HSC Finished Take 2

so my bro finished his HSC today. it's actually kind of bad since he's going to be noisy. his desk and his 2nd desk in his room is so messy. i had organised mess, but he has mess, mess. it's kind of gross. he didn't ask for my help at all during his hsc year, well i offered, but then again i don't really have time even if he wanted my help.

we are complete opposites in studying. he needs to go out with friends, library, have music, no tutoring apart from maths. i need to stay at home by myself, complete silence, and get tutored, plus eat heaps of junk food. he wastes money going out everyday and spending it on food, but i spend it on tutoring in one big hit...

onto another note. tbh, i get kind of annoyed when i have to go out for someone's birthday during stuvac. well yes 21st, but then have to buy expensive presents, plus buy a cake, plus pay for our own food. and then half the people are willing to pay, but half the people like me are more reluctantly to go over budget...i mean, at least bring a cake...nah, i don't have enough friends to go out with me to eat and willing to pay for their own food, plus buy a cake and present. i miss parties enjoying everyone's company, where you didn't have to buy something too expensive, yet the hosts/parents still pays for a nice lunch/dinner/cake/party food and deco.

i have $5 on a movie gift card which expires today, too bad my bro and i haven't been to the movies since july, and we both didn't have time to use up that last bit. oh wait, if my brother didn't use the free movie ticket last time and used the remaining $5, we didn't have to waste it...

missed Happy Apple yday ):

two 8am starts on the last 2 days of uni. doesn't feel like the end of semester. still have to go uni during stuvac to practice...so dead. become so tired by the arvo, can't get much study done =/

no time to do stats hw properly. i'll just do half of it. what's worse that it's not even in the finals, but due before stuvac and not worth much (as i've probs said before). not worth my time. i'll actually catch up on stats after finals...won't even properly use those stats stuff until our 5th yr research projects.

i think i've passed 1 of my courses already, since it was basically 40% assignments, and they marked really leniently, and it doesn't say we have to get over 50% in finals to pass the course...

but my optm subject, ever so always and will continue to be tricky, on top of that 65% finals pass mark to pass the course.

yay for packages

argh i hate stats. all these tute hw tasks plus lecture hw tasks plus task which we can only do on uni computers all due at end of stuvac. plus the assignment which was supposed to be due end of this week was pushed back to end of next week. all my study time gone! D= why do people ask for an extension when it just cuts into their study?

blueberry ice cream oreo

finally opened the packet yday. overseas has so many interesting flavours. this is the limited edition "prime berry", it's not as good as the purple blueberry ice cream oreo. this one tastes more berry but less ice creamy.

receipe to riches from last night-$8

took a photo because it's not cheap

i've had a fair share of gourmet sausages in the past, from kangaroo to linseed, to super, duper lean beef $20+kg. this one was on tv last night, and it's pork, apple and cinnamon made with pork intestine as the skin. first time buying something from it, didn't get anything from last series. this is around $18 a kg. on tv, there servings looked really big, but irl, each individual one is quite small. the texture is a bit different, not as chewy and firm as others, idk it's hard to describe. you could definitely smell the cinnamon, but the taste was quite subtle. it was a bit above average, but probs wouldn't spend money on it if it did win...you know that Chocorn from last series? last year it was selling for around $8 a pack, now they're $4ish.

oh, neil perry's burger project is opening on friday at world square. something that i can kind of afford from neil perry...rockpool and rock pool bar and grill has been on my list for quite a while now

the whole pantry book!

yay it came today! had an awkward moment of "how do i open this package." quick background knowledge, belle was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer at the age of 20 (which is quite scary since that's out age), but she survived that and is now 25 and has a son. she's still not cancer free and has many other cancers, but it's very inspirational seeing the way she lives through it. like she gives organic toothpaste to her son, which is kind of like grub and nothing like the typical white toothpaste...TWP app was app of the year last year in the food and fitness section. quite a lot of recipes are quite simple, and it's amazing at how you can make healthy sticky date pudding, pannacotta, pasta, the list goes on. it's so smart! mainly using a lot of coconut oil/cream/water, which i'm not supposed to have....there's so much knowledge about things as well, and what staples are best, and what suits different people. also heaps of other unusual recipes like natural washing powder and air fragrance. i don't normally buy books let alone recipe books, but this was $21 well spent. couldn't put it down this arvo, even though i should be studying...can't wait to try it out next feb. yes, that's when i'll actually be at home for the majority of the break for about 2 weeks...

the stress has hit me after a not super productive day today. stats stuff taking way too long to complete, and it's not even worth much...

last practice with anaesthetics tomorrow before a 3 week period without practice D= how do they expect us to ace it, when we've only practiced it only two times before it? don't have access to those stuff at my work place, unlike some other friends =/

Green Peppercorn

this was one of the places that i've been wanting to go to in the latter half of this semester, to the point where you can't stop thinking about their food (well desserts to be precise), and have to eat it before finals, or else i can't concentrate on study...

after messina last week, we walked to green peppercorn. it's on level 1, but it's quite nice inside, since it's still relatively new.

pad see ew and pad thai with chicken 12.90

didn't try the pad se www, but we had 4 people between 1 pad thai since we were mainly here for a dessert run and just needed a bite to eat. tha pad thai here was pretty average, and noticeably smaller than it's competitors. it's also not as flavourful, and wasn't as steaming hot (temperature wise). would have preferred more flavour, but then again, it means more msg or whatever unhealthy sodium thing they use to flavour it...the bean sprouts were raw, not that i mind, it just made the dish look bigger than it really was...not a lot of chicken or tofu either ):

service was pretty good. and additional spoons were provided for desserts. some places are cheap, and they make you use the same spoon for your savoury dishes and dessert...

dessert (:

Sweet warm coconut sticky rice served with fresh mango, vanilla ice-cream, coconut museli and coconut sauce $14

quite good, again, the whole "where did the fresh mango come from?" question popped up, and their menu also says "fresh" so 99% sure it's imported. there was enough coconut sauce with the rice, and not very sweet. muesli have it a nice texture.

pandan creme brûlée $14

one of their most popular dishes, and yes indeed, it was so yum. it's not deep, but quite a large ramekin. it had the "crack" and was a very thin sugar layer on top, which is suitable since the dish is quite thin. it wasn't too sweet and the pandan flavour came through. possibly may attempt it myself once i have time to bake/buy some pandan extract. the tuile on top was crazily hard to break. we all tried hammering it, but in the end you have to use to teeth to bite it, so not really sharable. it's super duper thick, which explains why it landed in someone's hair when we tried to smash it with our spoons...

Pandan & coconut flavoured waffles served with pandan sauce, coconut museli and coconut gelato $13

so green! don't know if they used real pandan, since i don't think you can get that green flavour that you get from the extract

felt like more dessert (even though i was pretty full at this stage). the waffles were nice, but not amazing. i think i still prefer belgium waffles. probably a bit too much muesli, and would have preferred a larger hit of pandan flavour. gelato was more on the ice cream side. the coconut flavour came through, but it may have been from coconut extract...

and i managed to catch the last express bus back home. i guess early dinners are good since the food comes out fast. will have to try the pandan sticky rice next time. didn't get it this time since we though 3 pandan desserts would be too much. i think the original store at Fairfield would probs be better, but who has the time to drive/trek it there?

Night Noodle Markets 2014

went on the 4th day, and 3rd last day. massive difference in crowd level. on the friday, people were already queuing at the popular stores even before it officially starts at 5pm.

first time i went, just wanted to see what there was. i knew wonderbao from melbourne would be there so it was on my "to-eat' store, but when i saw the prices, my heart dropped.

i was willing to pay $15 for 3, but not $20 for 3. they weren't that big either, and apparently it's almost double the price of their actual store in melb. also the buns etc, i'm pretty sure you can almost buy a whole back of 6 buns for the price of the normal buns they have here.

twice cooked pork belly w/ pickled carrots, damon, cucumber and hoisin sauce-$7

in the end, i decided to get one. i made sure that a few people got it before me, so it wasn't like the first few are more dodgy since they just opened for the night, if that makes sense. this was over hyped. bread wasn't soft, and rolled out unevenly. also was on the thin side. the pork was soft, but wasn't on the steaming hot side. only one piece of cucumber and the carrots that i had wasn't really pickled...i have to say, ippudo pork buns are probs 10x better. i guess this is ok, just didn't feel that it was worth $7. then again, everything at the markets are a lot more pricy.  

ramen burger lines were so long at 5pm...tried it last yr, and decided to not try the rice burger, to save that $13.50. i guess with the rice burger, it's probs just fried rice a bit overcooked so it's hard and you can compact it...

wanted the pad thai hot dog, but decided to save that $9...

got to sample the korean chips on a stick. it's actually run by curries...anyway, it was so nice and crunchy, but too unhealthy to buy...also tried the mini pancakes, which are alright, but not exciting...

after seeing numerous photos of messina at the noodle markets, i decided to go again.

 Happy Taste Bud Time- lychee sponge, mango purée, rambutan and coconut gelato, whipped salted coconut cream topped with a macaroon-$9

this and the "phuc king tasty" flavour which is a cinnamon, coffee something else flavour were probably the post popular. this one isn't as pretty as the other ones, and wasn't piled as high, but i guess it depends on who made it...once we saw the menu, my friend and i knew we had to try this one. i guess the price is ok, since messina is about $6 for 2 scoops, and here at the night markets things are more expensive, so i can justify spending $9 (well $4.50 halving it). the macaroon gave it a nice chewy texture, and the lychee sponge wasn't too sweet, and helped you scoop up the gelato near the bottom, couldn't really taste the rambutan since the coconut dominated the gelato. the whipped salted coconut cream was very interesting, wish we got more to help balance the very sweet mango puree. actually, i think other people just accidentally took a massive scoop of the cream in one go, so maybe that's why i felt we didn't have enough...now i can study without thinking about gelato all day!

so many parents taking their kids out for food. it isn't cheap here, and i don't think my parents would splurge on this for me as a kid. maybe elsewhere/holidays, but not something like this where you can have it at a restaurant with bigger portions...i guess it's the atmosphere and novelty of it which makes it an enjoyable experience (:

Let's Do Dessert: Ananas Bar and Brasserie

nice to still meet up with Shirley and Tracy for dessert one year later (:

i think this one was pretty good, quite a selection on one plate. lighting was pretty dim, and i only bought my phone camera. iPhone is pretty good in dim light, but there's a fine line between phone photo and camera quality. i'm sure Shirley will post up her photos.

at the bar side of the restaurant. they had pineapple lights!

L'Agneau | Harissa Braised Lamb Shank | Charred Eggplant Puree, Couscous, Yogurt, Capsciums-$38, pommel frites-$12

different angles, not sure which one to delete...

yes, the lamb shank was on the small side, a lot smaller than the one at Eyeball, but it's expected for places at the rocks/this type of restaurant. it was very soft and definitely fell off the bone, and not just sauce flavoured with salt. chips were alright, some were a bit burnt...

wasn't planning to eat a lot, since i get full easily these days as well...i like this restaurant since they allow sharing. when you go to hatted restaurants/tourist places like the rocks, some say you have to order a meal each/no sharing...also, i saw someone take away eclairs, so i assume take away is allowed.

Triple Choc Fantasy Tart, Earl Grey & Rose Eclair, Mango Passion & Coconut Entremet, Exploding Black Forest with glass of Yalumba Dessert Wine-$20

artificial light

love edible glitter on food!

the "crack" on the chocolate wasn't as distinct, but it was no too sweet. reminded me of last year's chocolate part of the dessert. good balance of acidity inside with some lemony thing i believe.

inside-ish of eclair

couldn't really taste the rose, but the earl grey flavour was definitely there. haven't had a proper eclair in so long. possibly my favourite out of them. yum (:

not sure how they got mangoes, since they're not in season yet and they didn't taste sweet like if they came out of a can. the coconut was part of the cream, making this cake/entremet really easy to cut through.

cherry (:

ended the dessert with this. not too sweet liquid inside which did taste like black forest flavour, and dark chocolate aftertaste.

finals haven't even begun, and i'm already facing another big possibility of repeating :'(

theory MC yday was alright, a lot more time compared to no time last time. but this prac was horrible! everything that could go wrong went wrong. it's not about achieving a good mark, for me it's just passing! it's worth very little, but i just need that over 50%....

what went wrong? so we are all paired up, and there's a sheet of who we are with for each week in the semester. so my partner and i agreed we would kill each other's dominant eye, so that during the test, we can use it and use our better hand for our preferred testing eye. apparently a person didn't turn up to the prac exam in the pair before us (what, who doesn't turn up to a prac exam, they're all hurdles!), so we ended up as a trio, and i had no prior knowledge of her whatsoever. actually, what's worse is that her left eye was dilated, and i wanted right eye, so then i had to use her left eye with my right hand, and my right hand is actually not as stable as my left, it's better at controlling the joystick thing...anyways, couldn't get a stable view, even though that's a major marking criteria D=

then for the other prac, she didn't ask my any theory so i couldn't even redeem myself. got a not-so-stable, and not big view, but i still said it was stable...and they could check since it's all hooked up to the cameras D=

well marks out next week. the really sad thing is, if i do get under 50, then there's no point for me to study for finals for my optm subj, since i won't be here for the supp.

argh, it's times like these when it's hard not to be so marks  "passing" mark focused, but to remember that in the end, none of it will matter, and that God's plan for me is set. so if i do have to repeat 2nd year, well i'm sure there's a reason, and if i do pass this semester, well there's a reason for that as well. but i just can't stop worrying and stressing.

18 on the 18th

my brother new straight away when he started high school, that his 18th birthday would be during HSC. well, at least he didn't have a test on his birthday. no time to go buy a nicer cake to try, so, so stressed for Monday. it's not worth much, but your performance kind of indicates how you will go in the finals, since the finals are harder. so if i do bad, then finals are just going to be unthinkable, if that makes sense...

all my brother wants on his 18th is to drink. that logic, drinking during his hsc. i'm worried that he'll become an addict, even though we have minimal alcohol at home, there's nothing to stop him from buying it outside...

when i think about it, i do waste a lot more money on birthdays compared to my brother. he hasn't even had a party w/ his high school friends...which really gets me thinking, is a 21st worth the time/effort/money...yes, it is about the memories, but still....i guess nowadays, if you don't mention the word "party" it's expected people pay for themselves....well so far all the birthday dinners i've been to is like that....

homemade tiramisu from the neighbours (:

it came with the whole ribbon in cake box with cake cardboard, so when we both opened the box, my mum and i were like "wow". homemade, was not expecting any presentation etc. well, apparently the person owns a cafe, and likes to make stuff on weekends...please give us more cake, haha. oh, uel and shanelle from MKR last season are opening up a cafe in macquarie! finally some contestant from a cooking show opening a cafe in Sydney, and within price range (hopefully). have been waiting for someone to do this. other people have, it's just their restaurants/cafes are in other states. like, those twin sisters from before, sam and bella do have a burger stand thing at Bondi markets, or some markets, but those are too far away to trek to, even if bondi junction is 15min away from uni...but markets are only on weekends..

blackforest cake-$38.50

pretty sure their prices have rose. got the same cake for my 18th as well. it doesn't taste as nice this times, since there's more canned cherries on the bottom layer in stead of sponge. and the top mousse layer has decreased in thickness slightly, so it's not balanced as well. oh well, cake is cake, and food makes me happy (and possibly study a bit harder).