Quirks of a Delusional Mind

Join The Bark Side

noreply@blogger.com (sriyany) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 17:20:00 +0000

Check out this teaser video if you enjoyed last year's Superbowl commercial, 'The Force' by Volkswagen.

Now I can't wait to see the actual commercial for this year's Big Game..or just maybe I should get a Volks!

Once upon a Google...

noreply@blogger.com (sriyany) — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 01:00:00 +0000

Stumbled upon this video while checking out some of Google's Search Stories and I could not resist posting it up. In fact, if you're an Android fan and love the idea of working at the top web search engine for their seemingly cool working culture or if you're just plain into Google, you can create your own search story very easily. No professional video editing needed :)

Deep-Fried Garoupa with Thai Sauce @ Mr. Tom Yam

noreply@blogger.com (sriyany) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 01:00:00 +0000

When you're hungover with a craving for anything that's remotely edible, you should go for the food at Mr. Tom Yam. The deep-fried garoupa with Thai sauce is delicious. Crispy and fresh, this would go well with the flavorful chili chicken with cashew nuts and a spicy bowl of Tom Yam soup. If I'm not mistaken, the garoupa is of standard size, going for RM36.

Maxi & Sandy

noreply@blogger.com (sriyany) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 01:00:00 +0000

Caramel honey's parents are the proud owners of a cocker spaniel named Sandy and a miniature poodle, aptly named Maxi. So we thought it would be a fantastic idea to take loads of pics of the dogs, print them out on something fun like mugs, photobooks and hand it to his parents for X'Mas. Coincidentally few weeks before X'Mas, his mum mentioned it would be great to have a calendar of the dogs!

So with only few days left for X'Mas, caramel honey went to his parents place to snap the dogs and I went online in scouting the best freeware tool to come up with a fancy calendar. Initially, we thought we'd give the photos to any photo shop but then realize they had lousy calendar templates.

After all that effort, we came up with a pretty decent calendar that had each month on a separate page - the best part is the template I had was a Dog template so it came with cool pawprint backgrounds, cute graphics to place everywhere like doggy bones and treats!

We were so excited that we wrapped and gave the calendar without taking shots of it but if you wanna know, we used HP Photo Creations to create the calendar. It's completely free and you can print it at home. Variety of templates to play around with and customize.

On New Year's Night...

noreply@blogger.com (sriyany) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 02:57:00 +0000

After all the excitement, drinks and food on New Year's Eve, caramel honey and I got back quite late obviously. We were so tired that the minute we got home, we fell right into bed. Now, halfway through the night (or early morning), I heard caramel honey shout and I woke up. He was in bed, moaning to me,

"Don't eat me..why do you wan't to eat me?".

I was like, "Why on earth would I wanna eat you???" LOL!

I think it was the excessive mutton, pork and drinks that contributed to twisted food nightmares. Anyway, I spent few minutes just convincing him that I'm not gonna eat him. Don't think I'm that much of a man-eater!

Anne Frank Museum, Enormous Pancakes & X'Mas Markets @ The Dam!

noreply@blogger.com (sriyany) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 01:00:00 +0000

More and more gorgeous canals - especially along Prinsengracht (where the Anne Frank Museum is located). I took a canal cruise here and was so taken by the lovely houses lining the canals and how gorgeous everything from the balconies covered with ivy to church bells ringing in the distance to every leaveless tree. People cycle EVERYWHERE in Amsterdam, by the way. In fact, there are lanes dedicated for cyclists so before you cross anywhere, look out!

The Anne Frank Museum was such a moving experience for me. If you've read her diary before, you'll feel the same way, I'm sure. As I went through room to room, I felt as if I was transported back to World War 2 and there I was living in this tiny room. It's an enlightening experience just moving through the place the Franks hid for months before being caught by Nazis. I highly recommend anyone who's read the book or just plain love going museum-hopping, to visit the this place.

One of the best croissants I've ever had in my life - was at this place. It's just next to the Anne Frank Museum so you can't miss it. In my case, it was the best option in getting out of the cold!

Westerkerk Church is just around the corner from Anne Frank Museum. Since we were there just before Sinterklaas, church bells kept ringing every now and then which made the whole atmosphere even more enchanting. I had planned on climbing to the top of the church tower as you can apparently get an awesome view from there, but sadly the tower is closed to the public at least until next year.

Yes, you're right. I did not finish this gigantic (apparently normal-sized) bacon-cheese pancake but that's only because it was deliciously filling! Less than 10 Euro :)

As we had our nights free, we ventured into the X'Mas market in Leidseplein, a noted nightspot area in Amsterdam. Plenty of street food to cater to the hungry in the ice-cold weather. Speaking of which, shortly after we got here, it started raining ice! Thanks to this, we had to eat in one of the bars nearby. There was also an ice skating rink nearby with skates available for rental.

Glad to say, we didn't go skating but enjoyed soaking in the scene that made us feel all Christmas-y inside.

Charming Windmills, Sex Shops & Heineken Up-Close @ The Dam!

noreply@blogger.com (sriyany) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 01:00:00 +0000

This is the windmill village of Zaanse Schans. There are about 4-5 windmills still operating here, each for a different purpose, spice, wood, etc. The village is surrounded by water and complemented by lots greenery, quaint houses, cheese and clog factories, windmills, sheep, ducks and fresh, crisp morning air. About 20 minutes by train from Amsterdam Centraal Station, the entire village can take about 2 hours or more to walk through.

Amsterdam Centraal Station - where most of the Intercity trains, buses and trams start from/end at. When I first saw the building, I thought it was a church of some sort coz the architecture was so intricate. We spent some time here just looking for the right tram stop to head back to the hotel. Mind you, there are trams going in every direction, especially in Dam Square. So it's not a surprise if you end up on the wrong tram heading in a different direction all together.

One of the many, many canals around Amsterdam. When I first got here, I was so excited that every single time I saw a canal, I just started snapping like a mad person. I'm sure the Dutch people in trams would have looked upon us with amusement and thought, "The things tourists do!"

One of the many sex shops in the city. For someone like me, this was something different so you can imagine the number of passersby staring at me as I tried to take pics of the shop!

Heineken Experience was highly enjoyable. Since it's a former brewery, we were taken on a tour of how Heineken started, with cool motion shows, games and a look at the ingredients/process in brewing beer. You'll need about 1.5 - 2 hours in here. Plus, at the end you get 3 free pints of Heineken beer and another cool thing is, you can get your name or something similar engraved on a bottle of Heineken beer, various mugs or glasses.

I opted for the glass, as you can see from the pic above - got it engraved as a x'mas gift for caramel honey. Would have bought more if I didn't have a lot to carry already!

Cheers to 2012!

noreply@blogger.com (sriyany) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 01:00:00 +0000

Time passes so quickly and before you know it, another year has gone by. Let's look forward to a better year with less bad experiences and more cheerful ones. At least, that's my hope for next year - be more proactive in keeping touch with family, friends and not just wish them Happy Birthday on Facebook :)

Happy New Year!

Snorkeling @ Blue Lagoon Beach, Bali

noreply@blogger.com (sriyany) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 06:00:00 +0000

Since the trip to Bali was caramel honey's b'day gift from me and knowing how much he loves the sea, I thought we could do something different than the usual sitting-on-the-beach-drinking-playing-guitar so I planned in snorkeling for the both of us.

The Blue Lagoon Beach is on the east side of Bali and it took us about 1.5 hours from Kuta just to drive there. But the beach was worth it - it was like a hidden paradise. Take a look:

Caramel honey with his trusty Coleman!

The entrance to Blue Lagoon Beach

It gets even more intriguing...

And you come across this!

Paradise :)

Since it was our first time snorkeling, we rented the gear and life jackets (as we're prone to panicking in the sea - me especially!). At first, we spent some time just enjoying the beach and observing people snorkeling from the shore, how they were doing it, etc.

When we decided to go in, we had the hardest time getting our fins on and when we did we got rooted in the sand and had difficulty yanking our fins out! I think we must have been quite a spectacle as we were the only ones there in life jackets and me shrieking every now and then when the strong current made my fins sink in deeper into the sand. LOL!

Finally, a fellow snorkeler came by to help us out. He and his girlfriend I presume, taught us how to put on our masks and fins the right way and what to do when waves gush into the snorkel tube. Before you know it, caramel honey got the hang of it and was off exploring the vast shore covered in corals and colorful fishes.

I needed some help just floating on the surface coz let me tell you, if you're not prepared for what's under the sea, you can be terrified. I saw huge corals and the most amazing fishes and at some point the corals/rocks dipped further below and you cannot see the bottom anymore. That. is. terrifying. It's like a black abyss. But if you're prepared to be amazed, you'll enjoy being so close to fishes that you can touch them.

Anyway, it was an experience. The beach is clean and water is quite sheer so it's easy to see what's underneath. Another good thing, there are not many people there, just a few couples lounging around, minding their own business so it's pretty much private. Now that caramel honey has found something else to enjoy on the beach, I think once I get the hang of it or go more often, I'll get used to another world underwater :)

Year End Moments

noreply@blogger.com (sriyany) — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 02:58:00 +0000

Absence truly makes the heart go fonder. It's been more than a month and a lot has happened, from birthday celebrations to freezing cold in Netherlands to beautiful beaches in Bali to baking blueberry muffins that came out sticky to unwrapping ~~tearing~~ x'mas wrappers to finally being back at work before the New Year. All this had made me realize that I miss blogging only because this is one place where I can share/express myself to my heart's content and not having listeners/readers doze off (if they do, I'd rather not know!)

In fact, I was halfway drafting a post end of last month until I got sidetracked by other things:

With most of my time is divided between family, caramel honey, shopping for X'Mas, Netherlands and Bali - blogging has literally gone out of sight, out of mind!

To recap, my b'day was 2 weeks ago and caramel honey threw me the most delightful, intimate surprise b'day party with some of my closest friends (walked in to a whole bunch of balloons flying at me). I had the fluffiest, most sinful White Chocolate Indulgence cake which I of course took the liberty of finishing over the weekend.

To top it off, my colleagues bought me a Holland city pass (which I had initially planned on getting) so this has definitely improved my travel budget quite a bit. Speaking of which, it's only a few more days and come Sunday, I'll be in Amsterdam!! I would better express my excitement but right now I've come down with the most annoying flu, fever, sore throat and popping pills has not made me feel better yet.

Also, work has been up to my eye balls so if you don't see me blogging in a while, it's probably coz I can't stand looking at my laptop after an extended period of time and if I do blog, the post will most likely be the most inane piece of scribble ever indexed.

So to continue where I left off and in a way to summarize everything, Amsterdam was a freezing blast and Bali was simply wonderful. I CAN'T WAIT to go back to Europe again (preferably Italy the next time). X'Mas was full of joy, good cheer and mutton, chicken curry and fruitcake with brandy sauce. Also officially started using my brand new oven that I got from caramel honey as a b'day gift. Not sure why two batches of muffins I made came out sticky but I guess practice makes perfect.

It's 3 more days to the Year of the Dragon and I've got a few resolutions pen down in my head. I'm not a big fan of resolutions only because they do not last for more than 2 months, let alone the whole year. But this time, I'm determined to make it work by reminding myself constantly what my goals are (I'm so motivated this morning!). Anyway, hope the lot of you had a joyful Christmas coz I certainly did :)

Chasing someone never got more interesting

noreply@blogger.com (sriyany) — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 08:55:00 +0000

Wouldn't it be fun if your company video was something visually engaging and interactive enough to get viewers hooked before they clicked off? My colleague found this while browsing marketing campaign videos from various companies.

I absolutely love the ending! :)

Moment of Terror

noreply@blogger.com (sriyany) — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 09:37:00 +0000

While I rarely have insomnia at home (I leave a lamp light on while I sleep), I seem to have it almost EVERY NIGHT at caramel honey's place.

He has no pre-bed rituals - just make sure the air-cond is turned on, switch off the lights and get under the covers. As for me, I usually read in bed for some 15 minutes before dozing off. I can't do this at his place coz the only bedside lamp he has is at his side (he refuses to switch sides claiming he's not comfortable on my side) so the one thing that puts me to sleep is literally gone.

Second, is that I am uncomfortable with the dark which is the reason for the lamp lit at my place BUT in all fairness, the light is dimmed so low that it's merely a faint glow illuminating my room. As long as I have just enough light to read, I'm fine.

Caramel honey's room is pitch black when it's dark and to make matters worse, his bed faces the full-length mirror on the wall and his reflective-door closet. I absolutely CANNOT sleep looking at reflective objects coz horror movies scenes would suddenly fill my head - to the point where the slightest sound makes me jump.

Last night was no different. I was tossing and turning a good deal before finally settling into a somewhat comfortable position, with my back facing caramel honey. After some time, I felt a cramp in my leg so I turned and when I did, I saw caramel honey's head in the dark, slightly lifted from his pillow, wide unblinking eyes, staring at me.

For a few seconds, I just froze staring at him. Then I screamed.

LOL. I do admit that I might have overreacted but seriously if you turned and saw your boyfriend staring at you like that, wouldn't you freak?

The minute I screamed, he tried to calm me down but the only thoughts running through my head at the time involved demonic possession *I must STOP watching those ridiculous horror movies*. After a while, I calmed down when I was sure he was caramel honey and not some demon/ghoul trying to kill me.

I'm gonna have to think of a more creative way to sleep tonight :(

Age Knows No Boundaries

noreply@blogger.com (sriyany) — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 08:00:00 +0000

Countdown to Amsterdam!

noreply@blogger.com (sriyany) — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 03:32:00 +0000

Yippee! I found out last week that I'll be heading to the Netherlands in early December for a 3-day meeting/workshop and I haven't stopped jumping since :D

Flights and hotel stay for those days are covered by the company but I'll be heading there earlier as I want to explore the 'Dam! Of course, those extra days have to be covered by me. Plus, my sister would be joining from UK during those extra days. Much better to have company than to check out a foreign country alone.

I spent the weekend pouring over a map of Amsterdam and picking out attractions that looked interesting, even checking where to find windmills - a trip to Holland is not complete without tulips and windmills, right? :P

Sadly, since we're travelling in winter, the chance to see the Flower Market or that garden with a gazilion tulips, would not happen. In fact, I heard it would be snowing and temperature would be freezing in Amsterdam. God, I need to hunt for winter wear.

So yea, in less than 2 months, I would be checking out the Red Light District, infamous 'coffee shops', Anne Frank house, going on a canal cruise, cheese, windmills and anything else I can fit into those 2 extra days :)

The Man Who Pioneered Apple

noreply@blogger.com (sriyany) — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 10:59:00 +0000

"Your time is limited,

don’t waste it living someone else’s life"

Isn't it funny that when someone passes on, only then we start to feel inspired by their quotes, life experiences, moments they made significant strides in time and what not? I'm not condemning - merely curious by the fact.

For instance, when Michael Jackson passed away, the whole world went into mourning and that was surely expected given the impact he made with his music but how many people stood by him or sympathized with him when he was going through the child molestation allegations?

My point is that people shouldn't wait until the person dies, to become an enigma, a legend or a figure of inspiration. Otherwise, we're just hypocrites.

I'll admit I was never a fan of Mac simply because I found the interface unappealing (I'm sure the whole lot of you disagree!) but I do think Apple has made breakthroughs in the mobile/tablet industry - and giving Microsoft a run for their money!

Steve Jobs was a pioneer in a lot of ways and he still had a lot going for him, so for what it's worth, I do hope he rests in peace.

The One Where the Elevator Drops Down

noreply@blogger.com (sriyany) — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 03:32:00 +0000

Okay, I've just had the most horrifying experience in an elevator.

As usual, I took the elevator from the basement area to the penthouse suite where my office is and that's a good 25-26 floors up. Couple of people got in and they got off at the 21st floor and the elevator started up again but almost immediately, changed its mind and started to go down, really fast.

I could hear the fire alarm and a message came up on the LED display inside stating,

"Emergency! Please evacuate!"

and for one incredulous moment, I was like,

"How the hell am I supposed to evacuate when I'm plummeting to my death??!"

Oh God, I kept looking at the numbers getting lesser and lesser as the elevator kept going down and the whole time I was praying (yes, I prayed!) that it would stop at the Ground floor or something and not crash to the bottom of wherever.

Thank GOD, it didn't. As soon as the elevator approached Ground, it started to slow down as if that was where it had been wanting to go all the while. I got out with my heart still pounding and was going to speak to the guard at reception when I realize the fire alarm had stopped and everyone else seemed to be getting into the elevators as normal.

So rather reluctantly, I got into another elevator and good thing coz there were a whole bunch of people heading to the penthouse as well. We got up safely like nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

Not that I'm not glad to be safe but, to be honest, I was rather hoping for someone else to share my ~~drama~~ scary moment. No one had experience anything weird with the elevator though I might just decide to take the stairs later - 26 floors down - in heels!

Curiouser and curiouser...

noreply@blogger.com (sriyany) — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 01:08:00 +0000

Last weekend, one of caramel honey's clients called him out for steamboat dinner. I have to point out that caramel honey is not remotely close to this client so imagine our surprise when he was called for a steamboat dinner (and dragged me along). Apparently, the dinner included a guest from the client's company whom caramel honey had never met. As it turned out, the guest was a Director in the company (the client is the CEO).

Now this is where it gets weird. The dinner was just the CEO, the Director (who's a former Star journalist), his girlfriend, caramel honey and me. You would think that a dinner organized by someone would include some other business contacts/family members/acquaintances but surprisingly, this was not the case.

Initially, the atmosphere was a little bit awkward for caramel honey and me but after slurping bowls full of tom yam soup and munching on prawns, tofu and fishballs, we got comfortable. Truthfully, the dinner was pleasant and it was nice to meet these people who are obviously much, much older than us and have seen/done plenty in life.

This is where it gets weirder. The whole night, conversation revolved around all of us except the CEO. He just kept quiet throughout his meal. In fact, I barely remember him speaking and the strange part was, I could see him staring at caramel honey from the corner of my eye. When he did speak, it was mostly to caramel honey and sounded very observation-minded.

Anyhow, as the dinner came to an end, it seemed like there were no plans to adjourn elsewhere so the CEO abruptly got up and thank us all for coming. That was it.

As caramel honey and I walked back to the car, we pondered on the reasons behind the dinner and these are some of the theories we came up with:

1. The CEO wants to hire caramel honey
2. The CEO does not have a heir to inherit his fortune/company and wants to put caramel honey as his successor
3. The CEO wants to set caramel honey up with daughter/girl of his choice

Yes, we may be over-analyzing things but you do have to admit that for a person whom we barely know, to invite us out to a fairly casual dinner, is pretty strange.

Happy Friday!!

noreply@blogger.com (sriyany) — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 02:18:00 +0000

Yup the song has been playing all over the place lately but there's just something about it's tune and lyrics that makes me delve into a pool of silliness and giggles (not to mention that it IS Friday).

Who's to say you have to be sixteen to enjoy a song like this (no offense to anyone) - I'm bordering on 28 and I've never felt ~~wiser~~ younger :)

Happy Friday and have a good weekend people!

Dream a Little, Dream of Me

noreply@blogger.com (sriyany) — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 05:22:00 +0000

Last Friday, my mum came over for a visit. Therefore, most of the weekend was spent window shopping, eating like there's no tomorrow and watching endless dvds. However, there was one movie that we absolutely loved on Hallmark called, The Lost Valentine.

It's a charming romantic story about a woman (Betty White) finding out what happened to her husband after 66 years (post-war) of labelled "missing in the call of duty". This endeavor indirectly involves a TV journalist (Jennifer Love-Hewitt) who gets her own lesson in love.

Betty White's performance is quite moving and it's not impossible to tear-up. Plus, you've got the dashing grandson who's obviously easy on the eyes *winks*. I would love to describe more here but it's a much nicer experience to watch the movie yourself and I'm very sure the movie would be shown repeatedly on Hallmark so you'll have a good chance of catching it.

Parts of the movie made me think about how people perceive the idea of "true love" and "The One" when divorce statistics seem to be climbing higher these days. Personally, I think the idea of "true love" is a wee bit corny and borders on fantasy and fairytale stories. Sure, it's a euphoric experience to get married to the one you love but the real challenge starts only after the wedding.

Most people see marriage as weddings and honeymoons as opposed to growing old together. Anyhow, here's one of the songs that was featured in the movie. Call me sappy but I do hope when I'm old and wrinkly, I get to enjoy a dance or two, with my husband, to this song :)

PDA: How much is too much?

noreply@blogger.com (sriyany) — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 09:41:00 +0000

Earlier, I went for lunch (by myself) to Taiwan Street Snacks in One Utama. Not surprising, the place with its limited seating area, was already packed outside but I managed to get a table inside, with those seats that are cushioned against the wall. Now, this inside area is pretty confined where you can't see the outside and vice versa.

About half hour later, this couple walked in and took the corner table beside me and after they finished with their meal, I was still seated there, taking my time to finish my drink while reading a magazine. Next thing I knew, the guy had taken off his flip-flops and put up his legs on the cushioned seat. Since it's quite long, he can obviously fit his legs there but since his back is against the wall, his feet faces me and mind you, we're seated not too far apart!

Good thing I had my handbag between his feet and me - not that I liked that option any better but it's still better than his feet directly at me. How gross is that, you put up your feet in a shop when there are other people seated next to you like as if it's your home. Yes, your feet may be squeaky-clean or free of bunions or smell good (eww!) but I still think it's rude!

Right after that, the both of them started making out, kissing, french-kissing, whatever you wanna call it to the point where I thought they were gonna rip each other's clothes off. Seriously, can't you guys get a room? I'm sure even people young as you can figure out how to do all THAT in a private space.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not against PDA (Public Display of Affection) and obviously it's romantic to see a couple holding hands, exchanging a kiss or two and looking very affectionate but I think it crosses a line when they start making out (extremely) in your face without considering the environment and people around them.

Meet Kooboo from the Land Down Under!

noreply@blogger.com (sriyany) — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 02:53:00 +0000

Yes, this adorable furry koala was a gift from caramel honey, along with other goodies that I'm too lazy to snap. LOL!

P.S. In case you're wondering, caramel honey came up with its name - not me!

Selamat Hari Raya!

noreply@blogger.com (sriyany) — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 09:51:00 +0000

Wishing everyone who celebrates, a very blessed Hari Raya and enjoy the long break from work!

3-Hour Macaron Baking Workshop @ Taylor's University

noreply@blogger.com (sriyany) — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 11:16:00 +0000

When I told people I was going to take a Macaron class at Taylor's University (Lakeside Campus), they were like,

"But it's so easy to make what!"

"Why you want to make? Just go out and buy la!"

Well, I've never, ever baked in my life. I mean, I've used a bread machine once where you throw everything into the container and the machine does everything else for you. So other than that, I've no clue about baking, be it yeast, oven temperature, piping techniques, or even whisking egg whites. The days leading up to the workshop, I was so excited I could hardly wait.

First things first, the campus looks spacious and is immaculately kept. With the lake in the center, it's so serene just to sit by the steps and look at the water. It's got a built-in mall, fine-dining restaurants (for the purpose of culinary students), pastry kitchens, chocolate rooms, wine rooms and much more. Basically, it was like exploring a box of treats.

Although I must point out that the campus has horrible signage (or maybe I just can't remember my college days). It took me about 20 minutes just to find the specific pastry kitchen I was supposed to go and that was after trekking around other campus blocks. Good thing I came early.

Now, I must state that I didn't take any pictures namely because:

A. I didn't have my camera - gave it to caramel honey for his Melbourne trip.

B. I wouldn't have had time to take pics coz as it turns out, I was busy taking notes or involved in mixing, piping, etc.

Hence, I'll try my best to be as descriptive as possible. After all, I was there to learn so, utmost focus on getting the right measurements was needed and not trying to focus on getting good shots of the mixing bowl! There were few girls that had their DSLRs but honestly, I don't know how they manage to bake with their huge cameras dangling around their necks.

Photo: placesandfoods.com

Back to the macaron workshop, the pastry kitchen was well equipped with industrial-sized ovens, and mixers but it seemed small in my opinion (had about 16 workstations). However, in our class of 20, we were put into groups of 4. All groups were given the ingredients (measured) and equipment plus each of us got recipes for macarons and various fillings.

Chef Karam did a demo of how to make macarons in front and we then had to go back to our stations to replicate what he did. It seemed easy (when he was making it) but there were lots of notes to take down especially the right oven temperature, when to take the sugar syrup off the burner, rationing the amount of sugar to cut, how much to whisk and how to see if your Italian meringue is forming right.

Photo: look-see-eat.blogspot.com

Exact Measurement:
125g ground almonds
125g icing sugar (can be cut depending on sweetness preference)
45g egg whites (1st batch)
45g egg whites (2nd batch)
125g sugar
A drop of coloring

Actual Process:
1. Mix together ground almonds and icing sugar with egg whites (with a paddle, if using a machine). Egg whites should have been separated the night before, at room temperature so that it sifts better.

2. Make Italian meringue with sugar - which starts of with boiling sugar and water until the temperature reaches 118 degrees. Why water? This is to avoid sugar from crystallizing. The pot should be covered with foil and holes should be poked on the top to let steam out.

While this is going on, a second batch of egg whites should be whisked slowly. Once the sugar syrup is done, pour over sides of the bowl containing egg whites (still being whisked) until properly mixed.

3. Fold meringue into ground almond mixture (which I found out, was simply mixing the two together) with a coloring of your choice and pipe onto sheeting pan. By this time, your oven should be on at 150 degrees (top & bottom).

Don't pipe the macaroons too close or the heat will not surround each macaroon properly and it may not rise. Also, very important, your sheet pan should fit perfectly on the tray. Any unevenness can cause the macaroons to be unevenly baked.

Pipping is one task where practice makes perfect. We did 3 whole trays and you can literally see the difference between the lopsided lumps on the first tray and almost-perfect circles on the 3rd tray!

Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/roboppy

4. Once you've piped onto a sheeting tray, pick up the tray and let it drop onto the table a few times - to let air bubbles escape the mixture and flatten an unevenness. I don't mean BANG the tray against the table but just gently lift the tray about 10 inches and let it drop on the table.

5. Place tray into the oven for about 8-10 minutes. Once done, pull out and leave until the macarons cool. If you're having trouble pulling them off the sheet pan, just stick the tray into a chiller (or a fridge) for 2 minutes for a quick cool-down.

6. Pipe a filling of your choice and sandwich the macarons.

Photo: http://flickr.com/photos/roboppy

NOTE: You should set the macarons aside overnight (air-tight container, plastic-wrapped and refrigerated) and only eat them the next day. This is to ensure the flavors are more infused.

Ours came out quite well, I have to say. Slightly crunchy on the top but chewy on the inside and not too sweet like some commercial macarons out there :)

Since the class was for 3 hours, the fillings for the macarons were made by Chef Karam the day before so we didn't have to make them from scratch. There were cream cheese, raspberry jam-butter cream, chocolate ganache and *rose-infused butter cream (which is my favorite so far). We can be really creative with fillings and that is quite obvious with macarons sold outside - I once saw durian flavored macarons.

Photo: tryityoumightlikeit.wordpress.com

Overall, the class was well taught and monitored. Chef Karam and his assistant (a Taylor's culinary student) helped out with ingredients and guided us when we were not sure what to do next. He also gave us pointers and tips on what to look out for when baking, proper way of pipping and tips on getting the Italian meringue right.

The only disadvantage I would say is that since the class was a Groupon deal, things were a bit crammed, like the making of fillings. Although we have the recipes and he went through them with us, it would have been fun to make a filling from scratch.

The whole process of making the shells of macarons (the top and bottom part) itself took almost 1.5 hours. Now I understand why macarons cost quite a bit outside. Apparently, in France, a single macaron can cost up to 2 euros each.

Photo: nodesserts.blogspot.com

Next to our pastry kitchen, were the cuisine and bread kitchens. We were allowed to walk through and see what the other classes were doing so we had a great time watching people kneading, banging dough on the table, chopping vegetables and making pies. Let me tell you, the sight was so enticing to the senses. Everything looked and smelled good. This must be what it feels like to be in the Masterchef kitchen. LOL!

I don't mind signing up for their pastry classes again but it's a tad bit expensive (for a one-day thing). Granted they've got good facilities and qualified chefs but for people on a budget - not so practical :(

FYI for people who are planning on taking classes at Taylor's Culinary School, when you come to the split from the highway, take a right (to Jalan Taylor's) as it will lead you to an outdoor parking and much more closer to the campus blocks. Plus, parking is free on weekends :)

*rose-infused butter cream - chef told us about these spray cans that infuses any filling with its scent, be it lemon, citrus, ylang-ylang or in our case, rose. 4 spritzes to the butter cream filling, mix well and you actually get an aftertaste of rose - very delightful to the tastebuds!

More to come...

noreply@blogger.com (sriyany) — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 01:00:00 +0000

Watch out next week for my post on the Macaron Baking Workshop hosted at Taylor's University Lakeside Campus *squeals!*

Update: Head here to find out how the workshop went!

It's Gonna Be Loooong 10-Days

noreply@blogger.com (sriyany) — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 07:43:00 +0000

I just dropped off caramel honey at the airport. He's on his way to Melbourne where he's gonna have the time of his life with his aunt and cousins *sighs* Wish I was going too but due to financial constraints I had to stay back. Plus, caramel honey hasn't seen his aunt for years so it's only appropriate if he goes alone :)

He's always wanted to go to Australia and practically all of Melbourne has been crammed into his 10-day holiday. Yes yes, it's not a month but just 10 days. In fact, he'll be back next Sunday evening so I guess when you really think about it, 10 days is literally nothing. LOL!

I hope he buys me a super-big Koala (of course I told him to bring me a real one but that's another story).