Happy Holidays!!!!

I have relocated back to b-town for the Christmas break. You might be thinking that must be nice....a whole two weeks to be pampered by your parents, relax, watch TV, and do whatever your little heart desires!


Let me just tell you now...that would be my break in a parallel universe perhaps...but around here? N to the NO.

I still have all my grad apps to get in. My parents' list of chores and cleaning duties is longer than Santa's naughty list. The only way I'm going to get time to watch TV is if they extend the day to 27 hours instead of 24. And all my little heart desires is a bed and a warm shower....I'm low maintenance like that.

So I guess this is just another long wordy poor excuse as to why I won't be baking this Christmas :(

You hate me don't you? I just know it!

Unfortunately, my schedule is pretty much gridlocked until January 22nd 2012, when I can wrap up my last interview and my last app will be stamped, addressed, and in the mail.

After that, I promise to bake up a storm!!! Occasionally I will be doing some reviews so if you're into that kind of stuff, stay tuned :)

Have a great holiday and a happy new year. Eat something sweet, do something nice, and snuggle a lot with loved ones!

Happy Baking!

Sigh

You know that couple who just got engaged and incessantly talk about nothing but wedding plans?

And your best girlfriend who just found out she's pregnant and has started talking about nothing but babies?

Well guess what students who are applying to graduate programs talk about?

That's right....grad applications....that, and working at McDonald's should they not get accepted....at least...thats what my plans are.

Grad apps have consumed me. Its all I think about day and night and night and day....which have now just blended together because I never sleep anyway....sleep is for the weak. You think lions and tigers sleep?

NO!

You know who else doesn't sleep? The girl down the street who is applying to the SAME program you are. Sleep isn't holding her down and it shouldn't hold you down either!

I now find myself giving up on sleep and just call them naps. Sleeping from 6am to 8:30am when you have to wake up for class isn't sleep. Its a nap.

You know what else I can't do anymore? Make decisions.

My typical evening will go like this:

Sit down to fill out my prerequisite sheet for UfT
Realize I can put down 1 of 2 courses
Wonder which would look better
Look at my transcript to see which I did better in
Pick a course and write it down
Scratch it out and write another
Wonder what the person who will read it will think of me for taking that course
Wonder if I should have even taken that course
Wonder if I should have made it to post-secondary at all
Wonder if I am using the right colour pen
Wonder if I am writing neat enough
Wonder if the person reading will laugh at my writing
Wonder if I should hire a calligrapher to fill out my sheet
Wonder if it is to be or not to be
Stare at the paper in morbid fear for 10 minutes
Stare at the part that says name wondering whose name that is
Have an identity crisis
Rip the paper up and watch an episode of Modern Family

I also can no longer hold a conversation with someone without going to a very anxious place.

Typical conversation

Friend: Want to go out for sushi tomorrow night?
Me: Sure...what time should I get my personal submission into you by? *twitchy face*
Friend: *backs away slowly*

As you probably guessed, this post has nothing to do with baking. It's just an insight in to the brilliant mind of me...and my fellow peers who are in the same position I am.

Just remember this; if you lose sight of why you're doing it...you need to take a break....go eat a cupcake...then come back to your desk or wherever you work...BREATHE...and keep going

Keep Calm and Carry On!

Happy Baking!

I'm Alive!!

If you're wondering where I am....I'm right here!

I have been ridonculously busy this past week. I haven't been baking :( but I have been stalking goodies that other people have baked!

I promise that I will be doing a post soon. Don't leaaaavvveee meeeee.

Okay my attachment issues have surfaced.

The biggest problem with being a full time student and a part time baker/blogger is that you wish you were a full time baker/blogger and only part time student....quarter time student.

So don't worry, I haven't spontaneously combusted or been silenced by the FBI. I'm here and well and pulling out my hair with no time to do anything.

I'll be back soon enough! I promise with something yummy...I think.

Christmas Came Early!!

This past weekend, I came into possession of something that I have been coveting from the moment I laid my eyes on it.

It is magnificent. I can't think of a word for it other than magnificent.

And its all thanks to one of my besties who knows how crazy I am and feeds my addiction :)

In fact, she was just as excited as I was was to watch me open it! If anyone is wondering how I have the motivation and determination to keep up with school AND fulfill my baking dreams, you should know by now that I'm obviously not doing it alone. I would be doing nothing without my friends and family who support me and keep me going when I feel like I have absolutely no energy left.

Okay put the tissue box away...no more sentimentally stuff.

My friend, T managed to hook me up with this beautiful beast sent down from the cake heavens:

I'm gonna give you a moment to appreciate the sheer awesomeness of everything that comes in this box.

I know most people who read my blog probably don't know what this is or the significance of it.

But to those who are staring at the computer with a glow across your face....trust me...it is every bit as good as the picture.... and better.

I will be doing a comprehensive post on the Ultimate Decorating Set soon including a comparison of the price of the set to buying each item individually. I can't promise that it will come soon but it will happen one day.

The retail value of the set is $470 but if you thought for even a second that I would fork that over, then we need to go on a few more dates because you don't know how cheap I am. Rest assured....I got this baby for a HUGE steal.

I'm getting flustered all over again... I think I need a paper bag.

Needless to say, I remain indebted for life to my friend T for hooking me up.

The next few weeks will be a bit packed as I get ready for finals and finish up assignments and have multiple crises over grad school applications where I drown my sorrows in junk food and try to convince myself that my life won't be over if it doesn't work out. I will try to squeeze in as much baking as I can.

Happy Baking!

PS: I'm wondering if I should cancel Multicultural Monday altogether. I'm always missing it and I never end up trying the recipes anyway. Thoughts?

Baking Tools and The Start of a New Series

One of the most exciting parts of cake decorating and baking for me is the variety of tools and the various functions they serve. For those of you who wonder how many possible tools would you need to bake a cake....I have one thing to say to you....

Okay so I can't think of a witty response because you honestly don't need a whole lot. It really depends on your goal. If you want to make a pretty cake but aren't too concerned with things like how even the cake is or how spot on certain icing colours are or how realistic the icing/fondant flowers look, then you really don't need many tools.

When I first started baking (before I even considered it a hobby) I would make my own piping bags out of  ziploc bags and didn't have fancy boards or anything. They weren't as easy to use but worked just as well.

And then I laid eyes on my first piping bag. I'm not going to describe the moment in detail but I'll leave you with this: the clouds parted and harp music was heard. Nuff said

But there is huge problem stopping me from rushing out and buying every cake decorating tool I can get my hands on. I refer to this problem as "I ain't got no money" My wonderful student budget doesn't allow for frivolities like baking supplies...butter....sugar....running water...you get the idea.

But obviously this is a minor technicality in the grand scheme of things which is why I clenched my fist, squinted my eyes, and threw a tantrum.

When that failed much to my surprise, I sat on my computer and searched through Amazon, eBay, cake supplies warehouses, and Michael's Craft Store. I compared prices, searched for coupons, and cringed at shipping rates. Surprisingly, (or maybe not so much) there are many more business that cater to bakers and cake decorators in the good ol' US of A. Canadians do have some good resources, especially in the Greater Toronto Area, but at a higher price and with less variety.

Over the past few months, I have visited many stores and websites as well as investing in some products and figuring out what works and what doesn't. I thought it would be a good idea to do a few posts on these products and stores and talk about the greats and not so greats.

Hopefully it will help those of you who, like me, have an "I ain't got no money" problem narrow down what you should invest in and what you could probably live without.

And just because its Friday, (or is it Monday? What comes after Thursday? Where is Rebecca Black when you need her?!) find some awesome Michael's coupons here and here. Don't forget to use them before they expire!

Have a yummy weekend!

Featured Blogs List!!!

I am super thrilled because I am on my way to going public...well...more public.

I recently entered my blog to be put up on the blogs directory over at the Cake Decorating Classes Directoy and I have recently been listed!! Yayy

No I am not teaching classes...I am not even close to being that good.

I am listed in the Cake Decorating Enthusiasts section.

This directory is a really good resource if your looking for blogs that teach techniques, post recipes, have tutorials, or just blog about experience (like me!)

I used this directory many many times when I was in the research phase of my baking. Some of my favourite blogs which I have bookmarked and visit on a regular basis come from this directory.

I am also super excited to have made it into the featured blogs section. I also teared up a little reading Lindsay's description of my blog. I hardly ever get any feedback on here and I appreciate every bit I get : )

Here is my listing. Do check out all the other blogs too. Tonnes of pretty pictures and tasty recipes.

Hope everyone is having an awesome Thanksgiving weekend. Eat lots of turkey covered in gravy and appreciate it because some of us are vegetarian this month and don't get no turkey (more on that later).

Check back on Monday for MM!!

Facelift...again!

I am the most indecisive person ever. I spend hours at stores looking through literally every product. I try on a million things in the morning before finding an outfit. I organize and reorganize everything in my room. I think you get the picture. Where did that lead me?

I decided my blog's appearance wasn't really a reflection of me. It was too bland. I tweaked and fiddled around with some of the settings...and the title...and description....and purpose. Since I wasn't really describing my learning process in detail, it seemed silly to call it a 'diary' so I got rid of that aspect. My fav colour (at least one of them) is pink so I added a pink cupcake. I hope to make my own (and take proper pics) of my own pink cupcakes...one day. And some minor changes to font and colour etc were also made. Clearly I don't have enough school work to do.

So in case those of you who come by here (if there actually are any of you out there) think that you're on the wrong site...you're not. I just really love change. I'm moving furniture around as we speak. Don't judge.

In other news!!! I made homemade iced coffee! It was OMGWTFAWESOMESAUCE. Yes that's a real expression. I brought it into existence after I inhaled a large cup of aforementioned iced coffee. I will post the recipe, the process of me making it, and a link to the genius who created this recipe in a future post.

Kay. Time for sleep and cupcake filled dreams :)

Update!

Okay...so in case anyone didn't know....mixing colour into fondant is a PAIN!!! But more on that later...

I figured I should do a post to update my whereabouts. My next post will be quite exciting!!!

My sister's 18th birthday is coming up so obviously cupcakes are in order...possibly.

I'm moving on Sunday so I will have a kitchen with COMPLETE FREEDOM!

MM is coming up and I've got something exciting planned.

Usually in my free time I sit around and read baking blogs and seek inspiration for cakes and cupcakes. Lately though, I've been obsessed with beauty/make up and nail polish. I think I have way too many hobbies, but more than hobbies I feel like they're becoming collections! The more nail polish I buy, the more I want to hoard. Which is obviously not healthy!

Maybe, once I start school in a few days, these obsessions will die down...but hopefully not for baking!!

Keep checking back for more useful posts!!

Making Mondays a little more bearable...maybe

I've decided that in order to make my blogging a little more regular in my life, I'm going to start writing Multicultural Monday posts.

Being Tamil and living in Canada has taught me a few things about multiculturalism. Probably one of the most enjoyable aspects of any culture is food. Food brings people together in a way that other things can't. Perhaps it's because you don't have to convey in words how good something tastes...it will be written all over your face. Food is fun,  but desserts especially vary widely among different cultures.

Every Monday (at least....I hope every Monday) I will be doing a post on a dessert from a different culture that I made or a link to a recipe that seem deeeelish. I may also post some mouthwatering pictures or just some info on the role a certain type of dessert plays in its respective culture.

I should probably be honest and say that I was supposed to start this up this past Monday...and failed miserably. BUT I've added it onto my calendar for every Monday from now till infinity.

I'm excited to learn about and try out new recipes....I hope you are too!!

And a comic because I have no pictures of food...this weird ugly comic monster is showing up everywhere!