Post-prelims // I have a life again

Here's a funny exam meme to start off the post hahaha

WHEEEEE so prelims are over and i have a 4-days-long weekend whoopee! The weekend shall be relaxed and then Monday and Tuesday would have to be adjusting to be back on track already.

Anyhoo, after the last paper yesterday, I finally went out with the girls (3/5 attendance haha) after so long - and not to study, of course. Before that, fattybinz came over and we made lunch! We spent like close to 2hours just preparing and cooking hahaha, but all's worth it in the end!!! :)

TAADAA, our finished work!!! I name it the Ultimate Brunch Deluxe 5000, hahaha! It consists of: (clockwise manner) mini eggless pancakes with butter and honey, sautéed fresh shiitake mushrooms, steamed veggies, roti prata and tofu patty.  

The tofu patty was not quite what i expected, but it turned out resembling the taste of an egg omelette! Will prolly make it again, in the form of scrambled tofu, hehe.
[recipes were adapted from online sources]

This picture was from some time earlier when we went out to study, hehe.

Overall, it was a good lunch! We made a smoothie after that - bananas, frozen strawberries and almond soya milk - ahhh all is well *satisfied smile*

After that, i went to rest before preparing to meet the girls at Greenwich V. I alighted the bus too early (sobs) and had to walk 3-4 more stops omggg but it's okay i arrived not long after they reached (muahaha). 

By the way, Greenwich V is this small cozy little village (?) which is like this shopping, eating, necessities-buying place for the residents staying around that area - condos, landed estate, etc. So it's pretty "atas" to me, and the environment is really tranquil and like... away from the city. It's a good place to study, but not for me 'cause i don't really want to spend money studying outside.

*promise to take pictures the next time i go to a nice place*

Sooo, we went to Cedele for dinner and it's a place that sells healthy food - organic, no refined sugar, and with many vegetarian/vegan options (good for me!). They also have some items that cater to those with special diets - gluten-free, lactose-free, et cetera.

I got myself a pumpkin soup and bread bar (free flow breads!) which costed only S$8!

They also provide extra-virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar as a dip! (but i still prefer dipping my bread in the soup as i like warm/hot food) Yunwei finished a whole dish of the dip and took more, though!

As i don't include onion, garlic, leek and chives in my diet, this soup was too 'garlicky' for my liking, but Huixuan said she couldn't taste it at all, so i guess pumpkin lovers would love this :)

After a filling and satisfying dinner, we decided to get desserts *thumbs up* so we walked over to Awfully Chocolate for ice-cream wheeeeee~ (p.s. i never dared to order anything there because they don't big-print their menu prices)

Yunwei recommended the 'hei' ice-cream, which is super chocolatey and decadent, definitely a must-go for the die-hard chocolate lovers. Plus, they served it in a lil' basket/box, super cute! Oh, and it was only $4.90 for a single scoop. Other than that, since me and greedy Huixuan wanted more than just ice-cream, we got their Hazelnut Chocolate Crumble which was SO GOOD. It tasted like ferrero rocher a little, but i'd love (anything) crumble so i loved it.

Look at this. Just look at it. Chocolatey, gooey, crumbly goodness *melts*

And then look at my weird friend who has to get that perfect angle, hahaha. #asiansatwork

Aaaaand... that pretty much sums up my day yesterday! The day was awesome with the people I love and it ended beautifully with a movie - The Truman Show (recommended by Yunz).

It's super good and mind-screwing, and made me wonder how Hollywood came up with these stuff - genius as usual. I recommend it to everybody!!! Plus, it stars Jim Carrey, one of my favourite actors :)

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Did i tell you guys i may have a slight baking addiction? Haha, i made peanut butter chocolate chip cookies the other night, brownies on thursday and just made red velvet cupcakes today!

Eggless, dairy-free peanut butter and choco-chip cookies!

These turned out a little too crumbly, probably because i used crunchy peanut butter instead of creamy haha, and i actually forgot to add butter... but it still tastes nice! :)
[recipe adapted from ZombieGate on YouTube, aka The Vegan Zombie]

Eggless red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting! 

Had wanted to try making these for the longest time ever, and finally got to it! I don't really understand the craze over these other than the colour, because it doesn't taste that special. But i've gotta agree the colour is super pretty!!! *v*

I adapted the recipe from Chuck Hughes' recipe (http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/chuck-hughes/red-velvet-cupcakes.html) but followed the reviews - ALWAYS read the reviews first before attempting the recipe!!! I reduced the amount of oil and sugar, and replaced the 2 eggs with corn starch flour and a wee bit of water. 

It turned out so moist and fluffy!!! <3 the only fault was that i couldn't find the cupcake cups so i used muffin cups instead, and i don't know if this was the reason, but it didn't rise with a rounded top :(

But it's okay it still tastes good, haha! 

Alright, that's it for now. And i promise promise promise to take better quality photos when i get a suitable lens for my dslr! For now, all pictures are from my phone so please bear with it! :)

*this is my first food post, full out, i hope you guys enjoyed it! :)

-Bel

Constant?

Taken @ Botanic Gardens 2012

As the saying goes, change is the only constant.

Well, i just felt like blogging today and i can honestly say almost everything about my life is different. I'd like to think i'm a happier me now, and i see things in a more positive light as compared to last time.

I take more time to appreciate the things i have, the people i love, the little moments... Instead of always being lazy and unwilling to do stuff that are to my inconvenience, i try to take those tasks up and like y'know, do my part for people since i've always been the one taking and not giving. I've lost too many things and people, so i've learnt many many valuable lessons.

Happy to share with you guys, i've been happy most of the time nowadays and i don't freak out or panic during exams, which gives me a whole new level of clarity in my thoughts. I've learnt not to share too many things openly - opinions, thoughts, feelings, personal stuff, etc. Not really being an issue of trust, but more of like nobody really gives a shit about what you think, and more often than not, the things you share with people brings shit into your life. These are unnecessary troubles you can keep out of your life, seriously.

So i guess here's a list of self-reminders for myself, and if anybody finds it useful, these are steps i aim to take to become a better person :) Let's do 7 cause it's my favourite number heh.

1. Think happy thoughts, focus on the positive stuff instead of the bad like hatred, gossip, and how that girl sounds so bitchy (honestly none of your business, anyway, right?)
2. Listen more instead of speaking all the time, people would appreciate it :)
3. Do not speak if what you wanna say is nothing nice (i personally think this is super important)
4. Be generous with your praises, encouragements, and good words in general. They go a long way.
5. Focus on your own actions and spend time doing things that contribute to your well-being, as well as the people you love.
6. Appreciate every little thing you are blessed with. Maybe you got a fulfilling night of sleep, or you happen to get a smile from a little kid, or perhaps you had just enough change for your favourite snack - they're all worth being thankful for! :)
7. Make people feel important (and of course, mean it). Just like how you like when a person spends extra time replying your text, or make an effort to remember what you like or dislike, or sacrifice certain things just to meet you up, they like it too!

Alright, i guess these are the little reminders you can give yourself every now and then. 

Of course, it's impossible to become a whole new person overnight, so baby steps! And just keep going, no matter what, because it's a lifetime journey. You don't just craze over being a good person for a period of time, right? It's a lifetime of cultivation into a better and happier person.

I'm not perfect, but just like everyone else, i'm trying and taking steps to become a better human. 

Faith does wonders, so you should put some faith in yourself too. 

Happiness comes naturally :)

Be kind!

- Bel