Sunday, December 14, 2014

Mini Baked Oreo Cheesecake

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Today I made a batch of mini baked oreo cheesecakes using a recipe I found on the internet. I modified the recipe a little based on my preferences and my previous cheesecake making experience. This cheesecake is about the size of a cupcake as it was baked using my silicon cupcake moulds. Here is my modified recipe if anyone is interested in making this mini version of the baked oreo cheesecake. :)

Mini Baked Oreo Cheesecake Recipe (makes about 16)

Base

Half of an oreo cookie without the vanilla cream filling (You can use an entire oreo cookie if you like)

Cream Cheese Filling

1 block of Philadelphia cream cheese (250g) soften at room temp
1/3 cup of extra fine sugar (or caster sugar)
1/3 cup of sour cream
3 tablespoons of sweetened condensed milk
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
2 eggs
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
Dash of salt
6-7 oreo cookies finely crushed (with vanilla cream filling removed)

Instructions:

1) Prepare the silicon cupcake moulds and add one half of an oreo cookie as the base. I removed the vanilla cream filling between each oreo cookie before putting one half of the cookie in. You can use an entire oreo cookie as the base according to your own personal preference.

2) With a electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until fluffy, then add in 1/3 cup sugar and continue beating until integrated. 

3) Add the sour cream, condensed milk, lemon juice, vanilla extract and dash of salt and mix again. Lastly, add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

4) Remove the mixing bowl containing the cream cheese mixture and mix manually a few times using a hand whisk, making sure that the final mixture is smooth and well mixed.

5) Add the crushed oreo cookies into the cream cheese mixture and fold it in until well incorporated.

6) Spoon the cream cheese mixture into each cupcake mould. Fill up to about 3/4 of the mould (about 3 to 4 tablespoons of mixture).

7) Bake in the oven for 25 mins at about 170 degree Celsius. Bake in a water bath (fill the baking tray with water enough to cover up to 0.5 cm of the base of the cupcake mould). This is to reduce cracking and to ensure that the heat is evenly distributed.

8) After baking, cool the mini oreo cheesecakes on the tray for about 10 to 15 mins before turning it out from the silicon moulds. 

9) Refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours before serving.

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Job Offer

I just accepted a job offer from XX hospital. It was a pay cut compared to my current job in the private sector, but somehow I was inclined to accept the job offer. I have been out of the healthcare sector for 4 years and I think it's time for me to come back. When comparing between the private and healthcare sector, I think I felt a difference. I don't know if it is the people there. They seem to me to be devoid of emotions. I don't feel the passion and drive to work. Things are rushed, a lot of last minutes stints just to be able to satisfy the customer and company timelines. I think it's my sense of responsibility for what I do, I work late hours to rush out stuff that are handled by me just to meet the last minute timelines, but more than once, people in the workflow chain just doesn't comply. You can end up rushing out the work on a late night and over the weekends but they just ended up in a bottleneck due to someone holding it up before it reaches the end of the workflow. Sometimes, things just ended going back and fro just because someone who reviews your work is not satisfied with how you write the report. These changes can be as minor as rephrasing the entire sentence although it means exactly the same thing. This is not an english class, shouldn't the focus be on the content of the report?
What makes things worse is having a boss who only knows how to exert her authority but doesn't communicate the right information down. A lot of times we end up rushing work due to her crazy timelines and the fact that the email information has been lying in her email inbox for one month "untouched". We have been getting news of the department we have been working with through our co workers instead of our boss herself. She never understood the time and effort we all put in for the work due to limited manpower on our side. That is because we still managed to cover our work in the end. She can leave urgent matters hanging just to leave work on time. There was no form of appreciation for the effort we put in to complete the tasks. Because of all these issues, people in our team are slowly leaving and transferring out of the department. I would say I have been able to stay on till now despite all the complex issues because I have a fantastic team of colleagues working with me. We were able to keep the team together despite the fact that during the first one and a half years we had no one to report to who can make decisions for the team. When our boss came in last year, matters just got worse instead of better. It makes me really sad to see our team disintegrate due to her, with people leaving the team because they feel that they can't work with her.
I hope I made the right decision moving on, because I don't anticipate being able to stay in my current job long term. The manager who interviewed me for this new job seems sincere in having me join them. He shared with me his passion for the job and how excited he was with the upcoming new hospital plan. It was then I reminisce the days I spent in healthcare, when the days I actually put in long hours was to test urgent samples for the benefit of a patient, not to meet the timeline for a report.

Saturday, March 1, 2014

Food for Thought @ Singapore Botanics Garden

Food for Thought @ Singapore Botanics Garden is a place I have been yearning to go to since trying Food for Thought at Queen Street sometime ago. Today, I finally got a chance to visit this place with my friends. :) I love the concept of this cafe:

"Food For Thought is about transforming community spaces and bringing people together to enjoy Good Food for a Good Cause."

and their causes:
1) Give clean water
2) Feed good food
3) Make poverty history
4) Teach them all
5) Inspire kind acts
How awesome is that?? totally cool :D
You can check out their webbie here: http://www.foodforthought.com.sg/index.php

Their food are good too, check out the food pictures below:
Pancakes with Dark Chocolate and Raspberry

My Basic Works with Garlic Mushrooms

Sunday, December 8, 2013

This is Cool! ~~ Map of the Places I have Been to...

Stumble across this by accident on a cool travel website... quite surprised to know that there are actually so many places in the world to visit. This is not the most accurate representation as it goes by states (in USA), provinces (in Canada) and countries in the rest of the world. Sadly, I only managed to cover 9% of the places in the world. There goes... it means I have to start making travel plans soon. :)




Create your own travel map - TravBuddy



Saturday, March 30, 2013

Georgetown, Washington DC

For a random person who has never been to USA or for a traveller who has only visited Washington DC via the usual tourist's footsteps in a rushed few days itinerary, they might not be aware of this quaint historic area located in northwest Washington DC.
For me, I am lucky to be able to get to know this place through my short stay in USA. This is a place I like due to the historic and beautiful architecture that was preserved in the area, the kinda laid back feel walking along the streets and alleys and it's close proximity to Washington DC that could easily constitute a short half day trip.
My times here were occasional, short, but memorable.


 The cupcake display
Georgetown Cupcakes... aren't they lovely??
 At Martin's Tavern, one of the oldest restaurant in Georgetown.
 Crabcakes... a famous dish in Maryland. Yummy...
 Meatloaf with special mushroom gravy
French Onion Soup






Throughout the streets and alleys of Georgetown

Sunday, March 11, 2012

Saturday, February 18, 2012

Friday, August 12, 2011

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Ice-Cream!!! :D

During our grocery shopping trip at Giant supermart today, I can't help being lured to the ice-cream section. It doesn't help either that there happens to be an ice-cream sale for two of my favorite brands, Ben & Jerry and Haagen Dazs, which are already being sold in USA at 1/3 the price you get in Singapore. You can probably guessed what happened next... hahaha. I ended up strolling to the self-check counter with a tub of Ben & Jerry chocolate macadamia ice-cream and a tub of Haagen Dazs green tea ice-cream. :p
I guess I'll have to start forcing myself to go to the gym if I decided to readily succumb to such temptations... LOL

Sunday, February 20, 2011

My New Timex Watch :)

After enduring the agony of being "watchless" for the past 2 weeks for carelessly leaving my watch behind in Singapore, I finally managed to get myself a new watch -- a Timex Expedition watch with Indiglo night light. :D

Monday, February 7, 2011

Home Leave Trip -- CNY 2011

I was truely excited way before I started my journey back to Singapore for CNY. The thought of going back to sunny old Singapore and meeting all my family and friends back in Singapore was a boost for me, even if it means the torturous 25-hour flight back.
However, I couldn't help feeling a tiny weeny bit of disappointment when what greeted me when I finally touched down in Singapore was not the sunny blue skies but a cold and wet downpour. Well, nothing beats seeing mum and dad again as well as my dear family members and relatives. So I was still kinda high even after the long and tiring flight and started chatting excitedly with them.
It feels good to be back in Singapore, but my body doesn't seem to be taking it too well. First up was the feeling of jet-lag. After which I feel kinda tired and not as perked up as I expected myself to be. I had planned to do tons of things when I'm back in Singapore, but I seem to feel lazy just going out to do my "shopping" and I don't seem to be eating as much as I thought I could. Next up, I started having some funny itchy rashes on my face. I also wasn't getting so accustomed to the humidity in Singapore versus the dryness in the States, which was weird because I've been living in Singapore for 25 years. I should be used to the humidity already... hmmm. I guess my physical self just isn't taking the climatic change too well. I started having the feeling of bloatness for the past two days and I wonder whether it's the food I've been eating or that I'm just feeling a bit unwell lately.
Now that it's nearing the end of my home leave trip and I'll be flying back to USA, I can't help feeling sad about leaving Singapore again. USA is a nice place, but the feeling of belonging to your homeland just feels different. But I'm quite sure I'll miss USA as well when I finish my training program and come back to Singapore in December. Well... till then.
Anyway, I would like to wish all my family and friends a happy 2011! Hope 2011 will be a good year for everyone including myself! :)

Monday, August 16, 2010

A Relaxing Afternoon @ Great Falls State Park, VA


Taking in the view of the magnificiant falls craved by the Potomac River...


Lazing around on a lovely afternoon...


and enjoying the feeling of being close to nature...

Love the feeling of spending a relaxing afternoon at the Great Falls State Park in Virginia, USA. :)

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Happy Birthday, Singapore!

Yesterday was the 45th birthday of my homeland Singapore. I've never felt this day was so special until I'm away in the States. I guess I really took that for granted when I was in Singapore.
Well, at least I had a nice mini National Day hangout at my apartment together with my other Singaporean friends. We had drinks, fruits and chips while we played national day songs. It was fun just getting together and talking throughout the night. =)
I'm sure the Singaporeans out there are enjoying their long weekend. Just want to say: "Happy Birthday, Singapore!!" :D

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Missing You...

I miss going home to find mum busy in the kitchen trying to whip up a delectable meal for us. I miss her constant nagging which is also a way of showing how much she care for us. She always like to chat with me some time be it in the day or at night about the daily occurences in her life. Now that I'm in the States, I feel somewhat emotional but happy too whenever she called. I know she misses me. I misses her too.. very much.
I miss my cute little baby niece too. Every morning when she wanders into my room with small wobbly steps and looks me in the eyes, waiting for me to play with her. I miss holding her tiny hands in mine and scooping her up into my arms. I miss chasing her around the house, trying to prevent her from getting into "accidents". I wonder how tall she'll be by the time I come back on home leave.
Basically, all I can say is that I miss all my family and friends back home in Singapore. Hope we can get to see each other real soon...

Saturday, July 10, 2010

Life in the Land of Stars & Stripes

It has been 2 weeks since the day I first set foot in the United States. I could still vividly remember the torturous 25hrs flight with a rushed transit at the SFO airport. I was so glad that me and my luggages arrived at the United States without any glitch. We settled at the hotel Residence Inn by Marriott, a place I've been calling home for the past 2 weeks.
Our 1st 2 weeks were spent with a hectic search for apartments for rental and shopping for things to buy for our new apartments. We have been driving around a lot, been to Washington DC for the 4th July Independence Day celebration and also to the outlets shopping at Virginia. We have also shopped at Walmart, Giant and even the Korean/Asian Mart Lotte at Germantown for groceries to make our own dinner. Our DIY dinner always didn't turn out too well but I'm sure we'll improve with time..LOL.
We've started our 1st two days of orientation at our new place of work. The people there were rather nice and friendly. But it seems like we've got a lot to learn as we go along. Let hope we could all intergrate into our new work environment asap. :)
Well.. I'm still feeling rather sad at times when I start missing home, my family n friends back in Singapore. Looking forward to CNY next year so that I can go back to Singapore to visit them. :)

Saturday, June 5, 2010

The Marmalade Pantry @ Ion Orchard

Had a great afternoon with friends enjoying nice food and quality time together... :)






Saturday, May 29, 2010

Latest Updates

Ok, my visa interview is scheduled on the 15th June and my flight is booked on the 24th June. Finally having some updates. Even with all the gradual clearing up of things, I still feel rather nervous. Our two group discussions so far have yet to settle issues like cars and accomodations. There are still a lot of things to discuss and find out before we jet ourselves off to the States.
I think I'm still having the "I-miss-my-family-and-friends" kinda mood... hmmm..
Now I think I'm having problem with the baggage I need to bring through to the US. We are strictly only allowed 2 luggages 20kg EACH, no adding up of the luggage weight requirements. Well, it's all myself to blame for not reading the requirements carefully and happily bought a BIG new luggage thinking I could stuff all my things in and save the hassle of taking a 2nd luggage. Bummer... :(

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Finally...

Good news!! Our H3 visa petitions are finally approved! One more hurdle to clear-- our visa interview at the US embassy. Good luck peeps! :)