So yeah, let’s just switch on to a lighter mood and ramble about … party favors and engagement plans! I’ve been browsing through many engagement and wedding websites for a while now and everything I’ve seen so far was so lovely! Invitation cards, flowers, dresses, cakes, buffets… *o*
But since the wedding bells won’t be ringing just now, what I was really looking for were engagement party favors!! Gosh, I never thought choosing party favors would be so stressful. From DIY trinkets to personalized keepsakes and goodie bags, my head was spinning and for days all I had in mind were those precious party gifts.

Everything looked beautiful but I had my eye on.. cupcakes exquisitely presented in gift boxes! Cupcakes are slowly getting more popular in Mauritius and may become trendy in months to come. I wanted a specific kind of cupcake liners – like these :

I fell in love with those pretty lace wrappers! But unfortunately I couldn’t find those in Mauritius and the ones being sold online were quite expensive. Cupcakes, cupcake wrappers if purchased abroad, gift boxes… The cupcake party favors were getting pricey considering our budget. In the end, we gave up the cupcake idea and opted for goodie bags with heart-shaped treats. And guess what? The treats will be homemade!
*gasps*
Better get my apron ready ‘cause a lot of baking will be going on in my kitchen pretty soon!

I am sure that I have left out many things, but basically this has been my life for the past few weeks. I’m a wreck, then I feel better, then I’m a wreck again. It’s all a lovely pattern woven together and we just call it life .

P.S : Oops I forgot to mention one crucial detail. In case you’re wondering, I’m not the lucky one getting engaged here! Haha! But hey I still have a major part in the event : I’m planning most of the engagement party and God knows how exciting, nerve-wracking, and downright overwhelming all this can be at the same time!

Pictures ~ Courtesy of Google

Ready lepep? En avant pour… Ça m’énerveeeeeeeee!

Pas mal, non? Ça donne presque envie de se déhancher!
Ça m’énerveeeeeeeee!

This is a very quick post so I’ll just leave you with some pictures of Christmas eve dinner at my place last night. We wanted something casual, mostly some party appetizers and cold dishes. So here goes :

Cheese samossa, prawn fritters, shrimp wontons and hakien

Spicy chicken satay

Shrimp cocktail

No turkey with stuffing, glazed ham or mince pies on our table. Instead we had a Christmas feast, Mauritian style!

Dessert – Bûche de Noël glacée saveur crème brûlée

So much to eat! @_@ But after all, tis the season for treats, goodies and food, right?

Happy Christmas everyone!

The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree is the presence of a happy family and loved ones all wrapped up in each other.

Kit, Tine, Manju and I met up at Milky Lane for brunch today. Yes I know. My god, is she going to post food pics again??! Of course I am! And if you’re not a foodie, then move along ’cause there’s nothing for you here! So anyways.. *food porn alert* *beep beep beeeeppp*

Cappuccino and savory pancakes

Cheese and mushroom pancakes

This one was just so-so if you ask me.

Salsa pancakes

Can’t remember what the filling was but these pancakes tasted way better than the cheese and mushroom ones!

Dessert!

My very berry sundae and the girls’ ola hot fudge.

And finally the ladies!

Courtesy of our not-so-friendly waitress!

Thank you girls! FFF always!

So here’s to another weekend that has come and gone. Wishing you all a great week ahead and secretly hoping that Friday will be a public holiday! Pretty please Mrs moon, can you light up the sky on Thursday night??

Ok I can almost hear some of you begging for pictures! So here’s where the interesting part comes in!

Sadly we didn’t get to taste the egg tarts. By the time we ordered dessert, there were no more egg tarts left! (-___-”)

Oh yeah and just so you know, we ate much more than what’s on the pics. *nia hahaha*
It’s just that I didn’t bother to take lotsa photos. The restaurant was packed and I noticed a few people staring while I was taking pictures of food! Me felt embarrassed!

My craving for dim sum was finally satisfied but more than that, the company of friends turned what I would consider a good dim sum lunch into a great and memorable meal. Thank you girls for making this so much fun.

P.S : I’m still wondering how the three of us gulped down almost five pots of Chinese tea! *gasps*

And just for you my lovely readers, a glimpse of Sherrylynn’s music with this preview of Change me as we go.

I already got my CD from Sherrylynn yesterday and yes, I love it! Each recording has its own magical touch – melody, harmony, instrumentation, rhythm, vocals, lyrics … and more. Music often wields a strong connection with our feelings, and the songs on Change me as we go speak for themselves. From the touching lyrics of No perfect goodbye to the cheerful melody of You make my day, you get to explore this vast trove of music to your heart’s content.

My favorite songs on the CD? No perfect goodbye because this song really touches my soul. And The same things because I like duet songs and this one is awesome!

So for you people who are in Mauritius, come and see Sherrylynn perform live on stage this Sunday and give your support to an amazing artist! The first part of her showcase concert will feature Mauritian band, PAID OFF. I would also like to say that PAID OFF and Sherrylynn Lee want the needy to benefit from their talents. For every ticket bought, Rs 50 go to charity. Do a good deed and enjoy the music of local artists!

If you’re interested to know more about Sherrylynn and embark with her on her musical journey, you can follow her myspace page.

Way to go young lady! I’m very proud of you lil cuz!

I need some vacations!

*dead tired*

I’m half asleep while writing this post so don’t expect too much from me today. Just a few appetizer photos from last Sunday’s annual Easter family reunion.

Mom and I baked quiches to bring to the party. This is the one I baked – chicken ham and mushroom.

We also ordered some hakiens to bring over there.

In Mauritius we call these hakiens, even though some people refer to them as spring rolls. Hakiens are not spring rolls but they look quite similar. While the traditional spring rolls are wrapped in rice papers, then fried to a crispy golden color, hakiens are prepared with flour-based batter. The filling usually consists of ground chicken or pork, shrimps, chopped shiitake mushrooms and shredded carrots.

My cousin made some Japanese delicacies. I don’t remember what she called them. Hahaha! I couldn’t resist to snap a photo – I think the Japanese appetizers looked nice and very colorful. I didn’t taste any though ’cause I’m no big fan of raw fish.

I didn’t take much food pictures because I was busy setting the tables. But just to make you drool some more, I’ll list some of the other dishes we had. Hmm, there were dips and finger foods such as spicy chicken bites, crab dips and bacon wrapped asparagus. Main course and side dishes included fried noodles, seafood gratin, mixed salads, coleslaw… etc. I forgot what else! All I know is that there was enough food to feed an army! And since it was Easter, dessert was mainly brownies and chocolates. Wow, for sure that was a feast.

Are you guys feeling hungry?

As for me, it’s almost bedtime now. There’s nothing Lady Ångele likes more than a good night sleep. Sweet dreams. Zzzzz….

Else, like I was just saying… “Arghhh! It’s too hot! Turn on the air conditioning!”

But do enjoy the pics and forgive me for whining too much.

Francine made her way down the aisle with her father on Pachelbel canon wedding march… It was beautiful. But somehow I felt sad just watching her and my eyes went burning with tears. Honestly? I was thinking of my own wedding day… Every girl’s wish is to have her father give her away on her wedding day… But I will never experience this feeling. And watching the bride and her dad entering the church, just reminded me once again that my father will not be there to share one of my most beautiful dream someday… *sigh*

Anyway, weddings are supposed to be happy moments and let’s not get emotional again here! We’ll have plenty of time for that later! *cough cough*

Let me share with you some pictures from the wedding.

The bride with her bridesmaids and flower girls.

The newlywed couple, Francine and Paul.

The nice dinner table.

And finally Francine and Paul performing the first dance of the evening on the song “I want you to need me” from Celine Dion.

Congratulations once again to Francine and Paul!