Tables

I am going to flip tables if I fail because of a table 😠 At least this time I didn't leave boxes blank. 

Measuring things in LV is very subjective. I ended up just repeating 1/3 of the prac tasks. That strand is 1/3 of the course. So failing 1/9 of the subject, in something that you don't even do irl is pretty flipping crazy, and I will #ragequit. My future for next year depended on those fatal 6mins (rather than the scheduled 15min). 6mins to decide my life next year. Am I being dramatic? Probably but truth. (Inb4 I outright failed thera and didn't get a supp)

Didn't even talk in the exam and doesn't reflect potential...can't stop worrying about if I failed that section again, since the stuff I got was pretty subjective in terms of measurement. 😭

I guess working on the weekend was alright, since four days to study one strand would have made me crazy. Luckily I did most of my shopping online/in stores before the supp list came out, just couldn't go in stores for the Black Friday Sales =/ I'm glad Aus is following the trend of the sales like the US (although no where near as good). 

My mum is finally back! Haven't had time to look through her luggage (for food/gifts/snacks), but the most important things first:

Pierre Hermé Macarons! 😋

Will probs dedicate another post to these macarons, but they survived from Paris to HK to Sydney!

  

Surprise visit from Happy Apple 💜 (can't find the red heart)

Sorry was at work so actually missed you, but thanks for dropping by! Really encouraged with your words. Also thanks to Dandelion for the goodie bag, much needed snacks and teas to get me through the past few days.

I guess every time I study, I'm reminded that it's a blessing to be able to study and have an education. I know there a bigger things in life apart from passing exams, which is hard at times to remember especially in stressful situations, but it's a good comfort. Happy Apple's post on Insta today👌

Also, anyone reading this, use my uber eats code: eats-elisal976ue

They charge $5 for delivery know, back when we still had lectures it was free....so essentially after $10 off plus $5 delivery, still get $5 off. Again, food post to come. Massive backlog of posts.

Bare Grill on Bourke

Managed to get a free voucher from Ompty when they posted on the Fatties burger page. Yay-love trying food and it's better when it's free!

Bare Grill at La Perouse is actually one of my favourite burger places in Sydney. I don't have a favourite burger place yet since that really just limits you to exploring new places. The store in Surry Hills is situated under some apartments, but also has a really chill vibe.

  


Son of a Cockfighter: Southern Fried chicken, American cheddar cheese, bacon, coleslaw, avocado, lettuce & house sauce-$13

Loved the crunch of the chicken, and decent portion of chicken as well. It's amazing how outside can be crunchy while the chicken inside is nice and moist. The sauce had a nice chilli kick to it which I was able to enjoy. Would have liked more lettuce to freshen it up a bit. The brioche bun was perfect as normal, lovely milkiness and a bit of sweetness to it. 

 

Once again I studied for the wrong thing in advance. So glad I did most of my shopping this week/online last night. Heart sank when I didn't get a supp for a subject I was hoping for.

Only 15min to decide my fate. See you on the other side.

Bowery Lane

Birthday celebrations with some of the extended family are the best! Exploring new places in Sydney, and when you have more people, that means you can order more as well, hehe. Bowery Lane is ' inspired by industrial-era New York, plating upscale Modern Australian cuisine.'

entrance

cute plants

bar

dinner

The restaurant filled up very quickly from 6.30 to 7.30pm. Food came out relatively quick. We opted to share a few dishes. Service was attentive initially but towards the night when it got quite busy even on a Wednesday night, it was hard to catch their attention.

Slow cooked lamb shoulder, ancient grains, chermoula, mustard cream

This was the crowd favourite, and I highly recommend. Lamb was tender and falling off the bone, with a decent portion for the price. It was accompanied with some texture from the grains and chickpeas. You could really taste the lamb flavour rather than a salty sauce. The sauce was a bit lemony, and helped to keep the flavour of the lamb more distinct.

Crisp pork belly, cider baked apple, quince paste, upland cress-$59

The menu didn't say crackling pork although we were hoping for it, so the skin was super tough to cut into considering it's still meant to be crisp. The portion was also smaller for the price you pay. Pork was average, cooked well and not too salty either. Loved how they gave you a whole apple which was super soft. Would have liked more sauce and and the quince paste (which kind of tasted like apple). 

Spring bean spinach risotto, lemon creme fraiche-$26

Another favourite from the table. Super creamy risotto without the richness compared to other risottos since they used fresh greens, and creme fraiche.

hand picked spanner crab: roasted fish bone dressing, macadamia, coastal plants-$23

The crab was nicely seasoned with quite a unique sauce-slightly sweet and acidic. Could also taste the sweetness from the crab itself. Loved how it came with bread to mop up some of the sauce.

New York Cheeseburger, angus beef, house made ketchup, fries-$23

The burger was below par for the price you pay. It reminded me of Maccas but more refined. At least the meat was pink inside. The bread was a bit too toasted, so parts of it was actually hard. Fries were also pretty average, and didn't have much potato inside even for french fries....

They also charge $25 for cakege for the table, which is quite expensive for a restraurant (excluding fine dining as they either don't let you bring a cake for charge $5pp....). I guess it's the memories which count, which makes up for the cakeage. (These photos were uploaded before my phone died...) They did give 2 sparkler candles which were fun, since if you didn't blow them out completely, the spark would reignite the wick and make a flame again. Half of us continuously ate throughout the day so wasn't really hungry when dinner came. I think these dishes plus a rich cake which I brought were just enough to make everyone full. If we were all starving and didn't have dessert, would probably needed to order 2 more dishes.

The Milk Bar by Cafe Ish

I've been to one to many burger places this year, but finally I was at Redfern for this half day placement which I have been waiting the whole yr for just because I would be in the area to grab a burger after.

There are free fries for Fatties, but after explaining to the staff and showing those FB posts, she didn't give me free fries, and only explained the other deals they have on other days. I gave up so just ordered the burger. Later when I was getting a glass of water, she said I could get free fries. 

yes pink

Decided to opt for a simple burger rather than the ones which are fully loaded with everything. Would have liked to try them but I know I wouldn't finish it (or if I did, then I would just feel way too bloated/greasy feeling). The patty was quite simple in terms of flavour, some crunch from the onion rings. Sauce had less spice compared to your bqq bottled sauce which I found I liked, more sweet and less thick here. Bread was the standout, particularly since they make and bake their rolls in house. You can definitely taste the freshness in it, more of a bread roll so super soft and not too heavy when eating it compared to a brioche (also felt healthier as well, but we all know burgers aren't healthy).

Chips here are thrice cooked and wow, you can actually tell the difference. They aren't greasy or oily when you touch them. Super fluffy with some crunch, and loved that they kept the skin on. I also prefer these thick cut chips as you get more texture from the potato rather than biting into something filled with air inside. I also liked that they only added a tiny bit of salt on top, so you get more flavour from the aioli rather than just salt. The chip itself is a bit plain without the aioli. Served in a cute little basket, but the chips were a generous portion. 

Will be back to try their donuts and shakes-they all look so good! I have a sweet tooth, but even with these sort of stuff, I wouldn't be able to finish it.

Tickets to Adele was a virtual blood bath. 30mins before it started I logged on to my account, which took 15mins, but then got kicked out. When the tickets started to be released at 12pm, I couldn't get on for over an hour, not even once on several windows/browers/phone app combined. Luckily my friend managed to get in, even after 3 failed attempts. My internet is not competitive enough for this stuff. As most of my friends know, I don't go to concerts since I'm that weird person who doesn't really listen to music so don't really have a fav artist/band. The first paid concert I went to was Tay Tay last year. A reserve was $170 (thankfully I didn't have to pay full price since it was super last minute), but Adele A reserve is $300+, almost double in price. I guess it's her first time here, but even the cheapest tickets available aren't cheap. But my uncle said Adele was amazing live, and I think she's one of those who sound even better live and irl. So yolo. Hope I make it to 5th yr, but hope I'm not on placement then #fwp

My friend got Melbourne tickets within 15mins, and just check and Sydney is sold out, but Adelaide still has all types of seats. Sometimes I wonder why so many people live in Sydney...

I did the derpest thing yday. Went to buy milk and just got the normal A2 milk, and you always compare which milk has the latest expiry date. So it was between 18th or 19th Nov, so grabbed the 19th. Got home put it in the fridge, and the date (19th) matched the milk which was almost in the fridge, but didn't we buy that a week ago? Then I realised it was the 20th. So had to go back for a refund. The guy was like grab another one, but all of them were 19th...Buy the time I picked out 10 Chobani's, all the A2 milk was cleared. Someone failed in stocking stuff...At least I got my other milk for free. Missed church though since it was the Sunday School Children's Anniversary combined service, which normally starts at 4pm, but I finish at 4...

Manager gave me some Argentinean chocolate, didn't even know it was a thing. Photos online make it look really sickly sweet, but it was actually not as sweet as I was expecting. Some caramel in a chocolate covered cookie, but it melts fast...

 

 

I've had enough fun these past few days. Now have to drag myself to re-study.

Goodbye for now 😭

😭😩😭
post-exam feels

There is a difference between not knowing, forgetting and mindblanking. Since it's a blog, I feel the need to rant.

Thera was not knowing (esp in q2 where I am sure I'm the only person out of 67 who put in some random crap and didn't even word drop glaucoma...), but I still wrote random stuff or just guessed some mc. LV practical was a nightmare, and regrets leaving boxes blank. Forgot some stuff in contact lenses, but I really do hope I put in main key words and like everyone else, hopefully passed it since no supps. Mainly didn't have time to think what stuff I forgotten since time was so pressing...CL prac was also a mind blank, couldn't do maths in my head, and examiner was giving me the 'are you stupid' look. 😔

In the lead up to BV, I was actually ok and wasn't overly worried compared to the other exams, and thought I knew most things. It's more understanding than memorising which I prefer. In the exam I mind blanked and effed up. Switched/flipped everything and second doubting myself. Mind blanking is in that exact moment while you're doing that question your brain screws up, but you knew how to do it the whole semester, the days before, the morning before, and after the exam, just not during the fricken exam time limit. Even after all the practice from the questions posted in the forum, prac questions and making up questions, I still disappointed myself. 💔 Whyyyy does my brain have to fail me in that particular hour. I knew how to do it, but just mixed everything around but in that hour I thought it was correct... Goodbye at least 20 marks, which is more than enough to fail me, and didn't even write enough (or the correct stuff) for the 2nd half of BV. Too bad there's no working out marks or half marks, get one word wrong=get the whole question wrong. Probably the only person to have run out of time in a 3 hour test, even though it was designed for 2.5 hours.

Actually in the lead up to this set of exams, I was less stressed compared to other exams. Well look what happened and I know I did worse once I came out of the exam. I think I need to stress to do better even though stressing isn't good for your health...

So close yet so far. I actually really can't wait for 5th yr, but now after this set of exams, pretty sure I'll have to wait an extra year. This year it feels like I'm on the chopping block, and it's my turn to fail. Too bad 5th yr is mostly practical, so it sucks going to fail theory stuff this year, and not being able to do build on your skills in clinic.

Normally I would be studying again after exams ended for supps (last time I ended up studying for the wrong thing since I got a supp for something I wasn't expecting). This time however, 90% sure I failed more than one exam, so won't even be offered a supp. 😭

Can't even take half a semester of since still have to attend sem 1 clinic. If I'm not on the supp list next week, it means I failed more than one strand, and hence failed the subject. Going to travel from Dec-Feb. Screw the busy Dec period and probs need to take a break from everyone to get rid of all the emotions to come...Pretty sure no one failed theory exams in 4th yr, and not many supps were offered compared to 3rd yr, but going to be the first one. Well, our yr is always the first ones to do something different, so there you go. It was nice knowing you all...Need to make new friends next year.

Time to catch up on blog posts, go therapy shopping and eat to my hearts content. 💔

(these emojis are super cool! Thanks Happy Apple, wouldn't have known they existed on blogger if you didn't post haha)

NT Part 3: Where to Eat in Darwin

My last instalment of posts from my trip to NT. I'm not going to compare food to Sydney's standard since Sydney has everything whilst Darwin has hardly anything. Just going to compare it to Darwin itself (not that I had a lot in Darwin, but I tried my best with the limited time I had).

Mindil Beach Sunset Market

Camel burger: camel meat patties w/ homemade tomato sauce, Danish feta slaw, brioche bun-$11

  

Really wanted to try something exotic (since you can get croc patties from time to time in supermarkets). This one took a while to make as most people were ordering croc burgers and they cooked most of those before they plated them. First time having camel, but it kind of tasted like slightly flavourless beef. It was a bit dry, and wished there was more of that slaw. Brioche bun wasn't very milky and also a bit dry. This store is just something fun to try. The buffalo burger was a bit spicy even after one bite of it from my friend's burger.

Deer, camel, emu, buffalo, kangaroo, duck, crocodile + some veggies w/ flat rice noodles

so many exotic meats!

veggie choices

cooked right in front of you

This place is a pretty cool concept. You choose what you want, and pay for the weight. It's min $23.90 for 350g for dinner, and got less than that so got a bit ripped off...Reaslied after I finished eating there were scales so you could see how much it weighs...

Meat and veggies were cooked well. They steam the veggies and cook the noodles separately, then combine everything together at the end with the meat. It was a bit saucy, but still delicious. Good to satisfy those Asian stir fried cravings.

There's heaps and heaps of these cafes on the Eastern Coast (i.e. Sydney and Melbourne), but it seems like there's only this one in Darwin CBD. Things are a lot more pricey compared to your typical cafe for those who live in Syd, but I love my cafes, so still willing to try it.

cafe

Poached eggs, pulled pork, baby spinach, artisan toast, chimichurri hollandaise-$22

a bit over poached...

hidden pork under

Normally this dish would be max $18, but it's their signature dish here. Would have liked a bigger piece of toast to soak up all the egg yolk and hollandaise. The pork was really tender and moist, and full of flavour. The hollandaise had a lovely kick to it, and gave the pork more flavour. I think more spinach would have helped to make it not as rich. It's still a dish worth trying.

The juice of the day: green apple, celery, kale, green capsicum, lemon, $8 I think was average. It kind of splitted, so all the heavier elements sank to the bottom, and the juice wasn't mixed well to begin with. A bit too much foam as well. I guess for Darwin, there's not much competition, but I would've said it's below average for Sydney peeps.

I'm a MasterChef fan, and love see going to past contestants restaurants or food places if they end up making one

One of the best Snapper's I've had. The snapper was deep fried perfectly, with the flesh inside super moist and falling off the bone, whilst not overly coated in batter. Didn't have that gross greasy feeling you normally get after eating deep fried fish/chips. Opted for 'Rachel's special sauce' even though I can't eat chilli.  Kind of like a sweet and sour/tangy sauce. It was a good amount of heat to the point where I could still eat the fish, but really needed some water after (there wasn't any milk to buy lol). There was bread to help dull down the spice. The Loved the chopped veggie toppings on it as well.

Beef Donburi-$13.90

Was craving some rice, so decided to come here for a quick lunch. The price and portion was actually quite decent for Darwin. The beef was average. It also came with miso soup, so this meal ended up being really filling.

Darwin Show

Walked past this at the Mindil Night Markets but already had a burger that night. Went to have a crocodile patty at this place for $7. Took a while for them the bbq it, around 10mins, and it was quite burnt. Way too oily for a patty, and couldn't really taste any crocodile in the patty. I know crocodile tastes like chicken, but there is still a distinct difference...

Savannah's Bar & Restaurant

For a place in Katherine, compared to Sydney it's the middle of nowhere, so I won't compare food to Sydney standard. This place can cater for large groups, and it was a nice night meeting with other opthals/optoms in the area. The have ample seating inside and outside with a really relaxed vibe. Got a lemon lime bitters (around $6-7) while waiting for the food. This place is know for waiting a long time for your food, and with a bi group, it took over an hour for the food to come, but we were warned by the people who live here.

Roast pork, poached pears, asparagus-$34 (from memory)

It was a massive portion of meat which I guess accounted for the price. First few bites were good, but afterwards it got way too salty, and other porks on the table were also really salty. Normally you exampect the crackling yo be the saltiest, but the salt when right though the whole piece of meat. The skin wasn't full crackled either, so was a bit tough and chewy. Loved the spiced jus, but like Manu says, 'Where is the sauce?' There definitely wasn't enough sauce/acidity to balance out the dish. Poached pears were lovely, but would've liked something to freshen it up. Mash was decent, can't really go wrong with it right?

Crocodile spring rolls-$20

Recommended by an opthal, I decided to share this with a friend. Loved the thin filo style pastry wrapping the crocodile, with hints of sweet chilli flavour inside. The spring roll was more soft than your typical crunchy one. There was also a bit of a vinegrette so didn't feel too oil. First time having crocodile spring rolls, so was pretty exciting.

Mataranka Motel and Caravan Park

Grilled local barramundi-$28

They have barramundi feedings everyday, not sure if this barramundi was from the ones they feed, but it tasted quite fresh (so hope it was, since they said it was local...). The fish had a kind of tomato-ey sauce to it. They had sides which you could get, but I wanted to take this back to my room to watch TV so didn't get a lot of salad/mash/chickpeas. The chips had decent amounts of potato with a nice aioli.

There you have it! Hopefully I got down most of the places I went to eat in NT. For breakfast, I just had bread, cereal, veggies or fruit. Some groceries are cheaper, but most are more expensive compared to Sydney, but buying breakfast saves a lot more money (and is healthier) compared to eating 3 meals a day outside.