Cookies!

January was indeed an extremely busy time. I was traveling back to Melaka literally EVERY weekend and it was heaps of fun! VERY tiring but a fun time, nonetheless. I took cookie orders from college mates and some outsiders for CNY and by taking orders, it meant going back to Melaka to bake them. I have to thank the Lord for the overwhelming number of orders I had ... (I definitely did not expect that many coming in, but as I look back now, I take them as acts of encouragements). Since I only went back once a week to bake, it also meant staying up ALL night (and sometimes day too) baking to finish the orders.

Dad was a GREAT help! He would text or email asking about my weekly orders and took an inventory check on the ingredients I would need and would get them for me! How many dads would actually do that for their girls? What a sacrifice he made. In addition to that, he helped a LOT in the kitchen, staying up until the wee hours baking with me. He would stir the batter until it was smooth.... and boy was it hard work! Batches after batches stirring in the mixing bowl. He did a better job than what an electric mixer would do, that I reckon. Very thorough when he is mixing the batter. After the stirring would come the spooning.. =) Dropping dollops of batter onto the baking sheet required more skill than one would imagine, well, maybe just to me.. =D Everything was about consistency! It is a completely different thing when you're baking cookies for yourself or as gifts for friends and baking for cookies people pay to eat. If there was one thing I learned from marketing, it would be not only to meet the expectations of my customers, BUT to also exceed them.

Presentation was a big issue for me, and Yen played a huge role in that area. Since she's the more.... creative one compared to me, I gave her ideas and told her what I wanted to do, and she got it done for me. It was probably until then that I realized what an amazing family I have (how sad huh... well, I always have, it was just magnified then).

Mum was generous enough to let me use and dirty the kitchen alllllllll day and night. Not to mention giving me the honor of being the first person to use the new precious baby - oven. So many people helped and encouraged me along the way as I found baking to be my joy. Yen too came back on some weekends to help and spent the wholeeeeee night up baking and laughing with me. She sat hours in front of the computer coming up with the 'it' logo for the lil' mini baking business that was going on. Ah, peals of laughters when cocoa powder, baking powder, and choc chips got the better of us. What-great-times-we-shared. Sisterly-love. All the sweat, dehydration, leg cramps, sleepiness was well worth when the orders were met. Oh there were the hours when I get so frantic out of fear that the orders will not be met... and the burnt cookies... the batches of cookies that turned out to be rock hard that it would probably give you concussion if I were to throw aim them at your head. And just when I thought I could take a weekend's break, I found out I had to bake for the student-council-hailer- project... which turned out to be more enjoyable than what I'd expected.

God has been very good and has blessed me thoroughly.... and I am SOOO grateful for that. The people He placed in my life are terrific.... Leon came by one Saturday to help....(well, not much la... butttt he brightened my day *wink* and was awesome with cellophane-taping the containers, something I suck at). Dixon for inspiring me .... *grins* and etc....A relative who willingly took me in and taught me Traditional Peanut Cookies.. (she makes lovely cakes and cookies!)

He blessed me with just the right amount of orders so I can purchase an oven (yesh! FInALLY! soon... dad's checking out the price of 2 models we picked) on my own after deducting all the expenses I have to pay for. I am amazed that there are orders still coming in...I am sooo excited! I cannot wait when the oven arrives and then I can slowly start accumulating my baking utensils from scratch all with my own money. Been spending hours looking at talented and skillful bakers around the world and am very fascinated at the world of cupcakes, in particular. I cannot wait to bake my first batch of cupcakes in the new oven.. It has been a very long time since I helped mum bake muffins...

But of course, I will still be baking cookies =) So, watch out for pictures of 'stuffs' I will bake in the near future... =) Pictures below!!!

ps: most pictures are unedited, so therefore, color quality a bit bad lah

Peanut Cookies

I ran out of sesame so therefore, the quite weird looking cookie la...
but it tastes the same anyhoos...
This was on a better weekend where we were able to sleep =)
Wrapped everything up by 0200


Choc Chip Cookie

awesome dad...
No better or finer one


Cornflake-oatmeal-raisins cookie

it's embarrassing that I have only 1 picture of this kinda cookie.. =(
better than none

Thank you

a little 'thank you' gift to a friend

LOOK MA! our first fruit of labor

our cutie papaya-rat friend

I saw this cutie.. and he was hard to ignore...
i was bored, and so I thought it grand to humor mum -
first fruit from the tree dad planted months ago

Do not be deceived by the word 'youth'.
Youthfulness is not measured by age.
Never too old...


dad won, soooo, yen had to wash mum's bucket....!
family joke... nyek nyek...
but yen's mummy's sweet lil girl so she got away with it..


sweet no more....just a sneaky lil' WRAT!
see, I told you I won't post up those icky pic..
this is the most decent of the lot, just so you friends know.. =D


last batch... phew... a short break, at last

time toooo, say goodbye!!