singapore photos: food, food, food!

custom starbucks drink: passion iced tea lemonade :)

naan and chicken curry

chocolate macaron

tortilla chip cheese dip. SO GOOD :D

taiwan update, singapore photos:sentosa

I feel like i haven't updated my blog for ages. but really, it has only been a week and one day. I spent my past week doing labor work - i'm not even joking. If you read my previous post, you would know I am currently in Taiwan, learning art from a renowned artist/fashion designer/architect, who is also one of my mum's friend (whom i call uncle). During my stay here at uncle's place, I was introduced a new form of media - mud art. I have no idea what the technical term of this technique is called (that was a lot of 't's, haha), but basically, what you do is carve on different shapes of varying heights on the mud, and then pouring in a layer of cement on top. After the cement is fully hardened and taken out, the face of the cement will result in a reversed version (flipped, and 3D) of your design.

I am pretty sure the above makes no sense of all. I would love to show you photos of the mud art-making process, however, because I was so engrossed in carving my designs, I completely neglected the thought of taking photos. I regret it, I really do. I should have taken the photos not only for the sake of this blog, but for personal references in the future. Sigh... :( Guys (and girls), bring your cameras along with you wherever you go, and take as many photos as you can, so you will not become a regretful butt like me < :D.

** I will be uploading photos of my final mud artwork when I am back in Hong Kong. (not to be confused, I took photos of the final product, not the process of making it.)

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Let's go off tangent for a bit. As I promised in previous posts, here are some photos I took in Sentosa, Singapore. (note: I deliberately picked these photos).

Sentosa

Universal Studios

i haven't had churros for years. it was welcoming to my taste buds, haha :)

iFly - it was SO MUCH FUN. seriously, you will never regret this experience :D

if you zoom in my face, i look kinda retarded. :P

i'm a big butt (pun intended, ahhahha) :D

today is my last night at the uncle's house. can't wait to go back to taipei and shop.eat.shop.eat. the entire day.  :)

back from singapore. packing for taiwan.

time really does fly when you are having fun.

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there are so many things i miss about singapore;
. eating Mexican food
. drinking Starbucks every other day
. the roller coasters and 3D rides at Universal Studios
. flying :D (what i really mean is iFly in Sentosa)
. being kissed by the sun
. wearing flip flops every wear i go
. the hotel
. watching the olympics and staying up late
. no worries
. not wanting to leave ;(

i would love to go back to singapore. it is such a beautiful and friendly country, similar to hong kong (except for the friendly part, as some hong kongers are extremely impolite. not all, but some (truth: most actually))

let's get back on tangent. i will be heading off to taiwan tomorrow. CRAZY, I KNOW! the day i come back from a vacation, I'm off to somewhere else to study art. Don't get me wrong, i love art, but this is a perfect example of horrible holiday planning. i have no idea what on earth my parents were thinking, seriously.

airplane tickets are booked. my stay is also confirmed. there is nothing i can do, but to live my life like there is no tomorrow! #this_is_it (charlotte, if you remember, 'this is it' was one of the keys we learnt at supercamp!)

_

although i am still tired from shopping this morning and the afternoon flight, i am pretty excited about my trip to taiwan. this artist is a lot like me. he is meticulous with his hands; he enjoys doing things out of the norms, and he crafts, just like me, but the guy-version. of course, he is much more experienced than i am, given our 50 years difference.

and he is not a pedo.




(of course not, ahhaha)

*singapore photos will be up in the next few days!

macarons, and random shots :D

as i mentioned in my previous post, i made earl grey tea macarons with honey buttercream. they were absolutely delicious, however, they were slightly on the sweet side. 

in the future, i'd just reduce the sugar to 2-3 tablespoons. you will still be able to recognize the earl grey tea in the cookie, so no biggie :)

but of course, if you have a sweet tooth, feel free to follow the recipe.

as this was my first attempt at making macarons, i took my time, and carefully performed all the procedures of the recipe. 

'yoyomax12', a cooking channel on youtube posted a video on this recipe a while back. the video shows you step by step procedures, as well as tips to making perfect macarons. 

when i took the macarons out of the oven, i was overwhelmed with joy. the meringue cookies not only had a smooth and shiny surface, but also the frilly bits on the bottom, also known as 'feet'.

the texture of the cookies were also perfect - crunchy on the outside, and chewy in the inside is the consistency you are looking for. 

courtesy goes to yoyomax12 on youtube: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18PlAZS3Tc0

and yoo-eatz.com: 

http://www.yoo-eatz.com/Earl-Grey-Macarons-Honey-Buttercream-Filling-Recipe-15579665

 

the meringue cookie on the middle slightly cracked when i was transferring it from the oven to the cooling wire. 

TIP: be patient, wait for it to completely cool down before transferring! > :D

ha, that's me.

you may be wondering why there suddenly is a shot of my hairy fingers and two wire rings. maybe you have forgotten that this blog also features my crafts and other random snapshots of my life! haha

the 'love' and 'heart' rings are made out of silver wire i got at a local stationary shop. using a variety of pliers and fingers (the best tool in the world, no pun intended), i played with the wire until i obtained the desired shape and size.

i really enjoy making wire jewelry (rings, necklaces, particularly bracelets). although i do not wear them, wire bracelets are great for layering up with other accessories you have, as 'arm candy' is really trendy this season :0

okay. another shot.

as i mentioned in my previous post, i will be leaving for singapore on monday, which is actually today! (haha) the taxi will come and pick us up 30 minutes later, so i'd better get changing.

on airplanes, i usually wear quarter length sweatpants, a tank top and a cardigan (and two blankets for me to bundle up like a burrito)

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okay, my dad is calling me. 

i will be posting random snapshots of my vacation in singapore when i am in taiwan. (if that makes any sense)

and when i am back from taiwan, i will be uploading photos again. (if that makes any sense, because it does not to me) 

byebye :)

requests?

these few days, i have been thinking about what sort of posts i want to upload on this blog. i will be visiting singapore and taiwan in the coming month. after i get back, i will write posts regarding the trips, as well as post photos i took during the vacations.

what sort of posts would you like to see on this blog?

feel free to comment below(:

PS: i made french macarons yesterday. keep an eye out for an Earl Grey Tea Macaron post i will be uploading on sunday.
-- they were absolutely delicious:D

aprilfoodsday:)

below are some of the foods i made earlier this year (in april, specifically)

you know how there are monthly favorites on youtube where gurus showcase their favorite makeup/hair products during the end or beginning of a month? i think i should do exactly the same on this blog, except, it is the recipes i make! what do you think? > :)

anyways, here are the photos :)

above are mini chocolate cupcakes i made, dressed in a creamy rich chocolate ganache, and sprinkled with heart shaped decorations (:

they were absolutely delicious! :3

fruit tart 1

fruit tart 2

above are photos of fruit tarts i made from our school's annual Fruit Day, an event that promotes healthy eating across the campus. as complicated as these babies look, they were very easy to make. this recipe only consists of three components:

- the shell, which is a basic buttery pastry crust

- custard

- fresh fruits

there are many variations of fruit tarts on the internet. i am sure you can find one that suits you perfectly :)

potato balls 1

potato balls 2

potato balls 3

potato balls 4

potato balls are one of the most delicious treats you can have. whether or not you are a professional chef, everyone has the ability to make these mouth-watering snacks. my mum and i came up with this recipe a few years ago, and our family have been eating these bite-size treats ever since.  these potato balls are perfect for any children's party. 

there are some many variations you can make to this recipe, but this is our family's favorite:

1. mash a few potatoes 

2. add in butter and milk/cream until smooth

3. season with salt and pepper to taste

4. throw in some diced onions and shredded cheese (parmesan and cheddar) into the mixture

5. sprinkle with additional shreds of cheese

6. bake

7. enjoy! :)

i love food.

i love food so much, most of the crafts i make are food related, including the 3 photos below. all of these charms are made from a japanese brand of clay i got from a local stationary shop. the quality is not as great as polymer/sculpey clay, but it still works anyhow :)

macarons in (from left to right) pink, blue, green and brown

- the color of the clay does not look very solid and even. this is because i colored white clay with felt-tip markers (hobo style! :D)

chocolate molten cake with ice cream drizzled in caramel sauce

- i must say, this is the best looking clay charm i have done in a very long time. i personally think i did a great job with the textures, especially the ice cream! if i had the liquid sculpey clay (or squeezable silicon), i would have colored it brown and applied it in the cut (opening) to make it look like the 'lava' is oozing out of the cake :)

i have never seen a rainbow cake in my whole life. using my imagination, i created a rainbow cake with layers of different colors. afterwards, i rolled out a piece of white clay and covered the cylinder structure to make it look like fondant or icing. 

- i love this charm very much. one improvement i could make is to use a smaller-tipped tool for the textures!

it's 11pm. got to go sleep!

butt says good night :D