Sharmycakes

PROJECT SECRET FRIENDSHIP RENEWAL Package

2011-12-19T11:07:00.000-08:00

Though I made the holiday peace offering dinosaur a few weeks back, I haven't had a chance to create the full "package" and plan how I'd deliver the package to the person in question for the following reasons:

1. I have been really busy with work and school
2. I didn't want to send it via post because the handmade items (such as googly eyes) might fall off if they're handled a lot
3. She does not have an easily accessible mailbox
4. I'm pretty sure she is still very bitter about everything (I still don't fully understand some of the reasons for why she is upset...) and my lack of understanding is fueling my insecurity about sending her a peace offering.

I decided to opt NOT to write a message like "I made this holiday dinosaur for you. Can we be friends?" with an attached check "yes" or "no" box because I think it's a bit too direct. Normally, I am very direct, but knowing that she is the type of person to hold grudges and be very upset about things for long periods of time, I thought it best to sort of say things indirectly.

For those of you who might have trouble with small text, I'll transcribe the message. It says:

"Dear ________,

This is Steggy, the holiday dinosaur. He is really happy that it is Christmas and he looks very festive in his red feathers. He wants to thank you for drawing him and bringing him to life. He also wants to wish you a very merry Christmas. I hope he will prove to be a very loyal and fun friend for you!"

I'm hoping she'll find it humorous and less "serious," though I am very serious and eager about moving on and letting bygones be bygones!

Anyway, I just spent a couple hours fashioning a letter and envelope. I must say that I am proud of my work and I hope she takes this as evidence that I do think about her often and that I do very much want to let the past be the past. I am not angry anymore and I hope that she has let go of her anger as well... so here it is! Keep your fingers crossed that she'll at least email or text me that she got it!!!

2011-12-04T09:47:00.000-08:00

Images made and modified using Portrait Illustration Maker and MS Paint

Insecure Moment or Moment of Clairvoyance?

2011-12-01T13:30:00.000-08:00

PROJECT SECRET FRIENDSHIP RENEWAL: Unveiled!

2011-11-23T19:33:00.000-08:00

I fell out with one of my oldest and closest friends a little more than a year ago, and to be quite honest, the experience crushed me.

We always got along amazingly well until the friendship took a toll for the worst, quite unexpectedly. It seemed conclusive that our long-lasting and otherwise easy-going friendship was officially at its end. It was a hurtful experience for us both, and even with a mediator trying to get us to overlook our differences, we just couldn’t see eye to eye.

Recently, our mutual best friend (also our mediator) got married, and we got in contact again. Judging from our conversations, I think that it might be possible to … MIGHT… to rekindle the friendship. I am just really, really scared of hurting her again or getting hurt and of her rejecting my genuine attempt to befriend her.

So because our words failed us the past, and because we are mutually not very appreciative of cheesiness (ok, I do but only when it comes to my boyfriend), I think I’ll take a gentle, non-threatening approach to attempt to befriend her.

I call this gentle, non-threatening approach

PROJECT SECRET FRIENDSHIP RENEWAL.

OK. It is not secret anymore. But it will be secret to her!

This project will have several stages, and I will require much courage to follow through with it, seeing that I am really scared of feeling rejected by her and feeling that she doesn’t care.

The first stage will be to send her a holiday craft in the mail. It will be fashioned in the likelihood of an illustration she drew with me at our friend’s bridal shower. Yes, she also draws dinosaurs. At grown-up events. Hers was a stegosaurus with feathers for plates. I hope she will like it and not throw it in the trash :(

Should I write something like this attached to the dino craft I made?

I guess we’ll see where all this goes. I think the pain is still there for us both, but I am ready to at least try again. I don’t know what or when or even if there will be a phase 2 of PROJECT SECRET FRIENDSHIP RENEWAL (what if I get hurt againnnn), but I know I have to be strong and just TRY. I honestly want to do things right and I want her to know that I am willing to let the past go.

Um. Yeah. That was kind of… personal. Guess all I can do is stay positive and keep trying!!!

Or should I just write this? I don't know!!!

Top secret mission which will make sense to no one but myself

2011-11-18T11:40:00.000-08:00

Hint: There will be one googly eye. There will be feathers. There will be sparky foam sheet. There will be Christmas. And there will be a surprise!

But...there may also be failure. The end.

This is the national "identity" parade

2011-11-17T11:42:00.000-08:00

I found some old class notes of mine, circa 2000-2001. I think these were from some humanities course, drawn during my racially-conscious-and-mad-about-it!!!! days.

"This is the national identity parade" is from an Asian Dub Foundation song called "The Real Great Britain." It basically criticizes multicultural societies for creating and perpetuating ethno-cultural stereotypes.

Dear Bummykins,

2011-11-11T04:24:00.000-08:00

How to make Rainbow Kirby Cupcakes

2011-10-29T08:57:00.000-07:00

How to make Rainbow Kirby Cupcakes

I recently saw this tutorial by Youtube user Fondasaurusrex on how to make rainbow cupcakes. Naturally, I wanted to put a video game theme to them, so I decided to make them Kirby cupcakes, because he’s so darn cute! Here’s how I made them. Enjoy!

What you’ll Need

- White cake mix and the ingredients listed on the package

- Food coloring

- Black icing

- Pink icing

- White icing

- 7 bowls or disposable cups

- 7 disposable spoons

- Cupcake tin

- Cupcake liners

- Piping bag (unless your icing comes with nibs)

Steps

1. Make the cake mix and set the oven according to package directions.

2. Ladle the mix equally into the 7 bowls.

3. Mix the food coloring into the bowls. Continue mixing colours until you get all the colors of the rainbow. I have purple, blue, green, yellow, orange, pink, and reddish pink.

A cautionary note: my cupcake tins were too small for the amount of colours I made. I ended up splitting my cupcakes into two: one batch had purple, blue, green and pink, the other had yellow, orange and pink. I'd recommend using a large cupcake tin if you want all the colors.

4. Line your baking tin with the liners and start layering the colored batter. Start with purple. Continue adding the colors one by one until you read the top (reddish pink).

5. Place the cupcakes in the oven for the directed amount of time. When they’re done, let them cool completely.

6. Since most of mine came out cracked, I decided to ice the top to smooth them out before I added the Kirby faces. To do this, take some white frosting and add a little red food coloring. Then, frost over top of the cupcakes.

7. Decorate the faces with the black and pink icing

8. Give them to your friends and enjoy!

___ Face -->

2011-10-23T05:43:00.000-07:00

You get 10 points for finding the hidden messages.

Co-drawn with boyfriend at a co-ed bridal shower.

Existential Dilemma

2011-10-18T19:06:00.000-07:00

Yes. I know I am misusing the term "Existential" and the philosophy that goes behind it. I am currently ill and I don't care. So there!

Looking for your input!

2011-10-05T19:24:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Google and word-of-mouth, it seems that this little blog is regularly getting hits, despite its lack of recent posts. Part of me wonders why...but most of me wants to keep going!

I decided to put up a survey so I can see what is most interesting to you, my illustrious audience, so that I may better serve you.

Please take a few seconds to fill it out!

Here it is:

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world's leading questionnaire tool.

Thanks a bunch!

Look who's back from summer vacation!

2011-08-24T21:32:00.000-07:00

After a nice long summer of rediscovering the magic of Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), my boyfriend and I decided to try to learn and acapella "Da Mystery of Chessboxin.'" Though we've probably listened to the track 50 times in the last month (and countless times in our youth), we still can't get the lyrics straight. I like to imagine that he'll get over his stage fright and actually rap this song with me one day at hip hop karaoke.

So, here I go with my ghetto drawing memorization technique. This will definitely help us get through our upcoming road trip to Toronto!

So the first few lines are easy enough. They're:

RAW, I'mma give it to ya,
With no trivia,
Raw like cocaine straight from Bolivia.
My hip hop will rock and shock the nation
Like the Emancipation Proclamation.

And this is where it gets tricky for us, hence the DRAWINGS! Enjoy if any of you are reading this!

More to come soon-ish, as it's bedtime for Sharmycakes! zzzzzzz

How to make a Rice Krispies Raving Rabbid

2011-06-14T07:31:00.000-07:00

Mon received this cool Raving Rabbids mold about a year ago, and we only got around to using it now. Doesn’t the final product look great? Many thanks to Mon and Nakubu for making these sugary treats!

Rayman's Raving Rabbid Rice Krispies Dessert

Nakubu, Mon and I wanted to originally make these the day of the 1upcakes, but ran out of time. They went ahead and made them without me (cry) but kept the pictures for me to share! Here’s the how-to!

You will need:

Recognize the picture? It’s from the 1upcakes tutorial. We were a bit too ambitious that day.

- Rice Krispies Cereal

- Marshmallows

- Butter

- White Icing

- Pink Icing

- Red Icing

- Black icing

- Raving Rabbids silicone mold

Steps:

1. Make the Rice Krispies Squares by following the direction on the cereal box.

2. Quickly fill the mold with the warm Rice Krispy mix.

3. Freeze or cool the mold in the freezer/fridge (this was done 3 separate times for the 3 rabbids).

4. Remove the Rabbids from the fridge and place on a flat surface for decorating.

Video game inspired food is always tasty =)

5. Spread white icing over the Rice Krispies Rabbids.

+1 icing skills for Nakubu. And yes, "yummy" is intentionally misspelled for dramatic effect.

I call this pre-decorated one "Melty Face"

6. Decorate with the red, black, and pink according to the desired Rabbid look.

Don't forget to scream "DAAAAAH!!!" before you eat them!

The End!

How to make a Jigglypuff Bento

2011-06-07T07:47:00.000-07:00

I recently got a request to make a Jigglypuff bento (thanks, Heather, for the great idea!). Here’s my second bento, made with the leftovers from my Kirby bento.

For Heather: a Jigglypuff bento!

The concept of the bento was inspired by the video game Super Smash Bros. I also riffed on the themes of “before and after” the honeymoon phase of a relationship, or it can represent the thin line between love and hate, or loosely on the theme of “friendly competition.” Something’s telling me that you’re probably thinking that I’m getting too “English Literature Teacher-ish” and that I should end my paragraph right about…now.

If you’d like to know how I made this or if you’d like to replicate it, here’s the tutorial!

What you'll need:

- A bento box (or Tupperware-type container)

- Scissors

- Cookie cutters

- Toothpicks

- Nori

- Cheese (I used 2 kinds: white cheddar and American)

- Lettuce

- Ham (I also used salami inside the sandwich for variety)

- Mayonnaise

- Hot sauce (or ketchup)

- Mustard

How to make Jigglypuff:

Jigglypuff and Kirby are basically circular ham and cheese sandwiches. I placed ham over top and stylized it to look like the desired characters. The Jigglypuff is my design, and the Kirby is Anna the Red’s creation (for Kirby, follow this link, or go to Anna the Red’s blog). Here's how to make Jigglypuff.

1. Cut pieces of nori into the desired shapes.

2. Use a circular cookie-cutter to cut pieces of toast. I used 2 large pieces of toast to make 4 slices (which makes 2 Jigglypuff/Kirbys).

3. Cut 2 slices of cheese with the circular cutter. This goes in the sandwich.

4. Use a smaller circle cutter (or the top of a heart-shaped cutter, as I did since I don't have a smaller circular cutter) to cut Jigglypuff's arms.

5. Cut several slices of ham with the circular cutter (depending on how much ham you like). Cut Jigglypuff’s arms and ears (and Kirby’s arms) as well.

6. Spread mayo and mustard onto the slices of bread.

7. Add the cheese and ham. Save the top slices of ham for Jigglypuff and Kirby’s face/body (you’ll need 4 for each mini sandwich).

8. Place the remaining slices of ham on top of the sandwich.

9. Slide Jigglypuff's ham "limbs" in the desired locations. Use cheese for Jigglypuff’s legs.

10. Cut circular pieces of cheese for the whites of Jigglypuff’s eyes and place accordingly.

11. Cut lettuce for the eyeballs (heart-shaped for the “love” look, and circular for the “angry” look).

Kirby is pretty much the same thing. The only differences are that I applied mayo with a toothpick to make the twinkle in his eyes, and several dabs of hot sauce on the ham to make his rosy cheeks.

Final product: WIN!

Ta-da!

Bento Supplies: A Starter's Guide

2011-05-24T18:02:00.000-07:00

I'm a huge fan of Anna the Red's blog. I found her blog to be quite inspiring and have spent the past few months accumulating knowledge and tools. Thanks, Anna, for giving me a shoutout on your blog, Twitter and Facebook! =)

I've been getting some questions about how to get started. Here are some of my bento goodies and a list of places where you can buy them!

This is my bento box. I got it for 2.00$ from Ebay (minus shipping). It's awesome because it's got chop sticks and Western cutlery. And of course it's awesome because it's Hello Kitty (I feel my readership going down now). Yeah, that's right, I like Hello Kitty! Alternately, you can use any air-tight food container that you have on hand. <3

I got this for $2.00!

Now, here are some common bento supplies:

These are my bento supplies. I have yet to use most of them! Stay tuned for updates :)

Here are some of my items and their uses

1. Bento box ($2.00, Ebay). Used to carry and store food.

2. Brontosaurus sandwich cutter ($1.00, Dollarama). Used to cut sandwiches in funky shapes.

3. Heart sandwich cutter ($1.00, Dollarama). Used to cut sandwiches in funky shapes.

4. Silicone chocolate moulds ($5.00, some specialty cooking store), and cupcake moulds. Used to hold thick sauces or little foods.

5. Egg moulds ($7.00 for the two, Ebay). Shapes hard-boiled eggs into these cute characters!

4. Metal cookie cutters ($1.00 for a pack of 6, Foret Dollar; $1.50 for the round at Stark & Whyte). Used to make pretty food.

5. Panda bear food picks ($1.00, Ebay). Used to make the bento look cuter or to string together small foods (such as olives or edamame beans).

Click this link to see the tutorial of my first kyraben (character) bento. My next project will be posted as well, so stay tuned!

How to make a Kirby / Nintendo Themed Lunch

2011-05-23T19:33:00.000-07:00

Here's my very first bento. It took months of accumulation of items and study of Anna The Red's awesome blog to get me to do this. Here's how to do it if you want to get started!

Sharmycakes' Kirby/Nintendo-Themed Bento!
Thanks Anna The Red, for your awesome tips!

What you'll need:

- A bento box (or Tupperware-type container)

- Scissors

- Cookie cutters

- Toothpicks

- Nori

- Cheese

- Lettuce

- Broccoli

- Carrots

- Sweet Potato

- Ham

- Salami (or other red-coloured deli meat)

- Mayonnaise

- Hot sauce (or ketchup)

- Mustard

This is my sketch and some of the cookie cutters I used

The tutorial is broken down into each character/component:

Mario Star:

1. Cut cheese with a star-shaped cookie cutter.

2. Cut nori (dry sheet seaweed) eyes and place in desired location.

Mario Mushrooms:

Yummy!

1. Cut cheese with a mushroom-shaped cookie cutter (really, who thinks to make that?).

2. Use the top part of the mushroom-shaped cookie cutter to cut a slice of red deli meat (for the red mushroom) and a slice of lettuce (for the green mushroom). It may help to cook or nuke the lettuce before cutting to make it more manageable. Place on top of the cheese.

3. Cut small pieces of cheese and place accordingly. Alternately, you can use a hole puncher and punch holes from the meat and lettuce. I cut the cheese with a knife and then discovered that a pizza cutter sped up the process.

4. Cut nori for the eyes and place in the desired location.

Kirby:

The flying Kirby is in the sky (sweet potato star and moon) and standing Kirby's on the ground (broccoli trees)

Kirby is basically a circular ham and cheese sandwich with an extra slice of ham over top (with a cute Kirby design). This is Anna the Red's design, but I had to alter a few things because I had different tools. Here's how to make it.

1. Use a circular cookie-cutter to cut pieces of toast. I used 2 large pieces of toast to make 4 slices (which makes 2 Kirbys).

2. Cut 2 slices of cheese with the circular cutter. This goes in the sandwich.

3. Use a smaller circle cutter (or the top of a heart-shaped cutter, as I did since I don't have a smaller circular cutter) to cut Kirby's arms and legs. You'll need a total of 8 Kirby "limbs."

4. Cut 4 or more slices of ham with the circular cutter (depending on how much ham you like)

5. Spread mayo and mustard onto the slices of bread

6. Add the cheese and ham. Save 2 slices of ham for Kirby's face/body.

7. Place the remaining slices of ham on top of the sandwich

8. Slide Kirby's ham "limbs" in the desired locations

9. Cut nori eyes and mouths

10. Place some mayo onto a toothpick to draw on the whites of Kirby's eyes

11. Place some hot sauce (or ketchup) onto a toothpick to draw on Kirby's rosy cheeks

Here's another shot of my first bento and the feelings I got after making it!

So excited to eat this tomorrow!

The End!

Hip Hop Karaoke Video

2011-05-20T07:37:00.000-07:00

I actually look like I kinda know what I'm doing, thanks to Oopey's awesome photography!

I've been getting some requests to see the video. It's sure to give you guys a few good laughs. Here it is (thanks Mon and Nakubu, for setting it up. What a nice surprise)!

For more pics and videos (there were some really awesome and fun performances), check out HHK's website or find them on Facebook for the freshest info!

Also, props to Oopey Mason for the pics! Here are some more of his pics from the show. Be sure to check them out on the HHK Facebook page!

"Ready or Not" Translation

2011-05-15T13:29:00.000-07:00

After having memorized and performed the entire song, Mon, Nakubu and I still didn't have much of an understanding of what the song means. Fail, especially since I've been listening to this song since the album first came out in the 90s.

Luckily, the interwebs found me my answer in the form of an articulate woman on Youtube, who goes by the name of MISSRuby. What I found most interesting about her translation is that she illuminated a lot of historical and pop cultural references that went over my head, while I was able to make sense of the few lines she couldn't decipher.

Listen to her breakdown of the lyrics here (Go to 0:56 to skip her intro):

Unfortunately, she also got stumped with the "Toss me high - only puff la" lyrics I mentioned in my previous post. The mystery remains unsolved!

Mon's 1upcake Cupcakes Tutorial

2011-05-14T07:30:00.000-07:00

Featuring Mon, Sharmycakes, and Nakubu

The 1upcake (pronounced one-UP-cake) is a cupcake fashioned to look like a Mario brothers 1up mushroom. Iconic in its vibrant green coloration and its power to grant the player an extra life, the 1up mushroom is perhaps the most coveted of all mushrooms. Here’s a recipe to make your cupcake, or 1upcake, the most coveted of all baked goods.

YOU WILL NEED

The X-ed out ingredients are for a future project...

Cupcake mix (read box for required ingredients and baking tools)

White frosting

Green icing

White icing

Black icing

Icing tube nibs

Cupcake tin

Cupcake baking cups

STEPS

Prepare the cupcakes according to the package instructions

Before the apron

After the apron

Let the cupcakes cool fully
Once they are completely cool, apply frosting as smooth and flat as possible

Make sure they're cold or the icing will melt!

Place the frosted cupcakes in the freezer for 15 minutes
Once the cupcakes are cold, take them out of the freezer and prepare your icing tubes with the appropriate nib

Mon = Awesome

Fill in the green section of the 1up first

Fill in the white second
Outline the black third

Close-up of Mon's 1upcake

Continue until you can no longer feel your fingers

The ghetto ones are mine.

Eat until you reach 1up status

OM NOM NOM

The End!

Wyclef's Part Memorized!

2011-05-07T08:20:00.000-07:00

Last night I had dreams. Strange ones. All in the image of my drawings from yesterday.

They looked something like this:

I also woke up to the realization that somehow, overnight, or perhaps because of my experimental illustration memorization technique, I had MEMORIZED WYCLEF'S RAP! GREAT SUCCESS!

Now, I have the immense challenge of figuring out a way to teach my students this technique -- without coming off as a complete weirdo.

Memorizing The Lyrics to "Ready of Not"

2011-05-06T16:25:00.000-07:00

I'm going to be rapping "Ready or Not" ON STAGE in about a week. I desperately need to memorize all the lyrics. This task is particularly difficult for me, since I've often forgotten the lyrics to MY OWN songs and performance poems.

The trouble is I can't bring a cheat sheet up on stage, and if I forget the lyrics, I'll not only be embarrassed, but I'll get booted off stage!

Having the responsibility of teaching my students effective memorization methods, I'm well aware of the techniques available. However, none of them seem to work for me. Therefore, I have devised a new method of memorization, albeit experimental.

The technique is relatively simple. I will rewrite AND illustrate my understanding of the lyrics. Luckily, I already know Lauren Hill's part. However, Wyclef's verses mess me up, so I'm going to start with WYCLEF:

(I know a few lines here by heart:)

If I ruled the world, everyone would have gun
In the ghetto of course, we giddy-upping on the horses,

(and back to the part I don't yet know)

(And YAY, I know the rest until Praz's verse!)

Stay tuned for Praz's part... to be posted once I effectively memorize these pictures!

******
Update: May 15, 2011

Having listened to the song dozens of times since this post, I internalized Praz's part. Perhaps it's because his part is relatively uncomplicated, save for one line that I have yet to decipher. It sounds like "Toss me high - only puff la." Please let me know what this means, if anyone out there knows it. Kthxbai.

Living with Parents: Part 2

2011-05-05T15:20:00.000-07:00

The Pros and Cons of Living with your Parents
Part 2

Pro: Free rent

Con: Having to follow the same rules you had in high school

Living with Parents: Part 1

2011-05-03T09:47:00.000-07:00

The Pros and Cons of Living with your Parents

Despite what most people might think, living at home when you're nearly thirty certainly has its benefits.

Sometimes, however, the very same situation that is a "pro" can quickly transform into a "con."

The following is part 1 of a series I'm calling "The Pros and Cons of Living with your Parents."

Pro: Free Food

Con: Being Forced to Eat Gross Vegetables

*Bitter melon, or bitter gourd, is a vegetable grown in Asia, Africa and the Caribbean.

It also grows like weeds in my backyard.

Bitter melon tastes EXACTLY as it sounds.

It is bitterness personified.

Eating it is like bitterness b*tch-slapped you in the face.

Leaving Work Late

2011-04-29T12:21:00.000-07:00

It takes me an incredible amount of energy to start working. Once I get that energy, however, it is takes an even more incredible amount of energy to STOP WORKING.

You may have experienced this before.

Your morning starts off pretty pathetically. You may have arrived to work late, and much to your displeasure, important persons notice. The coffee machine at work may be broken. You might just be a little distracted and pass the time chatting on the internet. You might hate your job and spend hours thinking about how you’ll survive the next minute.

You tell yourself not to worry because it’s only the morning. You have more than half of the workday to shape up and be productive.

But by the time you wake up from your procrastination-reverie, it’s already late afternoon. You realize only now that you have some sort of important deadline to meet.

It is at this point that the panic sets in, a panic that induces a very serious and powerful combination of motivation and productivity.

And so you set out to work with the determination of Mahatma Gandhi.

Time goes by, and by some miracle, you have somehow garnered the strength and discipline to ignore the gnawing emptiness in your stomach.

At this point, you have become the Mahatma.

Yes. You are hunger striking. Against laziness and procrastination.

You work some more. Your cell phone rings from some concerned friend or family member, but you ignore it. You must persevere! There is work to be done and you are brimming with energy to doggedly complete your task.

And then it sinks in. The boundless energy and productivity that was coursing through your veins disappears without a trace. The most compound form of lethargy settles into your body. You feel weak. You feel tired. You feel incredibly old and drained of vitality. Your stomach feels like it will implode or spontaneously combust.You wonder how you’ll carry yourself out of the office, let alone travel back to your home. And you don’t even want to think about what obstacles you’ll have to endure to procure your much-needed dinner.

Against all odds, you somehow manage to make it. You have somehow gotten home, eaten, and you are now in bed. As you lie in bed, you vow to never work so late again. That is, until the next morning, when you forget about this and do it all over again.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve spent too many evenings like this.
I’m a very visual person. And contrary to what I’ve said in this post, I am a very proactive person. That said, I’ve come up with an action plan to stop myself from entering this vicious circle of laziness-induced productivity that leaves me working late into the evening.

And here it is. The next time you find yourself in a manic productivity state and it’s late, it may be beneficial to engrave this into your memory. I hope it helps.

The End!

Introducing Punjabi Dude and the Royal Wedding

2011-04-29T06:43:00.000-07:00

This is Punjabi Dude.

Punjabi Dude is cool.

So cool that you secretly want to earn his respect.

However,

If you are infatuated with the marriage of William and Kate and you were not invited to the wedding or related to William or Kate, you have officially earned the disinterest of Punjabi Dude.

Shame.

Shame on you.