吹吹水：拍摄花絮

分享一下上星期为公司拍摄广告的其中一组花絮照片 ～ ^o^

平日那一张大笑姑婆的形象先暂时收回，先来一个和蔼可亲的笑容好了。

如果把背景换作一架 BOEING 777，那我们看起来会不会更像空姐呢？

这位阿姨想太多了！不要管她⋯⋯

咦，大家的笑容怎么开始变得有点不自在了？

拍了整两个小时⋯⋯

脸部开始出现僵硬的现象，可是还是要继续强颜欢笑着⋯⋯ 

终于撑不住了⋯⋯  

你看我那快中风的脸啊！

当天拍摄的过程其实真的很有趣，希望日后有机会跟大家分享成果。

今天就分享到这里好了，希望这组照片带给你欢笑 ～ 嘻！

祝你有个精彩的星期四、五、六和日吧！

Mini Walnut Egg Tarts 迷你核桃蛋挞

Hello my Poppy Seeds!

Last Saturday, I was zapped by a pang of guilt.
Of all sudden, I realised it has been at least a year or longer since I last bake something for my family!

Years ago, I remember having all the time in the world to spend on miscellany.
And baking used to be one of my favourite things to do.
Sometimes I baked for fun and experiment.
Other times I baked to cheer and surprise my family.
Occasionally I would bake just for the sake of killing time.
I just enjoyed baking although half the time they didn't turn out tasty =(

I wouldn't mind baking day and night if time allows.
Thanks goodness, today I finally found time to surprise my family with some hot mini walnut egg tarts!

My recipe can't be any more simple than this.

(Source: childhood memory)

Ingredients:

1 sheet of pampas short crust pastry, cut into 4x4, 16 squares

60 g caster sugar

60 ml hot water

80 ml soy milk (lactose-free)

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 handful of walnuts

1 tsp of natural, pot set honey

Method:

1. Dissolve sugar in hot water and let the sugar mixture cools down before whisking in milk.

2. Add vanilla extract to beaten eggs, then filter the egg mixture before adding to sugar/milk mixture from Step 1.

3. Divide egg mixture into pastry cases. Bake for 10 minutes in the oven at 150°C.

4. Meanwhile, prepare honey-coated walnuts by combining the two ingredients together.

5. Remove egg tarts from oven, top with honey-coated walnuts and bake for another 5 minutes.

6. Serve hot. Careful not to burn your lips! 

Simple enough?
Hope this brings you a sweet baking inspiration for your upcoming weekend ♥

Until then, I wish you a great week ahead!

NB: I just came back from my family dinner.
I am glad my father in law gave me a 10/10 score for my mini walnut egg tarts! How sweet is that?

Ritz Carlton Millenia Singapore

From the proximity to Marina Bay via helix bridge, to the imposing architectural presence.

From the top notch service, to the breathtaking view of the iconic Marina Bay Sands and the waterfront attractions from our 17th floor club room.

From the ever distinctive octagonal bathroom windows, to the enthralling glass sculpture at the grand Chihuly lounge.

Form the high end Japanese cuisine, to the exquisite dining at the award-winning Cantonese restaurant Summer Pavilion.

Our stay-cation at the Ritz had been remarkably unique and memorable.

My very little big indulgence in Singapore!

Hello my Bumble Bees!

It is 11:33pm as I am writing this. I just finished compounding DHEA capsules not too long ago, just thought of jumping in for a quick update before bed.

I can't believe how quickly the year has gone by, our marriage has just turned one month old! Yea... one month doesn't sound too long for a lot of things to happen. We have even been to Singapore and back!

When we first got back from our holiday, I was very eager to share with you some of these superb high tea we had in Singapore. BUT my last couple of weeks had been so frantically busy I barely had time to speak with my own parents about our trip.

I can't believe prices have gone up so much in Singapore! 
Yet I didn't think it has stopped me from loving the country because of many other good reasons. With population stood at 5.xx millions, the myth of the country being one of the cleanest cities in the world surprisingly still holds true. The place is safe to walk about. Taxi drivers are friendly to chat with. Foods are tasty (as usual), and the service level is generally pretty decent at most outlets and restaurants (although not as impeccable as Hong Kong's).

I think the high tea experience at Raffles Hotel had been a big let down in this trip.
Service was poor very right from the beginning of our arrival. The hotel staff bluntly refused our entry through the main door (because we weren't their in-house guests) and insisted we must enter through the side door. Honestly I could not believe how unpleasant this felt as a first time visitor to a 5 star hotel.

I must admit the British colonial interior at Tiffin room (where the high tea area was) is quite appealing to the eyes. The classic high tea was served on a 3-tier cake stand. But the sweet and savoury selections were fairly basic and had nothing special worth remembering. The taste of the coffee and tea were quite average. Service, once again, was pretty disappointing (not attentive enough and we had to wait for 10-15 minutes for the table bill to come).  

My overall experience wasn't as seamlessly memorable as expected.

Raffles Hotel

Classic 3-tier high tea stand.

The interior decor was worth noting. 

Tall ceilings and the big Georgian style windows are pleasant to look at.

While the experience at Raffles wasn't entirely a happy one, Anya from Ritz Carlton was very delighted to show us what high tea experience her hotel could offer in turn.

Alas, Raffles has no comparison at all.

Just the service alone, Ritz Carlton is miles ahead (attentive, professional and thoughtful). The quality and presentation of the cakes and sandwiches are absolute delight (dainty and colourful). And I really enjoy sipping my cup of afternoon tea, while sinking into the plush comfy chair, and listening to this beautiful piano music played at the background. 

By the way, your choice of gourmet tea or coffee is refillable too =)

Ritz Carlton Hotel

The epitome of everything sweet ♥

Total indulgence!

So... this is it. Our first and second high tea experiences in Singapore.

On my way back to Australia, I couldn't stop reminiscing the good time we had in Singapore. The service at Ritz Carlton. The cleanliness. The binge eating etc etc.

If only I have more than one lifetime to enjoy them... 

Hope to share more when I get a bit more time in the next few weeks =)

Until then, I wish you a great week ahead! Enjoy life!