Ala Peanut Butter Sandwiches!

The baking process for the beads went better than I expected. It was just a matter of buying an oven thermometer (I needed one anyway) and monitoring the temperature during the baking. 25 minutes and I had my first batch of beads! I can't believe how easy it is!

I just need to polish and buff the beads to make them shiny. You'll notice my fingerprints on some of the beads.

I had some leftover clay so I made one for myself...

Beads!

Last night I was coming down with the flu, but stubborn as I am I kept on browsing into the wee hours of the night. In my daze I totally forgot what I entered in google and I stumbled on a bead site. It was a eureka moment. I couldn't wait to try it out.

My dizziness turned into full blown flu today and I made the excuse of going out to buy *flu medicine*. Lucky for me the art store is just right beside the chemists. I armed myself with clay and headed back home (with my flu medicine of course!).

Admittedly I was feeling dizzy but I get antsy when I don't do anything for the whole day. I thought about waiting for the book that I ordered (Yes...when I'm onto something I immerse myself fully...) but then again, how hard can bead making be? (This is my arrogance speaking here.)

Viola! Beads! All that's left now is to put holes and bake them (Yes...I make it sound so simple.) There's a lot of things that could go wrong in the baking process. There's this ominous warning on the packaging that says: IF CLAY IS SCORCHED OR BURNED, LEAVE OVEN DOOR OPEN AND EVACUATE PREMISES FOR AT LEAST 20 MINUTES UNTIL FUMES DISSIPATE. Nice eh?

Go Beijing!

The 2008 Olympics will conclude tomorrow. I don't know how I'll cope. I think I'll have withdrawal symptoms for a few days. I've been following the olympics more than I've followed any other (apart from Greg Louganis crashing into the swimming pool after that dive in 84) due to the fact that this year everything is in China.

When I watched the opening ceremony (on TV obviously), I felt choked up. Like I was going to cry (and I did, after each segment, while my husband was looking at me like I was the weirdest person he's ever met), my eyes welled up, and I felt PROUD. What's happening to me? I haven't even been to China. The only thing linking me to China is my grandfather's birth certificate (and the fact that in my everyday life, my being chinese gets more evident in the way I speak, eat and live. I do shave though. ). I felt proud to see my grandparent's country come so far and acheive so much. Sure there's still the human rights issues but other countries have that too. On this day however, they pulled everything off perfectly. I kept on repeating over and over, nobody is ever going to top this. I felt P-R-O-U-D.

I wish my grandparents could have seen the opening. I think my tears were for them too, of not being able to go back home and see their family, only being able to watch from a distance. I now understand the feeling of being away from the place where you came from, of not having ties, but knowing that you're still part of that faraway country. Of rooting for them to succeed, and screaming with joy when it finally happens.

Cream Puff Heaven

I generally don't like sweets, but when a friend gave me these cream puffs I was instantly hooked. I can only describe it as cream puff heaven. The choux pastry is crispy yet chewy on the inside, baked perfectly. The filling is not too sweet, not too thick, just perfect for a bigger than average cream puff.

We had some ordered for work. I think it was well received but probably not enough for dinner. Oh well...

Bob enjoying his eclair cream puff. I was looking at the picture and noticed that if I just positioned him slightly in front of the sweet, it'd look pretty disgusting.

Bob is a rebel

I've always had jobs where working on weekends is a requirement, so I've never had the feeling of TGIF. It was the same at school, we had no school on Thursdays, and had to go to school on Saturdays. However, in celebration of the end of the week (for most, not us) Bob has decided to go a for the dress down rebel look. Happy weekend everyone!

Bob it is

So I guess it's official. The day after I posted the picture online, everybody started calling him Bob. So Bob it is then. He's a big hit. People keep on wanting to touch him so I don't really know how to clean him once he gets grimy from all the handprints. I think when that happens, I'll rename him to Dirty Bob (sounds a bit pornish but what the hey).

So here's Bob in studious mode.

Nice day!

I have a new friend at work.

Everytime I touch his head (yes it's a he...I'm not sure why but it's a he dog) he starts bobbing it up and down and it relaxes me. It seems like he's been bobbing his head a lot today.

I still don't know what name to give him. Obvious choice...Bob.

A Perfect Ending to July Birthdays

Last Saturday was a belated birthday celebration with someone I hadn't seen for 14 years. I've known July since we were kids, but we never really hanged out in the same crowd. Somehow when you get older, all that doesn't really seem to matter. I couldn't wait to see her.

I've mastered my cake by now and I baked my last cake for July (both for the month and the person). I think it's an apt ending to a perfect July celebration of birthdays. Seeing her again gave me memories that will last me a lifetime. She has changed, but in a lot of ways she still reminds me of the bubbly, energetic girl that I used to see around school. This time though, I got a glimpse of her up close. It was worth the 14 year wait.

We've promised to see each other again. I think this time, we'll both be seeing each other without letting another 14 years pass.

Happy Birthday July.