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 

Graduated!

Before my graduation ceremony, I was filled with excitement and anxiety. I was glad that I had finally completed my studies, and yet I was wondering if I'd end up doing something stupid, like falling on stage.

As my dad drove towards the auditorium so he could drop me off (with my mom and grandparents), my mom was telling my grandparents this was the first place I'd been to 3 years ago (during the open house). It wasn't. I distinctly remember the day I was dropped off at the Nanyang Auditorium to attend a ceremony for the Innovation Programme when I was fourteen. It was the very day I told myself that I would one day become a student in NTU.

I made myself a promise, and I did it. Yesterday was finally the day I graduated from NTU.

Throughout the past 3 years, I've learned and experienced so much that I could not pen down everything I wanted to say in the caption of a photo on Instagram.

I've gotten to know so many people, many of whom are now people I care about and want in my life very much. I learned that sometimes people leave you, that friendship is a two way street, and that there will always be people who will stand by you no matter what. I may not have been the valedictorian, but I've discovered that sometimes, you just have to open your eyes a little bit more to find that these people who will stick with you through thick and thin could be the very people who are standing right in front of you.

I've probably neglected my family and longtime friends such as TTC at various times in the past 3 years, but they have been the very people who have been there for me at every step of the way. The sheer amount of graduation gifts from them should tell you something.

Then, there are the other valuable people. Without them, my time in school over the past 3 years would have been drastically different.

There's Sally, who is probably the first friend I made in NBS.
Simin, whom I may not have become so close to if we didn't bond over TVXQ (who is also my food hopping buddy).
Kay, Siping, Shilei and Merri, the four girls I bonded with over cute caucasian guys (and also the four girls who gave me a birthday surprise and Gardens by the Bay).
Yap Heng, someone I can talk about almost anything with (especially fashion), who refuses to get a Facebook account.
Gwen, Nahgnef (fenghan), Aaron, James, Kang Hui, Mak and Weicong, who I have spent so much time with over the past year, and the people who made me laugh more than I would have without them.

There's so many other people, but if I wrote everyone's name down, this post would never end.

Thank you all so much for being in my life. I feel truly blessed that I have made so many amazing friends and gotten to know so many amazing people over the past 3 years. On days when I question myself if I chose to pursue the right degree/major, I'd think of all of you, and I'd agree that I've made the right choice, because if I pursued something else, I would never have gotten to know some/all of you.

So thank you mom and dad for putting me through school so that I could learn, get smarter and meet all these wonderful people who are now invaluable to me.

I've had 3 amazing years in NTU, and I wouldn't trade it for anything else in the world.

My university life may not be perfect, but it has been made better because of everyone who has been in it.


xoxo pamela

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

Back

I know I've always complained about me being busy rushing to complete assignments and studying for tests that results in this blog being left to rot, but honestly, that's one of the main reasons why I'm not here as often as I should. The good thing is, I'm unofficially done with school, so I'm probably not going to use that excuse ever again. HEHE (don't worry, I'll be leaving the touchy feely thingie for another post).

On that note, while I'll always love fashion and music (and will probably still be caught writing about them), you'll probably catch me blogging more about my travels since my GRADUATION TRIPS are coming up! I'm BEYOND excited in case anyone's wondering. HEHE.

I'll be travelling to some new places, and revisiting somewhere I've been before, hopefully seeing the world through different eyes (and updating you all via instagram LOL). Now that I've taken an entire semester's worth of Cultural Intelligence classes, guess I'll have to put it to use starting next Thursday!

While I'm really going to spoil my sleep deprived self with a short nap now, I'm also thinking of topics to blog about in the coming days.

xoxo pamela

The iPhone Diaries (Korea Trip 2013)

What better way to conclude a trip than to include some iPhone moments not caught on a digital/professional camera?

Warning: Many selfies ahead!

My boarding gate area. Which is coincidentally a floor below my internship company's office. 

 Finally on a Singapore Airlines flight again <3

 Christmas star-shaped donut from Paris Baguette

It had a yummy mango icing if I recall correctly…

My post-flight snack hehe

 At Gimpo Airport~

 Probably me at Jeju International Airport just after my flight… LOL

 Jeju breakfast sans abalone porridge! Did I mention how much I love eggs?

Well now you know. LOL.

 You've seen this. (If you read all my posts)

Seafood dinner in Jeju.

My crazy huge dinner at Daegu

Had to make my brother take the photo for me. I'm simply too short to capture everything :x 

 Post-skiing. My hair was BAD for the rest of the day. :(

 How my brother sleeps on the bus… Typical.

Winking Christmas bear from Paris Baguette! <3

Everything I could say about these photos have probably been said in my previous posts about my Korea Trip, and really, this is just a bank for all the photos that have made it to my iPhone that I decided to separate from the rest of the pictures. Just because.

I know it's been a whole series of posts on Korea for an 8 day trip, and I love you to bits if you read each one of them. I hope you enjoyed reading it cos I definitely enjoyed my trip. My spirit for adventure is still in me, and while I may be chained to the routines and obligations of life (school in particular) that prevents me from leaving the country, do stay on to read about the other facets of my life!

xoxo

pamela