Feiyen Beef steak

Spending time with him in his oversea home and away from my home for a month for the first time is a great experience for me. Most of the time when he is at work.. I will drop by the supermarket to do grocery shopping as well as seeing how people create wonderful handmade crafts from just string and a lighter. Observing how people live and behave in their daily live is another activity to do to pass time...Teacher's habit never vanish even on holiday....observe and observe...Trying to bargain in the street is a good experience and learning new things and making friends during holiday is another wonderful and fruitful outcome...

Xmas is not widely celebrate here, but you do can feel a little of xmas atmosphere with those lightings and xmas trees....

Love the things that sell in the supermarket here.. lots of variety.. and is cheaper too... So this year xmas dinner will be at home and cooked by me..

Beef Steak and Japan Bull-Dog Sauce

Well Done Beaf Steak, with grilled sweetcorn, mashed potato and vege salad...

In fact this is my first time cooking beef steak as well...Have no idea on which part of the beef is

good.. hence I chosen the one with the most expensive price 13.60rmb per 100g..Good beef won't be hard even if it is well done.. that's for sure...and Guess what...It taste terrific and not hard at all... Thumbs up for myself !!!hahaha...

Necklace & Bracelet

Riana had ordered a customade pink and red necklace and bracelet for her..... (someone I not yet know). The necklace and bracelet were customade and meant to be a set. The inspiration was from Moi Design.

Ordered By Riana

Closer look with a tear drop pendant

Still waiting for their parents to bring them home :)

D Wed Card for Danny & Erina

Another happy lady finally get to 'officially' sleep next to her love one and add his surname to hers. Congratulations to Danny and Erina...

The cover...

As this year, there is a hit in doing handicraft,so I made them a card with a hidden envelope in it....Quite surprise that the couple did not realise it till I pointed out and ask her the next day...I hope the 'angpow' still in it...

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Hand wired their names....

The hidden envelope compartment

Blackcurrent Cheesecake

Ling, a regular customer who always buy bracelet from me ordered a cake after she had tried a slice of my cake which I baked for my mum birthday last month....

It is a blackcurrent cheesecake, well the taste will be similar to drinking Ribena, coz the source is from blackcurrent. This time I used mascarpone cheese instead of the cream cheese, texture wise will be softer and creamier.

I hope she will love this cake and so do her friends. Waiting for her comments.......

Before dressing

After Dressing

What have you done at your 20s?

It has been quite sometime that I did not update my blog nor bake any cake...kinda busy with my professional development and preparing my kids for the exam...Time flies super fast, and now it is towards the end of October...another two more months, it is the end of Year 2010...Time to reflect,what have been done for the past 10 months??

Bought a book last week, title is '100 things that 20 yrs old gal should know' with caption ' At your 20s, what have you done to have your happiness?'. Showed my friend this book, and she said to me.." Don't you think it is too late to read this book??"...I said no...because I felt that this is the right time to read this book as a self reflection and evaluation, what else did I missed at my 20s... Hence, it all depends on how a person's point of view...Everyone's view is different at the same matter because they see it at different angle.

What can you see in this picture?

Value of the Gift

Been quite sometime that I didn't update my blog....It is not that I am lazy.. It is because too many things are piling up for me.. and finally I found a public holiday today to do some updates!!
Well.. for the past few weeks, was busy attending workshops and preparing for sharing session with workmates, preparing the kids for their practical exam, recording work done for the workshop..and of course trying to finish the orders!!!!

Would really wanna thanks them for their supports and I am glad that they love the bracelets I made for them! :) Some decide and choose the pattern they like and some would just let me design for them!! I really appreciate their trust they invest in me.. Thanks!!! In fact majority of the orders came from the gentlemen, it is definitely not for them, but they ordered for their beloved, they tried to think of her wrist size, the colours and the patterned she will love and add on a sentence " Just do it, the price is not a problem!!"..

When I heard this, I am thinking how loving these gentlemen are to their beloved...and I wish I will have one too... So ladies are there.. when you received any presents from your beloved gentleman, even if it is inexpensive...price doesn't matter...it is the process that these gentleman have to choose and goes through...

Let's put it in this way.. to get you a customised bracelet, he have to reflect back the last time he hold your hand...(n think hard of your wrist size...if he had to think for quite long time meaning it is a long time he didn't hold you hand.. n he will tell me..'I will get back to you'..then he will go back to hold your hand without telling you why suddenly he did that...), the colours of the clothes you always wear(he then assume that is your favourite colours), reflect back any accessories you wear (to determine the pattern you like), and add on ..price doesn't matter..let me know when it is done (No rush for me as he want the best and in his mind, his beloved is worth everything and cannot be judge by $$)

From selection till paying .. he did everything all by himself and then goes to you...'This is for you my dear, I hope you will like it.."..Can you imagine how his heart is pounding 3 times faster than usual just to see your facial expression and hear "Wow, I like it very much my dear.. Thank you!" from you. So ladies or any gift receiver..make sure you appreciate any gifts you received as the PROCESS to get you a gift counts!! Not the value of the gifts!!

Tweety - simple & outstanding like Tweety

The Eve - designed this pattern on the eve of HM Bdae, so named The Eve

Betty -A simple & yet stunning design

Simple & yet elegant - Made with strong elastic string for easy use -Ordered by Dk

Pyra - The triangle patterned arrangement adds shine to it under the light

Michi -means the righteous way in Japanese, brings out the feminist of the inner you

Shin -means real and true in Japanese, simple yet elegant on every wrist

Specially designed for pretty Era

Noburu - means Expand in Japanese.. let's expand your wild imagination.

Boney - depends how you view it...it may looks like fish bone to you..but to me..it symbolize ladders for you to climb higher

Butterfly - shaped as a ButterFly...

Crystals Brooch & Bracelet

Went for holidays last week and stop by beads and crystals shop...the display on the walls were so attractive and shiny!!! Crystals with all sorts of colours and shape and size... I saw this crystals brooch made on the safety pin...not those safety pin on the diapers!!.. Been very curious how it was made!!

Brooch made from stones and crystals

As it was raining as well and waited for the rain to stop.... the shoplady was very kind to show me how the brooch was made.. she show me kinda straightforward and simple one ... the method....and in the end.. I ended up borrowing money from my friend and spent hundreds on buying the materials and crystals!!! Of course it was not the real Swarovski crystals.. but it was Grade 2 crystals.. the real one would be to expensive for me to buy...and it break too it fell down....

So went to bookstore and bought two beading books and came home and start doing the brooch and the bracelets...

Handmade some brooch for my colleauges and custom made some crystal bracelet from orders!!! Can't believe I got order so soon!! Thanks!!

Simple brooch as souveniers for my colleauges

For the bracelets.. at the moment I only know 4 styles..so kinda limited..but for me.. simple is nice.. the more complicated it is.. meaning the more crystals you gonna use.. n the price definitely will be higher..furthermore.. as I am a beginner...my crystals were bit limited as well!! However, compare to the store in town..my charges are much more lower than them.. but that doesn't mean my crystals are very poor quality.. I am honest enough to say mine are grade 2 crystals...ahahah

From her order for her daughter

From his order for his mum

Butterfly style

Wedding Anniversary Cake for Riana

Last 2 weeks were the school holidays and just when I started wanna to enjoy.. I fell terribly sick and had been stuck in the nest for 2 days...Then I received message from Riana asking whether I could make her a cake...and I agreed and confirmed with her thru facebook what cake and fruits she wanted...

So went to supermarket to look for the fruits and then started the cake baking process... and voila when I done...n was actually 2 hours later...I realized that I baked the wrong cake... Riana wanted a blueberry cheesecake and I baked her a Blackforest cheesecake!! A very serious mistake that a baker should not make!!!

Luckily kind Riana is fine with the cake and was happy with it too!! I really felt bad....but promise to myself .. such mistake should not repeat again!! Coz.. I may not meet a kind and wise buyer in the future!!!

Handmade notes for the lovely couples

5lbs Blackforest cheesecake tops with fresh fruits

Birthday card for Catherine

"Jess, can you make a birthday card for Catherine?? Since you are creative recently.."asked Audry... so here it goes... My 1st assignment of doing a birthday card for Catherine... Kinda scratching my head in the 1st place.. coz Cat herself is a very creative crafter....so thought for a day.. and finally came up with a pink rose background and quilling on the front cover...so spent the whole night doing these flowers and the butterfly....

Inside the card.. initialy I planned to have something like pulls out notes.. but due to the fact that we need to get 11 pretties to sign on the card....it will be too crowded ...so in the end..it just a simple embossing and stamping....

Was glad that those pretties love it and surely there are more to come in the future....

Made for the mamas

These two weeks I have been working from 7am to 5pm just for tomorrow's event..hopes everything will goes well....Been so stress up with different opinions and less working hands..but when you look at the working committee..it is up to pages...but the one you see working on the last few days was.....ermmm..

So..last nite came back from work..feel like baking a strawberry cheesecake for his mom and grandma...coz mother's day is coming ....trying to get some credits coz i got a competitor.. hahah..

Sent over to his house this morning and when the two ladies saw the cake..I couldn't see their eyes but teeth only.... I already felt glad...I am a easy fulfilled person.. will ask for their comment tommorrow....

Biscuit based Strawberry cheesecake..

Top with fresh cream and fresh Fruits....

Paper quilling

Another type of paper arts that I admire most is Paper Quilling. Paper quilling.. like its name uses paper of course, cut into strips, most of the time 2mm,3mm and 5mm paper strips are used. So far in Brunei, I could not find any ready cut paper strips nor any reference book on paper quilling. If you search online, you most probably will find the basic techniques and the outcome.. not the way they teach you how to do...

Thanks Agnes for helping me to get a copy of Paper quilling book all the way from UK last March.. I really appreciate she help me to find it in UK Bookstore and wrap it nicely and bring it back for me.... Thanks Agnes..a wonderful friend...

Duckie with daisy...

Flowers....

Butterflies with Tulip

Wedding Card for Yusrina & Khalid

Wow.... It had been nearly 2 months that I did not update my blog.... Been so busy on mastering my handicrafts skills....not doing any baking lately....hahha.. well as always...beginning of the year...busy with works...stay till late almost everyday.. and by the time I reach home.. I just wanna lay down and doing nothing!!!!

So, last March..my colleueue Yusrina finally get attached to her man....so I decided to make her a wedding card...which couldn't be found in anywhere.. If you do see a similar one.. it meant my card had been copyright!!!!

Playing with my sister cuttle bugs, some beads and ribbon...this card is finally done in 2 nights!!I was glad that Yusrina love the card.. It is my first time doing a wedding card though....

Using cuttlebug to die cut the letters using foam paper

When you open the card, it is like a door.....

Recycling a chinese wedding card to get these cute couple and enhance it with ribbons and beads

Honey Almond Cornflakes

Been quite busy for finishing the CNY orders for the past two weeks till I don't even can spare anytime for using the computer.. Still another one order to finish and ready for the CNY.. two days for a good rest...hahah..
I could not believe that my Kuih Mor got a good sales hit at the restaurant this year !! 10 containers were sold in just few hours..till some order need to be put at stop..I felt bad though...well what to do??
Every year I made this honey almond cornflakes so as this year.. Last year I found out that the paper cup I used make the cookies looks oily.. so this year i invest in a better and more expensive paper cup.. and voila!! it looks Perfect!!! *,^

Kuih Mor

Kuih Mor..like english shortbread dusted with icing sugar..another one of my favourite! Not easy to get the nice kuih mor since the Malay makcik did not bake it...been trying for many version and as usual.. why make myself difficult in looking for the nice kuih mor... I bake it myself..according to my likes and taste.

Kuih Mor.. not many people like to eat because most of the time.. once you put it into your mouth..it will stick up there and make it difficult to swallow and the next thing you do is looking for water.. hence one really need the 'kung fu' in baking a kuih mor that will at least 'melt' or less sticky once you pop it into the mouth and not too sweet... and also to make it as round as possible...is there any mould that make it round??? haven't spotted it so far yet...

The picture shown was my second attempt and was with cornflakes..I love cornflakes!! so i added some cornflakes in it..

Does not look that snow white.. because I don't prefer sweet... still have plenty of room to improve as some of my friends said it was too dry... well.. Practice makes Perfect!!!

Pineapple Tarts

I have been craving for pineapple tarts since I spotted it on the supermarket shelves many many years ago... I used to buy the one from Taiwan and it is only available in the market during CNY... Then again during Hari raya....

This year I would like to try out to bake some pineapple tarts..and conclusion is.. it is not easy to bake to the close perfection!!! Not easy to shape it by hand and with the jam..your hand got messy! and with my speed.. I only able to bake around 70 tarts in 2 hours with preparation and baking time.. with some cheat of getting the ready made pineapple jam...

The picture I posted was my second attempt...I love it though but some (same race as me) commented it dry crust and some (other races) love it!!..Hmm... Chinese do fussy in their food!! ahhaha

Thickness of the crust

Honeydew Sago

Getting lazy of baking cakes recently...may be I am still in holiday mood and waiting for the CNY to arrive in three weeks time...hmm.. Quite busy also with works, my daily routine with some of the new special attention group.. stress up a bit with the workload assigned...

"There is nothing fair in this world!" How far do you agree with this statement??.. Well. for me.. it is true that most of the things are not fair in this world just like we got different fingers length for our own hand!! But sometime I think we can try to make it as fair as possible though equal fairness cannot be achieved!! It is true that we will think of ourselves first before others coz this is by nature...may be only 1 out of 10 will think of others first then herself or himself later....Learning to listen and accept other people's views are still not an easy job for most of us.. even to me... But as long as you can give me a reasonable reason...I will still accept it.. I am not really that stubborn!!!

So..with all the heat from the surrounding and from my work..i will need something to cool down.. so I make myself this honeydew sago as dessert to cool me down...Eating is the best remedy for me...

Honeydew Sago

2010..new year resolutions is to bake more yummy cakes with more varieties and designs..phew...still a difficult tasks for me.. but i gonna try it out....Yes!!!

So first day of working..got an order from Riana for her buddy Aisyah Birthday..fruity cocktail cheesecake..okie..not a problem for me!! Coz..this is my best one!! quite handy with it already... so I quickly drop by supa save after my meeting finished at 330pm..to grab any nice fresh fruits...

Fruity Cocktail Cheesecake

Then 2 days later, Aisyah would like me to bake any cheesecake for her birthday gathering without much specification..so I baked her a 3 layers Strawberry cheesecake...using white dragonfruits and kiwis as toppings...hmm.. should say I shouldn't have use the white dragonfruit!! Wrong choice!! and I had disappointed Aisyah princess for the missing mandarin slicesa and the chocolate!!! as I thought I may bored them with repetition of mandarin slices and chocolate!! Well.. will remember that for the little princess in future...Aisyah is one of my regular supporter...thanks Aisyah....

Strawberry Cheesecake

Smoothies

Just finished with a month holiday and was back to work today with an afternoon meeting... wooosshhe... what a start for a new year for the first day of the week.... So I will need something to cool off my mine... Smoothies!! Yeah..cooling and fatty.. who cares???

Avocado Smoothies

Strawberry Smoothies

This is a super simple smoothies to prepare..all you need is a tub of vanilla ice cream, the fruit you prefer, some ice cubes and a blender...mix everything in it..and Voila!! your smoothies is ready to be serve and and is the best !!