how hard can baking be?

yes, that's what i asked myself too. to be doubly sure that i will not fail in my attempts, i bought a ready mix cupcake mixture. just follow the step by step guide reiligiously and surely all will be fantastic.. hmmm... freshly baked cupcake awaits me. see picture below for end results -

countless things went wrong -

instructions said to whisk it, but i stirred it,

instructions said to heat it to X temperature, but i heated it more,

instructions said to fill up to 2/3 cup, but i filled it 9/10 cup

i think i do not like to follow the rules...