I Miss You...

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Took this with my beloved iWhite and edited it.. I'm just loving the result. Everything's done with the iPhone :D nice isn't it? Well, this is what I feel since morning until now.. How sad.. Hiks.. I always knew that I can't do LDR thingy.. But yeah.. This will end pretty soon, as I'm going back to jakarta ASAP.

Well, still talking about dreams, this related to so many people in my life, FYI. Anyway, I decided to put song lyrics here. I played this song all over again from morning. It's an oldie, my dad's but I love it.

You can't run away forever
But there's nothing wrong with getting a good head start
You want to shut out the night
You want to shut down the sun
You want to shut away the pieces of a broken heart
Thing of how wed lay down together
Wed be listening to the radio so loud and so strong
Every golden nugget coming like a gift of the gods
Someone must have blessed us when he gave us those songs

I treasure your love
I never want to lose it
Youve been through the fires of hell
And I know youve got the ashes to prove it
I treasure your love
I want to show you how to use it
Youve been through a lot of pain in the dirt
And I know youve got the scars to prove it

Remember everything that I told you
Well Im telling you again that it's true
When you're alone and afraid
And you're completely amazed
To find there's nothing anybody can do
Keep on believing
And you'll discover baby

There's always something magic
There's always something new
And when you really, really need it the most
That's when rock and roll dreams come through
The beat is yours forever
The beat is always true
And when you really, really need it the most
That's when rock and roll dreams come through...for you...

Once upon a time was a backbeat
Once upon a time all the chords came to life
And the angels had guitars even before they had wings
If you hang on to a chorus you get through the night

I treasure your love
I never want to lose it
Youve been through the fires of hell
And I know youve got the ashes to prove it
I treasure your love
I want to show you how to use it
Youve been through a lot of pain in the dirt
And I know youve got the scars to prove it

Remember everything that I told you
Well Im telling you again that it's true
Youre never alone cause you can put on the phones
And let the drummer tell your heart ehat to do
Keep on believing
And you'll discover baby

There's always something magic
There's always something new
And when you really, really need it the most
That's when rock and roll dreams come through
The beat is yours forever
The beat is always true
And when you really, really need it the most
That's when rock and roll dreams come through...for you...

Rock and Roll Dreams Come True

Do You Believe in Dreams?

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What is dream? Do you believe it? Is it true?

When talking about dreams, well, the one that you’ve had while sleeping, I bet many of you have the same questions with me. I’m taking this topic not because I’m going to explain anything about it here. But it’s because I’m as confused as you. Well, I’m kind of person who believe in such things called dreams, fairytales, not literally like a prince with white horse-white limo on this day or whatever! LOL-will come and rescue you one day. I mean, when I have a good and nice dream I do believe that something good is coming on its way. When I had a nightmare, I often wake up in the middle of night and find myself cried over that dream and pray, hopefully nothing’s terrible will happened, and mostly, good things happened and shoo shoo to the bad things. Thanked God for that. Well, you’ve got the idea.

Maybe it’s because of what I’ve experienced so far, makes me fairly believe, that dreams is something that going to happened, both, nice or bad dreams, well, not now, today or tomorrow, but it seems like it’s going to happened, we just don’t know yet for sure, when its coming, and I just hoping silently that bad dreams won’t become a reality.

In other words, you can say, for me dream is kind of sign. But not all dreams. Especially the weird one that we can barely remembered the beginning of our dreams and how we ended up dreaming it. To make it simple, dream that I mostly believe that it has something in it, meaningful and something is going to happen according to it or even vice versa is when I dreamed about love. You know, I’ve dreamt about someone was chasing me and try to kill me, death and some other terrible dreams, but when I woke up, I just think about it for a few seconds and voila. I forget about it. Hundred of those terrible dreams will evaporate just like that. I just think that’s just a dream. Just dream, means nothing at all. It’s another story when it comes to dream about love, not all love dreams, to be exact, it’s only working and well all that I care much when it’s about my closest family, friends, love of my life and certain people in my life for any reason I can’t tell you who are they. Call me weird, but yes, that’s me.

Anyway, I’ve been thinking really hard these few hours about this so called dream. Still I can’t figure it out, what is the meaning of my dream this morning, one thing for sure, I know that I miss you. I miss you that much until I never think of it before I went to bed-in fact that I always felt asleep with iPhone always on and out of its juice in the morning-somehow, I’m still right here, dreaming about the same person I used to dream before, long, long time ago. And oh yeah, this one for what I can remember is sweeter than the last dream that I had. I hate and love to dream about it. First, I hate it because I couldn’t stop thinking about it, I can’t really focus on some things that I’m doing especially if it’s kinda related with it, and last but not least, it makes miss you even more. What I love is, it’s only place where we can met, not literally, of course and you are so real in there, too real to be true. So close yet so far and the feeling that I get is like lasts forever. I’ve been thinking, I wouldn’t mind living in my dream forever, if it’s gonna be that nice, beautiful, warm with all good things in between.

Talking this much, I make 5 words-only-conclusion about it, I simply miss you, much. That’s all.

Let go of the past and go for the future. Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you imagined. ---Henry David Thoreau

Testing again!! Pheww..

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Yay!! this one is the perfect resolution and size for my blog!! 500 px. Well that application is nice for posting pics directly  to blog from iPhone but it can't be use for blogging, due to the characters limitation on the description section. It's more like a description / caption for your pics. Since I already wide awaken since 4 am in the morning and I can't sleep anymore, so here I am. Trying this and that because until now, I hate the fact that blogger didn't have any apps that would make us as iPhone user's life easier. It's kinda sad you know. Well.. in my opinion, this is the best application ever, named iBlogger. The one that I've been using and using now. The only thing that sucks is you can't upload any picture with this app. You have to use different photo uploader application if you want to post a blog with pictures on it. Kinda lame, isn't it?

Well, Well, Well... I'll be back in a while or not. We'll see.. :)

I want everything is just perfect starting from the pics, the content and my custom font as the footer?! Well, let's shed some sweat!! But I guess it's worth it :)

Quiz-ing Around

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I want that iPhone Charger Hole Protection Plug. A white one. Just perfect for my iPhone :)

Sometimes I'm happy. Sometimes I'm sad. Sometimes I enjoy while some other time I don't, but mostly, I am bored. I starting to get tired with all of these situations. All of these situations. Note that. Oh this just show how ungrateful I am, but what to say, this is what I feel at the moment, I don't know. I really need a LIFE. Feel so dead lately in boredom and everything else that I did and everything else that came into my life. Arrrghhh.... I can't really describing how I really really feel. Anyway, inspired by a friend who answered some silly questions and posted it on her blog, well, you wanna call me copycating or anything, whatever~ I ended up looking for a lot of questions for sure and answered it too. So, here's mine...

Are your parents married or divorced?: Married.

Are you a vegetarian?: Nope.

Do you believe in Heaven?: Yes.

Have you ever come close to dying?: I am, right now. Dying in boredom.

What jewelry do you wear 24/7?: Too lazy to mention what are them.

Are you eating?: Just finished my late lunch.

Do you eat the stems of broccoli: Oh yeah, I love it.

Do you wear makeup?: Sometimes, but mostly, no.

Would you ever have plastic surgery?: Nahh.

What do you wear to bed?: Tees and shorts sometimes pajamas.

Have you ever done anything illegal?: Oh, yeah.. feels good about it.

Can you roll your tongue?: Err, maybe.

Do You have a boyfriend or girlfriend?: Yes.

Do you believe in Abortions?: Weird Q.

What is your Hair color?: Black.

Future child's name, boy and girl?: No idea.

Do you smoke?: NO WAY!

If you could go anywhere in the world where would it be?: Paris first, then London.

Do you sleep with stuffed animals?: Nope.

If you won the lottery, what would you do first?: Buy all Apple products.

Gold or Silver?: White Gold.

Hamburger or hot dog?: HotBurger, eh? :p

If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?: Omellete.

City, beach or country?: Beach.

What was the last thing you touched?: Keyboard.

Where did you eat last?: My lunch.

When's the last time you cried?: Last Month.

Do you read blogs?: Absolutely, yes.

Would you ever go out dressed like the opposite sex?:Maybe.

Ever been involved with the police?: Nope.

What's your favorite shampoo/conditioner and soap?: Anything with strawberry scented.

Do you talk in your sleep?: Nahh.

Ocean or pool?: Pool.

What's your favorite song at the moment: Baby don't break my heart slow.

Have you ever had a cavity?: Yes and no.

Window seat or aisle seats?: Aisle, please.

Ever met anyone famous?: Often.

Do you feel that you've had a truly successful life?: Yes, I am and I will.

Do you twirl your spaghetti or cut it?: Twirl.

What is your favorite sport to play?: Swimming?

Basketball or football?: Basketball.

When was the last time you went to the bathroom?: Couple hours ago.

Do you drive a stick?: Huh?

Are you self-conscious?: Maybe?

Have you ever given money to a bum?: Yea.

Have you been in love?: Yep.

Where do you wish you were?: Won't tell ya.

Who is the 1st person your top 8?: Him.

Have you ever ridden in an ambulance?: Nope.

Can you tango?: Can't.

Last gift you received?: Last Month.

What occasion did you recieve your gift?: Nothing.

Last thing you spent lots of money on?: Shopping and Foods.

Where do you live?: Earth.

Last wedding attended?: Yesterday, weird one.

Favorite restaurant?: Kiyadon.

What is your favorite kind of car?: Mini cooper.

Most hated food(s): That I dislike :p

Most loved food(s)?: Many.

Can you sing?: Yea.

Person on your mind?: Them.

What's your least favorite chore(s): Nothing.

Favorite drink?: Green Tea.

How long was your longest drive in a car?: Forgot.

Why do you do Myspace surveys?: I don't have Myspace.

Do you know who Nick Tyo is?: No idea.

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When was the last time you had popcorn and watched a movie at home?
When I was a child.

How many alarm clocks do you use?
None. I use my cells.

What or who first got you into myspace?
Don't have one.

How loud do you play music when you drive?
Not too loud, please.

What size shoe do you wear?
Depends on the brands. Mostly 37-39.

Is it the same size when you wear sandals?
Sometimes.

Have you ever been out of the country?
Yea.

Where would you travel to if you could hop on a plane right now?
Paris and London. Can't be separated, no matter what!.

How many hours of sleep do you get on an average night?
4 to 5 hours, If I am lucky.

Are you a morning person or a night person?
Depends.

Have you ever been too scared to make the first move?
Yep.

Did you end up missing out?
Not really.

How do you determine whether or not someone is compatible with you?
Similarity between us, depends on the situation.

How long does it take you to discover this upon first meeting them?
I know it right away.

Which do you prefer: hicks or bikers
Bikers.

Would you ever consider climbing Mt. Everest?
No.

Have you ever been called a tease?
Forgot.

Are you a good kisser?
Err.. ask them!

Do you believe there is life out in the galaxy(ies)?
Maybe.

Are you allergic to anything?
Yeah.

Which is better: sugar or honey?
Honey.

Love or Money?
Can I have both? :p

Children or a successful career?
Successful career then Children.

Mountains or the Beach?
Beach.

Bonfires or fireplace?
Bonfires.

Would you ever go sky diving?
Maybe.

What is your biggest fear?
Can't tell ya!

Is there any way you could possibly prevent it from happening?
Yes and No.

Do you prefer gum or mints?
Gum, please.

Cameras or video cameras?
Camera.

Can you type fast?
Yes, I guess.

Where did you learn how to type?
Autodidact.

Do you prefer going to the beach at night or going for a joyride at night?
Beach at night.

Pens or pencils?
Pencil, mechanic one.

Blue or black ink?
Black.

Do you enjoy sushi (with or without the raw fish)?
Love!

If your house was on fire & you could save only one thing/item from your room, what would it be?
err, iPhone... Lappie... Clothes.. LOL.

Which parental figure do you respect more: your mom or dad?
Both. I am nothing without both of them.

Why did you choose them over the other?
Read my previous answer.

Why is the ocean blue?
Ask God.

Who really invented the internet?
I don't know, but I thanked you a lot.

Are you allergic to any type of food?
yes.

Do you prefer rap or rock music?
Classic, please.

Which movie(s) do you prefer: Lord of the Rings, or Harry Potter?
BOTH. PERIOD.

Pop Quiz: Is the U.S. currency backed by gold? (don't look it up you dork!)
???

Why aren't American's actively seeking alternate means of energy for transportation? (other than petroleum)
No idea. I am not an American.

Do you prefer the Jetson's or the Flintstones?
Flintstones.

The Simpson's or Family Guy?
Umm.. Simpson.

Full House or Family Matters?
Family Matters.

Salute your Shorts or Legends of the Hidden Temple?
No idea.

Xena: Warrior Princess or Hercules?
Harcules.

What is your favorite dog bred?
Not Bulldog for sure.

Are you afraid of reptiles?
kind of.

What is, in your opinion, your best physical attribute?
-

Do you think you have a good sense of humor?
Not really.

What makes you unique?
Being ME.

If you could change one thing you did/did not do TODAY, what would it be and why?
You'll never know what is that!

Have you ever played Texas Hold'em?
Nahh.

Do you enjoy sports? If so, what is your TOP favorite sport to play or watch?
Sometimes. I am not a fan.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
There.

Okay, I am tired and got headache. I'm out.

There is no surprise more magical than the surprise of being loved. It is God's finger on man's shoulder. ---Charles Morgan

Let's Bake!

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Hello Sugarpies :D

I'm here to keep yesterday's promise. So are you curious what am I doing today and yesterday and what is going on tomorrow that make me completely busy as a bee? Well, since yesterday, we're all busy. Cleaning up the house, cooking and baking. My home smells good. First, because it's so clean and second, we can't stop baking. Imagine that. It's all just so so so good. Tomorrow is a big day for mum and dad. For us too, of course. That's why they're going to celebrate it with prayers and held a small party at home. It's just a small party, but, many friends and family will come and join the happiness. That's why we need to clean up the entire house and then cooked for the dishes and bake some/read:many/cakes and desserts.

Our maid cleaned up the roomie, dad and bro are also in charged. While that, mum and I were in the kitchen. We made rissoles, for hundred people, then there are so many leftover egg whites. God! It's heaven!! You know what am I gonna do with that, right? Yeah! Macarons! I used the leftover egg whites to make some macs. Thanked God. I made it. Yay!! So yesterday the weather was so great-it's damn damn hot and dry-I made 3 trays of macs-don't ask this is batch number 10 or 20 or even 50! I just can't count on it anymore. I already tried to make this cutie french biscuits for so many times with disappointing results, so I don't want to count it anymore-First tray was the best. Second tray was undercooked while the third tray was totally disappointment. All those trays comes from the same batter so I guess, it's the oven. I'm sure my batter is good enough or even perfect, I can say. I've been making the same batter over and over again, I can tell which is good batter or bad. So, I experimented with the heat of my oven. First tray, I used 200 degrees, cooked perfectly but the bottom is brown-FYI, I made pink macarons, with red and strawberry liquid essence-the "feet" showed up nicely but again, once I removed it from the oven, it felt down abit, but still in quite good shape.

I baked the 2nd tray with 150 degrees, ended up undercooked but the "feet" was nice and it didn't felt down once I removed it from the oven, yay! to that but nay to the colors and inside of the shell. It still undercooked, after I put them back in the oven with low temperature. Now, let's skip the 3rd tray. It breaks my heart. Same recipe and even same batter, but failed. SIGH.

I filled my pink macarons with white chocolate ganache, but I found out that the white filling is too pale, so I added pink food coloring a bit. That's all about my macs. Sorry to say, no photos of my macs, because it's gone to our stomach already before I had an opportunity to capture it. LOL.

Then, it was 6 o'clock in the evening when we started to make some fruit pies. It wasn't that hard to make this pie, but time consuming. We finished it around 8 p.m then baked them in the oven. We finished our baking session of the day at 9.30 p.m. then I went to shower, well, turned on my lappie to download my work and posted my previous post with remaining energies that left in me, then sleep tightly like a sleeping beauty, if I am not mistaken it's around 11 that I went to bed that night, only a few hour of my beauty sleep, I was wide awake at 2 something in the middle of night and can't sleep anymore till morning. SUCKS!!

Now here I am, with my panda eyes and heavy head, typing this. If you don't mind, I'll take some rest now, as I still have time for that. Thanked God my works' done and I'm not in charge on today's dishes. I'm so sleepy and still tired, but I'd love to bake some macs if I had a chance, but I'm afraid I won't have the chance, because we're going to bake another cake today and the weather isn't too good for the macs. Oh I love the busyness like this, but not my body, I guess. I'm out now...

It's a sort of bloom on a woman. If you have it, you don't need to have anything else; and if you don't have it, it doesn't much matter what else you have. ---James Matthew Barrie, What Every Woman Knows, about charm

Cutie Pie

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There is definitely something with the title, but, can we postpone it until tomorrow? As for now, I am so bloody tired already. I was so busy today and the weather wasn't really good it's pretty hot even it's raining now, I still feel stiflingly hot. That's make my day. Pheww... So, I'll see you guys tomorrow, yeah?

Good Night and Have a Nice Sleep everyone.

Sleep that knits up the ravelled sleave of care
The death of each day's life, sore labour's bath
Balm of hurt minds, great nature's second course,
Chief nourisher in life's feast. ---William Shakespeare, Macbeth

Confirmation Needed

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The reason why I came back to my hometown is for my "Sacrament of Confirmation". You might wondering what is that, well, for a non-Catholic readers, here's a short explanation for you. Confirmation is usually received as a teenager, several years after making First Communion, the Catholic Church considers it the second of the three Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism being the first and Communion the third). That's it. Read the "teenager" word above? Actually, if you being born and raised in a good catholic family, you should received it when you still in first or second grade in your Junior High School. Well, yeah, it supposed to be received when you are entering your "teen" stage in your life, which means, I am way to late to received it. I am 24 now-25,if you use chinese-based-calendar, but well, let's count it with internationally-accepted-calendar, yeah, I know, I'm old, sigh-and it's kinda embarrassing to know, that you've already that old to receive this Sacrament. Well, take the positive side,  better than later, right, and well hello, I am not the only one though. Some of them are even older than me. That's relieving.

Anyway, please, hold your tongue, don't ask me how come this happened to me, because I'm not going to explain it why. Period.

So after joined the classes, 2 hours classes every week after churching, for a month, I guess lesson learned. So, the day I will received this Confirmation is tomorrow. You know, I easily get excited or bored or even not interesting on something. In this case, I am way too excited. I don't know why. As a reminder for me and information for you, there will be more than 300 people who will received this Confirmation, and mostly they are teen and kiddos, I can say. Nothing good about them. I simply don't have many friends in there and won't make any friendship with them of course. Well, I do have some new friends, the same age, above and below of course, but I mean, I still stand on my own feet-Oh my talked about feet makes me sensitive and irritates me a lot! You know why! Or I'll tell ya later on about this little feet!-like I don't have close friends in that community, I can't talk to them about anything but this Sacrament and the event. Anyway, nothing's good about seeing these kiddos. Then I don't get it why I still get excited to deal with tomorrow's event. Maybe that's how God works. Something that you and I cannot understand much. But I am glad that I really looked forward to this event. I feel like God's Grace is with me now. It's not like I don't feel it before, but these days it's getting stronger, you get it. It's not something that you can really explain with words, it's something for you to feel.

Okay, that's all. We'll see how's tomorrow. And oh yeah, my mum and dad and some of their friends will held a charity bazar tomorrow, they are selling foods, snacks and beverages. Hopefully everything will goes well. All sales and profits will be donated to the church. I really wish to help them selling stuffs, I love doing charity stuffs and take part in it, helping people, etc, but they held this charity bazar because of my event is also going to be held tomorrow, the idea is to get the fund for donation as much as possible, so unfortunately I couldn't help them, but I'll see what I can do to help them tomorrow.

God Bless You all. Sending lots of love and prayers :)

Where there is charity and wisdom, there is neither fear nor ignorance. ---St. Francis of Assisi quotes (Founder of the Franciscan order, 1181-1226).

Happy Birthday Dad!!

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Today is super busy day and one of the most important day in the year. Daddy's birthday!! Yay!! Mum and I already planned to held a small birthday party for him. So, we woke up very early to go to church, then after fetch my grandmum to dialysis clinic we'll buy some cake for him. Unfortunately, the plan is ruined because of something that I couldn't state in here, privacy, of course. So I went home and started to prepare some ingredients. As always, I responsible in dishes. :)

This afternoon I cooked 5 dishes in total for appetizer, main course and the dessert. My mum assisted me in making some dishes. First for the appetizer, we made Chicken Croquette. Made from mashed potato and finely chopped chicken breasts and Rissoles, but unfortunately, lack of time, so we couldn't finish the Rissoles. Then mum left me alone with our maid, because she has to fetch my grandmum, so I handled the main course all by myself. It was piece of cake actually, so I don't really mind. I cooked Aglio Olio Spaghetti, made with spaghetti of course, mushrooms, paprika, sausage and ham and smoked beef, garlic etc etc. The spices are way too many to mention. Then I cooked vegetables, you know, in our house vegetable is a must. Everyday has to be at least one vegetable dishes on our dine-table. We just love it :) I cooked vegetable stir-fried. I used carrots, broccoli and cauliflowers. Then cooked sesame honey fried chicken. Finally for the dessert I made soursop jelly. That’s all for our lunch. Unfortunately I couldn’t post any pics of them because my iPhone was charged, so yeah, now, it’s all gone into their stomach(s). Nothing’s left. LOL

Maybe I’ll post dad’s birthday cake, but not now, as we’re going to slice the cake tonight, but we’ll see :D

I am so tired now. Especially while I was cooking, I had to working too. Typing on my Vesca, then sent it right away because they say that I should send it back to them ASAP. And my mum is start to worrying my part time job. She was like,

“Are you going to do this every day? Oh come on! You should ask them, actually how many your “work” really is. As they say in the very first place you just need to do 4 works in a month, that’s why you accepted the job they’re offered and it’s been like you are working more than office hour”

I know why she said something like that. It’s because she care and love me that much-that's my mum :)  and I bet every mum will just be like her, or not, whatever it is she's the only and the best mum ever! -or else I couldn’t accompany her to anywhere like every day and when I start working, I simply can’t do anything else, moreover, she’s got me still working until midnight for quite few times. Huff... I don’t know... I guess I’ll ask for more opinions from dearie and some close friends about this.

I personally don’t mind at all, because, I don’t really have any “important” things to do at the moment-I did, but not every day-but yeah, I have to admit it, sometimes it bothers me much, because what is in the agreement in the first place wasn’t the same as reality and especially when I already made plans to pass the days and it will all be ruined. That sucks, but what to say... you need to be more responsible with your work, right? :)

Asking them so all thing will be clear is ever crossed my mind, but I always postponed it. I guess it’s not the right time-herewegoagain.LOL-I guess I’ll ask them by the time I get a steady job for me, so that I could arrange my time between my main job and my part time job. Well, I don’t know. But if my mum insisted me to ask them, then no other way, I’ll just ask them. I hope they won’t get me wrong, but I just want to make clear, my job is still like on our agreement or there will be another adjustment for that. Whatever it is I don’t really care much though. You know the reason why, right? I’ll just let it flowing. It’s not good to think too much on this problem-if you could call it, tho-I still have another important thing to consider. Just live the life as the way it is. Don’t sweat too much on stuffs like these... :)

Okay, that’s wrapped. Off to go now, will prepare our dinner, or maybe I’ll bake some macs again. See you again, and Happy birthday daddy!! Wish you all the best and great things in life we all love you and God Bless you always.

XOXO

Life is too short to hold a grudge, also too long. ---Robert Brault

Small Reunion

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Hey there!! Last Saturday I had a small gathering with besties and some old friends. It was a great day, great talk, great companion and great food also :) We meet up at lunch time at Lekker. When we were about to go home that day, accidentally I saw my very very old friends. We shared our desk together in junior high school, and can you believe it? He owned that place. Nice and nice business mate!! Good luck for you :)

Okay, I won't talk much, just enjoy the pics :)

The Girls

The Boys

Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success. ~Henry Ford

Macarons Tips & Tricks and How to Macaronnage

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FYI! These tips and tricks are not written by me! And this is bloody long post, full with important informations about macarons :)

I got it from here. After reading lots of tips and trick in making macarons, I found that this is the most complete tips and tricks. Very well described and easy to understand and I have a good feeling in following these tips from her :)

So, I copied and pasted it here on my blog, just for a reminder and quick search for me. For me. Note that. I'm not copycat-ing people's thread, then put it into mine and admitted it as mine. You know, I need a guidance when I'm making my macarons, and I always bring my iWhite with me, and read the recipes that I wrote down there. I have reasons why I didn't bookmark-I did and I also followed her!- :) the page and opened it anytime I need it. You should blame my provider. More than five times a day the 3G signal is disappearing and I just simply can't online at all, that's why by putting this on my blog, I can search this post-offline, of course-from my blogging application on iPhone. You get my point, right? So, all credits goes to Corry :)

A work in Progress

There are fabulous macaron sites out on the blogosphere. You only have to do a search on 'macaron' to find a multitude of information.

Some of my favourite sites are: Audax Artifex; Mercotte; Mélanger; Mowielicious; Syrup and Tang; Tartlette; Trissalicious.

Granted, they're not the easiest thing to master, but if you are prepared to experiment a little, use a little trial and error, a little patience and persistence, you will eventually make the most delightful little macarons. In the process, even if they don't turn out picture perfect, they will still taste fantastic.

Some useful information:

(from information I have compiled off the web in the last 2 years and from my notes that I made from a class that I did at Savour Chocolate & Patisserie School in Melbourne Australia)

Almond meal (ground almond)
The almond meal we buy in Australia is too wet and has a coarse texture. To achieve the smooth flat tops typically associated with macarons, first dry the almond meal. Leave it out on your bench, covered, for a few days. Alternatively, you can spread it out on a baking tray and place it in the oven at 150˚C (350˚F) for 5 minutes and then cool it down completely. This also helps release the flavour from the nuts. Make sure you keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn. Other nuts also work perfectly well for macarons, but taste different to almonds. You can substitute any nut flour/meal such as cashews or hazelnuts. You can even add in sesame seeds or poppy seeds.

Tant pour tant (French for half and half)
Tant pour tant is a mixture of equal amounts of almond meal (ground almond) and superfine (castor) or confectioner’s (icing) sugar. It is ground in a food processor into fine granules or powder. The fine sugar helps to grind the nuts and also absorbs the oil from the nuts. Most recipes state, that to get a delicate smooth macaron, sift the almond powder through a fine sieve at least twice. I haven’t found this necessary, as my food processor is quite powerful.

Egg Whites
Egg whites are usually aged out on the bench for 2 to 3 days. Place them in a glass container covered with plastic wrap and cut a small slit in the top of the wrap. This helps them to dehydrate. Alternatively, they can be microwaved for 10 - 20 seconds on medium high, which will give the same results. Egg whites must be at room temperature as they whip and hold better at room temperature. Dried egg white can also be added (2% of the egg white volume) to tighten and stabilize the meringue to give it slightly more holding time but this is optional. This is added at the soft peak stage. Three large egg whites will weigh approximately 100 grams.

Whipping egg white increases the volume and incorporates air. Because of its low surface tension and the stability of the surface, the egg white forms a foam. Start beating slowly, gradually increasing speed.

The stiffness of the meringue can be determined by it’s appearance, the height of peaks and the extent to which the point bends over when the egg beater is lifted out of the meringue, and also how it flows when the bowl is partially inverted.

Soft peak: When slightly whipped, air bubbles are large and the egg white appears foamy, transparent, and very runny. With more beating the bubbles become smaller, the egg white less transparent, whiter and still flows if the bowl is partially inverted.

Slip and streak stage: The egg white has soft peaks and it will hold the shape of a bird’s beak.

Stiff Peak: The egg white becomes stiffer as it is beaten and as the air bubbles divide and become smaller. The amount of egg white utilized in forming films is greater. The small air bubbles with fine cell walls are stronger and more rigid than a few large cells. The eggwhite becomes very white, begins to lose a little of the moist, shiny appearance, and is stiff and rigid. When the bowl is inverted, the egg white does not flow and remains in the bowl and the end of peaks stand up straight.

Dry: If the egg is left to stand, the watery fluid collects at the bottom of the bowl more slowly. With longer beating the eggwhite becomes dry, loses its shine and becomes curdled and patchy.

Sugar
Sugar increases the stability of whisked egg white. Either superfine (castor) sugar or confectioner’s (pure icing) sugar is used as the smaller particles assist with aeration. The best amount of sugar is approximately 4 (to 5) tablespoons per egg white.

Stabilising agent
Cream of tartar (an acid salt) is generally used to condition the protein of the egg white and also helps the structure providing tenderness and stability of the foam - 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon of cream of tartar per egg white is used for this purpose. Lemon juice can also be used (1-1/2 teaspoons).

Colouring
This must not be oil based, as oil will destabilize the egg white. The Intensity will depend on the food coloring used. Concentrated food colouring has more intensity than powdered food colouring. The cooked macarons will be lighter than the uncooked macronage, so don't be shy adding a little more than you think is necessary.

Salt
Some recipes say to add salt. Salt decreases the ability of the egg white to whisk, increases beating time and also decreases stability. It is better to add salt to the dry ingredients if you are adding it.

Humidity
Humidity is the macarons enemy. Don’t make macarons on wet and muggy days. (!!!)

Types of meringue used in Macarons
There are three methods for whipping egg whites for macarons; the uncooked meringue methods - French and Spanish, and the Italian meringue method using hot sugar syrup. All methods should produce similar macarons. The most important things are learning how to macronner and getting to know your oven.

For small batches, French and Spanish methods are faster and easier.

The French Method
The French method deflates quickly and is too unstable for large batches. This method involves whipping raw egg whites to a simple medium stiff foam (soft peak) then gradually adding castor sugar (1/3 at a time) to tighten and stabilize the meringue (stiff peak stage). You should end up with a glossy meringue that can be turned upside down without falling out of the bowl. The meringue is then mixed with the tant pour tant for the macronage stage as documented below. The texture of the finished macarons is very tender. French macarons are baked at approximately 150˚C.

The Spanish Method
The Spanish method is very similar to the French method except that the macarons are baked at a higher degree (160 to 165˚C) for a shorter time (approx 9 – 10 minutes) and extra confectioner’s (icing) sugar is added and sifted into the almond/sugar mixture (tant pour tant). The extra sugar gives the meringue better structure. The down side is that there is a tendency to get air bubbles in the finished batter.

Italian Method
The Italian meringue method is better for large batches. The egg whites are whisked until the volume is approximately 8 to 10 times the original. It is then combined with a hot sugar syrup. The meringue is more stable and gives more consistent results than the French or Spanish methods. There is more scope for playing with the batter. You can divide the batter and add different colours and flavours. The batter is softer and shinier and you don't have to dry the piped macarons as long. It may seem a little difficult at first, as the meringue and the sugar syrup must be ready at the same time, but it really is very easy once you have tried it and well worth the effort. Italian macarons are baked at approximately 150˚C.

Italian Method
(I prefer this method and have not had a failure yet)

Preparing the Hot Syrup for the Italian method
Get the hot syrup organized first. You will need to use a candy thermometer. The sugar and water are combined in a small pan then stirred continuously with a wooden spoon over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. It is then brought to the boil. It isn’t stirred once it has come to the boil. The heat is reduced to medium and the sides of pan brushed down with a clean, wet pastry brush. This is to remove sugar crystals and prevent grain forming. When the syrup reaches 115˚C (soft ball stage), start mixing the egg whites using a medium speed.

The meringue
The egg whites are whisked until they appear foamy, then cream of tartar is added. Then it is whisked further until they reach the slip and streak stage and the volume is approximately 8 to ten 10 the original. It is important not to overbeat at this stage. Use a medium to medium-high speed to get a stable foam with uniformed sized air bubbles (speed 6 on Kitchen Aide). A small pinch of dried egg white can be added at this stage to tighten and stabilize the meringue.

Adding the Hot Syrup
When the sugar syrup reaches 118˚C, it is removed from the stove and immediately poured down the side of the mixing bowl into the whipping egg whites. Recipes I have read vary from 118 to 121˚C, so don’t worry to much if it goes over a little. Be careful not to get it on the whisk, causing splattering and possible burns.

[For the pics, see the original post, here I didn't post it because it's least important to me ] :D

The volume of the whipped egg whites visibly increases. Colour is now also mixed in. Mixing is continued at medium speed until the mixing bowl is cool to the touch and the meringue has thickened and reached a workable temperature of around 35˚C.

Adding the tant pour tant
Before folding with the meringue, the dry ingredients (tant pour tant) are first mixed with a small portion of raw egg whites in a separate bowl to form a relatively firm paste. This is continuously mixed with a whisk so it doesn’t ball.

How to ‘Macaronner’
(or mixing the tant pour tant and the meringue) - this technique is used for the Italian, Spanish and French methods.

The meringue is transferred to a large flat mixing bowl for the Macaronage stage. This is the most critical stage in mixing. The batter has to be mixed to just the right consistency where it is supple and shiny. If the batter is over mixed, too many air bubbles will be deflated. You'll end up with flat, cracked, tough and chewy macarons. Air bubbles are needed to expand with the heat in the oven. This pushes the top of the macaron up to expose the wet part of the batter. If stirred to little, the macarons won't have feet and they will have a peak on their tops.

You will need to do between 40 and 50 turns all up (sliding the spatula under the batter, then lifting and dropping the batter back on itself, always working in one direction and turning the bowl by 1/4 turns at the same time).

Use a spatula to first fold and deflate the batter, mixing the tant pour tant, one-third at a time, into the whipped egg whites. For the first few turns, work fast and be a little robust as you want to knock out some of the air as you mix the meringue and the tant pour tant together (it's different to making meringue for cakes where you have to be delicate). When you have the tant pour tant nearly mixed in (you don't want to knock too much air out either) slow down a little.

Change to a plastic baker’s scrapper and then fold more slowly.

As you work the oils from the almonds batter will become looser.

Within a few turns it will change from a dull gritty surface with ridges and lines to a smooth, shiny surface and to what is described as thick flowing magma. In reality, who has seen magma before? This basically means that when you lift and drop the batter back on itself, after waiting for about 30 seconds, the ridges slowly ooze back into the batter.

Your batter is now ready to pipe.

Hint:
If you see peaks after you have piped one whole row, it's not ready. Put it back into the mixing bowl and give it a few more turns. When piped, rap the tray a few times on the bench top to get rid of air bubbles. You can also use a wet finger to flatten out the peaks, but you will have under mixed macarons with possible rough areas on your macarons.

Piping
As the saying goes, practice makes perfect.
Spoon the mixture into the piping bag with a #11 - 1cm (1/2 inch round piping tip). The piping bag can be stood upright in a large jug. Silpat mats are preferable to parchment paper as the macarons are easier to remove. When using parchment paper, you may have to steam them off using a spray mist. If using parchment paper, you can draw 2.5cm rounds with a pencil on one side then use the reverse side.

The tip of the piping bag is held perpendicularly over the sheet to pipe the batter (which should be dropped rather than piped). Pipe batter into 2.5cm rounds across the tray stepping alternate rows diagonally 2.5cm apart. Pipe from the middle with the tip about 1cm (½ inch) above. The rounds will spread somewhat. To finish each macaron, the piping tip is flicked upwards with a twist of the wrist to finish or a reverse C can be used to cut off the batter then moved to the next position. If this is done correctly, there should shouldn’t be a nipple on the top, which will should flatten out relatively quickly.

After piping the first row of macarons, look back at the first one and see if the top has flattened out nicely. If not, scrape the batter up and mix to correct it (if under mixed), or add further tant pour tant (if over mixed) or start again. Even if the macarons are not perfect, they will still taste fabulous. When piping is completed, bang the baking sheets a few times against the bench to remove any air bubbles and even out the piped rounds. For the French and Spanish method, the piped macarons are then left to rest until they form a skin and are dry to the touch - about 20 to 30 minutes or more. Touch to see if they are dry and not sticking to your finger. The heat from the oven causes air bubbles to expand inside the piped batter, which pushes up the top dry skin of the macaron. This in turn reveals the inner wet part of the batter at the base and the formation of the “foot” of the macaron. If they are not dried out sufficiently, the batter will expand outwards and it will crack as it bakes. With the Italian method, the batter dries more quickly and they can be baked straight away (if you are game).

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Baking
Preheat convection oven to 150 - 160˚C or conventional to 160 - 170˚C. This is dependent on the recipe and method used and your oven. Note: But first, get to know your oven. Be prepared to experiment a little, use a little trial and error, a have a little patience and persistence as every oven is different. It will pay off in the long run. Convection ovens take less time and conventional oven take longer. Test your oven for hot spots. I use bottom heat only in my oven as the top heat browns the macarons too quickly. It is a good idea to do a practice run with only a few macarons and experiment with your oven to get it right.

Use an insulated baking tray (special double baking sheets that are ideal for macarons – I found mine in the supermarket and they were relatively cheap $14.95 AUD) or alternatively use two baking sheets (one on top of the other without a gap in between) and lay a piece of parchment or silpat on the doubled baking sheet.

Baking time may vary also. Generally, bake macarons for approximately 12 minutes but timing can be up to 17 minutes depending on your oven type and the size of the macarons. It is very important to keep an eye on the baking progress at the tail end of baking time to adjust as necessary. Open the oven and put your finger on one of the macarons. It should be firm with the slightest amount of give. If it wobbles, they require another minute or so.

Once baked, remove the tray from oven and leave the macarons to cool down on a rack before removing from the mat or paper. Don’t pull them from the paper. They should slide easily off the paper once cooled. If they don't place them in the freezer for a few seconds and they will come off more easily. You can also use a spatula, but be careful as the feet can tear. You can also Spritz with a spray water bottle between the parchment paper and tray. This causes steam and helps to loosen the macarons, but they must not be left for too long or they become too moist.



Finishing off
Pair up similar sized macarons, with one macaron turned face up. Pipe approximately a teaspoon of filling on to the turned up macaron, twist the pair together until filling comes just to the edges of the macarons. Place in a small paper cup cake patty to set.

Storing
Keep the unfilled shells in a container in the fridge and they will be more tender. Macarons can also be frozen either with filling or without. Freezing has a tenderizing effect but at the same time, the shells will be weaker than before being frozen. To defrost, remove the macarons from the freezer and place them in the refrigerator overnight. This minimizes condensation on the shells but also gives them a bit of shininess.

Equipments:
large flat mixing bowl
rubber spatula
bowl scrapper
electric mixer or Kitchen Aide
sugar saucepan (cheap nonstick supermaket type works well)
Candy/sugar thermometer
Insulated baking sheets - so bottoms of macarons don't burn and you get nice little foot.

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*** Added from comments that I read***

• Do the folding 40 to 45 times while incorporating all ingredients (tant pour tant);
• Use a hard pastry scrapper to slowly press down the batter 12 times (not 10 nor 15) to release excess air and to get the desired smooth, shiny magma surface.It is said that these specific, precise counts ensure that the right amount of air is kept in the batter.

• It is best to use a convection oven to 150 - 160˚C (300 - 320˚F). Otherwise use a conventional oven at 160 - 170˚C (320 - 340˚F), but make sure you use insulated double baking trays so you don't have too much bottom heat.
  
  Baking at a moderate temperature will help the air bubbles expand, the water to evaporate and the proteins to coagulate at an even rate. If the temperature is too high, the proteins will set too quickly and the water won't have time to evaporate.
  
  Don't forget to bank your trays a few times on the counter before leaving to dry out.
  
  Also, make sure your ground almond isn't too wet. Dry it out in the oven as per my tips and tricks suggestion.

• You can tell when they are ready by opening the oven and putting your finger on one of the macarons. It should be firm with the slightest amount of give. If it wobbles, they require another minute or so - but don't let them brown.
  
  It is so disappointing when their bellies get left behind on the sheet leaving an empty shell - but no, this doesn't necessarily mean they were under cooked.
  
  Yes, you can stick them back in the oven if they are still hot, but 20 minutes is more than enough for them to cook, depending on their size. I'm assuming they are around the 3cm size and not large ones.
  
  First of all, are you using silicone or parchment sheets?
  This sometimes happens to me when I use the silicon sheets. Try parchment paper - (I use baking paper - we call it Glad Bake in Australia). Once baked, remove the tray from oven and leave the macarons to cool down on a wire rack before removing from the paper. It is most important that you don't pull then from the paper. They should just slide easily off the paper once cooled, Try turning the paper upside down and peel it away from the macarons. If they don't come away easily, place them in the freezer for a minute of so then they should just peel off.
  
  The traditional method is to spritz with a spray water bottle between the parchment paper and tray while they are still hot. This causes steam and helps to loosen the macarons, but they must not be left for too long or they become too moist.
  
  If they are extra chewy and sticky, you may be cooking them at too low a temperature. Try using a higher heat. I use a convection (fan-forced) oven to 150˚C (300˚F) for the Italian method and 160˚C (320˚F) for the French method. If you don't have fan-forced then use a conventional oven at 160 - 170˚C (320 - 340˚F), but make sure you use insulated double (double) baking trays so you don't have too much bottom heat. It will also depend on your oven. I have a Miele oven which in conventional mode uses bottom heat.
  
  Duncan of "Syrup and Tang" has a great blog on macarons - one particularly on ovens and temperatures for macarons at - http://www.syrupandtang.com/201003/of-ovens-and-baking-and-macarons/.
  
  The extra chewy, sticky texture may also have something to do with the recipe you are using. Duncan also has formulas on his site that may help you with regards to sugar egg white ratios. The ratio of sugar to almond and the amount of egg white used will determine the texture of the macarons. He uses 50 grams egg whites/67 grams powdered sugar/67 grams almond meal. I have personally found that most recipes will work as long as you get the macaronnage technique right.
  
  I don't rotate my trays as they don't turn out as well in my oven, even if I rotate them. I generally only do one tray at a time on the bottom shelf. If you are doing 2 trays at a time, I would rotate them.

I guess I'll try Corry's recipes tomorrow! Wish me luck and hope the weather is with me tomorrow :)

Rapberry Macarons Recipe:

Ingredients:

For tant pour tant:
300 grams dried almond meal
300 grams castor (superfine) sugar
110 grams egg white

For the syrup:
300 grams castor (superfine) sugar
75 grams (ml) water

For the meringue:
110 grams egg white
3 grams dried egg white
pinch of cream of tat tar
a few drops of red colouring (don't be shy)

Raspberry Buttercream:
6 large egg yolks
185 grams sugar
125 grams corn syrup
425 grams (4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup raspberry sauce (recipe follows)

For the Raspberry Sauce (makes 1 + 2/3 cups)
700 grams frozen raspberries
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2/3 cup sugar

[For more pics and step by step direction in making the raspberry macarons, see the original post, here ] :)

Citrus Macarons Recipe:

Ingredients:

100 grams egg whites (aged for 3 days)
75 grams castor (superfine) sugar
zest of 1 orange
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
pinch of cream of tartar
green food colour with a few drops of orange food colour for highlight.

175 grams icing sugar
125 grams almond meal

For the Lemon filling:
50g unsalted butter
50g almond meal
100g confectioners (icing) sugar
200g lemon curd

[For more pics and step by step direction in making the raspberry macarons, see the original post, here ] :)

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Color Guide:
This color = Important note(s) to self!
This color = As a reminder to me! Especially when I want to make another batch so badly between unfavorable weather :) 

Hey June!

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Six months to go and 2011 will be ended real soon, can you believe it? Anyway, I really upset, disappointed and feel like crying, as yesterday and the other yesterday and today, I tried to make my 5th and 6th and 7th and 8th batches of macarons and FAILED! I don't know what's wrong. I did the same way as I make my 4th batch, same recipe, method, everything except the 8th. And it ended up with a super terrible disappointment. Instead of macarons, it turned out to macawrongs! BIG Disaster!!  But Thanked God, I still have this hope with me, with a strong determination to beat this macaron!

I will updating again about these cute french biscuits when I succeed in making another batch. Wish me luck. And oh, yeah! The oven, please be good to me! :)

As always, I played with the colors of my "succeed" Chocolate Ganache Macarons and I just love that it turned out great.

The mac, flavor, and the edited pics color :)

Anyway, June, be good to me, will ya? :)

Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering.
There is a crack in everything,
That's how the light gets in. ---Leonard Cohen

There is a crack in everything  --- taken from the quote above.

That's true, but I don't want to have one on my macarons shell for sure! LOL!