Seeker Lover Keeper - Rely On Me

With it being New Years Eve and all, I thought I'd write up a list of New Years resolutions for 2012!
I'm not usually one for resolutions but I guess it doesn't hurt to have some goals.

1. Get fit, tone up and just eat a little healthier. I have lost a lot of weight since coming home from the States, but I think there is still room for improvement.
2. Stick to a strict savings plan for Europe and Peru. If I'm going to do Europe, I definitely want to do it comfortably and not have to worry about eating bread and fast food all the time. I also will need to cut spending on unnecessary things like clothes and gadgets I don't need.
3. Focus on my last semester of uni and do well! I also need to manage my time better and find a better balance between work, uni and friends/family.
4. Stop being so angry and fired up about everything all the time. I need to calm down, maybe take up yoga regularly?
5. Be a better and safer driver. I totalled my car earlier this year and have been in a few other close calls, calming down occasionally might help with this.
6. Dip dye my hair a crazy colour when I finish my last semester of school!
7. Be a better photographer!
8. Read more!
9. Spend a little less time on Facebook.
10. Blog regularly and not just about crap.

I can't think of anything else, but I will probably add more to this list once I have a bit more time to sit down and brainstorm a bit more. 

I also wanted to thank a few people for making my 2011 such a great (and bearable year).

Eileen - for always being there whenever I needed to talk about anything at all, and putting up with all my crazy talk. You are the most thoughtful friend I have ever had the pleasure of having in my life and I'm so glad that we've become such great friends over the course of 3 years. I love you Eileen and I hope I get to spend more of 2012 with you! My fondest memory of 2011 is that time we were in New Orleans and I woke up in the middle of the night to find your head nuzzling my chest.

Roxy - Thanks for making so much time for me this year, I love those random unplanned outings we have every week or so. Everything is always so much better when you're near. You are the funniest, coolest, quirkiest person I know and you mean so, so much to me! I hope that we get to spend more time together and maybe keep to our savings plans for our epic travel adventures next year!


Lucy - Thank you so much for being that crazy friend that I can always call and talk to whenever I am feeling down. I feel like I have known you the entire time I've been at uni even though we really only started spending more time together this last year. I had so much fun in Melbourne and thank you for being so tolerable, and it is so reassuring to know that you always have my back.  I will never forget the night you made me feel you up, because that was the night we first met and I didn't even know your name.

I feel like I'm writing the same things over again for every person I want to thank.

Tonia - I never really realised how close we've become over the last year, but I'm glad to have had such a ball of a year with you. I love that we can be so blatantly honest with each other without being the least bit angry with one another, and I can always count on you to tell me if my cupcakes suck. I know you think I can be very silly and naive and I'm glad that you have been in my life to keep me in check! You are a great friend and I hope we can both keep pushing each other to go to the gym as much as we have, even if it kills us.

Aaron - you are the best adopted brother anyone could ask for! Even though you do some of the stupidest things and annoy me to no end, I have to give you some credit for putting up with my non-sensical rants, so thanks Aaron!


Andrew - it has been one weird roller-coaster ride for the both of us and I'm glad we have stayed such great friends. It's nice to have someone in my life who understands and appreciates my crazy talk (most of the time) and sorry I forced you to eat so many cupcakes this year. I really mean that. 

Happy New Years everyone, hope your new year is better and brighter than any other!

Set Sail - Whales

I have been going on a bit of a baking rampage these last couple of days. I baked some red velvet cupcakes for a friend's birthday, brownies and some raspberry, white chocolate and macadamia nut cookies. I stocked up on some baking equipment at the Boxing Day sales and got a little carried away - I got my hands on a sifter, a few baking trays and pans and set of some much needed measuring spoons.

My savings plan has been put momentarily on hold, I got a little bit carried away at the Boxing Day sales and purchased so many things that I didn't really need ($40 beach towel, another swim suit, clothes that I didn't need). I hope I have enough for my big Peru/Europe trip come June, groan.


I adapted this recipe from the Tasted by Two recipe found here. 


Red Velvet Cupcakes (makes 12)


Preparation time: 1 hour
Baking time: 18 - 20 minutes


Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups plain flour
50 g unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1 cup caster sugar
3 - 4 tbsp red food colouring
1 egg, room temperature
6 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup milk
1 tsp cider vinegar
1 tsp baking powder


Preheat the oven to 180C. Line a cupcake pan with patty pans, I like the larger cupcake liners, I think they work a little bit better. Sift the flour and salt in a small bowl and set it aside. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. I made the mistake of putting too much sugar the first couple of attempts, so make sure the mixture is smooth and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time and beat well.


In a small bowl, mix the cocoa, vanilla and red food colouring together, if the mixture isn't wet enough, add a little bit of milk, I found the cocoa powder made the mixture a bit clumpy. Add this to the butter and sugar mixture and beat with the electric mixer until you get an even colour.


Add the milk and flour mixture to the batter in even parts. I didn't do this the first time around and the mixture was really wet and looked like brains, and you really don't want that. Beat until smooth and make sure you scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula and continue beating until you have an even mixture.


In a small bowl, stir the cider vinegar and baking soda together and add this to the mixture and continue to beat the mixture until it is smooth and even.


Divide the batter evenly between the patty pans. I like to use an ice cream scoop with the flippy handle to do this because it makes things easier. I try to fill the patty pans to about 3/4 of the way, any more and the cupcakes look like toadstools when you pull them out of the oven and any less than half way, won't fill out the liners and the cupcakes don't look generous enough. Bake them for about 18-20 minutes and I usually use a toothpick or skewer to test if the cupcakes are ready - if the toothpick comes out clean then they're okay!


Leave them in the pan for about 5 - 10 minutes and then take them out to cool on a rack. Make sure they are completely cool before you ice them.


After the cupcakes have been in the oven for about 10 minutes, I start on the cream cheese icing.


Cream cheese icing
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes


Ingredients:
100g cream cheese (the Woolworths Home Brand cream cheese works really well, I've tried others and they left rubbery bits in the mixture and I had to throw out the entire thing and start again)
50g unsalted butter
1 cup icing sugar, sifted
1 tsp vanilla extract


Blend all the ingredients together until smooth, light and fluffy. I like to pipe my icing onto the cupcakes and I really recommend the plastic disposable ones you can get from the grocery store, they work really well.


That's it! This is my favourite recipe and the cupcakes are always really dense and work really well with the cream cheese. I've tried to do a fancy dollop of icing like the ones from Sprinkles or Magnolia Bakery, but fail every time, so piping works fine. Let me know how you find the recipe!

About a fortnight ago now, I dragged a friend to the highly interactive Rafael Lozano-Hemmer Recorders exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art here in Sydney. It was so much fun, I can't even begin to explain how amazing it was. Mexican-Canadian Lozano-Hemmer was there to do a talk about his work and what he was trying to do with it. I really appreciated that his aim was to invite all kinds of people to participate and experience his art rather than an exclusive group of art critics. It was really interactive, and was so different to anything I've ever seen before - lots of trackers, heart monitors, light bulbs, mirrors, scanners, very, very cool. I really enjoyed the exhibit and I encourage everyone to go and see it while it's still in town (Feb 12), I should probably also mention that it is also free!

Foster The People - Pumped Up Kicks

Last weekend, I participated in the Gay Marriage Rally in Hyde Park. It was such an exhilarating experience, I don't think I've had so much fun dancing (in the street) to Lady Gaga or Kylie Minogue. 

The Finders Keepers Markets were quite disappointing this time around, to be honest. I bought one print, a necklace and a canvas tote bag. I was hoping there would be more clothing stalls, but nothing really caught my eye. The Lomo store was really cool, and I was so tempted to get my hands on a Diana Mini (I really want one), but stopped myself from being whisked away by the sales guy. I still think I will get one, but I might wait a while. I haven't even touched my Blackbird Fly yet!

I also picked up a Janome sewing machine at a garage sale on the way to the market, for $20! What a bargain! It's in working order and I love it! I've already named her Nancy. I am still learning how to use it, I think I might make bunting or something to hang up in my room as a first project. I would really like to make a shirt dress from a men's business shirt by the end of summer, and I had a trawl through a Vinnie's store near my work, but they were all about $20 a shirt, I don't think that's really worth it, so I might wait till I perfect my sewing skills before I ruin a perfectly nice shirt.

M83 - Midnight City

One more exam to go. I cannot wait till this is all over!

I have just finished a packet of Tim Tams and I'm not feeling too good. Egh. All those months of slaving away at the gym, wasted.

In other news, I just booked tickets for Eileen and I to see Foster the People at the Enmore, I haven't seen too many shows this year, so I'm very excited. They are definitely going to sell out, so if anyone is interested, you should probably book them ASAP.

There are so many BDO sideshows I want to see - Girl Talk and Best Coast and Laneway! I really want to go to Laneway next year, talk about an amazing lineup - M83, Chairlift, Feist, Girls, The Panics, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, The Drums and Laura Marling! Oh, I am totally jizzing in my pants.

Problem? None of my friends seems too keen. I need to make more friends. Where do you meet people these days?

I don't have anything of substance to discuss, but here's a video very inspirational video you might enjoy. So great.

Lana Del Ray - Video Games

I really like tacos. Really like tacos.
I wanted to dress up as a taco this Halloween, and stumbled upon this AWESOME taco costume.

Photo from all-mighty.net

First DIY project?

Money - The Drums

I am going to attempt to kick start my blogging again by making a list of things I want to do this summer. I should really be studying for my finals next week, but maybe this will give me some motivation and inspiration!

So I was thinking of maybe trying my hand at DIY this summer. I've been trawling a lot of blogs and have been getting a lot of inspiration as to what clothes and accessories I want to make! So here goes my list.

• Sewing machine
• Diana Mini Lomography Camera to get me back into film photography!
• Thrift store shopping for some DIY inspiration
• Wardrobe clean out - I realise there are a lot of clothes I never wear anymore and there is no room for the clothes that I have been buying, so after reading A Pair & a Spare's Wardrobe Rehab, I've decided to clean out as much as I can.
• Get that vintage camel coat altered.

Now that I have a list down, I am going to go hit the books again.

Since it is the month of Movember, here is a picture of a moustache.

Blog soon!