Yelly Writes

Hearts day post-mortem

Yelly

On February 14, I was woken up by 2 text messages: one from my mum and one from my big sister from another mother.  I crawled from under the toasty warm covers and read the text messages, smiled sleepily and then crawled back into bed.

Valentines Day was just another day, really, because I had loads to do work-wise.  I’m quite happy that work is keeping me busy because busy is always good.  I got home late because there was a staff meeting and I had to catch a later train.  The idea was to have take-away from my favourite Chinese take away.  But when I called the Chinese take away I was told they couldn’t do anything about delivering food to me until about 9PM.  I was exhausted so I wasn’t going to cook.  Settling for fried chicken wasn’t so bad.  At least I didn’t have to cook and the clean up after was a breeze!

Now, y’all must be thinking, awww what a sad Valentine’s day.  It wasn’t really.  I had a really productive day at work and learned new things, I managed to catch a train that got me home earlier than I thought I’d get home, and even though I didn’t get my Chinese take away (I was craving chow mein noodles!), I still shared chicken and chips with the person who knows me the best.  I’d say it was a good day.  After all, like Christmas, every day should be Valentine’s day.  We should all make an effort to make sure our lives are filled with love and romance and the appreciation of what our loved ones do for us.

However, I thought this photo was good to share: a picture taken at Covent Garden in London the Saturday before.  Things like these, they make me smile.  Romance is grand, aint it?

LOVECoventGarden

Yelly Writes

Customizing Bueno: Mi Piace Kate

Yelly

This gave me ideas about cleaning up the blog and making it look less cluttered. Changing my blog background was a great start. Reblogging this because I know it’ll help others who use the Bueno blog theme…and even if you don’t use the Bueno theme, the ideas are too good not to share!

Michelle Weber's avatarWordPress.com News

We all want our blogs and sites to feel like “us,” and there are tons of tweaks that can turn a plain ol’ theme into a bespoke web experience for the discriminating blog connoisseur. Last month, we looked at how one online mag transformed the Oxygen theme; today we’ll check out how one blogger took the third most popular theme on WordPress.com and built something entirely her own.

Say ciao to Mi Piace Kate:

Mi Piace Kate

“Mi Piace Kate” is Italian for “I Like Kate,” and we definitely do! Kate’s a graphic designer, cat aficionado, and handcrafting devotee who’s taken the free Bueno theme and run with it. Her blog is a stellar example of how some custom images and a $30 Custom Design upgrade can change a free theme into a million-dollar site that’s totally unique.

Take a look at the standard Bueno home page next to Kate’s:

Bueno Theme

If you…

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Yelly Eats

Ube!

Yelly

I’m working on an ube sponge cake recipe because I miss ube cake from the Philippines.  I particularly love the ube cake from Red Ribbon.  But because Red Ribbon hasn’t made it to this side of the Atlantic, I will just have to learn to make the cake myself.  I’ve always said that necessity is the mother of invention and it is absolutely necessary for me to have my ube cake fix!  I haven’t had a slice of ube cake since…I can’t remember.  It must have been over 5 years!

My first attempt seemed to go down pretty well.  The colour was great and the flavour was absolutely there.  The cake was spongy and light.

purple yam cake batter

I will have to make it again maybe next week (after the cake that’s currently residing in my cake box has been consumed).  I’ve got recipe improvements in my head already.  I’m sure the oriental store in Chelmsford will enjoy the fact that I’ll be buying another jar of ube jam next week!  Watch this space for the recipe soon!

Ube cake at last!

 

Yelly Writes

All done!

Yelly

I’ve been working on a secret project for a few weeks now.  It’s been quite frustrating because I couldn’t really blog, tweet or post anything about it on Facebook.  I’ve been wanting to be able to vent my frustrations but because of the nature of the project, everything had to be secret–and until now, there are elements of the project that still have to be kept secret.

I’ve found myself literally sitting on my hands to stop myself from talking about the project online.  There were days when I needed instant validation and wanted to take to social media to ask for people’s opinions.  I didn’t and that in itself was quite the achievement!  I’m not really good at keeping secrets…I will eventually let a secret slip somehow.  I’ve been quite pleased with myself really because I haven’t talked about it much.  I’ve only let my family know and of course, Alan, who has been helpful with ideas and suggestions.  It felt really good to be able to talk out my frustrations about this project.  We all need a good sounding board to bounce ideas off of.  Thank God for blessings like these!

Even without going into detail, I’m quite pleased that it’s finished (even though I can’t really talk about it!).  I’m quite pleased with the way everything’s turned out.  I am, to be honest, also very proud of myself.  I’ve actually started a project and finished it on time, and the result is exactly how I envisioned this when I was planning everything!  The discipline that I forced myself to stick to while working on this project is definitely going to be something that will help me in future.  I learned a lot about feedback and constructive criticism and taking the positive from every comment received.  The critiques reminded me of a Repertory Philippines workshop where we were taught that in everything, we had to learn to take the positive and not to let the negative affect us.

Working on this project has definitely bolstered my confidence!  My brother has indicated that what I had done was a winner and that’s always a good thing.  Family, while they will always fight your corner, can be your worst critics because they know what you are able to achieve.  I’m just hoping that other people share my brother’s enthusiasm!

I’m so sorry for all the vague references.  I will, eventually, be able to talk about all this and post pictures.  But I hope you’ll humour me and wait patiently with me (I will draw patience from y’all because I will probably fail this particular marshmallow test!) while I wait until I can talk about this!

Oh and keep your fingers crossed for me please! 🙂

Yelly Writes

Booting up!

Yelly

I am currently humming I Enjoy Being A Girl from Flower Drum Song in my head.  You know, the one that starts with “I’m a girl and by me that’s only great, I am proud that my sillhouette is curvy, that I walk with a sweet and girlish gait, with my hips kind of swivelly and swervy…”?

I’m humming this because I’m wallowing in girlish delight until I am absolutely pruney.  I am being the girly-girl that I am and being positively giddy about a pair of shoes!  Imelda Marcos I am not, but a good pair of shoes that love my feet is definitely worth blogging about!  I bought the most gorgeous pair of wedged boots online last weekend at 60% off the retail price (there is something to be said about buying shoes late in the season!).  They arrived yesterday.  Mind you, I had misgivings because I’ve bought beautiful boots before but boy did they punish my feet (and no matter how many times I told myself that they just needed breaking in, if I used the boots, at the end of the day, my feet would be screaming at me to get the bloody things off!  I have yet to bring myself to bring the beautiful things to either the charity shop or put it in the balikbayan box so my mum or sister can find someone else to love the boots.  I’ve used them a total of, count ’em, 4 times!)!  But these beautiful things were different.  I put them on and they seemed to hug my feet.  They seemed to wrap themselves around my feet!

I bravely booted up this morning, gingerly walking down the stairs that led up the flat to walk to the train station.  My steps were slow, but steady and very stable.  I had never felt so balanced in wedge heels before.  So my steps became less tentative and quicker.  After all, I was walking to the station to get on a train that was 12 minutes away from leaving.  I made it to the train station in 7 minutes with my feet sighing in happiness!  Throughout the day, walking to and from places, up and down stairs, running from one office to another (yes, I had a VERY busy day!), my feet felt like they were protected.  I think I bought the shoes that had the right heel height and the right snugness.  My feet haven’t felt this comfy in heels in a very long time!

I have struggled with finding shoes that fit my feet right since moving to the UK.  The only shoes I’ve ever really worn comfortably are flat shoes and well, flat shoes aren’t always the best things to wear as they aren’t always the most appropriate (and while I adore ballerina flats, we all know sometimes a bit of heel is important–especially in formal situations).  But tonight, all is well in my shoe world.  Because I’ve found wedges that hug my feet.  The next goal is to find heels that I can stomp in.

These are days when I wish there was an SM Shoemart nearby!

Clarks Shoes - MasterGame

Yelly Writes

Les Mis – finally!

Yelly

To say that I was excited about seeing Les Mis was an understatement.  I could hardly sit still in the train on the way to the cinema.  I’d been so looking forward to seeing the movie since they started shooting scenes in Greenwich in April 2012.

Les Mis is one of three of my all-time favourite musicals (the other two being Miss Saigon and Phantom of the Opera) and the prospect of seeing a movie version of the musical was certainly exciting.  I told myself to not expect too much, because after all, the cast weren’t West End or Broadway performers.  But I also knew that Cameron Mackintosh had a say in the production and after seeing the interviews, I understood that the cast and crew understood how beloved this musical was that they wouldn’t do anything to taint it.  I’m sure everyone involved in the movie wanted to do their utmost best because like me and countless others, they loved the musical too.

So after waiting for so long (waiting to get better from illness and waiting for the snow to stop falling and start melting), armed with Kleenex, I made my way to see the movie I’d waited to long to see.  And it didn’t disappoint.  I cried buckets, enough to make my eyes sting the whole time after.  The familiar themes of young love, unrequited love, transformation, forgiveness and redemption did not fail to touch my heart (and my tear ducts!).

While live theatre performance is in a different league entirely, this version of Les Mis was something to be seen.  You could see in the actors’ performances how much they loved this musical.  Hugh Jackman reminded me a little of Colm Wilkinson, but don’t get me wrong, his Valjean was his Valjean.  Amanda Seyfriend was a hauntingly beautiful Cosette, and she didn’t warble too badly too!  Anyone who can cry and sing at the same time as well as Anne Hathaway did deserves an award!  I was quiet pleased that they chose Samantha Barks for Eponine because she did brilliantly.  I wasn’t too impressed by Russell Crowe’s singing but his acting made up for it because he was Javert!  But I think the performance that stole the show was Eddie Redmayne’s!  Who’d have thought he’d make this amazingly romantic Marius?

I don’t really want to say too much just in case you haven’t seen it.  But if you can go and watch it, do!  Oh and remember to bring kleenex…or maybe a beach towel!

Les Miserables

Yelly Writes

Starting my day right

Yelly

Breakfast will always start one’s day right.  I remember when I was growing up, Mama would never let us leave the house until we had a hot breakfast; we simply had to eat.  I’m afraid to say that I haven’t kept up the practice.  I get ready for work and rush out the door.  In the process, I think I may have screwed up my eating habits!

I am a Christian by faith and a Protestant Methodist by denomination.  I am proud to say I grew up in church, and I am thankful that I did.  Living away from everyone I love can be difficult, to say the least.  When you are, essentially, alone, there is very little to cling to: and for me it was my God and my faith in the God that sustains me.  I am thankful to be blessed with a faith that strengthens me and I am blessed because my faith in my God has sustained me during the toughest times of my life.  It has been challenging living away from everything familiar but that in itself has strengthened my faith.

I walk past the Chelmsford cathedral everyday as I walk to work and everyday I whisper a prayer for God to bless my day, for God to take control of my day, for God to help me achieve what I need to achieve, and my most fervent desire, for me to be a blessing to others.  Somehow those words quickly whispered set my day off perfectly.  Because I lift my day up to the Lord, whatever good, whatever bad, my day is the Lord’s.

I am reminded of a prayer I used to read and reread.  It was a prayer I posted in my old blog.  It was a prayer for concentration at work because the work environment then wasn’t conducive to concentration (there was a lot of swearing going around and being in an environment where profanity and bad language is about is never conducive to real positivity, I think!).  It was based on a prayer I also read online and a prayer that I adapted so that it fit my thoughts.  It’s helped me.  I thought I’d post it here again, because it might help someone else.

Dear Father,

I draw near You to seek Your help.  I have the assurance that You love me so very much. Lord, the Scripture says that You love the prosperity of Your children.  You know the importance of being able to concentrate at work.  Father, bless me with Your guidance and let me work on my things to do list properly.  Lord, I confess that I get distracted easily; I have more interest in less important things instead of what is urgent in my in-tray.

Please forgive me and gird me with You grace (I love the word gird Lord, because it makes me feel like I am going to battle, and oh I do love a battle!  See Lord, I am digressing, yet again!) and strength so that I concentrate in my work.  Without Your help I cannot achieve any success Lord!

Please help me to overcome all my weaknesses and strengthen my mind. Take full control of my wandering thoughts and give me Your wisdom and knowledge. Let me shine at work, Heavenly Father and let me be a blessing to to everyone. I lift all this up in Jesus’ name.

Amen.

prayer

Yelly Writes

Happy birthday Mama!

Yelly

It’s my Mama’s birthday today and I really wish I could be there to celebrate it with her.  It’s sort of a milestone birthday.  She’s 65 today.  In the Philippines, 65 is retirement age.  For everyone, male or female.  But she isn’t retiring quite yet as her office has asked her to extend for 6 months.  My mum, I think, is looking to enjoying her retirement, but at the same time, I think she enjoys her work because she finds her work experiences challenging.  I think that’s why she didn’t mind extending for a few months.

Mama

Dearest Mama, my respect, love and gratitude for you is no different than your love for me, without boundaries. You are my crowning support and one of the best things in my life. It does not matter how old I am, your hug is still the warmest and safest place on the earth for me.

Happy Birthday Mama! I love, love, love, love you!

Yelly Eats

Spinach and bacon quiche

Yelly

It’s quite the wintry day today and I couldn’t really be bothered to cook anything too complicated for lunch.  Hence the quiche.  I could, in theory, make my own puff pastry.  But the whole point of making a quiche this afternoon was that it was going to be quick and comforting.

This has been quite successful so I’m quite happy to share it.

Spinach and bacon

Ingredients:

  • 320g shop bought puff pastry sheet
  • 260g spinach
  • 250g bacon (about 6-8 rashers)
  • 1 medium sized onion, minced
  • 2 cloves garlic crushed and minced finely
  • 150ml single cream
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil (or 10g butter)
  • 100g grated mature cheddar (or Monterey Jack)

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 180°C.
  2. Unroll pastry and lay over a 25cm loosed based round flan tin.  Once the flan tin is lined, put back in the fridge while you prepare the filling.
  3. In a sautee pan, heat up olive oil and add minced onions and sautee.  Once onions turn transluscent, add garlic.  Stirfry the garlic and add the bacon. Once bacon is golden brown, add the spinach and cover to wilt the spinach.  This should take about 2 minutes.  Once spinach is wilted, give the mixture a gentle stir.  Put the lid back, take of the hob and set aside.
  4. In a mixing bowl beat eggs well and add single cream. Spoon 1/3 of the spinach and bacon mixture into the cream and egg mixture to temper the eggs.  Mix well and then add the rest of the spinach mixture.
  5. Bring out the pastry-lined flan tin and fill the pastry with the spinach-milk and egg mixture.  Top with the grated cheese.
  6. Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown.
  7. TIP:  To avoid the now infamous “soggy bottom” and because you are putting in quite a liquid mixture and a soggy bottom is almost inevitable, I find that putting in a baking sheet in the oven while it’s preheating will help the soggy bottom from not being too soggy.  Once you’re ready to bake the quiche, just slight the flan tin onto the baking sheet.
Yelly Eats

The taro project!

Yelly

I went through a phase of craving bubble tea.  Bubble tea is a tea-based drink very popular in Taiwan and its Asian neighbours (there is a milk tea/bubble tea revolution in the Philippines, if my friends’ Facebook and Twitter photos are to be believed!).  If you’ve never had bubble tea (where have you been?), think your typical cup of tea mixed with a milk shake (it’s served cold) with tapioca pearls sucked through a big, fat straw.  There is a myriad of flavours but my favourite is the taro milk tea (in the Philippines, I used to have mine with taro pudding which is basically taro jelly).   And since most of the bubble tea bars are in London, I had to find a way to satisfy my craving.  It wouldn’t have been financially responsible to run down to London everytime I had a bubble tea craving.  So I bought taro milk tea powder, the straws, oolong tea and the tapioca pearls.

The taro milk tea powder comes in 1kg bags so after a few sessions of taro milk tea indulging, I still had more than half a bag of the taro powder!  So I had the brainwave of making a taro-flavoured chiffon cake.  It was all an experiment so I wasn’t sure it would work.  After the mixture was put together and I put it in the angel food cake pan, I looked at it with a lot of trepidation!  The colour wasn’t as deep as I wanted it to be so I was VERY worried!

taro chiffon1

But after the baking time, it came out and it was quite the yummy and light little thing.  It’s still a bit unstable (probably owing to underbeating the egg whites!) and I want a deeper taro flavour, but it was a good start.  What surprised me most is how the colour deepened as the cake baked!  I’m looking forward to tweaking the recipe and having it come out all lovely and lilac!

Watch this space!

taro chiffon2