DIY Red velvet cupcakes,

Spent an afternoon two weeks ago baking cupcakes after raving about the Red velvet ones during the exam period. Took inspiration from a bunch of Martha stewart's recipes (you know you want to click on the link) and hey presto, Red velvet cupcakes with blueberry fillings and cream toppings with walnut. I promised to share the recipe so here goes:

2 1/2 cups of cake flour, sifted

2 tablespoons of Cocoa powder (I used Van Houten pure soluble cocoa)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon of salt

3/4 cups of sugar

1 cup of vegetable oil

2 eggs, room temperature

Beet root juice (for red colouring)

1 cup buttermilk

1 1/2 teaspoons of baking soda

2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar 

A handful of blue berries

A packet of shelled walnuts

Modern recipes usually use deep red colouring but beet root gives it that organic au naturale feel, rather than having chemicals doused into the batter. You can use your hands to juice out the pigment betains from the beet (gloves are highly encouraged), and you add as much as you want until you achieve the desired shade :) And because I used beet, the baking soda would have to be reacted with vinegar first because the alkaline environment would change the red pigments to a more bluish state. (Correct me if I'm wrong here!) I'll let the pictures do the talking.

If you can infer the consistency of the batter, it was rather moist. The batch didn't turn out very fluffy, perhaps due to insufficient mixing (time to invest in an electric mixer hee) I still have so much to learn. As for the consistency of the cream, electric mixers will definitely give you the best (I mixed manually)

Christmas season is coming, and I'm so excited! The Christmas tree is up, but the feeling hasn't really sink in yet. And even though it really means the advent of the upcoming school term, it's one of my favourite holidays where we can all give thanks for the year and look forward to renewed promises to the next ♥ 

P.S. Do share your baking experiences or recipes if you have any, would love to know!

Dazed,

Breakfast in bed is one of the best things in life, and I had the luxury this morning (albeit it being beside the hotel bed filled with clumsy sleepy friends). Catching the sunrise whilst trying not to catch a cold with close friends in the cold breeze of the 57th floor, with feet soaked in a foamy jacuzzi. And scuttling off to a fairytale ROM. Just woke up not too long ago, thinking it was Saturday. It has been quite a day ♥

Photograph: City night view by the MBS infinity pool

Back from Taiwan,

Good morning world, I'm finally back from Taiwan aka the epitome of bubble tea and street snacks. I know I could have chosen a better picture to capture the essence of Taiwan buuuut it really rained a lot. Braved the bitter cold winter of the suburbs, railway rides through the countryside, and strolling through the bustling capital city of Taipei. Not to mention having spent (a small fortune) on lingzi and royal jelly, the country's natural treasures. But for now, I'm happy to be back nested on my bed in sunny land of Singapore. Shall go develop my film pictures soon, so watch this space! Other plans for today: De-clutter my post-vacation mess strewn all over my room and head to Marina Bay Sands for a night with my amazing friends.

P.S. London next year, I'm stoked ♥

Time like air,

The magic of list making on a lazy Tuesday afternoon spent hiding away from the intense heat of daytime. Just a couple of errands left to run, a couple of people to meet, TONS TO PACK - and I'm good to set off to Taiwan. Will be away from 8th December to 14th December exploring both the outskirts of Taiwan as well as the capital city Taipei. If anyone has any recommendations on what to look out for, do drop me an email! (And of course, any requests for shopping are welcomed ♥)

On a slightly irrelevant note, Sumosalad@Holland village underground train station has good veggie wraps, nomnom smoked salmon wrap which goes well with milk tea from it's neighbour Each a Cup - perfect combination for that lunch grab and go from NUS to back home. Plus, how can anyone resist the "Eat large, Stay thin" tagline and that crisp brown paper bag.

Ciao!

My right eye is smaller,

...than my left eye. (It's really obvious in this picture, where I wiped out half my makeup with my eye bags in fully glory and released my hairdo) Or at least that was an insight from being XE's makeup muse more than a month back. She's a makeup artist trained under the experienced hands of Fabulosity.

Further insights from the day:
1. You can tell someone's eye degree by observing the bulge of their pupils in a single glance
2. Understanding gaps in Chinese conversations are a blessing in disguise, especially when it's between makeup artists commenting on how to balance symmetry of your facial features
3. My face used to be an oval, why does it feel so round now
4. Makeup should rightfully be removed properly at home and not haphazardly in school
5. "From China girl to Korean superstar" I don't think this statement needs any explanation
6. Falsies are intriguing

And not to mention how professional and committed XE was during the course of it all, I think she did a splendid job!

Okay it's not in my nature to take pictures of my makeup buuuut good things must be shared! If you're interested, do email her at ongxiner@gmail.com to ask for her portfolio ranging from bridal/evening/day makeup and hairdos styles at affordable deals. (Too bad I didn't catch a picture of her gorgeous plaits she did for me) Especially for JC/secondary school students (Hi juniors!) she'll be great for prom! Plus, she's super friendly so you'll be in good hands ♥ Too bad I didn't know her for my secondary school prom and ended up with Cat eyes....which isn't really everyone's thing. Mention my blog and get a discount ^^ (Her makeup blog here )

Ciao!

P.S. Baked Red velvet cupcakes with blueberry bits and walnut cream toppings, will share the modified recipe soon ☺
P.P.S. Beach with the bitches, Sarah and Aish tomorrow, cannot wait for our share of the sinful basket of waffle fries and all things good, sunshine and sangria ☀
P.P.P.S Too many pictures of myself hahaha will post another entry tomorrow to bump this down I promise

Daisy,

This is the story of a homeless Jack Russell - my family found her wandering on the streets aimlessly and all helpless. She's extremely adorable and hyperactive. We intended to name her Daisy but my grandmother calls her Summer, because she's as bright as a button and reminds us of sunshine when fetching a ball. We were trying to find a loving home for her, and after much fuss, a warm Caucasian family who adopted her ♥

The family now calls her Pepper, and her welfare is definitely taken care of extremely well! A short snippet from an email from them: "Ally gave her a bath last night and she was an angel! She's sleeping Ally's room and is eating well. Every morning we go down for a walk after seeing the kids off to school - it was really cute today as she cried a little when the kids got on the bus. She is such a caring dog."

And with a twist of fate (or a fortunate change of events), she may also be flying over to the states to greener pastures when the family returns back to America. So glad for her ♥

P.S. Exams are over, will definitely update more frequently but of course!

Supernova,

Took my SLR baby for Supernova concert night out @University town last month, didn't really take many pictures and was running on Kodak Ultramax ISO 400 colour film, same as the one pictured here. I was taken aback on a few occasions where my lens froze though, because of the low lighting. The picture turnout wasn't great but I loved the black silhouettes against the changing stage lights. Concert turnout was not bad, with college students sprawled across the Utown lawn with their picnic mats and what nots, albeit rain earlier that day.

 

What considered to be the highlight of the show.....the big bang of stage fireworks which I clearly missed because I was in awe of the display. Hence, the picture above.

I'm in the middle of exam week (2 papers down) so more updates next week - I smell freedom already ♥ Till then!

For life's not a paragraph,

Caught a glimpse of beautiful evening sun rays, a pleasant surprise as I walked past my parents' room in a half conscious state.  Which is not a mean feat considering how the afternoon heat has basked my room in a drunken stupor. (Like room, like occupant I'll say) Hidden sweet treats found buried in the refrigerator are such gems, except that the sugar crystals keep flaking off and I have to dust them away from my desk. In other side news, I've also painted my nails jade green, the picture doesn't really do them justice because they look turquoise and my fingers look awkward haha. I also have a knack for hoarding bottles so my Starbucks 100% fresh orange juice comes in handy as a bottle companion.

Got a few OPI bottles from a fashion event I attended whilst I was working last year, haven't tried them yet even though they're very prettily lined up on my accessories shelf. And of course, an eiffel tower keychain, which perches perfectly on the window grill. What bold dreams ♥

Love the contrast against my new IKEA cushion, garnered through a fulfilling meal of meatballs, chicken breast with pasta, classic juice and Daim cake two days ago. If I eat there frequently enough, perhaps I'll have the whole range of the other colours. Ciao!

Motion prevails,

Song of the moment: Ben- Michael Jackson

Good morning world, it's a hundred degrees outside. Although I did peer out of the window to see if it was gonna rain, since the weather these days has been extremely erratic. But nope, it's an azure blue sky dotted with magnolia clouds. This is what education does to you I reckon. The motion prevails, we just follow through drifting alongside something we think we believe in, but some may not. Digressing, I like this picture because it shows how clean my room is, plus the crooked makeshift moustache is just so out of place (what a failed attempt). The white bear, my dad's gift to my mum, says hi on the top shelf and I spy my favourite bunch of wooden tulips from Holland.