Baked goods! *Edit, now with a recipe*

This is dedicated to Etherealprey, she always has the most mouthwatering pictures on her blog and then I wondered why I never post any food pics especially when I love to bake and all. When I tell people I like baking most of the time the reaction I get i surprise. What? You don't believe me? :) Ha ha! Here are a few pics I posted a while ago on another forum.

Enjoy!

peanut brittle

Oat meal balls rolled in coconut

Apple pie

The oatmeal balls looked good, didn't they? And the good news is that they're super-easy to make. You don't even need to turn on the oven!

Recipe for oatmeal balls (approx. 30 balls) Sorry it's metric system since the recipe is in danish but you can use this online converter and this is really easy to use.

100 grams of butter (take out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before use so that it's soft)

1 deciliter of sugar

1 tablespoon of vanilla sugar

2-3 tablespoons of cocoa powder

3 decilitres of oatmeal

2-3 tablespoons of cold, strong coffee

Decoration: shredded (desiccated) coconut

Mix butter, sugar and vanilla sugar together with a hand mixer. Mix in the cocoa. Then add the oatmeal and the coffee and keep mixing until everything is blended.

Form the dough into small bite sized balls, (approx. 30) and roll them in the coconut. Put them on a tray and keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

Voilà, and all there's left to do is enjoy!

That's it for now, until next blog!

Thank you speech!

Wow... never in a hundred years did I think this would happen to me. Hrm... hrrrmm! (clears throat): Erhm...I'd like to thank my MOM, she's my #1 role model and my...

Ok ok, enough with the academy award-like winning speeches, but to be honest I was surprised, shocked, ecstatic and then a bit confused when my secret lover alienman nominated me. Surprised, because I certainly didn't see this coming. Shocked, because I had no idea even what this was and what to do with it. (Yes, I'm such a n00b when it comes to blogging) Ecstatic because after months and sooo many more months of blogging, I'm finally being recognized for all my hard work!! T-T And last but not least, confused... because...well, to be honest, for one I had no idea such an award existed. Second, I honestly don't think I'm worthy of it and yeees, I know my secret lover only nominated me because I told her I'd leave her if she didn't! ;)

There are so many out there who deserve the nomination more than me (continuing in true academy award style) I'm not very eloquent with words, especially not in English, I wish I was though, and often find myself taking a backseat when it comes to expressing myself. I truly admire a lot of people on my blog roll, wishing I had their writing skills and abilities to draw people in with mere written words.

Here are my nominations:

(G)ail Because you really don't know what you have until you've lost it. I didn't know how much I had grown accustomed to swinging by your blog on an almost daily basis. When your blog was gone I felt a big empty hole of...nothing and the joy and sunshine I felt, coming into my life when I discovered you were back. This deserves a nomination from me.

alienman Because, I don't dare to not nominate her! I nominate her out of pure fear! Naw, just kidding.... Is it even possible to nominate a person who nominated you? I have NO idea... but I'll do it anyways. Truth to be told, I admire and like you a lot. Not just your wicked sense of humor, your eloquence when it comes to writing, your awesome skills when it comes to applying falsies and about a million other reasons. The way you write, one cannot help it but to let oneself be drawn in.

Angie, for being the sweet, adorable person that she is. One cannot help it but to keep going back to your blog, even though I don't always comment. I'm addicted to this blog and this is why you deserve this nomination.

Arashi, a girl I first came to know through abb. Her personality had me so smitten, of course I had to visit her blog. I love her reviews and way of applying make-up. Always so pretty, I always check out her blog for ideas.

Etherealprey This girls keeps me coming back for all the mouthwatering food pictures she always posts! I always get mad at myself for going there because, regardless of just having a 5 course dinner, I still get hungry! I love her writing style and this is one of my personal fav blogs.

Liz I was so happy to have another Europe-residing fellow Asian blogger on nb at first. This joy has then turned into something deeper. Over time I've come to love your writings and personality. A person who is truly beautiful on the inside and outside. I'm happy to have "met" you.

Renren I love viewing her tutorial vids. When I first saw Renren, I thought she reminded me a bit of Gisele from ANTM cycle 1 in one of her pics. To this day I'm still jealous of her great bone structure and I keep going back regularly to check up on her latest looks as inspiration.

Aaw... dang! I only made it through first half of my blog roll. There are so many more I'd like to nominate but unfortunately it is restricted to 7.

Alright here's what you should do if I nominated you:

1) When received, you may post the premio to your blog.

2) Link to the blogger you received it from.

3) Give it to 7 blogs

4) Link to those 7 blogs

5) Leave those seven bloggers a comment about receiving the brilliant premio.

Until next blog!

I love this thing!!

The last time I had a haircut in May, my hairdresser used this straightening iron on my hair. I liked it so much that I asked her to order one for me too. Now, I use it every time I've washed my hair, after blowdrying it 80%. I don't know how I was able to live without this little gem. The old one I had was too wide for short hair, which I happen to have now and this new one is just perfect!

It's in white and I think I fell in love with it the first time I saw it. As a matter of fact I believe I used those exact words, when she opened the box to show me and she just giggled at how silly I was... Well, these pictures don't do it justice, it looks better up close.

I also got a red lipstick from Estée Lauder, it's a darker red but it makes me feel so glam. Besides it feels good on my lips since it keeps them moisturized and doesn't dry them out. Perfect for a night out where I don't have a lot of time to apply make-up. Shade: Black Cherry.

Mint bonbons!

Hey lovelies! ^_^

It's been a while since I last posted any looks, as a matter of fact it feels like a decade, mostly because I had lost my camera about 6 months ago but I found it last week and I couldn't wait to start posting again.
I dug out some of my MAC e/s I haven't played with in a while, I had a lot of fun with it and I hope you'll enjoy the result.

Products used:
Face: MAC select cover-up concealer under eyes to hide my dark circles and under my nose.Clinique superbalanced foundation Smashbox O-glow blush
Eyes:Lancôme khôl eye pencil in blackMaybelline sky high curves waterproof mascara in blackMAC e/s in au contraire lined on upper lashlineMAC e/s in Juxt on inner 1/3 of lidMAC e/s in newly minted on outer 2/3 of lid and lower lid
Lips:First applied a brick red lipstick where I took most of it off with a tissue but left a little of it. Then applied my new fav lipstick: Dior High shine in 214 on top, blotted then reapplied.

C&C welcome!

Thanks for looking! ^_^

Well... apparently I live in the best city in the world...

Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark has been voted the best city in the world to live in by the lifestyle magazine: Monocle. According the the feinschmecker magazine, there are numerous reasons why Copenhagen has gone from second to first place in a year, swapping positions with Munich.

I'm surprised at the results of this vote, I guess it takes someone else to see it from a different perspective in order to find it so amazing. Maybe I'm just used to living here...or maybe I see certain things as well, things that a foreigner/tourist might not see. But yeah... reading this article made me remember the wonderful things about this city and made me appreciate it. That was a good reminder because if someone doesn't tell you, then how am I supposed to remember that I live in the best city in the world? Kind of like the trees in the forest... Read on for the contents...

The low murder rate of only 6 murders per year are one of the reasons they state. It's also of great importance that in 2006 54.9% of the garbage were recycled and that 5000 new firms emerge per year placed Denmark in 5th place over innovative countries in the world.

High tolerance also plays a part and the magazine notes that we have an active equal rights policy and that since 1989 it has been possible for gay couples to have registered partnerships.

It's not easy finding the nicest city and that's why several writers themselves from Monocle are visiting the 40 different qualified cities. They state that they loved intellect, humor and great looks of the inhabitants of Copenhagen. Tyler Brûlé, chief editor at Monocle said that it was lovely walking the streets of Copenhagen, to see all the happy, good looking people. "It only takes 5 minutes to bike to the nearest park and it's possible to bathe in the harbor. Actually it's almost as if the city was DESIGNED to live in!"

Of course Denmark is internationally known for it's design as well as designers and they help raise the standard of living. The metro are one of the most important reasons why Denmark came in first this year. Being able to get of the plane and take the train/metro directly to ones destination without further obstacles is one tests passed. When you're downtown you can also enjoy the most qualified barista-scene north of Italy as well as enjoy interior and art innovation, awesome drinks and cocktails and wonderful food culture.

The winning part is that Copenhagen is not that big a city, it's cosy and intimate and everything is within walking distance or biking. And he loves the fact that we have a culture that allows us to be able to leave the baby stroller outside a store while we go inside to shop - with the baby still inside stroller!

A recent survey showed that Danish people were the happiest people in the world...why shouldn't we be? Apparently now, we also have the best city in the world to live in!

BEST CITIES 2008 - TOP 25 (cities in parenthesis show last years placements. Check to see if your city is on the list and whether it moved up or down from last year!)

1. Copenhagen (Munich)
2. Munich (Copenhagen)
3. Tokyo (Zurich)
4. Zurich (Tokyo)
5. Helsinki (Vienna)
6. Vienna (Helsinki)
7. Stockholm (Sydney)
8. Vancouver (Stockholm)
9. Melbourne (Honolulu)
10. Paris (Madrid)
11. Sydney (Melbourne)
12. Honolulu (Montreal)
13. Madrid (Barcelona)
14. Berlin (Kyoto)
15. Barcelona (Vancouver)
16. Montreal (Auckland)
17. Fukuoka (Singapore)
18. Amsterdam (Hamburg)
19. Minneapolis (Paris)
20. Kyoto (Geneva)
21. Hamburg
22. Singapore
23. Geneva
24. Lisbon
25. Portland

Over due pics of my new...do

Last week I had a haircut. She looked at my hair and asked me what I wanted. Knowing and trusting her completely I shrugged and said: whatever you want to do. She smiled and said: I want to make it short.

In my mind I hesitated for a moment, but before I could stop myself I heard my own voice: sure go ahead! The thought of it not being good, and me waiting anxiously for it to grow out, struck me for a moment. Only for a brief moment. Then I reminded myself that this woman knew what she was doing.

I have to honest, normally whenever I get a new haircut, it takes me a week or so to get used to it and like it. This haircut, I loved instantly. The only thing bothering me is that I didn't take the pics right after the haircut. These were taken today and my feeble attempts to somewhat recreate the awesome do she made were futile.

So take a look at this hair and imagine it a lot better-looking, more edgy and lovely. *sigh* well, she ain't a hairdresser for nothing, eh? I better invest in a proper straightening iron, not the antiquity of a brick I have.

The back of my head. As you can see it's quite short, then it gets longer as it nears my jawline. Sorry for the bad quality, it was taken on my mom's macbook, since I still can't find my camera.

Yup, this is how happy I am with my do!

Oh yeah... btw, I grew out my eyebrows again. All of it. It took me a long time to grow out the ends but I managed to do it eventually. I will never ever overpluck again. It looked awful on me!

Wow, have I really been MIA for a month?!?

Time really does fly by when you're.... busy. This doesn't mean that I'll be back 100%, well not just yet that is. Will still be just a little MIA since I'm not entirely done with exams.

Today's topic: I am lucky.
Have any of you guys ever heard stories from your parents about how tough life was when they were growing up and how we should consider ourselves lucky and blessed? Know what I'm talking about? Then have any of you tried the concentrated version: aka the grandparents story of how things used to be when THEY grew up.

I don't know about you guys, but I've heard stories of famine, war, poverty etc. Things like these really make you think, don't they? That we really and truly are blessed and lucky, right? Lucky that we have the opportunity to get a proper education, not starve and live safely without ever having to wonder about where the next meal would come from?

Every time I hear stories like these I DO consider myself lucky but...truth to be told, the feeling doesn't really last me that long...well at least not as long as I would have wanted. I usually get so caught up with the "minor" problems I have to deal with in life. Deadlines for project hand-ins, exams, what to do with my life after I graduate etc. The latter one, I find that it has often been filling my mind lately. I can do this, that and a billion other things with my life. The only problem is...what??

It's true that the daily problems I have to deal with seem so petty compared to those my parents/grandparents went through in their younger days. But sometimes when I'm stressed out, they DO seem HUGE! Why is it that we, as modern Asian women, in the 21st century get worried and and start feeling anxiety when it comes to choosing career paths...or am I mistaken and is it just me? Could be just me...or maybe...just maybe.... I'm speaking for one or two of you out there.

Should we follow our parents wishes and become the doctor/lawyer/engineer they've always wanted us to aspire to be? If not, then if we DO follow our own paths...what should we become? We know very well that they only mean it in a good way since having a daughter/son in a respectable position means that not only are we financially secured but they also save face and feel that they can walk a little taller.

I'm in the dilemma that I don't want to be neither of the three but at the same time, as a filial daughter, I don't feel like I could bring it upon myself to bring shame upon my family. It seems like they "settled" for me going to business school but every now and then I hear the occasional remark about: "Oh...you COULD have studied this, that would've been a better path for you". Because I believe I might do it myself when I get married and have kids of my own, to be a besserwisser (One who knows better but more importantly knows better than my kids) I usually bite my tongue because it isn't appropriate to talk back but one must stand up for one self, so I do so, in small doses of course.

In the meantime, I'm still wondering about what I should do with my future once I finish school and get a masters. The problem is....we have too many choices, it makes us confused and dazed, not knowing what to choose from. In the meantime, I'm just going to enjoy my days of going to school, hoping that the answer will fall right into my lap because I've heard that "grown-up life" is soooo much more stressful than the life of a student. If I'm stressed out NOW then who knows what I might end up like when I enter the job market?

Think positive: I'm lucky, blessed and I shouldn't let minor things bother me. Hopefully I'll find out what I want to do with my life before I graduate... If not, I'll publish a stressed-out, panicky, anxiety-filled post. But... everything in due time, for now I'll just focus on me and getting through the exams.

Wish me luck!