Peek Into My Life 93

- August 06, 2025

A year or two has passed again and things are happening in life lately.

While I was editing photos for today’s post and scrolling past all my baking and cooking shots, I suddenly got the itch to head back into the kitchen and make something homemade.

It’s still July, and I’m soaking up my summer break to the fullest. But my brain is already spinning with recipe ideas for the upcoming Fall. What about steamed bao buns, maybe? Or a little one-person cake now that I officially live on my own (more on that soon!).

I think that’s also why I’ve been hesitant to bake lately—who’s going to eat the entire cake? Back when I lived with my family, there were always eager taste testers around to help me finish everything. Now it’s just me! In a tiny house! I can't wait to share with you about it, more of that soon!

Who knows, by the end of Summer, I might just master the art of the single-girl cake.

What's a Summer break without a beach day?

At an Indonesian food festival.

I've made cute snowskin mooncakes in the shape of a chicken. Or is it a rooster?

My brother and Art Brut Biennale

If you’ve been reading my blog (and I’m so grateful if you do!), you might have come across a post or two about my brother. He’s an artist, and his work has been displayed here and there over the years. His work has been showcased in Hengelo at the Art Brut Biënnale gallery, as well as among 149 other artists, let's check it out:

⮝Lemon meringue tart
plum bundtcake ⮟

📍Muiderslot

I love history and old things, so checking out this Dutch castle, 'Muiderslot' was really fun.

For example, this here is the loo.

And here we have a handsome, stunning knight.

After the castle tour, we treated ourselves to delicious poffertjes.

We've also booked a one-night stay at a lovely cottage.

They've got horses, dogs and cats.

📍Khaza Ghar

For dinner, we picked out this Nepalese/Indian restaurant, and oh boy, they served good, comfy food back then! Especially when it was in the Winter.

Gulab jamun, little fried dough balls, and soaked in sweet syrup.

And he got the mango sorbet.

We also bought a few snacks at this vendor that sells Indonesian food back for our cottage place.

📍Rijksmuseum

Which is in Amsterdam.

It's always a pleasure to visit the Rijksmuseum.

Climate March

After visiting the Rijksmuseum, we also participated in a climate march.

There were like 10-15K people.

I was proud of us.

📍Taigu

I've noticed the rise of matcha cafés in Amsterdam, so as a matcha lover myself, I had to try one. Here is Taigu.

Hochija tea with delicious dango 🍵🍡

nama chocolate ⮝

⮟ croissant with matcha & strawberries

Converting him into the world of matcha.

I'm a huge fan of Nijntje, aka Miffy, so when I saw this wooden cookie mould, I just had to have it.

Mijn verjaardag

(my birthday)

For my birthday we went to Maastricht. And we dined at Restaurant Manjefiek.

This looks like dessert, but it's actually the first course: paté.

I got the artichokes.

The fish was good!

And finally, the dessert.

My other birthday dinner was with one of my closest girlfriend. We had this delicious sushi boat and dessert: mango bingsu. It was really good!

📍Valkenburg

During Christmas, Valkenburg transforms into the ultimate holiday destination in the Netherlands. Specifically, the caves 'mergelgrot' (marl caves), where you can wander through candlelit tunnels lined with Christmas stalls. Lets check it out!

This is our hotel stay by the way... The background suits the winter wonderland.

The entrance fee was 10euro if I remembered correctly.

It was really fun to wander and explore this Christmas cave, though I couldn’t help but wonder if it might collapse or something…

We came out of the cave safe and sound of course.

I treated lunch and cakes.

Then we continued our Christmas route through Valkenburg. And yes, it feels a bit odd to post wintery things in August, but hey better late than never, right?