Thursday, September 10, 2009

7 days in melbourne, part 2

day 1 - lcct


the day i left for melbourne was a rather eventful one.

first, i thought i had misplaced my passport...30mins before i was supposed to leave the house. i eventually found it in the drawer of my dressing table, where i had put it a couple of weeks before with the aim of making sure it was somewhere safe. good grief. then, i had diarrhoea. then, the bus i got on at kl sentral departed 20mins late.

and when i got to the departure gate, the heavens opened and it rained.

i guess i have never thought about what happens when bad weather hits and people still have to walk across the tarmac to the plane. well, i found out that day.

day 2 - federation square


there's this really ugly building on the corner of swanston and flinders called federation square. it's supposed to be the arts center - it was the location of the australian writer's festival when i was there - and is the location of the most extensive visitors' center i've ever seen, as well as a popular hang out/meet up spot in the city.

i took this photograph while walking with a friend of mine. i just like how flat the background looks in contrast to the very obviously 3D people sitting on the stairs.

day 3 - st. kilda


chris issak, elvis costello and seal are gonna perform here in the coming months.

sob.

day 4 - melbourne museum


one thing i absolutely love love love about the museums in melbourne is that photography is allowed in the general sections. photography! allowed! almost unheard of! singapore, you have got to catch up yo.

there were at least 5 different schools at the melbourne museum when i visited the place. i was there for the "a day in pompeii" exhibition, but also took some time out to take a look at the permanent exhibits.

i became an 8-year-old girl again when i stepped into the dinosaur walk exhibition. reminded me of how i devoured every single book on dinosaurs as a kid in hong kong. i told my father i wanted to be an archeologist and he told me to choose another profession if i intended to put food on the table.

not all my childhood memories were great.

day 5 - queen victoria market


my cousin's place was a block away from vicmart, but i only explored the place proper on my 5th day in melbourne. i loved it when i visited 3 years ago and i still loved it that day.

man, those cold cuts! aargh i want delis in malaysia too. =(

day 6 - brunswick street


i mentioned brunswick street in my last post. it's a very bohemian place, lots of quaint boutiques selling outrageously expensive stuff (budden shopping in melbourne is expensive in general), lovely lovely cafes and shops displaying really great artwork.

it's also a place full of hidden public art galleries in the form of graffiti and when i spotted an interesting alley during the hunt for an elusive cafe with "good bread", i dragged my friend in with me to take a look.

we did not regret that decision to be a tad nosy. there was a little open air studio thingamajig in that alley, one that reminded me of the art space my friend hui lian discovered in berlin. good schtuff.

day 7 - souvlaki


when i graduate next year (heh, so optimistic), i am going to europe. and if i were to choose just one place to go, it'd be greece. although my reasons for that lie mainly for the romance attached to that gorgeous gorgeous place, i can now add "food" to the list of things i look forward to in greece.

souvlaki is basically kebab, served with bread and a variety of sides. but oh man, it is delicious in all its simplicity! i took one bite of that lamb souvlaki and declared it the best thing i've had throughout my stay in melbourne. ironic that it was the last meal i had, and one that i ate only because it started raining just as i was passing by that shop and it was probably the one thing on the menu that i could afford.

i also had my one and only cup of boost juice on my last day in melbourne. somehow it's not as good as i remembered it, but it's still tonnes better than the diluted stuff we get from juice/smoothie bars in kl. tonnes more expensive too, but good!

lishun at 9:50 PM

|