In a land where everything is super-expensive, it's a breath of fresh air to find someplace like Bar Century. Approximately a 5 minute walk from Town Hall Station, Bar Century is the place you should hit up before you start your night.

$3 drinks all day, every day. Beer, wine, spirits - dare you to find a place that's as cheap. You ask for a drink and they make it right then and there. I have not have to wait longer than a minute for whatever drinks I ordered, which I loved.

However, Bar Century's atmosphere gives off a pretty seedy vibe. The music is trashy top-40, there are virtually no tables to sit at and is crowded at every point of the day. Their bathrooms leave a fair bit to be desired as well. The one thing I hated was their stairway up to the bar - it was so steep and the stairs were so small, I was surprised not to have seen more drunk girls stumble down them.

Bar Century is one of those places you hit up for a quick buzz before running off to a concert or club. It's a decision one has to make though - would you rather a fancier establishment with more expensive drinks, or $3 house spirits and no finesse?

Cocktails elsewhere in the city can be close to $20, and you'll have to forego your mortgage payments if you want to get liquored up on those. Given the opportunity, I'd probably spring for Bar Century. But the choice is always yours.

Approximate cost: $3

Parklea Markets is one of those crazy, labyrinthine places that sells a lot of garbage and a lot of treasures. In order to discover everything that it holds, one requires patience and enthusiasm.

Parklea Markets is home to everything imaginable: food, animals, knockoff handbags, books, Disney-themed rugs, wigs - the list goes on. Describing every stall is a little difficult, but I think their used books stall is pretty decent. The staff are friendly and there's a wide variety. Somehow they manage to create a little safehouse in the midst of chaos.

A lot of people, I can imagine, will be unwilling to appreciate Parklea Markets. The carpark is also terrible and a nightmare to ease your way through. There is an information desk inside for anyone looking for something specific, but it really is a place that begs to be explored. Enjoy the experience!

As much as I like fruit, I'm more a veg junkie. Eggplant, zucchini, mushrooms - you name it, I love it. However, a lot of chains such as Woolies can be a little expensive for certain vegetables, especially when you're after them. That's why I love Lancaster.

Lancaster has outrageously, unbelievably low prices. I've managed to purchase 1kg of mushrooms for $1.99, and elsewhere they were approximately $10. Depending on when you go, you can find other great bargains on produce such as capsicum, parsnip, radish, lebanese zucchini, cabbage. Lancaster's an easy place to save money on, and you're buying healthy so that's always a plus.

My only issue would be the service. The packing by the cashiers is borderline appalling. If they give you plastic bags, they'll bag only one item in each bag, even when there's room for plenty more. When I have given them green bags, the cashiers have placed my delicate produce (eg. tomatoes and eggplant) on the bottom, while throwing my cauliflower and corn on top. It's not particularly difficult to pack sensibly (I know from personal experience) so it irks me to see fellow cashiers bag in an appalling manner.

Nonetheless, I can suffer repacking my own bags in the boot of my car if it means having a delicious, fresh dinner at the cost of virtually nothing.

Finding a cheap yet decent hairdressing salon in Mt Druitt is like pulling teeth out with an eyebrow tweezer - ridiculous and impossible. I've been to Hair Show a few times since it opened and I cannot understand why I even bother going back.

The last time I went, I asked to have my hair re-layered. Every single hairdresser I have ever been to has layered my hair in three steps/layers. But at Hair Show, the girl only did two layers, and was done in approximately 5 minutes. When I asked her if that was it, she said, "Yeah, what else did you want?" I left soon after that.

My hair looked very odd and felt very heavy with only two layers. It was poofy for a while until it grew out. When I went to an alternative establishment, my hairdresser laughed and asked me if I had cut my hair myself.

Hair Show has made my hair look like a nightmare, so I won't be going again. If you dare to brave it though...

Once I hit mid-semester, I become a coffee junkie. Sleep has to be put on the back burner as I try to catch up with all the work I've neglected.

The coffee at the River Cafe is poison in a paper cup. I like my coffee black and without any excess froth or foam. I'm also of the belief that if an establishment can't make a decent cup of black coffee, they're useless as a cafe. Their black coffees are nauseating and leave an awful battery acid taste in your mouth. Instant coffee tastes less harsh than what they serve at the River.

Also, any place that sells tiny, packaged sushi for $9 is not a place worth wasting time on. There are better food experiences to be had outside of the campus.

When it comes to affairs of my hair, I'm rather simple. I don't straighten, curl, colour or blowdry my hair. If it needs to be fixed up, I simply go and get my hair re-layered. I've been going to Blondes and Brunettes since it opened, and every experience is significantly different from the next.

I've mentioned in my other reviews that I highly value consistency. When I'm waiting to be called up at B&B, I can't help but fear that they will butcher my hair as they have done before in the past. When I needed my fringe trimmed once, the hairdresser grabbed my fringe as it was, combed it once and cut it. She did not spritz it or fix it beforehand. When I asked if she could make it slightly shorter, she went through the exact same procedure and made it so short, it no longer covered my eyebrows. I felt ridiculous as I looked like a child. When I complained to another hairdresser, she said she could "fix it" by blowdrying it straight.

I feel that some hairdressers at B&B undervalue particular customers depending on what they're getting done. I have gotten the impression that $15 haircuts are not given much attention. They no longer wash, spritz or comb out hair as one would expect. I had one irate hairdresser once tell me that I should comb out my hair very well before coming to her next time, because it made her job difficult. I considered this to be rather rude because I had in fact brushed my hair and it was only slightly tangled from the wind outside.

My last haircut was unremarkable and slightly better than the ones I have had in the past. Their cuts are very fast - this one was less than ten minutes. While I appreciate efficiency, I felt that this was in order to accommodate a higher number of customers a day. When I washed my hair at home, I discovered numerous stray locks that had not been cut along with their respective layers. I find this irritating and disappointing. Just because I only pay $15 does not mean I should be entitled to inferior service. I am paying for a service and I only appreciate that service when the expectations are met.

Blondes and Brunettes must have a crazy rate of staff turnover. I've had some amazing haircuts at B&B and I took their names down. When I revisited a month or so later, the staff had no idea who those hairdressers were.

While I've had good experiences, the bad probably outweighs the good. Their prices are great, but you can never really be sure what you're in for -- and that is a feeling I do not welcome when it comes to my hair.

From the outside, Inner Forest on High Street seems like a charming, spiritually based store. However, my experiences did not live up to my expectations.

Inner Forest's internal ambience is quite nauseating... literally. I am fond of scented candles and incense myself, but the sheer amount of incense being burnt in Inner Forest is ridiculous. The air is very thick and makes breathing rather difficult. This already creates an unwelcoming aura.

They stock some remarkable products - I have seen some beautiful dresses and mirrors, but I find their prices to be on the side of excessive. I bought a pack of oracle cards and afterwards I realised they were considerably cheaper online. But what drives me away from Inner Forest is the level of service. The attitudes of some staff in particular are a little hostile. I tried to get a refund for a necklace that broke within two days. Instead I was accused of being careless and breaking it myself. I found this to be astonishing and unbelievable, as I had done nothing of the sort.

Inner Forest is a quaint little place, perhaps a little odd amidst other stores on High Street. If you can brave the thick smoke, then you might discover some little treasures. They really do have some beautiful trinkets.

Update 07/01/2013: I braved Inner Forest again because I found a nice little knit top in the window for only $10. I think their ambience and service really depends on what day you go in. Today, I had a very helpful and kind woman serving me. She set me up a changing room and said it was fine to keep my bags in the change room with me (a lot of places refuse this). Furthermore, I asked after a few point pendants. She showed me the stock they currently had, showed me the difference and welcomed me back into the store at the end of the month when they would stock them. The incense-filled environment was also at a minimum, which made my lungs happier. I will give 'value' 3 stars as their chains and point pendants were of a reasonable price.

As I will continue to say, I am proud of businesses that can uphold consistency. Although I might have had a good experience today, Inner Forest might have a bipolar mentality. Fingers crossed that you don't experience a mood swing.

If you're in the Galeries and looking for a quick feed, Sushi Hotaru is the place to go. Their plates start from a mere $3, and the quality is decent. I will admit that I have had superior tasting sushi, but Sushi Hotaru puts up a good fight. Their chicken sushi plates are my favourites, and my friends have recommended the eel to me on numerous occasions (I'm just too squeamish).

The only drawback of this sushi train is the seating arrangements. I have been here with a group of 4 people, and we were seated in a row. I find this annoying as it makes for difficult conversation. Nonetheless, the cheap sushi makes up for it.

Approximate cost: $3

Kinokuniya is one of the more remarkable facets of The Galeries. Easily accessible from Town Hall Station, Kinokuniya is a veritable slice of heaven for all book lovers.

If you are a quiet browser, then you could become lost in their labyrinthine store for hours. The range of literature stocked in Kinokuniya puts other retailers to shame. A lot of lesser-known books that you have to otherwise special order in are stocked, which makes the book-buying process infinitely smoother. Australian young adult fiction titles, for example, are almost available, which is fantastic.

One of the aspects of Kinokuniya that turn it from a mundane bookstore to a standout is that one is allowed to sit and read. With so many nooks, crannies and comfortable chairs, you are practically invited to sit down and read for a while. I love this option because it solidifies the notion of a bookstore. Bookstores shouldn't just be about purchasing books. They should also be about perusing titles leisurely. As much as this is a business, a bookstore's roots are entrenched in romantic aspects. Kinokuniya celebrates this, as other places do not.

Vast, aesthetically pleasing and with polite staff, Kinokuniya is a must if you are in the city.

Bread -- if I could, then I would live off it forever. Whenever I'm in Blacktown Westpoint, I make it a point to visit Supreme Bakehouse to pick up baked goodies for the drive home.

Supreme Bakehouse's prices are wonderfully low. For a couple of bucks, you can pick up a variety of treats, ranging from sweet to savoury. In comparison to other bakeries I've visited, their prices are very much competitive. My personal favourite is their small Turkish bread. Bread that tastes delicious without supplementary food items is superior to others, in my opinion. However, I would stay away from their sesame sticks. Even though they sell out fast, I've had better. They overbake them so that the sticks are quite hard to bite through.

My overwhelming issue is with consistency. Not all goods taste the same every time. I find this to be the case with their foccacia bread and sweet almond sticks. Today, my foccacia bread tasted like pastry and was incredibly oily. As for the almond bread, the sweetness seems to take a rollercoaster ride - sometimes too sweet, sometimes borderline savoury. I find this difficult to resolve in my mind because I can never wholly depend on the bakery to serve me the same thing every time. Service is as expected - the lady that I see all the time is lovely.

Overall, whatever Supreme Bakehouse lacks, they make it up with great prices and a sunny smile. When good, their bread is fantastic. It's just not a guarantee.