Australian Citizenship Pledge Day

Me and the Mayor of Albany, Mr. Dennis Wellington

I'm officially an Australian Citizen!  

Last Thursday, the 16th of this month, I was one among the group of Filipinos together with other nationalities who took part in a very memorable event where we made an oath...

"From this time forward, under God,

I pledge my loyalty to Australia and its people,

whose democratic beliefs I share,

whose rights and liberties I respect, and

whose laws I will uphold and obey."

Becoming an Australian citizen is a choice and I truly believe that this has to be one of the best choices I have made in my life. 

But whatever I have become, wherever I may be, regardless of this transition, I know I will always embrace and live up to the values I was brought up with.  

Outfit on Pledge Day - OOPD

As soon as I learned that I successfully passed the Citizenship test, my imagination started to wander on what to wear for the ceremony, already.  Don't give me that silly look.  I was just getting intoxicated seeing those ladies on INSTAGRAM showing off their beautifully put together clothes, shoes and accessories.  I envy them.  Envy often connotes evil desire, I might just use the word ADMIRE.  I admire them because they could afford to buy expensive brands.  I admire them because they have the creativity and style to mix and match pieces and still look good.  I admire them because they have barbie-like waistline and hair.  I admire them because they look so chic and fashionable.  I can go on and on saying every little things that I admire about them.  And I think it's a good way to inspire women, ladies and girls to feel good and be more confident about themselves, in one way or another.  

Just for a day, allow me to blog about what I was wearing on my Citizenship Pledge Ceremony.  

Dress: Temt , Necklace: Vintage shop,  Earrings: Guess,
Watch: DKNY, Bracelet: DKNY, Rings: Guess,
Shoes: Guess

The look I was aiming to achieve was more of a classic-vintage.  I opted to wear black because it always gives that "slim" illusion.  So when we went to Perth last month, I looked at every store in Harbour Town for the style I had pictured in my mind.  I wanted something that has lace details but black specifically, but couldn't find any.  Nearly gave up but when I spotted this dress hanging on the rack and thought it would be a perfect substitute for the style I was looking for.  The shoes came later as a bonus when I was doing some online shopping one night.  I already had a pair to wear but it was the lace design that caught my attention.  Didn't waste another minute to think, they were delivered at my doorsteps two days before the date of event.  Some of the accessories are part of my Guess jewelry collection.  The pearl necklace I bought from an antique shop ages ago for only $2.00.

Lipstick: Dior, Mascara: Revlon, Eyeliner: Estee Lauder
Blush: Maybelline, Eyeshadow pallette: Cover Girl

A friend of mine did my hair and make up for the day.  Believe it or not, she did all of it in not more than 30 minutes!  The end result was surprisingly good.  I love that it complements my overall look.  

Project: Barbie cake and cupcakes

I was recently given the privilege to do a cake and some cupcakes for one of our friend's daughter who turned seven on January first.  It's a common knowledge that Filipinos love celebrating birthdays, most especially kids birthdays.  But it still remains unclear to me why the 7th for the girls is always given as much importance as the 18th.  Could someone please explain that to me?  

Hazel, the mom, personally came to our house a few weeks back to discuss with me the kind of cake they would like.  Barbie was the chosen theme for the party so somehow I could already picture out in my head some bits of ideas.  A 3-tier cake with barbie sitting on top would be the main design, while pink being the primary color. 

Another 3-tier would then be added to my portfolio.  Praise the Lord!  

Monday, the 31st, while most of you were probably busy preparing for medya noche, I, in our own little kitchen, was working under pressure.  Had two cakes to decorate, cupcakes to bake and a myriad other tasks to do.  Sigh.  

Surprisingly, covering this cake went all smooth and easy.  Stacking didn't give me any trouble this time. 

I certainly had fun working on this project.  The combination of pink and white gave it a very feminine touch. 

And Barbie, isn't she the prettiest in her deep black hair?

As for the cupcakes, I had to waste one batch of red velvet cupcakes of about 18 pieces because for some reason they didn't rise properly.  It might have been caused by the warm weather that day or there could be any other.  But when I tried another batch lowering the oven temperature from 170 degrees Celsius to 150, somehow the cupcakes came out much better than I expected.  

Didn't get the chance to take some nice macro photos of these cupcakes.  I was too busy working all day trying to finish these projects and then cooking for our New Year's Eve party. 

Coming home at 1 o'clock in the morning, I still had to frost these cupcakes.  Went to bed at 3AM and started work at 8AM.  Such a great way to start a new year!

Cakes by Sheryl is all smiles for 2013

Fresh start of the year for Cakes by Sheryl as it welcomes 2013 with a broad smile, positive outlook and fervor to do its utmost.

Looking not too far back at the year that was, I can't help but feel overwhelmed at all the wonderful things that have come my way.  So many doors of opportunities have opened up for my craft to be known by far greater people than my usual Filipino community, which I am, and will always be, very grateful for.  This has likewise helped me gain just a little bit of confidence, in myself and in my talent.

First quarter of 2012 when Cakes by Sheryl was born.  Took me a long while considering the idea of generating my very own Facebook page.  Do I have what it takes?  Are my cakes even worth a spot in the social media platform?  Would it be able to keep up with the other pages out there? I assumed the answers were yes.  In no less than a week since launching it, I was able to get 50 likes.  90 people have clicked like, at present.  Believe it or not, I have never been so proud of my name than before.  I've always wished I had a different name growing up.  Now more than ever, I just want to embrace my name wholeheartedly for all the recognition it has given me.  I would never trade my name for any other names. 

This isn't an easy task, as you all know, and heaven knows how much effort, patience and hours are required for every single project to get done.  At times I feel like quitting.  But I know deep inside I can't just let my dream, my life, slip away.  I would often complain of physical pain and not having enough sleep but I will never get weary from doing what I love.  Whenever a new client come to me and tells me good words about my cakes, I could just melt in joy.  When I get a simple "thank you" from a pleased client, my hearts gets easily filled with glee.  One way or another, I find sense of achievement and peace of mind.

For 2013,

• Will "try" to learn new techniques in fondant 
• Will improve on handcrafted figures
• Will manage work load wisely
• Will "try" to learn cake decorating using piped icing
• Will try out new and exciting cakes and cupcakes recipes
• Will try as much as possible to be updated with my cake blog posts 
• Will try to be as organized as an OCD with my baking tools and utensils

There you go!  I hope and pray that my bucket list, as far as cake making is concerned, would all be ticked off by end of this year.  Crossing my fingers *wink*

I look forward to more constructive challenges that would help me bring out the best of my ability.  To make this happen, I trust the Lord that more people will continue to believe and appreciate the kind of work that I do.

May the new year bring forth abundance and goodness to us all. Happy new year!