Wednesday, February 27, 2008
10:20 pm
And~ my two examination papers are over!
After which (because it was a morning paper and thus giving me more free time for the rest of the day) I went to the
Marine Parade library on my way back home and collected
Twilight (by Stephenie Meyer), which I've reserved a few days ago, then headed out to Parkway with my mother about an hour after to... get some stuff.
What stuff?
Behold! My very first post-examination project!
My very first try at baking. As in, really baking.
None of those half-arsed Home Economics rubbish.
This is the sauce (filling, however you like to call it).
It's raspberry juice (squashed and drained by yours truly)
with melting chocolate and cream.
This was the step where I made my first mistake:
I forgot to heat the mixture while stirring,
which obviously makes it easier to mix everything together.
And that's how it looked like in the end.
Then it goes into the icecube tray.
Which was a pain to get them out again,
but it has oil from the chocolate and the cream
so with some prodding and poking, VOILÀ! (Ahem)
I had no idea that a 250grams bar of butter could be that much
when it's not in it's regular shape.
This is the batter for the dough, also using chocolate.
Has anyone spotted my real reason for choosing this recipe?
With all other ingredients in (eggs and butter).
Looks all gooey and gross, but it was fun to mix
because I did it all by hand without a mixer.
Very good exercise for the arm (hah).
My second mistake!
Forgot to use the raspberry jam,
but it turned out all right without it, so, MEH.
I think the moulds I bought were actually meant for pudding making,
but the muffin trays that were available were all too shallow.
I find that it's better when the dough's filled to the brim
because when it rises post-baking,
it's a good leverage for easing it out of the mould.
Yes, it's all dark. Had me worried for a moment
because it had looked a lighter brown on the recipe.
*Drumroll!!!*
The sauce-icecubes?
It's used to make that liquid filling that just oozes out
when the muffin's cut open.
(That's my grandfather's thumb, by the way.
*Random info!*)
Yes, my muffin and my creepy eyes
because I'm just about dying to eat it already,
what with all my obsessive phototaking.
Fresh raspberry sauce is actually quite sour
without the usual additives like sugar and whatnots to mute it.
But it balances whatever sweetness
that's left in the dark chocolate muffin so it's just plain YUM.
And the harder crust at the bottom is SO GOOD.
I kid you not.
I can't believe it, my first attempt and it's already GREATNESS!
(Don't mind me, I've been hyper ever since my exams ended.
Even my parents thought I had a screw loose today.)
I think my muffins are darker because I used 70% cocoa chocolate
instead of the 67% in the recipe.
Can't remember which brand it was, just that it's from Switzerland.
It was actually not bad, because unlike most dark chocolates
that looses the velvety thickness with the lesser milk contect,
the brand I used didn't.
Plus, it was easy to measure because one bar was exactly 100grams
so I needn't break them up and weigh it again to get what I want,
considering those like Cadbury sell at 125grams or something.
(Yes, I'm lazy. It's like, common knowledge.)
And~ it's all gone!
Recipe's here, and I might consider doing some of the others on that website.
I still have 8 servings of the muffin left (technically) waiting for me to bake them.
Anyone feel like coming over some day soon?
Labels: Baking, Book recs, Photos
Friday, February 22, 2008
1:40 pm
Can't believe how stupid people can be sometimes.
Was watching Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader last night and my goodness, the guy gave up on the million dollar question.
Hello! MILLION DOLLARS???
And the question was so easy:
"What's the smallest prime factor of 8?"
Or something along that line.
Goodness.
Even if one's not good with prime numbers, it'll take at most 5 seconds to come up with the answer (which is 2, in case you're just like him).
Let's not even start with how he calculates the summation of 11.5 and -14. I've never seen anyone count the way he does.
If I were his wife, I'd be totally disappointed instead of cheering him on just because he decided to stop and leave with half a million. And money isn't even the reason at all.
To think that the contestant used to be in a gifted programme in elementary school.
Such a *facedesk* (or if you prefer, *facepalm*) moment.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
12:00 pm
All right! I'm back after a really long hiatus.
Firstly, Final Year Project was over. Finally.
My presentation cue cards.
I never want to see them again.
And after that came the career fair, but before that, I went to buy the contact lenses that I've been talking about for months.
I am still getting used to them, and for some reason that has escaped me, the left lens always feels weird on my eye.
Anyway, there wasn't much on career fair and the day had been a somewhat let down because throughout our FYP period, the LOM coursemates have been talking about treating ourselves to a good meal after the dust had settled, so to speak, but the dinner trip (where we were supposed to go after the career fair) was cancelled just because a) it was raining and b) it can't be decided whether to eat at the Clarke Quay or at Katong.
Ah... Whatever.
Watched two movies recently; Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (with Fabian) and Jumper (with YM).
Sweeney Todd was a tragedy from the start, really. And if it weren't for Johnny Depp and the promised bloodspills, I wouldn't have watched it (because I'm such a sucker for happy endings). The blood was, in my opinion, unrealistic and over dramatic ("Free-flow." Like what Fabian said), which is actually a good thing, in this case. I mean, the movie was originally a musical in the first place and the blood made the movie even more theatric and haunting.
Jumper was SO COOL.
I have no idea why some reviews were on the negative side, but really, for a movie based on a novel, obviously it won't be as good as the original. There wasn't much delving into the character of the protagonist, but hey, what do you expect from a novel-turned-movie that's less than two hours long? Besides, the action scenes pretty much made up for all that.
Next! Minekura Kazuya-sensei's updates!
(A little slow of me, but just pardon that; FYP has been cruel to us.)
BUS GAMER 1巻が発売開始!
BUS GAMER TVアニメ放送日時決定!
BUS GAMER!
No, it's got nothing to do with public transport, it's just a shortform for BUSINESS gamer.
Yeah, so it should be BIZ GAMER instead but English isn't exactly Japan's first language, you know.
There was a Pilot version back in 2004 (or was it 2003?), some sort of one-shot, but now Minekura-sensei's starting the series! Woohoo!
The first manga will be out in Japan on 8th March. Hopefully Tongli will be translating it. If not, I'd be left with Chuang Yi and I don't exactly sing praises for Singapore's manga publishing company.
And the anime's coming out too!
CAST
美柴 鴇: 鈴村健一
Mishiba Toki (Seiyuu: Suzumura Kenichi)
Just realised that he's the seiyuu for Hitachiin Hikaru in Ouran High.
>_< Squee!
斉藤一雄: 高橋広樹
Saitoh Kazuo (Seiyuu: Takahashi Hiroki)
中条伸人: 諏訪部順一
Nakajyo Nobuto (Seiyuu: Suwabe Junichi)
It's supposed to start mid-March in Japan and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that someone out there will sub it.
And, finally!
Have been busy the past few days, getting ready the portfolio for NTU's ADM course in Visual Communication. It isn't my first choice (Communication Studies is) but it's a good enough back-up so I might as well prepare for it.
Went down to the beach at East Coast Park with KY and her friend, Chuan, along with my sister (because no one was home to look after her then) to snap some photographs. First time on a bicycle after too long. And of course, as many already know, I can't cycle, so we took the double bikes and I just sat behind and tried not to freak out or fall off.
Did some night shots along Katong too.
I have no idea what that is.
I'm guessing it's the roots of the trees,
exposed by storms and waves.
A cigarette butt we found by Chuan's foot.
Julia will freak out if she sees that photo.
Yep, the moon was quite bright that night.
Red light!
Green light!
Those were just a tip of the iceberg. I've taken 251 photographs in all.
Yeah, I know. Total madness.
Put a camera in my hands and I do crazy things.
Labels: Manga, Minekura, Photos