brownies for the chocolat lover

for those who love brownies, these fellers from alice medrich's bittersweet will leave you in a dreamy state of mind. the aromatic play of chocolate, butter, eggs and sugar dances about the kitchen as it bakes in the oven and mind you, from my room i can smell the delicious whiffs of them. i gave in to my heart's desire and added a handful of finely chopped pur caraibe valrhona dark chocolate for that extra flavour.

compared to some other brownies where cream frosting or nuts are added, i decided to give these some simple dusting of confectioner's sugar. the paper i bought from prints add a nice backdrop for these dark brown squares and indeed the hues of blue and shades of pink brings out the colour and richness of the brownies.

enjoy

feeling like a child

nostalgic is the word when i saw these zoo land biscuits at the supermarket while doing my grocery shopping and without any hesitation my hands went for a box and in it goes into my basket. these biscuits by meiji are simply delicious, a little salted and buttery. i feel like a child as i enjoyed them while looking at flickr, wondering what animal i will draw out next from the box.

i am so gonna grab another few boxes and stock them up at home in case i feel childish one day.

you you and you

i got a call from meridian primary school to do relief teaching and oh my goodness, seven year old kids are really really people that are sent by the heavens to draw the energy out of you. the most vulgar word i used today was shuddap, pathetic. these kids seems to just go on and on about anything and they can bicker amongst themselves about the simplest thing, mon dieu.

then there's also the case where these kids seem to find great pleasure in disturbing one another, especially the boys. oh did i mention about the short memory and attention span where i have never repeated my words so often before. but somehow you just can't be angry and pissed at them for more then five minutes, oh my goodness some of them are just so innocent with those eyes of theirs, the eagerness to learn something new.

however seriously i find that some parents are pampering their child so much so that these kids are lacking in discipline even after they enter secondary school. alright maybe i am from a military band and discipline was damn bloody important for us, but however those with a silver spoon in their mouth clear lack the motivation to fight for what they want and the mental ability to endure and persevere is certainly not as strong as before.

i was chatting with my friend and she was saying that when i become a parent i will surely wanna pamper my kids, then came the clause; unless you start asking your kids to fall in. imagine early in the morning there's attendance taking followed by a light morning exercise. once it's done i'll be shouting you you and you, go fall in one straight line in the kitchen for breakfast, a cheer before meal then you you and you march one straight line to the car and then wait there for further instructions. sad, i hope i that day will never come.

but it was a fun experience teaching them.

there, the delicious one

looks like the jam drop cookies came out of the oven really well done. i just love the redness of the raspberry confiture. these go well with tea and sometimes in the night i seem to relish them without knowing as i place my attention on whatever else i am doing.

a cookie of a mistake

i have an infatuation with jam drops and i seem to be making them just for the fun of it. i had a little bit of dough left and somehow the thought of a round ball of cookie with raspberry jam within seems very delicious. haaa but the dough broke. i name this little feller a mistake.

mon dieu

i love reading sometimes, brings you to different places and time. when i read i can forget about my troubles, i guess one can say that it sort of serves as a brief escape from life. sometimes when i am feeling frustrated or when that i wanna strangle someone moment arises, i escape into the realm of books and their tales. reading gives me the simple pleasure of imagination, picturing the places and things mentioned in the story the way i want them to be.

i have always travelled but i have never once brought a book along with me and enjoy the solitude bliss of reading whilst in a foreign city. on a side walk along a busy street at a cafe under the shade of a tree alfresco style with my cuppa latte and some quiche. then there's the occasional cool breeze and the rustle of the leaves. birds chirping overhead.

i found a bunch of macadamias sitting in my kitchen looking all so lonely and sad, then i remembered what and who they were meant for, but looks like these nuts will never be used for their original purpose. hmmm what shall i do with them now, bake some white chocolate macadamia cookies? haaaa i wonder.

life is always full of surprises.

the number twenty

oh my, i am twenty. and gosh i really have nothing else to say.

that lovely window

the classic manhattan apartment window with a silt just nice to place my cuppa tea as i gazed out into the landscape of high rises and skyscrapers, streets thronging with people and made happening with activities. i simply adore that kinda windows and gosh, after watching the movie definitely maybe i just can't help but fall in love with them more.

banana bread for breakfast

Quite many months since i last baked a sweet smelling loaf of banana bread. however i was a little disappointed at this loaf as the texture and taste was not as good as i have made before. Looks like i have some improving to do, well you can't blame a person who has not baked for many months can you.

the missing one of twenty odds

i made these little cups of tiramisu before i went to shanghai months ago and somehow forgot to do a short post on them. well now that i remembered about them i just had to show them to ya all. the photo is not exactly very pretty but how cares and oh, i am gonna make tiramisu again and take some prettier photos of them.

where the path leads

i have gotten myself three new books to read and i have always wondered about the price tags that they carry with them. i was about to walk away with the forth book when i realised it's better that i do not exchange ninety dollars worth of good read in one purchase. i have always dreamt of my own home with a classic dark wooden bookshelve that is decorated with interesting covers of books that i have read.

when the moon is smiling and the night sky is adorned with a generous sprinkle of stars that twinkle like the shimmering of water in the moonlight when a breeze dances by, i will love to fly over the polar cap and gaze out of the window to take in the sight of the peace and tranquility. and what better way to do that then on that singapore airlines flight to new york direct.

i have seen the sky littered with stars on a clear night on my flight back to singapore and the moon that hangs above a blanket of clouds, round yet not a full circle. one day i shall see with these eyes of mine the beauty of the night sky.

i was on my way to the airport yesterday when my neighbour came home and asked me what i am doing now. waiting for enlistment. i was chatting on msn with my friend and the conversation touched about furture studies. my neighbour asked whether i was going to further my studies and my friend asked if i ever thought about taking a general business management degree. well i have decided that i will take a degree with a specialisation in the tourism industry for i know that that's what i wanna do and work for.

some will say how the fck do i know that i will love working in the tourism industry for i have yet to try other kinds of job in other sectors. there's no reason or answer for some questions, i just know, i just know that i will not love those other career paths. i know my goals well and i know what i wanna do in life, i knew and i have decided all these since the day i made up my mind that i wanna get a diploma instead of mugging my way to some british advance level cert.

sometimes i find myself really bizarre, i believe that to experience is better than otherwise even though i may get hurt at some point. i live and measure my life not by time but by experiences and the memories i have gained be it happy or sad. i do not pretend to like something and in a certain way i am a selfish brat. although it offends people i do not believe in burning incense to the dead and neither do i rely on the heavens to answer my prayers as the need to have a belief is for the purpose of having hope. and hope is something that gives strength but i know whatever may come i must be prepared.

hope

Although the blurb of “company of liars” seems a little boring like one of the many books you see in bookstores, however after reading the first few pages I seemed to get drawn into the story. The novel is a simple one; nothing complicated let alone magical but the author uses tales of the old passed down from generations to weave a story that somehow gets a hold on you, beckoning one to continue reading to the end. Hope is what we hold on to in times of trouble and when all else fails all we can do is hope that a miracle with happen.

I will need to make a journey to the town and get myself more books, sit alone in a café at the airport and time practically passes without me noticing. Somehow the new terminal three beckons me with the coffee connoisseur establishing its presence there, and yet that alone is never the sole reason I grace the new terminal for whenever I read at the airport I somehow walk pass the coffee bean and tea leaf expecting to chance upon what that has yet to be chanced upon.

But how much hope is needed for one to continue holding on before fully letting go, for when there is hope no matter how little it makes us endure and persevere. But then hope can only last for as long as the heart and mind is determined for as time trickle and flows hope diminishes. Through the years I have always learnt to expect the unexpected but hope gives us strength somehow, and when what we had hoped for doesn’t come the bitter ending is always something we must be prepared for.

breakfast with me

i always enjoy breakfast on a big plate with a colourful array of delicious variety accompanied with some tea. somehow the colour of the photo seems to fresh and light without any darker shades.