Butter Cream Cakes to satisfy your sugar craving...

Today was one of those times when I felt so challanged and frustrated in baking. My creamery skill is just sucks, it's so obvious that I had to keep redoing my Zuger Kirsch because my layering is too thin. And with me being left handed, it's a bit difficult to translate the technique showed by the teacher to suit me, so I almost broke down after 4 times of layering.

But, I'm quite happy with the second cake because it's just pure pipping! Pipping basket is not that bad *smile*... making rose marzipan is fun, though 1 hour spent just to make 7 roses and it's not enough to cover the whole cake... Luckily there's still enough butter cream left over to do some fixes.

The latest addition to my Agnes B stash

Ya, I'm a sucker for a bag, especially the red color ones! And with the inducement from 2 kutus from MSN, the red Agnes B bag is sitting in my home now... sigh...

Anyway, this is the red bag in question:



I just like solid color bags like this... it's not so big as A4 paper cannot go in it, but it'll be just nice if you want to go out, pair it with any kind of top or shirts with a pair of jeans and some heels or flats and you're good to go. It won't go wrong for office wear too, with some nude or black color suit and with some red or black heels...

Think in the back of my mind, I just want to get something to go with my fave red rabbit fur top :p... and the bag is more expensive than the top (the Benetton top was 50% when I bought it years ago)...

Ristorante Paradiso

Another new anime in 2009 worth to be followed! My list seems to get longer and longer. Ristorante Paradiso is based on manga by Natsume Ono with the same title. What I like so far from the first 2 episode are:
1. The background art. They show the background of Rome, most of the time in water coloring style. It looks like Antique Bakery style but since only a few anime use this style, any newcomer is warmly welcomed.
2. The story is different. Here are the restaurant with (no ikemen, but it's gentlemen this time) a crew of gentlemen wearing glasses. Their customer base is the same as Antique Bakery, all ladies, off course. But the main character is about a girl named Nicholette. She flew to Rome to tell her mom's husband that she's her daughter. But off course the story changes after she met Claudio and the rest of the crew.

An interesting anime... Looking forward to the next episode, what will become of Nicholette and Claudio? Fufufu...

Swiss Rolls rolling down the street...

Today's baking is not as exciting as last week. I mean, come on, we just learned the basic sponge cake and Swiss Rolls and they're not even decorated. Just plain old cakes. Anyhow, below are the Spring Rolls, both plain Choco cream Swiss Roll and Raspberry Swiss Roll.

17 Again

It's the splurge out of moment that my legs turned right to Cathay cinema, not straight to DG MRT. I guess my irk towards CPA has taken its toll by reflex. Or, my whole day of laptop breakdown made me impulsive to suddenly watch movie. How horrifying. Put that aside, as I was queuing, my cinema watching habit started to kick in. I was prepared to walk away if the cinema didn't have the seat that I wanted, but they did have so with the numb mind I sat there in between screaming fan girls. Ugh, what a way to watch a movie.

Okay, let's start to talk about the movie now. I'm not a Western chick flick girl, I'm more into dorama girl, J-dorama to be exact with the must factor, ikemen. So, with the ikemen factor checked on 17 Again, the show begins with skepticism in mind.

The trailer did fulfill its purpose. It made you curious and it made you laugh. The laugh factor was definitely there as I laughed 80% out of the time. The plot was rather compact which makes the movie flow and stop just nice that you don't feel so anti-climax in the end. Efron does lots of fan service enough to make the fan girls keep screaming all out throughout the movie while drooling over him... throughout the movie too.

What I like the about this movie, well, aside from the ikemen factor (there, it's all out! I'm just a sucker for ikemen :p) are:

1. Perry and Efron did a good job in acting as one person for the grown up and the teen version. Throughout the whole movie, I didn't feel a bit that Mark (Efron) and Mike (Perry) are actually acted by 2 different people. Efron got me on the acting side, though. I'm a sucker for ikemen but I'm very seldom impressed by their acting skill, which is why I was skeptical about the movie in the first place. But Efron did make an effort in this movie. I wouldn't say his stares are as heart wrenching as Kimutaku but, yeah, he's good. There are moments that he would put the face full of Mike's regret towards the past that definitely has the tears fall down already in doramas, but the tears didn't fall down and that makes the scenes even sadder. And to look convincingly in love with an older woman as if they're the same age, that's a very good effort need of some praising. Off course this is a chick flick, not an Oscar nominee movie, but I'm not into movies that require lots of deep thoughts, so it's just right for me. Lol...
   
2. The movie is not just focusing on the main lead. The characters around Mike (his best friend, kids, and soon to be ex-wife) starting to develop in between the movie and in the end standing by themselves as individuals which making the movie quite heartwarming in some sense, and off course, it means a happy end. If you compare the heartwarming rating against what I've seen in J-dorama, it's way below the dorama level. But for Hollywood standard, it's quite good.
3. Definitely the laugh factor. This is one of the very few western chick flicks that can crack me up again and again till the end of it. The dialogues were funny and rather smart, especially between Ned and Mark or Ned with the principal. There were tons of hilarious moments both geeky and cool way, depends on how you see it.
4. The story? Not really original that you'll feel like seeing 13 Going on 30 in reverse mode. Also, we've seen other movies with similar themes when the main character turns back to past, transform to his/her younger self to make things right. But what makes this one different? It feels current, that's for sure. It throws current parenting issues like dealing with the kids' insecurities, sex education, and even basketball coaching. It shows the gap that parents face with their teenage kids, which takes communication to close it. Definitely a movie that parents should also see (mothers definitely are happy to watch as they can gawk on Efron with their daughters -- having some mother daughter bonding sessions Lol)..
   

Do I want to spend 10$ to watch this? If it's not for the splurge out of moment thing I had just now, I'd probably pass this movie and watch the DVD instead. But, you won't regret it if you do spend the money on it. It's not the movie that will still crack your laugh lines on your face again and again, but if you're the fan girl you'll go to see the movie again and again.

So, what's your decision?

Anime List 2009 2nd season

First 2009 season is over with the blast of Kuroshitsuji and Skip Beat! And now the second season has started to make its mark. But how is it fare compare to the first season? Well, after clicking whatever have been subbed for the past 2 weeks, I finally have my own must watch list for this 2nd season.

Amnesia seems to be the main theme of this season. At least 3 of the animes on my list starts with 'Who am I?' or a dream 'Where am I?' This season is filled with the fantasy adventure, mecha, assassins theme, and many more which give us as the audience lots of things to choose and on the bad side, it means must watch everything :p.

The first of my list is 07-Ghost. After watching the first episode, I started searching for the manga and I've been hooked since then. Only in anime, clergymen can look so kakkoii. And after you throw in the amnesia to Teito (the main character) and lots of killing and soul saving, you got yourself a fantastic anime.

Next is Hanasakeru Seishounen. Off course, the main reason why this is on my list is because of the overdose of bishounen thrown in it. But, nevertheless, the first episode left quite a bit of impression and definitely not boring, so yup, this goes to my list.

My third series to be followed is Fullmetal Alchemist (2009). Yep, this is the new installment of the Fullmetal Alchemist that we all know and love. Still the same, Ed and Al are immersed into another new quest to return Al's body (yep Al is still in the armor).

Then came Asura Cyrin'. Normally, I'm not really into the mecha theme anime, except for Gundam00, but Asura gets me interested. May be part of it because they throw the 'the end of the world,' 'destruction' words in it.

Another semi dark anime is Pandora Hearts. The first episode already made it rather creepy with the psychotic sound dolls and all of them can move, too. 2nd episode was already aired and subbed and it's even more heart wrenching. Who wouldn't want to watch the next episode when they throw in the phrase 'Your only fault is your existence'?

The next 2 animes on the list has 2 things in common for their main character. Both of them have amnesia (go figures) and they are both assassins. Higashi No Eden's Akira (he only knows his name by picking which passport he wants to use) has his memory erased by the organization he's in, while Phantom Requim's Zwei has his memory involuntary deleted so that he can be trained to be an assassin. I'd expect both of these anime will turn to dark episodes soon. I'm sure on Phantom, but not on Higashi No Eden though.

Other animes that are released in this season (so far) but don't make it to my list are Tears of Tiara (so so, not really catchy on the first episode), Basquash!, Guin Saga, Hatsukoi Limited (not really into highschool life theme anime), Hayate No Gotoku 2nd season, K-ON!! (lots of people think its good, but not my cup of tea), Queen's Blade (if you're into semi soft porn), Saki (mahjong theme anime with lots of ecchi), Sengoku Basara (a weird samurai theme anime, samurai with leather jacket and speaking broken English but driving a horse in literally samurai era? I'll pass), Senjou no Valkyria (almost make it to my list, but I'll decide after 3rd episodes), Slap up party: Arad Senki, Tayutaya: Kiss on my Deity (quite interesting, but not a must watch for me).

Yep, I think I don't miss anything so far hahaha... Just take your pick because I think this season really have a wide spread of category to choose :d...

Tired of the boring choco milk Kit Kat Flavor?

Try this one, only Japanese is allowed to have something different. Tsk tsk. Very fortunate to get some rations of these cheesecake flavors Kit Kats haha... Gimme a break, gimme a break...

Circle of Strawberries

When you're feeling down, a touch of redness will definitely cheer you up!



It's softness and sweetness will melt your stress away and if one is not enough, you can have another and another until you're satisfied!

Lol....

Another yet Round of Pastry Family

Not my best day at my baking school today, but at least the pics is still put my heart at ease :D.
Today we had a project assessment on pastry section. Basically we just need to do what we've learnt so far. For this time we have to make 4 products: Eclairs, Swans, St Honore and Apple Strudel.

My first Quiche

To think that I literally spent my own money to do the filling, but to get no annoyed and uncivilized roller coaster emotion in me today, I'd say it's worth it!

The Quiche family below have 2 kinds of fillings, though they all look the same (silly me for forgetting to put different topping to differentiate which one is which). But anyway, the fillings are either chicken sausage sauteed with mushroom and onion with the hint of sun-dried tomatoes and basil, or vegetarian style, sun-dried tomatoes and pine nuts topped with chopped basil leave. And not to forget the expensive stuff, I used Gruyere cheese! Yes, off course it's yummy (it's still sinful) and it's definitely not salty.