Not really a rest day


Today was meant to be part of my two-days off from work, but apparently, I needed to work. I was asked to because one of the juniors had called in sick. And after about a couple of months of not doing Thursday close, it brought me a feeling of anticipation and thrill.
 
I know it seems weird when almost everyone at work despises it? I used to get all closes during my first and second trimester of working, but never did I whine or utter a word of complain. I had learned to be more enduring and flexible since I got here in Australia, I believe so. Being with a bunch of people with different perspectives and ideals has coherently transformed me into the person that I am now. And I mulled over that as an improvement on my character growth. I had drawn closer to embrace the new world that I chose to live in. I don’t live with so much expectation, that way I won’t bother feeling thwarted when things don’t quite go the way I expect them to be.

What we do at the store is pretty much repetitive and monotonous in general. It doesn’t entail much technical skill; as compared to my previous jobs back in the Philippines. Nonetheless, it didn’t make me less competent and productive in any way. I managed to carry out my duties and responsibilities beyond what they expect from me. 

So, what do I like about doing closes? Actually there is a myriad of reasons why I don’t seem to find it objectionable. For one, it gives me more time to sleep, without having to worry about waking up very early since 2nd shift normally starts at 10/11am on regular days and 2pm on Thursdays. Second, hubby gets to sleep more as much as he wants to. Just so you know, I haven’t gotten my driving license here yet and consequently, he has to drive me in. You had no idea how difficult it has always been for him to get complete hours of slumber. He barely has 6 hours of uninterrupted sleep due to his sinusitis. Third, it exempts me from any chances of getting sent home early on idle hours at the store, which they usually do particularly on dull weekdays. Fourth, it appears to drag time a bit more imperceptibly because it makes me feel occupied, full of activities. Fifth, it brings out my forte, my specialty – setting everything in an orderly, systematic, organized manner. I must admit I’m a bit of a perfectionist in some aspects. I always want to see things in perfect order and exactitude. It gives me a certain feeling of fulfillment and accomplishment which they providentially acknowledge.

But I haven’t been getting any close lately and somehow I miss it…

My 29th Birthday

Made two cakes today for two special occasions.  One for a lovely young girl who is also celebrating her birthday.  Her name is Diana Maranan, daughter of our friend couple Edna and Rodel.


Of course the other cake is for myself.  


I did not plan to have anything special on this day because we were supposed to have a joint celebration on Tuesday, since hubby's birthday is on the 7th of August.  We then decided to make it as one.


Bought this chocolate fondue from a garage sale few weeks back, but only had the chance to try it this afternoon.  I was so thrilled looking at the chocolate flowing endlessly then resembling an image of a clay pot.  Other times it would look scattered then I would just add more chocolate sauce in it.  Wish I could just leave it on for days so I can have a sip whenever I want to.






A drizzly Friday

Unlike every Fridays that I could barely recall, today is possibly one of those “extraordinary” days that I would not fail to remember even in the next couple of years.  I have been staying here in Albany for the last six months and since then I had never felt this freezing coldness that would awaken me before the crack of dawn.  I instantly checked my online weather indicator – an astonishingly 2° Celsius. Oh my, and it’s not even winter.  I got Goosebumps all over.  My hands and feet turned stone cold and I shiver uncontrollably.  I guess this is how people respond to extreme low temperatures when not in fact used to the cold.  

 
For the last 3 days, we have been experiencing torrential rains and strong winds brought about by severe storm and bad weather conditions.  From our window, I could hear the strong wind gusts and rowdy sound of the leaves and trees outside.  The dripping rainfalls on our window glass give me a melancholic mood.  There is something very bizarre about rain or when it rains.  There’s so much symbolism to it that you can relate to just about everything in life.  And right at this very moment, I feel a certain twinge of solitude.  I feel so alone, so far, far away from my comfort zone.  

This  photo I have attached was taken from our window view of the outside blustery weather.  The picturesque skies now hovered by gloomy clouds.  A depressing vision of what was usually a "Thank-God_it's Friday" day of the week.

My 2nd fondant cake




This is my second attempt in fondant making. It’s another birthday cake as a present for a bubby girl by the name of Charish. 

I decided to make some trendy modifications with the cake arrangement. I wanted to have a two-layered cake but in two different colors. So, I made butter flavored on the bottom then topped it off with chocolate flavored. Voila! It looked just as appetizing as those you probably buy at Goldilocks. 


However, I am quite discontented with the outcome of my finished product due to some reasons. First, the coloring was inefficient. I nearly stained my hands but still I wasn’t able to achieve the right hue I wanted to have. Second, I only got barely two hours to complete my cake since the party will start at 7 o’clock. You see it’s pretty difficult to concentrate on your craft when under time constraint more so for a starter like me. And managing the fondant takes a lot of patience and passion.


Apparently, I run out of ideas in my design plus the fact that I still haven’t got those cutter-with-shapes thing so I once again used my scrapbook cut outs. 


The birthday girl loved the cake same with everyone at the party. It’s probably the most rewarding remark I had ever received.

My first fondant cake

I am really ecstatic about this cake because this is actually my very first fondant cake, which I made for a friend's birthday.  And to top it off, this is my first blog entry here in blogspot.


I’ve always been fascinated with the art of fondant making and I definitely have a high regard for people who are blessed with ingenuity to explore such skill.


And this almost certainly, was what inspired me to give it a try. So the first thing I did is search for instructional videos of "fondant-how to" on YouTube, attentively acquiring the method itself and techniques. Next, I tried to look around the web for designs which will essentially serve as patterns/guides for my future projects.
The next day, I found myself making it with so much enthusiasm that it will turn out not perfect, but at least fair enough.


And so that was it... The cake was Very Moist Chocolate with Butter Cream Frosting and covered with Marshmallow Fondant Icing. I actually got the idea of the cake’s design from cakecentral.com but I failed to replicate every single detail. For some reason the food coloring I used was not very efficient. I had to add more drops to achieve the intensity of the color that I was expecting to have. Also, I made a mess with the bow of the ribbon. I shouldn’t have done it in the first place, for someone who is a novice in this field, making a bow is not really a very good idea. I used readymade writing icing for the inscription and I guess that was the only thing I didn’t mess around . The hearts design are meant to be cut out from the fondant icing sheet using something like a cookie cutter which I don’t actually have at the moment so I just used a heart-shaped guide from a scrapbook magazine (hmm thanks to my resourceful ideas). 

Over all it was a totally exciting, new learning experience. It was really enjoyable playing around with the fondant icing. I guess the key to making good outcome here is passion, knowing that this is what I wanted to do. It may not be the best but certainly it made me feel overjoyed.