Thursday, September 16, 2010

The Great Outdoors

We were blessed with lovely blue skies and cool weather more than half the time, though it was technically winter. Two things uncannily reminded me of Berkeley/California - being in the midst of so many Asians in angmoh country and the blue skies coupled with lovely/comfy weather. While doing the coastal walk at Bondi beach, we saw so many ppl doing afternoon jogs... at like 130pm in afternoon! That would be so nightmarish in hot humid Sg.

An inspiring bend at Manly beach.



The lovely waters at Bondi

We saw several types of cute flowers on the various walks/ trails we took... sleepy red and white flowers..
As well as butterfly-like orange ones!

Every cloud has a silver lining

We also went on a very beautiful walk when at the Blue Mountains.. The descent was pretty treacherous, but luckily for us, the walk was a circuit and the steps we had to climb towards the end weren't too bad lah.

Warm evening glow at the famous Three Sisters at the Blue Mountain (Do you see 3 somewhat distinct rocks towards the end of the cliff?) We were really lucky cos the light on the rocks lasted for like... 30 seconds.

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Sept 12th 2010 marks the inauguration of my oven... and the first thing I baked with this oven was... pumpkin cake from Trader Joe's (the bread/ muffin mix was a gift from someone, but has been tucked away in my cupboard, neglected)! Haha it's a little cheaty, but u know, it's good to start small and get to know one's oven better before embarking on more ambitious projects. The more serious type of baking aside, I've also always appreciated the convenience of instant cake mixes; and I remb they cost as little as US$1 when on offer. Just pop the cake mix in the oven and you get some decent warm cake for breakfast/ a snack in about half an hour.

My chio oven :P I need to get some polarising filter to get rid of all these reflections...

Pumpkin cake in the making...


Not too bad for a "first-time" baker lah hor :P Thanks to the good recipe and oven, both loaves turned out nicely cooked/ crusty and tasted sufficiently yummy... I think I really like the thrill of watching something wonderful/delicious appear out of a gooey mess :P