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Recently, I did a food photoshoot for Potter’s Cake… An online cake shop started by a friend of mine, selling tiramisu in pots.

It’s a pretty good little setup. Every Tirapot (as it is called), comes packaged like the one above. She throws in a packet of cocoa powder, with shaker, for you to sprinkle generously over your own portion. The tirapots are about the size of a pint of B&J ice cream, and I can share 2 or 3 with my family of small eaters.

The shoot was a sort of voluntary assignment for me. It was during the Christmas holidays and work was winding down. And I thought I could do a much better job with her pots than I’d seen her do on her own. Plus I was completely inspired by Chocolate Monster Mel.

This one above is one of my personal favourites. If you must know, I shot this with both natural sunlight and a small flash.

And the only shot showing what’s below the cream, erm, more cream. Am hoping to do another shoot of her tiramisu in a glass pot, so that the layers can actually be seen.

This shoot was a lot of fun. I spent an entire morning moving furniture, digging up nice place mats, ironing place mats, trying out different flash positions, different spoon positions, different backgrounds, making sure everything looks perfect, re-sprinkling the cocoa, even changing the placement of the wood surfaces so the grain is more interesting.

The very best thing though, had nothing to do with the shoot. It was the fact that I got to eat the tiramisu after I was done with the whole thing. If I’ve ever eaten a good tiramisu, this would be it. She never scrimps on her ingredients, using only the best kampung eggs, mascarpone cheese and amaretto liquor. Hence, each pot costs $8.70. And if you can resist eating it for 5 days, the tiramisu is at its best on its fifth day.

If you like tiramisu, then you must must try the ones at Potter’s Cake.

They’ve never disappointed me. =)

I shot this before I switched on my AF…

It’s so disconcerting just looking at it…cos i’m half expecting the camera to roll into focus so I can see who the guy is.

Like in a movie…

Last saturday was supposed to be one of those madcap days…

My plan was to drive down to Darz’s place, have lunch with his family, practice christmas carols and write out the chords for them in time for practice that evening, rush down to Borders to pick up a book for my niece’s christmas present, rush to church for hosting wearing my perfect plastic smile, attend service and try not to sleep, and after service conduct my very first caroling practice expecting God to be in the midst of it…

I didn’t get very far on my plans. In fact, it came to a crashing halt. Literally…

Sigh…

It happened just outside my estate. I’d only driven about 8mins before I got there. And it was totally my fault. Good thing the vehicle I hit was completely unscathed.

Yes, the picture was taken after the accident.

As soon as I crashed, I knew I wasn’t gonna be able to fulfill most, if not all, of my plans. And I didn’t.

I spent a really long time at the accident site, panicking, calling dad, calling mom, calling AA, getting pissed with AA, collecting the lorry driver’s info, taking photos, panicking more, hunting for the insurance policy document, calling NTUC, getting redirected back to annoying AA, being told I had to wait 2hrs for a tow truck, worrying about low batt in my phone, refusing to let the lorry driver leave until my mom arrived, reassuring mom when she arrived, and finally getting arrangements from mom’s old mechanic friend who has a workshop that deals with NTUC, to help tow our car.

There were other things to do, making official statements, getting lunch because it was after 3 and everyone was starving, and hunting for a doctor that opens on saturday afternoons to get my newly-acquired backache checked out.

By the time I settled everything, it was almost 6pm, and there was just enough time to get down to caroling practice. But I was completely unprepared and I felt awful. Yk prayed while we (or rather, he) drove down to church. He prayed that in spite of my lack of preparation, the practice would be effective because God would direct it.

He really did. God, I mean.

He directed my caroling session. I knew because that session was amazing. We were efficient and had everything fixed up in under 45mins, my singers were very hardworking and accommodating, singing their hearts out, and most of all, I knew God was among us. His presence was there among us as we prepared to minister to the party-goers.

On hindsight, I recalled a prayer I prayed the night before the accident. I told God that I had been planning my carol singing based on what I wanted to see and hear. And I didn’t want that anymore. I wanted His plans for the carol group.

I guess all He did was answer my prayer.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD.

“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Isaiah 55:8-9 (New International Version)

December 25. Birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. Christmas Day. Wenyinyin. Imaginary snow. Incessant rain. Fat ol’ man in a red coat. Sleighbells. Carols. Gifts shopping. Parties. Weird recycle-able exchange presents. Logcakes. Roasted turkey & cranberry sauce. Fake fir trees with black ornaments. Church presentations. Christmas Service. Many many many church/christmas activities.

What does Christmas remind you of?

*********

Exactly 30 days to Christmas…And yet it seems like Christmas has already arrived.

• Toastbox and Banquet are already blasting christmas tunes.
• My obiang office building has put up the sad solitary tree, with the exact same decorations as last year’s. They probably just store it standing up.
• I’ve bought at least 4 presents for the family and close friends already.
• & Starbucks has started selling their Christmas blend.

Lately, I’ve been having breakfast with Darz at Starbucks before work. It gets me to work on time, and it forces him to wake up early to go to school. We’d get our freshly brewed Christmas blend and caramel macadamia nut muffin (Both come in gold foil packaging for christmas), and sit down to eat and chat. It’s the best way to start my morning.

Don’t ask me why a half-zonked, tall, tubby, and sloppily dressed boyfriend makes good company. Maybe it’s cos he hugs like a giant teddy bear.

It’s the moments between breakfast… when i stop to take in the christmas decor, christmas music, christmas merchandise, and hear my zoned out boyfriend telling me to hurry up and cut open the muffin so he can eat it with his coffee… that i think that Christmas has arrived.

And it’s nice…

My most highly recommended CD of the year…

Jars of Clay - Greatest Hits

I know Jars of Clay is an old band. I know most of these songs aren’t new. And, I know you’re only getting 14 songs for the price of the CD. This is just a compilation of some (not all) of their best songs. A great little pick-me-up album to rediscover the magic of Jars of Clay.

Track Listing:

1. Flood
2. Love Song for a Savior
3. Like a Child
4. Worlds Apart
5. Crazy Times
6. Frail
7. Unforgetful You
8. I Need You
9. Show You Love
10. Amazing Grace
11. God Will Lift Up Your Head
12. Dead Man (Carry Me)
13. Work
14. Love Is the Protest

It has the classic “Flood”, and the pop cult favourites “Love Song for a Saviour” and “I Need You”. Some of my new favourites include “Worlds Apart”, “Crazy Times”, “Frail”, and “Show You Love”. “Love is the Protest” is the only new song in the album, and it’s a great rocking song.

You’re probably wondering why I picked this band out of all the popular worship bands (read: Hillsong), and how it saved my soul.

[For the people who are gonna fault me for blaspheming my christian faith saying "Christ saved your soul! Not some band!!" Yes, I know that... I'm using the phrase as a figure of speech.]

At about the time I found this album, I was getting fatigued by the razzle dazzle worship songs of said popular worship bands. The worship experience was always great, all that jumping around, cheering, getting a high. But I felt dry. Empty. Lonely. I didn’t feel like the high flying, holy-moley christian that these bands portrayed and celebrated. And yet, I wasn’t going to throw in the towel. I just needed something else.

So I started looking for other bands. Bands that I felt would sing about secular things, or real things. Bands that struggled in their faith, the way I struggled in my faith. Bands that still chose to sing about God’s greatness, trust in His Faithfulness even when they could not see Him, hear Him, or feel Him. Bands that knew their God.

And I found this album.

“Worlds Apart” was the answer I was looking for. Jars of Clay was the struggling band, straddling both the mainstream music scene, and the christian music scene. The frontman himself admitted his own weaknesses and struggles in their website. And I found music I could finally identify with.

It wasn’t just their forthcoming and honest lyrics that I liked. Jars of Clay were famous among my non-christian musician friends for their beautiful acoustic guitar riffs. I remember atheist friends passing along chords for Jars of Clay songs and trying to teach them to me. With this album, I finally realized why they were so intrigued.

So yes, if you’re interested in trying something out of the usual Hillsong fare, get this album.

Or you can come borrow this from me. Whichever.

I discovered a cool new type of metal… Gun metal

And yes, it comes in the form of a cool watch too.

My dear SL was in a state of after-midnight delirium when she asked me this qn.

I love being asked something like this because I know I’d annoy a horde of people with my reply. Simply because that horde of people would do and think in the conventional manner. And I refuse to be anything like them.

My romance is NOT found…

• In a fancy piece of jewellery, because it doesn’t take the creativity of a gnat to buy one.
• In a fancy restaurant candle lit dinner, because there is no effort required except to sign the check.
• In a trip to a popular romantic destination, because EVERYONE’S been there before.

… and some other nonsense things that I don’t care for but a lot of people probably do.

Romance should be about unique experiences between two unique individuals. Doing things because the couple enjoys doing them. Not doing things because they are romantic things to do. Or because the character in the movie did it and it looked romantic.

Romance for the sake of romance is no romance at all.

So what is my romance?

My romance is…

• Going to pick up stuff from a friend’s place and taking a long detour, through Henderson Waves at night, to get there.
• Watching Hamilton blow a tyre and Massa’s engine die at the 3rd last lap, and arguing about which is dumber.
• Bringing my niece out with the family and hearing her call him “shu shu” for the first time in her life.

Do they do that in movies? No…

Would most people think it’s romantic? No…

Do I care? No.

*drool*

I’ve loved the Mont Blanc diamond ever since it came into existence. Not because I’m a Mont Blanc fan (which i’m not), nor because it’s expensive (which it is), but because someone somewhere ingeniously managed to cut a diamond into the shape of the Mont Blanc flower. It’s terribly clever.

It’s a pity though. Mont Blanc has never come up with a line of jewellery, featuring this diamond, that I’ve actually liked. The diamond always looks like an after-thought, either too tiny, or sticking out like a sore thumb. Nothing that makes me go, “Ooo, I gotta have that!”

So for now, I’m just gonna admire this flower shaped diamond by itself. And call it a “ya ya”, the way my niece says “flower”.