Fudge Brownies (and my first time baking)

This would never have happened if I wasn't entirely bored and looking for something fun to do. While it looks good and tastes like a mouthful of fudgey goodness (to me), there's definitely room for improvement.

Because I did stupid mistakes like not halving the eggs (because I halved everything from the original recipe) and forgetting to add the baking powder (which isn't too big a deal because it only means the brownies won't rise as much). Oh, and not baking it for long enough. Which gave it a really creamy, fudge texture in the middle (which tasted pretty awesome), so I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing. Ok, I need to stop talking in brackets. LOL.

Since it was my first time baking, EVER, I think I didn't do too bad. #dontjudge

Recipe below:

Ingredients
125 grams of butter
275 grams of sugar
4 eggs (I should have used only 2)
85 grams of plain flour
150 grams of dark chocolate chips
75 grams of unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder (that I forgot all about)

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees (Celsius)
Put butter on a saucepan and place on medium heat until melted
Remove pan from heat, add sugar, and put the pan back on heat for 30seconds - 1 minute
Transfer mixture into a large bowl
Add the eggs and whisk until combined (with the mixture)
Add the flour, chocolate chips, cocoa powder, vanilla extract (and baking powder) and stir
Pour the mixture into a baking pan
Bake in preheated oven (for 30 minutes or more depending on the thickness of the mixture in your pan)
Leave to cool in pan for 1 hour, then place it in the freezer for 1 hour

One thing to note with the original recipe is the size of her pan and the thickness/height of the mixture in the pan (she made them into cubes in the end, so the height of her mixture is probably only half of mine, aka, short). If yours is pretty medium/tall, bake it for more than 30 minutes (and check to see if its fully baked!). 

Fudge Brownie recipe extracted from passionforbaking.com

Happy baking! (though I think I enjoyed taking photos of my brownies more than baking and WAITING itself)


xoxo pamela

ps. I will post any updates/tips if I happen to bake with this recipe again 

Graduated!

Before my graduation ceremony, I was filled with excitement and anxiety. I was glad that I had finally completed my studies, and yet I was wondering if I'd end up doing something stupid, like falling on stage.

As my dad drove towards the auditorium so he could drop me off (with my mom and grandparents), my mom was telling my grandparents this was the first place I'd been to 3 years ago (during the open house). It wasn't. I distinctly remember the day I was dropped off at the Nanyang Auditorium to attend a ceremony for the Innovation Programme when I was fourteen. It was the very day I told myself that I would one day become a student in NTU.

I made myself a promise, and I did it. Yesterday was finally the day I graduated from NTU.

Throughout the past 3 years, I've learned and experienced so much that I could not pen down everything I wanted to say in the caption of a photo on Instagram.

I've gotten to know so many people, many of whom are now people I care about and want in my life very much. I learned that sometimes people leave you, that friendship is a two way street, and that there will always be people who will stand by you no matter what. I may not have been the valedictorian, but I've discovered that sometimes, you just have to open your eyes a little bit more to find that these people who will stick with you through thick and thin could be the very people who are standing right in front of you.

I've probably neglected my family and longtime friends such as TTC at various times in the past 3 years, but they have been the very people who have been there for me at every step of the way. The sheer amount of graduation gifts from them should tell you something.

Then, there are the other valuable people. Without them, my time in school over the past 3 years would have been drastically different.

There's Sally, who is probably the first friend I made in NBS.
Simin, whom I may not have become so close to if we didn't bond over TVXQ (who is also my food hopping buddy).
Kay, Siping, Shilei and Merri, the four girls I bonded with over cute caucasian guys (and also the four girls who gave me a birthday surprise and Gardens by the Bay).
Yap Heng, someone I can talk about almost anything with (especially fashion), who refuses to get a Facebook account.
Gwen, Nahgnef (fenghan), Aaron, James, Kang Hui, Mak and Weicong, who I have spent so much time with over the past year, and the people who made me laugh more than I would have without them.

There's so many other people, but if I wrote everyone's name down, this post would never end.

Thank you all so much for being in my life. I feel truly blessed that I have made so many amazing friends and gotten to know so many amazing people over the past 3 years. On days when I question myself if I chose to pursue the right degree/major, I'd think of all of you, and I'd agree that I've made the right choice, because if I pursued something else, I would never have gotten to know some/all of you.

So thank you mom and dad for putting me through school so that I could learn, get smarter and meet all these wonderful people who are now invaluable to me.

I've had 3 amazing years in NTU, and I wouldn't trade it for anything else in the world.

My university life may not be perfect, but it has been made better because of everyone who has been in it.


xoxo pamela

USA 2014: A Carrie Bradshaw-esque First Step into Manhattan

My first step into Manhattan was probably like how I'd imagine Carrie Bradshaw's would have been: Awestruck at the beauty, charm and life of New York City.

Even from my first night out in Times Square, New York City oozed with life and charm. It's almost as if the city was truly alive. Within the first ten minutes in Times Square, I probably told myself 'What I'd give to live here...' at least twenty times.

As I write this post, my brain's saying What I'd give to go back there all over again.

That's what New York City will do to you I guess. While you're blinded by the lights in Times Square, the city has inadvertently trapped you with it's beauty.

I know it sounds cheesy, but, I'm hooked.


Disclaimer: All posts on my USA trip will be heavily filled with photos. Just so you know.


xoxo pamela

Pretending to be a Photographer

While every else are busy looking for jobs or working, I'm busy hanging around at home playing at being a photographer. Of course, this would not have happened if my ma hadn't been making delicious treats for us every other day (especially macarons).

The rest of the photos in this post show my journey in my great pretence.

chocolate chip cookies 

waffles 

 New York cheesecake with chocolate ganache

 chiffon cheesecake

 marble cupcakes

strawberry shortcake

macarons

Don't they make you hungry for desserts?! #selfpraise


Disclaimer: All photos are taken and edited from my iPhone 5S

xoxo pamela

My Hong Kong Diaries: Round and Round We Went

Dinner. Not too bad.

Dessert (NOT at where we had dinner)! I LOVED dessert! hehehe.

I did not include 1 day in my trip because we spent the day shopping and playing in our hotel, AND didn't take pictures. So this was kind of our last day in Hong Kong (excluding our morning flight home).

and yes, we spent it at Ocean Park.

As compared to almost 3 years ago, I would say they have indeed revamped parts of the place, and there are now more roller coasters for theme park lovers. BUT, I'd have to warn you that none of the roller coasters scared the dickens out of me.

Like Disneyland, the queues were so short that we did not have to queue for quite a number of rides. So, we ended up sitting everything we wanted to sit. Bad thing, though, is that so many of their rides go round and round (and round), so I was a little dizzy at the end of the day.

Nonetheless, being someone who LOVES theme parks and rides, I thoroughly enjoyed my day in Ocean Park (albeit some underwhelming rides). 

xoxo pamela

My Hong Kong Diaries: FEI HEI! FEI HEI! (translated to: Fly High! Fly High!)

There are two things you have to do in a Disney Park:

1. Watch the parade in the Disney Park (the parades are unique to every Disney Park)

2. Catch the fireworks (especially the 'arc' over the castle)

It's mandatory to do the above two because they emanate everything Disney is about. 

Fantasy. Dreams. Believing in yourself.

It's why I love Disney so completely. They teach kids to dream, to believe, and to work for their dreams.

So FEI HEI.

xoxo pamela

ps. I do realize my blog is more of a photo diary than a written journal. But a picture speaks a thousand words right?