study break updates

This exam season....the internet is classified under the "rewards" category...applying a fixed ratio schedule of reinforcement..if you don't understand what i mean..go Google! Aside from the internet...there is always those exam time baking sprees....and this time around..the recipe is Banana Chiffon Cake....(turns out, chiffon cakes are harder to make than i thought)

**for non domesticated readers...u can skip this section and proceed to ##

i think it looks more like a giant donut

Ingredients

• 200g superfine flour
• 175g castor sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 125ml corn oil
• 5 egg yolks
• 135g banana (pisang emas)
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 1 tsp lemon essence
• 1 tsp lemon rind
• 125ml ice-cold water
• whites of 7 eggs
• 1/2 tsp cream of tartar

Method:

1. Preheat oven at 175 ºC. Sift flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl.
2. Cream egg yolks with half amount of sugar until light and creamy. Add in essence, mashed bananas and lemon juice & lemon rind. Stir in corn oil. Gradually and gently fold in sifted flour and add in water.
3. Whisk egg whites, rest of sugar and cream of tartar in an electric mixer until stiff and mixture holds its shape.
4. Pour egg yolk mixture or batter into egg white mixture. Mix carefully, gently and evenly.
5. Pour into an ungreased 22cm tube pan. Bake in preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes or until lightly browned on the surface.
6. Remove cake from oven. Invert the pan immediately and allow to cool thoroughly before removing from the pan.

lil chep tips:

• step 3 takes awhile..if you don't have 2 separate mixing bowls, you might want to do step 3 first
• don't be greedy like me, and add additional bananas...it makes the cake...less spongy
  

## Tomorrow should be an interesting day..getting to meet famous ppl.. ranging from Mr Robert Herbold - former COO of Microsoft - also author of the book Seduced by Success (which will be door gifts for attendees of the National Management Conference 2007 organized by Malaysian Institute of Management); YBhg Datuk Idris Jala-CEO MAS; YBhg Tan Sri Dato' (Dr) Francis Yeoh-YTL, Mr Stuart Dean-GE Southeast Asia; other speakers from Genting Group, Khazanah, CIMB, Royal Selangor, IOI Group..etc

Been blessed to be sponsored to go for the conference..among the 10 lucky students who got selected to go =) .. despite being held in the middle of exam week, it should be a value-add.

Random pics from the past few weeks...

BY's birthday cake from Just Heavenly - Dome Shaped Tiramisu (bery nice)

"Mango upside down" - frankly, not delicious AT ALL... (From the same place as the Tiramisu)

Some Toy Shop Walking Ad - @ Sunway Pyramid 2

Random thoughts...seems to be the season of decisions and crossroads again...the thing about growing up is this...you can't just do things cause you want to or like to, or cause your heart tells you too, you need to consider the other parties involved, how it would affect them, their family, your family, your friends...and as much as you would like to break free...you can't, you hold back, you fear...and perhaps i'd never be able to be totally honest about how i feel..at least no where in the near future...only to trust that He knows best, and somehow, someday, i will be free...(and if you think you know who i am talking about, you don't, unless your initials are JL/JS/JC or you are that person?; and if you think you are the person i'm talking about, perhaps, depending on who you are? =P; but if you think you are that person, think twice, it might not be you..and this "if you..." thing is going no where...sooo that's all for now!)