holiday lepak..ing

What is your idea of a good holiday?

1.Shopping along Oxford Street in London?
2. going up the steps of the Great Wall of China?
3. climbing Mount Kinabalu ( not Everest ya....)
4. splashing and sliding in  the water Theme Park,
5. swooning and staring at each others' eyes along the Venice canals o n the Gondola
6. savouring the sweet aroma of the bakeries or pattiseries in Paris, or,
7. simply, 'veg out' , the term used by Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman, in front of the telly and watched  movies , and
and talking about how to make apple crumble and trifle!

Me? definitely no 6, Paris, the City of Romance and fashion, sweet smelling perfume, or could be no 1, London, would have loved to walk down memory lane getting on the underground train, from Bond Street to Covent garden , to Trafalgar Square, and Venice too,
 shucks! all of those places, emmm, except maybe climbing Mount Kinabalu and the splashing part....haha.....
IF, and only IF,  money and time is no object.

for now, i settle for the last one,, and seriously I really enjoyed myself ,
After long hours of baking and cake decorating, especially making 100 mini cakes, covered with fondant and decorated with tiny tiny gold dregees and tying ribbons ( 200 times, 100 for the mini cakes and the other 100 to tie up the box ) my body and my hands are shouting for a break.

we set out for our holiday with no specific destination in mind, only a gathering with old friends ,( some of whom i have not met for more than 20 years!) to go to, plus staying over at a friend's house.
Who would have thought that "Istanbul Aku datang' was such a sweet movie. Personally, I am a bit choosy when it comes to malay movies, no offence, cos there are good films out there but  some are also a bit cheesy and lame ( the same goes to english or other movies too )

but this IAD ( Istanbul.... ) is different, despite the simple plot, it has its magic, i was glued to my seat, err, the soft cushion from beginning to end and mind you, i wouldn't mind watching it again. I like the apartment, the house where the heroin was staying ( sharing it with another tenant), the beautiful view and sceneries of Istanbul, the acting, okay, it was good. overall, i would give it maybe 8 over 10.

it's not just about the movie, it's the moment, the whole thing of relaxing, of not thinking of how many eggs do I need, how much butter and flour to weigh, of how to deco this cake and that cake,i got that 'break' even if it was only for a couple of days, then i start to miss baking again........

it was also about sitting at that round dining table, having apple crumble and trifle ! for breakfast! Fancy that, .chit chatting about how to make them, even if it was, or they were one of the or two of the easiest desserts to prepare.

Credit goes to my friend who makes these lovely desserts, who  welcomes us into her home, giving a VIP treatment to her guests, who make us feel welcome and also for 'babysitting' my kids while I went to see my other group of friends.Thank you Mummy! you know who you are.

so, back to reality! my oven timer just went off, gotta go check my MCB ( marble cheese brownies)
ciao and have a nice , long school break1

durian crepe/ Air Supply during SPM week

I know just how to whisper,

and i know just how to cry

and I know just where to touch you

and I know just what to prove

I know when to pull you closer

and i know when to let you loose

and I know the road is changing

and I know the time's gonna fly

..........

forgot the lyrics, got the lyrics all jumbled up but one thing for sure, I don't forget this line

making love....out of nothing at all..

out of nothing at all

making love

out of nothing at all.......

the lyrics meant nothing, i didn;t even know what 'making love' meant at that time, i was 17, yes sweet , naive and innocent 17 and was sitting for my SPM( Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia) the same exam my eldest daughter is having now, as we speak, ( I am picking her up at 3.30pm ).
I was in a boarding school , all girls boarding school in johor Bharu and during the exam weeks, there were only us, the fifth formers left behind and we were placed in a few separate dormitories. while we studying ( or so called last minute studying), some of us were listening to radios and this Air Supply song was on.
i couldn't really remember which paper it was but while i was stuck trying to answer the questions ,this particular line kept humming in my head
"making love oout of nothing at all,
over and over again....
shoo shoo go away but I couldn't make it go away, it kept on singing in my head but
Alhamdulillah, I didn't know how or what I did, i passed my SPM, not really with flying colours but enough to get Grade 1, ( it was a different system from the current one), enough to enrol me into the A Level program bound for UK.

to be continued.......

happy birthday!

PECAN BUTTERSCOTCH

LUXURY BROWNIES 12X12"

MARBLE CHEESE BROWNIES 12X12"WTH SLICES OF BROWNIES WITH WALNUT

VANILA SPONGECAKE WITH FRESH CREAMAND BLUEBERRY FILLINGS

CHOCOLATE FLOURLESS MUD CAKE

MCB 10X10"

CHOCOLATE MOIST CAKE WITH GANACHE AND FONDANT COVERED SCHOOLBUS WITH UPINIPIN EDIBLEIMAGE

CHOCOLATE INDULGENCE

CHOCMOIST WITH EDIBLE IMAGE ANGRY BIRD

yellowand whitehantaran

Blue blue blue my love is blue

10x10" square chocolate indulgence cake

for September 'babies' (big babies!!!)

Thank you J ,hope the weddinggoes well and the Sweet Septemberians enjoy their chocolate indulgence birthday cake

blue blue bllue

chocolat flourless mud,

ADAM EMIR,nice name

for her son's birthday celebration: 12 x 12 inch choco moist cake , cream puffs blueberry cheesetarts and macaroni au gratin

thank you Ija Sam

Thomas and friends?

Choo choo train

underground tube, "Mind the Gap" at Banks station

little mice running around on the tracks at Mile End station

the green District Line from Barkng and get off at Mile End and change to red line if we want to go to London, there's Bond Street,

Oxford Street,

Marble Arch ( or is there?)

or the dark purple line for Picadilly Circus

How about to Leicester Square?

Bayswater?

FinsburyPark

Holborn

those were the days.......... 

Thomas face made from fondant, my first attempt with a litt;le guide from the youtube. Thomas won't betaking any of those green, red or purle lines who he has on lines with his friends.....

two batches of chocolate cake,carved into a train

spreas thebuttercream thinly on the surface

why the train suddenly changed into a tower or rainbow colours?

This rainbow cakeis forthe hubby

and Thomas cake is for her son

thank you Sherliny dear. It was an enjoyable experience making Thomas cake

MANCHESTER UNITED SET

All these for just one person,one very special person.

imagine me andyou,

I do, I think about you  day and night

it's only right,the only boy I care about is you,

so happy together.......

one set of 12 red velvet cupcakes with manchester United logo (edible image)and one with figurine wearing jersey no 29 ( his 29th birthday)

similar set with another figurine

All these delivered to her loved one who is working in AlorStar whilst,she,in KL. He was really surprised upon seeing all these, surprised but happy.Who wouldn't? Not only being remembered on his birthday be showered with cake and cupcakes.Thank you Liana, and Happy BIRTHDAY Effendi Ikram.

MINI CAKES

cinta tidak mengenal usia

she, in her 60s and he, in his 70s

both have lost their loved ones and now they find new happiness together, thankyou Ita,who ordered these vaanila mini cakes for her mum's akadnikah ceremony.

she wanted the deco similarto the purple and white theme which I did many months back, and placed in a box with less and simpler deco

Selamat Pengantin Baru to both Dato'andDatin,semogakekal bahagia hinggake hujung nyawa.

one for his Mum,oneforMIL and theother for ex Boss

After seeing the eight white baskets ,he called me and asked for three hampers forhisown. one for his mother, the other forhis MIL andanother ine wasfor his ex-boss. 

white basket with red flowers

pinkbasket with black and white polka dots ribbon

another white basket with slightly different deco. I don't know which basket goes to who but ijust want to say thank you to En.Zaki.thank you

raya hampers part 2

hamper oh hamper!

macam nak buat bekashantaranlah pulak, my table filled with baskets,ribbons,flowers,etc

fille with cookies

and ready,three of these for Dr Annie who will then give them to her Malay friendswho celebrates EidilFitri, thank youAnnie