A bit about everything

Arh, as usual, I've accumulated alot of backlog! Shall start by clearing a little first, heh.

#1. Super impromptu baking session

I've been contemplating to bake for quite a while. As soon as I learnt that Bee has a whooping oven at home, I coerced asked her to lend me her oven for a day! :)

Excited as I am, I do not have much of an idea of what should I really bake. There are sooo many recipes available at Videojug.com that I'm spoilt for choices! I was out earlier, so I asked Rainbow to scribble some ingredient lists down for a guide later at the supermarket (Don't ask why I didn't prepare earlier, I told you I was spoilt for choices, so I didn't choose!).

And we head down to the nearest supermarket and I randomly picked items that are usually used for baking, i.e. block butter, sugar and eggs (and this is after checking with Bee over the phone on the baking stuff she already have at home - Yes, I know I'm hopelessly unprepared!).

Which means, on the way to Bee's house, I still don't really have an idea of what to bake. Contenders as follows: 1. Chocolate chip cookies, 2. Chocolate fondant, 3. Apple crumble, 4. Brownie.

By the time we reached Bee's house, all of us are feeling nua already. Bee was addicted playing with Sims; Rainbow and I watched her play the really dysfunctional family (i.e. Girl is pregnant but don't wanna marry the guy. Girl keeps slipping into unconsciousness - Bee says she was too tired. Girl can't cook for nuts and burnt the kitchen, killing the maid or smth.)

It was finally time to make a decision as to bake what, so I decided to bake chocolate cookies - since I've done it before under Jiemin's supervision and cookies should be idiot-proof. ALAS, I FORGOT TO BUY BROWN SUGAR! -_-

The minimarts located in the vicinity don't sell brown sugar la! =_= So I decided to bake chocolate fondant, in the absence of cocoa powder (substituted by milo powder).

This is the recipe for chocolate fondant, tried and tested by Yiting!

http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-make-chocolate-fondants

Bee and Rainbow helped me through the baking process. Not feeling really certain how it'll all turn out, the first batch of fondants goes into the oven!



The first batch goes out of the oven.. looking somewhat there but not there.



It was too sweet and too liquid, but I was quite happy that I've got smth close! Haha. Rainbow and Bee thought it was good and took one to try respectively..


Just look at that hard-to-swallow expression

I learnt my lesson and sent the fondants into the oven for a longer duration. But still too SWEET! Then I realised, I used Hershey's SEMI-SWEET chocolate chips instead of DARK chocolate chips. With the same recommended amount of sugar! -_-


Batch 2, abit chao tar but more edible.

Comments about my chocolate fondants:

"Wah lao, I take sweet stuff one la, but yours.. Really too sweet! Can only take one a day at the max." - My sis

"Not bad!" - My supportive mummy!

"Too sweet" - My dad

"You should bake it again when it's cold. Tastes better!" - Bee

"Aiyo, Uncle's teeth are all dropping la! You think sugar free meh?" - Rainbow's dad

Ok... I'll try my best next time! So Bee, let me KIDNAP your oven AGAIN! Woots! :D

#2. Wii-ing at Rainbow's house!

As usual, Rainbow and her dad prepared a feast for Huiting and me! We watched a few episodes of HK dramas and played Wii!



Weeeeeee!

Huiting and I played this super kuso Rabbit game! It's brainless but super fun! LOL. We played bowling too!

This is Huiting scoring her SPARE!



Huiting is concentrating.. Haha.



Wii is soooo interesting! Shall I kidnap Rainbow's Wii too? Hehe.

Ok more up soon!

Obligatory Birthday Post for Mingshu

... Because I saw your tags on my tagboard - twice, for a birthday post :p Aiyaaa, I was just too lazy to upload the pics until now. I'll be sending my lappy to the service centre soon, so might as well (If I'm still feeling awake and upbeat later on the night, I'll probably add another update! I did so much random stuff this longggg hol, ha!).

But I'll dedicate entries to you anyway, this is evidence. Just a tad late :D

Part I - Dinner + Movie outing with the QBs in Tampines

I was late, but Tyng Feng was soooo much later! Lol, he wins hands down for being late! While waiting, I got fascinated by Mingshu's galore of chess-like nails.


Busy figuring out how to flaunt her black and white nails in an alternate fashion


The best she could do, ha.

We were still waiting for TF in Swensens and the co. decided to give Mingshu her birthday present! Anna Sui collection!


Mingshu is realllly trying her best not to flaunt her new Anna Sui toys, to me! Hurmph -_-;

TF finally came and the group of us went to watch "Get Smart". It's slapstick but entertaining nonetheless :)

Part II - Steamboat + Stay-over with TK bunch!

Inspired by Lisi, Mingshu decided to have her birthday cum gathering session in steamboat style. Steamboat style is probably a good way to sit around and talk/gossip/shout/laugh for a long time (Since you have to sit around the table and cook). Pretty much as what you'd expect, it was a great session to talk about everything (I can't remember what we exactly covered but I'm pretty sure we covered the essential topics within that 3-4 hrs).

Since Lisi's 21st, chicken wings have become a "must-eat" whenever we are at her place. The chicken wings are marinated to perfection with their family's secret recipe and taste really yummy when cooked in the convection oven. Not a single one of us can resist the temptation and we find ourselves eating one after the other whenever each batch is served hot from the oven. Thinking of it makes me really hungry now. OMG..

Of course, MS loves it to the max and even requested Lisi to prepare the chicken wings for her party! We are in for a treat! :D


The legendary. (Oh, but the cleaning up (for the oven) was a painstaking task, more about that later!)


Bunny loves the chicken wings too, she's even posing with them!


Mingshu's specialty fried dumplings! And that is Lisi's hand caught in the act! :)

Yay a group photo before Ivy and Bee had to leave to meet their bfs.



It was followed by rounds of mahjong. We played till like midnight lor! Addictive. The rest of us began cleaning up the table mess and all. Being a lazy bum I am, this is probably the first time I've done such a big scale kitchen cleaning up. A lot of dishes, utensils and OMG the CONVECTION OVEN! We have a love-hate relationship.. It produces tender chicken wings that are not gelat.. because the oil is all drained into a pot, something like a "catchment area".

Let's look at the picture of the oven again.



The bottom layer is the pot solely used to contain the oil dripped from the meat. -_- And do you have any idea how many chicken wings we cooked?

All I can say is we had to dispose almost 1/2 pot of oil away, and the rest is up to your imagination.

After the dreadful cleaning up and our washing up, we had mahjong (in half sleep mode) again. To perk us up, Bunny shared with us chocolates from Holland!


Check out their signature shoe (or whichever is the correct term)!

Took pictures again~





We finally slept at around 5am and left her house at probably 9 or 10am. Tired but FUN! :)

Ok it's 2.31am now and I'm sleepy! Next entry later the day~

Till then, night all!

Dear Junie,

How time flies, it's been 2 years already. Is everything fine? Are you coping well?

How I wish you are just getting busy with university life like the rest. It's just that we don't get to talk as often as we did then. But at least I know you are somewhere in campus, working and playing hard..

I wish.

Sometimes I wonder if it's not for you, I'd have long forgotten completely about those half-working-half-playing days. Seriously, Mingshu is already complaining about my lousy memory bank. I can hardly recall faces to names for some people we worked together in the past. That's how bad my memory can be.

Last year I was still complaining to you about my internship. Now that I'm finally out of the paper chase, I got myself stuck in a feverish job hunt. I wonder when these chases and hunts will finally stop. Sigh.

Oh enough of my complaints.

Since the last time I wrote to you, many things have/I thought have changed.


photo/singaporeflyer.com

We have our Singapore Flyer, proud to be the world's largest observation wheel. It's not a ferris wheel fit for 2, but an observation wheel which can fit 28 passengers in each capsule. We can probably see the flyer from our old office since it's situated in the Marina area.

Singapore is also hosting F1 Grand Prix, as well as being the first host country for the Youth Olympic Games in 2010. I screamed in joy when they announced Singapore as the host country over to Moscow. The moment was exhilarating.

Camera phones are also getting better these days. The usual ones in the market are 3.2 megapixels and the upmarket ones are at 5 megapixels. And all of them look so sleek! Probably the handphone will easily substitute the digicam within the next 5 years, you never know.

Oh, Orchard Road is undergoing a major revamp. More shopping! :) Bugis street is still pretty much the same, still as crowded and suffocating walking in the crazy crowd. But worth the jostling for bargain buys below $10. Basics are usually $10 and shoes.. less than $20!

Besides, "physical" shopping, online shopping has grown to be pretty popular. I'm so hooked and and a 60% of what I wear are bought online! Simply because the stuff are usually selling at a fraction of retail price! :)

As for myself, I've grown out manicures 'cause I can never maintain them. But pedicure remains to be my fave :) I still can't paint for nuts and have to go the nail parlours to satiate pedi cravings.

My dressing style has also (kinda) changed and I hope it's changed for the better. At least the feedback from my friends is so far, positive. Oh and I'm learning how to use the eyeliner! Omg, that was sooo tough! My fingers always fumble and make a mess on my eyelids instead of drawing a line -_-. I need more practice on this. Haha!

Unlike you, I'm afraid to commit in a relationship. I think commitment is such a scary thing.

I'm just wondering, if we could turn back time, would you still choose him? Is he worth your love?

Is it better to love unscathed, or battered?



If you can tell me.

Hmm, alright.. That's all for now. Take care alright? I'll jiayou too :)

With love,
Shu Juan