iwhip.iwok.icraft

A Brand New Year

2012-01-08T19:17:00.001+08:00

No one tells you time passes by so quickly when you are working..I remember when I was studying and in school, the year will crawl by and then school holidays seem too short all the time. When I started working, I have no time to take leave and each holiday I will be bringing my laptop now iPad along to be contactable and reply emails. At the start of every year, I will already see the end of it. With every passing Christmas, I will think the next one will come before I know it and it always does! No this is not another "I am getting old" post but to reflect on the past year and make the next better.

2011 is an eventful year for many and in my own ways, here's how it has been eventful for me:

Sold my first wedding cake and perhaps the last time I baked. I think.
More involved than previous elections, I went to rallies, listened to news both on and offline and casted my first vote in my life (it has always been a walkover where I stayed in the past) and a second time during the Presidential Election.
Visited my dream country - Italy. Not for shopping but for photography. I love the Roman ruins and the architecture! It's a photographer's paradise!
Travelled to Bangkok with the bestie, a shopping trip for both of us and it was great fun!
Finally climbed (albeit a small section) of the Great Wall of China.
Went back to school again - doing a postgrad certificate - but am not missing the presentations and report writing. :(
Became an Apple convert. Well I have always been a fan but this year I added the iPad and iPhone to my list. Friends always know me to be a BlackBerry fan (I named my BB PinkBerry) and how I rave about it but I have officially crossed over to the dark side. :)

That's all I can remember for now. I am not one who makes new year resolutions for the fact (fear) I don't complete them but there are definitely some plans / milestones I hope to accomplish in the new year.

This is the year of the dragon and I made my yearly visit to Chinatown during the Chinese New Year (CNY) period. I shall let the pictures speak for themselves.

Needs a defibrillator no more

2011-11-13T21:23:00.001+08:00

It has been a super tiring week so far but everything has more or less fallen into place. A week of a lot of highs and lows and many near heart-stopping moments. Haha somehow everything just has to happen at the same time and each one is equally important and has a deadline so close. I guess that's what they say "what doesn't break you can only make you stronger".

On a happier note, here's my new ASOS Bow Ring that I just got in the mail. It's very pretty. :)

And I have just booked my trip to Beijing with the hub! I have been wanting to climb the Great Wall of China and I can't wait for the much-needed break and rest. Let the countdown begin!

Have a good week ahead! Gotta attend an event this Sat so it's going to be a longgg week...

Brand Loyal

2011-10-30T18:23:00.001+08:00

I took these photos sometime back and only found some time to post them today because I am on leave tomorrow! Have to clear my remaining annual leave before the end of the year. I am pretty brand loyal when it comes to skincare products, like what they say "don't fix it unless it's broken". :) I have dry skin and it gets worse when I travel to cold climate countries. =| I will start applying thick cream moisturiser 2 weeks before I travel, if not the itchy scratchy skin will kill me when I am on hols!

I started using Biotherm Aquasource since it was first introduced years ago (I can't remember exactly when) and have since used jars and jars that I have lost count. I like the gel version that's light and I can use it beneath my loose powder / before my make-up.

Needless to mention, I have mentioned here before that I have been using Fancl Mild Cleansing Oil and tens of bottles later I am still using it. :) It helps to remove my make-up at the end of the day, leaving my skin completely cleansed.

Light and easy to apply, the leave-in mask - Laneige Water Sleeping Pack - leaves my skin feeling soft and moisturised the next morning.

Been using variations of this for some 10 years, variations because the previous lines were discontinued and I have to use the new line before it becomes discontinued and the process starts again... Prices have been going up over the years and besides the fact that I am reluctant to try a cheaper alternative is because it stays on for the entire day (and I am talking about sometimes 10 hours work day) without needing any touch-up. Not to mention I don't bring a cosmetic bag around. :)

Lastly my blusher, been using this for years and looking at the picture, time to replenish soon! A little secret about my brush below, I have been using it since I started working and have never wash it once. =| I don't think I can ever find it anymore. It comes with a cap that's easy to store and bring around. :(

KU DÉ TA

2011-10-23T18:27:00.002+08:00

Last week was my first time at the much raved about restaurant / bar / lounge located on the 57th floor of the Marina Bay Sands which has an impressive night view. We were wondering what KU DÉ TA means and a check with the waiter reveals that it stands for Kuta, Denpasar and Tabanan.

Not knowing what to order, we were recommended the Tasting Menu at $148++ per pax (min. 2 pax) which gives us all of the below except the softshell crabs.

Elated

2011-10-19T00:23:00.003+08:00

I am elated! Remember this picture of the white-haired old man and his companion at Loch Lomond in Scotland that I said was my favourite picture during my trip to Scotland last year? I saw this Canon competition in 8 Days and submitted this same picture. My picture was picked as one of the top 10 photos! :) I am delighted to see this when I came home tonight! Please vote for me. My contestant number is 1. Voting details below.

Thanks much! :)

An Apple in Every Home

2011-10-08T19:53:00.000+08:00

Thank God the week came and gone so quickly and the hub is almost back! He has gone to Houston for work and the house is so quiet without him especially on a weekend. Last weekend before he left I was sick and stayed at home the entire weekend. I think it's nature's way of telling one to slow down and forcing you to take a break. It has been busy at work but I am enjoying every moment of it with the new product launches! :)

Dinner the hub got last Saturday. I would have enjoyed it normally but I couldn't taste a thing because I was having a running nose. :(

My fav salmon sashimi!

Thank God also for wonderful in-laws! My in-laws came last Sunday with porridge for my brunch and chicken rice for dinner because the hub was away and I am alone and sick. Thanks Mom and Dad! :)

I went to Riders Cafe for a site recee and had lunch there. The death by chocolate cake is to die for, well at least for me! :D

This week marks the death of one of the greatest inventors and legend of our era. Someone who left a piece of his work in almost every home. Over the years I have bought / received one of these (in order of when I have them):

iPod (5th generation)
iPod Shuffle
iPod Touch
MacBook Pro
iMac
iPad 2

RIP Steve Jobs.

In search of good coffee

2011-09-24T14:41:00.002+08:00

There are quite a few nice little cafes springing up in unexpected corners in Singapore, places that are not very touristy and high traffic but yet each time I was there, there were so many people! I guess we just want to chillax and get away from all the noise and buzz sometimes.

Forty Hands

78 Yong Siak Street #01-12 Singapore 163078

Tel: 6225 8545

Loysel's Toy
66 Kampong Bugis #01-01 Ture Singapore 338987
Tel: 9451 0236

I was told that if you bring this back and buy your coffee with it, you get 40 cents off.

Flat White

Cappuccino

Haha something totally not related to coffee. I am addicted to this game on the iPad called "Cookie Dozer". It's really easy to play (the hub can't understand why I like it so much, the same way I don't understand why he likes his PSIII). Try it, available on the iPhone and iPad. :)

Have a good weekend.

Hong Kong

2011-09-11T21:09:00.003+08:00

The order of the postings/photos is a little wrong, I went to HK first before the company retreat but here are some of the photos anyway. The hub and I didn't exactly plan for the trip, just decided where we want to go maybe a few days before our hols. We wanted it to be a relaxing hols with shopping and food and yes we did! We enjoyed it because it was a no-rush hols and for me, not much planning required!

Po Luo Bao

Curry Fish Balls

What's a trip to HK without Dim Sum?

Roasted Goose at YungKee Restaurant 鏞記

http://www.yungkee.com.hk

Beautiful Ceiling at Wynn Macau

Gelato at MGM Macau

Angry Birds Pens

Yes still another post with no cake or crafts :( Am guilty of that lazy bone to get some flour and sugar together. While spring cleaning the fridge, I threw away some blocks of butter because they have expired (imagine me doing that, it seldom happens) and I haven't gone spring cleaning the cupboards, won't be surprised if there are some expired stuff to throw. With all the recent travels and working late and catching up with friends, some of whom I have not seen in a while, I really didn't have time for these things, some days I just want to watch a show, read my iPad on the bed or simply doing nothing. Haha the last time I worked my KitchenAid and oven was probably more than 6 months ago! :( Will have to break that record soon.

Have a good week ahead!

Company Retreat

2011-08-07T16:35:00.004+08:00

Last month was a quick and kinda short month. I was away twice, once to Hong Kong for a personal trip with the hub and another to Sepang in Malaysia for a 3D2N company retreat. More on the Hong Kong photos later but it's some from my company retreat. We stayed at Golden Palm Tree which was a beautiful place for chillaxation. We paid RM599 per person per night for an all-inclusive package (room, 5 meals a day, open bar all day, activities, etc.). We were supposed to stay at Travelers Palm Villa but the resort upgraded all of us to Canary Palm Villa which has 2 separate rooms and ensuite bathrooms and a lounge area with a flat-screen TV.

Swimming Pool

Our Bedroom

Balcony for chillaxation

Complimentary Slippers

Activities which you can participate like biking

5 meals a day, all-inclusive

Lastly, shall end off this entry with my new baby - Nespresso CitiZ&milk which I got from the lucky draw during the retreat. Love it that I can make cappuccino and latte at home now. :)

It's Summer!

2011-07-10T23:09:00.001+08:00

Instagram-ed

2011-07-06T01:05:00.003+08:00

*Only the bottom row pictures are from Instagram, the rest from Leme Cam, another app. :)

Pink Overload

2011-06-20T18:47:00.002+08:00

If you have carried my handbag before, you must be wondering why it's soooo heavy, some say it weighs at least a few kilos and though I have never weighed it before but I believe so too. Haha and I like to think that I carry the most essentials (or at least in my opinion). =P Here's a snapshot of what's in my bag if anyone is interested to know that is. Hehe and I think the first thing you will notice is "It's sooo pink". It was never meant that way, I am not one who goes for matching everything but it just happens that I bought these things at different occasions and no doubt I like pink so... ;) The bag always feels like it weighs a tonne! Not to mention I still have a bag organiser which a colleague got for me from Taiwan and a handbag that's quite heavyy too.

The bestie and godson took off 2 Sundays ago. The 'lil boy somehow sensed that something's happening and was not quite himself during the day. He didn't laugh like he did during his last shower in grandma's, clung on to mommy and later daddy so tightly and refused to let go. Only when I took out the iPad till he let loose a little. We all miss him so much. His smile and laughters...shall visit soon!

Jeston came over last weekend and had a great time playing wii with the hub till he doesn't want to go home! The hub's like his best friend!

Jeston's favourite character in the Super Mario Kart game. Luigi. Haha he likes everything green!

Had so much fun with the app in my iPad that churns out photos like this! Love the randomness of the app and the many fun photos I get!

Have a good week! =D

I am addicted to...

2011-06-05T23:21:00.002+08:00

Gong Cha! My favourite Gong Cha is Alisan Milk Tea with White Pearl Jelly. Yum! Had that twice in a week last week with the crazy peeps from work who like Gong Cha too! :)

It's that time of the year again. Rice dumpling! My grandmas used to make them when I was young and due to old age, they have both stopped making them already. It's one of those traditions at home that unfortunately wasn't passed on. These days, none of my uncles/aunties know how to make them (my mom included) and we have to eat those we buy off the racks. Fortunately for me, my colleague's mom still makes them and I get to eat home-made rice dumplings!

A colleague who just gave birth came by and dropped off these cute 'lil cupcakes and they reminded me that I haven't baked in a longggg while. Recently I had to throw some expired butter away. Can you believe it? Sigh...the only time I threw butter away was when the power supply tripped when I was away on holiday and everything (well almost) in the fridge had to be chucked.

As promised, before I go, I am leaving you with some really adorable and likely will bring a smile to your face pictures of my 'lil boy - K.

K: "Why must I wear this?"

I love how tickled he looked! ;)

All in a day's shopping

2011-05-29T21:59:00.003+08:00

The weekend started at 3pm (officially though I only left office at 4pm) on Friday because it was "eat with your family day". It was a great weekend catching up on sleep, with friends and family, having a relaxing massage at only S$35 for 80mins (a coupon I got from BigDeal.SG) and some shopping!

Today, the hub and I went to the newly opened The Clementi Mall for some shopping and came back with bags and bags of shopping! Here goes...

1. QV Intensive Moisturising Cleanser and Feet Heel Balm (the rest were bought at other occasions - a brand I highly recommend for those with dry skin like me)

2. Hush Puppies Nude Heels in Calf Leather

3. Six bottles of honey from Yummi House

4. My favourite HL Milk in 2-litre size

5. US Cherries

6. Cut-out Alphabets for Scrapbooking at S$6.32 each with a 20% discount coupon for Popular card members from Popular Book Store (Usual S$7.90)

That's all for today. :) Err..for now, not to mention the usual blogshopping every now and then. ;) Have an awesome week ahead.

Snail Mail

2011-05-24T00:31:00.003+08:00

I waited and waited and finally all my online purchases came. :) First to arrive was my Speck PixelSkin HD Wrap Case in raspberry which protects my PinkPad all round rather than just the screen and it's in my favourite fushia pink. :D

Next up is the iPad 5-in-1 connection kit which has a slot for SD and micro SD card, USB, etc.

And a Lambency Flash Diffuser for my new camera flash. :)

If you have been to Little Bali at Gillman Village before, you know they have moved to Jurong. We recently celebrated a much belated Mothers' Day dinner there and had my favourite pumpkin sauce prawns!

Below is a picture of a customer's baby girl at a recent event. She's such a doll! Waved at us even when she just woke up from her nap. :)

K

2011-05-10T23:30:00.004+08:00

It was an eventful weekend which started on Friday celebrating and blowing candles for my 'lil godson's 18-month birthday party. Why 18 you may ask? It's because I/we won't be there for his 2nd birthday. K, godma will try to be there for your 3rd. :) Here's one of the hundreds of photos I took that day, will share more next time.

Photo edited with my newly purchased iPad app - FX Photo Studio HD

On Saturday, like every Singapore citizen, I had to cast my vote on polling day and later that day, we gathered at R's place to watch the results. The day ended in the wee hours of the day as we watched every announcement with so much anticipation and enthusiasm.

This weekend I have to attend 2 wedding dinners, 1 on Saturday for my cousin's wedding and another an ex colleague.

Till the next post, good night and happy mid week!

Much awaited new toy!

2011-05-02T17:56:00.003+08:00

We have been either going to rallies or catching up on election news on TV so decided to order takeaways one day. Have been seeing the TVCs on Pasta Mania delivery service and decided to give it a try. The portion is pretty small but it's just nice for me but not so for the hub.

I have finally got the long awaited iPad 2 / my belated Christmas pressie from the hub. I have been waiting since last Christmas. :) Bought the smart cover in pink but on second thought didn't quite like how the back of the iPad is not protected so may be replacing it with the Speck PixelSkin HD Wrap Case in raspberry.

Credits: Speck

As well as a new flash for my cam. I borrowed JW's flash for the 'lil bro's solemnisation and realised what a big difference it made to the photos. Goodbye to harsh lightings!

Had a last minute gathering at my place on Sun because Jeston was looking for the hub - his all-time best friend / playmate.

Evidence of how angry birds are gaining popularity with the number of soft-toys appearing in every other shop. :)

Comfort Food

2011-04-24T14:36:00.004+08:00

Colleagues and I have recently been going to this vegetarian joint near the office, at least once or twice a week. Besides serving the usual veggie fare, they serve noodles, rice, etc. in claypot style which I like! I have recently been introduced to this claypot mock minced meat brown rice which is nice and easy to eat, one of those comfort food you don't mind eating everyday.

A little surprise came through the mailbox the other day. It's a beautiful notepad sent from Arizona for my birthday. When you had a longgg day at work, it's these little surprises you come home to that makes the day more bearable. Thanks S!

It's almost the end of a long weekend (Friday was a public hols in Singapore) but not the last..next weekend is also a long weekend with Sunday being May Day so Monday is a also a public holiday. Woohoo to catching up on sleep and with friends!

Have a good week ahead!

To Bangkok and Back

2011-04-10T18:04:00.004+08:00

On the way back from the airport last Mon, we went to our favourite bak kwa place and grab a kg of bak kwa at Kim Peng Hiang at Kembangan. $40 for 1 kg of yummilicious, melt-in-your-mouth bak kwa. :)

What's going to Bangkok without a stop at a shop in Chatuchak Market that sells these beautiful wrappers and flowers? K and I love Bangkok for its shopping, food, accessibility to places and massage!

Wine gift bags

I still remember when I had our first family PC, it was a 486 computer with some 64 or 128MB hard disk. These days 500 GB hard disk is so common and portable hard disks are getting cheaper over time. Today I bought my first 1 TB (terabyte) or 1,000 GB with the new USB 3.0 at less than $165 that will allow me to do many many Time Machine backups without having to worry about disk full.

Back to a new work week and an upcoming event this Thu. Have a good week ahead! :)

Monday Blues No More

2011-03-28T23:47:00.003+08:00

It's Monday blues no more when you come home to a surprise! My fav KOI in the fridge for me! A little trivia for those who do not know, the word KOI came from the chinese character 豆。

Last Friday we decided to go slightly further for dinner (on weekdays we tend to just take a quick dinner in the neighbourhood) and tried this Sarawak Laksa and KL black Hokkien Mee at Jurong East.

On Saturday we went shopping at Orchard Road and I saw these interesting and retro looking fridges which I totally love but they aren't cheap. Not exactly practical for its capacity unless this is the 2nd fridge at home. Then again pretty things aren't supposed to be practical..hmm..not all I know.. :)

Have a good week ahead! Yay to 4-day work week 'coz I am heading to Bangkok with the bestie this weekend! Yay to some girly time together! :)

It's been a while...

2011-03-21T00:44:00.005+08:00

I am back

2011-02-14T03:06:00.004+08:00

If you have been reading my tweets, I was off to UK and Italy last week and just got back today. It was a work trip followed by a few leisure days in Italy. It was a dream came true for me as I have always wanted to visit the charming and romantic city of Rome with its beautiful architecture. I will be back with more peektures later on. Here's some from CNY before I left.

What's CNY without bak kwa, well at least for me. My fav is Jin Ping Xiang with 2 outlets in Singapore, one at Pearl Centre and the other at Kembangan. No CNY hikes in prices. 1kg for $40 and it's super delicious, soft and tender.

My 'lil godson Kayden

Kayden wii-ing

I bought some beads with instructions on how to make the bag below but it was too complex for me to make sense of it. So I got a colleague who is super good at this to string it together for me! It's beautifully done isn't it?

Be back soon. Happy Valentine's Day. Have a good week!

A 2-tier Wedding Cake

2011-01-16T22:01:00.002+08:00

It has been a busy week with lotsa feasting and celebration, grandma's birthday at New Majestic Hotel on Tue, buffet at Ikoi Japanese Restaurant on Wed, dinner with principal on Thu and lunch at Island Cafe on Fri.

Took leave on Fri to bake a 2-tier cake ordered by P for her best friend's solemnisation at Beaufort Sentosa on Sat. It was a fruitful day, morning I was at the agency's for radio recording for an upcoming ad tomorrow, followed by lunch w G, went to Uniqlo to get some Heat Tech long sleeve for an upcoming trip and then went to the supermart to get the flour, sugar, etc. and embarked on my baking! The baking and decorating only finished at 5am and luckily the delivery was at 3pm so I managed to catch some good sleep. :)

2 more weeks and I will get to meet my 'lil godson (the last I held him was when he was only a month old)...can't wait! Then it will be CNY, FIL's birthday, a trip to UK, KS' birthday, mom's birthday, my birthday, brother's solemnisation...it's only the 2nd week of Jan and it feels like it's going to be a busy year ahead already!!

Have a good week!

Christmas 2010

2010-12-31T03:09:00.003+08:00

S for ...

2010-12-20T23:00:00.003+08:00

Some 2 weeks ago, I got into a small accident with my car, I reversed into a metal railing in a multi-storey carpark. The railing is one of those that is very protruding and you most likely will hit it before your tyres reach the curb especially if you are driving an SUV. I parked in a single lot where I have to reverse enough before I can open the driver's door and get out. So this was what happened...the rear windscreen was shattered. :(

On a lighter note, as I stopped at a traffic junction in Orchard Road about 2 weeks ago, I took out the camera and quickly snapped a few shots of the Christmas lights this year. This used to be an annual affair with K but has since stopped when she left for Melb. =|

Had lunch with S, M and 'lil Leo last Sat who stopped over in Singapore for a day on the way from Melb to Paris. Their little cutie pie is only 8 months old and has large beautiful eyes. :)

I'm so addicted to this! I think it's natural and sugar-free. Got it at Shell at a promotional price - 2 for $3. =D

I am clearing my leave from now till end of the year with the exception of Christmas eve. I love the break - time to rest, catch up with friends and family, do some baking, sewing and simply sleep in. What are you doing this Christmas?

Will be back soon! =)

Of Family & Friends

2010-12-18T02:39:00.005+08:00

I apologise for the lack of posts. There are so many things to update but so little time to do so. But I'm now on leaveeeee till year end! I absolutely love the year end season with the rainy weather, Christmas lightings and all the catch-ups/get-togethers but not loving the calories loading. =|

Quick update on what's happening in the next 2 weeks, will be back soon for more updates. :)

Hollywood I went

2010-11-29T02:00:00.006+08:00

It's been almost 1 month since my last update. What have I been up to? This month flew by sooo fasttt. With all the events that have happened this month from a customer road trip to company D&D to flying to LA for a conference to a new product launch. Oh my...I was actually looking forward to this day, sitting down blogging that it has ended and I can finally breathe and I am sooo looking forward to my 2-week in town break from 18 Dec. :)

Here are some photos taken in LA.

Hollywood Boulevard

Kodak Theatre

Paramount Studios

Hollywood Sign

That's me with my new boots. :)

Transited in Tokyo...bought this interesting Japanese snack

Kit Kat

S dropped off Kueh Lapis for me from Aunty Felicia. Super good!

This weekend, we went to one of the annual IT fairs - Sitex and KS bought a new PC (the last one was bought 5 years ago). He has been wanting to get one since the day he found out he can't play Civilization V on his 5-year-old PC. It was so crowded that we had to push through crowds of people before reaching the HP booth.

In one of the last few posts, I mentioned that I bought a new camera - LX5. I have been wanting to replace the complimentary camera case which is a little bulky for me since I want to carry it in my handbag everyday with something lighter and more compact. I found this in ebay and got it! It fits the lens perfectly. :)

I have been looking for a camera bag for a longgg time. Every time I travel, I have to carry a camera bag and a handbag but look what I found. A carry-it-all bag from Kelly Moore. It has many compartments in front for credit cards and CF cards. Love it. Am checking with a local camera shop to find out the price...

Pictures credit to The Kelly Moore Bag

I am not working tomorrow, am going to run a few errands and enjoy a little break. Have a good week ahead!

Is it already Nov?

2010-10-30T18:02:00.005+08:00

This year came and almost gone in the blink of an eye, just like that. It's the 2nd last day of Oct and I can almost count to the last day of Nov with all the activities happening at work and another wedding dinner to attend. The last of the 6 wedding dinners this year.

Last Sun, on one of those rare occasions I went out for brekkie with KS (he usually wakes up earlier and puts brekkie and the newspaper on the table every weekend). The first thing I do when I wake up every Sat is to flip the papers and check my advertisement to check the positioning and make sure that the colour is ok, followed by brekkie. Back to last Sun, we went to the market near QL's place for lor mee (see picture below) and I went around taking photos and experimenting with the settings on my new cam.

lor mee

Old uncle selling lanterns

Roof of the car park

Slippers

You prob came across / read this at some point in your life...

Freshly roasted coffee beans

New addition to the house - the next generation all-fibre ultra-high-speed broadband network has arrived. OpenNet came and installed this so now we are just waiting to subscribe to the new service and surf at ultra high speed!!

Last weekend was all wedding dinners, one on Sat and another on Sun. Sat was S and L's wedding and I did a simple ang bao for them. Sun was G's wedding. G was my primary school friend and it was a good opportunity to catch up with friends I have not met in years at the dinner.

Earphones as wedding favour - pretty good sound quality

Pumpkin fried rice

Beautiful ceiling

Have a good weekend!!!

An early Christmas pressie

2010-10-16T23:30:00.006+08:00

The first weekend after many weeks that I finally can sit down and relax and blog. :) The simple joy of stoning or watching our all-time favourite drama - ER. I wonder who still watches ER besides us. We are at the final season of it and whenever I spoke about it among my friends, no one follows it anymore. Not religiously like us. Somehow we grew attached to the characters, after close to 15 seasons of it.

Anyway, a month back, a colleague, S, ordered a birthday cake for his wifey's 30th birthday. No real must-haves or requests and he totally left it to me to decide what goes to the cake, all he gave was a budget. He was really sweet, always knew that I wanted to start a cake business someday and decided in his own little way of supporting me by giving me my first cake order. I can't thank him enough for his faith in me and his generosity. Thanks S!

This morning I went to a wholesaler to stock up on some packaging and cake supplies. I love wholesalers like this where I can spend at least half an hour or so going up and down the aisles checking out every item. Luckily the hub has his usual DVD and electronic shops to keep him entertained while I indulge myself. :)

After that I went to Daiso for a walk, always love to check out the interesting things they have. Realised that Christmas decorations are up on the shelves. Of all the festivals in a year, Christmas is my favourite! I love the atmosphere, the wet/cold weather, the spirit of giving and sharing and the start of my self-declared annual retreat cum clearing leave period.

Ribbons!!! Took some time-off 2 Fridays ago and went to my favourite ribbon wholesaler at Arab Street. Always come out of the shop with more ribbons than I ever need in this lifetime! Every girl needs her retail therapy and this is mine! ;)

If you are wondering what the subject is all about. Well....I bought another camera...hmm ya *guilty look* yes another camera. I bought the Canon Ixus 100 last year because I needed a point-and-shoot that is small enough to carry in my bag but soon realised that it was too basic for me sooooo I bought the Lumix LX5 in white. :) Talking about cameras, my first camera was given by my sis and brother-in-law on my 21st birthday, it was a Fuji film camera. For the record, the cameras I owned/still owning are:

Fuji film camera (can't remember the model anymore)
Olympus mju 300
Panasonic Lumix FZ7
Canon 450D
Canon Ixus 100
Canon 7D
Panasonic Lumix LX5

That's all for now. I shall leave you with a picture of little Jeston. :)

You know that you need a break...

2010-10-04T00:56:00.005+08:00

when your body breaks down...it has been a super tiring past few weeks so far. Sleeping at 4-5am and waking up at 8ish with 3-4 hours of sleep a couple of times and working 7 days a week is not doing it for me...I am most of time physically tired but mentally active trying to remember the outstanding things to do. Sleeping late and not having sufficient rest has given me a sore throat, cough, running nose and backache. Most of all, I have lost my sense of taste. :( I love to eat and losing my sense of taste...Hmm... :( Haa I think I am getting old...I used to be able to do a million things and still be fine. Trying to turn in earlier today so that I can get back to work tomorrow so shall keep this post as short as possible. Let the pictures do the talking. :)

Some 2 weeks ago, Thea messaged me and asked if I can do the same cupcakes I made for Lena for her colleague's birthday. I was super excited and smiling from ear to ear!! I have cake orders this month and in Jan next year but this was THE first order. Seriously, I have never sold cakes in my life, I have always baked for family and friends...though it has always been my dream to one day sell my bakes. I had to manage her expectations and kept telling her this is the first order and I really hope it taste ok. Decorations aside, I was really concerned about how the cupcakes taste and the texture and everything. I have done this recipe many times but putting buttercream on it was the first.

I waited all day for Thea to message me on how it turned out and I am happy to hear that everyone likes the cuppies. Comments were "nice and spongy" and "nice and yummy" and I am glad that the first order was successful. :) Thanks Thea for being my first customer and making this little faraway dream of mine comes true.

If you would like to order these, leave a message and I will get back to you. :)

On the way out on Saturday evening, we saw these on the bright blue sky...kites! There is a huge kite flying community here...look at the number of kites!

Anyway we decided to hit town on Saturday since it has been months from when we last went. Orchard Road if you haven't been there in recent months has changed so much, so much more colourful with new buildings, new shops and new facade everywhere. The latest addition is Knightsbridge.

Went to the wholesaler recently and stocked up on my Pocky supply!! :)

Have a good week...I hope I get well enough tomorrow to go to work.

You know you are addicted to baking when...

2010-09-19T20:40:00.004+08:00

Yesterday I attended the weddings of 2 uni friends who coincidentally got married on the same day and in the same hotel, one was a lunch or the other a dinner. I baked a wedding cake for W (xx) and M (nini). The line on the cake came from their wedding invite. :) A and I remembered the time when we went on a holiday together with xx before he got together with nini and he was looking around for sea shells at the beach to make a gift for nini. That was 8 years ago. xx has always been and will always remain as a wonderful friend of ours. Being the only one with a car during our uni days, xx has brought us to many places, shared many fun (and scary) moments together. xx and nini will be leaving for Hong Kong tomorrow, xx has found a job there and will be relocated there for a few years. Congrats xx and nini and see you soon in HK. :)

Continuation from my title... You know you are addicted to baking when you feel moody without baking for a week! Last weekend I felt the urge to bake something and I adapted the basic butter cupcakes and added chocolate chips to it and got chocolate chip cupcakes for brekkie. :)

And I have gone on a cook book spreeee...bought magazines and books. :)

Before I go, here's my new mug! A Canon lens mug. :)

Have a great week ahead!

We have done it

2010-09-10T13:34:00.004+08:00

For those who have been waiting to see the creation of our cakes for the sugar paste class, here it is. :) We will start with my creation which is this 3-tier blue cake with tulip patterns which I love to bits. It takes a lot of effort to cut out the tulip pattern 1 by 1 and painstakingly stick them on 1 by 1. It takes a lot of patience as the pieces are rather delicate and thin so 1 piece may be broken into a few pieces and you have to join them back together and making sure it looks so well joined together that no one can see. :)

Every cake is different and it represents our individual's style. Each has its own unique flavour and charm. Our instructor asked at the end of the class whether we have ever imagined creating cakes like this and our answers were "no". I guess the class helps us understand the different techniques of playing with fondant and the only limitation is our imagination. I kinda am missing the Sat classes and the sticking of the tulips for my final test. Oh well, time to do something about that imaginary cake shop that I have always dream about.

Proudly holding my certificate. :)

Tracy's cake

Salimah's cake

Salimah created this cake with a story in mind. The groom is supposed to climb up to the top step-by-step and I really mean step-by-step, you can see the staircase that she has created for the groom to reach the top with the ring. :)

Ruth's cake

Love the pretty arrangement on Ruth's cake - the beautiful base with the roses, the nice tiara at the top of the cake and the butterflies!

Till the next update, happy new year to my Malay friends and to the rest, happy hols and long weekend. :)

It's Moments Like These You Need

2010-09-03T11:18:00.002+08:00

It's F-R-I-D-A-Y! 1 more day to my sugar paste diploma test. I took leave today to prepare for the test as we need to cover 3 layers of cake before the class/test tomorrow. I will be using 2 cake dummies and baking 1 real cake. Would love to use all 3 cake dummies but can't find the size that I need after phoning up a few stores, reason being it will be nice to be able to keep it for months after. With real cake, you have to eat or throw it away. Anyway will be doing a lot of colouring later, at least a few kilos of fondant, good way to exercise the arms!

Before I end off this quick post, besides receiving yet another bubble tea yesterday (thanks B), I received a sweet on my keyboard when I arrived at work yesterday morning. I like the copy on the sweet wrapper - It's Moments Like These You Need. Sometimes when everything is happening all at the same time, you just need something to perk you up and it's little things like this that make you smile! :)

Good weekend ahead!

The 100th Post

2010-08-29T22:44:00.003+08:00

As I was about to click on start a new post, I noticed that the last post was no. 99 which means this is my 100th post, not many by blogging standards. I recalled the time when I first started this blog with my first post about 2.5 years ago. How time flies! I hope my baking has improved over time from basic butter and chiffon cakes to chocolate and fondant cakes today. Nowhere near retail standards but I do hope one day I can sell my baking and bring smiles, joy and little surprises to people who receive or eat them. :)

Anyway last Thu I baked a small batch of butter cupcakes for my colleague's birthday. If time permits, I prefer handmade gifts for birthdays, be it cards, cakes, etc. I love receiving handmade gifts too. I am glad Lena likes them and was very touched when she saw them. That priceless look makes all the work worth it. :)

Here's my 4th lesson's creation. The cake wasn't very well covered because the aircon was turned on at home when I was covering it. New thing learned! Never cover your cakes in an aircon environment. =|

This coming week will the last and final lesson at BIY as well as the test day! We are required to do a 3-tier cake before we will be awarded our PME diploma module 1 - sugar paste technique. I am looking forward to it, seeing everyone's creation especially Salimah's! :)

Thanks for dropping by! Have a good week!

A Restful Weekend

2010-08-23T00:47:00.010+08:00

I finally had a pretty restful weekend. Besides catching up with my colleagues on Fri evening, sugar paste class on Sat, we celebrated Jeston's 3rd birthday on Sat, brekkie with the in-laws on Sun morning and some shopping in the afternoon. In addition to that I slept at 11pm on Sat till 9ish on Sun, it's a luxury to be able to sleep at 11pm these days having leaving office at 10pm and dinnering at close to 11pm. All in all, it was a great weekend! :) How was yours?

Some overdue pictures from my sugar paste class 2 Sat ago. We made a fruit basket and had a lot of fun making the fruits in different shapes and sizes. I love how my purple blanket turned out. The kiddish purplish floral blanket reminds of how a little girl's blankie looks like.

I brought the cake for my dad's birthday and put my colourful candles from Bangkok to good use.

Little Jeston seems to be enjoying the cake. I would like to think that he's a discerning food connoisseur. ;)

Pictures from the 3rd class. How time flies! We will be into our 4th class this weekend and finishing it on the 4th Sep with a test. Pass the test then we get the diploma! I haven't thought of what to do yet for the finals! Minimum 2-tier cake...any suggestions anyone?

This is from our very sweet classmate, Salimah, who made the "glue" for us with this thoughtful nail polish container that allows us to easily brush it on our fondant and stick our decorations together.

3 things that made me smile:

Jeston who turns 3 this Thu, was so glued to this particular page in the iPad toy story app that he repeated it at least 5 times to us on Sat. It was so funny thinking back and never failed to put a smile on our faces.
The little surprise "glue" that Salimah made for us.
A great weekend so far.

Bubbled

2010-08-11T23:37:00.003+08:00

It's only Wednesday! This supposedly short work week seems so long. Anyway, I received a little surprise after lunch today. FIVE cups of honey green tea from C & J (we don't sit in the same office)! Thanks babes! :) Haha I can't stop smiling whenever I see this picture. I have always joked with them that they must buy me honey green tea in return for the favours they have asked of me. Of course I was joking all the time! But who knows they bought not 1, not 2 but 5 cups! I was told to share the joy (sugar) with anyone I want. I gave away 3 and had 1 after lunch and another in the evening. Haa I never had so much bubble tea in a day! Thanks for putting a smile on my meetings-filled and busy day.

I used to like bubble tea a lot, especially in Uni and my friends and I will frequent the "Quickly" store at Lucky Plaza and order the pudding/tofu bubble tea but have stopped for many years since I began working. 3 years back, my ex-colleague, J started buying them for me and I got so addicted to it! :) She will buy them in the morning at the MRT station on the way to work and we can have bubble tea like at 9ish in the morning, at least twice a week! One of my fav is Koi milk tea, it is probably the only bubble milk tea I take these days and just 2 weeks ago, my ex-colleague left this on my desk after lunch.

As promised in the last post, pictures of my little nephew Jeston. He is turning 3 in a few weeks' time. How time flies!

3 things that made me smile:

The 5 cups of bubble tea that I received today
The wonderful colleagues around me who never fail to be so thoughtful and sweet. Be it bubble tea or the surprise dinner you guys brought back for me. (There was once I had to stay back to rush some presentation and I couldn't join them for dinner. These amazing people packed zi char and came back to office to eat out of boxes with me)
The time I spent with my family last Sun at my place

Happy National Day!

2010-08-10T01:22:00.004+08:00

Sorry for the lack of posts these days. I probably asked this before - do you sometimes feel that you need 48 hours a day? Or if I only have 24, I wish I need lesser sleep. I have been feeling that I am running out of time to do so many things e.g. updating this space. I have recently moved to another job within the company, as with all new jobs there's the initial learning phase which you wish you can learn as fast as possible so that you can do or contribute more. Having dinner at 10ish in the evening has become common for the past weeks that I was looking forward to this long weekend and to the shorter work week because of the public holiday today.

Anyway today's is Singapore's National Day and without fail, every year we will sit in front of the television to catch the parade. It feels great to celebrate the country's independence and to remind ourselves to be thankful for the peace, harmony and many things we take for granted.

Last Saturday, T and attended our first sugar paste class at Bake It Yourself. We have been wanting to do this for a while but the class got cancelled once because there wasn't enough students. It takes at least 4 to start a class. It was a lot of fun playing with fondant and thinking of what to do to on our cake. We are already looking forward to the next class. Anyway, here are some photos taken at the class.

This is my creation.

T's

Our fellow classmates'

Okie dorkie, going to turn in. Spent the weekend with the family and have taken sooo many cute photos of my nephew, shall save it for the next update.

Have a fantabulous Monday and week ahead!

Banana Raisin Muffins

2010-07-19T00:40:00.005+08:00

I can't remember how many times I have baked this but it's really easy and requires only 20 minutes baking time. I wonder if I can pre-prepare the mixture and chill it and bake it in the morning while I prepare for work, in that way I can have fresh muffins without having to wake up early to measure and mix it. Anyway, this time round, I have taken the extra step to divide the mixture equally by weighing every cup and I like how they all turned out with the same height. :)

Last weekend we visited V, C and baby Tessa who has just arrived. She's very sweet and pretty. I got her a pair of 'lil pink shoes from H&M when I was in UK and made her a photo frame with a picture daddy uploaded.

KS went to Clementi to get a new PS3, his 3-year-old PS3 broke down and being the avid gamer he is, he went down the next minute to get a new one. While waiting for him, I took some random shots of Clementi. This place brought back some memories, I used to come here with Hui and Kel during our secondary school days coz Hui used to live here and I used to come here during my Uni days for the A&W. Oh I miss the root beer float! Anyway, how has Clementi changed...with high rise buildings and soon to be completed new mall or something.

Slide i used to play when I was a child, don't see any children playing this these days...

Interesting stamps from the brother's gf who is a teacher. :)

Thanks Shin for the little pouch from Hong Kong.

It's a brand new week tomorrow with new challenges and a work trip to Phuket the following week to look forward to!

Have a fantastic week ahead!

Updates

2010-07-11T03:28:00.003+08:00

The week flew by so quickly. With a couple of changes at work, I am moving on to a new role very soon with little time left to do a handover and to take over. What's more, the week didn't start well for me with a stomach flu on Monday morning which was probably due to the bbq food I had the night before. It must be the uncooked chicken wings! :(

Anyway, some overdue pictures I have taken some time back. I received a surprise parcel a week or 2 ago from Kel. I love the slippers, toiletries and card. Thanks Kel! :)

An antique camera that a colleague brought to work, not working anymore but it looks pretty cool!

Drove to nearby Johor Bahru for a seafood feast at a Kelong last Saturday. Yes I know, the seafood on Saturday and the bbq food on Sunday...too much feasting over the same weekend probably contributed to my stomach upset.

Shoes I bought at a nearby shopping centre - Aeon Bukit Indah Shopping Centre. The heels cost RM25 which is approximately SGD11.

This flats cost RM49, approximately SGD21.20.

The in-laws recently went to Hong Kong for a holiday and SIL got me these! I will definitely put them to good use. Thanks! :)

While some kueh tutu stalls have increased their prices, this stall near the in-laws remains the same at 3pcs for $1. On weekends, you will probably see a queue with each ordering at least 9pcs.

Lastly, my latest addiction - the grape mentos! While paying for my petrol a month back, the cashier asked if I would like to get some - 3 for $2 I think and I bought them. I can finish a tube within a day! Wayyy too much sweets for someone who always has toothache. -_-

Pandan Chiffon Cake

2010-07-04T17:38:00.005+08:00

It has been quite a while since I last baked a pandan chiffon cake. Couple of Sundays ago, I saw the article on pandan cake in The Sunday Times and decided it's time to bake one! The recipe I have calls for 6 eggs! The whisking of the egg white is a very important step in making a pandan chiffon cake or any chiffon cake. You need a electric mixer to get the "firm peak" or "whisk until stiff" mentioned in many recipes. Below are some pictures I tried taking during the process of making the cake. :)

Okie dorkie, will be back with more updates sometime this week. It has been a fruitful weekend filled with a kelong seafood lunch-dinner (ate at 3ish pm) at Bukit Indah in Johor Bahru, Malaysia and BBQ today. Time for some workouts!

Chocolate Mud Cake

2010-06-25T00:22:00.003+08:00

It's Thursday and TGIF tomorrow! I had a craving for some sushi after badminton today and everyone had dinner plans so I got home and dragged KS to the nearest Sakae Sushi near my place and had sushi, chawamushi, fried tofu and salmon sashimi! :) Did I mention before my favourite cuisine is Japanese?

Anyway, I came across this recipe last week and oh my it looked so yummy that I had to try baking it. I went to Sun Lik and bought a block of 1kg Valrhona chocolate and some unsalted butter. I attempted to try another step-by-step guide to making the cake but was too busy trying to prevent my chocolate from burning that I completely forgot about taking photos! Oh well, one is better than nothing. ;)

Here's the finished product.

Last week I came home with a little gift (flowers not included) slipped under my door. The delivery man came when I wasn't around. Thanks Kel for the birthday present - a much needed and can't-wait-to-use-it massage!

Well, I am not exactly a World Cup widow coz I do enjoy some of the matches but the husband is bringing the house down with his screaming GOAALLLLL and sometimes shouting to me to quickly come watch the replay of this excellent goal. I think the whole neighbourhood can hear him! =| In preparation of the upcoming gatherings at my place to watch the remaining matches, he bought so much snacks and drinks.

3 things that made me smile:

The wonderful get-together dinner with KS and family at No Signboard Seafood at Esplanade. Thanks A for the treat. It's really nice to get together for quality family time with everyone amid our busy schedules.
The Polaroids taken with A's Fuji Instax Mini 25. Love the vintage feel of the photos. It has been a while since I have last taken photos with an instant camera and it's so much fun that I feel like getting one too!
To have the time to start my weekly baking routine again. I think I am going to make pandan cake this weekend. :)

Have a great weekend!

World Cup Craze

2010-06-14T23:49:00.006+08:00

Well not exactly but KS and I have been watching the World Cup since the first match. We don't watch every single game but the ones we support and sometimes place small bets on for the fun of it. And so far I am still in the black. :)

Anyway, KS and I (or rather more me than him) are big on recycling. Well we get these blue plastic bags outside our house every fortnightly and there's no easier way (or excuses not to) to recycle with all the convenience. So I bought these 2 bins from Ikea and line them with the blue bags (now I get 2 instead of the usual 1 coz we recycle lots of stuff) and I got the stickers "Paper" and "Plastic" from Daiso (I don't see them anymore, I bought them a while back). I throw newspapers, flyers, credit card inserts, etc. into the "Paper" bin and drink bottles, detergent bottles, shampoo/shower bottles, etc. into the "Plastic" bin. Join me in being environmentally friendly and save the earth especially if you receive these recycling bags at your door steps too.

Some purchases from my recent UK trip:

Photography magazines which are usually more expensive here with the shipping charges.

A sewing book I bought at a steal - £2.99 which is around S$6+.

No I didn't buy the fabric from UK. Recently, I made a trip to Chinatown coz I was craving for some Koi milk tea and bought these! Not sure what I am going to do with them, kinda bought it on an impulse...hmmm...I need more storage!

3 things that made me smile:

Won some $ from the World Cup games
Came home today with dinner on the table (bought by KS) and cupcakes for dessert from T
The neighbour's little girl who rushed out to say "goodbye" to me when she heard me unlocking the padlock.

Have a great week ahead!

Chocolate Velvet Cake

2010-06-06T23:39:00.004+08:00

It has been a while since I last baked and my KitchenAid Mixer is sitting in my kitchen collecting dust. While shopping at the supermarket this afternoon, I picked up The Australian Women's Weekly Easy Baking and randomly selected a recipe to try. With the book in hand, I went to find the ingredients. I had 6 blocks of butter in my fridge before I left for UK but had none when I came back because there was power failure at my place when I was away and it had to be thrown away. :(

Anyway I saw the KitchenAid mixer in my favourite fuchsia pink in UK and it's this season's colour!! Hmm...I would have bought this colour if it was available when I got mine. :|

Anyway, here's the chocolate velvet cake which was pretty easy to do. It's nice to be baking again! :)

Have a great week ahead!

My apologies!

2010-06-05T16:10:00.006+08:00

Sorry for the hiatus. I was hoping to make time to write a post about my UK trip and what I have been up to these couple of weeks but I couldn't find time to. Most often than not, I wish there are 48 hours in a day! Since I came back 2 weeks ago, besides trying to adapt to the difference in time and recovering from the jet lag (KS woke up at 5am twice to cook instant noodles!), there have been many changes at work that require adaptation as well. That's how the saying comes about how Change is the only constant.

I shall not go into the boring details but something that puts me a smile on my face today. I have been telling a few good friends that I wish I can win the local lottery so that I can open a cake shop that sells my cakes, baking supplies and equipment as well as conducts classes. In fact recently I have been discussing with T about taking up classes at Le Cordon Bleu (LCB) which is the de place that alot of people go to (there may be others that I am not aware of). To take a more in-depth/full-time class at LCB, I need to take a couple of months off work and commit myself to doing it. It's not a decision I can decide to take now, there are way too many considerations. At the moment, well this remains a dream. Anyway, the thing that makes me smile today is a friend told me that he wants to invest in my cake shop as a sleeping partner. It felt really good to have someone who believes in me and what I do. Thanks C, I am not sure if you get your return on investment so fast...

Last week was also a week of wrapping pressies, 3 to be exact, here is a picture of 2.

And a card for S who left us for Arizona to join her husband and will be back in 2 years. S, we can't wait to try your cooking! :)

Here are some photos from the recent UK hols.

I love this signage with a sewing machine hanging on it. How cool is that! This shop sells sewing machines.

I love the beautiful English houses. Generally, I like old English architecture, they usually have this charm around them.

This is my favourite photo. It's really serene, the white-haired old man with his dog, reading papers facing the peaceful lake. I think that's where I want to be when I am old. :)

I really missed this place when I came back! It's sooo peaceful and relaxing!

3 things that made me smile:

C, who wants to invest in my cake business
The people who believes in me and what I can deliver
Skyping with the bestie and baby K who has grew sooo much! Such a sweetie now! Can't wait to carry you in my arms next CNY!

Back in 2 weeks!

2010-05-07T21:08:00.004+08:00

Sorrry for missing in action for 2 weeks! Work, doing the itinerary and the new camera (yes new camera again) kept me busy for the past 2 weeks. I am sneaking in a quick post before making my way to the airport.

As promised, here are the pictures of the pressie which KS spent a thousand Hong Kong dollars on which in my opinion is wayyyy too expensive!

Yup I bought yet another camera. This time round an upgrade from my 450D. I was thinking for a long time between the 7D and the 5DMKII and after much consideration decided on the 7D.

Recently I am addicted to this game called "Words With Friends" - it's like scrabble but you play it on iPhone/iPod Touch and today the following words appeared and I thought it was rather amusing!

Thanks Y for the yummy biscuits! Reminds me of childhood, I had quite abit of these when I was young. :)

Gotta run! See you in 2 weeks! :)

Two Surprises

2010-04-18T23:01:00.004+08:00

What better way to end the weekend than having my favourite Ben and Jerry's ice-cream and blogging at the same time. I love the mini tubs rather than the regular tub coz I can have it without having to scoop it from the tub to my cup (usually with a lot of force especially when I just took it out from the freezer) and washing the cup after. :) My favourite is Strawberry Cheesecake, what's yours?

It has been a crazy week with so many things happening at the same time that I felt breathless sometimes but the husband came back with a nice surprise that makes me forgets everything in an instant. What better place to hide a pressie than in a place you least expect it? I was going to have my shower on Friday night when I saw something 2 lovely nude-pink boxes perched on top of my towel rail. More pictures of the contents in the next update as I haven't had time to take photos.

Before I go (to continue with my UK itinerary though I am not sure whether I can still go with the current volcanic eruption and plume in the European sky), KS broke an egg into his bowl of maggie mee and saw this twin egg yolk. This is probably the first time I saw a twin egg yolk, have you?

3 things that made me smile this week:

My 'lil bathroom surprise
Finding a pair of scissors in a parcel that was accidentally packed in
The relaxing weekend

Have a fantabulous week ahead. :)

I wish there are 48 hours in a day!

2010-04-11T23:33:00.003+08:00

I am taking a short break from work for this post. I have been working late this week and sometimes wish that there are 48 hours in a day so that I can do more or I wish that I need lesser sleep. I am someone who needs her minimum 8 hours of sleep to feel completely rested. This is a luxury on weekdays.

It was a great weekend catching up with friends. Thanks Joan for the lovely belated birthday pressie. I love the angsana ring and I wore it out today already! :)

I am super late on planning for my UK trip which is less than a month away. Nothing's booked, no car, no hotel, no day tours, nothing! Ok I am not panicking yet coz it's not next week but still..it's in less than a month's time. I will start working on the itinerary this week when KS is away on business trip again. Thanks JW and M for the UK books. I will start reading them verrry soon.

3 things that made me smile:

The lovely belated birthday pressie
Catching up with 3 groups of friends this weekend
Finishing a project coz I worked on Sat!

Have a lovely week ahead! Tomorrow will be a better day!

Mango Sago with Pomelo

2010-04-03T16:17:00.004+08:00

What do you do when you have pomelo at home besides eating it as a fruit? I decided to look for a recipe to make our favourite dessert - Mango Sago with Pomelo.

I found this recipe that seems rather easy to do and decided to put the pomelo to some good use. Not to mention, mangoes are in season and easily available at $1 each at the market.

Mango Sago with Pomelo

Ingredients:
100g sago pearls
150g mango puree
1 fresh mango, peeled and diced
1/4 fresh pomelo, peeled and separated
200 ml fresh milk
250 ml evaporated milk
120g white granulated sugar
200 ml water
200g ice cubes

Step 5: Allow the mixture to cool completely and chill it in the fridge for at least 3 hours.

Step 6: Serve with diced mango and pomelo.

Here it is. I brought it to a gathering, perfect for a dessert after a steamboat dinner!

Philippines Goodies

2010-03-28T18:32:00.006+08:00

My fifth and last birthday cake. I just had my last birthday gathering for this year yesterday at Everything with Fries at Holland Village.

Thanks A, M and S for the fantastic cheese cake from NYDC!

KS is finally back from Manila! There was a 6.2-magnitude earthquake in Manila on Thursday and he could feel the shake. Anyway, he has brought my favourite 7D dried mangoes back! :) After reading about the wonderful bread from T's, I have asked KS to bring some back for me. The Mary Grace Homemade Ensaymadas is so buttery, flavourful, soft and moist that you can't stop at one. It's one of the must-buys apart from the 7D dried mangoes that you have to try when you are in Philippines. You can keep them for up to 30 days by freezing it in an air-tight container and put it in the microwave oven for 10 seconds when you feel like having one anytime.

He also got me the Chicharon - pork skin cooked in pork oil. It's very crispy and yummy.

He got some pomelo back too, am hoping to make some mango pomelo dessert with it. I will post some pictures if I have time to make it. Okie dorkie, need to start working on my itinerary for UK. Yes I am going to UK in May, am looking forward to it. :)

3 things that made me smile today/this weekend:

KS is back safe and sound from Manila
He has brought back lots of my favourite 7D dried mangoes and Ensaymadas
I watched a fantastic documentary on dolphins in captivity in Japan

Mid Week

2010-03-24T21:37:00.004+08:00

It's Wednesday today and I am loving it! Some people like Fridays because it's the day before the weekend but I like Wednesdays - it means that half the week is gone and the weekend is almost here. For this week, Wednesday means KS will be back in 2 days' time. He has gone on a business trip and I am home alone. The house feels quiet and lifeless...

Anyway, I have been wanting to blog about this since T told me last weekend that my tutorial on the camera pouch was featured on Sew Chic and Unique. I was thrilled and excited! :) Never did I expect someone will pick up my tutorial and feature it. Thanks Mayya!

As mentioned in my previous post, I shall include the 3 things that made me smile today/this week in every post:

Specially prepared home-cooked dinner at mom's on Mon and today
Eating my favourite ice kachang yesterday at Adam Road Hawker Centre (forgot to take a picture as the ice was melting so quickly)
Being featured on Sew Chic and Unique

That's all for this short post. Before I go, I am proud to share that the Singapore Changi Airport is named World's Best Airport.

A year older

2010-03-21T16:39:00.006+08:00

The weather is rather erratic these days, it was scorching on one day (sometimes I just feel like taking mid day showers after lunch) and rainy on the other like today. I am not complaining about the rain though. I love rainy Sundays where I can just relax with a cuppa in my hand and magazine on the other.

I have been eating soooo much over the past week that no amount of exercise or running will be enough to work the extra calories off! I am thankful and grateful for the sweetest people around me who have surprised me with birthday greetings, cakes, pressies and treats! Thanks for remembering my birthday. I am not a big birthday party person and every birthday just feels the same to me but it is the special people around me that made it special for me.

Thanks Hui for the surprise cupcakes! You never fail to bring that smile on my face year after year even though you are so far away.

Thanks to the lovely people at work for the treat and cake (I forgot to take a picture of the entire cake - here's the piece I had).

A birthday cake from KS, celebrated with the family.

Thanks Sis for the deliciously good birthday cake!

It's a yearly tradition that my mom and MIL will make the mee sua for my birthday and I love it!

Of all the pressies that I receive every year, one of them is definitely a baking book. Here's one more to my library of cookbooks. :)

I was listening to Class 95 Cartunes the other day and the DJs spoke about 3 things that made them smile so I thought I shall attempt to add this to my posts from now on. So here it goes, the 3 things that made me smile today:

I woke up to a breakfast bought by KS and get to eat it in the comfort of my house with the lovely rainy weather outside.
I skyped with the bestie an hour ago and saw how much my dear godson has grown since I last saw him in Dec last year. He's 4 months old, measures 60cm and weighs 6kg.
The rainy weather today!

What are the 3 things that made you smile today? Make a list too!

Have a great week ahead!

Overdue

2010-03-07T00:29:00.006+08:00

I wanted to do this post last Sun (I try to have a post once a week) but I was busy and tired. I attended a friend's birthday party at Aloha Loyang to celebrate her "21st" birthday. S is always in constant denial over how old she is and I am starting to understand why as I am approaching my birthday next week. I was telling friends how I think I am getting some mid life crisis and they all went "you are too young to be talking about mid life crisis" and totally ignored me. Ha. Oh well the lines on my hands are real and obvious. =p

Anyway KS and I decided to order in last Sat and I have been bugging him for the longest time to order pizza. He's no fan of pizza but I was craving for some. In the end, I had pizza not just for dinner but for brekkie the next day again. We ordered Canadian 1-for-1 pizza and we couldn't finish it over one meal. Not to mention, we ordered chicken wings and garlic bread too.

I have been wanting to colour my hair for sometime but have been procrastinating for quite a while. I hate sitting in the salon colouring my hair and having absolutely nothing to do for that hour or two so I decided to try this! I remember seeing this in magazines and on the shelves of Watsons and thought it seems rather easy to DIY on my hair so I tried! It wasn't just easy to use but the result was good.

I bought the BB Bold 9700 as a Christmas pressie for myself but didn't like the original black cover so I bought a PINK one and renamed my BB to PinkBerry. :)

Remember back in January I took some photos for a wedding solemnisation? I wasn't expecting to be paid for it because I am not a professional photographer and photography is more of a hobby than a job. In the end, I was given vouchers and ang bao by the bride and her mom so I decided to make this little gift for them. :) I hope they like this coffeetable book.

I am looking forward to skype-ing with Kayden tomorrow. I haven't seen my dear godson since I came back in December last year. Most probably heading to the office to do some work.

Have a great week ahead. :)

It's Orange!

2010-02-22T22:48:00.004+08:00

As mentioned in my previous post, I was going to have a orange and black theme party last weekend. There were 8 of us and 1 kid - all showed up in shades of orange and black. :) It was a 'lil silly but fun! We had steamboat (and I had it again the next day from the leftovers), yusheng and wine. Some played Wii and others mahjong. It was a great night with good food, good wine and good company!

How many lo-heis have you had so far? I had 4 rounds already and 1 more tomorrow and hopefully the last. :) So much feasting the last couple of days makes me feel like eating cereal for dinner sometimes and well, time to start the exercise regime!! '___'

That's all for now. Have a great week ahead! It's back to normal work-week starting todayyyy...

Universal Studios Singapore

2010-02-17T02:00:00.003+08:00

As promised, here are some pictures of the new Universal Studios Singapore. If you have not visited Singapore before or for a long time, it's time to visit us.

It's back to work tomorrow or rather in a couple of hours' time, I am still in my festive/CNY mood but well, it's Wednesday tomorrow which means a short work week! I am looking forward to a orange and black (the year of the Tiger) themed gathering this Saturday. Everyone has to come dressed in orange and black to gain entry to my house and we are doing steamboat for dinner. Haa I know it sounds a little silly but guess it will be pretty fun! =p

Homemade Lemon Tea

2010-02-14T14:27:00.002+08:00

It's time for some homemade lemon tea. :) I got the recipe from Aunty Angela who made this for baby K's baby shower in Melbourne. I love it and so I asked for the recipe which is rather easy to make. Here it goes.

When you are done with the above, pour it into a l-litre container and chill it. There you have it - homemade lemon tea. :)

Happy Lunar New Year! May the year of the Tiger bring you good health, joy, happiness, success and prosperity.

Next up will be some pictures of the new Universal Studios Singapore.

Butter Cookies

2010-02-07T23:36:00.005+08:00

I have started the CNY baking on Sat and got a batch of melts-in-your-mouth butter cookies. KS, who is usually not a fan of cookies, loves them! He goes "HmmMMm.." with thumbs-up! :)

I don't sell the cookies but if you would like to order them, you may get it from my friend's mom but according to her, she doesn't take in orders for the cookies during CNY.

I have already started pigging out on all the yummy CNY goodies from cookies to pineapple tarts to bak kwa. I can't imagine when CNY comes next weekend with the reunion dinners and more gatherings.. Hmm..need to re-start my exercise regime sooonnn..

Have a good week ahead!

Happy Tiger New Year

2010-02-07T02:25:00.004+08:00

Chinese New Year to me, is not complete without a visit to Chinatown. The atmosphere, lights, noise, people, food and everything else complete the whole experience! The new year will be the year of the Tiger in the Chinese Zodiac so check out the different Tiger soft toys I saw! :)

I hope to be back with photos of my melt-in-your-mouth, irresistible and unstoppable butter cookies. :)

Back with more pictures!

2010-02-05T23:38:00.015+08:00

I apologise for the lack of updates/posts. I have been busy since my last post. Two weeks ago I was tasked to take photos at a wedding solemnisation which I have never done before. I have been taking photos leisurely but never for someone's big day. I pre-warned the bride so as to set the expectations right. Here are two of the shots.

After the solemnisation, I headed to Hard Rock Hotel at the new Resorts World Sentosa to celebrate our wedding anniversary.

Entrance

Deluxe King Room

Lift

Casino Entrance

Hard Rock Hotel Singapore's Pool

As the Lunar New Year is drawing near, I continued with my spring-cleaning and was determined to clear out more things. I found the many empty bottles of Fancl Mild Cleansing Oil bottles under my sink cabinet. I don't know why I was keeping them, anyway, it's time to throw them all out. I have used sooo many bottles and these are just some of them.

In the name (excuse) of Lunar New Year - new clothes, new shoes, new bags, etc., I bought a new pair of heels which I totally love! It has this beautiful lace and red sole which is just pretty! Oh well, I just don't know when I am going to wear them because the heel is 4". It wasn't easy walking around in them. :|

That's all for now. I am going to start my new year baking tomorrow, yes I know it's abit too late but well, better late than never. I hope to be able to persuade KS to go to Chinatown with me tomorrow to take some shots. :)

Have a good weekend!

Nude is the New Black

2010-01-17T19:35:00.009+08:00

At least for me! I am obsessed with nude colour, from shoes to clothes to bags... As I was taking photos of my shoes last weekend, I started realising that I have 6 pairs of nude shoes from heels to slip-ons to flats and I just bought another pair of nude suede flats online that don't quite fit me. I used to tell KS that the reason why I have so many pairs of shoes was because I need different shoes to match different outfit but with so many pairs of the same colour, I think he will start questioning the truth of it.. =|

Anyway the reason for taking these pictures is because I want to label my shoes boxes with pictures of my shoes. More often than not, I start forgetting that I have some shoes and end up wearing the same shoes day in day out.

Enough about the shoes, I am sure by now you realise that I have changed the skin of my blog. I was getting a 'lil tired of the old look and wanted a change so here it is. New year new look. =)

Before I go, I thought I will leave you with a picture of A's 30th birthday cake with not 3 big candles but 30 small candles to mark the transition to the next phase of her life... Happy Birthday A! =)

I am looking forward to the new week. My help is coming in tomorrow, a company gathering on Fri and KS' couz' solemnisation on Sat. Have a great week ahead!

It wasn't meant to be a shoes post

2010-01-11T00:26:00.002+08:00

It's past midnight on a Sunday and I am still not done with the things I want to do for the day including this post on my shoes photography session I did this afternoon as part of my spring-cleaning exercise. Just a sneak preview of one of the shots, will be back to post the rest sometime this week.

Have a good week ahead! My help is coming in next Mon and I am looking forward to it! =)

Spring Cleaning

2010-01-02T01:27:00.007+08:00

Happy New Year everyone! It's the first day of the new year and a decade after the millennium which seems like yesterday. I still remember vividly the countdown at Orchard Road and how we walked back from Orchard Road to Redhill in the wee hours of the day. How time flies! Anyway instead of the usual new year resolutions post on the new year, I shall put that off for a little while longer because I haven't exactly thought about them yet.

Over the last few days of 2009, KS and I decided that we should do some spring-cleaning and tidy up the house. Can you believe that the things I brought over from my mom's place since I moved in here in 2008 were still in boxes? Well, time to clear out some unwanted stuff and organise the storeroom...and so we did! I found some really old stuff in the boxes:

1. Report Books

2. Autograph Books - I guess we have one or two of these at some point in our lives - I can't remember how many I have but it's interesting to flip through them now and read the comments that your friends left you. Below is a page written by my bestie when we were 16 and it kinda put a smile to my face at the comments we wrote! =) Haa it will be interesting if someone can show me a page I wrote when I was 16.

3. Health Booklet - I don't know whether they still have this now but each of us has one when we were 7 (primary 1) and it records things like our height, weight, eye sight, teeth condition, etc.

4. Result Slips

5. School Selection Slips - you know the confirmation slips you received after you have chosen which schools you want to enter?

6. Lecture Notes / Books - err.. my notes were from JC to Uni. I still can't bear to throw them away because they are neatly bound into booklets.. ;)

7. Soft Toys - accumulated over the years, 4 big boxes of them!

8. Coke Cans - from all over the world, different shapes and sizes.

9. Two Old Palm PDAs - gadgets will always remain my soft spot. You can ask KS, whenever I have a new gadget, my face will light up and I will spend hours exploring it.

10. Foreign Currencies - coins from all over the world.

11. Paper Bags - told KS to remind me to bring along a recyclable bag the next time I go shopping, threw away at least 2-3 big bags of them!

12. Wrapping Paper - you won't believe how many I have collected over the years, I love wrapping paper and how it adds that special touch to each packaging but I have thrown some away as they have turned yellow over the years and simply because I have no space for them anymore. =(

13. Ribbons - needless to explain as you can see from my previous posts about my love (addiction) for them.

14. Canvasses / Acrylic Paint - when I moved over here, I wanted to do some paintings for the house instead of buying them - started with one but never complete it. =(

15. Cross Stitch and Leftover Threads - I used to like doing cross stitch when I was 14? I had this beautiful Precious Moments design cross stitch which I have been putting off to the next and next and next school holiday but never complete it because whenever the school holiday arrived, there were always new and more fun things to do. =p

16. More Art and Crafts stuff

17. Cooking Books / Recipes

18. Gifts - from birthday to Christmas, I have kept them all...

19. Cards / Letters - birthday cards, Christmas cards, new year cards, etc. Haa before the Internet and email age, we still rely very much on snail mail and I love that special touch and effort that were put into writing each letter.

20. Photo Albums - I used to spend a lot of time putting them together, keeping things like air tickets, train tickets, theme park entry passes, etc. but unfortunately I don't have the time to do them anymore. =( All the photos remain in softcopies in my comp.

21. Post Cards - my friends and I used to collect tonnes and tonnes of post cards from advertisements to movies...

22. And the list goes on...

I have cleared many things I used to collect because I no longer have space for them but there are a few things that I will never stop adding to my collection and they are:

1. Art and Crafts (that includes paper, fabric, ribbons, craft punch, stamps, markers, cardboards, stickers, art and crafts books, etc.)

2. Cooking Books / Bakingware (cookie cutters, pans, etc.)

3. Photography Books / Camera Equipment

4. Gadgets

Well, that's all for now. I hope my next spring cleaning will be less tedious than this one but before I can officially say "spring cleaning is over", I have to clear out some old clothes, bags and shoes! I will try to take some pictures if I remember to during the process. =)

Till the next post, I would like to wish everyone a fantabulous new year filled with surprises, happiness, joy, success and good health!

Christmas

2009-12-27T00:00:00.006+08:00

I hope you have had a great hols so far! Time flies, it was as though we just gathered for Christmas party last year and before we know it, it came and went again. Well, the most memorable thing this Christmas party has to be the 3.5kg turkey that we struggled to finish among other things such as pork ribs (2kg), pasta, meatballs, bacon with asparagus, beef with mushroom, nachos, croquettes, shepherd's pie, mashed potato and a log cake.

After much effort, we only managed to eat 20% of the turkey. I had to bring the turkey for the next Christmas gathering the following day. The rest...hmm..I conveniently left it at my friend's place and suggested that the family can do sandwich, porridge, fry with veggies, etc. with it. ;p

Here's the bacon with asparagus and beef with enokitake mushroom that I brought over for the party. They are really easy to prepare and eat at a party.

I am on leave next week and going back to work for 1/2 day on 31 Dec and back to work again on 4 Jan! That leaves me lots of time to do some spring cleaning (yes, I have been buying and buying from clothes to ribbons to fabric to more cookie cutters), crafting and baking!

Merry Christmas and a fantabulous 2010 ahead! =)

Melbourne

2009-12-10T14:17:00.003+08:00

Sorry for the lack of updates. I am in Melbourne now, visiting my bestie and godson! Baby K can't call Godma yet and has been a little naughty, falling asleep and choking on his feeds. It's interesting to watch him sleep as he sometimes smiles in his sleeps..a sweet dream perhaps? He yawns at least a hundred times a day... I love his 'lil fingers and toes... =)

Yet another chocolate cake and tissue pouch

2009-11-16T00:12:00.003+08:00

Last Saturday KS and I were invited over to S and M's place for a home-cooked Japanese dinner. Told by the wonderful hosts not to prepare anything, I decided to surprise them with a simple valrhona chocolate cake for dessert as well as a tube of Ben and Jerry's. I have baked this before but this time round, I added the strawberries. So much for the surprise that they have also bought some cakes so we didn't get to eat this. I hope it taste ok S?

Here's a tissue pouch that I sewed for M - a beautiful Japanese lady with excellent culinary skills that left KS and I completely satisfied after a 9-10 courses dinner!

Have a fantastic week ahead! I am counting down to Melbourne to see and carry my 'lil sweetie godson!

It's been 3 weeks

2009-10-31T19:16:00.005+08:00

Im guilty of not updating this blog more often. After the major event was over at work, my colleague left and I have to hold the fort alone with never-ending requests, meetings and a major presentation to a overseas VIP. Now that the dust has settled abit, though I have not found a replacement yet but things are getting slightly more manageable. I managed to squeeze in a short 3D2N holiday to Bangkok. We ate/shopped/walked so much during the 2.5 days that no amount of massage we had was enough. =) I bought this top which all my friends said that it's so me because I have a Canon SLR and love photography!

I didn't buy this in Bangkok, I just bought this crimper this morning at IMM. I chanced upon it when I was shopping for bakingware at Star Net Marketing. Extremely useful for squeezing out the last bits in your cream, toothpaste, etc.

Hope to find some time to bake something tomorrow! Have a fantastic weekend!

Baby K's Full Moon Party Invite

2009-10-07T00:50:00.007+08:00

I am back! After my major event ended 1 week ago, I finally took a break yesterday and went to run some errands and did some shopping with my mom. I can't believe I walked out of the shop $275 poorer. My ultra-patient mom looked at and commented on the over 10pcs of dresses that the super enthusiastic shop assistant handed me with. Oh and before that, I went to this baking-ware shop that I have been wanting to go for some time and bought the mahjong chocolate mould that I intend to use it to make either chocolate or agar-agar.

During the break, I have designed this long overdue invite that I promise K for my dearest godson's full moon party. Baby K is arriving in slightly over 1 month's time and I am super excited! I can't wait to be in Melbourne in Dec! =)

MIA

2009-09-11T22:30:00.003+08:00

Sorry for the lack of posts for the last 2 weeks as I have been extremely tied up at work. Some days I sleep at 4ish am and some 2ish am photoshopping banners and backdrop, coordinating with various contractors for an upcoming event and interviewing candidates because a colleague is leaving. You know the feeling when everything is happening at the same time and requires your attention to each with the same detail. Hehe but just 2 days ago, I felt a surge of positive energy and it really helped make me feel that I can DO it! Sometimes you just need to psych yourself up I guess. =)

Have a good weekend and I hope to be able to sew or bake something this weekend if I still have time after writing a press release.

Polka Dots Galore!

2009-09-01T00:17:00.002+08:00

Mom has requested for a mobilephone pouch after seeing my camera pouch. It took me a while before I managed to find some time to work on this. Feeling the need to do something to do with the new metal purse frames I bought at Daiso, I did this pouch below.

The tissue holder below is also a request from a good friend.

J for Jeston

2009-08-23T04:24:00.003+08:00

Here's a little cookie I wanted to make in numbers for Jeston's 2nd birthday giveaways but I only managed one in the end! The cookie dough (a new recipe) took longer than usual to be worked on, after refrigerating it for couple of hours, the dough was still too crumbly to be worked on so I decided to freeze it instead. By the time I was done with baking, it was too late to work on the fondant so I only managed one!

Baby Alexa

2009-08-20T21:52:00.002+08:00

I have received this sweet baby first month thank you package instead of the usual cake and eggs and I totally love it! The chocolate is very rich and and melts in your mouth. =) Thanks to daddy HL and mummy A!

Sweet Little Slippers

2009-08-11T21:42:00.002+08:00

I love this sweet little pair of slippers I found on etsy, bought the design and embarked on my little project. Here's one side of the slippers, am going to do the other this weekend or next. =)

When everything is at $2 each...

2009-08-11T21:33:00.003+08:00

When everything is priced at $2 each, you forget how much you are accumulating in the basket you are carrying. I was at Daiso yesterday and spent at least 1 hour in the store at IMM, going through the various sections and spending a little more time at the crafts section. Without knowing how many items I've got, I checked out at the cashier and to my horror, I got 19 items which I totally can't remember why there are sooo many items! Hmm....(anyway, I love the metal frames - in various sizes - I found to make purses and the punch to make fabric-covered buttons). Woohooo!

A New Lens

2009-08-08T00:37:00.002+08:00

I am sooo glad the weekend is here and it's Singapore's 44th Birthday on Sunday so Monday's a public hols! More time for my photography, baking and sewing! Not forgetting catching with family and friends!

Anyway, I have bought a new 50mm prime lens with a UV filter and can't wait to start shooting away. While looking around for things to shoot at home, I found this bottle of wine that Sun gave me for designing her namecards and decided to use it as my subject! Here's one of the shots. I can't wait to take more photos with it when little Jeston comes over tomorrow and in Bali next week!

The future race car driver...

2009-08-03T23:16:00.003+08:00

My little nephew is turning 2 in 23 days' time and an aspiring F1 driver! He was turning the steering wheel for at least 30 mins, pressing every button his little, tiny fingers can press - one minute the windows came down, another minute the radio was turned off. The only thing that he was afraid of was when the wipers came sweeping from one end to the other.

Happy Birthday Jeston!

Featured...

2009-07-30T00:53:00.006+08:00

In the past month or so, I was busy with taking photos for a friend's food business as mentioned in one of my previous entries. In the latest issue of U-Weekly, there was a feature on Cantonese food and her shop was one of those picked to be featured in this supplement and I am glad that my amateur food photos appeared in the feature! =)

I certainly hope this feature (and the photos) will bring increased traffic to her 3-month-old shop!

D's Birthday Card

2009-07-27T22:13:00.004+08:00

Dionne's birthday was round the corner and I was thinking real hard on what to get for our very creative architect who made me the chef apron. In the end, I bought her a pressie and decided to make a simple birthday card inspired by Kristina Werner for her. =)

Basic Butter Cake

2009-07-20T01:14:00.003+08:00

Desperate to use my KitchenAid and yet have limited time on hand, I decided to bake a basic butter cake for breakfast tomorrow. I may use this again to make a birthday cake for my dad next month.

It's been a while...

2009-07-18T00:30:00.006+08:00

It's been almost 3 weeks since my last blog entry and I wished I had more time to bake or craft something. I have been busy helping a friend who has just started a food business take photographs for her menu and posters as well as doing up these collaterals.

It was challenging but an interesting experience playing around with the food layouts and "props" and setting up my DIY lighting tent with a box, white cloth and table lamp. Great for taking pictures of small objects indoors without any daylight. Definitely not the best pictures with my limited lens but at least something for her to start with. Here's one of the pictures, more can be found on my food blog (shall not turn this entry into a food writeup).

I wish I have some bakes or crafts to show you but stay tuned, I will be back soon with these, the things I miss doing so much! My KitchenAid is sitting on my kitchen top, telling me to use it everyday I walk into the kitchen. =)

Have a good weekend everyone!

Fudge-Frosted Chocolate Cupcakes

2009-06-30T00:10:00.007+08:00

Fudge-Frosted Chocolate Cupcakes (prep+cook time 1 hour 10 minutes makes 24)

Ingredients:
Cupcakes
2 cups (500ml) hot water
75g cocoa powder, sifted
250g butter, softened
440g caster sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 eggs
225g plain flour
150g self-raising flour
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
silver cachous

Fudge Frosting
50g butter, softened
1/4 cup (60ml) milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
25g cocoa powder
320g icing sugar

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 180degC/160degC fan-forced. Line two 12-hole (1/3 cup/80ml) muffin pans with paper cases.
2. Whisk the water and cocoa powder together in medium bowl.
3. Beat butter, sugar and vanilla extract in large bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Fold in half of the combined sifted flour and soda then half of the cocoa mixture; stir in remaining flour mixture and cocoa mixture until just combined.
4. Divide mixture among paper cases; bake about 25 minutes. Cool cakes in pans 5 minutes before turning onto wire racks to cool.
5. Meanwhile, make fudge frosting. Spread frosting over cakes; decorate with cachous.

Fudge Frosting
1. Beat butter in medium bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy.
2. Add milk, vanilla extract, sifted cocoa powder and half the sifted icing sugar; beat about 5 minutes or until light and fluffy.
3. Add remaining sifted icing sugar; beat a further 5 minutes.

Lil' Hair Clips

2009-06-27T00:34:00.004+08:00

Have been wanting to do something with the tonnes of ribbons that I have been buying and buying without knowing what to do with them. I think I have about 50 rolls or more (do not really want to know actually so have never counted them before). ;)

J came to my place the other day and said that her sis was looking for some ribbons for her 4-year-old niece so I decided to make these clips (hopefully there is one that she likes!).

Five Stones

2009-06-21T03:06:00.005+08:00

I was talking to E one day and she mentioned that she wants to make and play five stones - a game that I used to play when I was little. It brought back many happy memories of the other games I used to play when I was a child. I immediately googled and found these steps from this blog on how to sew the five stones.

One-Bowl Chocolate Cake

2009-06-14T16:23:00.005+08:00

This is my first attempt with my new KitchenAid® Stand Mixer. We were invited over to Robin and Faye's new place for steamboat and I decided to make a cake for dessert.

Here's the receipe from the The Australian Women's Weekly Classic Cakes:

One-Bowl Chocolate Cake (prep + cook time 1 hour 20 minutes serves 20)
Cake
125g butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
275g caster sugar
2 eggs
200g self-raising flour
50g cocoa powder
2/3 cup (160ml) water

Chocolate Icing
90g dark eating chocolate, chopped coarsely
30g butter, softened
160g icing sugar
2 tablespoons hot water

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 180degC/160degC fan-forced. Grease deep 20-cm round cake pan; line with baking paper.
2. Beat butter, extract, sugar, eggs, sifted flour and cocoa powder, and the water in large bowl with electric mixer on low speed until ingredients are combined. Increase speed to medium; beat about 3 minutes or until mixture is smooth and pale in colour.
3. Spread mixture into pan; bake about 1 hour. Stand cake in pan 5 minutes before turning, top-side up, onto wire rack to cool.
4. Meanwhile, make chocolate icing. Spread cold cake with icing.

Chocolate Icing
Melt chocolate and butter in small heatproof bowl over small saucepan of simmering water (do not allow water to touch base of bowl); gradually stir in sifted icing sugar and the water, stirring until icing is spreadable.

My shiny new KitchenAid!

2009-06-13T18:15:00.004+08:00

I have finally bought it!! I have been looking at the beautiful mixers at Mayer everytime I walk past an outlet and have been wanting to get one. The hefty price tag was the only thing that kept me thinking over and over again. Then just a week ago, I received a mailer from Robinsons saying that there's a promotion on the KitchenAid® stand mixers and I told myself I should go get one! =)

When I opened the box, there's a card that says "CONGRATULATIONS! You just became the proud owner of a KitchenAid® appliance!" and yes I am! =D

Designing a name card

2009-05-31T19:04:00.007+08:00

It has been a while since my last post and a very long while since I last sewed! I came back from the beautiful New Zealand a week ago and have been adjusting to the temperature change (from 2 deg to 32 deg), particularly the humidity as well as the time change - NZ is 4 hours ahead of us - so we have been getting up earlier than usual and feeling tired earlier than usual.

I came across a few fabric stores in NZ and bought some new materials! I can't wait to work the sewing machine again! =) I owe a friend a tissue box holder and mom a handphone pouch.

The other thing that has been holding me back from sewing is designing a name card for a friend who is setting up a wine business in France. Here's a glimpse of the name card. The brief for the name card is to incorporate a picture of the Greek God of Wine, Dionysus, in the visual.

A Fabric Card

2009-05-10T04:49:00.008+08:00

It has been a while since my last post as I have been busy with a project at work as well as planning for my self-drive holiday in NZ. I will be leaving tonight and therefore I thought I will do a quick post on a simple card that I have made and is on its way to Melbourne. =) The choice of the fabric used was chosen with the recipient in mind and I hope Kel likes it!

On a separate note, I attended a friend's wedding dinner last night and received this interesting and useful wedding favour that I really like! It's a set of measuring spoons with messages such as "a pinch of joy", "a dash of tenderness", "a spoonful of affection" and "a heap of love" on it.

Before I go, I would like to wish all mothers and mother-to-be a Happy Mothers' Day!

Camera Pouch

2009-04-19T16:15:00.008+08:00

I have recently got a new camera - the Canon Ixus 100 - which is partially sponsored by my colleagues for my birthday (don't ask me why I need another camera). It comes with a free case that fits the camera perfectly but is too bulky to me so I have decided to make one myself. =)

I have absolutely no idea how to make this pouch, no patterns, no YouTube videos, just a iPod pouch and the camera itself. After trying in vain to figure out the iPod pouch, I measured the fabric and started cutting it up. Below you may find my version of a step-by-step guide on how to make this camera pouch. If you know of a better way to make this please let me know. =)

Through some trial and error, here's the finished product:

Chocolate Chips Cookies

2009-04-12T22:36:00.004+08:00

It has been a while since I last baked cookies. I found this recipe and decided to embark on it immediately. The recipe uses all the ingredients that I can find in my kitchen and calls for a few easy-to-follow steps. The end result is a batch of yummilicious cookies!

Another Tissue Holder

2009-04-12T02:48:00.005+08:00

It's a long weekend here in Singapore because of the Easter holiday. It has been a good break so far catching with friends and doing some cooking. I have been looking forward to this holiday because I miss sewing (I was in Manila the weekend before)!

Well, I have done another tissue holder, this round time with the recipient in mind. I have used the same yellow polka dots fabric for this and added a white lace. The interior is a light blue felt that I bought from Daiso last year and have been waiting to use it (haa I bought things without thinking what I am going to make with it).

A Logo

2009-04-12T00:18:00.010+08:00

I have been wanting to do this for a while but have procrastinated till I have thought of a perfect blog name and design (not exactly perfect but it is for now). =)

The blog name is crafted together with my best friend, Kelly (thanks babe).

Let me know what you think of the new logo - welcome any feedback to improve it. =)

Banana Raisin Muffins

2009-04-06T22:42:00.006+08:00

It has been all crafts and no bakes for almost a month. Even then the last entry on sweets wasn't exactly a bake. Time to work that oven again and smell the sweet aroma of baking stuff in the house and this time, the smell of banana raisin muffins. =)

Polka Dots Boxy Pouch

2009-03-30T01:04:00.003+08:00

I was telling KS that I am starting to appreciate every stitch on my clothes eversince I started sewing. I never knew it was that tough to sew a zipper. I found this tutorial some months ago and have been wanting to try.

After sewing the Snoopy Handphone Pouch, I quickly embarked on my 3rd project. The first step was to cut the fabric according to the dimensions in the tutorial. I realised that the easiest way to cut a straight piece of cloth is to fold them and then snip it. Learn from the experts - that's the way all the fabric shops cut the fabric.

The first sewing for this pouch was to do the zipper which requires a different sewing machine foot - one that's used for zipper. It took a few experimenting with pins and a YouTube video to finally pin the zipper correctly, ready for sewing.

I didn't know it was so challenging to sew a straight line following the "teeth" of the zipper. It took me at least 5 times of unpicking to get it somehow right but not perfect.

Here's the finished product:

Snoopy Handphone Pouch

2009-03-30T00:56:00.003+08:00

A request from Judy who has recently "somehow" lost her handphone pouch for her new Samsung Omnia handphone...I have decided to make a simple drawstring pouch customised to the size of the Samsung Omnia which I hope it fits. I saw this piece of Snoopy fabric in Chinatown the other day and bought it immediately coz Judy and Kel (used to) like this and I prob will be able to use it somehow someday.

PS: The handphone in the pix is not the Samsung Omnia..it's the Samsung i780.

I am running out of space

2009-03-27T22:50:00.002+08:00

I bought some new ribbons today and I am running out of space to store them! I am hopelessly addicted to collecting ribbons. I was going to pay for those that I have chosen, the lady at the shop in Arab Street quickly added that she has a small stash of ribbons that she will be bringing in soon, I jumped at the opportunity to be able to see some new incoming ribbons! Hmm...I ended with 3 additional rolls of ribbons although I would have gotten more if I didn't control myself. =p

My First Project

2009-03-25T23:55:00.002+08:00

Trying not to be too ambitious after having touched a sewing machine over a decade ago, I have decided to sew a tissue holder. I went shopping for fabric at Chinatown and bought a piece of denim fabric and found some checkered red cloth I bought sometime back and decided to embark on my first project! Here's the end product:

New Toy

2009-03-25T23:53:00.005+08:00

I bought this baby at Courts last Sun at $199. I wasn't intending to get the sewing machine that day but I was browsing for one after seeing all the pretty cloth from Amy Butler and all the new stuff made from her delicious fabric. I was inspired!

A little background on me and sewing machine. The first time I landed my hands on a sewing machine was when I was 13 during a Home Economics class. I walked out of the first class with an extremely upset teacher who couldn't understand how I have spoiled the sewing machine. She spent lots of time trying to remove all the thread. Eversince, I have sewed a tissue holder, bib, pants and draw-string bag - all for homework. Well, the last time I touched a sewing machine was probably when I was 14 for my last Home Economics class.

I never thought I will pick up a sewing machine again but am glad that I did! Apart from the many steps involved in trying to setup the sewing machine, I can't explain the joy in sewing something from scratch and seeing the end product.

Thank You Card

2009-03-22T23:20:00.005+08:00

This is on its way to Sydney for the creative D who stitched the word "Chef" on the apron for me! The colours on the card have been intended to match the colours of the apron. =)

Birthday Card

2009-03-21T18:21:00.002+08:00

Made this for Nini's (her real name's Michelle) birthday which is 7 days away from mine.

Chef Apron

2009-03-18T23:04:00.002+08:00

A very pretty apron from my good friend - Dionne who has amazingly stitched the word "Chef" on the apron for me! I love it very much babe!

Softball Card

2009-03-15T18:06:00.004+08:00

Made this together with the softball cake for Judy's birthday last month. I got the 8 ply red wool thread from Spotlight. After googling for a picture of softball / baseball, I embarked on this mini project with no idea on how it will turn out. I drew the 2 lines and started to stitch the red sewing on the softball, stitch by stitch, hoping that it will turn out fine.

PS: I was told that the softball Judy uses is yellow and not white. =|

Wedding Card

2009-03-15T17:45:00.005+08:00

I have gone out to the book stores to look for a simple wedding card for my colleague's ROM but didn't find one that I like so decided to make one myself! You can try it too with this easy-to-follow tutorial on YouTube!