Cooking is getting bad

I made pizza today and for the third time in a row my baking has failed. I haven't been baking lately. Well, I made cassava cake for my hubby's birthday and it turned out good but my bread making is going down the drain. Hmmm, I'm not amused and husband is not impressed either. He even told me off that I'm getting worse instead of getting better.

I didn't know baking skill would wane if not utilised for some time like any other skill. (But of course, Scribbler, what do you expect?) Okay, okay, I made a mistake. Can I not make a mistake? (Yes, of course you can. It's your prerogative, duh! But three times in a row? Where's your brain gone?) Sorry! I just am too preoccupied with other stuff and I was not putting my heart into baking. (Excuses, excuses.) Please, give me another chance. I promise I'll try to make it up next time

Actually, I used to be getting good in cooking and baking. I even started a blog about my recipes here. In fact my sister-in-law was so impressed at my baking when I made some pan de sal a few months back. But alas, the skill is deteriorating. Anyway, click on the pizza to see some of my simple recipes.

Animal cruelty

Yesterday I saw a news about a sicko who bought a gold fish in a pet shop and gulped it in front of stunned staff and with his friend video-recording it. They then posted the video on facebook apparently feeling so proud of what they had just done.

Here in the UK behaviours like this don't go unpunished. Britons love animals--I mean pets--so much that anyone caught showing cruelty to them gets imprisoned or fined.

You can watch the video here if you're not faint-hearted.

I felt like I wasted the whole day shopping around, well, window-shopping, that is. After having the last morsel of pinakbet, I headed to the city centre to spend the remaining balance on my gift card before it expires and hoping to salvage some of the last items on clearance sale. Ha! ha! I have always loved SALES!

My first stop was at my favorite Clearout shop. Well, it's just the name of the shop but in fairness they sell reasonably cheap women clothes with good quality. On top of that, it's one of the few shops where I find my size. At the window, an elegant top caught my attention and I gasped at the thought of the image it would reflect when I put it on. So when I got inside and spotted it, I picked one without even thinking about it. I thought, "for ten quid" it really is a good bargain. But as if to tease my temperance, beside it is a black & white top which is as elegant as the one I just got and I love black and white clothes. Nevertheless, I picked it too and thought that maybe it wouldn't look good on me when I try it on. Well, it proved me wrong so I ended up buying both and I could almost hear my card crying in pain when I swiped it at the counter.

Next stop was The Mall where I was going to spend my gift card to buy belt. I have always been looking for a nice belt to go with my jeans but they're always too big for me. I just can't seem to find the right size and design for my petite frame. After more than an hour looking around, my feet are starting to get sore and I exited with empty hand.

Then I went to Primark. I haven't been there for a while and thought they might have what I needed. Disappointingly, their collection for the season is not to my taste. I don't mean to sound snobbish. In fact their summer collection was quite good and I bought quite a few items. Anyway, I was there to buy a belt with an attractive round buckle. Again, they didn't have it. I walked and looked around and now my feet are already very sore so I started to head back home.

My sore feet were dragging me. I called my hubby to pick me up but he was in the allotment with his bike. I walked like a slug inching my way home. Then I pondered on what I just did. I thought shopping would make me feel good. But in the end the pain from my sore feet was greater than the happiness I felt after buying those two "elegant" tops. Now, I feel more regretful.

Vanity of vanities! All is vanity! (Ecc 1:2)