. kk, so here's the description of the wine tt is to die for!!! listen

A big, rich Chardonnay from California's desirable Central Coast, where the sun drenched grapes create full and elegantly-textured wines. Decadent layers of butter, cream, bright citrus and vanilla melt into a balance of oak and subtle spice. In other words: Sinful.

ohhh... *shudders*... gosh, if only i cld get my hands on this one...

TGEO

so to all Aero peeps, do leave a tag if there's is a certain movie you would like to have screened on tt day. Trust me, it would be a night with no stress, pure indulgence and relaxation!

Strawberry tart with Diplomat Cream

Strawberry Tart with Diplomat Cream

Finally! i have mastered a beautiful tart base! woots. hehe.. all thanks to my drop dead gorgeous tart tray tt i purchased at pantry magic awhile back! *wee wee*!!! so happie. hehe. Okie.. so here's a clue going out to pple still struggling with ideas for my bdae gift (WARNING: it had better be something GOOD!!! and useful of coz!); get me anything from magic pantry! ramekin cups, cake stands, the rectangular tart tray... baking stuff! i wldn't mind getting some pie weights of coz. the heat is killing my rice... thus explaining the hard dry rice we've been consuming the past few dinners. hehe. Pray dun tell auntie nora; she blames herself for the outcome of the less than palatable rice. tee hee.. I just shrug and bite my tongue. *bleah*

my wish list a.k.a 'pamper me' list is featured at my side bar by the way. so do pls take a look!

oh yesh, back to the Strawberry tart. It turned out lovely! the buttery crust complimenting the vanilla scented diplomat cream tt i painstakingly prepared... the strawberries a lovely hue of red played up the light cream adding a bit of tang to the mixture and the scent of the slightly warmed mint leaves was heavenly. Now this totally rocked my day. *yumz*... however memories of the uber delicious lemon tart from corduroy and finch still lingers in my mind. gosh.. think i'll succumb to temptation soon. hehe. nothing beats a smooth, soury and yet sweet lemon curd sliding down ur throat... Aahh..
can't wait to be back in the kitchen once again. which reminds me tt bakes for SHF and cupcake hero are due soon. Gosh.. have to hurry up and get my act together or risk being touted a procrastinator once more. hehe.

still, plans for the party are coming together. Some invites have been made by the word of mouth. Official invites will be sent out soon once the theme and other details have been finalised. The theme however is causing me a HUGE major headache. PPLE! whatever the final theme turns out to be, pls try ur best to come according to the theme or the consequences would be severe and catastrophic. Trust me... u dun wanna see me when i get nasty...

oh and just for entertainments sake.. here's a reallie farnie video! hehe. hope it puts a smile on your face...

LINKIN PARK + the kingdom

LINKIN PARK
minutes to midnight

as i mentioned earlier, went to the linkin park minutes to midnight concert! though the wait was long (the band took an hour after concert time to emerge on stage!!!); but it was soo totally worth it. When the bass came on and the white curtains came falling down; i was flabbergasted. The atmosphere was electrifying. the crowd went wild and songs were belted one after another. the new songs didn't create much of a stir. But i reallie loved 'in pieces' though.

It was not only until a while later when the band started on the old songs tt the crowd went berserk!!! Numb, in the end, faint, point of authority, etc. there were body surfers everywhere and the bouncers went on a rampage trying to drag these pple away. haha. in fact, i was nearly squashed by one of these crazy buggers being tossed from the back. my god, he fell smack flat on the ground in front of me. Poor fella... For me, it was the cutting sound of the intro to papercut tt i went absolutely CRAZY! i screamed at the top of my lungs to all the songs. (surprisingly some of the lyrics stuck lyke glue to my head, wonder when will aerodynamics ever have the same effect); but it didn't matter anyway as everyone in the vicinity were either bouncing ard lyke idiots waving their arms to the music or screaming in unison with the band. It was AWESOME!!!

i swear i was linkin park crazy after tt night!!!! their music constantly on re-runs on my playlist. haha. no regrets definitely!!! thank goodness i had Charles ard ( haha.. its lessens the guilt a little, since exams are so near) and Zhaoling somewhere in the crowd. LINKIN PARK ROCKZ!!! some of the crazy peeps tt went to the concert; Zhiheng, Daniel and frens...

here's one my fav songs at the moment from linkin park. The live acoustic version was so subtle and sincere. i was taken by Chester's voice. a very haunting song with the saddest lyrics...

I've lied to you

The same way that I always do

This is the last smile

That I'll fake for the sake of being with you

Pre chorus:

(Everything falls apart, even the people who never frown eventually break down)

The sacrifice of hiding in a lie

(Everything has to end, you'll soon find we're out of time left to watch it all unwind)

The sacrifice is never knowing

Why I never walked away

Why I played myself this way

Now I see your testing me pushes me away

I've tried like you

To do everything you wanted too

This is the last

I'll take the blame for the sake of being with you

We’re all out of time, this is how we find how it all unwinds

The sacrifice of hiding in a lie

We’re all out of time, this is how we find how it all unwinds

The sacrifice is never knowing

Also, with anothe ounce of luck, i managed to get two tickets to the premier of the movie 'the kingdom' just by submitting an essay regarding how should the golden village membership be improved to better appeal to its members. haha.. trust me, i rattled on and on about some cumulative point system and rewards thingy. it was so strange tt they picked my essay. haah. So well, with two tickets to a premier of a movie tt my bf reallie wanna watch on the day before my first paper. hmph.. HELL yEH!!! and it totally paid off too! The Kingdom turned out to be such a fantastic movie!!! much more colorful then anticipated based on the posters and trailers. it was 'culturally intelligent' (as put by babe) and had an absolutely witty script. Reinforced by an amazingly strong cast of Jennifer Garner, Jamie Foxx and Chris Cooper.

The movie touched on a very controversial issue of the fight of terrorism in the states. It features an elite team of FBI special agents sent to Saudi Arabia to investigate a terrorist bomb investigation tt ignited within a western housing compound. During the 5 day mission, the team were hamstrung by protocol and the restrictions set by the suspicious Saudi authorities. To complete the mission successfully, they teamed up with the like-minded compatriate saudi police captain Al-Ghazi who helps them towards the goal of unlocking the secrets and preventing the further destruction done by the extremist groups. Making reference to several real live events in the midst. the action was gripping and yet not too over the top. It was deep yet understandable and carrying with it many morals as well as cultural issues tt are pulled subtly into the picture. The ending in my opinion was superb and it boiled down to the truth of revenge as the real fuel for all action against each enemy party. Disturbing as it is, it is very real. I would hence say tt this film is a much watch for the season!

One of the best films i've seen this year!!!

kk.. gotta end of the post soon, time for bed, *yawn*

thanks babe for everything you've done for me. *oops*.. no thanks right. hehe..*muackz*

macarons

Macaroons

Don't knoe whether you guys caught the article regarding the much sought after macaroons on the sunday times the last weekend. But here's just my thoughts and reviews regarding the varieties available now.

'Macarons seem to be everywhere' (as adapated from the sunday times November 11 'BIG ON MACARONS' article)... well i guess tts very true. However the scale tilts towards the popularity of french macarons (spelt with a single 'o'). These colorful confections are both appealing to the eye and sweet to the tasters thus explaining its broad appeal. Whimsical creations, i never quite understood the hype till i got my hands on the wonderful macarons made by my fren Evangeline at bossacafez. After then, my journey with macarons reached an abrupt tasting after i tasted the most 'sweetest' (pun intended, sweetness level was one tt made me cringe); the taste of the almond was almost non-existant. Till then i wld often stop to admire these little things but never to purchase them even when i stumbled upon the beautiful display at canele patessierie.

Essentially, macaroons consists of 3 basic ingredients, almonds, egg whites and sugar. Simple as it sounds, the different preparation methods could produce a wide variety of macaroons.

I had the privilege of tasting another 2 variations with the help of Babe who generously surprised me with two packs from Dolci after reading the article on the sunday times. *thanks sweetie*.. They were the Brutti Ma Buoni and the Italian Amaretto. the former described as ugly had a crunchier texture as compared to the latter due to the use of crushed almonds as compared to grounded almonds. I loved these coz the almond flavor was much more pronounced and the texture of the pastry reminded me somewhat of a wholesome cookie. The latter on the other hand was chewier, a tad sweeter and held more elegant shapes after being piped. I prefer these as they had a wonderful and intricate flavor tt cld be savoured with every nibble.

enjoyed these with a cup of coffee whilst pondering aimlessly through my course notes. Life can be good sometimes.

meanwhile, my birthday wish list is growing longer. and as expected they mostly consist of baking related stuff. Kk, lets see. here are some stuff tt i REALLIE reallie want!

• Books - 'Sticky Chewy Messy Gooey' by jill o connor
  'Demolition Desserts' by Elizabeth Falkner
  'Desserts by the yard' by Sherry Yard
• Kitchen Aid (i want a red or yellow one!)
• Cupcake Stands
• More Silicon Baking Pans
• Cookies Cutters ( BIG NICE ONES!!! ones tt i can do cookie decorating on)
• A set of Ramekin Cups
• Valrhona chocolate or an expensive slab of french chocolate
• Accessories from Anthology
• Canvas shoes from River Island (i'm a size 4.. dun understand their sizes there. Its a miracle i've such small feet. Hmph...)
• A pot of Mint plant

yep.. i'll update the list as it goes. heeh. and here's a sneak peak of the bdae venue. Still deciding upon the theme of the party and i reallie do wish my guest wld be spontaneous about it. I guess slightly insane guests are welcomed then tt wld spice it up a little.. orite, i'll just leave my ideas to myself. hehe. Till then, guess everyone has to pull up their socks for the exams then.

LINKIN PARK`

LINKIN PARK minutes to midnite concert!!!
oh my gosh i can't believe i'm gonna watch them live in concert lyke in a few hours time. *thinking about being buried up to neck in revision*.. neh.. we'll give tt thought a break. hehe. ARH!!!

kk, so here's my favourite song from their album. A rather subtle song, with haunting lyrics. A bit rough on the vocals by chester but nonetheless the lyrics are beautiful...


telling me to go
but hands beg me to stay
your lips say that you love
your eyes say that you hate

there's truth in your lies
doubt in your faith
what you build you lay to waste
there's truth in your lies
doubt in your faith
all i've got is what you didn't take

so i won't be the one
be the one to leave this
in pieces
and you/ you will be alone
alone with all your secrets
your regrets
don't lie

kk, signing out now. Plans for the party are still in the midst of construction. But a clue to all those inquisitive pple. It wld be a party of sweet things under the naked moonlight. p.s thank you Claire for your enthusiasm and suggestions! *smilez*

je suis fatigue

je suis tres fatiguee...

gosh.. i'm so so so so tired. Its feels lyke i'm a car running on the last bit of its fuel. Its a constant struggle to push on. I just wish exams will be over soon. Can't wait to feel the cold blast of air in Europe. Its drives me insane just thinking about it.

Having a little problem with bdae party plans as well. Drats tt its so darn near the xmas season. Reservations have to be made early to ensure my spot, or risk disappointments later if i decided to procrastinate. I've got hardly any inspiration or idea as to the theme of the party, where to have it and other details. Can't decide btw a seat down dinner or just an informal after-8 chillout session. Seriously, i dun even knoe who wld come to my party.. lyke some deep sense of inferiority dawns upon me. Oh well, perhaps it wld just be a simple family affair then.

A little update for the weekend. Had a lovely mushroom steamboat with the family, with er-yi, popo and trevor dropping by to join in the mushroom galore. No seriously, there was A LOT of mushrooms. In fact, there was enough food to feed an army even. Tsk tsk, mummy lacks judgement once more. She thinks tt everyone can eat a cow, hmph.. perhaps i can, but not the rest ya. So that doesn't count.

The mushrooms were all gorgeous, seemed tt the dawn of mushroom season has seen tt the many different varieties of mushrooms flood the shelves of our local supermart. My gosh, the earthy smell unleashed as my mum spread her babies across the dining room table where i was revising was somewat nauseating though i have a deep love for mushrooms. But the pile of them proved to much to handle. Nonetheless, the steamboat proved to be a success. They were succulent, fresh and awfully woody. *yum*

Done with orders for this week as well, after a severe influx of them tt saw me baking night and day for 3 days, the kitchen has finally returned to its peaceful state albeit for the apricot stain on the wall tt cause gazillions of ants to flock to it. argh. Sorry. With this peace reinstated, i decided to try out my new cathedrale silicon pan. I dug out several ingredients tt i had bought with my mum on a supermarket spree. Cranberries and a whole tub of greek yoghurt. Created my own recipe with the help of William Sonoma's many bundt cake recipes. Playing with proportions and flavors since it was very hard to fill up the gigantic cathedrale pan.

I finally settled on a Spiced Almond Cranberry Yogurt Cake.

As you can see it turned out beautifully... but the taste was a bit flat. Could have use a little more sugar i felt. The cranberries punctured the creamy beige cake with its crimson red juices oozing out and its stingy sweet flavor was very much a welcomed addition. One thing i loved about it was the moisture and sponginess of the cake. This was probably due to the yogurt added. Greek styled especially made the cake ultra flavorful and moist. Tt was delightful.

Perhaps next time I would play up the spices as well as the saccharine levels within the recipe. This I feel wld make a wonderful festive cake. Sprinkled with a coat of sugar like light snow on an old roman cathedrale with stained glass windows. Oh gosh, there i go thinking about europe again. *pengz*

gosh, now its back to my books and a little sneak peak of the television.*Oops(.. dun let mummy knoe. hehe)

Aficionado

Aficionado gastronome dining

How many of you all have craved a perfect sit down dinner with your loved ones, coupled with a comfortable yet slightly romantic ambience. In that instant, the whole world seems to revolve around the both of you.

Suddenly, a chair from the neighboring table is rudely shoved into the back of your own chair. A quick apology follows and with that, the magical mood has all dissolved. You suddenly come to the realization that romance could never blossom in such a crowded room with the intrusive eyes of the public peering at you.

I am certain that many of you had such experiences, a well planned dinner spoilt by the intrusive noise from a rowdy diner perhaps a little intoxicated or even a perfect setting tainted by the serving of not so palatable food? Well, at least my dining experience with Aficionado private dining wasn’t one of those.

To cut the chase, I had planned a surprise for babe a few nights back. A private dining session with Aficionado gastronome dining to be held at the host’s humble abode. On top of that I had prepared a bottle of customized wine with beautiful gold engraving. I shall not stress that the bottle of wine was an award winner and a 90 pointer by spectators. Hehe. French and 100% Chardonnay. It’s always better to get the taste buds accustomed to the full original flavors before dwelling into the fine art of mixes. In fact, I was blown away by the full flavor of the wine, a combination of spices and oak, well balanced and absolutely rich and my babe simply love it! It simply made other Chardonnay taste bland and boring. The tingling taste left behind on your palate is simply unforgettable. Perfecto!

Before I start on the food, let me first speak about the wonderful hosts that we had. Gabriel (who was in charge of preparing all the food which consisted of a 6 courses) and Jill (whom was in charged of the desserts). The fact was that the two of them were much younger than I am and yet their ability to cook as well as to provide such excellent service amazed me.

The food was in short, top-grade. We started out with a simple garden salad infused with vinaigrette. Which was a so-so affair, what really kicked it up a notch was the presence of teeny bites of garlic fried to perfection. The crunchy little pieces added dimension to the whole dish and wetted my appetite for more to come.

Next up was the soup, clam chowder with garlic crostini. Served in a good hearty portion, this soup was unlike the usual I had. In fact it reminded me of the clam chowder I had at Angus Steakhouse at Taka the other time except that it had an amazing ability to bring warmth to you insides as you drank it down.

Following that was the entrée which by my standards was excellent! Pesto Pasta
Fettuccine infused in pesto sauce, topped with garlic butter king prawns. Let me tell you, the prawns were way beyond gorgeous. In fact I hadn't had such succulent prawns in a long time, they were fresh and absolutely outstanding with the garlic butter; I swore I cldn’t wipe off the silly smile I had on my face throughout this course (babe: yes she really look silly while eating.. ^_^). The pasta was done to my liking, not too soggy yet still retaining a bit of looseness. *swoons*…

What I appreciated the most was the right balance between privacy and service given during the course of the meal. The hosts were attentive at the right times and withdrawn at the appropriate times to allow the both of us some private time together. And I forgot to mention that the ambience was magical if not surreal. The dining table draped with a black cloth and strewened with rose petals and candles lit up the room. Cushions lined the side of the wall and more flower petals were swept the floor. The lights were dim but not too dim that we weren't able to appreciate the food. Soothing music played in the background. It was one of those instances were time stopped and all that meant something in your life was right in front of you. *hugz* Back to the food, we were given a palate cleanser next which was an orange sorbet with luscious pulp on the top. Next up was the main course. Ribs in homemade black pepper sauce. Okie... everybody scream!!! That was one of the best ribs I had ever tasted, maybe even better than Tony roma's. I believe in quality over quantity. And this dish proved to be a roaring success. The black pepper sauce was to die for and the rib managed to erase the bad memories that babe had towards it. I was speechless and cldn't refrain from picking the rib btw my fingers and sucking on it. The table was quiet mostly apart from the frequent “Mmmm”, or “OMG...this is really good” exclamations. Trust me, if you were to try this, you would totally understand.

Being a person with a sweet tooth, dessert to me was the highlight of any meal. And Jill's did not fail my expectation. Pavlova with passion fruit coulis and chocolate roulade with cream and cherries. That was so far the best matching of desserts on a platter I had ever had.
Now, that is what I mean by fine dining. Soothing romantic ambience coupled by the best of cuisine and of course the most beautiful companion. And best part is it didn't burn that big a hole in my pocket. What more could I ask for?

I left the house with a huge smile on my face and a full satisfied tummy.

To all those who are interested in a one-of-a-kind dining experience, I wld strongly recommend Aficionado. Check out their website HERE. You won't be disappointed.

Cupcakes

Feast for some sore mugging eyes...

a tribute to all those hard-core muggers out there who need a break from the monotonous print on their notes. perhaps a little disorder and color will revive those senses!

chocolate cupcakes ordered by the Shu-en.

Request for as colorful as possible granted! hehe.

Credits going out to Babe who helped me decorate them. *=)*

Cupcakes for the Nov Babies.. awww.. how sweet!

Cupcakes meant for thank you gifts...

thx to the wonderful duo Gabriel and Jill for the wonderful dinner! Don't worrie, my write-up will be done soon! so keep on the look out! glad u guys liked the cupcakes!

More Cupcakes... with lovely green frosting... was planning on doing a duo frosting swirl but there just wasn't enough to go ard. So oh well.. haha.

hoped you lyke the surprise babe. =)

Orite Folks, so the new theme for November's cupcake hero has been posted by Laurie! CRANBERRIES!!! *Everybody screams then looks puzzled*..gosh, now tts gonna be a source of major headache. Fresh Cranberries are hard to find here in Singapore. Will dried cranberries do? hmph.. lets skip the norms or pairings with white chocolate and orange.. boring. now this one take a bit of brainstorming. Perhaps a little something salty wld accentuate the taste of the crimson red cranberry? well, we've just gotta see!

*yawn*.. was rudely awakened by mummy whistling at me.. gosh..gotta wake up to face some orders. hehe. systems check, ingredients check... BBQ in the afternoon! *woots*

i knoe i'm very random... shut up...

eventful day

eventful day at the doctor's ytd.

took my flu jab, got my antibiotics and medication to wipe out the nasty germs and to kill the stabbing pain in my abdomen. Was diagnosed with urine infection. *yucks*... its more pain then disgust actually. Also got my cream for fungal infection btw my toes.

I'm one sick gurl... dun mess with me.

10 things tt made me happie part 2

6) Dinner with Babe's Family

went to dinner with Babe at Katong's Waruku to celebrate his mum's 49th bdae. though the size of the room seemed to have shrunk severly, and we had a slight problem squeezing 8 full grown pple in the room. It was a cosy and comfortable dinner at the very least. Well wishes going out to the bdae mum.

thank god she lyked the watch i bought her. Though i day say my mummy was rather jealous.. woops. oritey! promise to get u a new one next year k. sayang.. haha.

7) more orders!

orders have been streaming in for the coming week. Which is both a good thing and a bad thing, but more of a good thing rather (partially influenced by Martha's good things.) haha. BUt oh well. just glad to have pple enjoy my bakes. and very enthusiastic customers sure make my day!!!

8) Chloe!

bet u guys are already scratching your heads. but who gives 2 hoots? i'm lovin' my bunny totally. She's a dream.. just as i had imagined it wld be from the website. Hosted by two lovely young talented ladies at anthology (PLS do check out the link!!! i promise their creations will not disappoint), their webby features beautiful collections of hand-made earrings, bracelets, bag charms and many more. I was ecstatic when my order arrived in the post today. the bunny bag charm tt i've been eyeing for about 2 months is finally mine! and the colors and so pretty too! Love the bunny's swinging legs.. definitely whimsical. *swoons*

Thanks Jeanette for the lovely charm. It's gorgeous and definitely very unique! everyone shld go take a look at their site! Pls keep the new designs coming!

9) Babe

love being with Babe, whether it is just chilling out over coffee, cuddling to watch a rented vcd or even just riding in his car participating in our mini squabbles. I just enjoy every minute of it. * tee hee*... pray tt i'll have many more of such days to come. *hugz*

10) erm... i think i'll have to stop at 9. Reallie ain't got nothing more to add to this list. My bad! just tt 10 seems like such a nice number. *bleah*..

wait!!! i've got it!

10) Cupcake Hero Round-up: CLOVES

yay! the roundup is finally done! pls take a look at the gorgeous cuppies featured in this round. and my Spiced Sour Cream Poached Pear Cupcake tt i submitted is in it too! thanks Laurie for the wonderful job done and congrats the winner Minko for her Blueberry and Mango Gingerbread Cupcake with Caramelised Mango Buttercream. Woah.. sounds LONGggg.. and divine of course! I'm having a blast! and i promise to include frosting next time. A cupcake ain't a cupcake w/o frosting ain't it. so do pls check out cupcake hero ROUND 2!!!