2021 life so far

    

Life is never the same anymore. Going out now is kinda stressful as there are lots of precautions to adhere to and we have more things to carry with us now as we leave our homes- like sanitisers, wet wipes and maybe extra face masks. Ever since the pandemic began, I have become less active and I rarely step outdoors anymore except if I had to go to the office. 

UGH.

On the bright side, I have gotten my vaccination appointment about 3 weeks ago and I'm really happy about it as I've waited it for months since my last registration with the Mysejahtera app. In fact, I'll be going for my second dose appointment tomorrow yayerz! 

Here's some of the fun/exciting things that I have come across/done for the past few months. 

Went for a fancy hi-tea with Brendz at Shangri-la.

Both the scones and the savoury dishes were good! I didn't really like their mousse cakes.

On a December weekday, I went cafe hopping with Sifu (Eunice).

Our first stop was flakes- a cafe which is well known for their croissant dishes.

I had the avocado and scrambled eggs croissant dish whilst Sifu had the mushroom one. Both were okay but not mind-blowing. 

After our lunch, we went to chill at the nearby Kooky Cream cafe which is well-known for their cakes. I ordered a cold brew coffee and Sifu ordered a cup of hot tea.

I had the Strawberry shortcake whilst Sifu had the lychee rose cake. This photo was taken seconds before my cake decided to 'take a nap on its side'. Basically it just fell on its side. 😓 

I loved the cakes but not the coffee.

Oreo cookie sandwich. Have you guys tried this? I personally think that the cookie was a bit too soggy so it was sorta wonky. 

Taking a moment to appreciate how smooth this fillet o fish burger bread was.

My mom and I were at the vicinity of Bangsar earlier this year so I decided to pop by this popular cafe- VCR to get a cup of coffee.

I waited outside for my coffee and the morning sun was kinda scorching hot.

I ordered a cup of iced latte and I gotta say it was really good! 

I'd love to come back for more one day 💕

Hung out with Dionne babes after we've completed our CLP exams. Went to Ikea for lunch and I got myself a plate of roasted chicken with gravy. It was delish 😛

One evening, my mom, sis and I visited the 163 retail park at Mont Kiara and we went to this ice cream store named Creme de la Creme. They have lots of ice cream options and they also sell these cute ice cream desserts. These were the limited edition Little Twin Stars themed desserts.

Cute mouse and cheese mousse ice cream dessert.

All of us shared 4 scoops of ice cream. We ordered 4 different flavours- rainbow lychee sorbet, strawberry, cheesecake and vanilla. They were delicious and I really liked the vanilla one. 

Went to Kookie Cream again but this time with my mom and sis. 

Saw this BTS pop-up store thingy before total MCO lockdown and I wonder if they'll ever open this someday?

Sushi shopping at Isetan KLCC.

The legendary BTS MEAL which is basically a nugget set with fancy sauces and packaging. But I must admit I really liked the packaging because it's so pretty in purple! 💜

The cajun sauce was really good imo.

Went grocery shopping a few days ago and I got this Vanilla frappe from Starbucks. So good!

Played with polymer clay and made some cute eggs.

Not really feeling my Gucci best these days. As the days go by, I realised I have lesser things to say so I think I wouldn't be blogging anytime soon. In the meantime, do stay safe and take good care.

See you.

Cold brew things

    

Hello all! Hope you guys are doing well. Life at home hadn't been very interesting- I'm still stuck with my studies and there is one thing that I really need to keep me going throughout the day.. coffee. I posted about my new found love for cold brew a few months back in one of the posts but I've eventually decided to cut that little snippet away because that's just not how I make my cold brew anymore these days. Today, I'm going to share with you guys my new and improved method on making cold brew.

Disclaimer: I'm not a barista or some coffee professional so my cold brew may not be as bombastic as the ones you get in stores but as an average coffee drinker, this is okay for me. This is just how I like to make my cold brew. Nonetheless, I hope you'll still enjoy reading this post! 😋

The main reason why I prefer cold brew over hot and freshly brewed coffees is because cold brew has lower acidity (which is great for people who have gastric problems like me even though it's not advisable for us to consume coffee) and it's richer in caffeine due to its longer steeping process. 

Firstly, choose your desired coffee beans. It's totally up to you to choose whether to use mild roast coffee beans or dark roasted ones. I personally like using Starbucks medium to dark roasted beans because of their tastes. It's highly recommended that you use coarse grounded coffee beans for optimum taste. I've tried brewing using finely grounded coffee beans and the results were.. not so great because finer coffee beans result in bitter tasting coffee since their extraction rates would be higher than that of the coarse ones.

Here, I'm using the Veranda blend (mild roast) from Starbucks because I just want to finish it off even though it's not my favourite choice of beans to use when it comes to cold brew.

Container

Next, choose a container you'll like to steep your beans in. I got this blue wide-lid glass jar from daiso for RM5.90 and it works perfectly. I'd suggest that you get a glass container with a wide lid for easier pouring and cleaning. I've read somewhere online saying that it's best to make cold brews using glass containers since glass containers will not trap funky odours, therefore it won't affect the taste of your coffee. You can also choose to buy containers which are specially meant for cold brews from stores or online but I won't cover those here since I'm not using those.

The glass container that I use to make the cold brew everyday.

Putting things together

I usually fill my glass with 3 scoops/tablespoons of coffee grounds for 2 servings. I'm just following the suggested amounts stated on the Starbucks coffee bag.

Next, I will first start off by pouring very minimal amounts of cold water into the container and then I will gently shake the container sideways to ensure that all the beans are soaked. 

After ensuring that all the beans are soaked, I will proceed to add more water into the container until it's 3/4 full.

You'll see a layer of foam on top of the mixture and that's perfectly normal.

Brewing

Then I will put it in the fridge for at least 16 hours.

I've read articles online saying that the coffee has to be brewed for at least 16 hours so that its flavours wouldn't be wonky and stuff like that, which is true. I've tried brewing it for only 12 hours and the results were awful- the coffee turned out to be sour and the flavour is just off. Just as long as you brew it somewhere between 16-24 hours, you're good to go. 

Then what if you have forgotten about your cold brew in the fridge and didn't consume within the stated time above? It's totally fine. I've had my cold brew stored in the fridge up to 4 days before I decided to consume it and it's still good. But I wouldn't recommend going beyond that just incase the coffee spoils.

Here's my product after 36 hours. 😅

(Yes, I've forgotten that I have a cold brew sitting in the fridge hence the hours)

Filter

The last step, which is also a very crucial step in ensuring your cold brew is smooth and beautiful (idk what other words that I can use to describe) is to FILTER your coffee. You don't want to ruin your cold brew experience by drinking the unfiltered murky/sandy/disgusting coffee mixture. My personal favourite thing to use to filter my coffee is paper coffee filters. They are magical because they leave absolutely no grounds/specs or residue in your final product, ensuring a smooth and clean cup of cold brewed coffee. I've tried using cheesecloths and metal net filters but they won't produce crystal clear coffee. I purchased my coffee filters and the coffee filter holder device (plastic) from daiso, each for RM5.90. 

I got the unbleached coffee filter paper. Fold the filter paper according to the illustrations printed on the packet and wet it before placing onto the filter holder.

Like so.

Then I'll just slowly pour my cold brew into the device and let it filter through. It might take some time for it to be fully filtered.

Look at the coffee ground residues!

Here's the final product! A smooth and clean glass of cold brew.

Cold brews are highly concentrated in caffeine so it's recommended to dilute it with some cold water or if you don't like adding water into your coffee, you can opt to put ice cubes instead. Works the same. Alternatively, you can also choose to add the milk of your choice, syrups or even honey to it. 

🍯☕

My coffee does look a little bit diluted but looks can be deceiving 😅 The caffeine in it is really high so I usually don't brew it with too much coffee grounds. Just the way I like it to be. 😌

There you go! This is how I make my cold brew. 

See you guys after my exams 😁

   

Updates from quarantine

 

Heya! Hope everyone is doing well at home. 3 months plus had passed since the lockdown and honestly I miss going to school a lot. It sucks staying at home feeling unproductive all day - not that I have nothing to do, in fact there are loads of things that I need to read in preparation for the exams but I just got hit by cabin fever. I'm feeling so wonky lately. I sleep at 6am now (it's really bad, don't do this) and things are sorta becoming irregular for me. I thought staying home meant I have less chances of gaining weight since I'm no longer eating out that much anymore and you can already tell what happened next. 😂

Since the lockdown, we have been stuck with loads of online classes daily so technically our eyes are glued to the computer screens all day and night. One thing I hate about reading from the computer is that your eyes tend to get irritated and dry, causing you to feel tired and unmotivated to do other sorts of things. I prefer the good ol' fashioned books and printed resources compared to reading cases online and etc. 

Here's one of the days where I ranted about having online classes even on Sundays.

Thankfully, after about 2 months plus, the movement control order has since been replaced with the new recovery movement control order. The regulations are much lenient now compared to the previous 2 months. People get to go out and enjoy their activities and resume working again. 

I have gone out for a few times to get some stationary supplies, computer tools and essentials. I've dine out for about less than 5 times during this entire period of time and each time it feels quite odd to me. Dining out has now literally become a sort of 'special/precious/rare' opportunity because we no longer go out as much as we used to before. Also you have to scan the QR code everywhere you go now. Gotta get used to the new norm.

One evening, my dad, sis and I went to try out the matcha parfait from the dessert store, 108 matcha saro at KLCC. They were having a promo for matcha parfaits. I can't remember what it was but if I'm not mistaken, it was sort of like a buy one free one promo.

My sis got the hojicha parfait while I got the 108 matcha parfait. We loved the chewy dango rice balls that came with it. The ice cream was smooth and rich in matcha flavour- I really liked it. But I didn't really like the matcha jelly that comes with it because it's a tad bit too bitter for me. But overall, this dessert is really good. 💚

Then the other day we went out to celebrate my sister's birthday and I dropped by Starbucks to get this cup of drink. It's the tropical triple citrus tea. I really love how it tastes - it's got orange, grapefruit and lemon in it. 🍋🍊🍹

Sighted a rainbow one lovely evening. The vivid colours of the rainbow were much more visible in real life as compared to them being in pictures.

I caught myself thinking and reflecting a lot of things during this entire period of time. It's crazy how quarantining at home leads us thinking so many weird stuffs and etc. I thought about the past and lots of past events and etc then I got a little bit emotional over it. Sucks to feel this way but if you also find yourself being in this situation, just tell yourself that everything is fine and don't worry too much about things. Everything is going to get better and don't doubt yourself. Staying positive is the key to get you through these tough times. 

Whenever I felt sad or bad, I tried reading lots of articles online but to no avail. Then I tried meditation. There's absolutely no skills required and all you gotta do is to focus on your breathing. It's quite useful as it calms your mind down and helps you to relax. I've tried a few meditation apps but they all require in-app purchases. So, alternatively I went to search for some free meditation videos on YouTube and I've stumbled upon one which is quite good by Buzzfeed's Goodful channel.

Of course, there's more on YouTube so you can go check them out. 😊

And here are some musics that I've been obsessed with 💓

 

Stay safe

Uni

  

.. as in sea urchin in Japanese. Have you ever wondered how sea urchins taste like? I've seen way too many videos on youtube talking about how heavenly, amazing, great (insert whatever good words there are to describe something that is so wonderful here) sea urchins are. Back in February, when I was having a reunion dinner with my family in Kura, One World Hotel I ordered a small portion of this Japanese delicacy to try. 

It ain't cheap btw. 😬

Here's a 1/4 portion of the actual full serving of uni. Priced at RM65 as per the menu.

Comes with a little bowl of seaweed (in case you like enjoy the uni with seaweed and rice) and freshly grated wasabi.

A closer look at the uni.

It was my first time trying out such a delicacy. I don't really know what to say about it but only one word, interesting. As in both its texture and the taste. 

The uni had a buttery texture, somewhat like buttercream icing or durian; soft/squishy and smooth. The delightful part of it is that it melts in your mouth. The taste was really interesting. In the beginning, as you chew on it slowly, the uni gives off a sort of bittersweet taste. As you chew it further, that bittersweet taste will slowly turn into that fresh sweet seafood-y taste (like crabs). That's the best I can describe. 😅

Overall, I think uni(s) have a rather unique taste compared to other seafoods I've had so far. I wouldn't really recommend this to anyone unless you're really adventurous and like trying out new tastes then do go for it! 😁

That's all I have to share with you guys 😋

Take care and stay safe!