HAPPY CNY to all!
tagged by yeing:
name 5 of life's simple pleasures that you like most, then pick 5 people to do the same. try to be original and creative and not use things that someone else has already used:
1) admiring my freshly done manicure and pedicure. btw, for CNY, i had it done in chilli red (opi's malaga wine), and to make things even more interesting, i added on contrasting white flowers, i think it's also the first time i've tried nail art. my initial pick was opi's blushingham palace, this sweet medium rosey mauve with a hint of lilac - very girly (not-very-me) and perhaps a little too frosty for my liking. naturally, i was persuaded by the lady to try a more festive colour, thankfully, no regrets! as for pinks... there's always a better occasion for that, perhaps v-day/bday?
[edited to add: quick shots taken when we were stuck in a 45-minute jam along the expressway on our way from jurong west to hougang]
2) reading papers on the bed early in the morning, and then going back to sleep only to wake up for lunch. i used to be able to this very often when i was still in school (school breaks/off-days/weekends), my biological clock is probably screwed up now, i wonder why the hell i'm awake at 8am on CNY day one. (yes, old fogies need less sleep.)
3) (if i need not consider the trans-fats intake) munching fries and sipping coke light in the wee hours of the night.
4) experiencing the feel good achy effects of a full gym workout or jog. this reminds me, i haven't moved my butt this week and judging by the number of pineapple tarts i've popped into my mouth... this is terrible.
5) just the thought of having my loved ones with me, family and friends all well and happy.
tagging: astri, kristi, daphne, xp & ig (the last two, i don't care how you guys do it, send me an e-mail or something! :P)
scribbled at 8:17 am
.::.
tagged by yeing:
name 5 of life's simple pleasures that you like most, then pick 5 people to do the same. try to be original and creative and not use things that someone else has already used:
1) admiring my freshly done manicure and pedicure. btw, for CNY, i had it done in chilli red (opi's malaga wine), and to make things even more interesting, i added on contrasting white flowers, i think it's also the first time i've tried nail art. my initial pick was opi's blushingham palace, this sweet medium rosey mauve with a hint of lilac - very girly (not-very-me) and perhaps a little too frosty for my liking. naturally, i was persuaded by the lady to try a more festive colour, thankfully, no regrets! as for pinks... there's always a better occasion for that, perhaps v-day/bday?
[edited to add: quick shots taken when we were stuck in a 45-minute jam along the expressway on our way from jurong west to hougang]
2) reading papers on the bed early in the morning, and then going back to sleep only to wake up for lunch. i used to be able to this very often when i was still in school (school breaks/off-days/weekends), my biological clock is probably screwed up now, i wonder why the hell i'm awake at 8am on CNY day one. (yes, old fogies need less sleep.)
3) (if i need not consider the trans-fats intake) munching fries and sipping coke light in the wee hours of the night.
4) experiencing the feel good achy effects of a full gym workout or jog. this reminds me, i haven't moved my butt this week and judging by the number of pineapple tarts i've popped into my mouth... this is terrible.
5) just the thought of having my loved ones with me, family and friends all well and happy.
tagging: astri, kristi, daphne, xp & ig (the last two, i don't care how you guys do it, send me an e-mail or something! :P)
Thursday, January 19, 2006
too busy to blog these days.
anyway, last saturday, i attended my first mac donald's party! imagine a whole group of adults wearing party hats, sitting on child-sized seats and playing kiddish games - fun, fun.
scribbled at 10:19 pm
.::.
anyway, last saturday, i attended my first mac donald's party! imagine a whole group of adults wearing party hats, sitting on child-sized seats and playing kiddish games - fun, fun.
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Saturday, January 14, 2006
what is the difference between baking soda and baking powder?
(something i always wanted to find out)
Both baking soda and baking powder are leavening agents, which means they are added to baked goods before cooking to produce carbon dioxide and cause them to 'rise'. Baking powder contains baking soda, but the two substances are used under different conditions.
Baking Soda - Baking soda is pure sodium bicarbonate. When baking soda is combined with moisture and an acidic ingredient (e.g., yogurt, chocolate, buttermilk, honey), the resulting chemical reaction produces bubbles of carbon dioxide that expand under oven temperatures, causing baked goods to rise. The reaction begins immediately upon mixing the ingredients, so you need to bake recipes which call for baking soda immediately, or else they will fall flat!
Baking Powder - Baking powder contains sodium bicarbonate, but it includes the acidifying agent already (cream of tartar), and also a drying agent (usually starch). Baking powder is available as single-acting baking powder and as double-acting baking powder. Single-acting powders are activated by moisture, so you must bake recipes which include this product immediately after mixing. Double-acting powders react in two phases and can stand for a while before baking. With double-acting powder, some gas is released at room temperature when the powder is added to dough, but the majority of the gas is released after the temperature of the dough increases in the oven.
How Are Recipes Determined? Some recipes call for baking soda, while others call for baking powder. Which ingredient is used depends on the other ingredients in the recipe. The ultimate goal is to produce a tasty product with a pleasing texture. Baking soda is basic and will yield a bitter taste unless countered by the acidity of another ingredient, such as buttermilk. You'll find baking soda in cookie recipes. Baking powder contains both an acid and a base and has an overall neutral effect in terms of taste. Recipes that call for baking powder often call for other neutral-tasting ingredients, such as milk. Baking powder is a common ingredient in cakes and biscuits.
Substituting in Recipes - You can substitute baking powder in place of baking soda (you'll need more baking powder and it may affect the taste), but you can't use baking soda when a recipe calls for baking powder. Baking soda by itself lacks the acidity to make a cake rise. However, you can make your own baking powder if you have baking soda and cream of tartar. Simply mix two parts cream of tartar with one part baking soda.
scribbled at 8:41 am
.::.
(something i always wanted to find out)
Both baking soda and baking powder are leavening agents, which means they are added to baked goods before cooking to produce carbon dioxide and cause them to 'rise'. Baking powder contains baking soda, but the two substances are used under different conditions.
Baking Soda - Baking soda is pure sodium bicarbonate. When baking soda is combined with moisture and an acidic ingredient (e.g., yogurt, chocolate, buttermilk, honey), the resulting chemical reaction produces bubbles of carbon dioxide that expand under oven temperatures, causing baked goods to rise. The reaction begins immediately upon mixing the ingredients, so you need to bake recipes which call for baking soda immediately, or else they will fall flat!
Baking Powder - Baking powder contains sodium bicarbonate, but it includes the acidifying agent already (cream of tartar), and also a drying agent (usually starch). Baking powder is available as single-acting baking powder and as double-acting baking powder. Single-acting powders are activated by moisture, so you must bake recipes which include this product immediately after mixing. Double-acting powders react in two phases and can stand for a while before baking. With double-acting powder, some gas is released at room temperature when the powder is added to dough, but the majority of the gas is released after the temperature of the dough increases in the oven.
How Are Recipes Determined? Some recipes call for baking soda, while others call for baking powder. Which ingredient is used depends on the other ingredients in the recipe. The ultimate goal is to produce a tasty product with a pleasing texture. Baking soda is basic and will yield a bitter taste unless countered by the acidity of another ingredient, such as buttermilk. You'll find baking soda in cookie recipes. Baking powder contains both an acid and a base and has an overall neutral effect in terms of taste. Recipes that call for baking powder often call for other neutral-tasting ingredients, such as milk. Baking powder is a common ingredient in cakes and biscuits.
Substituting in Recipes - You can substitute baking powder in place of baking soda (you'll need more baking powder and it may affect the taste), but you can't use baking soda when a recipe calls for baking powder. Baking soda by itself lacks the acidity to make a cake rise. However, you can make your own baking powder if you have baking soda and cream of tartar. Simply mix two parts cream of tartar with one part baking soda.
Friday, January 13, 2006
work these days is absolutely crazy, before i can even warm my seat and go through my e-mails, it's time to rush to the next meeting venue. there's just this sudden surge of work, and strangely for me, it's not because the financial year is coming to an end and we're rushing to get our contracts signed, it's just weird that project issues/problems seem to come all at the same time, and i'm involved somehow or other. it irks the hell out of me when i see unread e-mails in my inbox, or when i know i have alot of e-mails with outstanding action items... it's probably just not my nature to ignore, but i guess there may just be a day when i can become totally immune, and realise that it's just impossible to please every single user (especially when they're getting increasingly unreasonable).
anyway, enough about work complains. i'm thankful the sun finally showed up today after days of dreary wet weather. now i understand why my ang moh suppliers tell me they're always glad to be in singapore during their winter, and why they rather stand and wait in the blistering heat all the time. let's hope for a bright and sunny morning for me to go for a jog tomorrow.
alas, i'm in need of some serious pampering this weekend.
scribbled at 11:49 pm
.::.
anyway, enough about work complains. i'm thankful the sun finally showed up today after days of dreary wet weather. now i understand why my ang moh suppliers tell me they're always glad to be in singapore during their winter, and why they rather stand and wait in the blistering heat all the time. let's hope for a bright and sunny morning for me to go for a jog tomorrow.
alas, i'm in need of some serious pampering this weekend.
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
muff...muff...muffins!
this recipe, calls for macadamia nuts but i didn't had any, substituted with walnuts instead (hmm, this reminds me of post banana nut crunch breakfast cereal!). anyway, they look more like cupcakes, since mum insisted that the supermarket only sells the smaller paper cups. this recipe yields a total of 18 cupcakes, instead of the 12 larger muffins stated.
scribbled at 2:23 pm
.::.
this recipe, calls for macadamia nuts but i didn't had any, substituted with walnuts instead (hmm, this reminds me of post banana nut crunch breakfast cereal!). anyway, they look more like cupcakes, since mum insisted that the supermarket only sells the smaller paper cups. this recipe yields a total of 18 cupcakes, instead of the 12 larger muffins stated.
it has really been a long time since i met up with this group of friends, the people whom i spent my last four years of education with. we've been through so many major examinations, studying hard for each module and discussing past-year papers (yeah, i must agree chem engin students are a terribly hardworking lot) that sometimes i do miss taking exams - the part about waiting frantically to get into the examination hall (all nus kids will know it as mpsh 1 & 2), perspiring due to the heat and anxiety, and for some cases, hoping that what you squeezed with your tiniest-ever handwriting in your "cheat sheet" the day before would be sufficient to tackle all the tricky questions posed by our lecturers, and FINALLY, the sense of relief and joy after each paper. anyway, looking back, it's amazing i've already worked for a year and a half.
anyway, it was great seeing everybody again, though didn't exactly have the opportunity to chat with everybody. more news of wedding bells (!), which just means that we are seriously getting old.
scribbled at 12:06 am
.::.
anyway, it was great seeing everybody again, though didn't exactly have the opportunity to chat with everybody. more news of wedding bells (!), which just means that we are seriously getting old.
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
you win some, you lose some
remember i mentioned about badminton yesterday? this evening i played in the mixed doubles game, paired with one of the better male players, but still lost 15-8, 15-6. anyway, it was obvious the opponent team was all out to win this particular game, as they fielded their best male player (he represents the organisation in competitive badminton, so you can't expect very much from us, eh?). he pretty much killed us with his smashes and it doesn't help he's super accurate at aiming his serve at the centreline. anyway, it doesn't feel all that disappointing... after all we lost to a much better team, we still managed to secure some points so it doesn't exactly qualify as a thrash, and more importantly, our team still won overall after winning both our male doubles and singles games! YAY. we've passed the first hurdle and the 2nd round will be played on the 18th, so we can still have a final round of practice.
anyway, check out my reward present for playing my first competitive sports game - a new snowy shoulder bag! isn't it soooooo cute? i've always been a fan of the adventures of tintin since primary school, although i'm still unwilling to part with my money to get the entire comic book collection. anyway, what a great form of encouragement... and i think i'm falling in love with this sport. :)
scribbled at 11:29 pm
.::.
remember i mentioned about badminton yesterday? this evening i played in the mixed doubles game, paired with one of the better male players, but still lost 15-8, 15-6. anyway, it was obvious the opponent team was all out to win this particular game, as they fielded their best male player (he represents the organisation in competitive badminton, so you can't expect very much from us, eh?). he pretty much killed us with his smashes and it doesn't help he's super accurate at aiming his serve at the centreline. anyway, it doesn't feel all that disappointing... after all we lost to a much better team, we still managed to secure some points so it doesn't exactly qualify as a thrash, and more importantly, our team still won overall after winning both our male doubles and singles games! YAY. we've passed the first hurdle and the 2nd round will be played on the 18th, so we can still have a final round of practice.
anyway, check out my reward present for playing my first competitive sports game - a new snowy shoulder bag! isn't it soooooo cute? i've always been a fan of the adventures of tintin since primary school, although i'm still unwilling to part with my money to get the entire comic book collection. anyway, what a great form of encouragement... and i think i'm falling in love with this sport. :)
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
phew, i finally have the time to update about new year's eve. i had my share of fun trying out some new recipes (which also caused my almost-perfect manicure to peel after only 1 week!), and i totally agree with xp that although our party as compared to many others, lacks the usual rowdiness and noise, this tradition of celebrating such occasions together is indeed heart-warming (okay, i have just decided that i should make you people wear party hats and drown everybody in alcohol next year). thanks, guys - for being there when i needed a listening ear to rant and when i needed advice. it was nice having all of you over finally, and yes xp, there's no more "toilet with a washing machine that makes sitting on the toilet bowl confined to a weird angle of 37 degrees to the right" - your e-mail really cracked me up! and i finally played a proper game of bridge after so many years of merely knowing its theory, though my brain was really dead by 4am. a toast to my friends for life - cheers! hope this year will be a happier and healthier year for everybody, not forgetting better bonus payouts for more shopping fun! ;)
anyway, this cranberry and white chocolate chip cookies recipe was something i wanted to try one week ago, since the white/red colours were so christmas-y. they turned out more chewy as compared to the crispy hard ones i'm used to making, nevertheless, they were still a hit among my colleagues as they gobbled up almost everything over tea-break. :) think i'll try some scones and muffins next.
oh yes, and you know what, i'm actually representing my department in badminton tomorrow evening! most of you out there should know that COMPETITIVE SPORTS and i don't exactly go hand-in-hand! hope i don't get butterflies in my stomach...
scribbled at 11:20 pm
.::.
phew, i finally have the time to update about new year's eve. i had my share of fun trying out some new recipes (which also caused my almost-perfect manicure to peel after only 1 week!), and i totally agree with xp that although our party as compared to many others, lacks the usual rowdiness and noise, this tradition of celebrating such occasions together is indeed heart-warming (okay, i have just decided that i should make you people wear party hats and drown everybody in alcohol next year). thanks, guys - for being there when i needed a listening ear to rant and when i needed advice. it was nice having all of you over finally, and yes xp, there's no more "toilet with a washing machine that makes sitting on the toilet bowl confined to a weird angle of 37 degrees to the right" - your e-mail really cracked me up! and i finally played a proper game of bridge after so many years of merely knowing its theory, though my brain was really dead by 4am. a toast to my friends for life - cheers! hope this year will be a happier and healthier year for everybody, not forgetting better bonus payouts for more shopping fun! ;)
anyway, this cranberry and white chocolate chip cookies recipe was something i wanted to try one week ago, since the white/red colours were so christmas-y. they turned out more chewy as compared to the crispy hard ones i'm used to making, nevertheless, they were still a hit among my colleagues as they gobbled up almost everything over tea-break. :) think i'll try some scones and muffins next.
oh yes, and you know what, i'm actually representing my department in badminton tomorrow evening! most of you out there should know that COMPETITIVE SPORTS and i don't exactly go hand-in-hand! hope i don't get butterflies in my stomach...
Sunday, January 01, 2006
lots and lots of homemade food...
scribbled at 1:44 am
.::.