piscespixies

13:24

Song of the week #3

13:24

Hey guys! I am just gonna update the 'song of the week' that has been quite.. a thing in my blog.. apparently. But, as always,...

Hey guys! I am just gonna update the 'song of the week' that has been quite.. a thing in my blog.. apparently. But, as always, it is not really a song that I want to express my love to, it is the WHOLE ALBUM (in this case, two albums from two different musicians/artists). Firstly, I went a little cray over this because I rarely listen to hip hop / rhythm and blues. However, this man whom I have had a crush on since the first time I have watched Community changed that.

I am talking about Donald Glover a.k.a Childish Gambino and his album Because The Internet which was released in 2013. I didn't stumble upon his music out of the blue or whatsoever -- I did see various posts about him and his music here and there on tumblr but it was when I actually listened to his songs a few weeks ago in my friend's car which triggered my inner fangirl.

All I can say is that I am into it. I am into it, I am digging it, I don't know -- I just am! Especially when I workout, it is definitely my go-to album because it is a hybrid of hip hop and rhythm -- it is chill and tamed yet upbeat. I don't even know what I am trying to say, my apologies!

Second! It is Mac Demarco -- I also happen to stumble upon him on tumblr but never tried to check his music out til today cause I needed some changes in my music library.
I have only listened to his Salad Days album and imagined what it would be like listening to it while skating or riding a bike or even walking in the city at night (that rhymed).

His music is like when Pink Floyd and Weezer had a psychedelic indie-rock music baby. That is the least best way I could put it haha but besides all that, besides his amazing ability to make good music, he seems like a real cool guy.

14:04

Spinach Pasta

14:04

INGREDIENTS 400g penne pasta 2 tablespoons: olive oil 1/4 cup: unsalted butter, at room temperature 1 chicken breast, ...

INGREDIENTS

400g penne pasta

2 tablespoons: olive oil

1/4 cup: unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 chicken breast, sliced into small pieces

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 cup: thickened cream

2/3 cup: grated parmesan cheese

1 handful spinach

salt and pepper for taste

1 tablespoon: basil

INSTRUCTIONS

Boil penne pasta in water, with 2 drops of olive oil and a pinch of salt.

Meanwhile, on a separate pan, heat olive oil over medium heat, add sliced and seasoned chicken breast until cooked. Then proceed into adding the chopped garlic and spinach into pan(make sure you don't overcook the garlic!)

Then add the butter and thickened cream to the pan and wait until it simmers. Drain the pasta and toss into the pan to combine.

Serve pronto with an extra parmesan bcs, WHY NOT?

13:46

Soft and chewy dark chocolate cookies

13:46

Hello lovelies! It is Friday today and I am basically home alone since my parents + brother and sister went on a road trip to Miri, Malaysia...

Hello lovelies! It is Friday today and I am basically home alone since my parents + brother and sister went on a road trip to Miri, Malaysia. So I decided to take over the kitchen and bake some cookies. I phoned my cousin and nieces to come over and help me out. We did a lot of dancing, singing and baking.. obviously.

The cookies turned out amazing! They are soft, chewy and it literally melted in my mouth on each bite. Anyway, I got the cookie recipe straight from Martha Stewart's website and have no regrets whatsoever for doing so!

Source: here

INGREDIENTS

Cookie Dough

2 1/4 cups: plain flour

1/2 teaspoon: baking soda

1 cup: unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup: granulated sugar

1 cup: brown sugar

1 teaspoon: salt

2 teaspoons: vanilla extract

2 eggs

1/2 dark chocolate bar, chopped into small pieces

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to to 150 degrees Celsius.

Mix the dry ingredients with the eggs, vanilla extract, butter in an electric mixer.

Then add the dark chocolate pieces into the mixing bowl and mix it with a spatula or hands.

Slather butter all over tray and cover with parchment paper.

Take little amount of dough and rotate it on both of your palms until it looks like a tiny globe,

or use tablespoons, whichever pleases you!

Bake cookies until their edges turn golden brown, but still soft in the centre. Remove from oven and let it cool for about 1 to 2 minutes. Once they are properly cooled, you can place the cookies on your plate or container.

Enjoy!

09:23

going bananas!

09:23

taken with my iPhone 5 Guess what? I actually managed to get up early on a Sunday morning to make myself some breakfast and tea. I am no...

taken with my iPhone 5

Guess what? I actually managed to get up early on a Sunday morning to make myself some breakfast and tea. I am no cook to be honest, but when I do have the motivation to do so, I do it. Hence, the banana pancakes. Take note that I did not whip something up and cook it instantly -- I did go to Google to get the basic ingredients and add a few ingredients that I personally find appetizing!

Source: here

INGREDIENTS

Batter

1 tablespoon: baking powder

1 pinch of salt

1 teaspoon: sugar of your choice

1/2 teaspoon: vanilla extract

1 ripe banana, peeled

2 eggs

2 tablespoons: melted unsalted butter

300ml: milk of your choice

225g: plain flour

For cooking

vegetable oil

unsalted butter

For serving

maple syrup

sliced bananas

optional:

confectioners' sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

Medium bowl: whisk together the dry ingredients
(flour, baking powder, sugar and salt)

Small bowl: cut the banana into small pieces and put in the bowl to mash with a fork until smooth.

Add the eggs, milk, vanilla extract and whisk everything.

Pour the wet ingredients, along with the melted butter into the medium bowl to mix with the dry ingredients. Make sure to not over-mix!

Heat a smooth griddle or a pan on the stove.

When you cook the pancakes, take note that when the upper side is bubbling, it's time to cook the other side. Time may vary, but it usually takes up to 1 minute or so.

Serve the pancakes while still hot with maple syrup and sliced bananas.

Have fun cooking!

10:32

Song of the Week #2

10:32

As you can recall I did a 'song of the week' post two weeks ago and since then I haven't updated much about it however I am goi...

As you can recall I did a 'song of the week' post two weeks ago and since then I haven't updated much about it however I am going to change that today because today I am excited to tell you guys about my favourite albums of the week or should i say month?! He is one of the musicians I have shared a link to you guys about on my previous post regarding the song of the week.

So, his name is Gregory Alan Isakov and he is bloody brilliant with his music and writing. He is poetic, deep, creative and simply a genius! My current favourite albums of his are The Empty Northern Hemisphere and The Weatherman. The albums consists of 10 and 13 well-written songs and I adore all of them. But typically there is always one or two, though for me there are 5 songs(which I will list down) that I personally love instantly on The Weatherman album. It wasn't just the soothing melody that caught my 'soul', it is also the words and oh am I a sucker for words!

The 5 songs would be Amsterdam, Saint Valentine, Second Chances, Time will Tell and O' City Lights. As for The Empty Northern Hemisphere, my favourites would be If I Go, I'm Going, Light Year, Dandelion Wine, That Moon Song and Idaho. I wouldn't go any further or else I will be one of those raging fangirls and I do not have the right mental capacity to reach that stage..yet. So if you guys are into indie-folk, do check his music out and if you happen to adore his music as much as I do and want to check out other bands or musicians with similar genre, you can check it here.

10:15

Update

10:15

Hey lovelies, it is Friday here in Bru and I feel like I am in a roller-coaster ride lately. There were good days as well as bad, how...

Hey lovelies, it is Friday here in Bru and I feel like I am in a roller-coaster ride lately. There were good days as well as bad, however this week seems to navigate more on the bad but I cannot find the source of it! Isn't it frustrating when you try to find something and basically rummage into random things you can possibly find and still cannot manage to find the thing you are looking for? You know what I mean.. it is very frustrating.

Furthermore, I have two old (bad) habits that do die hard; over-thinking and carrying the world on my shoulders -- there will always be a week or two in every month where I lose control, emotionally. I will cry randomly whether it would be in my school's library or while listening to a song in the car with people around -- my eyes will be a broken tap and I will feel unbelievably overwhelmed (no exaggeration). Some days it is difficult for me to hide it, other days I do manage to smile and laugh. I know that in order to live happily is to not care what others think, but my God, do I care what other people think. It is ridiculous on how much thoughts go through my head everyday wondering. It isn't like one of those 'I hope they like me' or what-not -- it is more to 'get a grip girl, no one likes to talk to a sad person' or 'they won't understand, just smile and laugh along'.

I won't go any further into details because it is getting deep here.. I just want to say that if you are having a rough day or week, do not worry, things will be alright eventually. If you cannot be alone with your thoughts, invite a friend over or watch a movie or go out and grab a cup of coffee at a cafe. There are plenty of things to do besides hiding in the dark all alone (like what I used to do).. as cheesy as it sounds, life is too short, live in the moment and soak in every bit of optimism as you are able!

07:48

Every dollar counts...

07:48

HI! I am going to update what has happened this week that made me incredibly happy??? No, it's not about a boy (I have no time for that ...

HI! I am going to update what has happened this week that made me incredibly happy??? No, it's not about a boy (I have no time for that at the moment). I bought Vampire Weekend's Contra on vinyl this Tuesday and I was hella happy -- the happiest I have ever been and the happiest my girl friends have ever seen! It is clear how music effects me greatly. If hugging and jumping around and smiling throughout the whole car ride from the record store to the campus were the effects of a single vinyl -- imagine what it would be like when I receive concert tickets to my favourite bands? All hell breaks loose (in a good way, cause really?? I would faint).

DIG / Do It Good records store recently opened last Sunday and it is the first ever record store in Brunei. I was damn excited when I heard they have decided to open a branch there in Kiulap and used 40% of my allowance to purchase my all-time-favourite VW album. The store was quite small, however, it has that vintage vibe that you would expect coming from a record store. The employee was playing Weezer when we were in the store and I couldn't be more happier! It is a lovely place, too bad the barista was out at that time -- my girl friends and I would've had coffee while looking through the records. I am grateful nontheless.

Never been happier, couldn't be happier (yet). Music is the sole reason I am still here, it has helped me way more than the people in my life had.

For more info regarding the store: facebook.com/doitgoodrecords

Have a good day!

08:18

Song of the Week

08:18

I am a little bit excited to share my favourite song(s) of the week!! A lovely friend of mine shared a beautiful song by Ry X called 'L...

I am a little bit excited to share my favourite song(s) of the week!! A lovely friend of mine shared a beautiful song by Ry X called 'Love Like This' and it reminds me of Bon Iver's Re: Stack -- for those of you who knows me, you would know how obsessed I am with Bon Iver's music.

Ry X is a cross between folk and indie which is my ulllltimate weakness when it comes to music, and as you can tell; I am in love with it.

Also, I have been listening to Gregory Alan Isakov; his forte is folk -- the kind of music where you suddenly decide to pause and take a breath for awhile in your life and stare blankly. It makes you think about your life in general as most folk songs do. That is one of the main things why I appreciate and love indie-folk music wholeheartedly because it is poetic, overwhelming and heartfelt. Emotions were poured into every song in the masterpiece that is the album -- and I am not one to take them for granted. I listen, read, and try to feel what they have felt -- the experience is usually both sad, and very human.

Anyway...

Here are a two of my favourite songs of the week!