Where's my Sunshine?

I haven't seen the sun since Sunday. It's been such a wet & gloomy Fall this year. We wanted to take some nice scenaries of WH, but haven't been able to so do for the past 2 weeks! Before we know it, the big rain drops are going to make all the red & golden leaves fall off very soon...

Brown Sugar Bundt Cake

I have tons of food needed to be clear by December; one of them is brown sugar. I can't remeber what was the brown sugar for, and have no idea what are the uses for it (except the finger-licking-good lor bak I cooked last week). Thus I was on the hunt for a recipe that requires brown sugar. As much as possible, since I have one big packet of it left almost untouched. I have never heard of a bundt cake (call me a mountain tortoise), more so a brown sugar bundt cake, and thought maybe I should give it a shot. Especially so when it requres 2 cups full of brown sugar; perfect way to rid them asap.

My brown sugar bundt cake! I like how smooth and shiny my cake turns out. I like the colour and taste of it too!

Nice dense bundt cake. I enjoy the heavy texture, and it's marvellous when topped with my Haagen-Daz Vanilla Swiss Almond. Hubby likes it and it makes both of us happy.





*P.S. After a check on the net, I learnt that any cakes made using a bundform cake pan forming a distinctive ring shape is a bundt cake. So a bundt cake is defined by the looks of it. :p

Shopping Loot

I haven't been bothered with packing & really cleaning the apartment for some time. Below was the state of my study room as of last week. Bags and boxes of purchases, accumulated since Summer.
Everything in the red rectangles were my shopping victories. There were bags on top of bags, boxes piling up on one another. I thought I've bought enough to last for 2 years, but after I started packing, I realised I hadn't exactly bought that much actually. Those bags and boxes were deceiving; they contained more air & paper than the actual loot. :( Now that I've finished packing 3 boxes for our 1st shipment, I've cleared half of these clutter, enough space for my study chair to move around finally.

Baby clothes, something I just couldn't resist buying. Not that I'm preggers or we're planning for one soon, but since they're cheap and pretty, I thought I should start stocking up on them 1st. I began with just the baby girl's wardrobe, then I thought I should also stock up on some boy's. In case Dr. Shettles' method doesn't work on us... Now that I look at the baby's wardrobe I've built up over the past year, I think I'm crazy! Then I convinced myself that I can give some away as pressies in the future.

The Memory Keeper's Daughter

I cried buckets upon reaching the last chapters of the book about a year back. Tonight, I cried as much as I watched the movie on TV. A great book by Kim Edwards.

Burn my Fats!

After a momth of hiatus from the gym, I almost died twice. Once after a 30min jog on the treadmill yesterday, and after a 20min workout on the stepper just now. I thought my heart was pounding out of my chest, and was grasping for air with all my might. Still, I'm glad I was motivated enough for weights thereafter on both days. I hope I can do 30mins each on the stepper, the treadmill and the weights station consecutively like before in no time. I shall be disciplined enough to hit the gym at least thrice a week for the next 2 months...

Those chocolates, cakes and cookies are making me fatter again! Aaarggghhh... I can never go without these gems, so I MUST burn the fats away!!! Going for my kitkat bar now. Oh did I mentioned I'm very hooked on Snicker's Almond bar and Lindt's raisin & nut choc block now? I've them all stocked up in my kitchen, together with Chips Ahoy & Keebler cookies! yum yum...

Weather

It was 1 deg C early yesterday morning, and 23.5 deg C this noon. CRAZY!!!

Mickey Mouse

"Mickey Mouse" apartments? No thanks! It's pure insane that anyone will want to live in a house that's barely 300 square feet big. 2.5 times the size of a carpark lot?! Isn't that just enough for a bed, a pair of side-tables and min. walking space? Should this be socially acceptable? As the government's promoting family bonding and supporting parenthood, our society seems to be encouraging singlehood instead. I hope we or my next gerenation will not have to succumb to living like a mouse, making do with constrained tiny quarters.

Dad

I just saw a short clip, and it says "No man can love you more than your Dad". I can't agree more. Perhaps as much, but definitely not more. So, shouldn't we love our Dads no less than any other men? I know I should, cos I'm one of my daddy's girls.

Beauty Talk

Horror of horrors!!! I woke up to discover 2 deep lines under my right eye this morning!!! Is the one major sign of aging finally hitting me, or are the lines caused by the recent late nights and disturbed sleep?! Of course I hoped it's due to the latter, and that these lines will be gone before I know it. Or perhaps, the dry weather is making my drier skin creases easier now, and it may disappear once the oil secretion increases in the humid red dot. Sigh... Is my 6 years of religious application of SK-II eye gel coming to a naught? And those Meiji collagen powder, I thought they are suppose to prevent the appearances of the duanting wrinkles?! I'm so extremely perturbed by what I see in the mirror...

As my family's beauty and fashion consultant, Mummy has always tried her best to instill the habit of eye-cream and sunscreen application in us. As Mum age with grace, I'm aging with the ugly folds!

Was on the topic of how motherhood changes a woman with P today. It set me thinking hard; will I turn out to be one of those lazy wives/ mothers? I am not attractive to begin with, and so I need enhancers (read cosmetics) to look groomed. As the saying goes, there aren't any ugly women around, but lazy ones. I've always believe that one of the main duties of a wife is to stay as well groomed as possible. Let's be honest, who will like to introduce their fat/ unattractive/ sloppily-dressed spouse to their friends or colleagues? If you say you don't mind, stop being a scoundrel. Have you never thought "if my spouse has those killer bodies" or "if she could squeeze into that tiny dress for me" or "I wonder how she'll look like with makeup"? I've nothing against people on the big side due to genetic reasons, but I definitely disapprove of those (esp. the women) who let their weight balloon to an appalling number after child-birth/ marriage. Some said it's a chore to take heed of what goes into your mouth, especially since you're taken. Others said they need the massive energy to run after the kids. Come on, if the other wives can look good, why can't the rest? We don't see oursleves as often as our husbands & kids see us. So, give some respect to the man who toil hard at work! They won't want to come home to a haggard/ wobbly wife for sure! I pity those husbands who barely know how their wives look like with makeup on, as the last time they see these women looking pretty was on their wedding day.

Oh, why am I promoting incentives to look good? Shouldn't this be a woman's basic instinct? I may be on the route to aging, but I will try embrace that with much dignity and pride. I need to constantly remind myself that I have to follow Mummy's footsteps; she's made Dad a proud hubby even after decades of marriage. Melanin? Fashion disaster? Never in Mom's dictionary, and I admire her for that.


*For those new mothers trying to shed that last few kilos, jia you!!! It's now or never, so don't get exasperated yet! Think of those lovely family portraits, where everyone is looking good. Heh...

**If you're reading this, I hope you'll be more motivated to tone those flabs up a little. I will definitely prefer the old muscled body. :p

12 More Weeks

I hate to imagine what I will be doing at this time of e day, exactly 3 months from now. Either I'm home rotting away with the airon on full-blast, or I'm shoving my way through the throng of crowd somewhere out there. As much as I dread it, I have to prepare myself for the scourge. SIGH~

Good things always come to an end, but why?

Cold, Wet & Dark Fall

How amazing is it that the temperature's able to dip more than 10 degree celsius in a week? It's freaking cold now, and we're only about 2 weeks into Fall. A wool coat + 2 interior layers weren't enough to keep me warm last night with a temp of 8.5 deg c and the gusty wind. I wished I had my gloves and scarf with me, but isn't it too early for them now? Things were made worsed when it rained for 2 long consecutive days. I barely get to see the Sun till today, and I hope it continues to shine throughout the rest of Fall. I hope too, that the weather permits me to wear my Fall coats more often before the boring Winter jackets have to made their reappearances again.

* It's gonna hit 0 deg c tonight, right smack in the middle of October. This is insane!

Bag-fanatic?

Perhaps. I did a rough calculation, and realised I got myself the 7th and 8th bag in 5 months today! A 9th bag is out of stock and I'm on the wait-list, till new stocks arrive.

A bag tells a lot about a woman, a little more than shoes I think. A bag adds character to one's outlook and a touch of colour sometimes. A nice bag is as important to a lady, as much as a good pair of watch is to a man. Hence, it is essential to stock up on bags, as many as possible, for all kinds of occasions, different types of looks, and for self-satisfaction.

I'm hitting the mall again tmr, amidst my exams preparations. It's the Columbus Day weekend sales! I'm so charged up for my studies now! wahahaha...

I hope money will drop from the sky! Money money money!!!

Frivolously Cluttered

It's time to mug again. I can't believe this! 5 weeks of sch has past and the exams are drawing near again. Though I only have a paper to prepare for this term, it sure will sap up lots of my precious time. I simple hate accounting. Give me maths, anytime!

I was reminded by Yvonne that in another 13 weeks time, we'll bid STL goodbye. That sucks, to the core.

The weather is turning cold now. No way to leave home without a sweater/coat in tow. The leaves on the trees are starting to turn yellow/pink. Quite a pretty sight, but I ain't enjoying what I see. The time when the trees are bare, is the time when I need to leave this place for good. I can still vividly remember last year this time, I can't wait for the trees to turn orange/gold completely. Thereafter I was so bewitched by my surroundings, and jovially took in every single pretty sight at every turn. Now, I hope these trees will turn to the hue of fresh light green all over again...

I hate winter. I hate it when everywhere I turn to, I see barren brown trees, dry lawns, lifeless roads, men in black coats. The only colours I see around me are black, brown and white. I felt like I lived in a colourless world.

The surveyor from the shipment company came on Wed to do a pre-move inspection. To my dismay and horror, he said I've exceeded my cargo space limit!!! The only household who's utilized their quota to the max, he said. To fit our stuff nicely into the allocated cargo, we have to shrink our stuff by 50cubic feet. However, I'm not done with my shopping yet! The kitchenware, my bags, shoes and clothes, and not forgetting erm... whatever random stuff that cross my mind? No, I am quite adamant that I do not want to give up my Sealy mattress too! Ggrrr... and who was the one who told me our allotment will deinitely be more than enough??? I'm so torn and depressed whenever I have to decide between mattress/shopping.

Yet, I went to Mills again today, and looted 2 big bags of goodies. Seriously, Gap has the best stuff for coats, capris, and home wear. No time for Banana Repulic and Bed Bath, but I'll go again after the 12th. Heh!

It's the Mid-Autumn Festival tmr, and we're holding a BBQ to celebrate. What's new right? Even the food are always almost an exact replica of the previous BBQ session. However with 20 of the F-15 gang here, how else can we get together? Steamboat and potluck are too much of a hassle and not feasible for such a crowd. Dinner at a restuarant is boring, cos we can't get to mingle around with free-flow booze. Free flow for me only, cos there are always too much for my liking.

The 8th month, 15th day of the Lunar calendar is an auspicious day for all things great. Congrats to Gordon and Meiling, for getting married on this beautiful day, and to Elvin and Emily, for moving into their love nest!

I said my post will be frivolously cluttered, didn't I?

*P.S. Kate Spade's double discount with the friends and family sales event is ending on Sunday. Any more orders?

Fragrant Yam Rice

We just had yam rice for dinner. It's finger-licking good! Of cos, I cooked that, with a pot on the stove and absolutely no help from my defunct rice cooker. If you're surprised with my culinary skills, I can understand cos I'm amazed with myself too! :p

No pics of our palatable dinner cos I was too hungry to reach out for the camera; I just had to tuck in immediately to the piping hot bowl of fragrant rice. Slurp!