Queenstown, New Zealand

a spontaneous trip overseas.

long story short. used my dad's frequent flyer points which payed for flights, 3 nights accommodation at Hilton Resort and Spa Queenstown and a cruise for both my mum and I. still trying to save money. i debated really hard whether i wanted to jump out of a plane since NZ is safer and has better scenery, but if i did, then i wanted to do the highest one, and also photos cost heaps....so i decided not to and rather use that $500+ jump where you spend 5min falling on a bag later that year where it can last 5+years. i'll go to nz there to do all those crazy things again sometime...everyone goes there for the snow, but my mum and i went for the scenery, yet out four days there were so crazily jam packed. just so much to see and do!

originally my mum wanted to use those points to go Uluru, i kind of want to go there, but let's be honest, it's just a rock, nothing else. like at the Stonehenge, you go to see the rocks but that's not the main purpose, you're mostly to stay in London then make a day trip there. at Uluru, you only see the rock and nothing else. 

i really love travelling, more than food and shopping, since travelling includes that and more. so yes, i'd rather save money on sydney food and shopping and use it overseas. if I'm forever alone, then i will definitely travel the world. and yes, i came across quite a lot of people who travelled alone on holidays this time. i love scenery, favourite is blue stuff, then white, green, colours, orange, brown/grey stuff. i used to go camping all over NSW when i was younger. been to Dubbo twice, Batemans Bay and Port Macquarie at least 3 times, Nowra etc and beyond, so it's more "been there done that". hence i'm not that keen on going on road trips for the place since i have most likely been there, rather i just go on them for the people.

why NZ? because it's close to home yet overseas at the same time and safe (compared to places like Bali...). south island since north island isn't as beautiful from what i've heard. no visa needed for nz since were Australian, but since everything is electronic, no new stamps were added to my passport ): oh, and we were originally saving those points for HK, but since virgin atlantic doesn't fly to sydney anymore, well we had to use them. the airport fee for trains has gone up around $4 since 2012. sooo expensive to catch train to airport now, but at least sydney has direct trains to the airport unlike nyc...

MakMak macarons! left: Smoked Vanilla and Pecan Praline right: Rhubarb, Raspberry and cinnamon-$3.80 each

earlier this year i was at the airport, but turns out the macarons were inside after security. these get delivered from Newtown and have to pass through security, so it was expected of them to be expensive. but if i was to get them st Newtown, then i would have to waste time i don't have, so i was excited to get them here and not wait until end of the year until america. the first one didn't have enough smokiness to it, was very subtle. the other one was more flavourful, but one shell was slightly hollow. can't say they're my favourite macarons. they're delivered fresh each day, but it's not made on premises so maybe that's where the difference lies.

the boeing plane we went has leather seats and were sooo spacious! like really, really spacious for a small-ish plane. it's weird, they give you snacks on domestic flights, but to NZ you get not a single thing to eat. will keep that in mind next time since we didn't have a lot of breakfast, and hence no lunch...

queenstown is so beautiful. photos cannot do it justice. everywhere you look there are mountains! compared to australia, our mountains are like their hills. the taxi driver said that Australians go to NZ to see what real mountain are. that is so true! their mountains are so big, vast, endless and 360 degrees. 4 degree doesn't feel cold since there's no wind. 

plane views. again, decided to not spend $700+ for a scenic helicopter ride, can still see the mountains from a different angle on a plane, you're just not as close up. oh, and add $1k+ for LOTR flights and tours-luckily i'm not a LOTR fan.

crazy tracks on the mountains. some mountains right at the edge of NZ also had these very torturous walking tracks. there are no beaches down here, just mountains and cliffs at the very edge of the country

hotel view from room (:

of course i would pick the best room at the best hotel in Queenstown, and why not since the points could pay for it. since our trip was for scenery, it made sense to pay more for a view. you don't see people with ski/mountain stuff here at the hilton. it's more people like me who are here to chill. one thing about the hilton is that it's actually 15min from town, so hence for young people here for adventurous stuff, it's not convenient. they do run a free shuttle service, just had to book your place. but yay for free shuttle! a taxi to town cost $45 which is not worth, but Hilton here is the closest hotel to the airport. the last time i stayed at a Hilton hotel was in Japan, so that had nice japanese themed stuff like a jap style public bath, but the views at the hotel wasn't as nice as this one.

bathroom selfie, hehe

you know a bathroom is good if it's bigger than your home one. it had a his and her sinks, and a super nice shower. the bathroom was just so spacious, probs bigger than my bedroom.

fireplace! it was gas so super easy to turn on and off and no smokey smell, but it looked so real

walking outside the hotel on the last day. that building you see is not under Hilton even though it's kind of linked. it's more rental, apartment style accommodation

sorry, disjointed post. words are kind of pointless as well. my point and shoot camera is really bad probs because it's getting old-the colours don't come out as true, even iPhone cannot capture the pureness of the snow and mountains over there. also, i don't bother with filters for my photos since the scenery is just so naturally beautiful. everyone must come here at least once. i think it's nicer in winter with the snow covered mountains than in summer, but there's still heaps to do here all season. ahh, so amazing (:

July Holidays

these holidays have flown so quickly. there were probably only 2 days where i didn't go out. first week was mostly work. second week was watching/finishing all 4 seasons of GoT and studying for supps. third week-myc. fourth week-overseas in New Zealand! so many mixed emotions these few weeks.

which is why i don't understand why out internet is capped. internet is going to go over....100mb not going to last until the end of the week.

also sucks to be sick on the last day of the holiday/beginning on uni. 

i am just so happy to made it to make it to this sem.

so i'll be posting some stuff about my spontaneous trip to NZ if i'm not drowning in uni work, but photos will just be from my phone since it's easier to upload onto blogger, but i guess there will be some photos on fb not that they're very good quality...more on this later...

still have yet to catch up on reading all your blog posts these past two weeks, but i will get to them (:

homework even before the lecture have started ): 

i was actually dreading this week, didn't even know i was capable of listening to so many talks, but the most worrying thing this week were results. i checked my email the day after they were released, but one of them was still pending since i had a supp. then i didn't check until end of the week even though someone told me all the pending stuff was finalised. didn't check because: 1. i never want to get my results back 2. reception, well mainly 3G at the camp was pretty bad. and part of the talk that night was something about your identity, so i was thinking, if i do fail, well my marks in the long term don't define who i am, and i'll just take an extra year to graduate. also was talking to some upper years on what gen ed to do and what stuff to study next sem if i failed all the pre-requisites for next sem.

i can't believed i passed even though i technically didn't. i don't what else to say but i am very grateful and thankful that i can continue to study next sem. i probably rant too much, but i'm pretty sure since i failed my mid sem for optics, they didn't offer me a supp for finals. i guess i could say i'm blessed in that i was the only one in the grade who had a special consideration impose a supp exam (not sure what happened to other people who applied for special consideration...) still had a supp for my practical, and i guess that turned out alright. well i think i was the only person, since in a massive announcement she said only one person didn't get a supp still had pending result status...don't think it's something to be proud of or to boast of, just they were kind enough to pass me. my mark was actually a credit which shows that in normal situations, they can still fail you if you get a credit/distinction since a core component wasn't passed....definitely will work even harder next sem. this sem was all about "please give me a supp" even though i studied hard. can't afford to get any supps next sem. if you don't attend a supp you fail (which happened to a few people in the year above me). but i won't be here during supps, so i have to make sure i pass every essential component.

this year they had gradings on moodle to tell you where you did better/worse/failed in theory or prac. previous years didn't get that, they only got a mark, and if you failed, you didn't know which component let you down.

and super happy i passed visn. don't think i'll be able to repeat that subject...must have guessed a lot of the MC right...but calculating marks, and i literally just passed my finals...optm and visn aren't scaled ): unlike physiology which scaled super high since i'm pretty sure i bombed out in half of the test, and all those pop up lab quizzes where i got 3/10 etc...next sem i won't work as hard on phsl. that's what i did last year in chem sem 1, but sem 2 scaling didn't help...idk, just really need to prioritise.

still have not filed away anything since exams. it's just all dumped into one "done" pile after each final. mainly because i still needed it for supps, but i really need to re study everything the weekend before uni starts again. doesn't help that i borrowed some books from the library which i intend to somehow finish before uni starts...but it's a series that i started before yr11, and it just so happened that book no. 2,3,4,5 were at the library, so decided to borrow them, since there's only about 2 copies of each in total in the hills libraries. and since when did the library cards turn from green to orange/white? still prefer my older style.

to other news, my mum went with a friend to costco and got himalayan pink salt! it's cheaper than getting it from coles and it comes with a grinder, but still not as cheap as those markets...ah, wanted to go to one, but these holidays have just flown by.

creme caramel from costco.

my mum's friend shouted us half a pack. so glad she didn't give us the whole pack. pleaseee don't buy it. i have a high sugar tolerance, but this is just super sweet. that caramel is enough for three individual custard desserts imo. if i have time, i'm just going to make the custard myself and use the caramel from this and put onto it. i know there's supposed to be a pool of caramel around it, but i think the proportions are distorted. i've been wanting to make so many things since last year December, but i somehow don't have time to make them ):

MYC 2014-Love. Sex. Marriage. Gospel

myc-mid year conference. a very intense full on week learning about love, sex and marriage in light of the gospel with about 750 other uni students.

i am so glad i went this year. at first i thought, it wouldn't be that engaging just listening to talks and bible studies for 5 days straight, but the way everything is structured and the content just makes you keep wanting more. everything was said out so straightly, just super upfront. i'm pretty sure that if we had a sermon about those topics, all the parents/older people would feel super uncomfortable, so it was really suited to the uni age group, since high schoolers won't be mature enough. would just like to emphasise, it's a super personal topic, and the best way to go about the week is to really respect what everyone had to say.

i would like to think i matured as a Christian this week, learnt so much, and i guess i would feel a bit more confident in answering those awkward questions on such a personal topic...but here are some of the main points i've learnt, there's just way too much to talk about

- tuesday night's talk was the best (all of them were good, but i liked this one a bit more). it was on marriage, about how we as Christians we are married to God and the church to become "one flesh" and how our earthly marriages is to model the ultimate marriage of Christ and church, and to show God's faithfulness to his people.
- marriage is the strongest bond a person can have, but cleave, you must leave your parents and break your parent-child authority relationship. it's really interesting to think how a child who shares the genetics of their parents would need to completely leave them in order to bond further to a "stranger" well person who is not related to you in the flesh, but marry them and after your public declarations, you share a stronger bond than to your parents. so important to marry the right person.
- it's ok to be single! God has chosen what path i will go down: being single or married. for any Christian, sharing the Gospel is the ultimate purpose, so if i am to be single forever, it'll still be ok since i'm part of the family of Christ, and have our identity in Jesus
- if God plans for me to get married, serving the Lord comes before submitting to your husband

- which brings me to another point. tbh, with everyone dating these days, it's just a human desire to want to date, and yes, there have been doubts before that if I come across a non-Christian then maybe...but after this week, i am assured i will rather wait to find the perfect Christian guy then to have a messed up marriage. and if your non-Christian husband leaves you, you it's best to divorce them =/
- when dating, you should think about the potential for marriage since it's so important-it's such a strong bond.
- and a joke from one of the speakers, don't marry a mummy's boy, you'd have to submit to him and also to your mother-in-law
- our world's view on love and sex has been so twisted...

- really admire this couple who came to share their story. you could see it was really heart wrenching for them. basically there was a Christian guy who claimed he was Christian and helped to do stuff in the church etc, but was involved in a lot of porn, drugs, alcohol, smoking etc. there was this girl who was also a Christian but dated another non-Christian guy who she broke up with. then the guy who read a lot of porn confessed to the girl of what he did, but the girl slept with another guy before marriage. for non-Christians out there, i can tell you for sure Christians can still do what normal people do. but the guy was really understanding by understanding that all sin is sin, and forgave her.
- i think i have a better understanding about gays. not to shame them, but understanding their sin is the same as mine. and it was quite interesting learning the basics of becoming gay. the person who spoke himself used to be gay and watched porn etc for over 10 years even though he also said he was Christian and helped the church. but with God's help, he eventually turned away and went from being gay to dating then marriage.

so many interesting questions that weren't answered in the Q&A sessions, like if God made us single, and we come across a guy, how do we know what to do so we won't be tempted into wanting to date them? there was a lady in her 60s still single, which she gave some very insightful experiences, but not enough time to answer them...there was also a females only Q&A where people described it as a girls slumber party where texted questions to some leaders. i missed that one since it was all full, but the questions were like sex education but so full on...asked some friends what they talked about, but i can't remember any of the really good questions off the top of my head...

side note, the showers there are horrible. this tiny ledge smaller than an A4 piece of paper to put your stuff on, no hooks at all and i don't like to hang stuff over the shower door. felt dirtier after i showered. camp food was alright, i guess i was well fed. just continuous eating throughout the week. i didn't bring any cup noodles/junk food etc, but during bible studies and manuscript discoveries, people just over you so much food.

this is probs 1/30 of the things i learnt. for non-Christians, you'll probably won't understand any of this, it's just basically to jot down here my foremost thoughts on this past week. such a wonderful experience to bond closer to my brother and sisters in Christ (:

some snapshots of the camp centre. i was on centre 2 and so were all my bible study groups, so didn't have to walk much compared to people on centre 3 where it's a 5min drive away.

soft serve in a cup-80c never knew you could actually buy this

too bad i'm not in sydney this week for Heston week on MC. wow, Ben has been to The Fat Duck twice! still have no idea what chance i'll get to have a place once it opens for 6 months...not sure if finals week is next week, but if it is, i won't be in sydney as well.

did you know, Ian Thorpe was one of my favourite athletes when i was younger? half the news is now talking about him...but i once received a postcard from him (well whoever manages his media stuff), since in yr2, i still remember the teacher telling us to write to an athlete we liked, and i got a postcard back (:

no wonder why people have accountants. even though i don't work a lot, i actually have lots of bits and pieces. ceebs...did you know, last week i got taxed $200. but i have to wait till end of last year's financial year to get that back...at least the previous labor government had a higher tax threshold. those taxes withheld from me means i can afford to splurge a bit more later in the year (:

Mr Crackles

what are the chances? getting the exact same tests to administer as last time. different things to diagnose, and i realised i got some wrong after, but at least i finished within 15mins not over 20mins, and she didn't tell me to hurry up, and she actually smiled instead of glare. i just hope i pass, don't want to fail because of colour vision. quite sad i didn't get an optics supp, probs mean i failed ): some people say if you pass your supps, you pass the subject, but i don't think so =/ didn't get a supp for visn either, but apparently the supp was a lot harder, so mixed feelings...

finally the end of exams, but since i'm going away next week, not sure if will have reception to check results and then i'll be freaking out for the whole week to see if i past this sem...

finally made it to Mr Crackles! i pass it everyday going to uni, but never had the time to get off the bus to have it. 

classic crackles-$12

it's actually kind of a long story. most of the time i go for the most well known thing, and here it's their pork and their crackling (and lamb which i'll try another day..), so i decided to go for this roll. it's pork belly in a Vietnamese roll. they always try to upwell you: do you want chilli sauce? any chips? drinks? no, no and no since they obviously all cost extra. waited a bit for my roll even though i was the only one, but they had heaps of orders to do. got my roll after a bit in a paper bag. i was looking at it thinking how am i supposed to take a photo of this and eat it? then the guy called me back since he probs thought i was looking at it weirdly, but in reality he remembered the order said no chilli sauce, and gave me another one. he put it in a paper bag, but then i asked for a box since it's a lot more picture friendly and easier to eat with.

the crackling isn't melt in your mouth, but it's definitely ever so crunchy. maybe this lot was a tad bit under seasoned, but it was still very good, and refs better than what my mum makes haha. kind of regret not getting a cup of crackling, then again, it's so fattening for just one person to have...the roll/bread was a little bit tough to eat. it's actually filled with lot's of salad, well more carrots than other stuff (and i'm not supposed to have carrots...) i sat on the chair furthest away. there's only 8 seats, and the shop kinda slopes, so the table was super high and the seat which has the table not as high was dirty....anyways, it's really good pork (: about a quarter past 12 the whole shop was instantly packed. it's like everyone was on lunch break.

one scoop wonder: macadamia and white chocolate with salted caramel milkshake-$5.90

free shake from the original meatball company using a voucher from last time. i didn't expect to choose flavours, so i just asked whatever the person recommended and the person said most people ordered this. got here about 1.30ish and the shop was packed with paying customers! yes, i knew people were keen for free meatballs, but i didn't expect so many people to pay...i guess everyone just wants to try it. the shake was massive! bigger than boost original size. i was expecting a small sized drink like those small/medium gloria jeans size, but not this big! first drink ever not finishing (i think...). i wasn't completely full after the roll, but then this shake just made me full till past dinner. the drink is actually quite frustrating to drink, the straw should be bigger! you want the texture of the nuts, so you can't blend it too much, but then if you do, you lose the texture. spent so much time sucking up bits of nuts. it's actually kinda bland. i think since it's only 1 scoop of ice cream, while the other version has 2 scoops of ice cream in the same size. one time i had a very milky milk shake. this had subtle hints of macadamia, white choc, caramel, but the salt wasn't very prominent ): couldn't stomach all that milk since it's been so long being giving this large quantity of cows milk (which i'm not supposed to have...). yes, it'd surprise you my actual list of food i'm not supposed to have...in the end i gave up on this drink because 1. too full 2. things kept getting stuck

from a few days ago (:

New News

something new is coming! Sweet Streets at Shangri-la by Anna Polyviou, Zumbo and others. it's on my birthday next month, and for $55 you get 10 tokens of desserts to use. i don't know if it's worth since it's the first "dessert street" thing in Sydney, and portions will probs be smaller. if they are normal portions, then you are getting a bargain, but is it possible to even eat 10 normal sized portions of desserts without consuming so much sugar? i secretly have a sweet tooth, but i'm not sure if anyone is willing to come with me to have so many desserts/have a high sweet tolerance. if i do go, then i won't have time to have cake at home, and i am yet to miss having cake on my birthday. yes, i do love cake for my birthday on my birthday. and i'm not sure if i should use that money for an expensive cake, or spend it on desserts...

masterchef is having a risotto competition! well, the first competition of its kind. i can't remember any other competition. too bad i've never cooked risotto before/can't cook so it doesn't help that risotto is the death dish. the other day my mum saw some risotto rice on special. not sure if she bought it, but she knows i want to try making risotto some day....thermomix can make pretty decent risotto's...but since i don't have one, i have no chance.

why are people so creative in zumbo's baking comps? i want to win, but as you probs all know, i'm am very uncreative ):

i wonder what it takes to become a world renowned food critic. if you've watched the latest ep of masterchef, you have to wonder how they can describe food so eloquently. it's like a descriptive story  with sophisticated words, not only in taste but in terms of presentation, which makes you want to eat it. i forgot that Matt Preston was the best food critic in the world in 2008, no wonder why Masterchef used him as a judge since the first yr of MC aus 2009. how do you even become a food critic in the first place? everything is subjective. like the good food guide has a team dedicated to eating in over 600 restaurants in sydney and its surrounds. if i was to be a food critic...i'll become so fat. and even if you don't look physically fat, the fat inside of you will hit you when you're older...

i think uni mid year 1 month holiday is technically only 2 weeks. you spend the first year worrying about the previous few weeks and wait until the end of the 1st week for the supps list. then you're either relieved that you passed or scared because you have failed everything, hence you aren't on the list. the 2nd week is the supps exams. 3rd week is when results are out, so then you can take a break. and 4th week i guess is to make sure you know what subjects to study next sem since if you've failed, then you have nothing to study, and will probs use that time to do some electives whilst you wait until next year sem 1 to repeat. then there are people on placements for 2 weeks. so technically holidays are only 2 weeks.

i think this year the guests chefs on master chef are less well known. they also cut back on masterclasses, and their end of week feasts. also, this year they didn't/haven't gone overseas. i remember the first year they went HK and went to a michelin star restaurant, hence the year after i went tree and it was superb and went again, and probs go again later this year. one year they went NYC and after some googling, searched up places they went and also will see if i can make it there later this year. another year they went to Dubai. a few domestic flights before as well, but this year they haven't gone anywhere. maybe qantas isn't one of their sponsors now since qantas is kinda broke...yet managed to purchase the syd entertainment centre....also, i still don't get why they demolished the sydney convention centre/exhibition halls. they were still functionable...what a waste of money...

anyways, even though they aren't going overseas, they still managed to purchase at least 3 thermomixes. they didn't appear early on in the show, only later. at $2k per machine, well $1939 to be  exact, (my mum went to a thermomix demo on the weekend, and i tried some food and it's so delicious!), i guess they're trying to save money on flights...but if i did have a thermomix, i guess it feels like i will be able to cook since you just chuck stuff in it and press of few buttons. master chef people use it and so do some other chefs. that ganache the other day from the thermomix is so luxurious. only problem with the machine is that when you whip eggwhites you can't see it since the lid is covering it...so that's when those mixmasters come in handy

1000-Church 25th Anniversary Dinner at Zilver

1000th post! 

it was our church's 25th anniversary today. the pastor who founded the church came back to explain a bit about the church's history. it's actually 30yo, but it's 25 since they changed it to the official name. it's nice to hear how it's changed.

this year was different since there was dinner, so the service started after lunch time, hence no need for refreshments. usually every year, the combined service would start before lunch, then people would bring in dishes as "refreshments", but people ate heaps as their lunch. also previous years we would buy cake or people would make a massive cake with fondant icing (i think i'm the only person who doesn't hate fondant), and cut into slices. this year was a lot simpler, there was one main cake for the pastors to cut into, but we had vanilla berry cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and they were placed on tiers in rainbow colours. no photos either, ceebs.

another year of trilingual service. so hard to concentrate on what the pastor says, since by the time the 3rd language speaks, you kind of lose track...

my table was really last minute planned. when we were younger, dinners were always arranged by the parents, but now we arrange it ourselves, and if you don't have 12 people, well you don't have a table/can't go. so i didn't even know i was going until the week before...

i think i went to Zilver restaurant a long time ago for one of my dad's work dinners or something.

sorry, no pictures of food, it wasn't worth taking photos of. there were 7 dishes (not including soup/dessert etc) for $32, and we all said it's not worth it. food was pretty ordinary, and we weren't full. then again, my table had guys who can eat a lot...if i was to eat chinese in the city, i would rather go the The Eight or Marigold etc.

most of the restaurant booked out.

i guess the games/musical activities were to keep people entertained, but all we wanted was foood.

13 (:

i woke up at 12pm today, in preparation of staying up late to watch the finals. i've actually haven't been following wimbledon because of exams, and work...since exams ended last thursday, i have yet to spend 1 day at home. after this match of tennis, i need to start studying so i won't have to repeat all 3 strands, only 2 next year...there was definitely over 50 different numbers on the supps list for 2nd year, i can say confidently that 2nd year is the hardest.

wimbledon championships are so beautiful (:

goodbye beautiful yr2 sem 2 timetable. hello no classes next sem ):

supps came out, and i died (again). i have been dreading today for over a week now. didn't get any theory supps, which i especially needed for optics since i failed mid sem, so they probs decided not to give me another chance in finals. optics supps list was the longest, and i kind of stalked people, and all those who got supps for optics, i know they are all smarter than me. hence. i know i've failed one strand and the whole subject. got a supp for colour vision prac, the one which i completely blanked at out and the examiner was glaring at me, so even if i do pass that prac, i still fail the subject since i failed another strand. the only positive is not repeating all 3 strands, i'll just repeat 2...no supp for visn, the 2nd most worried about, and forgot all i needed in the exam. the supp list for this was super long as well. to give you an idea, 30/110, so about 30% of people were close to passing (i.e. over 50%), but there are still some people who are not within the threshold of just passing (i.e. me) so they don't give you supps at all. so, so, so sad. this was the subject that i really don't want to go through and repeat.

to give you an idea, our year during 1st yr uni sem 1 had 8 people sitting supps, this year only 4 people in 1st year. so i am sure they put a lot more effort teaching the first year this year, and hence those lectures who teach us 1/3 of the strand for optics didn't care much about us.

now i have to face the wrath of the examiners glare again next week.

as i said before it will take a miracle to pass. but nothing can be done if i've already failed and they will not let me try to redeem myself. some people got 3 supps-so lucky...

so lovely going to Joanna's house and meeting with some of you again. still fail at making nice vietnamese rolls, but at least they were delicious. i probably ate wayyy too much in one sitting. continuously eating for 2 hours...haven't ate that much in a while...no idea how people stay so skinny whilst going out to eat all the time. at least tonight was just relaxing and fun to take my mind off from all this optom failure. as always, 2nd year supp list is the longest-5 out of 10 pages of people. i just don't want to be the only one repeating.

Grill'd Take 3

ended up gong to rouse hill with my mum for free grill'd burgers. it's actually not that far away, around 20ish minutes, and it was my 2nd time going there. next time when it's not so cold waiting outside and we're not waiting for free food, i shall go there and walk around again.

i thought oh rouse hill, it's a hole, no one goes there.

nek minute, the line goes in a circle and snakes. so many parents with their kids, and they each have 3 or 4 kids or babies with them. 

the line moved at an ok speed, waited for about 1.5 hours, but grill'd is more worth compared to meatballs imo, even if the price isn't as expensive

free boost samples while waiting-cookies and cream and a strawberry something

the line behind me.

we got there at 5.45 and they opened at 6, so the people at the front probs got there at 4.30...either way, they still had to wait 1.5 hours.

service was lovely as usual, even if it's free and we didn't order any sides. decided to get really different ones, since i've had most of the usual avo, relish, salad, bacon, cheese, mayo toppings with lamb/chicken/beef. i think these ones took longer compared to other people since it's not the normal ones people would order. these ones probs aren't as "worth" as the other ones, but i like trying different ones when it's free (:

lamb: goats cheese and hummus, sweet chilli chicken

both were really nice. goats cheese not too creamy and heavy, balanced nicely with the salad and hummus. chicken was very lean, with a kick of chilli and so much salad. the burger/buns themselves have gone smaller. not sure if it's because it's free or things have just generally shrunk. compared to last year, my first grill'd experience initially i thought it wasn't very filling, but then by the time i left it was.

went shopping after back at towers, and yay, finally got a pair of shoes that i wanted/needed! they weren't that cheap, even if it was half price from myer. i know i've been saying i'm saving money, but some things need to be bought/eaten. this is my 4th piece of clothing/shoes this year, so i guess i haven't bought a lot which is good (:

when my uncle came over, he brought a whole luggage filled with clothes from my aunt. i've been so busy that i still haven't had time to look at the clothes after my exams. long story short, that aunt has decided to sell one of her houses in hk. there's 3 rooms in that house and 2 rooms plus the living room is filled with clothes, so she has to get rid of it before she can sell the house. luckily my uncle is a diamond member and can take heaps of suitcases from hk to aus, it's just whether he has time to come to sydney again/has the ability to juggle 4 suitcases. he can do 3 but not sure 4....and then for the clothes i don't want, hopefully i can join up with people to sell at markets, hehe.

supps come out tomorrow. so, so, so scared. have not had time to study since last thursday since i've been working. apparently someone "broke her back", coincidentally when kids are on school hols, the manager is on hols, and i'm on hols. hence, the state manager and others don't really believe her. that's the thing, i would rather not take time off during the exams, so i can maintain a "consistent attendance" even though work isn't like school/uni. if i do need to take time off, then it sounds better than taking time off on top of the other times you've missed...i don't mind working, it's just that if i do get a supp it's mixed feelings: i'm happy since i have a chance to redeem myself/super scared with oral theory tests/no time to study since i'll be out fri, sat and sun, and exam is probably next monday. or no supp-sad that i've failed completely.

How to Train Your Dragon 2, Original Meatball Company, Mamak, Meet Fresh

first off, thanks Connie for waiting in line for/with me! sorry i wasted your time...

i originally wasn't going to go to get free meatballs, but since we were going to watch a movie i thought why not. should've listened to my mum and woke up earlier to get them, did not realise people were so keen...they were supposed to have an app for you to download to get free food, but that never got released, and their servers to rego online also crashed...

The Yankee: Beef balls w/american mustard,ketchup, cheddar cheese, sweet pickles, onion, shredded iceberg lettuce, served on soft brioche with fries and water-$16.80

overall it's alright, but tbh, it wasn't really worth the almost 1.5 hour wait, and they only gave you 3 choices. i think the line was super long because they take a while to make, unlike for burritos, they churn them out heaps quick. the meatballs are lean but there's too much sauce which is a bit too overpowering and makes it a bit messy to eat. it's actually pretty small, not sure if it's because it's free. fries were ok, a tad bit better than macca's since it had a tad a rosemary. the brioche bun wasn't as buttery as snag and stand (which i guess makes it a tad healthier...) i would not pay full price for this. i guess the free cookies and cream drink voucher makes the whole waiting in line more worth.

how to train your dragon 2 was good (: it was ngaww, and awww. event cinemas has totally changed their point system. for non-full priced tickets you get 50 or 35 points compared to full priced 100 points. now it's 6 movies 1 free ticket, but since i haven't bought a full priced ticket in years, it'll take me longer to reach the points needed. i used to be able to get 100 points with $8. now it's about $16 student price to get 100 points.

finally went to Mamak! i understand what people say, it's ok but not super good. it's rated 13.5/20 in good food guide 2014. i forgot to mention, my mum managed to pick up a free copy at the show the other day (: it's nice to flick through to see how their reviewers think of the restaurant before you go to it, without the use of internet, and i think it's pretty reliable, since it's them who gives out chefs hats etc. i think has ok prices for their serving size since it's in the city. but yes, still over priced compared to overseas...it has flavour, but i think the food lacks depth...idk, hardly eat malay. the last time was over at my neighbours house, and they're stuff was so spicy. better off asking Happy Apple how it compared to authentic Malay food

iced milk tea-$4

not really sweet, some tea flavour. the size is a bit small. i think i would prefer the thai milk tea.

roti canai-$5.50, servings of rice-$3, mee goreng-$12

roti was good, i liked watching them making it outside. i could stand the spiciness of the curries. the mer goring was alright, but i felt it didn't have enough stuff in it...asked for non chilli, hehe

rojak-$14

lately i've been liking food which comes in a stack. the salad was really nice with a not spicy peanut sauce (even though it says spicy on the menu). the crispy fritters gave it a nice crunchy texture.

beef satays, 12 for $16

yes, it's expensive. the sauce is flavourful, but i think the beef may be slightly over cooked.

we actually didn't have correct numbers when we got seated...and one of the waiters told us off for having someone come in later...well we ended up giving quite a lot of tips...the food came quite quickly, which was a plus. we finished dinner before 8, and there was still a massive line outside. i think i'll try the sweet roti next time.

meet fresh for dessert. haven't had this in over a year. how do i remember? because i don't have a photo on it on my phone.

ate so much food i'm not supposed to eat the past few days. time to start restricting myself again.

i should really start studying again tomorrow.