Bondi Pizza and Zumbo QVB

normally i never go out to eat off campus or on campus, but today i decided i had to go bondi pizza because 1. i've never been before 2. voucher expires tomorrow 3. it's free 4. i had a 2 hour break, exam next week, but i can study on the bus to make up for "lost" time.

also, if i go to places to eat, i try to do it during semester when i have a my multi. i try to avoid going places paying a few dollars for a bus ticket, and getting free stuff, which kind of ruins the purpose of getting free stuff. but same with cafes etc, i try to go to places when i have a my multi, but there's no time during semester and i want to save money...so i end up not going, and places from two years ago have still remained on my list of places to eat...

went to bondi junction since it's less than 15minute bus ride from upper campus, and my labs today are at upper campus.

i really love bondi junction westfield. the shopping is really good (has some stores pitt st mall doesn't) and it has a view! even in the food courts you can look out onto sydney.

the service was really good even though i wasn't paying a single cent. the guy didn't check my id and even came with a whole glass bottle with water poured for me.

love eating with a view (:

a bit towards the left is the harbour bridge, but people were there and i didn't want to take a pic of them...and i didn't want to eat outside since it was windy

sicilian: traditional Italian pepperoni, chorizo, Wagu meatballs (beef and pork), Spanish onion, pancetta (bacon), kalamata olives, bocconcini & rocket without chilli oil. 12" $24.95

i feel like everyday is cheat day. i'm not supposed to eat cheese and all this junk food, but it's free pizza which i haven't tried. bondi pizza is actually expensive compared to other places where you can get a 20" gourmet authentic italian pizza for around the same price. but this pizza was still good! the bas was rolled out really thinly, and was soft but not too flimsy or crispy. the prosciutto cracked at the touch of your fork, and there was a lot of processed meat goodness. after a while, it did became overly salty, but it was salty goodness. would have preferred more greens to balance it out more. didn't have chilli oil since the chorizo's themselves have some spice (and i'm not supposed to eat chilli either, not that i can to begin with...) was super full after this, and didn't have any meat at all during dinner. so much processed meat in one sitting... 

got back to uni within an hour (:

it's actually really hard to take a selfie of the store, since the cabinet has light, then you have the natural lighting overhead, and spotlights and other lighting around. so it's either my face is light, and the stuff inside the cabinet is also light and you can't see it, or my face is dark, but you can see the cakes inside. what are the chances of winning...? not many people posted a photo, so i don't even know if the competition is still running...and bought it as a post-mid-sem-result-pick-me-up. getting told that average was 50%, i don't want to know my result...

for more than 2 days, i kept missing out on the passionfruit tart ): today, the last one sold out half an hour before i got there. last week there was plenty when i checked it out. the qvb store is very small, and has a limited supply and varieties. also, some of the cakes aren't straight since they've been transport, probably from the star. since my bus stop is on either side of the qvb, if i really crave some zumbarons, it's only a minute detour before i catch my bus...whilst i was there, the fondant bar cake and red velvet cake sold out. to the experience jumbo fan, the cakes have gone slightly smaller, but the prices haven't changed...but i guess it's kinda expected. what i don't like is how the cakes are now put on plastic not foil cardboard.

Apple Maple Cheesecake-apple mousse, cinnamon cheesecake, anzac biscuit, apple puree gel & yoghurt sponge $9

look at that thinly curved apple! it was just placed not every deeply into the mousse, but could still stand up. the white choc decorative stick broke in the box ): at least the box was purple! (:

those layers <3

i was so happy that this was a light cheesecake after a very heavy lunch and minimal dinner. it's zumbo, so it's not your average cheesecake. this has close to no sweetness, it has the right amount of acidity from the apple, and balanced with the light apple mousse. the cinnamon was subtle and i normally i'm not a big fan of anzac biscuits, but in the layer, it is really thin and gave the cake some texture. ahh, it's so good (:

traffic back home was so good today. until i got back home and realised my brother didn't go to school since it was that day where the teachers go, they don't so out of it, don't even know when they go to school anymore.

yay, got the papers i wanted. people are so keen..finding their papers during the break...

and managed to actually wake up at 6.30. now to wake up that early for the rest of the week and semester until July...

and that's where all the good things stop.

got our visn marks back. she said she marked "softly," yet average was 70%...and i was way below average ): i knew i did bad, but not that bad... and she's definitely marking hard during finals D=

and for rpc (radiometry, photometry, colorimetry) where it's like physics, maths, optics combined with negative and imaginary colours...the average mark for the whole cohort was a bit above pass, i.e.  average was low 50s D= i just hope i pass...finals for this half of a strand of a subject is open book, but it's because the formulas are humongous, never seen so many large formulas/graphs before, even more complicated than 1st year uni maths/physics imo...

i don't think i'll be able to keep up dancing for next year, it's getting to the point where it's time consuming ):

also, we got invited to a wedding, but it's during finals ): i really want to go...i love weddings!

i am not sure how i am going to wake up at 6.30 tomorrow since i've been sleeping in till 10 for the whole week and having half hourly long breakfasts. i love making brekkie, can be fancy yet simple. it just sucks how the majority of the fruits are on my list of "can't eat"foods ): my blender isn't good enough to make banana ice cream (i.e. blended frozen bananas). it gets "stuck" under the blades, and you need to add liquid for it to blend properly =/ i think a thermomix will be a super good investment for both my mum and i along with its a million and one uses, but that investment will have to wait until at least next year...

i decided to get a Herschel backpack for uni which came a while ago. i still remember the guy knocking at 7pm, i mean, who delivers mail that late? but it looks like he had a whole van of stuff still to deliver...i've been waiting for a day to not rain to use it, but i guess i do have to use it since it will never stop raining...i guess a little water won't hurt it, but i do want it to last until i finish my degree...fingers crossed i don't have to repeat a year...

i would just like to mention that my macbook pro is probably one of the best investments ever. well, i didn't pay for it...but it's seriously so good. it's over 3 years old, but it's still really fast and closes in a few seconds. also doesn't overheat when watching movies/using it the whole day, and is really quiet, unlike those windows machines where i hear the fan blaring...

finally updated my phone to iOS 7.1.1. it's so magical! after the update, i went from less than 2gb storage to over 4gb! and it feels faster, even though it was already fast before. there's some subtle changes, like bolder letters on the key pad, and the calling things are now circular not swipe...and the weather icons have become even more 2d, but they still retained the real time weather background. but yay, more storage! nts, next iPhone i buy, get a 32gb one...but i certainly hope my phone will last until end of uni as well...but at this rate, technology keeps changing...

not ready for uni.

so hard to start the assignment with 4 pages telling us what we have to do, since there's so much statistical reading to do. it's all so dry ))): and finding peer reviewed articles is the worse, especially with this assignment where you have to find at least 2, and it can't be the same as another person...which means i actually do have to make an effort to wake up early to rush to the person's office and write down my articles before someone else gets them first...

such is uni life.

some thoughts in between a last minute cram/study/finish stuff before uni kills me weekend.

there's this instagrammer, i've met her once or twice at camp, and i think some of you know her...anyways, the first time i met her, she was one of those people who you remember-tall/skinny and so fashionable!

not stalking her or anything...but i just wonder how do people make so many connections? like working at designer clothing labels, and attending things like MBFW...then she's so creative in terms of art and flat lays. she does go to cofa, but still...everything photo contains so many brands...every top, skirt, handbag, shower gel etc...so much money spent at a young age...then again, probably half of her things get sponsored.

actually, two of my primary school friends have become part time models. they both live about a street away from me, but i need to re-make connections hehe...they get so many perks.

i don't think i mentioned this, but i'm kind of a royal fan. i don't follow them, but i do think it's cool that they bothered to come down. if i wasn't busy, i would totally try to take a photo of/with them. love kate's dresses, but i never would be able to pull them off since i'm so short ): nor do i have the money or i would never be willing to spend $4000+ on a dress. but it's nice to see her wear some Sydney designer labels. another note, you don't need someone to tell you to know prince George is spoilt rotten. snatching other children's toys at his play date, and if you compare him to other children of his age, he is really big and fat for his age. both his parents are tall, but i just feel like he would outgrow them.

i have a rich friend (rich as in single child rich, because 90% of the time, they are rich) who turned 21 the other day, but she didn't throw a 21st. instead, her bf took her to a top restaurant in sydney...which got me thinking, am i bothered to have a 21st? i mean i love parties, but if not having a 21st means i can save about $2k+ and save it for the future isn't a bad 2nd option. my mum was like, "don't have a party, i'll pay for any fine dining dinner you want to go to" (provided if i still don't have a bf then lolol). well sorry to disappoint mum, but if i have a 21st, well i think you'll be shouting the most expensive dinner yet...

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

this is probably the most hypocritical break/holiday i've ever had. not going to spoil anything, but it was kind of a spontaneous thing. got $10 tickets, not my usual $8/9 ones ): but the times are really inconvenient compared to $10 where you can choose whenever you want. the cinema was quite full, mostly filled with guys and their dads.

it's pretty good (: has it's funny bits, intense, action etc. not hard to follow (i'm really slow in movies in case you didn't know). and i really like the actor/captain america.

went to uni today to practice. i think i got the concepts sorted, i just hope to don't forget, or i don't get a dodgy machine. there's a few machines in some bays which are really hard to use/old. like sometimes finding the on switch is harder than finding the measurements.

is it even legal to make 8am starts and 6pm finishes? everyone has to start at least once at 8am next sem, or if you don't choose that group, then you end up with two 6pm finishes. i never thought i'd say this, but 8sm starts seem better than two 6pm and three 5pm finishes...but 8am D= well, let's hope traffic is good in the morning and i can actually get to uni in less than 1.5 hours instead of 2 hours...which technically means i just have to leave the house 30mins earlier than i normally do...

i did it...

i can't believe i was actually capable of it...neglecting all my uni work...managed to finish all 3 season of suits inn 4 days, in between going out etc..i am totally going to regret it. actually, i was regretting it while i was watching it, but now that i've finished, i can actually just to work without procrastinating every 5 mins...

and i can't believe i did this! it was done whilst watching suits...

and gg. first time having a saturday exam

i think units of credit should be based on how many hours you do. like for our optm subject, it's around 9 hours a week, and still only 6 uoc compared to those commerce subjects which are like only 3 hours and they only have 1 exam. for our optm subject, we have 4 exams during finals, but since they are sneaky, we also have another final before the official finals start. yes, i haven't even started my assignments/caught up on stuff from before easter...i'm screwed ): 

stix desserts is just appearing constantly on my instagram. i want to try it, but ceebs walking up the hill. i think it's a cool idea, but messina will always be better (: (well, i do hope messina is better). some of my friends went to melbourne this week, and wow, they literally went on a culinary trip. i realised if i go to melb next year for Heston, it won't just be money heading towards that meal, i also want to try the best margarita pizza in the world-i mean how can you not? i'm not a massive pizza fan, but a melbourne guy beat all the italians at the pizza championships or something. and then Melbourne has a lot of good cafes, raw/vegan places to go to as well...

and i don't have time to go to the movies ):

after the horrible mid sems on thurs, i said i would study. have a whole list of stuff to do...

i've just been worried sick over last week's exam. in one of our subjects, it's divided into three strands, and in one of those strands its divided into two again, and one of that subject's subjects mid sem, apparently you have to get over 50% to be able to sit the final exam. but the most annoying thing is that to pass the subject you have to pass everything in the strand...and argh, i just hope i can get over 50%, i don't want to repeat a year just because of one failed mid sems, which in itself is 40%, it's half of one strand, and one strand is 1/3 of the subject, so it's not worth very much, but you have to pass it to even be able to sit finals. and if you can't even sit the final exam, well you have to repeat...

and i feel sick thinking about it.

which is why my massive list of things to study for after the break and assignments and readings and things to catch up on has been neglected...

and i have been binge watching. i got given the 1st season of suits, and finished it in a day...and already onto the 2nd season...also binge eating. bbq the other night, ate so much meat i just felt so over fed...then last night our neighbours invited us over for dinner (first time). they're malay, and even though i can't really eat spicy stuff, the curries etc smelt so good! and malay desserts with those panda crepe/rolls that i saw on mkr a while ago and craved, well they were good as well. someone also made durian puffs (apparently i used to love durian when i was 5, then hated it, and still do, but that puff had a hint of durian which i could handle...) and then other malay goodness since they invited their malay friends. and over the last few days, i ate a crazy amount of stuff i shouldn't eat... i think it's pretty cute, since there was a mum's table, a dad's table, and the  "kids" table in the lounge room. most of the kids were either graduating or worked a few years already...

i'm only allowing myself to see one movie. everyone wants to go out, but i need this week to catch up/start on assignments...they just expect so much from us...combined with being sucked into suits. suits was supposed to be my thing i watched after glee, since glee is actually going pretty bad right now. don't get me wrong, i love watching it being set in NYC, but the plot is kinda getting ridiculous. i started following glee around the end of season 3, before i watched it whenever it was on tv, and i was going to start on suits since it's end of season 3 now...

i was so motivated into doing work right after my mid sems on thurs, but watching stuff does not help ))):

i think mid sems are slightly worse than finals. for finals, you don't have uni and a whole week to study. during mid sems, everything keeps going. we're expected to do our readings since they teach additional stuff which builds on from them, but don't even have time to read them/understand the concepts ): which is probably the only reason i want an iPad-to read pdfs on the bus, since i don't want to print out sections from textbooks, and taking out a laptop to read stuff isn't convenient.

i had a plan to get ben and jerry's ice cream on tues...but it doesn't work out anymore ): i was thinking of going early before my anat exam, but then it starts at 1pm. after my exam i have a 2 hour break, but since it starts at 1pm, i don't want to risk being late for my lab, and i still have to study for physiology. so i've decided it's not worth my study time. this lecturer has really bad notes. first half is just diagrams, and then the other topic has no diagrams but just words...so inconsistent.

and yes, i have procrastinated a lot this weekend. i still have another visn test on friday, then visn mid sem next wed, and i end at 6pm on wed, which means i won't have a lot of time to study for the all important optom test next thurs 9am ): and all these random hurdles to do before mid sem break, and random quizzes in between...

i was talking to another optom on sat, and she said everything you learnt in first year/second thing you think is useless will hit you in 3rd/4th/5th year (except for graphs in maths...) so i guess i should put in more effort into studying and think "everything is useful" rather than "i'm learning about the eye, why do i have to know about the whole body?"

basically i spent my extra hour sleeping/playing/procrastinating, instead of study ))):

started playing on my phone on friday, perfected it by sunday #strongstudy

i can't wait to work on a public holiday! 2.5 times pay that day, hehe. even after tax etc, it'll be more than enough for a Heston dinner (:

Independent

went to a talk tonight (with free dinner, hehe). i actually wasn't there for the dinner, but it was pretty formal since it was a "sit down" dinner sponsored by some company, and decent food like pasta, pad thai, salads, 4 cheeses, and proper cutlery etc. it was on the 4th floor of the optom building, i.e. the forbidden level where they do all their secret research. they actually have a proper couch on that level and some nice portrait paintings. the 5th floor is also forbidden as well...so it the other wing of the building...it was mainly a night to persuade us to think about opening a private practice.

throughout the night, i learnt these things:
- never sign something until you really know what you are signing
- the ideal husband (yes, skipping the qualities of a bf already lol) should study comm/law
- you will be in debt in the first few years
- optometry is really expensive
- you need to be rich and go rural where there are no optoms to open a successful "new" practice

if you were to open up your own practice.

there's so much to think about thinking to open your own practice. like those chairs you sit on, the cost $35 000, and a couple of screwdrivers cost $3000. the minimal/basic cost of the equipment is about $160 000, and you can't have basic, since no one would go to you, and it's those additional features which differentiate your practice, but then those machines cost more than a few porches.

then there's the $1000 weekly rent, or if you're like the guy who opened on george st, $1000 rent per day, which is crazy...then you have to pay staff, and if you're not making any money, you obviously still have to pay them, so you need some money in the bank to begin with. even if you're buying someone else's practice, they'll probably be losing money, so there's no point purchasing it...

a few optoms opened up their practice with their wife, and talking about they develop a strong relationship. the guy was so cute, buti really wonder doesn't he actually get bored seeing the same people 24/7...?

and then there's a million other things to think about. this guy who hires accountants and lawyers, yeah, i like getting money, but i don't like dealing with money.

they gave us show bags, but my one didn't have a pen torch! so sad ):

you'd be surprised at the amount of people at uni at 9pm. in the clinic, there were still quite a few students there. that would be me in 2 years time...(if i don't fail anything)...those 9-10pm finishes =/

i know i'm wasting a lot of time, and i know it's not good to think about it, but sometimes i just can't help myself. it's those random thoughts like: should i use that money for a new handbag, trip to melb+Heston, or a fancy compact dslr...? two of the options would cost at least another k...

i think they made us do babs (bio) last year and looking at microscopes 3 hours on a weekly basis to train us to focus lenses with a focimeter...

today i had a badly made scone. it's those times that you pay $40+ for high tea where their scones are worth it, or even <$10 to make your own.

just had a mini epiphany-now i have a reason to visit virgin australia's melbourne lounge! it's just that flying business for 1.5hrs isn't really worth, even if it is free...