Banana blueberry muffins

I'm currently sprouting a muffins addiction (which is a really really bad habit since it's carbs!) but I try my best, substituting plain ol' flour with oats flour (which basically refers to the throwing of rolled oats into the food processor). First up on the muffins list is these blueberry banana muffins. I think they're pretty yums, but wait till you see the next entry - the pear banana walnuts combo. Which are, in my opinion, even better than these blueberry babies.

Cutie pie niece and nephew who came over for a visit when I was i the midst of baking these muffins.

Adorable-y cute. (:

A depressing weekend

There are many movies nowadays that are adapted from popular novels. And although I can see why the movie companies do it (why, for the money of course!), sometimes I think they should just leave the books alone. Stories read in black ink on white paper, just seems so much more arresting than the feelings actors can evoke. Words just seems to capture the moment, the emotions, the characters ever more clearly than how some actors and directors think.

Having just watched the movie The Time Traveler's Wife (without having first read the book), I think it was a nice movie yes. But often, when the movie plot is derived from a book, and one that I've actually read, the movie just loses its overall appeal. Sure, I head to the cinemas just like anyone else to catch such films when they are released. But, deep down, I secretly think that always, no matter how good the movie was, the book automatically wins, hands down. I feel that now that I've watched the film, when I read the book, I'll probably change my opinion of the movie and think that the show wasn't that good afterall.

And speaking of movies/books, I've just finished reading My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult, another big screen adaptation. I must say, the whole book made me think a lot. About siblings, about life, about health, about the law, about choices and most of all, about fate. I cried while flipping through the last few pages of the novel. The ending was just so...I can't think of how to describe, but it was just so sad...

Then on the same day I finished the book, I was watching telly (how rare! I'm always watching vids on my computer. snigger) at night. In the drama, someone's grandma dies in a fire and the granddaughter was held back by others cos she wanted to dash in to save her granny. Seriously, enough is enough.

What an emotionally depressing weekend.

Graduation Trip

I was just a first year student at QUT, with my eyes wide open. Three years later, here I am, finally a university graduate. I've learnt alot. About life, about people, and most importantly, about myself. Now, it's time to bid my alma mater adieu, and put on my graduation cap. It's been a really great journey. I just wish I had a longer time at uni.

Here's a condensed pile of photos, the full album (okay not full since I wasn't about to upload EVERY single photo from my camera) is available for viewing on Facebook.







Most of all, I'm thankful to my family.

Thanks to my dad, who forked out my hefty university fees, so that even when I didn't get into NTU's SCI, I can study Mass Communications. I love him for being him.

Thanks to my sister, who was just there whenever I needed a listening ear and everything else. I'm glad that we didn't grow apart despite the distance seperating us. Whenever I was back for the hols, it was just as though I was never away at all, the laughter, the gossip, the times together.

Thanks to Jos, who made my life in Brissy more exciting and for being an awesome gossip buddy. You were my best pal in Brissy and I really treasure the times we have there together. Love you!

Random fun facts, And triple choc tarts.

Random happenings. They can be amusing or miraculous. Depends on how you're looking at it. ;)

On Thursday, there was a brief short span of heavy rain in my area, and it actually rained ice. Yes. You didn't see wrongly. I wrote i-c-e. Super miniscule and few, but yes, water in its solid state - ice. Hohoho. My dad was so amazed by the fact. Siew, on the other hand, think it symbolises the end of the world. snigger.

Met up with Siew for dinner tonight and we happened to chance upon two rare sights.

No1.: After dinner, while walking along the streets to digest our steaks, something plopped from the sky to the very spot right in front of me. There I was, with my foot in the air, about to step down again, when the dubious white thing splat down (with an audible "plop" that Siew said she heard). Guess what? I just narrowly missed being "bombed" by a bird, or from another perspective, avoided stepping onto the white fresh bird poop.

No2.: Then along the same stretch of road, just further down (fine, it was in town, seriously, if you want to witness entertaining things like me, just head down to town to get your dose of entertainment. snorts), we were waiting at the traffic lights cross junction to cross the road, when a car zoomed out from the perpendicular road to where we stood, and I meaned ZOOMED. As it was traveling at a high speed and turning at the same time, it totally went like zig zag onto the main road (lucky there werent any more cars zooming past like what the car did, so, no accident.) and I swear everyone's eyes in the vicinity were locked onto that car and its hellidon'tknowhowthepersonpassedthedrivingtest driver. Total F1wannabe antics, and it wasn't even for a filming for a show or anything. Gosh.

So yeah, just wanted to share with you some random titbits, cos I havn't been updating with any interesting news lately. (: And of cos, I'll end off with food porn again. ;) This time, of the triple chocolate tart I made couple weeks back, before I went to Aussie.



I try to use good chocolate whenever I bake. It's Lindt all the way for me. I love the 70% dark chocolate. I miss getting bars of it whenever it goes on sale at either Coles or Woolsworth. The price (cheapest - AU$2!) is so much cheaper than in SG (S$5.50) for one bar. For my convocation trip, I set off with the heart to buy Lindt bars in bulk back. Imagine my disappointment when it wasn't on sale at both supermarts. THEN. While shopping at Target with my friend, she pointed out the confectionery stand to me and said, "Hey, Lindt chocolates are on sale!" Guess who left the store with TEN bars happily tucked away in her bag... ;)

Back from traveling. And some macarons pictures.

I'm back! From all my trips. Loads to share, loads to share. Just not in the right frame of mind to piece my thoughts into coherent sentences. It's 11.50pm and I'm daaaaaaaamn tired cos I went for a jog just now with the Sista. Instead of attempting to sort through my memories, I opt for pictures instead. Nothing beats pictures, right? (:

My Aunt Susan wanted to learn how to make macarons, so one day last month, she came over and we made two batches of coffee, chocolate and lemon macarons. The lemons were a flop - they didn't rise! How sad, thus no pictures of the disastrous flat lemon ones, but here are the coffee and chocolate ones.