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Sweet, Sweet Things

Today has been the most productive, and creative, day I've had so far this summer. It wasn't exactly a 'bright and early' start, but when I eventually woke up, it wasn't too long before my dad and I were on the road, set out on an epic journey to go in search of all things sweet, or at least just edible.
I've been nagging for a few weeks (or months) now to go to a shop that sells baking supplies, because I've developed a slight fascination with baking and decorating cakes. We were terribly confused at first, looking for fondant, but not being able to find it. Eventually, when we've finally searched the entire store, we asked a lady who worked there for help.
Here's what I learnt:

• In the USA, fondant is called fondant.
• In the UK, it's called sugarpaste.
• In South Africa, it's either called pettinice or plastic icing. The first one sounds strange and personally, I find the second name to be a little troubling.

Anyway, we left the store with two kilogrammes of fondant, two 101 piece cookie cutter sets, a 5 kilogramme bag of icing sugar, six colours of gel food colouring and a little modelling tool set. This little excursion set us back quite a few bucks, but that's my dad for you. At least now we have whatever we might need, until I use up all the fondant that is. For my first attempt, I tried making a little cat I saw in one of my cake books and I was pretty happy with the results.

It doesn't totally suck, right? It was harder than I thought it would be, that I have to admit, but after playing with it for a while, I really got into it. The only problem now is my fingernails and tips are still kind of black from the food colouring and I'm not sure how to get it off... It kind of looks like I've been working in a coal mine. I'll see how things look when I've done some practising.

Also, I made dessert today! My aunt and uncle and friends of my parents came over for dinner tonight and I was responsible for dessert. It was pretty simple. Very simple, actually and I didn't poison anyone in the process, so... Good for me! I'll share the recipe tomorrow, but for now, check out the yummy pudding.

It's not very impressive to look at and I am kind of disappointed that the layers didn't come out a little bit better, but hey, it sure tasted good!

Mom's Baking

For a number of months now, my mother has been obsessing over a brand of cookware she deems to be exquisite, but has never used before. I've seen this stuff and personally think its way too heavy to be practical, but hey, my mom's the one who's gonna use it not me. The problem? These pots, pans and accessories are pretty expensive and right now, expensive just isn't in the budget. It was a choice between these cooking monstrosities and a new camera for Christmas and mom chose the camera, but that doesn't mean that she doesn't still want the cookware. She does. Very much. So when there's a competition in one of her favourite magazines to win a set of these pots, what does she do? She enters of course.

I'm not entirely sure what this competition requires, since I was absent-mindedly busy with my own teenage business while my mom was busy planning out all her stuff, but I do know there are food and photos involved. I didn't catch the rest of the stuff, but I did get a snapshot of the cake.

It really didn't turn out that bad. In fact, I think its a pretty colorful masterpiece. Not only does this cake look awesome and artistic, its actually pretty tasty too. A double whammy! Nice job, Mom!

I'm not sure if she'll win the competition, but the rest of us judges will definitely enjoy the work in the meantime.

Having a Coke with You

For those of you have seen Beastly, the movie, this is a poem you might recognise. It's also become one of my favourites since discovering it, so here it is...

Having a Coke with You by Frank O'Hara

Having a Coke with You
is even more fun than going to San Sebastian, Irún, Hendaye, Biarritz, Bayonne
or being sick to my stomach on the Travesera de Gracia in Barcelona
partly because in your orange shirt you look like a better happier St. Sebastian
partly because of my love for you, partly because of your love for yogurt
partly because of the fluorescent orange tulips around the birches
partly because of the secrecy our smiles take on before people and statuary
it is hard to believe when I’m with you that there can be anything as still
as solemn as unpleasantly definitive as statuary when right in front of it
in the warm New York 4 o’clock light we are drifting back and forth
between each other like a tree breathing through its spectacles
and the portrait show seems to have no faces in it at all, just paint
you suddenly wonder why in the world anyone ever did them
I look
at you and I would rather look at you than all the portraits in the world
except possibly for the Polish Rider occasionally and anyway it’s in the Frick
which thank heavens you haven’t gone to yet so we can go together the first time
and the fact that you move so beautifully more or less takes care of Futurism
just as at home I never think of the Nude Descending a Staircase or
at a rehearsal a single drawing of Leonardo or Michelangelo that used to wow me
and what good does all the research of the Impressionists do them
when they never got the right person to stand near the tree when the sun sank
or for that matter Marino Marini when he didn’t pick the rider as carefully
as the horse
it seems they were all cheated of some marvelous experience
which is not going to go wasted on me which is why I am telling you about it

How To Study For Exams and Other Tests

This is something we all need to know and since I'm pretty good at it. I'll share some of my secrets with you, along with the tips of some of my friends.

• Pay attention in Class

This is my biggest tip, because this always gets me through class and get me better marks. The key is to understand what the teacher is saying and then remember it later. If it's interesting, tell someone about. Telling people what you know will not only help you remember it, but it will also make you seem smarter. A double bonus! So ask the teacher if you don't understand.

• Put on your Anti-Procrastination Pants

This is a biggy. I don't always wear my Anti-Procrastination pants and therefore I don't always do well. Just don't put anything off for later, because if you do, I can promise you, you'll never get to the studying. It just works that way. I have fallen prey to this beast a lot, in fact, I'm procrastinating right now. So, please don't do what I do, do what I say.

• Sum that stuff up!

This is how all human beings are supposed to study. Take your book, take some paper and write down only the key facts, phrases and whatever your teacher told you to study. I usually read the passage, decide what to write down and then I look through that to see if I can make it shorter and I usually can. This it where you grab your trusty highlighter and start highlighting any and all key words that will make it easier to remember.

• Plan A Schedule

Make yourself a roster by which you will study, like a studying schedule. This is apparently what the smart kids do. Me? I don't work according to a schedule. I sum up my work a few days before the test and then I go through everything the night before. You're already studying when you sum the work up and this way, everything is still fresh in your mind when they put that paper down in front of you.

• Practice Makes Perfect

This is one of those cases where I preach, but don't practice. This especially comes into play when studying Math and anyone who knows me, will know that I loathe Math. You have to practice. Make sure you understand the basic concept and know your formulas, then apply it to the equations. Don't be me in this scenario. Don't go home and lounge around. If you have the opportunity to go to an extra class, GO! Trust me, it will help.

• Don't Be Cocky

I have fallen many a times because of this. It's always good to be confident, but it's never good to be stupid. Don't go saying that you're going to ace the test if you haven't even opened a book. 1) You are going to fail and 2) everyone is going to laugh at you because you were cocky. So shut your mouth, open that book and start absorbing the knowledge. If or when you pass the test, then you can brag a little, but not too much. Not many people like a bragger.

And that's it for the study tips. Not all of these are always effective. People differ and so do their studying styles. So go forth and be smart!

A Short Historical Moment

Almost two weeks ago, my friends and I went to Pretoria Zoo. It was kind of like a late birthday outing. I've always wanted to go to the Union Building and so my dad took us afterward.
I've always loved history. Sometimes I loved it to such an extent that I felt like my friends thought I was crazy and they probably did, but I just can't help it. It's just so cool. One thing I loved about this place, was how it was kind of like one giant memorial. When you walk underneath these little domes, there are plaques up on the walls with people's last names and initials on.

Another awesome thing about this place was how beautifully maintained the gardens were. It was so lusciously green, all I wanted to do was lie down on the ground and make grass angels all day long. There were all kinds of pretty flowers and I could totally picture me and my friends chilling on the lawn and having a picnic. We couldn't of course, because that would be weird and disrespectful. I think.

Cartoonies!

Since my blog is still a little boring, I thought I'd share some of my best cartoons with you guys.

‹ This is Cooper. He's just a random character I created. I kind of like him because he tends to get very cocky, especially around girls, and he loves to scheme and cause all kinds of trouble. He's pretty smooth, loved by all the ladies, or at least most of them. He enjoys taking long rides in expensive cars and smelling fresh cash in the morning.

This lovely lady on the right is one of my best friends, Monique. She's sweet and kind and just about as soft as a bunny rabbit. She just loves to get all dolled up for a night on the town and just about every other occasion on her calender.


I'll have some more pics up for you guys later on. ♥

I ♥ Books: Red Riding Hood by Sarah Blakley-Cartwright

Name:   Red Riding Hood
Author:   Sarah Blakley-Cartwright
Pages:  329
Publisher:   Atom Books

Summary:
The story of a young girl caught between a rock and a hard place. She loves one guy, but is being forced to marry another, while in the meantime, a big, bad wolf wants her for himself. Her whole village has been tormented by this wolf for what appears to be centuries and after it kills her sister, her life will never be the same again. It's all blood and guts and horror
EVERYONE'S GOING TO DIE!!!

No, not everyone. I was kidding, but a lot of people are going to die. Innocent people. People you might actually grow to like.
Warning over.

I enjoyed this book. At first I thought because the movie was kind of Twilight-ish that the book would suck, but my notion was wrong. I found that I actually couldn't put it down. My friends taunted me endlessly during off periods because I'd rather read than talk to them. Now that I think about it, that may have been kind of offensive. Anyway, the way this book was written was kind of different, but so effective when it came to helping the reader visualize. All the gory scenes ran through my head like I was there watching it. Unfortunately. But it was still very good.

My Favorite Line:
Um... I honestly can't remember any awesome lines in the book, but being such a hopeless romantic, all the scenes with Valerie and Peter were my favorites. Now that I think about it, I have a favorite line:

"Peter..."

Yeah, I know. Very stupid, but whatever.

My Verdict:
Sure, you should read it. It may not be to everyone's taste. It's better than Twilight. Now that I've said that, go read the book. I'll be cowering in fear in the corner of my room, anticipating the angry mob of Twilight fans that are about to descend upon me. Tell my mother I love her! *Cowers in fear*

Rating:

I ♥ Books: Beastly by Alex Flinn

Name:   Beastly
Author:   Alex Flinn
Pages:   304 pages
Publisher:   HarperTeen

Summary:
Kyle Kingsbury is your typical, popular, good-looking jerk. One day he plays a nasty trick on a witch (but he doesn't know she's one) and she turns him into a Bigfoot look-alike. He has two years to find someone to love him for who he is, or else he will be as unattractive outside as he is inside forever. He thinks he's found the right girl to help him, but she's very apprehensive about trusting him, since he technically kidnapped her. You'll have to read the rest yourself.


Okay, this is my first Alex Flinn book and I honestly can't wait to read another one. This book is the perfect example of "read it before you see it", because seriously the book is better than the movie in so many ways.

Not only did I find this book very compelling, but the characters were so real that I truly felt like I knew them personally. Kyle's whole struggle with becoming a monster really drew me into the story, almost like I was there, suffering with him. It's sad, but very fascinating at the same time and there were actually times where I though: "Well, if your life's so bad, why don't you just kill yourself?" and I liked that he didn't just do that.

Another thing I liked about this book was how it wasn't 'squeeky clean'. There are a few suggestive lines in the beginning of the book, like Kyle's "legalized prostitution" opinion and the time he admitted to using the magic mirror to spy on girls in the showers at camp. I'm not saying I approve of this, but this is what REAL teenage guys would have actually done. Kyle isn't this fabricated prince charming us girls will never find, he's a lot more tangible. He's believable, except of course for the bit with the fur and the claws and the fangs...

My Favorite Line
It has to be the part where Lindy's dad breaks into the greenhouse and Kyle comes storming in and says:

"Who dares disturb my roses?"

My Verdict
This is an awesome book to have on your shelf. Seriously, I finished the book the day I bought it, because I just couldn't put it down. Ask my aunt and uncle, the whole day me and my parents spent with them, I had that book in my hands.
Buy it, read it, watch the movie and then criticize the movie on everything they left out like you're some kind of expert critic.

Rating: