Monday 2nd May





We made a rocket out of the white plastic sheets they use for promos outdoors and signage, very hard cardboard tubes and paper. Does it fly? Yes, it can. How? No idea, the boys did try to explain it. Maybe if there were diagrams?

I thought we were just decorating plastic bottles and stuff as pretty things that do nothing, but it was for the engineers club. A group of boys who know they're doing nothing on the weekend a few weeks away, without consulting their calendar. They were nice. Why aren't they killing each other with competitiveness? One says it's like the Hunger Games, team up and weed out the weak ones first. 




On pretty things. Why do girls love pretty things?
Why did you buy it? - Him
It's pretty... - Me
But what does it do? - Him
It's a snowglobe, you shake it and it looks pretty! Does it really need to be anything but pretty?! - Me
... - Him

Could it be because of the value put on beauty? People who are pretty have it easier in life, get invited and paid to just show up and have a good time. Everything is easier for them. It's all about how pretty you are, and thin really. And not just in the fashion & beauty industries, but the female dominated ones too. And mine is one of them. I know girls in my course who work as promo models and get invited places (and get asked to invite all their pretty friends). Le beau is one of those people part of the group that is known as "the beautiful people" who can get into almost any event with just a smile.

Women (the ones who could be old enough to be my mother) seem to be different though, in that they're over it. They're all nice to each other and no one is trying to kill the others.
Grandmas I work with (though volunteering work does attract a certain kind of people) are all lovely too. I asked a couple what happened to the bitches? Does everyone just become nicer and focus on whats really important when they get older, and after they get the guy? They said no, bitches stay bitches, though they aren't a part of our group. All the women belong to a club that's all about being social and helping out the community, doing fundraisers and stuff.

On the way to dancing I met a lady who's new, she said she's doing her psych phd (after 7yrs) though I failed to ask what her research topic was. Not sure why she chose to speak to me, other than I knew her name (one of the boys had pointed her out the other day) and where she was going. Personally I'd be stranger danger!, who is this person? Run!! I'd never spoken to her before, or being close enough for her to recognize my voice. I think we live in fear, gotta be extra careful. But for her the world must be an even scarier place, not being able to see. She had a beautiful golden lab, who managed to lick me and my feet a couple times! I was wearing shoes, just not shoes that fully covered my feet. 

It's good to learn self defense as a girl she said. Still don't think it's fair that there's all these things we should do because we we're not boys. Do boys live in constant fear of being kidnapped and held captive for you know what purposes? No says the ones around me, don't even need to be careful how close you walk by to avoid getting your ass grabbed. While everyone should learn self defense it's also about educating people what is definitely not ok.

Tuesday

Had an interview, she asked if I had a bf and where I was from but not in a creepy way, more of a friendly curious way. Potentially a test, because assuming you both work 9-5 full time jobs, you'd want to weekend off. Lola is super open and honest, no hidden agendas, but that isn't always the best tactic. Meanwhile mr high kicks says you can't ask someone's marital status during a job interview!


Lunch from Bing Boy. There's a new menu including dessert! Strawberry Matcha you'll be mine soon. But for now we had a bowl, think of it as a burrito but naked in a bowl, no wrap but instead brown rice. Very healthy and filling.  

It was gloomy, rained (not too much) and was very windy. So much so that someone asked me if I "Let it Go" XD as I was wearing blue and my hair was in the Elsa braid. Lunch was a nice visual contrast. 

Class then to the libaray. I was offered an interview O.O in shock I waited till getting home to reply. I have applied for 60+ jobs but mainly get no replies followed by the auto message saying thanks, but no thanks. 




This week's 'Dinner out West' was selected by jas, African food at Addis Abeba, a white lighted almost robbin's egg coloured restaurant, of where we were the only diners. It's out west and a Tuesday, do people not have dinner out on Tuesdays? No mood, kitchen lights, but the food was good. Full review coming up soon.

Thursday

Feeling like a Friday should have been scheduled two days ago at the rate I'm going. Prahran, City, Chadstone, House, Home. How many miles did I travel?


Dish'd I think is going down that or they're promoting heavily, with free cake! These things serve 31, rich and decadent you only need a little. Not sure why the picture is tiny... but we've had this cake before. 

Class then fast forward. The bag search is coming to an end - I hope. I love stationary and deco but not bags and shoes. I like to look but that's all. Target had a collaboration with JGP last spring, feels like it but it was actually the march shows. And now it's on sale! Are you buying it for an event? Nope, the occasion is it's on sale!

Dinner at the Emporium. That mexican chain with a long hard to remember name. $6 burritos, yes please! I see others have bought a couple for lunch tomorrow too.



City to Chadstone. Someone (a girl as always) sent me a mean message telling me not to turn up and butt into events I'm not invited to... I don't know who she is, but all I know is that she saw me and we've probably met briefly before. What's your problem? It was a coincidence that I was there at the time, didn't travel to go to an event I didn't know about. Also you may have used an anonymous email, but I have your IP address. 


We traveled an hour to go to Target actually, after placing the item I was chasing on hold. A trench coat, not my wish listed red one that's $150 from Portmans (looking for a deeper red). But a black one by JPG on sale, $150 down to $75! I'm not sure on target quality but return policies are great and collabs are always of higher quality. Did you know Target isn't actually in Chadstone anymore? I recall the days back when they had 'dirty cheap books' and we'd spend hours there after school. Before that I'm pretty sure it was a Boarders, during the reign of Harry Potter.

Update - The Monday after I bought the coat it was down to $38, and the bag was $18. 

Friday

An interivew, don't think I got it, due to lack of rsa and bookkeeping experience. I'm not sure what bookkeeping is... but I have done accounting but none of the programs. The second in person interview was actually shorter than the first phone one!

Back to the city, but first a snack! It has been such a long day that it feel like two days merged into one, so I vaguely recall what I ate. 



Macadamia & treacle/honey ice cream with a brownie. The ice cream was great, creamy and nutty! Not sure about the brownie as it wasn't warmed up long enough, but given that I tried to order a very warm brownie at fed sq, it was a challenge to deliver. Service was excellent. Would I get it again? No, as it's kinda expensive. But all ice cream is around the same price.

Onto class, got my RSA. The teacher was fun and engaging, but there were no drinks on arrival? I was slightly under the impression that we got to taste alcohol? Role playing and the struggles of minor and alcohol. Brain development issues, not an issue. I mean it weeds out the weak ones and gives the others a step up. 

One of the roleplays we did was a parent buying drinks for their 14yr old. The two guys sitting at my table (tbh the nerds table, totally safe from drinking too much, stds and all XD) both agreed this was something that would have never happened back in our day. And if we were found with it we were dead. Mother wouldn't/won't and will never buy me alcohol (she's says drinking leads to sin). Teen drinking for me personally wasn't an issue anyway as I had no friends in high school, no parties and a social life was unnecessary. Also my best friend, Lucy Bunny doesn't drink, being a bunny and all. It's scary all these things parents have to deal with these days. Thinking like kids getting sluttier earlier, cyber bullying (fb wasn't popular when I was at school) and 14yr olds have social media and posting pictures of them in their underwear. 

How do you tell if someone is mentally ill or drunk? The teacher says they will tell you if it's the prior. Really? I'm just your bartender, why would you share that sorta information with me?

Being very loud, continuous whistling (like bird calling) talking to everyone, and asking too many details all together at the same time is definitely a sign, especially in a public place, like on a tram. She was very loud and in everyone's face.  
Which team do you go for? *Comments on that*
What's your name?
Where are you getting off? Why?
Who's picking you up?
Where do you live exactly?
I could see everyone was relieved when she got off.

The plan after class was entrees, dinner and a show. What happened was the first two followed by crashing all over the place, and a nap on the way home, then fries. Learning about responsible drinking followed by happy hour! But we were here for snacks. 




The Weekend



Watching a strange production with 10 characters, one giant and some very little girls. The boys have decided to stuff their pants for some reason. And the group behind me is laughing throughout the show, at it that is. Pretty sure they know the people in the show.

This is all very odd, and we do feel a bit like we're seeing a dressed rehearsal. It felt very small, nothing like our school musicals. The atmosphere was mockery (from the people behind me) and over excited parents to see their kids on stage (on my right).

We're having a pretty low key weekend, which seems to be the latest trend for me, staying away from the city. I may have a thing for weddings but they also make go a bit crazy (clearly not over le beau), and so avoid them as much as possible. People around me are also avoiding the topic.

This weekend we went to see a musical, went dancing and had a burger. Failed to cook, clean, do laundry and do menu planning. We also burnt the rissoto (just heating it up...). But we did try something new! We ate at a local place on main street. While I have multiple places of residence, when not at the apartment in the city I live (live is not the right word, perhaps survive?) in a small town, where luckily no one knows each other. There is one main street, and a strip of shops. Which isn't what I used, there are no malls with wifi here. 

In town there are lots of resturants, though nothing takes my fancy. We have been here since Nov and I have not eaten at any local resturants (take away from a mexican chain doesn't count). Though our focus at the moment is adventures out west. 





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Charlie dined as a guest of Tank, though paid for the second meal.
Lunch During March/April 2016



Its been too cold to go to the beach late, well most days, flip a coin to predict Melbourne weather. Fortunately there's fish and chips in the city, uptown and downtown. The later is more of a takeaway joint, but the prior is within the Emporium's lvl3 food court, nice and warm. The Emporium Food Court is often where we choose to dine as we all order from different restaurants and still sit together.

Tank is all about fresh seafood cooked passionately, every time. There's something for everyone, kids and adults, those who prefer salads and brown rice. Classic, burgers and tacos too.













Salad options change seasonally and this fall/autumn the choices are: Quinoa, asian slaw, garden salad, rocket beetroot. Fingers crossed for fruity salads with greens when summer comes around again!





Rocket, fig and orange salad. There was a dressing, but this one I felt was a bit bland with too much rocket in proportion to the other two ingredients. 








The following week we were back for a late lunch/early dinner. With plenty of time we had time to sit back, relax and eat from a platter instead of the usual takeaway box.



We ordered the... Grilled Atlantic Salmon $13.50 + Combo $7 + Potato Cake $1.20 + Crumbed Scallop $3.80 = $25.50. In hindsight this was a bit much, and we ended up having the salad as part of a very late diner. The grilled salmon was cooked perfectly with that beautiful crispy skin, just a squeeze of lemon completed it.

I love my potato cakes, and my usual has started to become a hit/miss, and so this one is my new champion! With just the right about of fluffy potato inside and a perfect disc, this is the one! The best potato cake I have ever had - and I've had many. Seasoned with secret herbs and spices, the same as the chips. Which were crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, we just need a sprinkle of rosemary. 

The salad was quinoa salad w corn, cranberries, semi-sun dried tomatoes, baby spinach. With a honey vinaigrette dressing. A good balance of strong flavours, the intense sweet-tart flavor of the tomatoes, dimmed by the quinoa base but then sweetened with the tangy honey vinaigrette. 



Tank is the perfect place to stop by and dine in, when it gets too cold for the beach. Our go to place for fish & chips, on a Wednesday is actually a hotel by the beach! There's another fish & chip place in the city, Sea Salt in Degraves which offers very generous servings of chips, but there is very limited seating. If you want takeaway go to Sea Salt, but if you want to dine in with friends then Tank.

Reasonable prices for location, indoors and the best potato cakes! We'd say that's a hook, line and sinker! 





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Monday 25th April





Are you married? - Driver
On my way to meeting my husband now. - Me

He asks which state I'm from and says he'd like to married a SoCal girl. I'm not from the South.... I'm assuming he's being too friendly, rather than a creep. It really didn't help that his car was very nice, all pimped out with leather seats, a fancy air fresher and mini chandelier, that screams ladies man.  

Whenever I get asked (always by a guy) are you married? I'm not sure what the answer is. Do I say yes? It does make my feel better, because I was almost married and feel protected somehow saying yes. But at the same time, how are you meant to meet people when you're hiding all the time?




Tuesday


After class we were going to go to 8bit for dessert but they closed at 7.50, though the sign said 8pm... So instead we let jas choose dessert and he picked Dex2Rose. Great gelato, though we haven't been there in a while (hello two litres in my freezer plus an ice cream machine BINB).

Thursday

We were going to go to dinner at Mario's in Brunswick for their 30th Birthday, though in hindsight that was a bad idea. When we got there at 7pm the line was 50 peoples long!! And they said we wouldn't get in, as it's a very small place. At 9.30pm they weren't taking anyone else. 





Normally $6 there are quite a few time slots when all pizzas are $4. A crunchy base and basic ingredients made for a simple but good dessert. At $4 it's the right price and size. 
Dessert at Bimbo Deluxe. Never have I been to a place that reminded me of hell before. I'm going to have to withdraw my job application, sorry Hades but the lighting and my pictures aren't going to work.


Why did it remind me of hell? It was dark, loud and had retro mismatched furniture. There was grandpa's wooden box tv, tables/chairs from the 50s+, a plane that crashed and burnt (this is how stuff gets to hell) that's now been used as a DJ booth. There's some arcade game machines and a pool table too.

From the ceiling there's random kitch chandeliers and those dolls that are Bimbo's logo. There's also a doll strapped up in leather in a cell. The music is loud and it's very dark, the darkest non-candle lit place I have been to. Though we were lucky to find a corner with lighting, the rest of the place was dark. It wasn't dirty, but been this dim could have been for all we have known. The first two chairs I picked were rocky. 


How cool would it be to have a Halloween party here? Creatures of the night welcome, fallen angels too. We all wear black, red and dark colours, strictly no bright colours especially white and yellow. 

We'll be back for dinner at some point. Though the place still really does remind me of hell. It was too dark to take pictures of the place itself.





Friday


As the time spent in the store increases it has a direct relationship on the likelihood of the customer making a purchase. - True. I went to return something and bought a colouring-in book (as a gift, not for me, I can barely write) and a cape! 



It's light, flows and is black! And only $20, along with being something I'd actually wear fortnightly.



Back to the office where productivity was low and I was set on destroying a lost ipad that made an annoying ping/dinging hotel lobby service bell noise with an echo, that freaking echoing in my brain. Sadly I couldn't figure out how to remove the battery and our couches aren't the ones you can stuff something inside, so I passed it onto security. We struggled to make sense of some research, that or we were tired. The same kind of tiredness you wake up with, with a hint of a fever. 

The quinoa salad had exploded in my bag and it smelt like the vinaigrette dressing... you betrayed me. This wouldn't have happened if you were a donut. Or a cherry ripe slice, we're putting these on the list of things to make then freeze.



No events this week, as we were sick/very stressed. Though we did take a study break and quick dash to Myer and back, for free ice cream. :P Looking forwards to May, the month of musicals!

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USB crashed and died, and so we lost a week's worth of work including some projects and a lot of recipes. The last backup was two weeks ago. My shoe also broke along with the straps of my handbag. We are not having a good week.


Monday

I think we made pesto pasta and risotto, both turned out too salt. The neighbor did the onions, spring onions too, I cried, both times. Hence the said neighbor believes I'm a wuss, till I point out I can compel people to do things.

On Mondays we do laundry, cook, take a nap and go dancing. Life makes me very tired, so naps are a must. Also on Mondays morman (the main morman, as there are six of them: morman, his parents, mrs morman, her parents) comes dancing, we always have the most bizarre conversations. Mrs morman rarely comes (recovering from medical things I guess), though her parents are always there. Her father's the most normal of them. 

"You sound like a mouse!" - Morman 
I stepped on his foot nearly tripped over myself and squeaked. If you play sport with me you'll find I do that when I nearly get hit by something. It's also the sound I make when I'm about to be stepped on.

They say you're the average of the five people you spend the most time with. My best friend is 20cm tall, and very white and fluffy. Lucy is a Bunny. And she makes that same noise when about to be sat on or be squished.



He asked what the sim/diff btw cosplay and horseplay, naturally he proceeded to show him porn on my phone while he his FIL watched from afar. Did he react? Nope. Just judged me for knowing/sharing and corrupting his young innocent mind. 

Tuesday

Job interview, feeling like a pair of hands rather than valued. There are no graduate jobs in my industry because they're all unpaid 3-4 day interships. Nearby was a goodwill, a great place to find books and if you're very lucky vintage polly pocket. 



Goodwill finds:
1. Another copy of one of my favourite films, I love the Barbie Movies, the first set where she was a princess. Not living in the Dream House aka Big Brother house, before the rock star pop princess era. 

2. A Wiggles DVD! (Not pictured) I regret not going to their last concert. Blue wiggle needs to quit, everyone else moved on (2012). The new yellow girl married the new purple wiggle recently. Jas is jelly that I got the dvd for $2. XD Yes you can borrow it. 

We should have a Wiggles party! Yes, I want a Wiggles theme party! We'd hire Captain Feathersword, Dorothy, Henry and Waggs. We'd eat fruit salad, hot potatos and cold spaghetti. There would be a pirate jumping castle, and a big red car photo booth. Alternatively (crazy budget here) we could hire the Polly Woodside!

3. The White Queen - I'm not sure if I like the writing style, but it's not EL James *gasp* or Stephanie Myer. Think the tv series was better, even if it was rushed and we saw... zippers!!

Aro laughed. “Ha ha ha,” he giggled.
-Stephenie Meyer New Moon

Excuse me but
“His voice is warm and husky like dark melted chocolate fudge caramel… or something.”
-EL James Fifty Shades of Gray


4. Vintage postcards from '72, from Isabel's Adventures traveling from Hawaii to the West Coast, England and parts of Western Europe. She wrote to her kids and nieces/nephews in Melbourne. Over two months she wrote quite a bit. Imagine the costs of stamps today!


After class we had dinner at 8Bit. It was good but nothing amazing, jas will be back with the burger boys but I won't. The onion rings were very good and were like donuts!

Thursday



Class, my shoe broke and it was raining, got it fixed and went on shopping and to dessert. I am not a fan of handbags or shoes, so struggled. In the end I got in contact with the rare supplier and ordered the usual. Yes I have a usual when it comes to shoes and bags. Bags, the pretty ones are tiny and hold nothing. Meanwhile mine gives me pins and needles. Why not try a bag? Because I get rashes from friction. I also get very hot and itchy, friction again.


If you thought donut cones were cool wait till you try Chillbro's new 'Churro Baskets' with hand churned ice cream. It's a nest made of churros that you can break off and dip into the ice cream! 

Friday

Woke up to mutter something about bodies, and to find my teeth under the bed where I can't reach them. Where's a sword when you need one? Running late as I had to wait for the key for the freezer to bring dinner with me. Too late for a meeting so we went shopping instead. 

Still searching for my new everyday bag, that I can place on the ground. The girls call this the uni bag, because branded bags don't sit on the ground and needs its own mat I'm told in a judging you manner. Uggh this is why I hate shopping for bags. Shoes aren't fun either with my un-Cinderellaly like feet. 



Lovisa - 5 for $10. Lovisa I love you after spring racing season. It's interesting when you're at the outlet and you think some prices are still expensive.

Typo $10. A board for the future, when I have my own place and bigger spaces to style and decorate, and some lanterns. Because these are awesome, we had them back home in single colours. There's lots of Halloween deco including a cheap mugshot backdrop. Shopping for July? There's plenty of Christmas cards and wrapping paper too. 

We missed the sample sale (where HQ sells props for shoots) last week but were lucky to find the board. There were also throws blanket things for $10, with pompom like edges. Slight regret not buying one, as they were snatched up pretty quickly. But I have no use for one, or any ideas how to clean it. 

Coffee O'Clock found us at the cafe, where we had a couple drinks and did some work. Back to Typo a guy walked past me and he smells just like morman so I had to ask what that overpowering perfume is XD After drinks Jon found us and joined us for another drink. We like Jon, everyone does. He's a great guy.  

Back at the office. After using the usb on the photocopier it became corrupted. NOOOOOOOOOOOO! I just lost two weeks of work!! Life is stressful. The good news is that I had multiple copies of the important posts and really only lost my post on 8bit and this week.

The usb destroyed on 22/4, not in a fire like my school, but it was working until I stuck it in the photocopier, as after that it stopped work. It potentially contracted a STD and died from plugging it both ends into too many devices... Sometimes I use both ends at the same time... In case you're wondering one end fits into the usb port and the other into the phone. We consulted the IT guy, who said it's lost. 

Saturday


The Gondoliers. A light opera, where no one dies by Gilbert & Sullivan. Most of the guys were old while girls ranged from 8-40+. Seems a bit creepy. It felt a bit like a school musical except a few mothers and all the fathers wanted to be involved. I prefer my operas in German/Italian with subtitles, because I really struggle without them.


Dinner after midnight, as we were coming back to the city from Preston. Missed the train by 10 seconds and the next one was 30mins away. We got jas to try the cupcake, there's something strange about it, but I can't figure out what by taste... it's vegan! Hmm... I'm not keen on vegan cake, that or this one was dense and not fluffy.




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