Musings of a Perfectionist

Sounds ominous, doesn't it? (Also, if you don't like the thought of blood etc this probably isn't the blog post for you) Today, I did my first exam of this year- Food!  I had three hours to make three dishes: Salmon Samosas, an Indian Thali (chicken korma, pork vindaloo, tarka dahl, rice, naan), and Japanese Souffle Pancakes. Last year, when I did my mock practical exam, let's just say that it didn't go too well...I did a lot of crying at the end of it. But this year, as nervous as I was, I actually did okay. *If you're thinking of doing food, don't let the following story put you off. Practical exams don't generally go like this, and if anything puts you off, let it be the sheer amount of coursework and theory that has to be learnt (in our theory mock exam last year, we had to write a 12-mark argument for/against the use of GM foods). Anyway, my practical exam today. There were only seven of us in the kitchen, each at a differ...

Happy Monday everyone! I hope that your weekend was wonderful, and you didn't burn too much (I burnt my legs and they hurt a lot ). We visited my mum's family this weekend. My parents stayed with my aunt and my uncle, and we (my sisters and I) stayed with my cousin and her boyfriend in their new house (very exciting!). We watched ' The Greatest Showman ' (amazing) and we also watched ' A Street Cat Named Bob ', as per the title (the cat, Bob, is ginger and the cutest little thing ever). This film was stunning. It's so adorable, and perfectly encases what being a cat owner is like, while also taking on big issues such as addiction and homelessness. And what's more, it is based on a true story! Go and watch it, I promise you that it will be amazing. I also went swimming in the sea on Saturday. Most of my mum's family lives by the sea, and so we went down at high tide and swam for a bit (and my sister choked and splashed because she can't swim...

I've been a little busy recently, which is sad because I like writing stuff for my blog. But yeah, exams suck and I'm so tired already and I've still got another week  but look on the bright side- oh, no, wait. There is no bright side. In other news, I don't really have anything important to talk about? Shock, horror, I know, but honestly, everything's just been so busy lately that I haven't thought about the latest news story and nothing funny happens at school anymore because, guess what? We're in exams! I had Food Practical for two hours today, but I'm not going into detail with that. Let's just say, I'm very glad that I have friends who are happy to give hugs, and that my hands were shaking so badly that I couldn't cut up the onions. But anyway! Yesterday we went to see Macbeth after school (we got back at midnight) and it was flipping awesome! (I now will not use exclamation marks for a few days, as I've used up my weekly limit...

NOTE: I'm using the word 'literally' in the informal sense-  used for emphasis while not being literally true.  Therefore, while this afternoon was pretty stressful, it was not necessarily  the most stressful time ever. (Also, I may have  overdramatized  some events because my mind tends to blow things out of proportion) Anyway, to the context. MasterChef at my school. My friend and I had won the heats for our house, and were into the final along with pairs from the other five houses. She came over so that we could plan and practise our two dishes, and everything was fine. Until it wasn't. I obviously read my email wrong (and then couldn't double-check because the school emails are down!) and we found out in form that the competition was today. Today. We had no ingredients , no recipe, no nothing. I was on the verge of crying, so my friend stood up and took me to see my mum (who works at the school, so it's not like we went home) so that we could ask ...

For those of you who have been to Ikea, you will agree with me when I say that it is a wonderful place. For those who haven't, think of a restaurant mixed with furniture and you pretty much get the idea. (Besides, you must have heard the glorious tales of losing one's way and one's family...who hasn't?) My family go on a day trip to Ikea. We start off early (it takes an hour in the car- eugh) and have breakfast when we get to Ikea (apart from my youngest sister- she threw up once because she hadn't eaten anything and we had to go home and it was a sad day for us all). Then we walk around the Showroom section, looking at how the rooms are all set out and choosing which kitchens we'd like. (I basically adopt the one bedroom apartment- if you've gone to Ikea, you'll know what I'm talking about). After this wandering, we enter the Market Hall and this is where we spend most of our money. (*cough* over one hundred pounds *cough*) (I only bought a ne...

This may be a rather long title, but I wanted to make you think for a bit. What would YOU do for a piece of millionaire's shortbread? Bear in mind, if you will, that this isn't a regular piece of millionaire's shortbread from the supermarket. This is homemade millionaire's shortbread that (I'm pretty sure) everyone who has tasted it has said it is better than the pieces from Costa. High praise, naturally. But anyway. What would you do for a piece of this wonderful millionaire's shortbread (by the way, in case this wasn't clear, I make it)? Maybe you are now wondering why exactly I am asking you this. The answer is this: I made millionaire's shortbread on the request of my mum, and so I also made another load because my friends like eating it. Two of my friends, who do not sit on my table at lunch (because yes, we do have 'tables' like in Mean Girls) wanted to eat some, and so I let them have one piece. But apparently, these two love it ...