KitchenAid 'Review'  

Posted by: Audrey in

Okay, this won't be much of a review, seeing that I've been such a big fan of KitchenAid products for some time now, and I haven't been baking much too since I've gotten it (which is REALLY ironic, since the reason I got the KitchenAid was for baking. LOL!). It's been more than a month and sadly, I've only used it for maybe 3-4 times....*sigh*

Oh well...here's to hoping I get more free time (or I'll be able to make time more likely!) to bake more. *crosses fingers* Now, on to the review...I didn't take any photos of the real thing, since there are already such PRETTY photos of them everywhere. My cameras can't capture the glitter off the mixer, and usually when I take photos, it's already night time so lighting is really bad. But suffice to say that the real thing really does look like the photos =)

While it is shiny and pretty sitting on a tabletop, I have to say it's friggin' HEAVY! The machine weighs a few kg and gives quite a good 'workout' when I have to take it out to use  =P (Due to space constraints, I had no choice but to move the mixer around every time I need to bake...need bigger kitchen!) But since it is a powerful tool that's originally built for industrial use, I suppose the weight is justified because the performance is incredible! 

I've only used it for making test runs of sugar cookies so far (for my neighbor who ordered some for her baby shower), so I have yet to try it on other kinds of ingredients. Still, judging on how well it went for making the cookie dough, I would say it'll probably be the same result *grins* Usually what takes me more than a few minutes to cream the butter and sugar on my old mixer, now only requires 1-2 minutes on the KitchenAid. I LOVE the paddle attachment...so versatile and powerful! Can't wait to see how the whisk attachment fares...makes me want to make a lemon meringue pie JUST to beat the heck out of those egg whites. LOL!

Anyways, I love how it cuts the mixing time in half, and mixing is quite fun since I get to play around with it. Still need to get the hang out of using the huge mixing bowl, having to stop the machine and lift up the head in order to add other ingredients, and getting used to the different speeds. Will post more photos of the baking projects next time, but here are the photos of the sugar cookies I made =) 



Although these were supposed to be 'test run' cookies, I decorated them for a Halloween party that I attended last week. Really tested my patience as I realized decorating cookies can be SO tedious and a pain. LOL! I DID like the effect of the spider web though, but will need to improve on outlining and flooding the decorations as some overflowed and the colors bled into each other....ewww. But I got good reviews from the people who tasted it, so the cookie recipe (as well as the faux royal icing recipe) is a keeper! The undecorated cookies kept really well in an air-tight container, and actually tasted BETTER after a couple of days! Still, I'm not too sure if I want to do this too much. I've only decorated 20+ cookies this time around, and it got me frustrated already....LOL! Really admire the people who sell cookies for a living...the amount of decoration and work! OMG! Well, we'll see...this is only my first 'sale'. Let's see how it goes next *wink*

Itching to bake other stuff so I can fully see the extent of this gorgeous machine, but I needs time...LOL! Can't believe I'm saying this, but CAN THERE BE MORE THAN 24 HOURS IN A DAY? =P

~ Funnest Weekend Yet ~  

Posted by: Audrey in

Yup, last weekend was definitely one that I had the most fun at so far! Was fortunate enough to be able to get tickets to "The Secret Life of Nora", "In Perfect Harmony" as well as "Short + Sweet Dance: Week 2"....yes, 3 different shows in the span of two days! I went for "The Secret Life Of Nora" on Friday evening (had a blast!); and on Saturday, it was "In Perfect Harmony" for the matinee show, followed by "Short + Sweet" in the evening! All were lovely, great, amazing, breath-taking, confusing at times, and funny...yes, all in one go. *wink* Needless to say, I've enjoyed every single bit of it...good and bad alike! Reviews on the shows will be up on the other blog ASAP =) 

It's times like these that I feel, hey...at least there's something that I can enjoy and be happy about instead of just work, work, work, mope or be emo. These last few months of the year I've been hearing about quite a number of shows that I'm so interested to go to...let's hope that I will be able to afford it! *crosses fingers* As of now, plans to go to "Wicked" are steadily forming, and ALMOST complete! I just need to confirm some details and I'll be able to purchase my ticket! YAYY! DEFINITELY will post about it when I get back...don't want to to jinx it or anything, so hopefully everything goes well!

Workout time at the gym is slowly getting back on track I hope...I was told that my last job for data cleansing might be the last project for the year. While this means I won't be getting extra income for the rest of the year, it would also mean that I can finally concentrate on getting back in shape for at least the next 2-3 months before the late nights and missed workout times start again next year. HOPEFULLY by then, I would have gotten some results...fingers crossed! 

Oh yes, and another FUN thing that happened was that I got an offer to write Celeb News for the company that I had been previously writing reviews for! YAYY! Got an email from them on Friday, so 'twas a very nice start to the weekend *grins* I've missed writing reviews, and am glad they've decided to let me have another go at it when they have a review coming up...together with this Celeb News thing (which is supposed to be daily articles), it'll be awesome! I'll be getting my writing bug back....YAYY! 

Here's to more great news coming till the end of the year, and many more years to come...*grins* I heart days like these!

Perspective...  

Posted by: Audrey in

Whenever I see or hear the word "perspective", I'm always reminded of Anton Ego from "Ratatouille" and his way of saying it....super cool, ego-tistic and a bit sarcastic. Love it! Anyways, I was thinking of writing about something else, but this word kept popping in my head whenever I try to think of a title so I figured...why not? I'm kind of 'free-writing' at the moment, so forgive me if the grammar is a bit out of whack. LOL!

Let's see...perspective, perspective. There are always two different sides to the coin, different views on the matter, and as my Dad loves to quote, "We need to look at things from a helicopter view: where we see things from all perspectives / angles." And I guess there will always be people who will disagree with me on this little 'matter' (Hey, this DOES kinda tie in together...YAYY!)

I've always been kind of independent as a kid...even until now, whenever I can, I will just try and do things by myself first before going to ask someone for help. Google has definitely been my good friend since I was introduced to it in uni (LOL!) and most things I usually could 'solve' by taking some time and working it out on my own (albeit sometimes it'll be super slow, but hey I get it done. *grins*) So, I guess you could say I am comfortable being alone and all.

Just yesterday, I was chatting with a friend about our different hobbies. I told her about my fondness for musicals and my plans to go watch some of them in the near future...and the next thing she asked me was, "Who are you going with?" When I said that I usually go to these things alone, I got a shocked look followed by curiosity. "Why don't you ask other friends to go with you?" and other similar questions ensued...

Honestly, I don't know what's the big fuss about going for shows by myself...LOL! I've been to quite a few shows by myself, and have enjoyed them immensely. True, it would have been nice to have a friend to go with - especially during the waiting period before the show starts and everyone milling around the entrance are with their dates / groups and chatting, while you stand around awkwardly looking at the watch and willing for time to move faster - but during the show anyways, I wouldn't be chatting with my friend about the show and stuff like that. I'll be so engrossed it'll be like I went there alone! So yeah, there you have it...my loner confession. =P

My friend proceeded to say that she'll never really go unless there's someone that she can 'drag' along at least...apparently she feels 'safer' knowing that there is someone that is there with her. To me, that kinda sounds like a clingy person (though I never told her so) seeing that someone will only ever do something when there's someone else accompanying him / her. That would be so hindering when one wants to try new things! True, it will be terrifying at first coz you're venturing out on your own but after a while you'll get used to it...after all, haven't we been going about things on our own since we were kids? You know, our first days in school....all the way up to uni and even in our work. Don't we all start alone somewhere? After that initial first few days, things start getting into the 'normal' groove and we feel comfortable again. I've always thought about things like this, so it's always kinda fun to try something new and most of the time I don't mind going at it alone coz not many people share the same sentiments as me.

A good example would be travelling...I've always wanted to go backpacking across countries and see the world. Don't know when that will happen (probably not in the near future!), but when I can afford it, I don't think I will find someone that will want to go on the same trip with me. And honestly, whenever I go for trips especially with a large group of people...sometimes it can be pretty annoying having to tolerate everybody's whims and fancies. When in a group, I usually go with the flow, not wanting to create tension but most of the time the things that the majority likes, I'm not really in the mood for...which kinda sucks especially when we're in a pretty cool place and I want to go 'exploring' but the rest just wants to go to the tourist-y places. Hence, my preference to want to go alone so I can just up and go wherever and whenever I want to and not be stepping on anybody's toes. At the same time, I can go and enjoy the things that I am interested in and not having to wait or worse still, being rushed because the rest of the group has become bored (but I've just started -_-").

Yeah, I know...travelling alone has its cons too but most things in life have their pros and cons. I guess it's just a matter of whether we choose to go for it or not. Most of the time, I look at the pros and try it out...but at the same time, try to weigh out the cons as well and be aware of some consequences just in case. It's worked well for me so far, so I'm happy with it. Like the title says, it's about perspective. I may seem like a loner, but sometimes being alone isn't all that bad =) Yes, I have had times where I feel like crap and needed someone really close that I can talk to...but until I find that someone, I don't think I want to sit around and mope and miss out on some fun things in life. So, going at it alone is good enough for me =)