in the kitchen - 10 minute banana bread

I love baking but I don't enjoy how time-consuming it can be. That's why when I find recipes that are 3-minutes, 5-minutes, 7-minutes or 10-minutes, I jump for joy :) Perhaps that's also why I love my Magic Bullet so much....

Anywho, I found this recipe from thefreshloaf.com for a 10 minute banana bread and I immediately went to make it.









It just so happened that I had some very overripe bananas in my fridge that were just begging to be used in a banana bread recipe so it was a win-win all around. I figure for my first ever attempt at making banana bread and considering I had to do it in a convection turbo cooker, it came out looking good. It's not really sweet but still taste like banana bread. If I make it the next time, I'll add a little bit more sugar ;)

DISCLAIMER: Well the pictures are mine so 'll use 'em however I want. I do not give permission for re-use though.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

gladiatorial pursuits

Sigh, the title of this post just reminded me that Spartacus is now over and done with. I miss the show. But that's really not want i wanted to talk about. These are what I wanted to talk about -

I got these luscious all-leather gladiator sandals off of Asos.com for - get this - GBP14! GBP14!SCORE!!!! Can you tell how psyched I am with that deal?!?!?! Hehe, putting that whole "cheap score" aside though, aren't these Asos Fiction Leather Gladiator Flat sandals in itself gorgeous? I love it, totally gladiatorial to me. These were on sale for 50% off as part of Asos's spring savings something, I can't seem to remember exactly what.

To be honest, I actually was drawn to the site for the Asos Attack Leather Gladiator Ankle boots -

But the price point, at GBP65, was a bit too much for me to spend on sight unseen. Hence when I scrolled further down and saw the Asos Fiction sandals, I did not hesitate. And since I have a thing for black-hued footwear, it's a good thing the one on sale was the black sandals only. There were a selection of colours, all looked good too but I prefer black for its versatility.

So my order has shipped and should arrive to Homeland by the end of the month or so. I can't wait to get my hand on these!

DISCLAIMER:
Images are from asos.com, I do not own them, just borrowed from asos for descriptive purposes ;P

mr consistency

That's the new nickname being bestowed upon Kimi Raikkonen of late - 22 points scoring finishes, 33 consecutive race finishes. Don't particularly know how nice "Mr Consistency" would look tattoed on his other forearm, the one opposite of his "Iceman" tattoo.

Or naming his other water demon "Mr Consistency" might get him laughed out of the docks :D

Cool factor aside, that awesome consistency is what is keeping his WDC challenge alive. Out of 5 races, he's been on the podium 4 times. Won the Australian GP and aside from the blip of a race in Sepang where he finished 7th, he subsequently has had three consecutive 2nd place finishes in China, Bahrain and last Sunday in Spain. C-O-N-S-E-C-U-T-I-V-E.

Back in his McLaren days and even sometimes during his Ferrari stint, his car would almost always be guaranteed some kind of mechanical failure. But coming back after that 2-yr out, he has managed to get his equipment, and himself, to the finish line every single race. Being a Kimi fan from way back when, I'm so amazed by this run of reliability for him because to be a Kimi fan back during his first F1 career was to always prepare oneself for some kind of heartbreak due to some kind of car failure - it simply went hand in hand. I really don't want this post to jinx him though!

Anyways, next up is Monaco in 2 weeks. Feels like the spacing between races this year has been crazy long. 3 weeks after the first 2 fly away races in Australia and Malaysia before China rolled around. Then after that and Bahrain there was another 3 week break before last weekend. Now we have to wait 2 weeks for Monaco. Makes too many F1 forumers stir crazy, these big gaps between races :D Myself included. I'm hoping, like I always am, that if Mr Consistency can't win it, he'll at least get another podium finish. I know that to truly battle for the WDC that he'll need to win a couple more races but this consistent podium run will in the end be an enormous help for him towards the end of the year - bearing in mind his title challenge is still alive. Eeks, didn't really wanna type that out but felt I needed to be more realistic in the grand scheme of things. It is only Race 05 out of a 19 race calendar :)

DISCLAIMER:
Picture of Kimi Raikkonen's tattoo or boat is not mine but I got it from here and here

i remembered today.....

a moment quite some time ago, when I was talking on the phone with my boyfriend and was mightily offended when he paid more attention to the television than our conversation. It was when I was away at matriculation college and I was having one of my moments where I was missing my life back home and my then boyfriend, G, was not giving me what I felt was due attention. When I asked him what he was watching, he said he was watching the F1 race and telling me about Schumacher in the Ferrari was dicing on the track with Coulthard.

And I remember telling him then - "What? Why would you find a bunch of cars going round and round in circles so interesting that you're not paying attention to what I've been saying?!?!?!"

*GRINS*
I know better now, obviously ;D Since 2001, my weekends are built around F1 races. If there's a race, I am usually averse to being away from a television with a broadcast on. I haven't done an F1 post this year I think. Been feeling like I should keep the crazy on that front to a minimum. Even didn't crow about Kimi's win at the season opener in Melbourne so I pretty much kept my obsession under wraps thus far. But this weekend, it's the Spanish GP and Kimi just qualified 4th on the grid and I'm feeling good. He's 2nd in the WDC, 10 points behind Vettel and has helped Lotus into 2nd in the WCC. Crossing my fingers and sending all my goodwill (and love) to him for a great result tomorrow - win would be the aim but I will be ecstatic for a podium too!