Fresh Starts

Same blog, new me.

Wait not new. Probably a different me.

Scratch that.

Note to self: you may lose your blogging mojo if you don't write for 2 years.

Bad starts aside, I can't believe the last time I wrote something here was 2 years ago.
For someone who thought that writing was her passion, 2 years is insane!

Long story short, I lost myself for a moment and now I'm back. Or I want to be back.

I guess it took me some time to realise that I had absorbed myself into the corporate world and ended up with no real hobbies (unless you count sleeping as a hobby). The sheer realisation of how boring my life had become kind of sprung me back into action.

So now, I'm taking charge. I'm on a mission to rediscover my passions.

I'm creating a fresh start.

Starting now.

Fudge Brownies (and my first time baking)

This would never have happened if I wasn't entirely bored and looking for something fun to do. While it looks good and tastes like a mouthful of fudgey goodness (to me), there's definitely room for improvement.

Because I did stupid mistakes like not halving the eggs (because I halved everything from the original recipe) and forgetting to add the baking powder (which isn't too big a deal because it only means the brownies won't rise as much). Oh, and not baking it for long enough. Which gave it a really creamy, fudge texture in the middle (which tasted pretty awesome), so I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing. Ok, I need to stop talking in brackets. LOL.

Since it was my first time baking, EVER, I think I didn't do too bad. #dontjudge

Recipe below:

Ingredients
125 grams of butter
275 grams of sugar
4 eggs (I should have used only 2)
85 grams of plain flour
150 grams of dark chocolate chips
75 grams of unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder (that I forgot all about)

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees (Celsius)
Put butter on a saucepan and place on medium heat until melted
Remove pan from heat, add sugar, and put the pan back on heat for 30seconds - 1 minute
Transfer mixture into a large bowl
Add the eggs and whisk until combined (with the mixture)
Add the flour, chocolate chips, cocoa powder, vanilla extract (and baking powder) and stir
Pour the mixture into a baking pan
Bake in preheated oven (for 30 minutes or more depending on the thickness of the mixture in your pan)
Leave to cool in pan for 1 hour, then place it in the freezer for 1 hour

One thing to note with the original recipe is the size of her pan and the thickness/height of the mixture in the pan (she made them into cubes in the end, so the height of her mixture is probably only half of mine, aka, short). If yours is pretty medium/tall, bake it for more than 30 minutes (and check to see if its fully baked!). 

Fudge Brownie recipe extracted from passionforbaking.com

Happy baking! (though I think I enjoyed taking photos of my brownies more than baking and WAITING itself)


xoxo pamela

ps. I will post any updates/tips if I happen to bake with this recipe again 

Pretending to be a Photographer

While every else are busy looking for jobs or working, I'm busy hanging around at home playing at being a photographer. Of course, this would not have happened if my ma hadn't been making delicious treats for us every other day (especially macarons).

The rest of the photos in this post show my journey in my great pretence.

chocolate chip cookies 

waffles 

 New York cheesecake with chocolate ganache

 chiffon cheesecake

 marble cupcakes

strawberry shortcake

macarons

Don't they make you hungry for desserts?! #selfpraise


Disclaimer: All photos are taken and edited from my iPhone 5S

xoxo pamela

Pre-Trip Update: Travel Must-Haves

I'm almost done packing and ready to go. Surprisingly, I'm not as excited as I expected myself to be. NOT that I'm not excited, I am, just I'm not bouncing around screaming to the world that I'm going to my dream city. The place I'd love to work, to live.... (Cue dreamy eyes)

Anyway, since I have some time on my hands, I've decided to share the 5 MUST-HAVES on a trip for any music-loving, diary-writing, wanderlust-filled girls out there:

1. A handy-dandy camera
Like duh right? You're on a trip, you'd probably want to take some pictures (or a lot for me). To this day and age, I still love my Olympus PEN even though every other hipster-esque human on this planet has converted to a DSLR. my Olympus PEN has 10 filters, compact(-ish) and is definitely lighter than a DSLR, so, more reason for me to stick to it than switching it up, no?

Look at what the PEN has taken with its filters:

Haunted Mansion in Disneyland Resort, Disneyland California 

Cars Land in Disneyland Resort, California Adventure Park

So you see why I still keep it around? It makes photos prettier...

2. The iPod
Okay. To be completely honest, I'm bringing an iPod Classic, iPod Touch (1st Gen), iPod Touch (5th Gen) and my iPhone, with over 4000 songs on most devices. What can I say? I'm a complete music lover. To save you all from a hideously long post, I'll be posting my USA trip 2014 music playlist up after the trip. Anyway, I'll only know what my holiday songs will be after the trip, won't I?

However, if you do happen to fly with Delta Airlines, their inflight entertainment is fab (at least based on the last time I flew), where passengers are able to compile their own playlists! PLUS, on the bright side, I've heard that Delta Airlines have included charging ports! So I guess my multiple iPods aren't that useful after all...

3. A cool pair of shades
The good thing about shades is that they protect your eyes from the harshness of the sun's rays...

... but that's not exactly why I bring my shades along. Heh. I'm a shades hoarder so it's impertinent that I bring at least one pair of shades to accompany me in photos. And really block out some of the sun's rays if it gets too glaring. LOL.

4. Fragrance and Makeup
Every sane person on the planet should do this. Even if you're traveling in winter. Body hygiene is THE most important and considerate thing everyone should partake in for the sake of all mankind. If you decide not to use fragrances, at least bring along deodorant.

Makeup wise, I tend to only bring the essentials, aka, foundation, eyeliner, lipgloss, lipsticks and my bronzer. Not a big fan of makeup removal after a long day out. #lazygirl

But I suppose makeup varies depending on where you intend to go and what you intend to do? Since I'll probably be stopping by Sephora in NYC, chances are, I'll be back with a buckload of makeup (like Urban Decay's Naked 3 Palette).

5. The super-secret diary
Did I mention diary-writing girl? Well, every diary-writing girl needs a diary. At least one who's not bringing her beloved and coveted macbook with her.

But honestly, I don't want to grow old and forget all the wonderful trips I've taken. I want to remember what I was thinking, how I felt... Everything. And while I love my blog, nothing beats taking the time out to pen down thoughts and feelings, looking back on the days I've had traveling.

On another note, I've decided to skip out on nail polish this time round (for the simple reason being I'm too lazy for it). I'll live.

xoxo pamela

Taking a little time to myself

photos taken in 2013

Some random pieces of my life (from my Instagram):

 My current fragrance

 Necklace from Forever 21

 Me and my favorite denim jacket (as of now)

Longline black denim jacket from ASOS

 My first concoction: A chocolate banana milkshake

 Necklace from ASOS

Heels from New Look, Red roses headband from H&M, Jelly bag from Shanghai

Amidst all the busy days filled to the brim with activities, one thing I thoroughly enjoy is dedicating a bit of time to myself. Be it doing something alone or simply taking a bit of time out of my schedule to think about life. Sounds philosophical, huh. It's good to have these moments where I can just let my thoughts run wild, to think about where I've been, what I've done, and where I want to go. Even extroverts like me need time to ourselves every once in awhile.

While I do believe that YOLO and 'Do what you love' is overrated, there is this facet of ourselves that we simply cannot deny. Quoting George Bernard Shaw, Life is not about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself. (i.e. my current slogan). At this moment, I see life as a platform for me to continuously reinvent and craft exactly who I am (that's my slogan in life btw).

Oscar Wilde once said, To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all. One day, I want to be able to look back someday and know that I lived my life being true to myself. If that means fighting tooth and nail for the things I want in my life, to never give up, then so be it.

I'm getting too emo aren't I? Just one last quote, giving up is for rookies (Hercules - Disney). If someone out there reads this post till its very end, don't give up on anything worth fighting for. I'm rooting for you too.

xoxo
pamela

A Day Out.

I did up the banner in the middle of the night last night! You like? Would appreciate if you'd give me some comments!

If there's one girl I'm the closest to, it's her. Only problem is, I haven't seen her since last year, so today's lunch was very much required.

D suggested we go for a Chinese/Teochew style set lunch at Takashimaya and at first I was a bit skeptical... Was it going to be the food court kind? But since D's suggested it, I should have expected it to be some restaurant that I have never been to in Takashimaya that looks more ATAS (high class) than what my lunch budget would allow. Turns out we had lunch at Imperial Treasure!

Imperial Treasure (Teochew Cuisine)

391 Orchard Road

#04-20A/21 Ngee Ann City

Tel: 66816682

 Soya Bean! It's the perfect sweetness! Sweet, but not too much so!

 Polo Bun! This is really delicious! The top was crusty and the butter was melted and really nice, and it wasn't too much butter!

 Macaroni with Luncheon Meat. Since I love luncheon meat, I had to choose this!

 Best friend D! Hot babe up for grabs!

Instead of having the lunch menu, we had their Hi Tea menu, which includes set meals starting from $7+! Super worth it and it's in a relatively atas restaurant, so you can show off to your friends that you ate at somewhere atas without telling them how much you spent! HEHE #cheapskate

Anyway, you can't see it clearly from the pictures, but if you're interested in my coordinate for yesterday:

 Full Coordinate! (Excluding bag and boots)

 Deep turquoise high-waist shorts I got from F21 ages ago

 'I Fancy The Lead Singer' tank top from H&M quite awhile back! (I bought it cos I love Adam Levine!)

 Accessories! Leather is a statement on its own, so it's good to tone down on accessories!

Long leather vest from Topshop mid last year!

Then, there's also my loot from yesterday.... #shopaholic doesn't stop! #iLOVEtoshop

Ombre gray, Studded eagles sweater from Topshop at S$29!

 Studded all over denim shorts from New Look at S$24.95 (Yes another one at a super worth it price! Steal!)

eyebags! T^T

Selfies before I leave!
Next post topic: MUSIC (so you music lovers out there, do tune in!)

xoxo
pamela