Kindness and a Pocket of Sunshine

January 03, 2017

Kindness and a Pocket of Sunshine

When i took Ethics and social responsibility under Professor Ahbijeet last semester, he ended the entire term with a sentence which i will remember for life: "if you have learnt nothing this semester from me, just remember that i want you to Be Kind, always." Of course i learnt more than that, for he was an excellent professor and teacher, but those two words- Be Kind- have always stuck in my mind since. He will be pleased to know i have made it one of my resolutions this year.

My blog entries will, as past experience have foretold, get fewer and fewer as the weeks pass as school gets a little more demanding. It is always rewarding when i do, because it gives me something to look back on with fondness when the years pass. All the emotional entries, the silly love poems, the random photos i take of food and friends. They bring back great memories. But i digress.

This post celebrates (some) of the people i love. My wonderful boyfriend- all i could have ever asked for and more. My friends and my hamster and my passions. Everyone has their own pocket of sunshine they reach for on gloomy days and i am so grateful for these:

I never was that attractive girl all the boys in class fell over for. I was nerdy, with pink braces and silver glasses, always had my head buried in a book (i still do, and i'm proud of it), short frizzy hair and white school shoes that were never stayed white for more than a week. I found my first love in university and he loves me for who i am, my compulsive reading habits, my unyielding love for salads and hamsters, for the mole i have on my right eyebrow which i loathe but have gotten strangely acquainted with, and for my still-frizzy hair that my hair dresser complains about. I love you Zhanteng, you may not be the perfect man (for i am certainly not the perfect girl) but i want to be able to hold your hand for as long as time itself.

Baking with Nicholas- our annual log cake tradition. The swirls are unashamedly made with toothpicks and the crunks of light brown are actually famous amos cookies that we broke with our fingers, just because we thought it'll make the cake look better. Nic is my best friend from Junior College and he made an otherwise somewhat disagreeable place so much better. Our first log cake looked aesthetically more attractive but Nic's dad gave this two thumbs up of approval and a surprised nod that it tasted so good. I can't wait to bake 2017's log- maybe we'll get a less rustic looking topper instead of broken macadamia cookies.

He's always doing old school things like this for me to show me how much he loves me- even while he's abroad in the land of night markets and seared beef cubes. My boyfriend is the sweetest(:

This really inspired me for some reason. I don't quite know why but it was after Raynie did a photoshoot for the both of us and we walked through the national gallery. The triangular chandeliers were so rigid amidst the backdrop of the sky where anything was but angular. Amateur artistic commentary perhaps, i don't think i should continue.

The other sculpture at the National Gallery that i found inspiring. The amount of hard work the artist went through to ensure the pots and pans and muffin tins formed a perfect sphere. A feminist comment about the hollowness of the lives of housewives perhaps? I'll stop (;

Balkis brought Cassie and I to Paul at Ocean Financial Centre. It was our first time there and the food is so good. This is Balkis's turkey ham crepe.

My choice of peppermint tea with a vegetarian burger. Portobello, zucchini and spicy mayonnaise are such a great combination.

Lovely au parisian backdrop featuring Balkis' coffee of sorts.

The ever cheery Cassie with her petite au liat coffee. Am i the only one who still doesn't take coffee?

Our little round table. Casmine's egg and ham sandwich was very well received for its great portion.

We are the bear bears(: Thank you for the very entertaining conversation about your vacation Balkis and Casmine's ever twinkly eyes.

So i decided to bake what i now call my last ever batch of cupcakes because my family and i do not like to eat sweet cakes topped with even sweeter cream. It's a pity though because it's what I'm best at baking (refer to past posts of the many cupcakes i've baked over the span of this blog). On to conquer the league of savoury recipes!