For Georganne

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I have always been in awe with the way Georganne writes on her blog.

Her wit never fails to entertain and captivate.

She is one of the best cookie-r out there.

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To be one of her favorites is mind-bogglingly awesome!

Thank you Georganne for adding a dash of awesomeness

to my sometimes melancholic existence.

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P.S. You should listen to Pentatonix (the a cappella group I painted on the cookie), 

you and probably your children will love them.

link - http://www.lilaloa.com/2013/04/change-up-your-photography-round-up-and.html#idc-container

For Avi

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overwhelmingly surreal

"This is freakin' awesome."

gaspingly searching for words

which seems to be arduously futile

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the periods

the spaces

the adverb

and the four letter word

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...

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Oh.  My.  Gosh.

So amazingly beautiful

poetic caesuras!

Avi did this!

I.  LOVE.  you.  too.

#smiling

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x charisma x

A Starry Night

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when I save enough cookie money

I would spend it on

a day at the MoMA

staring at one particular painting

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It's probably a cliché to say,

 "It's probably a cliché to love Van Gogh's Starry Night as much as I do."

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I don't want (I think nobody does) to be a part of a fandom that is considered a dead metaphor
by most avant-garde intelligentsia,
this in itself is a cliché
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March 30 is Vincent's (yes, we're on a first-name basis) 160th birthday.
Cover photos of Vincent's Starry Night popping up from cake artists' Facebook pages from around the globe reminded me of this painting's quality of being overrated.
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...stating all these makes me a shameless sad cliché...
and I came to the conclusion that:
like everything else, loving a painting like Vincent's Starry Night
is relative
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FOR ME,
La Joconde is a cliché
Starry Night is a pilgrimage
...and I wouldn't mind (who am I to mind anyway?) even if I see reproductions (including mine) plastered everywhere...
...because somehow I (just) know that seeing Vincent's original wouldn't compare...
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Happy 160th Birthday Vincent!
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x charisma x

Pentatonix Cookie

I have 

a few extra cookies, from a recent order, lying around;

at least a couple of days before I start molding a miniature charter plane for a cake;

a Pentatonix obsession;

a LilaLoa cookie challenge;

and a need to paint.

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It's a 2.5" cookie
no bigger than the palm of my hand
and I have this favorite Pentatonix photo (by Tim Cruz)
that obviously (avi-ously) would be impossible to fit
in a miniscule cookie.
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Hence, the sketched background to mimic the entire photo.
(which I haven't done before when taking photos of cookies --> LilaLoa cookie challenge)

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I am not a painter

and I am still waiting for that voice to be silenced.
Yes? Van Gogh?
inaudible voices, most of the time
create the most noise
and the most annoyance.
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The reason why
audible (out-of-this-wold-amazing) voices
like Avi's, Kirstie's, Kevin's, Mitch's, and Scott's
are always a comfortingly welcome reprieve.
(and not to mention their sometimes tear-inducing-laughter tweets)
listen to them on Youtube, buy their albums, follow them on twitter, see them perform live
and/or
paint them on a cookie.
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P.S.  Scott, your left foot makes the photo (by Tim Cruz) perfect.

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Have a wonderful week!
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and oh, I have a video for while I was painting this, will upload next time
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x charisma x
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update:
link to video --> http://vimeo.com/62640367
enjoy!

Phew 2012 :D Hello 2013!

The very first set of hand painted cookies we made.

2012 was the year Sweet Manna moved to another City.
A leap of faith.
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2012 was the year Sweet Manna made its first set of hand painted cookies. Le Petit Prince.
We ended the year having made, more or less, a thousand hand painted cookies.
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2012 was the year Sweet Manna made its first batch of macarons (on my birthday! -charisma)...with hand painted designs as well.  And yes, Le Petit Prince was also included in the set.
We learned to be patient and to never underestimate the process of making these temperamental princesses of sweet treats.

The very first set of hand painted macarons we made.
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2012 was the year Sweet Manna was featured on two T.V. stations (one was shown locally, around Europe, and the US, and one was shown on local T.V.) and on a local radio station.

Video Cameras!
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2012 was the year Sweet Manna's FB Page was featured on lovely pages from around the world.  Now we have almost a thousand 'likes' from every corner of the globe, from Australia, Africa, Russia, Greece, to Italy, France, US, Switzerland, Dubai...it's comfortingly mind-blowing!
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2012 was the year Sweet Manna made macarons for a local actor and a local singer.  One set was shown on national T.V.

From Enchong's Instagram.  Ours is the macaron which says, "The actor becomes an emotional athlete. ~Al Pacino", since he's both an actor and an athlete.
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2012 was the year I (charisma) attended two baking classes.  One class was taught by two international award winning cake decorators.

"Vincent Van Gogh: [Explaining how he sees the world] Look at the sky. It's not dark and black and without character. The black is, in fact deep blue. And over there: lighter blue and blowing through the blues and blackness the winds swirling through the air and then shining, burning, bursting through: the stars! 
[the sky gradually transforms into van Gogh's painting Starry Night] 
Vincent Van Gogh: And you see how they roar their light. Everywhere we look, the complex magic of nature blazes before our eyes." 

My finished cake from the class.
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Sometime before the beginning of 2012, my sister and I were walking along a dizzying and festive Session Road wishing for everyone and everything to stop.
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Now, at the beginning of 2013, we are grateful for the astounding blessings of people that surrounds us.  We are more appreciative of every minute blessing which "life" sometimes present as insignificant.  We now continuously remind ourselves to see every day and everything as a blessing, whether disguised or not.
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Now, we ardently welcome what 2013 has in store for us, for Sweet Manna.
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Thank you everyone for the continuous support and prayers.  You know who you are.