~ Curious Charlie ~

October = Exams... @ Wednesday, October 09, 2013

Monday 30th Sept

Missed all my classes as usual and failed to get up, just so tired.

It's been stormy lately, hope the power doesn't go out before I upload the maths project. Power went on and off x3 - we set up lots of candles. Yay! One nice one (Target, Sugar Cookies!) and some random pillar ones. Found some cheap blue target pillars that didn't say what scent they are, but there were so strong! The scent filled up most of the apartment (open plan).

For the past week I've been craving fresh things, like salad with feta and olives. Haven't gone out to buy the ingredients yet.

Love this amazing mirror deco, I have a very small collection of establishments I've collected over the years, but they're not east to get.

Tuesday

It's October! One month till exams! One month to cram! Le beau says I might be freaking out a bit too much. I miss Halloween :( a tragedy that here it marks the start of exams. Exam timetables are up, my last is on the 11th Nov.

Went around to change my name, waited 2hrs at one place fell asleep - on le beau... in public that was embarrassing Bank, no waiting lines, lovely guy helped me, he had a really nice name... though I still believe Rina's always a girl - but he he said he knew an Amber who is a he. O.o What do you think of giving guys girl's names? Ashley is definitely a girl, Ash for a boy.

Random old shop. The Tempest for $1! And the girl who had it before me wrote great notes throughout. Love 2nd hand books where the girl (it's always a girl) before me made useful notes. Boys just draw ... all over it.

Collected some membership cards. Lots of places have special birthday offers, $10+ credit on your card from Kikki, SABA, Sportcraft, Witchery. Muffin from Muffin Break, $3 credit Ferguson Sub from Subway, Burrito from Salas, Drink from Boost. Here's a list.

We drove 30mins to the mall with the butterflies only to discover I forgot the camera... We're already here anyway, so I took pictures. They're just not the best quality. Edit: We came back another day. We were going to have lunch but there was nothing I liked (craving salad) so we just bought stuff to make a salad instead. 97% fat free semi-sun dried tomatoes XD no oil. Why would you buy that?

A visit to Dymocks, the manager was very helpful on recommending cookbooks, he's French and has eaten many amazing things (coming from France) since childhood and is so lucky. I had McD every week after French lessons with Madame B - very American. Still not sure what to buy with the gift card - but I did find Kate Bracks's The Sweet Life for $10! She won Masterchef 2011.

Found some pretty travels books, but things might chance do you think? Lonely Planet do updates every few years. But then again this is the collector's edition. Should I get it? Not at Dymocks though it's $35 and around $20-$25 elsewhere.

The manager recommended the AWW's Short & Easy, 6 ingredients or less for me. I'm so lucky to have le beau, as well as being amazing, having lots of patience and being super supportive he also cooks.

A Tip on Buying Books - Always use booko.com.au to get the lowest price. Bookdepositry is where I usually go. Also with cookbooks or any book really see if your library has it first, check it out, if you really like it - buy it. Sometimes I find there's just a few pages I like, in that case I scan it and save it on my EHD.

Lessons from Madame Chic by Jennifer Scott $25 at Dymocks (Paperback)

Online - $19 Paperback - $21 Hardback

It seems to be a style book "through the lens of someone who was not working and who had access to apparently unlimited funds". Not worth buying this one, but I'd still read it. The library has this one.

The Sweet Life - Kate Bracks $10
Note Dymocks prices are usally more online than instores. This is the first time I've ever seen a bargain at Dymocks! I'll take it.

Asian After Work - Adam Liam $30
That's a good price, another rare sighting at Dymocks.

Australian Women's Weekly - Short & Fast $7
These were $3 and they had a billion AWW cookbooks at Allbooks4less before they closed down.

Younger Skin in 28 Days $30 - Online $23
The Food Clock - Fast Ed $40 - elsewhere $25
The 2 Day Diet Cookbook - Michelle Harvie $35 - Online $25
CSIRO total well-being diet -recipes on a budget $35 - elsewhere $25

Reader's Digest - 1001 Home Remedies $20

We're getting Kate's book and perhaps Adam Liam's (also a Masterchef winner) after I do some research on his style. I quite like Huey, Jamie Oliver (we watched his school series at school), Fast Ed and Julie Goodwin's style. By the way her potato mash is amazing - will share the recipe when I borrow the book again.

They were on sale, and I've always wanted to try a whoopie pie.

Made the muffins later in the week, over baked this batch.

Love yesteryear baking co. products.

Pinprick style lamps!

Wednesday

It's not burnt, it's just epic fail lighting. It's either that or a blurry picture.

Slept in but still made it to night classes and got dinner on the way. Beef in Betel Leaves with Vermicelli Guy in my class offered us a ride to the station, does that count as getting in a stranger's car?

Tim Tam Double Choc Vanilla

It's nice, but tastes almost like original but as a double coat.

Thursday

Lost in my dreams, we had a tea party, a bath with vintage fishtail skirts and a band photo shoot at a shop underground in London.

Read Nigella Lawson's Domestic Goddess book. It can be summarized as caster sugar + butter. Too much of it. Either your a grandma with lots of grandkids who visit you every Sunday, or you shall die eating cake. The only recipe I've found so far that won't kill you if the sponge drops, no butter, but there is cream for the filling.

Friday

Returned some stuff, found these amazing shoes! Note that I'm not a shoe person, I like to look at them and collect pictures but not wear them. However this wedge is really comfortable and 12cm tall! I can also walk in it. :P

Drove to that shopping center 30mins away to get those butterfly pictures. :P

Hot chocolate on the way to school from Muffin Break, the view from the window was more interesting than the coffee itself. Hence we got distracted and no coffee pictures were taken that day.

QV Glasshouse. There was a booking system, but people lined up for the event w/o booking so they didn't use it which was not cool! So you're saying people who didn't book got in first?! Yep. Not cool! No one missed out, there was just short sessions and more waiting.

Had tea & cake. No not that cake.

Went exploring at Daiso.

Had dinner at Big Mama.

Went to a 'Battle of the Harps' performance.

Battle of the Harps. Cool location - I'd love to go to a Gothic/real vampire (Dracula not Tinkerbell's love child) wedding here. The scene would be perfect (BYO velvet/dark wine drapes and add some candelabras . It was good, they played Greensleeves, a music box piece I can't name, Waltz of the Flowers and that piece that plays at the end of 1930s disney cartoons (think evil Micky Mouse and Donald Duck, bk/w).

OUAT's back. Yay!

RMIT Newintstudents said... on October 24, 2013 at 11:05 AM

hey have you been to the Taste of Melbourne? Do you want to go this year?

Charlie said... on October 24, 2013 at 7:29 PM

We were going to work there but it's too close to exams. I don't think it's worth it honestly, tickets to get in are around $20 alone I think it was. We'd prefer to go around and try little dishes from a bunch of places, or get then take-away to the office. :)

RMIT Newintstudents said... on October 25, 2013 at 2:33 PM

I have free tickets

Charlie said... on October 26, 2013 at 1:07 AM

Just checked my diary, I've signed on to work at two different events throughout the 4 days it's on. :( Oh well, at least I get to see cute puppies at work. :)