Monday, March 31, 2014

Heston is coming!

traffic was so great today (not being sarcastic). it's those little things which makes you happy.

caught my normal bus, and managed to stay awake and try to read notes on the bus. only got 6.5 hours of sleep, but i wasn't too tired. i had to buy a my multi, and i saw the bus go pass me as i walked to the newsagents, but after i bought the ticket, it was still waiting for me. got to the city at 7.45, and made it to uni at around 8.30 (had to wait a bit for a bus, then i changed buses at lower campus to get a bus to upper campus since the bus i caught doesn't stop up there). then back home, prac ended early, and got home in less then 1.5 hours. and no dance tonight, so extra time to catch up on stuff (or actually catch up on time procrastinated over the weekend).

to other news, Heston Blumenthal is coming to Australia next year! well it's going to be in Melb, but close enough. when i first heard about him, he was on my list of places to eat overseas (yes, i do have a list for that, except i expect to fulfil them when i grow old/actually have money to spend). but now he's coming to melb which means i don't have to fly to England! i would love to visit Britain sometime, but that's not on my top few places to go...i just hope he doesn't revamp the menu up too much, and the bacon and egg ice cream will still be there. he'll change the restaurant name after 6 months and have new teams on his new restaurant after the 6 months. every time i see it on tv, i drool. so glad i'm not going melb with church friends in mid year break, since i'll most likely go next year just for his food (that is if i still have money after the end of this year). i have severely underestimated my budget. if i was to go and spend full out, wow, it's almost my yearly salary gone...but i do want to spend full out (i.e. increase my budget, lol), just some things/brands are better left to have when i actually start full time work. it's like the same thing with food, if you buy all the top handbags and stuff in one go, then when you actually have money to spare/spend in the future, what more "luxurious" stuff can you buy when you have most of them?

possibly another melb trip even though i was just there last year...and dinner at The Fat Duck will definitely throw a spanner into my savings. at least in hk i'll get money to spend from relatives...but Heston is worth it (:

i know i've said i won't go eat super expensive food until i get a proper salary, but that was more directed towards restaurants in Sydney, hehe. it's not everyday an international star comes to a remote country like Aus!

sorry in advance if i say no to outings, i'll probably be holed up at home/uni during 2015, after all those trips...

Friday, March 28, 2014

Stock Market

probably the most unproductive night so far. stuff due next week which i have yet to start. i will be productive on the weekend! there, i said it, so i shall be more obliged to do it (if that makes sense, haha). i already had an unproductive arvo since i went window shopping (for a purpose), and then the bus started to break down once it got to where i live since it has heaps of hills, and it would go up the hill slower than walking pace....so glad there was a bus behind, so we just got onto that. 

rainy day earlier this week on a double decker

stock market medium salad: mixed leaf with egg, pumpkin, capsicum, cucumber, celery, tomato, avocado and honey mustard dressing+piece of bread-$8.40

first time having stock market, even though it's "the" salad bar of the whole campus and best place to have lunch. tbh, i think it's a bit over rated. i bought a medium and it was pretty heavy, and filling (well i actually had a free sausage before, but it was gourmet at $18/kg compared with cheap <$5/kg woolies sausages). i thought the person gave me enough sauce, but not really, whilst Better's was drenched. i guess salad is healthy, until it comes to the dressing....first time having a hard boiled egg in a long time. got avocado for 50c extra, but it wasn't fully ripe yet =/ would've preferred it to be more soft. salad is filling, but i guess you can have it at home...wished there was croutons though...it's actually quite stressful picking out ingredients quickly since there is heaps to choose from. so nice seeing Better at uni (: usually i study in my breaks, but i knew today wasn't going to be productive...

zumbo's eastern collection is amazing. i think i'll go "broke" buying every single easter collection.

there's now an update for iOS 7.1. nts: future car should be a model which incorporates CarPlay

Thursday, March 27, 2014

decided to take a "break" from study today by going shopping. actually, i was late to my lecture because i was trying on clothes, and my lab today ended early, so i decided to try on more clothes. wow, in the span of 3 hours, all the good sizes were already gone. (i learnt from previous sales that if there is something your size there, buy it straightaway...) the jeans i tried on earlier in the morning disappeared, then i looked through other places and it appeared again. they're not my size, but at least they're comfy. there was this super nice dress, which kind of made you look like you had wings when you lifted your arms up! it was half price at $50 and i really wanted it, but then i thought again, do i really need it? not really since i have quite a few dresses i bought last year that i have yet to wear...so i guess that 50 can go towards the end of the year.and there was this really nice blue blouse/top, 50% off but was still $120, which is pretty crazy-it was made in britain, so that probably explains the inflated price. oh, the jeans i got were made in egypt, which is a first for me =/ first time buying something from top shop which was decently priced, and my first time shopping not studying...

also, i like how jumbo qvb kiosk still has the same prices as the other stores, but i think the other stores will definitely be more fresh, since his jumbo vans transport it to the store there.

quiz yday was a joke. like she gave us hints on the easy questions, then everyone shared answers, but i still wrote the wrong thing! argh, so annoyed. hopefully the quizzes to become online, since in class quizzes were kinda pointless. but i'm still screwed and can't memorise all the holes/walls/bones/veins/nerves/arteries and so much random stuff of the eye. i guess i understand why people say in 3rd year diseases are the hardest. how to med kids even remember all this stuff? like for us, we still have to know the general body, but the eye thoroughly...do they also have to learn all parts of the body thoroughly...?

i feel like this week i've been chucking away marks =/

do you know what else sucks? i had this plan of having $1 hotdogs this tues since i ended at 5 and the soda factory hot dogs start at 5, but then quiz the next day so i didn't go, which means i have to wait over a month, since the next time i end at 5, it's mid sems. ben and jerry's free cone day is on the day where i have an exam. i have a 2 hour break that day so i guess i could possibly get some ice cream, but then the next day i have another mid sem, so i should be studying. i feel so conflicted whether i should get free ice cream/relax or study. did you know i haven't gotten a free bbq this year? the only thing i spent time getting free food was from vsa, then i walked past free fanta slushies from subway which was a plus (:

so manu from mar opened a new restaurant in south yarra last night, and they had a cook off event, with george from masterchef and his greek food vs manu and his french food team-that's so cute! it's more like channel 7 vs 10 imo. can't wait for MC to come back! also, it seems like everyone (well a few people) are friends with uel and shannelle. saw them yday morning on the bus, i guess they finished their sunrise interview.

i really hate walking through the rain at uni.

i really need a new backpack asap.

i really do miss my holidays.

Saturday, March 22, 2014

whenever i take a "break" from study, i read the news, and today i came across an article about being well travelled. the journalist is a backpacker, and whenever he met someone who's been to x,y and z, he would say he's been to antarctica. then he met a group of people who like him also been to all 7 continents and he was 27, so he was the most well travelled. but then came a canadian guy, only 23, and already been to all 7 continents. wow, that's pretty crazy. i'll finish my degree (inb4 i fail a subject, which isn't rare for my course) when i'm 23, and i'll still only have been to 3/7 continents...then they were saying how people of their calibre compared passport stamps and they actually "collected" them by visiting weird countries. also, they would increase their "country count" by going to places like Greenland, which actually isn't a country....how does a 23 year old have that much time and money to travel? well, i guess his parents are rich.

virgin australia has renovated its melbourne lounge, and it does look super fancy. time to book myself a business class ticket/tag along with dad. don't have anything i want to do in Melbourne cbd though...imo, there's no point flying business for a 1.5 hour flight...although i do want to see the new lounge and its apparently better than qantas (domestic), and virgin australia tickets are generally cheaper than qantas. one day i will go into the first class qantas lounge...

also, i was thinking would i prefer to jump out of a plane i.e. skydive for 1 minute or bag a branded handbag for $600+. skydiving doesn't last long, but its an experience, but a leather handbag lasts a lifetime...then almost nek minnit, turns out a plane in queensland which was taking people to go skydiving crashed straight after take off....

all these aviation news stories hasn't put me off flying-i still love flying and planes!

Friday, March 21, 2014

i really wanted to go to Taste of Sydney last weekend, and Cake Bake and Sweets show this weekend, but they both cost money, and i just don't have the time.

drowning in so much uni work. so much stuff to know D=

the only reason why i like my visn subject is that the lecturer prints us the notes. this feels like the first time i've received so much free paper from uni during lectures. 4 hours a week learning about the anatomy of the eye. in intro anatomy, we learn the whole body in a semester, but for visn anatomy, we take the whole semester to learn about the eye, so you can imagine how much detail we need to know. you think the eye is small, but it contains so much stuff that each lecture is so content heavy. not sure how i will know every single muscle, vein, artery, nerves, holes, structure etc. is it even possible for someone to know every single muscle/bone/nerve etc for the whole body? even an eyeball has so much stuff connecting to places....i really don't think my brain is capable of so much stuff. these little stuff which are worth 5% of a strand, so technically 1.something percent of the whole course, but it's compulsory, and just hard to keep track....totally regret not doing anything last weekend...

i feel so noob. looking at my prescription from last year's compulsory eye test at uni, can't understand it apart form the basic prescription. all these other tests/techniques/instruments with their numbers/lines are all so confusing...

slept in an hour today, and was 20mins late to my 9am lecture. first time being so late this sem. i guess it's an improvement from last year...also, i don't understand why those commerce kids with less than 12 hours still skip half their lectures...

not i sound like i whine a lot. please, that's not my intention lol.

my less than $2 iPhone case (free shipping) arrived form overseas! it's actually quite perfect and fits all my criterias (: have yet to actually change the case though...

saving up money wherever i can, even if it's being anti-social and not going to dinners, and not going to cheap asian arvo tea places to eat with mum (personally, i don't really like cheap asian cafes. feels like i'm just eating oil, whereas in white cafes, there's more love, technique and better quality ingredients even though it's twice the price of a meal at asian places).

feel like this year will be my travel year (:

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Early Morning Photos-Take 2

first time waking up at 6.30am, even though i slept past 12am...so i managed i wake up with less than 6.5hours of sleep! tbh, i'm secretly proud of this achievement. managed to get a bit of sleep on the bus to get my 7 hours of sleep lol.

traffic was really good, so arrived in the city well before 8am, and buses were running late-ish, so i decided to just stand in front of the sunrise tv, and then i saw the crowd and thought who was kneeling on the ground signing someone's shirt..? turns out it was Taylor Henderson. i was probably on the bus when he sang so missed it...i actually didn't have any paper on me. the only paper was my anatomy lab book, and i scrap piece of paper completely filled with notes. i hate it when people draw/write in my book, and i never doodle in my books, so an autograph of someone on my anatomy lab book (which i just checked has not empty spaces except for the front and back purple cardboard covers-the book is legit filled with words of the body...), so i skipped the autograph and just got a pic. he's really friendly and good with talking to people (which i guess all stars should be good at lol). you know, two weeks ago, the only day where i didn't have to go uni early, Katy Perry was on sunrise. could've seen her irl...she only came out of the studio for a few seconds/didn't take pics or anything, but she's an international star, so that's understandable lol.

(photo for blogging purposes)

first time seeing a dead face in anat today. it was sliced vertically in half, and skinned (obviously), so it was literally just half a face lying on the table. there were actually 3 halves. when you lifted the eyelid (because i was curious), the eyeball is still there along with the colour of the eyes, and you're sitting right in front of it, so it's just a half dead face staring in front of you...the person warned us about it being "graphic" lol. we only went through the major muscles, and even that's a lot to memorise...

ended early today, but completely wasted my arvo =/

Monday, March 17, 2014

so sick of uni already. don't know how i am going to cope. the subject which i have 8/9 hours for also requires you to do 6 hours of study at home. so many things in that subject. 3 strands are all completely different, yet you have to pass everything. and all these quizzes which are compulsory are taking so much time. and law people always say they have readings, but we do to! chapters and chapter from three different textbooks, along with tutorial homework (which they mark this year), assignments, quizzes, labs/pracs, lecture notes, tutorials notes, extra journals readings, and then actually studying after you've read everything. then there's the stuff you have to practice which you can't learn/perfect from a textbook like repairs....
i'm actually more sick of the contact hours than actually studying/doing homework. less hours at uni means i can actually study at home, but there's no changing them contact hours...

discounted messina-$3, The Boss's Wife-hazulnut and coffee gelato w/ white chocolate and hazulnut praline ganache, and Nanni-jersey milk fior di latter gelato w/ Nonna Anna's home made mostaccioli

2nd last week to end at 2 on monday, so i decided to take light rail to the star (: it's so slow though (faster than walking, but parts of the city it was going 20km/h. also, didnt realise but they're doing so much demolition behind darling harbour chinatown. also, did you know, Sydney Entertainment centre is now called Qantas something...so qantas decides to sack thousands of people, but they manage to buy a massive venue....) 

we were talking favourite ice cream the other day at PLUS, and two people said their favourite gelato was The Boss's Wife, and it was there today so i decided to get it (even though i'm not supposed to eat nuts/choc/milk related stuff atm...) it's a nice ice cream, but not one of my favs. it's more towards to hazelnut side, but the coffee balances it well. couldn't really taste any white choc, which i guess is good since you don't want it to just taste sweet. would've liked more praline, only got one little bit in my scoop...nanni is really nice, it's kind of like cookies and cream but more classy. it's not as sweet, and there's mozzarella in it, but it's really nicely balanced with the milk, making it not to creamy/cheesy. there was lot of the italian biscuit in my scoop, with some spices and cinnamon! the gelato melted quicker than normal through...also tried Get It India, which wasn't as fragrant as i would've hoped (well, from the sample anyway), and tried a tiny bit of coconut and pandan, but from that tiny sample, couldn't taste much pandan....

the only "easy" quiz we will get is this weeks one. i can't believe they actually asked that...

ah, the physiology quiz took forever. so glad it's unlimited tries. no wonder why they're going to take mc questions from the quiz, since 90% of the stuff in the quiz isn't in the lecture notes, you have to actually apply it to different situation. hate those stuff. i'll probably end up rote learning the answers, but then become screwed for the written section...so glad people put up answers, even though before you attempt the quiz, there's this thing saying that you are attempting it by yourself, lol. i would never finish it by myself.

Sunday, March 16, 2014

first time working by myself today and out of all the days the computers don't work, it's the day where no one is there to help. luckily the it guy picked up, but then the manager still came in the check up on me. even though Sunday's are double pay, it's really boring. brought some stuff to read, but i would rather work on saturday since you get more experience in actually dispensing/repairs. still can't do so many repairs... =/

so many people getting engaged! another couple got engaged yesterday, so right now at church, there's at least 3 couples that i know of. i'm not super close to those couples, so i don't have to splurge on a dress for the ceremony and reception. some people are close to all three, so they would have to spend money on at least 6 dresses...then there are other couples who people are hinting they should get engaged-peer pressure, haha.

Saturday, March 15, 2014

Clive Christian-The Most Expensive Perfume

so after my uncle and co (other relatives) left Iceland, they went to London, and did most of the touristy stuff, and they spent big.

i did not even know this existed until he whatsapped the photos.

the world's most expensive perfume (click to see why, and then you'll understand). 1 out of 10 in the whole world. i can't even find the price on google...


can you even buy this in Aus?

i really do want to smell this brand of perfume, i wonder what it smells like. someone said it smells like royalty, but what does royalty even smell like...?  only a limited number of bottles is made. the "cheapest" perfumes cost around $300au, and they're only 50ml or less. the more expensive ones are at least a few thousand. but not surprisingly, my uncle and his friend bought a bottle home to HK. 

Australia is slowly becoming more connected in terms of fashion....but i can't even buy a Herschel back pack without prices being crazily inflated compared to the US ): after i go to America, i would love to do an england + western europe trip, then other parts of europe, then other parts of America...but after i have a proper income...just can't help but wish i could travel to a few different countries every month like my uncle...i feel like his home in HK is his hotel. he doesn't even have a home phone...

Friday, March 14, 2014

Evacuation Week

another evacuation today, but this time i was on the 10th floor of the library and had to walk all the way down. they blocked off the library, but i didn't see any fire trucks this time...but the library was so noisy with those sirens, and loudspeakers of people telling us not to use the lifts and saying it's real and not a drill. i've never had a fire evacuation last year, and now this week alone i've had 2. i heard there was another one this week during a friend's optom lab. does construction really emit a lot of smoke? then there was the massive evacuation at Barangaroo, and all those office people leaving their buildings, at least i don't have to walk down 30+ floors...

i had a voucher for helping out the other day for Blue Stone cafe (near CLB for those unsw peeps). worst service ever. they don't say wait to be seated, so some people pay for their meals before and then sit, while other people wait for the waiters to come to their table to order. then there is a take away section, but people can also sit at the tables to wait. so many mixed up orders. i was given 2 other plates which weren't mine. then i had to wait half an hour for a burger since they mixed up my order. maybe because i paid after i ordered and i used a voucher...but i saw another person who raged at the staff since her meal also took forever to come since and she also had a voucher, so i think it's the later. luckily i had a three hour break....

chai latte-$3.50

quite milky (i'm not supposed to have milk....) but it was alright. there was cinnamon, but other spices  weren't very prominent/spicy enough for my liking. i was craving a chai latte this morning, so i decided to get it.

grilled beef burger w/salad-$12.90

so not worth the wait. pretty average. i can make a better one at home myself. you can buy turkish bread anywhere, and just fill it with whatever you desire. it was a decent serving of salad, but still pretty ordinary. shall delete these photos from my phone since it's really not worth the space. please don't come here to eat, only came here since the voucher only allowed me to come here lol.

sunrise this morning. they've been opening the side windows more than normal these past few days.

and apparently the central line today almost reached capital, lol.

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Optus RockCorps Concert 2014

my second free concert! survived my first moshpit! i have yet to have a favourite artist to be willing to attend a pay concert (there was a time when i wanted to go to delta's concert in primary. if there was a chance she started singing again, i would go)

even though this year's line up wasn't as spectacular as last yearn everything else was better. there was free rides, you could reserve your spot in the line, lockers to hire (which meant no bags to tug around and i could go in the moshpit without worrying about my stuff), location is easier to get to, and actually started not too late and finished almost on time. last year i lined up at 5, concert started at around 8. this year got there at about 4.30 with rides to occupy your time, and concert started at about 7.30, ending a bit past 11.

i think i was super lucky today. normally i cross the harbour bridge going back home. since there was the massive fire in Barangaroo, i caught the train over the bridge so i didn't have to get stuck in the 2+hours of peak hour traffic in the arvo if i ended my normal time...also, i could stay till the end of the concert since i have a 1pm start tomorrow (unlike last year where i had to miss the script since i had a 9am start).

you could still breath after the first artist. but once the djs, LAM, pumped the songs, people jumped/pushed you forward. the djs are pretty hot, and they were so good! actually, the best i've heard so far. super good mix of songs, and beats etc. a person tweeted that they wanted to have them at their 21st, well if i had the money, i would as well! after all those parties, cruises etc i've been to, these guys are the best i've heard so far! last years ones weren't good...'s after every artist, i kinda got pushed/squeezed a row forward, and made it to the front row half way through the night! (: never experienced so much sweat and physical contact from strangers before...

here are some snapshots
 (sorry if they're out of focus-don't have time to focus them with people bumping/jumping into you....)
they opened most of the rides (:


only one section of sitting. i think the Big Top is slightly smaller than the Horden Pavilion


Samantha Jade!

i knew her, whilst other people didn't. she was always good looking on x-factor, but seeing her irl, she's hot! she's pretty good live as well and she's so cheery and happy.


Miguel-"mystery artist"

i only recognised one song since i don't really know him. 



Rudimental

they sang quite a lot, like each vocalist did their own song. got to touch the guy, but he was so sweaty it felt awkward lol. they're pretty good with the crowd. 













Empire of the Sun! i actually knew a few of the songs. they took a while to set up, with their own personal team checking the instruments etc. they are so good live! their costumes are amazing, as well as choreography, lighting, props and all those screens behind. the dancers had about 4 costume changes, and they just look spectacular! he came in through/out a trap door-so cool. he also threw 2 picks, and the drummer through a drum stick. got to touch him as well, but you could smell the vodka on him =/ at least he still sang well. 

did you know, earlier in the day i volunteered for 4 hours, then in my optm tute the person made us stand for the whole hour and all i wanted to do was sit! then went to the concert and stood from 4.30 until 11pm. so technically, i've stood/jumped for at least 11 hours today. unfortunately, i didn't lose any weight ): lol

phone managed to last the whole day-from 7.30am to 12.30am. managed to take videos, photos, snapchats etc. just have to know how to preserve your battery life (:

nts: uni wifi is actually really fast at uploading blogger photos via my phone.

Tuesday, March 11, 2014



saw carly and tresne today from mkr since they were on sunrise, but everyone walked by them in the morning/no one recognised them, so i tried to take a photo without them noticing...so out of focus photo....but they are so trendy! and i do love their optimism on the show (:

evacuation today during anatomy lab. it was a false alarm and apparently they have quite a few since they're doing construction, but we had to leave and fire trucks came asap, like by the time we walked down the stairs, they arrived. 

also, i think i've finally found the best toilets on campus-the med building! it's a newer building, and the mirrors span the width and almost height of the well, and it's so so much more cleaner. the basins and tiles feel more like a shopping centre rather than a normal uni bathroom. round house bathrooms also feel newer/more modern, but med is so clean. also, no one goes to the med building (apart from med kids+subjects they offer). like bio med is next to it, but it's more often used and a lot older. the physiology labs are also in the med building, and they are the cleanest labs by far! they still building/renovating other labs in the building. 

Monday, March 10, 2014

i really want to see Benedict Cumberbatch in person-Sherlock <3  and he's coming to unsw which makes it extra cool? why our uni and not other places in Sydney?

apparently vip tickets, at $350 for sat/sunday sold out in 20mins. and then there's an additional meet and greet option only available to vip saturday ticket holders...so all up it's about 400/500. normal tickets are $150, and the earlier you buy it, the closer you probably are to the stage. i do have 150, but i'm not willing to fork out 150 to see him irl, like i can buy branded handbags (on sale) with that money. i guess i'll just see photos. and he's also there smack bam in the middle of four of my mid sems...so i guess i'm disappointed, but not drastically, since $150 you only get to seem him, no autograph/photo.

i have a course whose lectures don't start unit this week, and labs in a few weeks time. i'd rather start labs now, and finish labs earlier...


passionflower thai milk tea.

voucher from o-week-free ice cream (: last year i got about 3 vouchers but didn't have time to use it, this year i got one and made sure i used it. i think the guy was pretty generous with the scoop. this tasted exactly like thai milk tea with just the right amount of sweetness, yum. i wasn't going to take a photo of it, but it's the first time i've seen thai milk tea ice cream, so why not? (i'm actually going to run out of space on my phone zoo if i keep taking photos of every single thing i eat outside my house =/)

i feel like half our dance routine atm is rolling around-every single roll there is. i'm only marking it and i still get bruised, if i was to go full out, i don't think i'd even have knees tomorrow morning...

Saturday, March 8, 2014

met another optom today who apparently is in the same year as the optom who usually comes on saturday, and he said he graduated about 10 years ago. the other girl optom was married last year, and this guy is single and he's so weirdly lay back. he just jokes around all day, like literally say jokes, and my brain was so slow today, i just couldn't keep up. there was a guy called David Howse, and he was like "Howse David?", and he was just staring at me, then about half a minute later i got it...from joking with his patients, to crude jokes, talking about awkward stuff and spilling life stories. i feel like at work, you get to know a person's life in just a matter of minutes. he was saying how he cbb to cook, so had wine for dinner, then at the end of work, i saw him take home 4 bottles of wine =/ he also had 5 shots of coffee during the day. yeah, definitely not your typical optom...

i really don't understand how technology these days can lose track of a plane...personally i think it's terrorist, but like everyone says-what's the motive? side note, one day i will go on a qantas A380. it's only on selected flights to HK, and i don't think i have enough money to go dubai/london or LA after a massive splurge in america at the end of this year, so i will match my flight to HK on one of those "selected flights". one day...

wow, looking at videos of my uncles trip (he's still there), they're driving through heavy rain and snow, and apparently you can only see 5ft ahead of you =/ there's also other cars out there as well, but i think the only "comfort" is that the road is mostly straight. my aunt had a lamb's head like a "viking" and they're now staying at a viking themed hotel-i want exotic food from iceland! they also went to this island specialised with ice cold swimming pools and snow slides. there's only one pool that was heated, but i think it's a local thing to swim in ice cold water and slide down slides in your swimmers. so much for my uncle saying NYC was cold in winter-i'm pretty sure wearing swimmers in minus degrees weather is a lot colder!

Friday, March 7, 2014

Single Origin Roasters

i've wanted to come here for over a year now because of their coffee-it's so exotic! their drinks as well, like spiders (carbonated coffee with vanilla gelato), wonder what that will taste like, and coffees which change flavour weekly. this place is a bit pricey compared to others. it has minimal seating indoors, and not many seats outside either. we were lucky to have a table of 5. a door down they have a store just for takeaway coffee. we were there for about an hour, and the coffee line didn't shorten. so happy seeing people before uni, since there wasn't a lecture on this morning (: 


single origin roasters latte-$4

i actually ordered the reservoir blend for that week "La Cima" which had citrus, butter pastry, berry jam and other stuff in a latte, but the guy came and said it was the single origin roasters one. i guess i didn't mind since i wanted to try their "original" latte, and i was running short of time and ceebs to ask. their coffee is definitely more mild than other places, so if you don't like strong stuff, single origin coffee will suit you. i think i like my coffee stronger now, but the consistency of this cup was good. however, it's a pretty small cup for $4 (and it's hard to take a good photo of outdoors...) and a tiny bit of grounded coffee at the bottom...maybe if i have some spare time in the morning i'll grab some coffee from the reservoir list. it's really close to central (so close that Dandelion and I kinda walked past the street lol)


kedgeree of quinoa, smoked ocean trout, egg, chermoula cauliflower, dukkah and goats cheese-$16.50

not your typical breakfast food. didn't know what a kedgeree was (until i googled it after i ate it), but i'm one of those adventurous types, and would try whatever sounds interesting (as long as it doesn't have heaps of chilli). all those ingredients i don't mind eating. even if i order something, and there's some parts i don't like, i still eat it since it's still paid for. whenever i go out to these days, there's so many things i'm not supposed to have (like coffee), but i just make exceptions...like i can have goats milk but not cheese, but since cheese is made from milk, does that mean i can have goats cheese...? side note, people say goats milk have that distinctive taste, but i can't really taste that "taste," so i don't mind drinking goats milk/having goats cheese. this quinoa was really delicious! definitely seasoned well not with salt, but with herbs and all those fancy things like chermoula and dukkah (:

uni is already tiring after the first week, and i only had about half of my classes. the best news today i received was that i don't have five 9am starts-i only have four! good enough. there's a group with one 8am start. really hope traffic conditions improve/ i swear i always get caught up in thunderstorms. this arvo on the m2, you could see out west hose big lighting flashes out west. last time i was caught up in storms in the east, this time west. luckily i only live north west, so it in the middle of the thunderstorm. it was raining heavily when i got out the bus, but started pouring once i got home. if i was to say i was scared of something, being struck by lighting is probably one of them.

Thursday, March 6, 2014

field trip today to bondi junction. haven't been there in so long, but i love bondi westfield! it actually has 2 hours free parking, but there's heaps of buses/trains to there. they have everything there! heaps more than pitt st mall. no wonder why people also go there for boxing day sales since they have other international brands there...maybe next year boxing day sales i'll have a look. basically stood there and talked to the dispenser today for about an hour, and then walked around the shops. the food court there is so nice! outdoor views from above, and decor stuff i think Dandelion would like. they also have these super comfy tall back chairs, so we just chilled until it was time to go back to uni.


which photo to delete on my phone? (i have heaps of these first world problems, since i want to conserve space, but each photo has its pros and cons. like the first one has no traffic, while the second one includes centre point tower, but has traffic and you can see the glass...)

$80 for a torch, marker and plastic. sigh...it came with out lab book as well, but even if this is the stuff optoms use, why does plastic cost so much? need to buy another instrument later this sem, which cost my than my ticket to america and hk...

it just hit me that i really need to save if i am going to spend big. i just hope that all the stuff i want will be on sale. ahh, so excited for shopping. luxury bags aren't cheap, even if they do have 50% off...which is why today the place i wanted to eat i went but walked out. too expensive, like $10 for a slice of cheesecake. it's raw, vegan, super healthy, and i can make it (just not as pretty) since i have berries, nuts, dates, coconut oil etc, but i'm not supposed to be eating nuts and a whole lot of fruits atm, so that place can be put on my other to-go list for later. 

this is the capital of Iceland, how cute-flurries!

my a few of my uncles and aunts went to Iceland to see the northern lights. tbh, i think this is an "old person"/retired style holiday, but they're all not that old yet going to Iceland. they didn't manage to capture photos since it's one of those things a lens can't capture. he borrowed my other uncle's pro camera which has those settings to capture low illumination stuff, but i'm pretty sure he didn't know how to use it, so no photos from them ): but there are photos of purple and unnatural blue hues, and vast massive white snow landscape with nothing but mountains and snow. road was covered in some snow as well, wonder what it would feel like driving long distances in the snow...they house they're staying in is like those american movies! step outside and there's snow! but a light and gentle type, not the buried deep inside type...and they have heated tile floors! i think i experienced that in Japan, but have yet to come across heated tiles floors again...australia's winter isn't really cold, especially last year's one.

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Scattered Thunderstorms

it was supposed to be sunny today! i even said it was good weather for a boost! today for vibe members, if you sang out your order, you could get a free boost. the uni people are really lenient, they don't even check if you are a member, and i can't sing so i just said my order and their ingredients in a really weird way lol. so many fruits i'm not supposed to have which are on all the drinks of boost, so today was another "cheat" day. i decided to go "lean & green" and try the Carribean Green (mango, passionfruit, banana, spinach, mango nectar, coconut milk, coconut water & ice)which i haven't had before. they said if you don't like it after 2 sips, you can exchange it. tbh, i didn't really like this one, but ceebs exchanging since it was free. it kinda tasted salty from the spinach, and wasn't sweet at all even though it had mango nectar...

but unfortunately the boost did not make up my day. i was caught up in this:


unlucky unsw is in the eastern suburbs where there were flash floods and sever thunderstorms. had a lecture at 5 and had to make to to lower campus without an umbrella. it was poring, and even walking undercover, you still get wet since the wind was blowing crazily. bumped into people who had umbrellas, but it still wasn't very useful. main walkway has really bad drainage, and you can't really walk around the main walkway, so just had to walk through the ankle deep water. first time having my shoes and socks soaked ))): they need some sort of bridge/shelter from the left side to right side of campus. like from the science theatre area to connect to the red centre area...

what was worse was that buses from uni didn't come for almost 30min. even buses to town hall. i read later on the news there was a car crash and flash flooding etc, so 3 buses to central all came at the same time at 6.30. basically took 2 hours to get home, then fully changed and rushed back to church. new leaders this time. apparently they went on a lot of socials involving food. i would love to join...but i promised myself to save money...oh, sold my textbook today! people actually do go on those websites...sold it for about $17 less than what i bought from the bookshop, which i guess is alright. 

ahh, my feet hurt for walking 3 hours today putting up posters, and then wearing soaked socks and shoes for another 3 hours ):

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

i think i will love every 2nd tuesday. ending at 12 since physiology 3 hour labs are every 2nd week (: but on the alternate weeks...two 3 hour labs ):

the lecturer said you'd have to rote learn anatomy. i think it's true as well, but i've always wanted to learn every single bone in the body, and all those muscles, nerves etc of the whole body for "general knowledge". it seems interesting. finally had the chance to look at dead bodies today! you really have to admire the donors who are so willing to give up their bodies for us to look at...but i was quite excited (: should totally start revising now. so many parts to remember even in the first week.

i hate the med building. it's even further up than biomed. what's worse is that they're doing construction, so you can't access the building from inside the uni, you have to walk outside the uni grounds to the back entrance. that being said, the med building is quite nice inside. first time going in it-apparently undergrads for both med and non-med can only go into the ground and 1st floor. other levels is for post grad and staff or something, and there's about 5 other levels...the building isn't small either, but i do hope they finish the construction quickly since i don't want to walk around the whole building to go inside it. i'm sure there are other ways to get inside the building through adjacent buildings, but i don't want to risk being late to a lab....

bought new sunnies today-my first pair of brown shades. before the end of my degree, i intend to get every single "luxury" brand of sunnies they have available (if they fit my small face), since it's technically free (: the one i got today is branded (actually, everything there is branded...), it wasn't one of those "higher" ones but it was cheap and meant this year i could get 2 pairs without paying (: and i needed them since they're not polarised, which is good for going on the bus and looking at your phone.

i knew it! the person who had my name didn't know me and vice versa. luckily someone tagged me in the photo...but then they just released the list online tonight...field trip to bondi junction! which i can actually get there faster in the morning compared to uni. hopefully we don't have to spend too long there since there's this place i want to eat near there. then again, if there isn't enough time to eat, well i guess i'm saving money, so it's a win-win situation.

i really hope people start to not turn up to their 9am lectures. traffic is horrible. it takes almost 45 min from martin place to uni. it's supposed to take less than 20min in good traffic, and 25min during school zones. and the buses were crowded as well even though the route doesn't go through central. i need to get to my labs on time, so i hope those eager first years will learn to skip their 9am lectures (oh wow, i kinda sound evil lol)

Monday, March 3, 2014

Made it to 2nd

not everyone passed last year, so i'm just glad to have made it to 2nd year. optm is going to be hectic this year. have a field trip on thurs, but no idea where i'm going ): don't know who has the folder with my name on it =/

woke up before 7 today!

i think i'll like physiology, mainly because the MC in finals is based of computer quizzes, and the stuff they test in mid sem won't be tested in finals. it's a sigh a relief, trust me, even though it's quite content heavy. there's 650 people doing phsl which is heaps =/

anatomy is going to be fun looking at dead bodies. only 3 assessments, which again is a sigh of relief (even though they're weighted a lot, it's less to keep track of). optm has about 10 things per strand, so over 30 things marked/assessed/assignments etc throughout the semester...

no visn lectures this week, quite strange.

mondays are going to be horrible. start the day of at biomed in upper campus, then back to lower campus, then back up to clancy in upper, then back down to lower campus. and if i don't catch a uni bus in the morning, it's another extra 15 min walk up to boomed first thing in the morning. today people came in close to an hour late, and the guy said he'll lock the doors if people arrive more than 10mins next time...

not ready for uni.

Sunday, March 2, 2014

Plans, plans, plans

3 months of holidays just flew by, felt more like 1 month. as i knew right from the beginning, i wasn't bored at all. still bits and pieces of things to do, but those things can wait.

this year i have something to try to motivate me to not fail. AMERICA, HERE I COME!

much excite. any tips on how to not work for a few weeks yet still keep your job? time to really save money! i probably will underestimate the budget, need to re-do it next break...i think i can go through uni this semester without eating out once if i had to, but i can foresee at least 2 days where i have to buy at least some food...

didn't manage to get a chance to finalise accommodation this break, and still a lot of stuff to book in July as there are certain things you can't book a whole year ahead. my July to-do list is pretty full already: manage credit cards, book attractions, finish itinerary etc, as well as shout my mum high tea since these holidays there wasn't any time on the weekend, and when i had time, the day before i already went out, so it was pointless having good food a few times in a row.

i looked at the supp exams offered last sem for 2nd year, and it was 23/60 people. hope i don't get any supps, or else i'm screwed. a girl who's repeating this year was like "make sure you don't book holidays during supps" also, 8 people are repeating 2nd year 1st semester, whilst an additional 10 people will be repeating 2nd year 2nd sem, and they had a cohort of around 70 last year. not sure how i will survive with 27ish hours. there's a course this year which is 3 subjects in 1. so if you fail a little single thing in one of the subject within the subject, even if you ace the other 2 parts of the subject and you weighted mark is well above a pass mark and you get distinction, you still fail, since you haven't passed a little component in a part for the subject.

the course outline was 26 full pages of tiny print. only glanced through it, but it took forever to read. 10ish  hours for that one course, and they state its imperative to do extra work, at least 4-6 hours for that course. we still have 3 other subjects this semester...

the scary thing is waking up on time. this year i actually have to make all my 9am starts on time, especially with pracs, once you're late, you're marked absent, and unlike other science labs etc, there are no make up classes. and each class is worth 2% of one of the parts within the subject, and it's part of the course to go to all the labs. basically if you don't turn up on time, you fail D=

Saturday, March 1, 2014

Better's Party

so lovely seeing everyone before uni starts! tbh, i won't have a social life once uni starts ):

lovely decorations by Better and Dandelion. 

food (: 

ate at least 6 things i wasn't supposed to have....massive cheat day on all levels. way too much sugar....but i wanted to try all the flavours of soft drink! there were 9, and some i've had before, but there were 2 i have yet to try. thanks Better for all your effort!

adriano zumbo tim tams-finally!


thanks JB-Hi5 for bringing them! been wanting to try one for so long. definitely couldn't have a full one of each flavour (nor am i supposed to have so much chocolate)...so why not break them up and try them? favourite is definitely salted caramel-i just love it! a not too sweet caramel flavour when you bite into it, then once you get the after taste of the salt-it's so cool! the raspberry centre wasn't that strong and looked really artificially bright pink, luckily the white choc wasn't super sweet...the choc brownie wasn't that special. it was like a chocolate flavour/sweetness between normal sweet tim tams and slightly less sweet dark tim tams. photos for Happy Apple:

cake! those piping skills <3

that candle...


love those layers!

i really like layered cakes, and i think i'm the only one who likes fondant icing, it has a slightly chewy texture and is filled with sugar. i secretly have a sweet tooth, but refined sugar is just fattening in general, and i think i'm supposed to be cutting down on my sugar intake...hence tonight was super cheat day. the piping (even those it's buttery fat) is really good since it's not sweet and has real raspberries, giving it texture since you can feel those raspberry bits. the cake itself is nice and not sweet (well not sweet compared to normal cakes). when i was younger and baked with my mum, she would used to put olive oil into cakes since it was healthier, until during high school i started to put more butter to make it more delicious, but after all those healthy inspirational posts on instagram, it's back to more natural forms of less fattening stuff with more health benefits like coconut oil/honey. on TWP, they have a recipe to make sugarless and butter less frosting. it's made out of coconut cream (which does gas fats, but it's less fattier compared to pure butter fat/sugar...).

i think i'm the only one who doesn't have Skype (yet has conformed to every other thing, lol).