Starting the next decade

It didn't seem too long ago when we all celebrated our 21st birthday. The milestone where we became legal to do the last few things that were barred from us (e.g. watching a R21 rated movie). Suddenly the world seem like a wonderful place filled with so many opportunities and adventure! I do remember feeling an immense sense of hope that I will have an exciting life ahead of me.

Fast forward to 9 years later. I'm no longer the youngest in the working world. My eyes are no longer gleaming with hope of the impossible. The mind is much matured and sensible. And the heart steadied.

I may not have married as young as I set out to be. But in the world where more and more working adults make their job their world, and get stuck in the world of singlehood, I'm definitely glad I have found my plus one. Ticking that box off the list may provide a short sense of relief. No more questions pertaining to your partner and the knot. But it also means there are more responsibilities and pressure concerning the next stage in life - starting a family. That is another topic for another time.

I may not belong to the strawberry generation, but I definitely cannot "sit still". I'm constantly in search of the next adventure. The past decade has seen me jumping from the gift industry, to the banking world, then fashion design before jumping back into banking world. I can't envision myself following my father's footsteps - staying in the same job in the same company for over 30 years. That kind of loyalty is envious to think about but never a practical thought for me. To others, I may seem reckless, restless, and that I have my head stuck in the clouds. Reality is close, but not entirely true.

A mantra I always live by - live life without regrets. This may seem reckless but it's not. I don't simply jump when I lose interest. I stick by my choice as long as I can, and give my decision some time to prove myself right. Meanwhile whatever new idea comes along, I give myself time to think, to research and to sleep on it. If the idea sticks and never go away, I will try it. So far I don't regret the choices I made because it definitely shaped me into a very strong and unique person.

The past decade has also shown me a great variety of character. People have come into my life with hopes of staying. And with every challenge that we face, most of these people drop out behind the obstacle. With age, I think we begin to see clearly the people we spend our time with, and the people we choose to keep in our lives. Some may begin to proof unworthy. Others come dressed in glitters and feathers but when you strip all of that away, all that's left may be just bones. Time and money become a fixed variable. With that fixed variable, I became really careful of how I spend it.

I'm sure there are many more adventure that awaits me in this decade. Are they all going to be good ones? We'll have to wait and see.

Give credit when it's due

There are tonnes of recipes available online (and offline) to pick when you need to bake a cake, or a brownie. Many times when you google, you will go straight into the first few links because that would probably be the safest choice. But very often, these recipes goes in cups instead of grams, or they use very specific ingredients that aren't easily available in Singapore.

Most of the time I find that recipe from the United States are generally sweeter. So when I adopt their recipe, I will go easier on the sugar. Or when I find a recipe that originates in Singapore. I will use the recipe wholesale because that would probably suit our local taste buds.

With the same few ingredients required in baking, it's very common that the chocolate cake recipe from Author A will have 90% of the same ingredients as Author B. But if you're adapting a recipe from another author, it's always best to credit them. These people may have taken time and effort (and of course money too) to perfect their recipe via many attempts. They may not have come up with the recipe from scratch, but it's important to note that the perfected recipe comes from their efforts.

I notice that it's very common for food bloggers to credit others for the recipe. They will go "adapted from author a", or "adapted from recipe at bbc.com". As a reader, you would have the full transparency to click on the link and compare how the recipes differ and which suits your taste buds better. You can also figure out where the tweaks were made, and if you need to tweak it further.

The above example is great. The author shared how she baked the cake and at the end of her post, she credited Hershey's.

This is even better. His printable recipe straightaway credited the lady whom he took the recipe from.

The reason why I brought up this issue is because I notice a local food blogger who is currently a little famous for the beautiful photos she take of her bakes (or cooked food). In her food blog, she shares various recipe ranging from cooking to baking. But I've noticed quite afew of her recipes were copied from another baker I know. She copied them wholesale, made no amendments to the recipe, and in some cases she even made them in the same design (e.g. cartoon cookies) as the original recipe. Other (e.g. cornflake cookies) end results look exactly like the original recipe because the entire recipe was taken in full. She made no credits and even share them on her blog as her own recipe.

At least she has the decency to take her own photos.

I am appalled because some of these recipes are adopted from popular websites with their own followers. Some can be easily found on the first page when you google it. And she makes these disclaimer on her posts not share any part of her photos/recipe/website without permission.

Now that's a little ironic don't you think?

Time for reflection

My 2018 was definitely more exciting than any other years as I cross into the married zone. As my boss says, I'm now officially an Auntie. *rolls eyes* Hence justifying the brand Auntie Ariel. *rolls eyes again*

I still have to get used to married life, taking care of a big (adult) baby, learning to cook and do my own chores. But all that doesn't scare me. Just like a newborn learning to walk, this is just another part of life that I'm moving into.

2018 also taught me how to persevere to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Learning to deal with all sorts of people in the work space was definitely the biggest challenge in my career in the last 12 months. The backstabbing was painful. The pretentious concerns was vomit-inducing. The unappreciative (or lack of) appreciation was disappointing. All in all, I come out of it stronger and fiercer.

What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger.

Going through major changes in my life open my eyes to the true friends I have around me. Over the years we may have gotten into arguments, hated each other due to misunderstandings, etc. At the end of the day, these people who stood by me through it all are the truest friends of all.

May people will walk in and out of your life,
but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart.

- Eleanor Roosevelt

Cheers to the year that has passed, and the year that is to come!

Day 1 of the Adventure

Today is the start of my adventure.

It's not called a journey because I don't have an end goal (yet). I hope to discover what I want to do, even though the obvious choice now is to revive and grow Auntie Ariel.

The above screenshot is taken from the movie Up. I hope I have a daring adventure like Carl, but I don't want to be walking with my crutches when I do that. Opportunities don't come easily, and not everyone is as lucky as me. I may have my husband's blessing to do this but I definitely don't want to waste my time away.

When everyone goes on leave, the first thing you would do is probably to sleep in. And then go travel, or do all the things you've always wanted to like going for high tea, pamper yourself with a spa, or simply sit infront of the tv all day. If you have to take a block leave (a continuous 5 or 10 days of leave with no contact with work) and you don't intend to travel, it's easy to just sleep and be a potato couch during the entire time.

Well you can do that because you'd think you're recharging yourself for the arduous journey ahead when you gotta go back to work. It's justifiable. And that is precisely what I'm afraid I will sink into doing when I leave my job.

So when I've decided to hand in my letter, I promise myself (and my husband) this - I will have a timetable to discipline what I do everyday and make sure I accomplish one big and one small achievement by the end of the day. I am an adult, but I am going to discipline myself like a child. I have seen how I am capable of wasting 6 hours with Netflix and it's continuous play function, or spend hours trying to complete 3 stars in Overcooked (a very addictive playstation game).

And writing is one thing I'm going to do once more. I think a lot, observe a lot and talk to myself alot. So all those thoughts are going to come here, the good old trusty blogspot.

Taking the leap of faith

A year ago, I started developing the idea of leaving the working world entirely. Well, you must think that I'm simply frustrated at work and seeking for an easy way out.

That's only a third of the story. With any decisions I make, there is always multiple push factors behind it. Frustrations at work is commonly the first and most important reason for most people. I don't deny that in my case. The situation at work isn't the most favourable at that point in time but it was still manageable.

Secondly, I don't belong there. I'm a creative soul. I may not do well as a fashion designer, or draw very well. But I love all things DIY. Look at the christmas dress up I do every year - Avatar, Mystic (X-men), and this year Ursula. My skills in baking is amateur but there is talent underneath it all. I used to make Birthday, Christmas and New year cards for my friends in school.

My mind is constantly swirling around creative ideas about anything under the sun. Why should I stay in the financial industry?

The last reason is a mantra I always live by - Never have regrets. When it comes to dating, I always take initiative. Cos if there's a guy I like, I wouldn't want to live the rest of my life thinking "What if I'd confessed to him?". Same reason why I took off to studying fashion design and subsequently worked 2 years in that industry.

Since I met my husband, I've been slowly exploring the world of dessert making. I started Ariel's Cookies but it wasn't much of a success. Taking a break this year during my wedding preparation gave me sufficient time to think and reflect. Then many opportunities came and went for us to open a shop selling my desserts. I never felt confident enough because I haven't had enough experience and a sufficient customer base.

Then, a sad thing happen to my colleague. Her husband's brain tumour relapse out of the blue after being cured many years ago. All of a sudden her life came to a stop. She couldn't pursue her dream job and could never try to be the makeup artist she dreamt of being. Her situation was like a wakeup call for me. What if one day I'm in her shoes? I will never get the chance to start my own baking business. What if one day I'm the one in a precarious situation where I'm no longer physically able to do anything at all? I would live the rest of my life sighing why did I let my fear stop me from trying.

After months of discussion with my then-fiance-now-husband, I decided to hand in my letter. With his support, I will take a short break, then dedicate my time to experimenting new bakes and trying to revive Ariel's Cookies as Auntie Ariel.

So this is the story of how my brand Auntie Ariel came about.