I broke the alliteration and surprised you with ‘cake’ instead of ‘brownie’. A lot of surprises have happened in the past two weeks so the blog has been quiet, but now we’re back and ready to charge into summer! Bring on berry season, so I can make more of this gloriously fluffy gluten free cake.

Surprise number one and two: our first year of university is over and we actually survived! Of course my parents say “look at that, time flew by so fast” but since I actually suffered through final exam season, I say summer could have arrived sooner. Putting myself on house arrest for three weeks isn’t the most pleasant way to spend my days but it’s necessary to force myself to study. My mom kept encouraging me to return home between exams but being at home puts me on vacation mode and no amount of studying will ever get done. I’ve tried.

Surprise number three: we didn’t fail any courses! The website clearly said term two grade would not be released until April 30th but I was the weirdo that logged on every day just in case one class got updated earlier than planned. All I wanted was some assurance that I didn’t have to retake anything; just give me a passing grade and I’ll snag it. I totally screamed from excitement and did a celebratory dance after seeing that I had passed calculus. Farewell forever math!

Surprise number four and five: I got a job, then I got laid off after two shifts. After applying for around ten positions and not getting any callbacks, I started expanding my radius for potential summer jobs. I had two aunts in town recently and my mom and I took them, and my grandma, to this delicious vegetarian Vietnamese restaurant in Vancouver. As we left with our bellies warm and full of noodles, I spotted a “Join our team!” sign and decided to give it a shot. I got a callback the next day, while Chew and I were indulging in giant sundaes, and went in for an interview two days later. Chew went with me that day, and thank goodness for that because she encouraged us to stay for dinner. Right after we placed our orders, the owner approached me and I did my second interview. Chew has some serious self-control because even though the food had arrived, she sat there for 15 minutes waiting for me to come back. You didn’t have to wait! And as usual we always have lots to talk about and we ended up occupying their table for two hours. On our way out the door, I was tapped on the shoulder by the manager and asked to come in for training Sunday evening.

I did one closing and one opening shift, lots of dish polishing, heavy bowl lifting, and scuttling around the restaurant. It was definitely a fast-paced job that was physically demanding, which I don’t mind but wouldn’t be able to keep up with on a full-time student schedule. After consulting friends and family, we all unanimously agreed that the position was too far and too tiring so I had been thinking of how to break this news. I don’t like letting people down, so my mind paced back and forth for a tactful way to word this. Thankfully, I got a call telling me I didn’t need to go back since my schedule is not flexible enough for their needs. Perhaps I sounded a wee bit too glad over the phone, but I’m glad we’re all on the same page.

Surprise number six, seven, and eight-ish: I got another job, was super excited to start, only to end up having to reject the offer. As I was thinking about how to quiet the restaurant position, I was praying that I would get hired at an organic juice shop just minutes away from where I live. Trendy, bright, and close by, the juice cafe was clearly a better fit. I had bussed 1.5 hours out to Vancouver everyday of the week to go to interviews, shifts, and meetings. I left the interviews feeling like the owners saw a good fit in me. In lieu of the dropped restaurant position, I scored this juice one! Suspense secretly kills me, so I’m so glad the uncertainty cleared up within three days.

Then come yesterday, I finally received the schedule for my training shifts at this new juice cafe. I was sitting in my first summer school lecture (boring boring boring) and suddenly my heart sunk as I saw I was scheduled for a Sunday morning shift. The parentals clearly vocalized that they did not want me working on Sundays in the long run, especially mornings, because we have church and family time. Unfortunately, nothing could be done on both sides to avoid Sunday shifts so after final consultation with my parents, I came to the conclusion that I wouldn’t be able to fulfill the position.

Even though I could have squeeeeeeeezed in a Sunday afternoon, I know, just like the previous job, that I wouldn’t be able to commit in the long run; it’s important to give full effort and dedication to any job. I truly wanted this position so my mind has been sitting on the disappointment of having to reject the opportunity. Mama Leung tells me to keep faith because there may be something better lying ahead, just like how after I left the Vietnamese spot, the juice shop pulled me on board.

My summer plans have gone back to square one, with just one summer class to attend. This leaves me with an overload of free time for recipe development, family time, and meeting with friends that only come back twice a year. This is nothing to complain about though because honestly speaking, I would rather have free time than pocket money.

This two week-long emotional roller-coaster ride can only be calmed with dessert. The blueberry and balsamic pairing is inspired by my friend’s first experience at The Rachels’ favourite ice cream shop. “This is now my number one favourite ice cream in the world” is how she described it. A generous splash of balsamic vinegar and some juicy blueberries makes this chocolate cake special. Also, the fluffiness of this flourless chocolate cake is a surprise in itself. Now I’m thinking I’ll never need another chocolate cake recipe because this one is so healthy, fluffy, and incredibly easy to make. Dump everything into a food processor and whirl until smooth. I love one bowl recipes!