Sneaky Sneaky

that's my boo right there. He dislikes it when i take pictures of him and post them online. Haha. Sorry, Mr. Pillow, but I can't help it. 

Say Hi to Rob. He's mr. shy guy :)

moonbeamers,

Blog Award BackLog!

woot, woot. So my NorCal buddy, Evani, nominated me on her blog for a Blog Award Backlog (applause!). I feel so honored! The Rules are to state 7 random things about yourself and nominate 15 (preferred fellow bloggers) people... LezGo.

1. I have Vitiligo. Something I'm proud of but not too proud of either. Haha. It takes me 30 - 40 minutes every day to do my make up because I have to do cover-up make up since most of my vitiligo are around my neck & facial area. At first it was a struggle for me, but now I'm very used to it. What I learned from my autoimmune disease is that I developed the i-dont-care-because-i-am-cool-and-awesome attitude when it comes to my style/way of life. People love me because of my personality and talent, not because of the way I look. Huzzah. The only person who's still struggles about my Vit is my mother. She's high maintenance! Bah! We're total opposite.
2. 2 places where I go every paycheck day: Target  & Homegoods. I think people can relate to Target, but Homegoods for me is Hell/Heaven on earth. I'm a sucker for their kitchen section.
3. I'm currently loving the scent of burning candles. Again, I went to Homegoods and bought some. Haha.
4. I have two addresses, one in Rancho Cucamonga & one is Newport Beach :)
5. I really, really, REALLY don't like to work out. I love the feeling after a work out, it's awesome, but just to get my ass to work out, that's a challenge on its own. 
6. Bread is my weakness. I believe on a stranded island, I can survive on King's Hawaiian Bread.
7. I collect cameras, glasses and mason jars --> current obsession. 

Since I still have a small amount of blog friends, ja kno, being a newbie and all, I'm gonna nominate some of my Facebook friends. Woo. 

As for bloggers: the girls from Shimai Shimai, Alex from Louise Amabilis, Ollie from A Sight of Love,  Mike from Whiskey, Black Leather & Diamonds, Ella from WriteFromWrong, Gypsie Sister, Amanda of Little Lady Little City, Aldy from I'm Dreaming I'm Alive.

As for FB: Gaby, Heather, Torrey Jones, Ryan H, Raisa, Elaine, Timoteo!!

Hah, we'll see how this goes. Y'all nominated :)

moonbeamers,

Being Thrifty

YES. I love going to thrift stores. Not only you find great things, but all for a fraction of store prices. Who doesn't love saving money? Cha-Ching. 

Anyways, I went to Goodwill today & managed to find some Mason Jars and 2 shirts. I noticed lately Goodwill is getting pricier, or maybe it's just me.

I'm gonna score this with short jeans

these would be cute with leggings. Yay.

I went crazy on Mason Jars!

Also, I know I mentioned before that I went to a thrift store in Anaheim (super cheap because they were having a moving sale. 50% off! What? Thrift & 50% off?) and I got 2 dresses!!

i would wear this with a wide brown belt and wedges. Hm. Date night.

hm, with a wide black belt and heels. hello church.

Who loves to go to thrift stores? Raise your hands!!!

bunny kisses,

I did it... (and yes, I cheated)

it's not even my birthdayyy

I have finally made a decent cake. It was delicious. Yes, my goal this year was to make a cake and be able to frost it in at least a presentable way. I was obsessed with Ombre Cakes because they just look so awesome, so hence that's what I made. And it came out pretty decent.

Yet, I cheated. Haha. I made the Chocolate cake from scratch, but I cheated on the Vanilla cake. Yes, I used a box mix. But at least it was an all natural box mix from Fresh & Easy. I did compare their mix with like Betty Crocker's, and they don't have any weird chemicals in their mix. Super. My goal was to get the hang of frosting the cake, plus I was suppressed on time, I had to make one of the cake layers from a box. 

6 hours in the kitchen = tired.

So for the chocolate cake, I used the recipe from Sprinkle Bakes' book and it came out excellent. The cake was super moist. It really tasted like Devil's Food Cake from a box without being from a box. Super impressed. I, of course, did some tweaked to the recipe, instead of using buttercream liquid, I used the powdered version and substituted the fluid with, wait for it, Chocolate Lovers Creme de Coco Wine. It came out divine.

The original recipe makes 2 9" round cakes, but I only made one, so the rest of the batter was divided in the cupcakes. And that even made 18 cupcakes... so pretty much I recipe of the cake makes 36 cupcakes. Dank! As for the Vanilla cake mix, I split the batter in half and colored one half with chocolate paste to create a mocha like color. 

As for frosting, since my friends who came over requested chocolate cake, I decided to make Whipped Chocolate Ganache, also from Sprinkle Bakes's book. It's soo rich, it's awesome

Another cheat that I did was I had some frostings left from the graduation cupcakes, I decided to use them for the chocolate cupcakes from the cake batter. It came out pretty darn good.

Whipped Cream Cheese, Strawberry Lambrusco Buttercream & Whipped Chocolate Ganache

Hard work paid off because both friends & my brother loved the cake. There's a lot of learning to do regarding frosting technique & how to move the cake from the turning stand to the cake stand (I damaged some parts of the cake haha), but other than that, the cake was delish.

On the other hand, my friends and I were talking over cake about New York City, and we did a secret handshake and devoted ourselves to live in NYC one day all together. Haha... We're crazy. Heather will be in NYC in July and begged to make a trip there with her. Gabz & I started dreaming and planning and got excited and decided to join too. Unfortunately my schedule didn't fit with Heather's trip, but we both booked an NYC trip (just like seconds ago) a couple of days after Heather goes back to Cali (SORRY MY LOVE!!!). I love that city so much, I wanna marry it. Kidding.

This is one spontaneous purchase/trip, but I'm so excited. I can't wait to explore New York again. Haha, 3 times the charm (this will be 3 years in a row!!)

My goal in NYC is to explore more, especially West Village, East Village, SoHo & Chelsea/Meatpacking District, and also Brooklyn (where we'll be staying). And try as much as possible foods from this list. Aaaaa, forget dieting. 

moonbeams & exciting bunny kisses,

Things I Love Monday, week 24 - 25

What? Week 25 already? I can't believe how fast time flies. We're heading to July as we speak. Crazy. It's been pretty busy in the world of Bolu, hence I've been pretty slow in sharing recipes. But I promise (I think I did last week too *sad face*) to share a recipe soon. It will be one from the graduation cupcakes that I made a week ago *hint: booze involved*. Yay.

2 weeks ago, I met up with an old high school friend of mine when I was in Jakarta. Homegirl came all the way from Germany to visit her parents and kindly enough she messaged me thru facebook and ask to meet up. So we did. And it was great. I finally got to meet her son, who surprisingly doesn't speak any language besides German (how awesome is that?). I asked her how does he communicate with his grandpa (who speaks Indonesian and English) and she said that they communicate with sign language and pointing. How cute!! Before I met up with her at the Camp in Costa Mesa, I stopped by at Mitsuwa, a Japanese market nearby, and got 2 Japanese magazine. Haha. They're pricey! We ate at Taco Asylum (which I really recommend) and bond and reminisce the good ol' days. It's funny to see us 10 years later in another land. Super cool. After we went our separate ways, I decided to go to 2 thrift stores around Anaheim and managed to score some books and 2 vintage dresses & a sweater. All under $25. I feel like a baws.

1. Priska & I; 2. I actually want a pair of perfect breasts; 3. Words of Wisdom at the Camp parking lot; 4. My findings around OC

Also I was busy baking for the Graduation Cupcake for my beloved Gaby (congrats again, mija) and also acting as guests attendant at my cousin's wedding. I even managed to stop by at Gaby's celebration and to witness the great success of my cupcakes *haha*. People said they ate at least 2-3. That's crazy. It was nice to meet up with old friends from my old church in Jakarta at the party. Reunion is awesome.

Work has been pretty hectic (and there was drama also. Gah) so I don't feel like remembering those hard days, haha. Last Tuesday my mum's cousins and her aunt came over because they demanded to eat some of my cupcakes, so I made them the Red Wine Velvet. My brother's friends came over as well. All 24 cupcakes were gone. Wow. I can't believe people can consume that many cupcakes. Hahaha. 

Despite the busy-ness of work, I'm grateful to have awesome people around. Being on call this past weekend (and getting called in twice on Saturday), my beloved Pillow man still decided to come and visit me. Chimmy always lingers but is being brattier by the day. His barks are ear-piercing, it hurts. My mother and I randomly went to get a foot/body massage at hour favorite Reflexology parlor in Rowland Heights on a Thursday night, totally worth it. 

1. Coffee Monster @ Coffee Bean; 2. Delicious dinner @ Pho Ha; 3. The Rainbows of IV; 4. Postcards from Pillow 

I have a feeling some changes, maybe good or bad, are about to happen. I'm not sure what they are, but it's coming. Should I be afraid or should I embrace it? I don't know. Wee.

moonbeams & bunny kisses,

YogurtDate

Today Mr. Pillow & I went for a quick date and headed to Claremont, to get some yogurt. Twas a nice day in Southern California, and it would be a waste to spend the day indoors (which pretty much what we did all morning & afternoon). What sucks for being on call for me is that I can't go anywhere too far with the fear that I might get called in & won't be able to reach the hospital soon enough. It was nice to get out of the house even for an hour or so.

Gotta love the sunset. I hope you all had a great weekend. 

moonbeams & bunny kisses,

photos were taken by my gopro camera.

Links I Love Sunday

Hello!! It's Sunday (already?), which means it's time to share you some links I enjoyed this past week. 

• If you love laughing (who doesn't?) or need some pick me up, watch this.
• Poor soccer player. Not only he's in pain, he got butt first.
• I love cupcakes and I want this!
• This is a really good article about saying thanks to your partner. My favorite part is where he said, "I find that knowing that my efforts have been witnessed and are appreciated makes it much easier to offer my support and my labor as an act of love".
• Gotta love Goop. Ms. Paltrow-Martin wrote about traveling tips on a plane, and I agree with the fly-fashion. Hmm... Can't wait to plane some vacay time :) PS: don't you love that Air New Zealand's Sky Couch? Envy!
• Sending some major love to Aesha, the girl from Afghan who was saved and brought to US from her Taliban husband who cut off her nose & ears when she tried to escape from their marriage. 

Do you guys have any links to read? Share!

moonbeams & bunny kisses,

Links I Love Sunday (sorry... late!)

Sorry for being late. I had a really busy Sunday (wedding & a grad party) so I didn't have time to share some fun links I enjoyed over the past week. So here we go!

• I want this.
• If anyone is going to visit New York City and would like to know the best places to grub, check this out. Makes me wanna go back so bad.
• Recently found I am Baker and fell in love.
• Homage to my dad for Father's Day. Mustache and all.
• I Love Coldplay (i think you all know that) and I Love A capella. This Guy is PURE genius. I'm in awe.
• If you're a dog lover like me, you would love this :) I want a Corgi now :3

this video made me cried big time

well, I hope you all had a great Sunday. haha this post is so late.

moonbeams,

The Graduation Cupcakes

First of all, I would like to congratulate all the students that finally graduation this past weekend. Lots of friends and family I know graduated from college. So proud of all of them.

Anyways, one of the new grads, my friend, Gaby, threw a grad party for her. Kindly enough she asked me to make some cupcakes for it. She ordered 3 dozen of 3 different flavors, and I spend all Friday night after work and Saturday afternoon to complete the 3. It was fun and tiring at the same time. I was really in Frosting Heaven. I don't usually brag about my creations, but I was impressed on how awesome the frostings were. Hehe.

So for the cupcakes, she ordered (from left to right):

• Kahlua Coffee Cupcake with Kahlua Infused Buttercream with Espresso
• Chocolate Souffle Cupcake with Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting
• French Vanilla Cupcake with Strawberry Lambrusco Wine Buttercream

I even made some toppers, like the Fist Pump one in the middle, for her. Overall, I'm pretty happy with the outcome. I attended the party after my cousin's wedding, and I was all smiles when there was no cupcake left when I arrived. Hahaha... For me that was a major compliment. Lots of the people there said they love them. Yay. The owner of the house where the party was held even asked if I made Vegan Cupcakes. I'm like, yeaah :)

I promise I will post a recipe soon. Probably the Kahlua one. Hee Hee.

moonbeams & bunny kisses,

The Recipe Cost Spreadsheet !!!

So I was bored after my 2 days bake-fest (yes I am tired actually) and decided to create a Spreadsheet for the cost of my recipes and to see if I made profit or not if someone places an order. It was mindboggling and tiring but I did it!

You can download it for free as long as you credit me if you decide to share it in your blog! From one baker to another :) It's under my Google Docs and you can download it as an Excel file and use it at your own convenience.

For any questions or comment, please feel free to email me :)

moonbeams & bunny kisses,

Cupcake Weekend

Cupcake weekend? Yes, moonbeamers. This weekend I have to bake for my dear friend who's graduating this Sunday.

For her order, she wanted:

• Chocolate Souffle Cupcake with Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting (killa!)
• Kahlua Coffee Cupcake with Kahlua Buttercream Frosting
• something with strawberry (I've been browsing)

I even made some toppers for the cuppies. Super excited.

I will share pictures once they ensemble :)

weee...

moonbeams,

Quote of the Day

Me (to a patient): Hon, I'm gonna check your IV, so I'm gonna flush it. If it hurts, holla at me, mkay?
Fabian (co-worker): *asking another co-worker, Chuckie* Did she just said Holla?
Chuckie: I think she did said Holla
Fabian: Why did you say Holla? Are you trying to be black?
Me: I don't know why I said Holla. *smh*

Things I Love Monday, week 22 - 23

Hello Moonbeamers!

Just a quick TiLM. I have lots of errands to do, but I shall manage some minutes to spare for a quick TiLM :)

• Had an epiphany to follow my heart. My mind and heart is in traveling, so I had to decided to try out Registry. For those who are not familiar, registry is an agency where they are contracted with local healthcare facilities to provide temporary staffs when they're in shortage. With the drama that's going on in my current workplace, I think it's time for me to break free and find my own happiness. Tomorrow I have a meeting with an Agency, we'll see how it goes. I have a feeling that God is sending me some signals about my currently life situation. I'm gonna test the water, and if it's right, then I'll go for it. Fingers cross :)
• I signed up for the Color Run in San Diego. I had to forfeit my Sacramento one (but someone will get lucky... hehehe). I'm so excited because I'm gonna run with Rob & my beloved cousin Elaine and her amazing boyfriend Tim and a group of her co-workers. This should be great :)
• Had a deep conversation with the Pillow. It was really great to share our deep thoughts and feelings among us and to be open about what the future holds. I love this man.
• Banana Bread Beer! Taste like it too. Yum.
• Had a dinner date with Elaine & Tim this past Wednesday. Love this couple. Thanks for the dinner & awesome stuffs :)
• The Pillow aka Rob went to the East Coast this past week (super jealous). He was able to attend the friendly soccer game between Argentina (he's a hardcore fan, go figure) vs Brazil. At least he can semi-check off a Bucket List (his ultimate one would be in a World Cup finale). On Sunday, he skyped me from Times Square. You don't know how jealous I was >:( But gotta love Skype. I can see Times Square live from home
• Dreaming for a trip to London town! Hence I'm reading a book about it! Student Budget-wise hehe
• Watched an Indian Movie by infamous Shahrukh Khan. Really good. It's on Netflix, called Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi. And had an Indian moment of cooking curry while listening to Bollywood music. Life is good.
• Trying out hula-hooping with Hoopnotica. I have a bruise to prove it! Hah!

yum

2 of cake in a mug

Goofin' off with my Oma @ church

i don't know what chimmy is doing here

all the way from Times Square

currently reading these books

fresh out of the groomer

some Argentinian sandwich :)

The situation at work is pretty stressful, I leave my home okay until I get to work and feel my neck and shoulder tense up. I'm usually not like this, but I know that there's something wrong :( [sorry for the whining]. I need a heating pack!

One thing that I'm looking forward to is BAKING! I have 3 orders to do this weekend! Eek!

Hope everyone have a great week. Summer is here!

moonbeams & bunny kisses,