Since I've been gone...

..not for the first time. Please pardon my long absence. Activities just got more and I just simply didn't have the time, energy and mood for taking and editing photos, much less updating the blog.

I very much wish I had the time and enthusiasm I once had in updating this blog. Don't get me wrong! It doesn't mean I'm gonna lock this blog away in the safe forever but the updates will just come at a much slower rate. As the lack of time has affected my blog updates, so has it affected my baking schedule. Much as I wish to be baking away like a mad woman and updating this blog with tons of pictures and recipes, that's gotta wait.

On a happier note, let me catch up on what I've missed for the period of time I've been gone..

First of all, a big thank you to everyone who came to NUS to support Sweet Couture. My siblings, D and I had a fantastic time selling our goodies to you people and we hope you enjoyed eating them as much as we enjoyed selling them =D Of everything I made, I loved the macaron the most. Experimenting with earl grey and chocolate macarons was somehow quite a breakthrough for me. And, I'm glad it worked out perfect.

Being a chocoholic myself, I couldn't resist putting The Chocoholic cupcake on the menu and it was just as well-received. Needless to say, the cookies were the first ones to be sold out and it was nice knowing that people actually came back the following day to buy MORE! =)

While I thought I needed a break from baking madness, I cam across pictures of cupcake bouquets by chance. They looked SO captivating and I told myself I HAD to make one. Wouldn't it a perfect gift for mother's day? How sweet isn't it?

I caught the flower cupcake making bug that I decided to open a "class" for my friends and invited them over for a session of cupcake flower making!

Check out the variety of flowers we made during our baking session. I love making cupcake bouquets! They're simple to make and to top it up, simple to eat as well! No fuss over having to cut up the cake!! =p

If you havent got an idea what to get for your mother for this Mothers' Day, why make a cupcake bouquet and impress her with edible flowers?

I had meant to post these pictures up a long time back but I got lazy and tired and the pictures were just stored away in my laptop, waiting to be uploaded. Now that I am back from a really GREAT break/holiday, I thought to myself that I shouldn't procrastinate further.

At the boarding gates at the Singpore Budget Terminal. Just before we left for sunny Phuket!

D and I and a bunch of friends took the weekend off and had a really GRRREAT time in sunny Phuket! It was a nice break from work and all other things and now I'm pretty much recharged to be back baking and taking photos and uploading them, I hope. The fantastic shots my friend took with his DSLR captured really nice memories of the trip.

So, I shall let the photos do most of the talking.

Beach fun @ Patong Beach!

 

Street Food

What's visiting Phuket, Thailand without having a taste at their street food. Superb grilled chicken, with just the right doneness. YUMS!

 

Singha

Not forgetting a taste of their local produced, Singha Beer. I'm not a fan of alcohol nor do I even don't mind drinking. But Singha beer has sucessfully made it to my list of permitted alcohol beverages. =D

 

Preparing ourselves for snorkelling!

 

Lush Sea Anaemone

 

Sunset @ Bangla Street. One of the most happening streets in Phuket.

 

Fried rice.

 

Mixed Vegetables sauteed with garlic

The fried rice and mixed vegetables were something familiar, but the great company and a day of fun at the beach made the food seemed especially nice! =)

Clear tom yum soup.

Having tried Thai food in Singapore, I dare say that the Thai food standards in Singapore is as close as it could get as the authentic ones in Phuket.

 

The SUPERB fish

The fish was REALLY good. Nicely done with fantastic-tasting sauce. They even separate the meat out so that you don't even have to remove the bones! One of the advantages of having a friend who's a chef travelling with you is that he can ensure the freshness of the seafood. Especially so when you get to choose your own seafood in Phuket!

 

Fresh seafood

 

Beakfast @ Bodega

Museli @ Bodega

In case you were wondering, Bodega is the place we stayed in during our time in Phuket. An extremely affordable place with SUPER friendly staff. A very very nice place. Plus, it's close to the beach!

Eve of Songkran

To end of the wonderful trip, we managed to catch a glimpse of the Thai New Year, Songkran just before we left. And yes, we got drenched while walking along Bangla Street and went home in the plane with wet clothes!

If' you've persisted reading to the end of this post, I applaud you and thank you for reading this long long post. As with every blogger's wish, I hope to be back more regularly, posting more bakes and recipes!