Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Joy of Fiction, Joy of Imagination - N.G
Last Friday marked the end of another semester, and it felt exceptionally good. Well, there were three essays due last week, a plan and a test to cherry-top it all. This semester pushed my reading boundaries, because we were given quite a daunting task of completing 22 novels in 11 weeks. Well, I complaint and whined that I had to read so many books, and I was at the breaking point of reading. These books did not allow me to glance through the pages, because if I do, I'll miss what the book is about. Then again, some books are so boring that I allowed myself to drift when I was only in for 10 pages. Bad move - I had to re-read again.
At the start, I thought to myself that these English units might kill my love for novels. You know, reading not because you want to but that you had to, or risk looking like a loser in the tutorial classes. But, now at the end of it, the feeling of accomplishing Post-Modernism books is indescribable. It has taken my whole reading experience up to the next level, and I definitely think it has made me want to read wider genres. Reading is not just a hobby, it encompasses one's love for creative knowledge. Of all the books that I've cried reading to, got angered about, pondered on over days, and talked over it with a friend, it's amazing how something simply stationary could evoke emotions to remain in the novel's time and space.
So, I strongly encourage you all to grab a novel.It doesn't have to be post-modernist, and start the habit of reading. I love hiding in a little corner, away from noise and everybody else, but that novel I hold. It allows you to enter into another world of a different time and space journey.
Book this week: Neil Gaiman's Stories: All New Tales
On a side note, 26 DAYS TO EUROPE!
Last Friday marked the end of another semester, and it felt exceptionally good. Well, there were three essays due last week, a plan and a test to cherry-top it all. This semester pushed my reading boundaries, because we were given quite a daunting task of completing 22 novels in 11 weeks. Well, I complaint and whined that I had to read so many books, and I was at the breaking point of reading. These books did not allow me to glance through the pages, because if I do, I'll miss what the book is about. Then again, some books are so boring that I allowed myself to drift when I was only in for 10 pages. Bad move - I had to re-read again.
At the start, I thought to myself that these English units might kill my love for novels. You know, reading not because you want to but that you had to, or risk looking like a loser in the tutorial classes. But, now at the end of it, the feeling of accomplishing Post-Modernism books is indescribable. It has taken my whole reading experience up to the next level, and I definitely think it has made me want to read wider genres. Reading is not just a hobby, it encompasses one's love for creative knowledge. Of all the books that I've cried reading to, got angered about, pondered on over days, and talked over it with a friend, it's amazing how something simply stationary could evoke emotions to remain in the novel's time and space.
So, I strongly encourage you all to grab a novel.It doesn't have to be post-modernist, and start the habit of reading. I love hiding in a little corner, away from noise and everybody else, but that novel I hold. It allows you to enter into another world of a different time and space journey.
Book this week: Neil Gaiman's Stories: All New Tales
On a side note, 26 DAYS TO EUROPE!
♥ 8:26 AM
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Sugary Sweet
I'm not quite sure Masterchef is airing at other countries, but it is quite a show here in Australia. Well, I have never really try at baking simply because I thought baking was such a chore. All the tedious work just to pop the pastry in the oven, waiting nervously if it would be a success, or a failure, and to devour it in 15mins after it's done. Simple put, it's too much work. But, while watching the contestants on Masterchef rolling pastry,beating eggs,and mixing in flour and cinnamon ground whet my appetite, and made me want to start baking again. In fact, my mouth was drooling at the episode, while they were supposed to do Maggie Beer's desserts that had a nectarine and frangipane flan. It looked so delicious, and guess where I was watching it. In the gym! It kinda inspired me to do my own flan, and here it is, caramelised apple flan. I got the recipe off the net, and it seems pretty good to start baking again with something simple.
Also, getting the equipment to get a good mixture and the froth is not exactly cheap. A kitchenaid stand cost nearly 450. =( Well, I've just started again, so I just hand beat all my cake mixtures, and wait till I'm pretty good.Then I'll get one. Last Sunday,I made a butter cake using Sue Ann's recipe - great basic recipe to try out. It's the kind of satisfaction when you pop the oven cover and find your cake golden brown and moist inside, which you would not get anywhere else . Flow state, baby, flow state.
I made it fancier by adding icing sugar on it.
And just last friday, I made Danish Cookies. Before I get to that, John and I were just having brunch at Clarendon Street few days ago, and we chanced upon a quaint little book store. The literatures were on sale, and I just went a little nuts there, and spent nearly an hour browsing all the books there. Oh, they were dirt cheap books, and prices were slashed at least 70%. Well, I didn't get any literature books, but I got myself two baking books, which I found rather simple. I just started and of course, I wouldn't want to demoralise myself by getting a tough cookie book, and then get all disappointed. But yeah, back to the Danish Cookies, that was where I got the recipe from. It's good on it's own and will probably taste better with vanilla and elderflower flower ice cream.
Danish Cookies - They're really light and do make good snacks after dinner
AND CHERRIOS FROM AUSSIE!
Us back home after strolling along Southbank
I'm not quite sure Masterchef is airing at other countries, but it is quite a show here in Australia. Well, I have never really try at baking simply because I thought baking was such a chore. All the tedious work just to pop the pastry in the oven, waiting nervously if it would be a success, or a failure, and to devour it in 15mins after it's done. Simple put, it's too much work. But, while watching the contestants on Masterchef rolling pastry,beating eggs,and mixing in flour and cinnamon ground whet my appetite, and made me want to start baking again. In fact, my mouth was drooling at the episode, while they were supposed to do Maggie Beer's desserts that had a nectarine and frangipane flan. It looked so delicious, and guess where I was watching it. In the gym! It kinda inspired me to do my own flan, and here it is, caramelised apple flan. I got the recipe off the net, and it seems pretty good to start baking again with something simple.
Also, getting the equipment to get a good mixture and the froth is not exactly cheap. A kitchenaid stand cost nearly 450. =( Well, I've just started again, so I just hand beat all my cake mixtures, and wait till I'm pretty good.Then I'll get one. Last Sunday,I made a butter cake using Sue Ann's recipe - great basic recipe to try out. It's the kind of satisfaction when you pop the oven cover and find your cake golden brown and moist inside, which you would not get anywhere else . Flow state, baby, flow state.
I made it fancier by adding icing sugar on it.
And just last friday, I made Danish Cookies. Before I get to that, John and I were just having brunch at Clarendon Street few days ago, and we chanced upon a quaint little book store. The literatures were on sale, and I just went a little nuts there, and spent nearly an hour browsing all the books there. Oh, they were dirt cheap books, and prices were slashed at least 70%. Well, I didn't get any literature books, but I got myself two baking books, which I found rather simple. I just started and of course, I wouldn't want to demoralise myself by getting a tough cookie book, and then get all disappointed. But yeah, back to the Danish Cookies, that was where I got the recipe from. It's good on it's own and will probably taste better with vanilla and elderflower flower ice cream.
Danish Cookies - They're really light and do make good snacks after dinner
AND CHERRIOS FROM AUSSIE!
Us back home after strolling along Southbank
♥ 5:58 PM
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
That Invisible Line
It is not hard at all to make me laugh. I laugh quite easily. But it definitely takes quite a great deal to piss me off. The sad thing is when friends around you take advantage of your magnanimous nature and starts to take everything,including you, so lightly in all aspect, and expect you to take a fudging chill pill when what lies ahead is of utmost importance. So, I stopped trying to make heaps of vague buddies, because I don't see why I need so many of them. It is irony for one to get angry when one forgives and forget easily. So, when do I draw the line?
It is not hard at all to make me laugh. I laugh quite easily. But it definitely takes quite a great deal to piss me off. The sad thing is when friends around you take advantage of your magnanimous nature and starts to take everything,including you, so lightly in all aspect, and expect you to take a fudging chill pill when what lies ahead is of utmost importance. So, I stopped trying to make heaps of vague buddies, because I don't see why I need so many of them. It is irony for one to get angry when one forgives and forget easily. So, when do I draw the line?
♥ 9:37 AM
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Autumn
I had both my Pastors coming down from Singapore for a short getaway, and I think they truly deserved it. It was amazing just to hang out with them, and catch up what Ron, John and I have missing out back home. Anyway, we took them out to eat, it was just a pig out session for all of us. I think we stuffed them a little too much with John and I getting hungry every 2-3hours. I blame the weather, period. We brought them to the Yarra Valley for a tour around the vineyards, tasted vintage,dry,and sweet wines. Yeah, I know I've been there many times, but seriously, I can never get bored looking at the beautiful scenary, getting away from the heavily polluted city and the ever rambling sounds from the tram tracks. I, too learnt something new each time I visit Yarra. It's fun being the tour guide for a change, and a navigator for once! John is the one always navigating to all these trips. So, this time, he said if I want to learn to get to hard to reach places, I should learn to guide the driver. haha, but thank God, my sense of direction have obviously improved over the year, or else we would probably spent our time driving around and not getting to vineyards. But also Ron was such a good driver, and he didn't yell at me when I said, 'ops, I think we past the turning' in so many instances. hehe.
Tasting Vintages at Yarra Yerring
Punt Road Vineyard
At Chandon's
Shopping at Victoria Market
Our waiter did this to us at Little creature!
Dinner at DOC
Miss you guys, and see you all soon! And I'm attempting to make my first caramelised apple flan for dessert later, which I'll post up later! I'm getting into baking these months, and I'm seriously enjoying it big time! oh oh, I made a mini bread and pudding, and it turned out really nice, but a pity it wasn't that sweet enough! Well, practice makes perfect!
I had both my Pastors coming down from Singapore for a short getaway, and I think they truly deserved it. It was amazing just to hang out with them, and catch up what Ron, John and I have missing out back home. Anyway, we took them out to eat, it was just a pig out session for all of us. I think we stuffed them a little too much with John and I getting hungry every 2-3hours. I blame the weather, period. We brought them to the Yarra Valley for a tour around the vineyards, tasted vintage,dry,and sweet wines. Yeah, I know I've been there many times, but seriously, I can never get bored looking at the beautiful scenary, getting away from the heavily polluted city and the ever rambling sounds from the tram tracks. I, too learnt something new each time I visit Yarra. It's fun being the tour guide for a change, and a navigator for once! John is the one always navigating to all these trips. So, this time, he said if I want to learn to get to hard to reach places, I should learn to guide the driver. haha, but thank God, my sense of direction have obviously improved over the year, or else we would probably spent our time driving around and not getting to vineyards. But also Ron was such a good driver, and he didn't yell at me when I said, 'ops, I think we past the turning' in so many instances. hehe.
Tasting Vintages at Yarra Yerring
Punt Road Vineyard
At Chandon's
Shopping at Victoria Market
Our waiter did this to us at Little creature!
Dinner at DOC
Miss you guys, and see you all soon! And I'm attempting to make my first caramelised apple flan for dessert later, which I'll post up later! I'm getting into baking these months, and I'm seriously enjoying it big time! oh oh, I made a mini bread and pudding, and it turned out really nice, but a pity it wasn't that sweet enough! Well, practice makes perfect!
♥ 2:15 PM