Granted, it was a completely new adventure for me. Life outside my high school Sri Aman is completely different and much more daunting. I made fond memories and close friends. I learned more about myself and my beliefs throughout the year, I went through regrettable decisions, emotional struggles and stressful moments.
But hey, that's life. It's as tangled and mixed up as when you put your earphones in your pocket. And just like that situation, it takes patience and determination to get through it.
I'm glad 2016 happened. I'm glad that my first step leading to adulthood was worthwhile and eye-opening. 2017 come at me, I will brave past what you throw at me.
In conjunction with New Year's Eve, I wanted to look back at the moments that shaped my year. Hence, part one of this memory lane will be a lookbook! I am currently editing another surprise post, something for both me and the people in my life. As for now, get to know my 2016 memory lane!
P.S. I highly recommend you to listen to Dear Happy by Dodie and Thomas Sanders while you go through my photos. Its a really heartfelt song ◕‿↼
JANUARY
FEBRUARY
MARCH
APRIL
MAY
JUNE
AUGUST
OCTOBER
NOVEMBER
DECEMBER
Part 2 will be out tomorrow! Stay tuned, fellow readers.
I am absolutely aware that I have a constant struggle in cooking/baking. I don't have enough skills to come up with my own recipe. Instead, I use the simplest, most reasonably priced and most effective recipes (because simplicity is the ultimate sophistication #DaVinciBless).
I used the recipe featured from this video by Tasty and I'll be damned- I didn't ruin it! (ノ^_^)ノ
Well, it does not look professionally perfect but I CAN ASSURE YOU, it tastes heavenly.
In this post, I will be reviewing the recipe from the source video and tips on making it the best way possible. I will include which brand of ingredients and where you can purchase them as well as a personal rating chart below each recipe!
1. CLASSIC CHOCOLATE TRUFFLE
If you're a die-hard milk chocolate lover, this kind of truffle is just for you. It's super simple to make, and takes a relatively short time. I highly suggest using Hershey's Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips which you can find in TESCO (I went to the Mutiara Damansara outlet) and Van Houten Cocoa Powder. The taste of the filling and the cocoa coat eaten together is very rich and satisfying.
Tips:
Now, the consistency should be thick and easy to chill. It shouldn't melt easily as well. In my first try, the consistency I ended up with was too sticky and runny. Although we freezed it for over an hour, it got sticky and sloppy after some time in room temperature. I think it had something to do with either too much chocolate chips, or too much heavy cream.
Again, I don't get along with the kitchen, so I am not completely sure what happened. (/ﾟДﾟ)/ I will update once I solved the problem though!
Ratings.
- Savoury : 5/5
- Consistency : 3.5/5
- Does it melt easily? : Yes (Attempt 1)
2. COOKIES N' CREAM TRUFFLE
Now this one, came out perfectly. Again, it is really simple to make, and it is ideal for sweet tooths. It's REALLY SWEET. I highly recommend Oreo cookies and baking white chocolate which I also bought from TESCO. The result is sweet and crunchy, and quite filling!
Tips:
Don't freeze it for too long. This consistency took a very short time to chill, so either cool it or freeze it for a shorter time. Also, make sure you crush the Oreo cookies well, until they are small chunks or crumbs.
Ratings.
- Savoury : 4/5 (I am not much of a white chocolate person)
- Consistency : 5/5
- Does it melt easily? : Not at all, it stayed well for a long period of time.
And there you have it! I made these with my brothers and cousin for leisure, and they were great treats! If you do try them out, do comment your verdict below! Happy holidays, everyone!
Holidays have commenced, I am officially on a one month break from A-Levels! (Who am I kidding there is no break for A-Levels, not until I complete A2)
Anyway, I'll balance it out. I have several things planned out for the break, and I just ticked off the DIY checkbox!
I haven't done a crafty DIY in FOREVER. So here you go! This DIY is actually a part of a special project for my college, you can check out what we did in this video here!
In the meantime, here is a simple guide in making personal Christmas candle holders!
REINDEER SILHOUETTE CANDLE HOLDER (Designed by : Xinthia Chua Li Xinn)
MATERIALS:
- Clear jam jar
- Reindeer stencil (drawn on A4 paper will do)
- White acrylic paint (I do not recommend spray paint for coating a jar AT ALL. It's disasterous and longer to handle)
- Black felt paper
- Red glitter (used to coat the red nose)
- Hot glue gun
- Red coloured paper (used to make the red nose)
- Red and white checkered ribbon (any well contrasting ribbon will do, I highly suggest plaid though)
- Gold coloured paper
Glue the stencil on the jar before painting it on the exterior surface. Once dry, peel off the stencil and stick the red nose on. As for the cover of the jar, use the black felt paper to cover the circumference and the gold paper to cover the top.Finish with a plaid red and white ribbon.
SANTA OUTFIT CANDLE HOLDER (Designed by : Debbee Chang)
MATERIALS:
- Clear jam jar
- Red and white acrylic paint
- White buttons
- Black felt paper (for the belt)
- Gold coloured paper (for the buckle)
- Pastel blue ribbon
- Sponge
- Hot glue gun
For a matte finish, use the sponge the dab the red paint on the exterior surface of the jar and the white paint on the jar cover. Hot glue the buttons, belt and buckle to keep it firm. Finish with a pastel blue ribbon.
CHRISTMAS TREE CANDLE HOLDER (Designed by : Yong En Chee)
MATERIALS:
- Clear jam jar
- Acrylic paint
- Glitter (use Christmas themed colours)
- Black and white buttons
- Ribbons
- Hot glue gun
First, decorate the exterior surface of the jar with coloured specks to represent the ornaments. Add in buttons to the mix while you are at it. Paint the inner bottom of the jar with brown paint, to represent the stump of the tree.Use the hot glue gun to create a spiralling path travelling down the jar. Dab water and then glitter onto the dried glue to resemble fairy lights. Finish with two ribbons of different colours.
FROSTY THE SNOWMAN CANDLE HOLDER (Designed by : Mitra Ganeson and Naavish Nair)
MATERIALS:
- Clear jam jar
- White acrylic paint
- Black buttons
- Red ribbon
- Sponge
- Hot glue gun
Start with lightly dabbing the exterior surface of the jar with white acrylic paint, to give a frosty effect. Paint the jar cover as well. Hot glue three black buttons in a vertical line. Finish with a red ribbon.
THE TEAM!
AND THERE YOU HAVE IT! These candle holders are perfect as a personal present, room decoration or a housewarming gift! If you do try these DIYs out, tag me on Instagram (@artimysticblogs). Shoutout to Kris Hor (check out his work here!) for directing an amazing video shoot today, I look forward to continue working with you! Also big shoutout to my college friends who took their time to help with this project!
Enjoy your Christmas preparations, dear readers! Keep me posted with some of your Christmas DIYs.
