PRETTY DARN PRETTY...

it's been a while since i've posted anything on my baking projects.  

to be honest, i haven't baked much as year-ends are always hectic and true enough, it was mad this year with the festivities as well as my handing over of work at the office. i'll get around to updating more on sweet stuff but for now, here's a cake i'd like to share...

i seldom take orders for whole cakes as my icing skills are no where near perfect...but my mum insisted i made a cake for her good friend and so i could not say no.  with the d.i.y. banner as a contributing factor to its prettiness, am happy to say that this cake turned our pretty darn pretty...!

DREAM A LITTLE DREAM...

as i count the days towards the end of an era (well, my days in full time employment to be precise), i find myself looking fwd to the simplest in things like taking ilaika to ballet classes, baking in the day, reading a book and cooking family dinners...(god knows it's been ages since i did the last two!)

for someone who has had her whole life planned out every step of the way, this is an odd and unfamiliar territory and a lil daunting too, these emotions i'm experiencing...and yet i welcome them with open arms. for the first time in my life, i have nothing concrete planned for the near future. the only plan that's certain is the impending last day at work. beyond that, only time will tell...

the world is my oyster i suppose. am looking forward to doing nothing and everything ;) there's so much that i'd like to do and there's no better time than now. 

perhaps tho, in the first month of unemployment, i might just indulge in being a taitai...!

for those close to me, they know only too well that i've been dreaming of this little dream for a long long time, years even! hence it was fitting that zain gave me this lovely tiffany notes pendant for my birthday...yes, it's my birthday ;)

dream a little dream? yes, perhaps it is time to live MY little dream...

YAY ME...

i came across a facebook app that puts together a person's status updates for the past year and summarises them in a word cloud. here's mine...

no surprises that ilaika came up a lot in most of my updates. monday morning blues and work had more than their fair share too.

well, i have a good feeling that those dreaded work blues will stay behind in 2010 and not tag along to haunt me in 2011....because...yes, i have good news! i finally did it -  i finally turned in that letter i drafted years ago...

yes peeps, i finally resigned! and what's next, i hear you ask? well, that's another story altogether ;)

for now, all i can say is - yay me!

OUR WISH FOR YOU...

did you know...?

(click here or the para below for the original webpage)

" Origami was invented in China around 100AD. The word origami simply means "paper folding". Japan was in the habit of adopting interesting parts of the Chinese culture, and took on the craft of origami around 600AD. It is Japanese origami which has become a world famous cultural emblem. 

As in many societies, paper was a luxury item, created by hand and used only for important, long lasting purposes. When origami was first brought to Japan, only the rich practiced the art of folding paper into shapes. The shape creation was a way of adding special meaning to what the paper held on it or in it.

For love notes, origami was doubly special. First, the origami shape itself could represent a message. The selection of color and shape help conveyed the true emotions of the writer. Second, origami is an intricate art. If the love note was intercepted, it would be unlikely that the reader could perfectly refold the shape. So the origami love note was very secure - it could not be read by the wrong person without the recipient knowing it.

From its inception, origami has held an honored place in ceremonies that were of great importance. Origami was used at births, weddings, and funerals to help commemorate the occasion in a unique, hand-crafted manner. The origami figures would be treasured by participants for years afterwards. "

(click here or the para below for the original webpage)

" One of the first books published on Origami was "How to Fold 1,000 Cranes", released in the late 1700s. It is no coincidence that the crane was chosen as the subject for the book. For thousands of years the Japanese culture has treasured the crane as a symbol of honor and loyalty. The crane symbol is used on many Japanese heraldic devices and is a theme in many famous works of art.

The crane is a majestic bird which mates for life and is extremely loyal to its partner. The bird is strong, graceful and beautiful. Because of the great importance of the crane, the Japanese people feel that a person who folds 1,000 cranes will be granted his or her greatest wish. "

as a child, i loved origami...i can't quite recall if it was the pretty paper that our japanese friends used or just the art itself that attracted me. whatever the reason, i fondly recall my mum folding lil bits of paper followed by my excitement in discovering the figure that unfolded...or folded, so to speak! i also recall asking her to unfold the paper just so i could try and fold it back into the figure she had folded just moments earlier.

a few weeks ago, i chanced upon an origami set at a local bookstore. it reminded me of my childhood days and so i bought a set for ilaika, thinking that i could introduce the art to her, just as my mum did for me. 

and she loved it!

the crane was and still is my favourite. so it was no surprise that the crane was also the first piece i chose to fold for ilaika.

we didn't fold a thousand cranes but hey, we don't ask for very much ;) our dreams are of love and happiness (and perhaps in ilaika's case, a year's supply of froyo!) 

we hope these two will be enough to grant us our little but meaningful dreams and wishes for this coming year and we wish the same for you...