An intense work filled first week back, complete with an intense post about it. I don't normally post that much about college, it's just a test run for something. My timetable is almost finalized, just need accounting tut and stats tut, the ones I missed, to be confirmed. Last semester only one of my subjects had homework, but this semester all of them do. On top of weekly notes and projects. Scatterbrain, how I fell at the moment. Made a list, tomorrow we're going to go through and do all the work, one subject at a time. My folder hasn't been organized - but I do have it. We also need to stop by OW to get that accounting book binded. On the topics of books I have one book reserved, while for the other two books we haven't gotten any responses from potential sellers, so we're still working on that. Just messaged five people, and going to find all the notice boards around campus this week.

This coming week we're having dinner with Emily, pizza; and seeing a movie with x before Wednesday. It's one of those small films that's made in Au, so it only runs for about a month or so. This week is the last week, and so there's only three locations, one that I can get to, and one session a day. I've got the tickets and heard it's good so I really do want to get around to seeing it. Though that may be a bit difficult, as there's only one session I can go to. 

Found this amazing pencilcase, if anyone sees one of ebay or for sale in Au please tell me. That one only ships to the US. It's the most organized pencilcase I've ever seen. I love organization, iheartorganization being one of my favourite blogs. I've also considered possibly running on my own organizing business where we help people get organized, in a way a personal stylist helps makes the most of your wardrobe, though I won't work with hoarders. :P  

Picture time. 

This week I started using my first Burt's Bees lip balm.
It is refreshing just like it says! Unlike any other balm I've ever tried. It contain peppermint, which gives you that same feeling on sucking on a lozenge when having a sore throat. A white hot burn, in a way. You can actually feel the balm on your lips. In terms of moisturizing, I'm not sure if it works yet, but it's certainly better than Maybelline's Baby Lips.


On Tuesday(?) we received a package in the mail. It wasn't my missing books (madman entertainment fails in the customer service area) or asos skirt (which has gone missing, as it was "delivered" but to the wrong suburb, the PO is working on it). Instead it was a prize from lapetitemademoiselle (lpm)'s giveaway. Lpm is a blog by Margaret, a Sydney fashion blogger who loves durian (spiky fruit, smells bad, but do try it ;), I love durian too. I came across her blog in a search for a review on a certain asos skirt, and she was very helpful. She took the bottom right picture below.


I'm looking forwards to trying out the mascara, it's a limited edition (the bottle) designed for MBFW during May. Most stores don't have them anymore, but I did find them at Safeway. The rocking horse necklace is a great base/has potential, as I wear a lot of black, the original colour of the necklace doesn't suit my style. At the moment I've painted it gold, pictures coming soon. My favourite item is the brooch, it's big and chunky and perfect to add sparkle to a winter coat. It also looks great photographed. Is the autumn background a bit much? Funny thing, when I first read 'coussi net' I read it as cousin it, from the Addams Family. XD

Friday was errands day. A quick trip into the city for some planned shopping, though I slept in, so didn't get everything done. We bought 60 wooden hangers, half being for pants/skirts, as I plan on converting from wire to wooden hangers. I heard wire hangers aren't good, but we have 100s of them, and I've never known different. Downtown Rev in Australia on Collins is closing down their clothing sector and sells wooden hangers 15 for $5. While at Collins I saw this amazing umbrella display. 


My other stop was Portmans, in the basement on Bourke St. On ground level it's the shop, and there's a suit section (I think) upstairs, but it's the basement that you want to check out, with DFO prices. I like Portmans, but do find it's a bit pricey, even though it's in the middle range. The good news is that their quality is very good, a slightly cheaper version of Cue. Downstairs at the moment they have an extra 30% off their DFO prices, which is great! I bought a dress and shirt for work for $42. The dress was $130 and shirt $70-ish. They're both very good quality, and the dress is lined on the inside. I haven't got a picture of the shirt, it's white, cap sleeve, with a Peter Pan collar (think Madeline) and peplum in silhouette, with covered buttons.


At the moment they have a lot of past online sale stock. Their awesome sales aren't online, so you'll have to come to the store, but you could always call before you come. I suspect a reason it's not online is a. too much HR involved on promoting sale items b. de-values the brand, more people will watch items till they're on sale in the basement.

Here are a few items I saw that are also displayed on the Portmans website...
Ponti Fit And Flare Dress (Red) - $21
Lace Trim Camisole - All Colours $7
Spot Frill Sheer Blouse - $28Mock Placket Alice Top - $28 (Note: it's see through)
Frill Front Sheer Blouse - $21


We ended the week with a drinks from Gloria Jeans. The tim tam drink is amazing and comparable to Hudsons's Chocolate Milkshake. I like mine with less/no ice (dental issue) and so it's extra creamy, and I always have cream and caramel on top. If you haven't tried it I do highly recommend it. It's the reason I go to Gloria Jeans and their best offer. ;) 



On the same day later on I paid GJ's another visit (no pun intended, as I had a 2-for-1 offer) for an afternoon with a bit of maths and readings. "Duller than dirt" the textbook described itself *cries* I was looking forwards to IT! Let's just pretend I didn't read that. I like GJ's hot chocolate, it's the slightly above the average barista's made hot chocolate. Ranks higher than homemade/7Eleven, but below Lindt/Koko. GJ's is around $5, and Lindt $6 (for take away). I always take mine with marshmallows, and if possible freshly whipped cream. I'm not really a fan of canned cream.  

Perhaps I shouldn't be promoting food (in case you missed it, here's the link for free chips from Red Rooster, valid for two more days) but it's free so I do find it hard to resist. Normally I would only buy hot chips once a month, and doughnuts, well I never buy doughnuts unless I just bought a dozen from Groupon... But today I'd like to share with all y'all this... free doughnuts from Krispy Kreme.


KK
- free Champion Sprinkles
- every day for the next 2 weeks
- drop in to KK Store and say the name of an Aussie medalist from our Official Champions List
- there's a new list everyday
- Location List - Brisbane/Sydney/Melb (East Coast) only, sorry.

Conditions
- one per customer per day (per store ;) there are 3 in the CBD (Melb)
- while stocks last (come before morning tea time, 10-11am)

Edit: Monday - list was posted at 10am. Tues, 9am. Wednesday 10am.
Each store has 2 dozen of them, around lunchtime Collins St had 18, Melb Central 3, Swanston 12+. (Tues)
Wed - 7pm, Collins had 14. Best location if you're droping by after work.

The London Olympics started this morning, 5.30am here, and there was a repeat at 2pm I'm told. Slept in so I missed it. And it's not on youtube thanks to copyright stuff, even though the dvd's not going to be out for a while. So for now all we've got is pretty pictures.



More pictures here.

Some numbers...
Pieces of confetti dropped: 7,000,000,000
Garments used: 57,000
Recycled water bottles used in costumes: 40,000
Size of volunteer cast: 7,500
Props: 6,500
Drummers: 965
Dancers from the state-run National Health Service: 600
Hospital beds: 320
Kilometres of cable linking the pixel screens: 317
Rehearsals: 284
Sheep: 40
Umbrellas: 32
Horses: 12
Cows: 3

Monday

First day back at college uni, making an extra effort use the right words, though to me uni will always be known as college :P Had 'Info Systems', which is a version of IT, and uses excel. Love excel, especially formulas. Back in middle school I picked IT every year (and possibly semester) as an elective, and we did lots of little projects to learn how to use different programs, charts, graphs and things like that. Back then I was more of a left-brainer, but since then I do think my IT/Maths skills have declined a little. The teacher said that in the three classes he had so far today I was the first to suggest using a formula for adding up figures in excel, which I thought was a bit strange... Perhaps the others didn't pick IT as their elective as much as me? 


Not sure why no one (in my classes so far) seems to know this but there's a website like ebay, but commission free for textbooks. You can buy/sell and trade (I think). While a 2nd hand book from your college bookshop sells for about 60-75% of the original RRP, on this website you can get it for much less. Feel free to share it with your friends :) It's textbookexchange.com.au note that it's for Australia only, this link. Note: communication there sucks.


A random thing we did today was the house on fire, collect three items. Easier than the stranded on a deserted island one. Our group came up with in this order: pets, files/external HD and laptop/photos. But an all girl group included clothes O.o to which the teacher responds, he didn't say we were nakid :P. He also thought it was funny no one said their partner, though I assumed we were meant to pick things that were objects - with the exception of the pets. 


Tuesday

9am class, Accounting. The earliest I've required to be at college or any place of education in a very long time - but I made it. :P Accounting... an image of Henry (Ugly Betty) in his argyle vests and big square glasses come to mind. Also memories of work experience, hours on end spent typing up figures from shoeboxes full of receipts. And like in court it's then cross-examined and re-examined. I don't want to spent the next few years of my life doing that, working my way up. I've done accounting before, half a year before I switched to another subject, that didn't go so well. But today we went for attempt no.2, so far going good - I think. 

A big part of the day was spent waiting productively, to talk to a lecturer, who didn't take bookings for a legit reason - some solutions take 2 minutes to solve (?), others take 30 minutes+, there are no problems, only solutions. ;) No I don't remember who said that, but I heard someone say it today. That was how I spent 2hrs of my day, in two sessions. But ultimately he did see me, and it was after his hours on duty. :)


Maths... like accounting, but to a lesser degree has not being used in for about half a decade, this is bad... a certain past teacher of mine (who discovered what his realistic dream career of being a personal trainer, the year after I was in his class) from middle school would be horrified to know that I haven't been keeping my maths skills up-to-date, with all those hours he spent with me. Other than the basic 'foundation' maths, I haven't done percentages, interest rates or anything your basic calculator isn't capable of for some time. I'm not even sure if my calculator even works anymore. For anyone else who was very fond of maths back in school: how do you keep your maths skills alive?


If today's post had it's own post - I'm typing this on Tues, but saving it till I upload pictures - it would be "The Joy of Group Work". Group work, the last time I did that was even longer ago than doing maths. Today we got projects, defining an area or rather word of a tree diagram in accounting. As always I start off with a plan, but when you have two brains, it ain't so easy. We have, I think, different ways of going about this. At the moment he wants to do a draft of a part of it to show me what he means. Like some projects, this one comes with presentations. Now I do think it is more of a gender thing, but we had trouble finding wardrobe similarities, in the tie and style department. Yes we're wearing suits, with light blue shirts and recently polished shoes "A gentleman always keeps his leather shoes polished..." but he wanted a tie. I think it's a bit much, but apparently it's better to be overdressed than under dressed - unless you 'Gone with the Wind' hoop skirt doesn't allow you through the doors, without doing the crab scuttle (walk/crawl).


Wednesday


So many things to be done, I have a list. Some of the items involve other people who aren't so responsive at the moment. One of the most stressful things is class selection. I have chosen my classes, according to timing, but then there's the lecturer/tutor to consider. I don't understand most accents, it's like it goes through a filter in my brain and then comes through without the accent, and so I lag quite a bit. But fortunately there's only even been one lecturer who I completely do not understand, it started out not that bad, but by the first hour I started hearing random words that were not in English, occasionally I identified a few words though. Emma said she was speaking English, just with no punctuation on a semi-monotone and on fast-forward mode.

Ps & Solutions
1. Missed first stats. lecture - downloaded ppt/recordings. after watching that there will be more tasks. repeat 1hr tomorrow
2. Missed x2 acc - must turn up next week... going to get email saying if I'm doing my orgi session
3. Missed stats tut - downloaded missed work
4. Buying books - 2nd hand people ain't communicating. got the lib books atm. will buy books by wk3
5. Missing mail - emailed post office & seller. awaiting reply.
6. My Classpad (calc) has issues - will first pin pt issues then contact Casio/Calculator King
7. Possibly declined maths/excel skills which hasn't been used in a while - check out workshop times/locations
8. Email has died. I can't send any emails! - have submitted a ticket to IT (via phone, couldn't email them...)
9. MS 07-10 ain't compatible with my computer - convert them at the lib tomorrow
10. Computer graphics issue that only I see... - will take a photo, upload and send to IT

Moving onto less stressful things, received a giveaway/random contest prize in the mail today. But you'll have to wait for my next post to find out what it is. ;)


I considered doing a separate post for this, but to avoid looking like a junk food junkie (I haven't had hot chips in weeks btw), I'll include it here. Here's a voucher for free hot chips from Red Rooster, expires 1st Aug 2012. Feel free to use it daily, I'm looking at you Freud (one of those guys who eats lots and ends up losing weight O.o).   


Thursday

Sustainable Ops. Stats lec v2 immediately follows. Mr stats v2. is slightly technologically challenged, like a few of the others. He manages to get the files open with help though, but didn't notice that he forgot to record the lecture... I left half way to go to my next class. I prefer mr stats v1. In class we just went through the basics, first day stuff. 

Event of the Day: dropped my pencilcase somewhere. Didn't notice. Notices an hour later and completely freaks out. I didn't have my business card/contact details in it! Retraces steps. Found it. Where I last sat down, two buildings and 3 floors away. Someone picked it up and left it on the windowsill. 

After class I went to the library and got the last copy of the stats book. And no one fought me for it :P Book sellers still unresponsive at the moment, the PO and all the parcels I'm waiting on too. But the email issue has been fixed! They bounced back because of lack of subject line, and hence considered spam. Found a fake credit card on the notice board, something about your debit to God and sinners XD. Love the idea, but other than that meh. I'm not as religious as your average American.

On my way back to the city, Emma and I stopped at Red Rooster, for cheeseburger and chips. RR makes the best chicken burgers ;) A trip to OfficeWorks to get that accounting workbook bounded, only to remember the front page was still on the printer! Stopped by Priceline to pick up some stuff I reserved, my new moisturizer and eye liner. 

This week I took about 40 pictures, as I only went out once, for an exam. Most pictures were bad... my mini isn't designed for night shots, especially shots in sport mode with me running around chasing rabbits, and nearly getting hit by a blue car. :P Had my marketing exam yesterday, wrote 11/12 pages. One of the questions was O.o because it was a paragraph answer, not three page (we're told to write 2pgs per question), a trick Q.

It was almost dark by the time I finished, and with the exam location being in the very outer suburbs (V-line) I got lost... I saw a little brown rabbit with upright ears, chased it and then saw another and another. It was dark (with no lights in the area) so at first I thought it was a rock - but then it moved! I saw at least 12 bunny rabbits. I've never seen a rabbit in the wild before, unless you count my math tutor's neighbour's bogan styled yard. After a while I was lost, and had to call security to escort me to the station, good thing I had security in my phonebook. :P Didn't get any pictures of the bunnies, but I came across this... 


It could be that I haven't been out in a while, but I noticed there are cops everywhere yesterday. On the train and at most of the station (though it could be because of that line?) there are rarely cops on our line, and only only for the football finals. There was one at parliament house, and a few hanging out on the street. jas says it's because it's the opening night of dark knight, but they're everywhere, not just at the movies. But there was a shooting in Colorado at the movie screening.

Emily and I were going to meet for lunch but as she was late and I had to go so we did dinner instead with Fernando and jas, who I was surprised turned up, as he failed to make a booking. For lunch I was going to have Tandoori pizza, but they refused to serve me (the guy was nice though) because it was a bar and you have to have ID just to be there, but since it was lunch there were no bouncers. I have a drivers licence, but I don't know where it is as I don't/can't drive here. There's just something very wrong about driving on the other side of the road. Carrying around my passport/visa is awks if I loose it. But I found out you can buy ID for $55 from KeyPass.

For dinner we went to Red Pepper, an Indian place near Parliament, and oddly we all ended up ordering the same thing: butter chicken! I like it, might return, but I think I prefer the Classic Curry Company's version. Drinks, Emily, Fernando and jas ordered bottles of lemon lime bitters, while I picked Mango Lassi - which was great, even if jas didn't like it. It was thick and not too sweet. The butter chicken was very mild, almost hot, and so a drink was essential to soothe your burning taste buds. ;) Inside it was quite loud, with people waiting for tables, and a very popular place. Good for a dinner with friends, but not so much for a date or nice quiet place.


Red Pepper does Indian food, complete with Indian desserts, and so we decided to go for Koko for desserts, but did not realize they close around 6-7pm. My idea was to buy candy from Suga and sprinkle it on soft serves, Emily had a better idea. And so we went to Coles and after much silent voting on cookies 'n' cream vs the mint version, we bought a six pack of Magnum, Vanilla & Cookies 'n' Cream. We were going to go to the library, but thanks to a group of certain people (you kids who we caught graffting the other week) the building closes at 6pm, you can leave after 6pm, but not enter. And even if you do get in, the lift won't work. An hour after we bought the ice cream we finally picked a place to sit by the Yarra, and it was 10pm. 


That concludes the most interesting day of my week, as the earlier part of it was spent a. asleep b. studying. Going to take for my bag post, and perhaps create a ruffled tie tutorial. Weekends are great for natural lighting photos, which on my blog are rare. I know it's a bit doom & gloom, but I decided that I will be doing a post on bullying.   

Cupcake Central is located in the Dining Hall at Melb Central. They have a very large range of cupcakes in the standard (4.50) and mini size (2.20). On different days different flavours are offered. I want to try their Salted Caramel, Coffee Fix and Chocolate Malted Milkshake. There were a few others, but Little Cupcakes also offered them, so I'd rather go there. 

For the next few weeks, I shall be posting some beauty tips or info posts, to add something new, on Wednesdays. :)


I like to make a small pot of this and keep it in the fridge. It keeps up to two weeks.
If you like you can add a bit of lemon juice for a citrus scent - but only a squeeze or two. Added too much? Just add more sugar, like you would with icing sugar.

DogNation is once again having their BOGOF (buy one get one free) offer.
At their two new locations, on Southbank & Russell St. - see below for address. 
This week only, you got 3 days. ;) Offer concludes 20th July.
As like their first location/branch, they only do lunch are open 11am-3pm. Come early.
Print this out, or have it on your phone.


For those who don't eat pork, like myself, you can ask for the beef only sausage in any roll.
Can't decide what to get :P London or Melbourne? What would you choose?

Journey Planner is not your friend. On Saturday night we headed "towards" South Melb, to get there from Flinders JP told us to take the tram from Stop 13, right outside Flinders, and get off at Stop 24, "Clarendon St/Park St". And so we got off at stop 24, but we were still on St Kilda rd. Nice one JP, this isn't the first time it's messed up. Stop 24 is not anywhere remotely near Clarendon, it wasn't even on the same screen. Fortunately Freud had his phone and using his GPS we managed to get us there on time.

This is how to you really get to the Butterfly Club: from the tram stop outside Southern Cross, Stop 1-Spencer St/Collins St (Melbourne City), take 112 St Kilda and get off at stop 129-Park St/Clarendon St (South Melbourne) and walk. Make your starting point Southern Cross and not Flinders.  

Arriving at 6.50pm we made it, and fortunately the show started a little later than anticipated. The location was the Butterfly Club, "an old Victorian shop and dwelling, [a] doll-house sized Windsor Castle of camp kitsch..." it's intriguing. There's stuff everywhere but in a sort of strange way organized in that it was all over the walls and shelves, messy, but not quite something on Hoarders - not yet anyway. :P The hallway is decorated with framed posters, adoring colourful fairy lights give them life, and colourful parasols hang from the ceiling. I'd love to have taken pictures, but didn't have the camera on me, plus it was too crowded. The next room, what looks like a living room had a real fireplace which gave the room a warm glow, and on the other wall was a huge shelf full of random things. Pictures. There's one thing that I find is a staple to a Victorian-esque theme: creepy porcelain dolls. I personally find them terrifying - and slept with the lights on that night. There's just something about them that creeps me out, perhaps it's their big glass eyes. 

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