This December, I am into...

I'll be seeing you soon!

...empire-line dresses, to be worn alone or with straight leg /skinny jeans, lip gloss with a hint of peppermint, like those from Burt's Bees or Urban Decay, So You Think You Can Dance II, Smiling Pasta, boxing classes at the gym, mission trip to Cambodia, listening to FM 103.2 online, cranking out the Christmas tunes (guilty pleasures include Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas and 98 Degrees’ I’ll Be Home for Christmas), stuffing my face with party food, Christmas parties and NY celebrations, and last but not least, my birthday!

It’s going to be a great month. :)

La Maison du Chocolat

Posting about the chocolate workshop yesterday reminded me about the lovely little box of chocolates I bought when I was in Tokyo in August. On my last day in Tokyo, I was walking along Omotesando and chanced upon the little La Maison du Chocolat stand, and tempted by the delicious array of truffles, bought one small box to bring home. We tried to save them for as long as possible, but that is just impossible when it comes to good quality chocolate. They were gone in a week.

Chocolate fun!

You can see more photos in my flickr account.

If there was one food you could name which is universally loved by everyone, I would have to say it’s chocolate. What else can inspire instant salivation at the mere mention of its name, giant smiles of satisfaction on the first taste, and instantly make a bad day good?

I decided it was time to take my appreciation of chocolate to the next level – it wasn’t enough to merely appreciate eating chocolate, I had to learn how it was done. And that’s how I found myself at Shermay’s Cooking School last Friday afternoon at a chocolate truffle workshop taught by Executive Chef of Au Petit Salut Patrick Heuberger.

I didn’t realise how much planning ahead was required, and what a precise science chocolate truffle-making was until I saw the entire process of tempering chocolate. The temperatures had to be right, or the chocolate wouldn’t crystallise properly to form the right bonds. Thankfully, we just had to sit back and relax and watch chef Patrick do all the hard work.

While I like to say that I made chocolates, I have to admit that everything had already been made in advance, like the ganache and praline fillings. All we had to do was decide what fillings we would like, and decorate the chocolate truffles. For this class, we had ganache, praline, roasted chestnuts, chestnut paste, marzipan, orange peel, hazelnuts, pistachios and white chocolate to play around with.

There was so much fun decorating the chocolates, I almost forgot that the greatest pleasure of chocolate was in the eating. Since the two boxes could only hold so many truffles, I just had to eat the remainder before leaving the class. Oh well. So this is what I ended up with:


Do you think I can become a professional chocolate maker now?

For more chocolate fun and other great classes, go to:

Shermay’s Cooking School
Chip Bee Gardens
Blk 43 Jalan Merah Saga
#03-64
Tel: 6479 8442

The soundtrack to your life

While reading Robot Johnny, I came across another iPod shuffle meme. I really can’t resist music memes, especially one that can construct a soundtrack to your life. So here’s how you play:

1. Open your library (iTunes, winamp, media player, iPod).
2. Put it on shuffle.
3. Press play.
4. For every question, type the song that’s playing.
5. New question– press the next button.
6. Don’t lie and try to pretend you’re cool.

Opening Credits
Time After Time, Cyndi Lauper

Waking Up
I Have Nothing, Whitney Houston

First Day at School
Too Funky, George Michael
So not true, I was a real nerd in school.

Falling in Love
Latin Simone, Gorillaz (featuring Ibrahim Ferrer)

Breaking Up
The Heart of Worship, Sonicflood
Errrr….okaaaaay.

Prom
The Vibes Ain’t Nothin’ But The Vibes, Barry Adamson

Life’s Okay
I Want to be Buried In Your Backyard, Nightmare of You
Shouldn’t this be in Funeral Song or Death Scene? And I don’t want to be buried in anyone’s backyard, thank you very much.

Mental Breakdown
6th Avenue Heartache, The Wallflowers

Driving
Holiness, Sonicflood
I am anything but holy when I drive.

Flashback
Breathe, Sixpence None The Richer

Getting Back Together
If I Ain’t Got You, Alicia Keys

Wedding
Tenderly, Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong
Hey, this song actually fits!

Birth of a Child
You’re in Love, Wilson Philips

Final Battle
Symphony No. 5, Op. 107 (Andante), Mendelssohn

Death Scene
Last Dance, Donna Summer
I have to admit, this is quite apt.

Funeral Song
Ironic, Alanis Morissette
Oh no, do I strike lottery the day I die??

End Credits
Dances of the Swans, Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake
I am a swanee swan swan!

With 1,075 songs in my iPod, I find it interesting that I can still get 2 songs from the same album in this mix. Looks the shuffle function needs to be more shuffley.

Go play it if you want and see what you come up with.

Laptop bags - anything but black!

Can you believe from the time I posted about getting a laptop bag for my laptop, I still have not bought a laptop bag yet? I think part of the problem is that most of the bags I see out there are just so darn obvious that they’re carrying a laptop inside them. But after a bit of hard work, I’ve found a few plum choices. The best part? None of them are a boring black.


These 2 are from Etsy: (L) it's amazing how a cleverly placed bow can transform an otherwise normal looking bag. Instant prettiness! US$160; (R) Custom made lappie bags in the print you desire. I like this chrysanthemum print shown above, US$70.


Clockwise from L: Fool people into thinking you’ve got groceries in your bag, US$385; Luxe-looking jade green brocade gives this messenger-style bag a more elegant look, $89.95; Although this is more of a traditional laptop bag shape, it is saved by the elegant black and white print, US$49.95-$59.95; Bold and bright colours transform this professional-looking tote to something a little more fun, $33.99

Christmas presents: What (not) to give

My office is having a Christmas party and there is going to be a gift exchange, played very much the way my friends and I play it at our regular Christmas parties. Although I won’t be able to go for this party, I’ve started thinking about great presents I would buy to foist onto some lucky soul (all under S$30):



1. Mini penguin water dispenser: Great to put on your table in the office, and to make sure you'll drink your 8 cups of water a day!
2. Mr T in Your Pocket Keychain: I pity the fool who doesn't end up with this great keychain with 6 classic Mr T phrases.
3. Gnome & Garden: Gnomes are cool now, thanks to the movie Amelie. Now you can put one on your desk with a little mini garden!
4. Talking Lips Digital Radio: A radio with lips that would turn Angelina Jolie green with envy is the perfect perk me up for a slow afternoon in the office.
5. Magic Christmas Tree: Ah, what is Christmas without a Christmas tree? Grow your own Christmas tree right on your desk! All you need is magic water!

- All presents found from fredflare and eBay.