Calm before Panic

It is the day before my presentation on Monday. Decided to relax myself and go exploring around. Even though I have been to Sydney several times, it is still fun to explore the city. :) Took the free shuttle bus 555 and headed to The Circular Quay  in the morning before 10.30am. Visited the Sydney Opera House (and taking photos of it and Harbour Bridge) before heading over to The Rocks Market.

I always love the craft markets - the beautiful artwork and crafts, the fashion and accessories, homewares, the bright colours and wonderful smell. I was happy with my purchases from The Rocks Market - hand-made earrings, hand-made soaps, stamps, and a dress. :) I had a simple seafood salad for lunch before heading to Hyde Park just before 1pm.

This is the first time I visited Hyde Park. It was an enjoyable walk. I saw St Mary's Cathedral, a beautiful  English style gothic church. The Archibald Fountain was also impressive.

From Hyde Park, I walked over to Pitt Street mall and Queen Victoria Building (QVB) which were a short distance away. As I already have my favourite brands, I just headed for those shops without window shopping around first lol. :P Unfortunately, I didn't see anything I fancy. Never mind, there are still many days left for shopping. :)

Christmas decor in Strand Arcade, a mall along Pitt Street mall

Queen Victoria Building (QVB)

Hopped on a free shuttle 555 again to return to my apartment for a rest before heading down to University of Sydney for the registration of the Conference as well as the Conference Reception at 5.30pm. As my presentation is on Monday, I left at 6.30pm before the end of the reception so that I could have dinnner and practice for my presentation.

I went to a pub, Cheers near my apartment. I found raving reviews of Cheers on Tripadvisor. I tried its famous Chicken Schnitzel (half size) which came with one side (AUD$10). The schnitzel was really tender and tasty!  Even though it was half size, the portion was huge and generous! I could hardly finish my schnitzel and my coleslaw. It was definitely value for money. :) After my meal, I saw a shop selling Taiwanese desserts! Lol. I couldn't resist buying one for later as an incentive for practicing my presentation. :P 

When I was settled down, I found that my PI had sent me a revised version of my presentation slides with minor changes. However, I discovered he had sent me the old version instead of the new one! Panic started to set in... No choice, I will just practise with what I have since the changes were minor...

Taiwanese Tea and Dessert

There are many bubble tea chains in Singapore and most, if not all of them originated from Taiwan! :) There are Gong Cha, ShareTea, Each A Cup, KOI Cafe, Chatime, A-gan Tea, TTP tea club, Zen Q Desserts, Blackball, and many more. We usually get the teas (milk, fruit, herbal, bubble) from Gong Cha, ShareTea, Each A Cup, A-gan Tea, TTP tea club and get the grass jelly with taro balls dessert from Zen Q and Blackball. We really like the grass jelly with taro balls dessert because the grass jelly tastes better and the taro balls remind us of Jiu Fen, Taiwan. :)

Sweets

Here are the photos of Zen Q desserts and the mini cupcakes from House of Mini. :) My girls love them. :)

Zen Q Desserts

My colleague and I decided to try out another eating place for lunch, Yew Tee Point. I discovered a dessert stall called Zen Q Desserts. I was really excited because it is selling traditional Taiwanese desserts!! Including their Q balls which Marieann loves ever since we had Q balls desserts in Jiou Fen. :)

I love their Honey Apple Vinegar drink which I would add aloe vera so that it is sweet, sour and with bite. :) Their Milk Tea with Pudding is nice too. All their milk tea drinks can have the sugar level adjusted which is good for people like me. :P I absolutely adore their Zen Q Glass Jelly dessert that comes with pearls, Q balls, glass noodles and glass jelly. Yummy. :) I will upload photos of the desserts next time. I keep forgetting to take photos of the desserts before eating them lol. :P

Zen Q Desserts is on Facebook. You can log in to see some of their desserts. :)