August catch up: Baking, shopping & lockdown

So it looks like I broke my promise of being consistent with blog posts and that's so typical me of me... but, I am determined to persevere! So much has happened in the last two months and there's so much more to come in the next few months. I've moved back to London and I'm soon to be ending my job as an assistant psychologist to start my doctorate in September, which, is both exciting and nerve-wracking at the same time. I'm excited to start the final part of my education journey as I am aching to become a qualified psychologist, however, that being said, I am nervous about things like the clinical placements, the workload to come, and also just starting this new chapter of my life without having been back home yet to see my family. It just feels like I'm so distant from home because all these events and transitions are happening without them. Nevertheless, I am healthy, my family are too and we've been so privileged and blessed during these times of hardship that the pandemic has brought.

Baking

As some of you might be aware, I've recently embarked on a small baking venture where I bake gourmet brownies and send it via first class post. I've only been posting on Instagram (@cupcakesbydenise) as I have yet to create a website and paying system. I'm planning to do that once I end my job as I will have couple weeks before university starts - so stay tuned for an actual website! I also recently posted on my IG that I'll be taking orders for cupcakes and personalised cakes too!

Coffee

I have been really into my coffees recently - when have I not?? My boyfriend, Marc and I have a slight obsession with coffee and so a few months ago we upgraded from having a Sage Barista Express machine to an E61 range Lelit machine. For those who don't know what E61 machines are - they're known as 'prosumer' coffee machines i.e., high end home use commercial quality machines and it makes espressos that taste so damn good.

How I set up my espresso extractions - always on a scale!

This is a quick video of myself making my usual Oat milk flat white. I recently bought a coffee subscription with Union - they're the best coffee beans out there! I've been using their beans ever since I worked briefly at a coffee shop that used Union beans. They also have really strong sustainability ethos which is always important especially when it comes to the coffee industry. I'm learning to improve my latte art everyday, it's such a fun albeit slightly frustrating experience, particularly when you accidentally put too much air when steaming your milk. But it makes a cappuccino anyways!

One of my better latte arts

Shopping

So I've been bitten by the shopping bug and have made a few purchases during the summer sales from luxury brands. I decided to do a massive clear out and donated probably 1/3 of my clothes to charity and the other 1/3 went up on my Depop and I've managed to sell 40 items so far. It's been really refreshing having a clear out and essentially getting right down to owning the basics and then starting again from scratch. I've made a promise to myself that I'll only buy items that are long-lasting and of good quality, which means I'll be investing in more expensive items than I would usually pay for. This means no ASOS or other cheap and low quality fast-fashion brands such as H&M and Zara. Previously, I was very hooked onto H&M, especially as I had their membership which allowed me to gain points for discounts. I remember shopping an outfit for each occasion or get together with a friend or family which is just insane and so unnecessary! Being in lockdown has seriously shifted my perspective on shopping as I wore the same 5 outfits for 4 months and coped fine. Now that I have a small collection of clothes again, it's exciting building it up again but like I said, I am focusing on long-lasting items or items with a strong sustainability ethos.

My current go-to outfit

I think I may do a separate post about late summer/autumn outfit ideas but so far this is my new go-to look.I tend to just change my top depending on where I go, so I'll wear a blouse for a more dress look or wear Teva sandals for an even more casual look. The T-shirt and trousers were both a new purchase and I'm so happy I got them as I was relying on a pair of jeans and culottes for the past few weeks. They're both from COS and made from organic cotton - I highly recommend them for comfortable and minimalistic clothes. I also have been really enjoying my Ferragamo blush mules that I bought last month - they're also very comfortable and very easy to match clothes to.

Pandemic

Lockdown was lifted a while ago and I'm still finding it very difficult to cope with the changes to be honest. I say that coming from someone who grew up in a collectivistic society and I feel as though what I'm experiencing is a pure culture crash. I grew up in Hong Kong where it was the norm to wear a mask when you were ill to protect others not yourself. That type of respect for others along with extreme selflessness is not really embedded within UK culture and perhaps in other individualistic societies too. I'm not here trying to offend anyone - cultural differences are so essential in understanding how to tackle something like a global pandemic.

The UK have tackled this pandemic in such a way that is not inclusive to ethnic minorities or any other cultures other than being catered to the white middle class population. This has been evident from the very start of lockdown, when it was encouraged to stay home except to exercise once a day, to working from home, to only implementing the use of masks and facial coverings 4 months after lockdown was initiated, despite knowing fully well that people were going to work particularly from BAME populations, and to today's current "eat out to help out" scheme which encourages the general public to go to restaurants and stay in to eat whilst disallowing takeaways. There's a lot more to cover that stems from systemic racism and if you don't there is a link between racism and COVID19 then please do some research.

Xenophobia has been especially prevalent during this time and it. was particularly present at the beginning of COVID19. I personally experienced this on the commute to work when I wore a face mask back in March before lockdown. What I found so interesting when wearing a mask was that other people covered their nose and mouth with a tissue when they saw me... which, again, is a lack of understanding to why people use masks in the first place. I'm hoping that from now on people will stop making fun of people wearing masks on the tube. (I think this calls for a separate post about cultural biases in terms different country's reaction to COVID19 and implementation of strategies etc... I shall add that to my list of potential blog posts for the future).

I'm definitely not comfortable being out in shops here in UK. I went to Westfield the other day at 3pm on a Sunday, expecting it to be quiet but it was more packed than when I used to go with my mum when she visited. Groups of people congregated wearing no masks at all and I just felt so uncomfortable. The only good experience I've had is at John Lewis in Kingston on a Sunday afternoon as they allowed a certain amount of people in, had strict guidelines of sanitising hands before hand, walking in certain areas and then sanitising your hands again when you leave.

I'm definitely going to stick to doing shops online. Everything is so accessible via the internet these days and I realised how privileged I am to be able to say that. I'm not going to be out in cafes, pubs or restaurants anytime soon - but it's easier for me to do that as I never really enjoyed socialising in public anyways. The only thing I truly miss is my family but I'm not risking them or other people by travelling for 13 hours on a plane because this global pandemic is bigger than me and my family and I'm not going to contribute to the increasing infection and deaths. Sometimes you just have to sacrifice some things for the community.

That's all for now. Take care and stay safe everyone! x