On The Go...

Thanks Kak Zie.

Can't stay long,
Or sing you a song,
cakes need tending,
weddings I'm attending,
always in a hurry,
moving in a scurry,

All done to chase,
the time in a clock race.
Time will tell,
If all goes well,

If only I could freeze,
moments that whoosh in a whiz...


Thanks so much Yatie!

Thanks Intan for all three boxes.

Ayu! Congratulations on your wedding. Many thanks for the order!

A Whole Lotta Work

I declined many orders last week folks, just to prepare for the upcoming ones ahead. I am uncertain if I could finish them all in time and still make it to my cousin's wedding with the promised cupcakes next Saturday. I conveniently had to miss his nikah ceremony at the girl's side in Seremban earlier last week (sorry Faiz). My husband was away, I was feverish and reasons like these made you look bad in the elders' eyes. Have got to justify myself next week, waaaaa!

Anyway, this is just my 1am tired thoughts on creating and baking. Here goes...

Baking and cake decorating require massive and cumbersome work folks, which would make the pekerja buruh at the construction sites appear too relaxed. The whipping, the baking, the creaming, the freezing, the mixing, the kneading, the layering, the remaking, the stirring, the thinking, the moulding,the waiting, the colouring, are all time consuming which take up days and days before the final cake is placed into a nice box for delivery. Customers are not solely buying a concoction of baked batter. They are laying the trust in a baker to create a personal piece of edible art. Yes, it's a form of art first and foremost, then a cake. Trust me, it's never easy with me. I give everything that I've got running through these veins onto the cake! Please don't value the cake by just calculating the price of the flour, the eggs, the butter, the chocolate. It's a whole lot more than that. It's the effort, time, and thoughts put in, which tag the cake its price. If you receive one of those elaborated cakes, please do not question the person who gives it, instead look her in the eye and express your thoughts in the most imaginative way possible, the same way she did when she composed her feelings onto this edible Art....or you could always reciprocate by ordering a wizcake and return her the favour!(wink)

It's 1.30am now, and my break is over. Back to the kitchen, moulding, kneading, whipping and all that jazzing and then scouring and cleaning.

Thanks so much Andriana for the order!


Thanks so much Yuliana and Iman for these too.

36 Things Out Of The Closet

19th of May marks my 36th birthday. It was a quiet one, just like I had hoped for. Celebrating at this age is not much fun anymore. You are aware of your age, your health state as well as your mental state. You are in denial of the natural process of aging. You wished to neglect the numbers and move on but to no avail. You pondered long in front of the mirror and sometimes saw no reflection, but only a shadow. You then peeped into the wardrobe and sifted through your clothes, and took time to look at the old ones which reminded you of your youth. Sometimes, you try them on hoping you'd fit into them again, just a flicker of hope to recapture some moments you had in them. This was also the time to open that dusty treasure box, also known as time capsule. Tucked amongst others are all my birthday cards from siblings and parents, love letters, pictures, object d arts, souvenirs and notes. The tainted colours and the fading prints are proof of the once upon a time it once belonged to. Tears soon welded up my eyes and ran through my nose, not as a result of deep reminiscence, but more to the dusty state the things were. Sneezing continuously, I soon found myself deep in my thoughts recollecting episodes of those confusing yet awesome years. Since it is my 36th birthday today, I think I will let some of the purple monsters and green ogres (No, I'm not talking about Barney and Shrek)which have been feeding on my state of being, out of my closet.

Unveiling The 36
Not necessarily in chronological order.

1. Have sweaty palms. (imagine me in the exam hall)
2. Married to a guy who has sweaty palms too, if this isn't fate I don't
know what is.
3. Went to the same school as Michele Yeoh.
4. Loved English.
5. Abhorred Maths.
6. Played truant in the sick bay many times, hated the ledger.
7. Forged my father's signature one time for failing spelling and maths in
one month.
8. Got away with it. I would like to think I did.
9. Tricked my sis into eating a big spoonful of pure cocoa powder, she thought Milo.
10. Rubbed some minyak cap kapak on her eyes to wake her up so we can both play.
11. Owed the mamak roti some amount of chikedees money amounted to 10rgt.
12. Paid off the hutang but got caught by mak.
13. Fell off the drain and saved by the same mamak roti.
14. Again fell off the drain(10 years later) on the way to the bus stop, witnessed
by all the U students at the bus stop, including future husband. Climbed up
with clothes soiled as well as pride.
15. Went on a first date right after that, with cuts on my knees and grazes
everywhere.
16. Limped throughout the date.
17. Was involved in a car accident, had a concussion.
18. Begged the lecturer to extend the dateline for thesis.
19. Bribed her with Raya cookies, succeeded.
20. Witnessed future husband almost drowning.
21. Missed a bus stop and realized was the only one left on the bus.
22. Was taken captive by the bus driver for a few hours.
23. Managed to put senses into the driver's brain and allowed me off. Walked back.
24. Was accused of being alone in a car with a boy, but in fact it was with a few
female cousins who came for a visit at the hostel. (do you remember this kak
lin, k. yong?)
25. Got into a lot of trouble because of that.
26. Had to march back to the hostel accompanied by people's scrutinizing eyes.
27. Matric card was confiscated.
28. Was called to the Head of the security guard office many times due to this.
29. Case settled with conditions applied.
30. Studied classical guitar but terminated the idea after 3 months. Constantly had the
strings drenched and the music sounded differently.
31. Went on a shoestring budget trip to Europe with a sole less shoe.
32. Coloured the shoes new with a permanent dark blue marker pen.
33. It became a spectacle in the London Tube.
34. Left a big bag of sweet oranges at one of the shops in Cameron Highlands
(I know I have to give this a mention, my sis is still mad at me till today.)
35. Love the smell of paint and petrol. Filling up my car is very therapeutic. Best!
36. Love the smell so much, I kinda tend to paint a lot. Painted the gas stove coz
hsbd bought the wrong colour, painted the fridge, the chairs, the walls, the lesung batu and some parts of the cabinet. I am like a child with crayon when I see a can of paint!

Ahaks! makes me laugh every time when I think back, sometimes angry too. Nevertheless, I enjoyed my uneventful youth. Taught me many first hand lessons on friendships, inanimateships and fishandchips. If I had to go through it all again, I would try to omit a few instances but retain most of them. With this pensive thoughts I end this long reflective note with some pictures of the Birthday lunch we had at Chilli's. Do I make cake for my birthday you might ask? Of course I don't. I get them free form Chilli's every year. And how do they know it was my birhtday, you might wonder again? Well I flashed them my IC and demanded a cake from them, that's how! he he he...I know, pathetic kan.

What's In A Handbag?

Maira's Little handbag

Trust me, you do not want to know what's in mine!...but I am going to spill the contents to you anyway! he he he. I own this imitation Dolge & Gabbana huge sling handbag which my brother bought(thanks yeop!, he was forced to purchase it). I couldn't possibly make him buy the original, it'd cost a bomb. So anyway, in this huge black imitation bag lies enough ration to last one on a journey to nowhere.

And the journey to nowhere starts with

* Light appetizers of snek mammee and snek yum yum.
* Main dish of cheese biscuits and sometimes nuggets.
* Desserts of Yeos waffers and imitation of oreos (cream os)
* A bottle of alkaline water to wash all those good food down.

For emergencies the bag comes equipped with

* Hansaplus
* Cottonbuds
* Mopiko
* Vicks
* Inhaler
* Tea tree oil

For hygiene and self cleaning purposes

* Instant Antibacterial Hand Gel
* Tesco wipes
* Johnson's baby powder
* Tissue Paper
* Hairbrush
* Hair clips

For instant beautification

* Lipsticks


For activities to occupy kids with

* Papers ( bills, receipts, doyles)
* Scissor
* Cellophane tape
* Imitation UHU glue (UHA)

For D.I.Y.

* Measuring tape
* Thread and needle
* Calculator
* Knife
* Stapler
* Pens and Pencils
There you have it folks, my handbag! I wonder what's in yours? especially in Maira's the sweet little girl I made this handbag cake for. Tina my blog friend requested a handbag cake for her sweetheart and this is what I came up with. Instead of all the junk I filled my handbag with, Maira's bag is full of sweet Neapolitan cake as well as chocs, mentos, lip balm and a hair clip. Wished I could put more but the cake itself took me 12 hours to make. Sometimes Aunty Wiz is ridiculously slow! Thanks Tina for the order, hope Maira loves it. Happy Happy 9th Birthday Maira!

Loaded

My modem took a break, I didn't. Papers to mark, tests to administer, cakes to think about, daughter's project paper to "help" create, classes to replace and stitches to unstitch. These are some of the cakes that came out from my little oven. Take it away smokey...






My thanks to Mum, Siti, Anne and Nani for your orders. It was a pleasure creating your cakes on that special occasion for that special person.

Cakes of Haste

Working in a haste has two outcomes, you either make it or break it! And since the orders came form my next of kin and relative, I guess it's okay if I accidentally break it, he he he hoping they would still accept me unconditionally.

The first cake was from my sister who ordered a strawberry shortcake for her little Isha. Everyone knows how I suck with butter cream especially in the drawing on cake department. Seriously, I am the worst there ever is. I figured if anyone noticed the jaggedly and smudgy sloppy surface of the cake, I would try use the
"intentionally done, homemade look " excuse.

I think I did ok this time.

The second cake was from my cousin who ordered it for her sister Kak Lin. When you work at a forced speed, things tend to run off the alignment, instantaneously making the whole affair a disastrous one. I ran out of the souffle cup and didn't have the time to dash out and get some more. I had to use the normal flimsy cups which could not contain the "extra soft ganache" that was poured on top of each cake. The ganache refused to set making it difficult to drape them with fondant. The fondant slid, moved and drifted away from the cakes. Drastic measures had to be taken and in the end, alhamdulillah, they survived the journey to PJ.

Sometimes, it makes me wonder why am I still in this biz.

Thanks Ida and Adik for the order. We are still related...right?

Modem Words Can Say

I will be temporarily be out of blogsphere folks. The modem is suddenly playing possum on me. It doesn't tink, click or neither does it blink. Need to send it back to telekom and get a new one, so till then, you may reach me via email at wizcakes@gmail.com

Catcha later.

PS. I am only able to check my emails during my office hours.

Baking In Stitches

A day after the surgery, I was back in the kitchen baking and decorating. I could only accept simple orders, ones that do not require much preparations of moulding flowers and cutting out shapes. I was also back in class, teaching, to the surprise of my students who had thought they would get a week off from my absence. Nieoww, nieoww nieoww class, your exams are drawing nearer, you'd thank me later for this, trust me.

Only muffs were on the baking list, which I love doing and these are some of them.
Thanks Anese, Lily, Wanie, Lynn, and Mil for the order!



Just yesterday, after feeling a little bit healthier than usual, I accepted the Barbie cake order from Anese. It wasn't an easy cake to do, proves to be difficult every single time. Draping the the fondant onto the cake and trying to make it look like a beautiful flowy gown is a teeth gritting task. The fondant tears easily, and cracks. I had to redo several times before accomplishing the final look. I am so slow at this. But in the end I was particularly pleased with the outcome. I had the "Enchanted" movie in mind when I constructed the cake. The big skirt, the overflowing flowers and the dancing shoes. It's a type of movie that would transport you to another realm of sweets and candies and butterflies and all the other friendly animals in the snow white forest, furry creatures which could fathom the voice of your heart. A movie I enjoyed thoroughly, with the kids, minus the husband. He would cry blood if he had to sit through this one, ha ha ha.

Thanks so much Anese for the order. You are such a sweet mother, one who would walk the extra mile, simply to please all her darlings.



Happy Working Song

All right everyone, time to tidy things up

Come my little friends
As we all sing a happy little working song
Merry little voices clear and strong
Come and roll your sleeves up
So that we can pitch in
Cleaning crud up in the kitchen
As we sing along

And you’ll trill a cheery tune in the tub
As we scrub a stubborn mildew stain
Lug a hairball from the shower drain
To the gay refrain
Of a happy working song

We’ll keep singing without fail
Otherwise we’d spoil it
Hosing down the garbage pail
And scrubbing up the toilet
Ooh!

How we all enjoy letting loose with a little
La-da-da-dum-dum
While we’re emptying the vacu-um
It’s such fun to hum
A happy working song
Oo-ooh
A happy working song

Oh, how strange a place to be
Till Edward comes for me
My heart is sighing
Still, as long as I am here
I guess a new experience
Could be worth trying
Hey! Keep drying!

You could do a lot when you got
Such a happy little tune to hum
While you’re sponging up the soapy scum
We adore each filthy chore
That we determine
So friends even though you’re vermin
We’re a happy working song

Singing as we fetch the detergent box
Or the smelly shirts and the stinky socks
Sing along
If you cannot sing then hum along
As we’re finishing our happy working song!

Ah...wasn’t this fun?

In Stitches!

Reading about angiomas prior to my visit to the doctor left me with second thoughts. Like they say, "Little knowledge is dangerous" but extra information is also as bad, especially when you own a very imaginative mind meandering wildly every 30 seconds or so thinking of the worst that could happen. It certainly didn't help a tinge for that extra boost of valor. And I needed not just valor that day, but the dauntlessness of the entire army of "Brave heart", "Lord of The Rings" and "Forbidden Kingdom" combined! Yes, I am as penakut as the tikus, especially when toreh menoreh and blood involved. Not my idea of a perfect weekend, folks.

The tiny bulge at the back of my head strategically resided around the nerve area and with urats as big as mine, hemorrhaging throughout the whole surgery was a big possibility. I quivered when I saw the doctor who was already in his OT robe and mask on. He had just performed several circumcisions for babies that day and had probably a good warm up with the knife. I wanted to just skip this whole surgery and escape through the back door. Suffice to say I didn't, there wasn't any back door, and couldn't, since my husband was guarding the front door just like the loyal queen's guard at Buckingham palace. To cut the story short, the minor surgery went without a glitch which only took around 25 minutes with me lying face down, cringing every single second. I had to hold the gauze myself after that, they could not tape it since I didn't shave my head bald. There was no skin to tape the gauze to, you see. So with one hand around my head and only one hand free, I fumbled badly dressing myself up. Whilst doing so, the doctor's son barged into the changing room I was in and saw more than he should...pppfthph! The door somehow was faulty and could not be locked, hence the doctor's son strange encounter! ha ha ha to me! It was one of those awkward days folks, which usually left you perplexed and in stitches! literally, at the end of the day. Nevertheless, I am so thankful alhamdulillah, for the smooth procedure, couldn't have asked for more. I still have my stitches on, hopefully to have it removed next week. Here's hoping the hair would grow back fast and wishing even harder that the bulge doesn't resurface.

Thanks ever so much for the warm wishes I received via sms and blog comments. Appreciate it more than I could express myself here.

Ps. The doctor's son was a little 5 year old boy, don't get any ideas now.