Because my dreams are bursting at the seams.

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3:05 AM

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Wednesday, February 29, 2012

we could have had it all

I decided to book a date for my basic theory test after weeks of procrastination only to find the earliest date is more than a whole freaking month away!!!! After BTT, there's FTT and a whole series of practical lessons I have to take before I can sit for the practical test. Who knows how long this is going to take if I start in April. And it's no guarantee I'll pass my BTT, or my FTT or my practical test. AHHHHHH

Gosh I really regret procrastinating about getting my license now. :'(

Labels: driving

2:09 AM

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Tuesday, February 28, 2012

we all need hope

So... It's official. A level results will be released this Friday. It's only a few days away till I know how badly I've done.

At least I had a pretty good feeling prior to receiving my O level results. And it turns out I did quite okay, not very well but it was alright.

This time, I have no good feelings at all. Zero. If having a good feeling for O levels led to slightly-less-than-good results, then I really do not know what to expect on my result slip on Friday.
Friends have dreamt at least once about getting back their results with grades fully displayed. I have not dreamed about getting back my results until just last night. I returned to school on results day, but then I woke up before the results were announced. Some people say that dreams are the opposite of reality. Dreaming of good grades can mean bad grades in real life and vice versa. My grades are still unknown even in my dreams. And no news is good news, right? I hope so.

I really hope so.

Labels: A levels

1:57 AM

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Friday, February 24, 2012

deal steal meal teal

Went down to PageOne's closing down sale with Joan after work on Tuesday. I got myself 3 random books and a mighty wallet.

Original cost: $86.15
After discount: $36.90!!!

Friggin' cheap! Too bad the books I was hoping to get weren't there. Oh well!

Labels: books

1:16 AM

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golden oreos!

I finally got around to baking yesterday! I was torn between two recipes I found, mini oreo cheesecakes and cookies and cream cupcakes. Eventually I chose the former because I only had a box each of golden oreos and the half-peanut-butter-half-chocolate ones. I don't want my cheesecakes/cupcakes to have that peanut butter flavour in them. Also I don't think cookies and cream cupcakes would look nice without the black bits from the normal oreos. Plus the cheesecake recipe seemed much simpler.
Thus this is what I got: mini oreo cheesecakes using golden oreos!

Mini Oreo Cheesecakes adapted from Spark Recipes for 18 servings

ingredients:
18 Oreo cookies
1.5 packages (375g) Philadelphia cream cheese, room temp.
1/3 cup and 8 teaspoons sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
9 Oreo cookies, crushed (optional)

directions:
Line muffin pans with liners. Place an Oreo cookie in each liner. Blend cream cheese and sugar. Blend in eggs and vanilla essence. Fold in crushed oreos.
Divide evenly into each liner, covering the oreo base. (To make your cheesecakes look nice, smooth the tops of the batter before putting them into the oven)
Bake at 350F (about 176C) for 15 minutes. Let cool on a cooling rack before refrigerating for at least 3 hours.

I like eating cheesecake but sometimes it gets too rich and I cannot take more than 2 bites out of it. These are just right. I can eat one whole mini cheesecake and not get sick of it. And these were really easy to make.

I will attempt those cookies and cream cupcakes one day, when I have the time and when I have normal oreos.

Labels: baking, cheesecake, food, instagram, oreo, pictures, recipes

11:10 PM

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Monday, February 20, 2012

Ways to become fat

Special edition Jenga and Monopoly games at a game shop in Serene Centre

Popiah and kueh pie ti with Mom at Bugis

Ramen Santouka at The Central has one of the best ramen I've ever had. I can see myself going back for more.

Gyoza from Ramen Santouka

Breakfast with the family on a Sunday morning

While waiting for Sis to finish running after our swim

Making animals out of blutack. I got bored at home.

Dinner with Meng at Etna Italian Restaurant and Pizzeria (Duxton Road). High quality food, excellent service, cosy ambience at a very reasonable price. The following pictures are in an orange hue because of the lighting there.

Complimentary bread. It comes with olive oil and belsamic vinegar.

Linguine con Capesante, basically linguine with scallops in pink lobster sauce

Pizza Etna has a mozzarella cheese base topped with porcini mushrooms, parma ham, cream cheese and pistachio

Pistachio tiramisu was so freaking good. I used flash because I want to show you the tiramisu's actual colours and not an orange coloured one.

Lunch break with Reynard, who's my (ex-)classmate and now my colleague!

Tonight's dinner at Ichiban

My past few posts have been mostly made up of pictures. Simple reason being that I'm quite lazy to type out every single thing that has happened in detail. It would probably bore you as well. So I now prefer to let the pictures do the talking, although most of my pictures are of food. Lol.
I even have a long list of food places that I want to try out.

And I'm really itching to bake. The last time I baked was before CNY. I wanted to bake last week but there wasn't any butter at home. Zzz. I think I'll bake this week since I'll be relatively free. I really want to try baking cheesecake/mini cheesecakes or cookies and cream cupcakes. I am in a dilemma.

Labels: food, instagram, pictures

2:15 AM

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Tuesday, February 14, 2012

a dedication to Cracker

Claudia's beloved Cracker passed away on Saturday. Cracker to me was like my little nephew. I saw him and played with him whenever I went over to Claudia's place since a decade ago. So I kinda watched him grow and age and I like to believe that he could recognize me whenever I popped by.
To have a dog by your side is a really blissful thing. I only got to spend a little over a year with my Fido and his passing shook me. I was devastated and I cried for a long, long time. I didn't talk in school for days. Even now I still think of Fido once in awhile, and I miss him. Claudia got Cracker when he was a puppy, and she, a young child. Claudia and Cracker practically grew up together. I cannot even imagine the pain my best friend is feeling right now.

I will miss Cracker, even though he isn't my dog. I will miss seeing that teddy bear at Claudia's place, him always licking me in greeting. I will miss scratching that particular spot on his belly that makes his leg thump.

I know it's really hard for you right now, Claud. Like I've told you before, cry all you want because it's not good to keep everything bottled up. I know it is hard but try to remember the good times you had with him. How blessed you are to be able to be with him for so many years. You were lucky to have him, and he was lucky to have you. He isn't here physically anymore, but he still lives in your heart. And he will, for as long as you allow. Continue to live your life to the fullest and at the end of it, he will be waiting for you, his stumpy tail wagging. That's what I'd like to think.

Stay strong, love.

Labels: best friend, cracker, RIP

11:22 PM

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Friday, February 10, 2012

picture post

CNY Day 1

Dad's idea of saying "HUAT AH!"

Love my new bag

The family tradition of eating red wine chicken mee sua every CNY.

Father and son.

The last portrait I'll ever take of my grandfather, who was really just a shell of himself for the last few years. Seeing the once tall and strong man turn into someone so frail, weak and skinny both saddens and scares me. It's peculiar that something in me told me to take more photos of him that day we visited him, for fear that I may never get the chance again. Now I'm glad I did.

Seeing my grandfather deteriorate physically and mentally scares me. What if one day my father becomes like that? And what if one day I become like that too?

CNY day 2. Lunch at Crystal Jade

Lion dance troupe came in to perform. This is the only clear shot I have.

Current read

Some Japanese restaurant at Bugis Junction. Look at the size of the bowl.

At a temple

SiWai came to find me while I was at work! We were supposed to watch Jack and Jill together with Joan after work but she was down with a fever so the two of us watched Journey 2 the Mysterious Island instead, in order to not let his trip all the way to orchard be wasted. Also took this photo because a few days later he would be going to army. Hope he's doing fine in tekong so far!

Lunch at Paradise Dynasty two Sundays ago in early celebration of my father's birthday.

Dinner at Mr. Curry (I had non-spicy curry of course)

Strawberry parfait

Buffet lunch with mom and sis at Triple Three at Meritus Mandarin last Monday.

Bread and butter pudding.

Our happy event was soon cut short when my mom received a call saying my grandfather couldn't wake up. We then took a cab to my grandparents' place and that was when the emotional rollercoaster began.

It's been a week since my grandfather's funeral. Everything's back to normal I suppose. I began working again this week. Received my A&F pay as well as my tuition fees for January. It's not much since the number of times I've worked can be counted on one hand, but seeing the balance in my bank account going up makes me happy.

Labels: buffet, CNY 2012, family, food, instagram, pictures