Christmas ....

So I will try to update over christmas but it'll be on my mobile so I can't promise anything amazing.

I will probably be working most of it, seeing my family and going to meet my boyfriend's parents over new years.

But it'll be nice to have some low down time.... where I'm not really worrying about much apart from what am i going to do today.

Ciao xxx

Recipe: No Butter chocolate cake!

I don't know about healthier its just that it was getting to the end of the year and everyone is poor, but we all love cake.

For this recipe you will need:

• 2 eggs
• 215g caster sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
• 200g self-raising flour
• 50g cocoa powder
• 160ml olive oil ( Actually used vegetable oil, I'm a student can't afford luxuries)
• 60ml low-fat milk
• Cocoa powder, extra, to dust

To make this you will need to :

-Preheat the oven to 180C(350F) line a 19cm cake tin with greaseproof baking paper.

-Mix the eggs and sugar together until a pale yellow colour, then add the vanilla and mix.

-Combine flour and cocoa together with the sugar mixture, it should get a bit like dough but don't worry.

- Then add the oil and milk and mix until combined, it goes like a brownie mixture.

-Spoon the mixture into the cake tin and bake for 30 mins or until there are crumbs on a skewer.

-Leave to cool and dust with the extra cocoa powder.

- Best part eat it nomnomnom!

This is actually my celebration cake for getting this semesters work done, it stresses me out but i know it'll be worth it in the end.

It tastes like brownie which I'm not complaining about.

Comfort Food

(Disclaimer not my photo)

My comfort food is usually anything involving potato and/or cheese and the bacon was an added plus.

All I did was gain these ingredients enough for two or one if you're having a particularly bad day.

-4 medium potatos

-Cheese (about a handful or more)

-Bacon ( about 4 rashers)

Chop potato into wedge like shapes and depending on how you like your bacon ( I like mine crispy) put small chunks of bacon in with the potatos on a baking tray at 180C or 350F. Just before they are due to come out add a handful of cheese and melt. Serve and instantly feel better.

What is your comfort food?

Also for those of you wondering my DVD project is coming on okay now although I still need to test it (my boyfriend just tested it and it works hurray!) and make a front cover but its almost to handing in. Also need to print the flowchart.

Money wise, still no news on that front. Rang the job centre my appeal is still going through, Student finance sent a letter and refused to tell me so I could tell my mum to fill it out. Also called my Christmas job but no-one picked up (-_-') so will try again tomorrow so I can find out my shifts for working. Then tomorrow, hand in, probably call my mum / work and maybe the crisis loan people so I can actually pay my rent. For those of you worrying my situation should be better in the new year and I can contribute with fun posts and maybe more recipes, I'm hoping to bake tonight so maybe I will post the recipe to that at some point.... Should really queue posts up for when I'm not feeling up to blogging so i won't bore you with my sadness.

Ciao xxx

Stressed....

So I have my deadline in literally two days so that's why I took a day off blogging and today on a Sunday I have literally spent the whole time trying to do this DVD project. But I am feeling a bit more confident with it now since my lovely boyfriend fixed some technical problems I was having, it really makes me wonder why I did a technology course instead of an art one.

But now tomorrow all I need to do is design a front cover, subtitles and burn to disc ready for hand in. It's so exhausting as well as all that I have to make several phone calls, remember to eat and keep trying to get money so I can buy presents and pay my rent at the end of the month.....

(-__-').

In fact its been really hard today to remember to actually eat as I've been so stressed on this project, but I've just gone over the marking criteria and I seem to have met everything they want apart from creative and innovative ways for the DVD as its actually really hard to make a proper DVD.

Also after my interview at McDonald's, I got an e-mail saying I haven't got the job, I'm just going to put that down to already having a Christmas job (that's one of my phone calls tomorrow) and being too over qualified. They mostly hire school leavers and I'm almost on my way to getting a university degree, so I'll just keep applying for the Admin jobs I have been.

Ciao

xxx

One of 'those' days....I

As the title states it has been one of those days, I really do try to stay positive when winter comes around but I can tell you its hard. Winter is a perfect excuse to try new flavour teas though that seems to cheer me up.

Anyway I went to the job centre and they still seem to think I am a full time student even though I have given evidence opposing this fact. I also made a slight mistake when I uploaded my passport I sent the wrong upload to McDonald's and now I feel a bit of an idiot and fear they won't hire me for my silly mistake.

Next is the first thing that triggered my bad day as I have short hair I sometimes struggle curling it, so I thought that I would try the no heat curling method apart from them being an absolute pain to sleep in, I just kept thinking about my beautiful curly hair in the morning. Except it wasn't, I looked like a poodle or one of those old lady perms. I got so angry I think I scared my poor boyfriend but he was a saint as usual let me have my tantrum and went to make me breakfast.

Then when we were walking to his with all our heavy stuff from mine, it started raining and hailing and me not being smart only has shorts and tights at the moment so I was freezing and wet and complaining. I hate the cold at the best of times I might add, so when I get money I am definitely investing in a pair of jeans.

Oh and might not actually have enough money to get home for Christmas.

Ciao xx

Ramen and Interview

This is the picture of mine and my boyfriends ramen from the university shop yesterday I got hot and spicy and my boyfriend got chicken, his tasted like sunday roast dinner. We put extra chicken in not sure if that helped. Today we're trying beef and kimichi flavour, although my boyfriend informs me that kimichi is just like rotten cabbage. We'll see how it goes haha. \(^-^)/

Today I had my interview at McDonald's, it went really well as it was simple customer service questions and in the on job evaluation it was basically watching someone else do it and them telling me always offer large because that makes the most profit, also makes your waistline grow. Anywhom I can't get a definitive answer about the job until I scan in my passport and e-mail it to them, I might show you my passport photo on here since it looks nothing like me if anything i look of Asian decent which is weird cause I'm 100% English. But yeah it was a 40 minute walk in the cold and wind at 10.20am and then when I left it was raining and I couldn't even put up my umbrella because the wind was so strong it kept blowing it inside out. (-_-')

Anyway thats it for now

xxx

Busy Busy Busy

So today began the first three of my meetings I might add these are all to get money so I can afford christmas gifts for my family, close friends and my boyfriend.

So this meeting was to get some money from my university, the guy doing the presentation looked like a 1930's train station master and was really eccentric. But anyway it meant that i could get my form signed and then I have to hand it in once i have an envelope for the application. But that was boring.

Thursday I have an interview for McDonald's not exactly glamorous but it pays and hopefully I can get something and my christmas job won't stop me. It's an on job evaluation interview, which means you do a little bit of work like what you'd be doing if you got the job and then you have a normal interview, which worries me because I get really nervous in interviews but i should be okay.

My final meeting this week is another one at the job centre which i don't know why i bother because its not like they are helping me to get a job, or actually paying me benefits which i'm entitled to which is why i hope the university one can help me much more.

Whilst all of this is going on i have to make a working dvd like professional quality i'm not even sure i can do it but i will try my best i have to, so i can pass and get my degree i would really like to graduate this year so i can actually get on with my life which will actually probably consist of me saving up money so i can teach overseas.

I'm also super sad because i can't see my mum before she leaves for her holiday and she's not going to be around for christmas and I'll only see her a few days before i go visit my boyfriend for new year's eve.

Anyway that's why i'm super busy, but my boyfriend has been amazingly supportive with everything i don't know what i'd do without him. We're both going to karaoke tonight for a friend's birthday even though we can't afford to buy drinks it'd be nice to socialise.

Ciao xx

Recipe: Mushroom risotto

(not my picture but it looks a bit like that)

Cheat's mushroom risotto

-Handful of mushrooms (I used button, but you can use shiitake, chestnut or anything you can find a mix of them is always tasty)

-1 onion

-Cup of rice

-1 tablespoon of creme fraiche ( sour cream would work as well)

-Garlic (1 clove i actually used garlic salt)

-Stock cube (you can use chicken or veg)

- pinch of salt and pepper (if you didn't use the garlic salt)

1. Boil the rice with the stock cube and water that way the flavour gets into the rice.

2. Once rice is boiled, fry the onion and mushrooms together with a bit of butter and/or oil.

3. Once onions are lightly browned, Add the boiled rice in, if you think it might get a bit dry add extra water in.

4. Add garlic salt, creme fraiche and pepper.

5. Mix and serve, Garnish with herbs if you have them.

I hope you enjoyed this, i might be doing some more recipe posts later.

First giveaway at Evey's blog

In this you can win:

1) Eucerin’s New series : Dermo Purfiyer (Hydrating Care, Night Care & Active Concentrate)
2) LOVEMORE Aqua Mask Deep Hydrating x2
3) LOVEMORE Gold Magic White Power Lifting Mask x2
4) Majolica Marorca Eyes Reset Gel

She's adorable so go check out her blog anyway at : http://www.eveychua.com

Motivation!

Since its the winter months, I decided to get motivated to do exercise, eat better and most importantly because I always neglect it to drink more.

So far I have been doing really well, exercising, doing yoga and more importantly its easier to do to happy music.

The diet and exercise is mainly to pick my mood up as its been down due to the winter months and due to financial reasons which is getting ridiculous now. But positive it can only work out from here.

Also to help exercise me and my boyfriend are walking up to the castle in our university town, I'll take pictures this is also weather depending. Its an hour walk so we're gunna set off early and pack a lunch up, which will include my delicious orange drizzle cake I am making tonight.

If anyone has any tips on reducing portion sizes or staying motivated let me know?

Ciao xx