Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year - Welcome 2012!

There's nothing like buying a pair of killer heels, especially in my size! So got a pair yesterday and am already teetering all over Shah Alam in them. Okay, so they're almost 5 inch heels, peep-toe and tantalizingly sexy - IF I dont fall flat on my face that is.....

Anyways, just a short note to say "MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY NEW YEAR" everyone! (and "everyone" on this blog means Phi, Buck, Yin and maybe Eric) so have a blessed 2012 and may it be a successful and happy year for us all!

Oh! For those who know about my studies, can you believe I'm on my final break before the finals???? So yeah! Pretty much 40% of the coursework in form of assignments and presentations etc are done. Yes, there were sleepless nights and early mornings, tonnes of coffee and plenty of curses, a million "WHY THE HELL DID I SIGN UP FOR THIS??!???!!!".

But it does feel like I blinked (and whined a lot) and suddenly, the 1st semester's ending. Suddenly it was the last lecture, and in a couple of days, final exams. Still a long way to go yet, I need 11 papers in all. CRAZY!!!!! But then again, I figured I must have been crazy when I signed up for this, so like begets like. *sigh*

Alrighty then, time to go teeter to the pantry for a hot drink.

Warm hugs to all!





.

Buttercup

It's the weekend. And here I am, sitting at the kitchen table, notes and such spread out, trying to type out a 10,000 word assignment.

So far, I've got "0", but oh well, at least I've started reading up on the thing... nevermind the looming deadline.... seriously... HELP!

But the reason I'm posting this, aside from tha fact that EVERYTHING else is suddenly so much more important than starting my assignment, (seriously, everything... like doing the laundry, or counting the pandan leaves in the garden) is to share with you my 8 inch high pillar of support.

When I'm studying, my dearest Buttercup sits with me.

When I'm bashing my brains out upstairs, she waits patiently, on her little rug at the foot of the stairs, looking up, waiting for me. "She doesn't move. She'll just sit there and stare up the stairs." says my sis.

*Be still my melting heart*

She's here now, under the kitchen table, sprawled on her belly, roasted piglet style, head on her front paws, content to simply keep me company. It's as if she knows how hard this is for me (rusted brains and all) and she is, in her own unique way, offering all the support she can muster.

I love my Cup-Cup.

I really, really do.

Ok, back to the hitting the books.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend.




.

It's Been a While....

You know when you begin a project that you thought was brilliant, had such hopes for it, thinking it'll be interesting and fun?

Well, I started one.

Thinking it'll be interesting.

Thinking it'll be fun.

2 weeks into the "Project", I sit, blankly staring at the space in front of me, listening to my own inner voice silently screaming in my ears "WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING!????!!!!??!!!"

*gulp*

It's been some time since I did this.

Give me grace, give me wisdom (although a little of this at the time of signing up for this Project would have been good - but let's look at glass half full here)...


God help me.



.

Macaroons!

ANYWAYS, I've gone and FINALLY tried my hand at making macaroons.

They have been eluding me for years now cause firstly, I never heard of them (in the early years) and then later, I turned my nose at them cause I felt "Cheh, just 2 biscuits with some filling squished in between them, WHO COULDNT DO THAT???"

That is until I found out that macaroons are the current rage and they are selling at RM4 per macaroon. Seriously. Those little neon coloured biscuits with some filling squished between them... 1.5 inch in diameter sell for more than what I'd pay for a bowl of mee hoon kueh! (not the kay-liow version with extra ikan bilis and fried onion - which would cost a bit more... but i digress).

So I tried making some. First attempt failed of course.... they rose and everything but didnt have any "feet" (*the ruffley edge running around the bottom of the macaron disc), and the surface cracked. badly. On top of that, I had followed the recipe to the T and it turned out tooth achingly-send-a-herd-of-elephants-into-diabetic-shock (hi Eric!) kinda sweet!

2nd attempt worked tho..... feet and everything. Managed to cut 60% of the sugar... wasn't very confident it'll work cause ALL the recipes warned, put motion sensors and plastered DANGER WARNING signs against messing with the recipes..... BUT ...... (as Austin Powers would say... "I like to live DANGEROUSLY...")

So i cut the sugar, piped the little macs and hoped for the best.

Curiously enough, made them in orange and pink. The orange ones rose, but without feet, but the pink ones... my NEON coloured pink ones (I was going for sweet pastel pink.. these food colouring thinggies really should come with better directions...) but anyways.... my neon pink ones rose, WITH FEET!!!!!!!!!

Oh the JOY!!!! Now I understand what these blogs mean when they talk about the "rush" they feel when a batch of macaroons turn out right... It's like you've performed.... (*Sleepless in Seatle pause for effect here) .... "MAGIC!"

So anyways, I immediately whipped up a batch of strawberry swiss meringue buttercream and sandwiched them precious pink discs together.

My sis tried it, and she, has shown her support by being straight up and almost BRUTAL in her honesty when it comes to my baking....

(Me : I think I'll bake a xxxx cake today! (*eyes shining with excitement, mind
already taking in the measurements and ingredients)

Sis : Please don't bake. I'll take you shopping, buy you anything you want, but
please don't bake...)

... actually said "WOW! Now THESE are macaroons!"

I take it that she approves.

Well anyway, neon pink or no, my little macaroons happened! And I was the happier for it.

Next project..... Salted Gula Melaka ice cream - No thanks to Eric, who MADE me (he litereally put a plastic tea spoon to my neck) try this after lunch the other day... and since then....the idea of making this has taken root in my brain and it won't go away till I have a big sloppy mess of cream, gula melaka and salt in my freezer!

Till next time!





.

More Updates!

This little beauty's getting better too...

My Buttercup :D


(and here we go again with the picture posting ritual... you know the drill... Pretend. Please...

Updates Updates Updates

Contrary to one person's belief, my blog has not died.

I've just been busy, then lazy, then preoccupied, then lazy some more and then finally, finally got down to syncing my handphone pictures to this computer... it's been a while.

So, here's a picture update on what's been happenning.... since you know, my pics are kinda grainy and not rotated properly... but hey, at least the blog's alive :D

In no particular order ....




Ok. dunno what happened, but if you see a picture of a cake with purple rosettes on it, it's the cake I baked for my brother (#2) who FINALLY FINALLY got registered. It's his "You're FINALLY married, legally too! cake". Red Velvet with Vanilla Buttercream (cause cream cheese doesn't hold up that well in our weather, and this cake had to travel a bit).



And there are some wedding cupcakes too.... for firstly, my sister in law's mother insisted on a wedding dinner, which, when MY mum got wind of (my brother HAD to invite her to this one) had a lightbulb moment and *TING!* in turn, she TOO insisted on a wedding dinner, so we ended up having 2.

For my brother's luncheon (for it was so last minute, all the dinner slots were taken - ok, it may not ALL have been taken, but since he left it to me, my mum and my sis to plan this, I decided we'd try ONE restaurant (cause I liked the food there) and THEY were fully booked for dinner, hence the Sunday wedding luncheon.

And for the lunch, I made these babies... 113 of them, in 4 different flavours. Luck of the draw, even I couldnt tell which was which.... a hotch potch of Rum & Raisin cupcakes, Orange Poppyseed, Guinness Chocolate and Lemon Lavender.

(ok will try to post pics here.... they may of course pop up at any random spot on this post, but help me out here and pretend I posted them directly below this sentence k?)

(ok, am thinking they got plonked right at the beginning of the post, but like I said... help me out here.... )

Besides baking, other things happened too... but that's another conversation, for another time.

Till then, live happy everyone!



.

Hanoi - "Oh My Buddha!"

Just got back from Hanoi.

With 3 of the bestest travel buddies anyone could ask for! Thanks guys!

So part of the itinerary was a day trip to a place of great historical significance, with 2 temples, a big lake, and some truly picturesque landscape (ok, you guessed it, I’ve forgotten what that place is called… Hoa Le or Thuam Loc or something like that.....)

It was very pretty, and the weather was a cool low 20ies.

It also had a 40 min bicycle ride in the kampungan areas, surrounded by paddy fields and duck ponds....
(Can you imagine how happy Eric, the great RPM Master was?) I swear, I heard a sigh of contentment when he put himself on that bicycle seat...

Bicycles were basic and old but functional. And the ride around the kampongs, cool fresh early evening air and the pretty paddy fields and occasional cow and duck made for a very very “The Hills are Aliiiiiiiiiiive” moment.

And then of COURSE, (cause it could ONLY happen to me) during the bike ride...I.broke.my.bike.

Really, the bicycle served me fine, until Eric and I decided it would be fun to race. BAD IDEA! Especially when one thinks of the size of the average Vietnamese person, who stands at 5’ 2” tall and weighs at the most, 50kgs (and I’m talking about the men here... the women don’t weigh anything above 35kgs and are mostly 4’ something.... barely 5’ tall)... and then there’s us, on their bicycles.

Sigh.

“Let’s race!”
“Ok!”

*happy giggles all around*

Not 2 revolutions of the wheel did I feel all resistance disappear.......
Which was exhilarating, for all of 2 nanoseconds, and then Eric did a U-turn, whizzed by me.... LAUGHING HIS HEAD OFF! WHILE.TAKING.A.VIDEO!!!!!!!!

So much for a friend indeed in my moment of need!

So I had to holler for the tourguide. Who was 100% Vietnamese (See general description of average Vietnamese above).

Hats off to him, he very gallantly offered to give me a ride on his bike.

I stood there and laughed for a minute.

All 3 travel buddies joining in mirth (No doubt already picturing the poor bicycle and more amusingly, the poor tour guide)....

Until we all realised he was serious.

So I shrugged my shoulders, said a little prayer and hopped on. He held on to my broken bike, and away we went.

v.e.r.y.....

s.l.o.w.l.y.....

Poor thing. he struggled on the flat plains, and I didn't make it any easier by laughing half the time and shooing Eric away the rest.... the rest of my beloved travel buddies were too busy laughing and taking pics to be of any help.....

And then (of COURSE) the landscape got slightly hilly. and it's just a gentle slope, not even a bonggol kinda slope, and we were almost at a standstill....

Poor thing huffed and puffed (seriously, the bike hardly moved, I was very close to doing a Fred Flinstone) and then, almost out of breath, my heroic tour guide yelled "OH MY BUDDHA! YOU ARE HEAVY!"

Basket...... *curses and scowls*

I’m sure he said other things (happily and thankfully, he was laughing too) but I couldn’t hear anything except the huge explosion of laughter from all sides (think dolby surround sound) of my dearest travel buddies.... you guys WAIT!

Tipped him and gave him accolades in the comment form.

Had such a fabulously fun fun time, even if it was really and truly a “shy only” moment.

:D

Growing Old....

How many of us have received forwarded emails containing the following joke :-

Aging:
Eventually you will reach a point
When you stop lying about your age
And start bragging about it...

We read it, laugh and enjoy a few seconds of lightheartedness.

I've received this joke several times before.

BUT, the last time I read it (just earlier today), my heart skipped a beat.

Why?

Because I just realised that that was EXACTLY what I was doing, just 2 days ago... in the gym.... talking to a bunch of Generation Y youngbies.

To their credit, they feigned disbelief (such proper upbringing these people had) and told me (as if in utter disbelief) that I looked at least 10 years younger (how I wanted to pinch their cheeks and pat the top of their heads!).

But yeah... I guess I have reached yet another stage in life.... (you know besides the permanent wobbles, aching joints, failing eyesight, thinning hair, stubborn fat and early nights) I've begun to well, not so much BRAG (ok, maybe a little) but more, I'm no longer ashamed, about my age.

Until a few weeks ago, my cheeks would burn in shame, I'd feel slightly embarrassment, and I'd look away when anyone mentions anything that pointed out my age...

Yet today, I'm ALMOST bragging.

Ok... gotta go. Time to get this triple-botox-action-anti-wrinkle-age-defying-youthful-suppleness-guaranteed mask off :D

Live young.... think wise :D



.

New Year, New Nugget....

Nugget has arrived!!!

Yeay!