Today Matters

After a series of events that have taken place lately, I have gone back to my roots....I realised that today matters! If you loved your children, show them that you loved them, today! If you are soul searching and not knowing where to go, don't wait till tomorrow, do it today! Well, after the tsunami warning yesterday (I was filling my macarons and setting up a macaron pyramid), I realised that I have kept postponing this part of my life, and this is a big one...sigh! If health matters to you, start by looking at your diet and scrutinise your food intake...yeah telling me who bakes and crave my own bakes....we have to start somewhere, but do it today!

And another big one, I have never really bothered about my finances, really! As long as I have the means to pay my bills and create some more bills and spend and splurge, I was fine....but last Tuesday, I sat down and started looking at my finances...counting my liabilities and some teeny weeny assets.....there is a rm20k bill from the Inland Revenue saying that I did not pay my subscription last, year...I will sort that out next week...all documents to back me up are ready....and no....I don't earn so much from my bakes....

And....I have come to a point where I am seriously considering baking full time! That is a "today matters" matter to me now....I'm strategising and making all efforts to make that happen....I think a series of people whom I came across this past few days were all "planned by Him"...I spoke a lot about passion and uncertainties with Saiful Nang! and when we had our Managemnt Employee Meet last Tuesday, Dato Shaz spoke about he had achieved in the last 2 years, and his aspirations for the company in the next 4 years...."Sometimes you have to have faith in what you can't see"....so true! So inspiring.....and in the latets Donna Hay's issue, Donna who started with publishing her own book and got noticed by Marie Claire magazine said, "...a little drive, a dash of perfectionisim, and a willingness to roll up your sleeves never goes unnoticed"....yup, today matters and am taking action!

I have not been baking leaisurely for some reasons, and time is one of the reason. Anyway, I made this delicious so called bakery style Vanilla cupcakes. I came across the recipe from Sweetapolita blog which originates from the Food Network...

Bakery Style Vanilla Cupcakes

1 1/2 cups self raising flour, sifted with ...

...1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

 1 cup (227g ) butter

2 cups, I used 1 3/4 cups sugar

4 large eggs

1 cup (250 ml) milk

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp salt , I added

Cream butter and sugar and vanilla. Add eggs one by one,  add flours in 3 additions , alternate with milk in 2 additions. Bake in souffle or muffin cups for about 20 minutes at 160C. 

....and here's some bakes I made the past couple of weeks! Notioce that they were all from my Instagram...I have to send my camera and lens for servicing...they were mouldy, there were fungus....hmm...another "today matters" thingy....I must get a box with silica gel and store my cameras and not allow them to just sit on my kitchen top :p 

Hantaran macarons, Tqs Idrina!

Barbie Princess! Tqs Zalifah, you too look like a princess!

Apple Crumble Tart....

...and a Victoria sandwich Cake, tqs Jamaliah!

A Hummingbird Cake for Anita and Anissa!, tqs lovely peeps!

A Hantaran Set for her secretary...

...and some macarons for her, tqs Muzal! and tq muahs muahs for those who have been oreding my macarons!

A Turquoise Rainbow cake, tqs Leanne!

....aome macarons for her father...

...and her and her neighbour, tqs Farida!

I have been making quite a bit of macarons lately, tqs to this KitchenAid (and tqs to Rima for ferrying her from Spore), the wire whisk is superb for making meringues!

Think this picture could be used for a Silpat advert, LOL...

Have a brilliant week ahead, hope I can update more often!:p:p:p 

The Art Of Seeing!

I always believe that when the student is ready, the teacher will arrive! Attending The Art Of Seeing workshop was what I did over the weekend till Monday, late afternoon. 

Attending Saiful Nang's Zero To Pro was one of the many classes that I wanted to do this year. At first I wanted to attend a food photography workshop overseas. But I thought, I'd better start from home! And after coming across SN (that's how we address Saiful Nang)'s Program and seeing all his gorgeous shots, I knew I could learn a thing or two from this guy!

......hmmm, I didn't learn a thing or two....the whole workshop made me think,  and ponder and strategise! And move on! Yes, there were 10 guidelines, rules sort of when taking shots, but during the workshop I learnt leadership, marketing, self motivation, discipline and the importance of love that begins from home!

From the videos that SN shared with us of his work, you could see that he is very passionate about his work! We begin at 8.30 every day after breakfast with a session of tutorial sort of, and then, for the rest of the days we went to outing to get our shots.....you wouldn't want to see my pictures that I took on the first day!...they were just pictures....with some technical flaws....urgghh.....

....my pictures improved a bit after our first outing...but f course to SN they were still "sampah" (rubbish) apart from probably one shot! So, at the end of the first day and after the first critic session, I got hold of my technical flaws.....I took some 'moment' pictures on day 2, some portraits and food pictures. But, on the last day, when we went individually to shoot, SN asked me not to focus on food photography, but everything else. We had to edit via Photo Shop...which I really have to master from now on!I have zero knowledge on this!

But then, to me the whole workshop was everything else about your life....picture taking is only a medium that you capture moments.......and how you do that, one must master the art of seeing! SN also taught us about creating our own media.....I love this part as well! And the part that he is so loving with his children and wife....he is a leader, a visionary! "Be passionate about what you do, and the money will flow..." I will always remember that...and create your own media!

Unfortunately, my memory card was corrupted at the end of the whole session....I still have to retrieve some pictures. But to me the workshop was not about the pictures alone. Well, at the end of the 3 days with the team and SN, think I have come out a brand new person with a different perspective. Sure, my pictures have still a long way to improve, but now I know what went wrong...and at the end of the day, one must master "The Art Seeing" in all aspects of one's life! Creativity can't be taught, but with push and pressure one will be creative and perform...enough said, let's do our work!

***********************************

UPDATED! Let's see this Vimeo! Enjoy!!

ZERO TO PRO 8 : Sekilas Pandang dari Kursus Fotografi Paling Lengkap from CandidSyndrome Film on Vimeo.