a realisation

I’m going to take a break from posting photos from the recent holiday by sharing what I’ve read recently that confirms my decision to move ahead. As I’m preparing my folio for a job hunt and relocation, I look back at my years here and it’s been a dream come true to see lives changed from the work I’ve done. And now comes the time to see another dream come the pass because if not now then when?

I had a long conversation with my aunt during the Chinese New Year break a couple of weeks ago. She shared with me about her unhappy marriage and how life is short and really what you make of it. It seemed depressing at first, but as we were talking, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of hope and courage welling up inside of me. She mentioned many things about fulfilment and unmet desires. And it all boiled down to how there will be many things in life that can wear you down and make you doubt yourself but at the end of the day, you get to choose what you to see and become—and the sooner you realise this, the better.

And a realisation doesn’t just happen in the mind, but what you do with your hands.

“I can say this though, there was a moment, sometime in 2002 or 2003 when I was sitting by the sea, up on an island off the coast of New Hampshire when I realized I could make my life into anything I wanted, that I could choose my reality. That was when I put myself fully into this, that I decided to just go and see what happened, nothing else mattered.”
– Mikael Kennedy, interview by Brian Ferry

Photo was taken with an old SX-70 with a faulty roller. That’s the kitchen.

Beginning with the end

Last couple of weeks were one of the best yet. No better way to end and no better way to begin the year. For NYE, Ant and I took a trip down to Singapore to visit some friends. Our initial plan was to watch fireworks but some people had to fall ill and so we watched the fireworks via live telecast instead with bellies filled with barbecued chicken wings, steak and drinks.

So instead of pretty blurred photos of colourful explosions, here are a few photos of how we spent our time in Singapore. Mostly eating and lots of walking. And we made our customary visit to Loysel’s Toy, again.

I love the triangles and type chosen for the address on the building.

We also visited one of our favourites in Singapore, The Little Dröm Store. They share their space with Kki, a lovely cake shop where we had a chocolate-coffee filled dome and a strawberry champagne cake. Too pretty. We had lunch with Stanley and Antoinette later at Maison Ikkoku (yummy spam musubi with furikake—too hungry to photograph) in Kandahar St. We talked about sourcing refurbished pencil-legged mid-century furnitures and they shared about leaving their jobs, pursuing their dreams (dröm is Swedish for dream) and starting their own business. Some people you meet will drain you and then there are the others who breathe life into you. They’re with the others.

More photos are on Ant’s blog. Will be posting up more in a few days!

In the meantime, here’s a song that’s been a theme of late or rather, I’ve been listening to lately. Enjoy:
Home – Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros

Cognac chocolate truffles

I made this with my sister for a post-Christmas/birthday dinner we had with some friends so this is definitely a backdated post. Very last year. But am not particularly sorry as I’m glad that the holidays and travels caught up with me and I think I started the new year pretty well. More about that in the coming post(s). But for now, here are some cognac chocolate truffles for you.

Cognac Chocolate Truffles
Yields around 30 truffles

566g (2 bags) Ghiradelli 60% cocoa bittersweet chocolate baking chips
60g unsalted butter
¼ cup heavy cream/thickened cream
4 tbsp cognac
½ cup cocoa powder

1. Place chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl. Set aside. Heat the cream and butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring just to boil.
2. When the cream and butter mixture starts to bubble at the sides, immediately pour the boiling cream over the chocolate and allow to stand for a minute or two. Stir with a rubber spatula until smooth. (If the chocolate doesn’t melt completely, place in the microwave for about 20 seconds, or over a saucepan of simmering water, just until melted.)
3. Leave chocolate to cool. Test the readiness of the chocolate by dabbing some chocolate on your lips. When it’s nicely warm on your lips, add in the cognac. Add more if you like a stronger taste.*
4. Cover and place in the refrigerator for 2 hours or until mixture is firm enough to be molded by hand.
5. Pour cocoa powder into a mixing bowl. Using a melon baller, scoop out some chocolate and place it in your hand. Roll it into a round ball by hand and toss it into the cocoa powder to be coated. Remove and place aside. Continue with the same technique for the rest.

Note:

1. You can use any type of chocolate but I personally prefer dark chocolate and although 60% was rather mild for me, to my surprise it wasn’t too milky but was rather balanced by the alcohol.
2. You can use Grand Marnier instead of cognac too. Or not use any alcohol at all. Or add in some vanilla essence.
3. If you find that the chocolate balls are starting to melt in your hands as you’re rolling, put the chocolate back into the fridge for a few minutes and start again after. Otherwise, do what I do by making the truffles in an air-conditioned environment.

Recipe adapted from My Baking Addiction and Joy of Baking.

(Can’t believe how fast 12 days have passed this year!)

Happy and merry

Have a happy Christmas and a wonderful, hopeful 2012!