Just Because

I'm so on-the-pulse, that I found out about this cool thing only months after the fact (well, 3 years+ really if you count when it first started).

There was a Melbourne Zombie Shuffle last June, wherein hundreds of zombie-wannabes shuffled through the streets of Melbourne. Why? No apparent reason, really. Just to honour the zombies, I guess.


It's the coolest thing I've heard about in a while.

Can you imagine yourself as a tourist, arriving in Melbourne the night before and then walking out of your hotel the next morning finding yourself swamped with zombies? How freaky cool would that be? Hehe.

Read more about it here or here.

I must remember to head into the city next time the shuffle's on.

In the meantime, I need to prepare myself by doing some research. This book looks like a good place to start.

The Galleon Cafe

D and I met up with our friends K and T for brunch last Sunday. K suggested The Galleon Cafe in St Kilda, which was featured in a couple of breakfast blogs.

They were quite busy but there was only a few minutes wait for a table. Off to a good start.

The breakfast menu was quite extensive and it took us a while to decode, decipher and decide what to order.

Coffee was a bit slow but nothing excessive. It was a decent cup -- not the best but good. OJ wasn't freshly squeezed though.

As it turns out, three of us decided to order the same thing -- eggs benedict with ham.

It was a good choice as it was very yummy. And filling.

K ordered something else -- I've forgotten now what it was (K, do you remember what it was called?) -- which was good too.

The place was kitschy but comfortable. Casual and relaxed, just the way I like my cafes.

Good food, friendly service, decent coffee. No tourist prices here so brunch was quite reasonable. Not bad at all.

If you're in St Kilda and looking for a place to eat, stop by the Galleon. I heard lunch isn't bad either.

Scienceworks and Other Things

As our museum membership was running out, D and I decided to avail of our free entry privilege to Scienceworks last month.

It was great! Very kid-oriented but still fun.

Here are the highlights:

A salt and pepper collection (shot specially for my sis)


D clowning around


I look really excited


Giant washing machine!


Giant faucet! And it's dripping Ds!


D trying to scale the walls -- operative word, trying


D looking suspicious as he tries to break in


Shot of the bridge outside Scienceworks


Token couple shot


Wanted!



Great big clock!


Outside Scienceworks



A couple of weeks later, we went back to visit the Lightning Room and the Planetarium. There was a new exhibit that just opened as well.







Waiting for the show to start




The planetarium was pretty cool and the feature we caught was narrated by Harrison Ford.

I reckon it's a good (and cheap) way to spend a rainy Saturday afternoon. Just be prepared for the oodles of kids.

Cost: $6/adult, +$5 if you want to see The Lightning Room or a Planetarium show
More details here.

Death Proof at the Moonlight Cinema

Seriously, this movie is cool. A chick flick and a guys gory dream come true all rolled into one. Tarantino rocks.



Now all I need to do is find out where to watch Rodriguez's Planet Terror, other than the Astor*.


----

*The Astor Theatre is having a special season of Grindhouse -- showing Death Proof and Planet Terror as a double feature, the way the directors intended it. Unfortunately, we'll be in Manila at the time they're showing it. Bummer.

UPDATE: We watched Planet Terror and I was sorely disappointed in Robert Rodriguez. It was still worth watching just for the girl with a machine gun for a leg...

In between the first two videos

This was one Saturday in October.

What do cricket, sushi and a convent have in common? As we found out, nothing, apparently.

My Neglected Forgotten Blog

For a long moment there, I forgot I had a blog. Almost 2 weeks since my last post but I have lots of excuses. Things have been busy -- busier than usual anyway.

Yes they are excuses but these are the Things That Have Kept Me From Blogging:

1. My sister arrived on the 18th! Woohoo! She's here for 3 months. We've been taking her around and getting her sorted.
2. We had a lunch-thing with a few of our friends on the Sunday she arrived. I was busy cooking, eating, mingling and cleaning up that day.
3. I was working. Mundane but true. Still trying to sort out the work situation as well.
4. We went up to Mount Dandenong and visited the William Ricketts Sanctuary (creepy but fascinating) and Sky High Mt. Dandenong (absolutely gorgeous -- highly recommended).
5. We went shopping at the Camberwell markets. We scored! Heaps of jumpers and sweaters for cheap! Got a good pair of jeans and a pair of slacks!
6. I took my Road Law Knowledge Test and Hazard Perception Test and I passed both! Woohoo! Now, all I need is to pass the practical driving test and I'll finally get a Victorian license. The test is still in October.
7. I've discovered Facebook and now I'm hooked. I'm way too addicted to Scrabulous at the moment.
8. Char is coming tonight! Woohoo!
9. I've also been busy enjoying the fine Melbourne weather. We've been having really good days recently -- 20ºC days are SO good. Sometimes, it even feels like Melbourne summer! Double woohoo!

See? I have been busy. But I'll try to be more regular again. And I have yet to post my pictures. I'll get it done. Soonish. Somehow.

Thank God It's Friday

I hate cliches but TGIF is exactly what I feel right now. I've had a loooonnnggg week and it's nice to be snuggly in bed at this moment.

Work's still the same beast but I feel less frustrated. Only because I've decided to be more proactive with my career and have taken some steps to make sure that the company hears what I have to say. I feel quite proud of myself in that respect.


Last Friday (feels like ages ago), D and I went to see the new Harry Potter movie at the IMAX. Now, I've never watched anything in IMAX before and I didn't have any expectations. It was great! The screen was HUGE.

I don't know exactly what D and I were expecting but we kept waiting for the 3D to come on. Mid-way through the movie, we were looking at each other and wondering whether the 3D parts were ever going to come on. It finally did, once, at the end of the movie. It ran for 15 minutes and that was it. Now, don't get me wrong. It was great effects and it's definitely the way to see this particular movie but we both thought that there would be more 3D happening. Silly us.

The glasses are still dorky by the way.

The Great Wall in Melbourne

Last weekend, D and I went to see the Great Wall of China exhibit in the Melbourne Museum. We were supposed to go with Rob and Tuan but they were almost 2 hours late so we went ahead to explore the exhibit. (Why they were late depends on who's telling the story. Rob blames Tuan and Tuan blames Rob. You know the drill. I think it's because they're both sh*t with directions.)

It was very interesting but a bit limited. The space was small and there weren't enough artifacts. They had lots of videos though but I wouldn't have paid $16 for it willingly. And good thing we didn't.

Because, while D and I were wondering around the museum, we came upon this poster offering Museum Membership. We paid $60 for a year's membership for the 2 of us which allowed us to enter the Great Wall exhibit for just $5 each (instead of the overpriced $16).

It also gives us unlimited free entry to the Melbourne Museum, Scienceworks, Immigration Museum and tours of the Royal Exhibition Building. It also allows us one visit per year to the Planetarium and the Lightning Room at Scienceworks. And we get discounted IMAX tickets! Plus discounts on exhibits.

Another bonus is that we haven't been to any of those places other than the Melbourne Museum. It's amazing!

This gives us motivation to go out on weekends and check those places out.

I like it.

This is me and D with the life-size statues:

I bought this little guy from the souvenir shop:

Yes I know it's touristy but I couldn't help myself. He even comes with his own faux silk box!

Adventures

We haven't had any exciting adventures in the recent past. Come to think of it, we haven't even had any not-so-exciting adventures to talk about either.

We do have the excuse of moving house but I think that excuse is well used up by now. I have to get started on a list again. Which reminds me, I should give an update on that list I had early this year to see how we did.

List posted initially in Jan 07 (updates in red):

1. Take Spanish classes with D (already enrolled. classes start Jan 18, Thursday evenings.) - Done! Not sure if we learned anything but we had fun taking the classes!
2. Watch the Australian Open (bought tickets for Jan 21, Sunday) - Went and truly enjoyed it. Hoping my dad comes back next year in time for us to go together.
3. Watch a film at the Moonlight Cinema (sometime in Feb, waiting for the screening of a movie we actually want to see) or the Rooftop Cinema (maybe next Friday to see Bright Young Things) - done and done. Saw Casino Royale at the Moonlight Cinema and Bright Young Things at the Rooftop one. Both were quite enjoyable.
4. Learn Yoga (I really need motivation for this) - i went to ONE class! i'm so bad. at least, D and I have enrolled in a gym. i'll check out the classes there.
5. Visit more museums or cultural centers (next stop is the Australian Center for Contemporary Art where Mike Nelson is exhibiting Lonely Planet at the moment) - went to the ACCA and got weirded out by Mike Nelson's art. i need to find another artsy alternative.
6. Explore Victoria through books (I'm actually doing this already through the reading program, Reading Victoria. Already gone through one, Stiff, and now reading through Picnic at Hanging Rock.) - read Stiff and didn't really like it. Picnic was a bit weird as well. Read another book which I liked - Nevil Shute's On the Beach.
7. Catch more concerts (D wants to see Tenacious D this month. I doubt we'll be organized enough to catch that one... Damien Rice is playing in Feb, Gomez in April) or go to music festivals (St Kilda Festival is on!) - haven't gone to any concerts but we did go to the St Kilda Festival. hmm, i think we should try to catch a concert soon.
8. Have picnics (if we end up going to the Moonlight Cinema, then that's 2 birds with one stone. If not, I want to go to Hanging Rock). - Cinema done, Hanging Rock still hanging. =)

Well, I don't think we did too badly with that list. Time for a new one!

Moonlight Cinema

We went to see Casino Royale at the Moonlight Cinema (Royal Botanical Gardens). It was quite fun! I'm posting the pics here first as I can't be bothered writing about it in detail yet.

Australia Day and lots of sleep

We had Friday off as it was Australia Day. No idea what that entails (because I'm not Australian, duh) and still don't as I spent most of the day sleeping. IT WAS SO GOOD.

I woke up past 11 o'clock in the morning, had semi-brunch (couldn't be bothered cooking), read in bed, might've dozed again then properly woke up at past 3pm and went to DFO (Direct Factory Outlet) to do some shopping. It was a success and I went home with lots of spoils.

For $120, I ended up with: 2 dresses, 4 tank tops, 3 T shirts, 2 pairs of pants, 1 pair capri pants, 1 pair shorts, 1 midriff cardigan. Really good, huh? I so love it.

Saturday was pretty much the same with me spending most of the day in bed. My body so needed the sleep.
________

We did go out Saturday evening to watch Pan's Labyrinth. It was amazing. Very nice cinematography and effects. Good story too. I would've loved it but it was too brutal for my taste. There were too many scenes where I was cringing in my seat and covering my eyes. Admittedly, I am queasy, but D also said it was too brutal for him too.

And I thought we were going to see a Fairy Tale for Adults kind of thing. Which it was. But the other side of the film felt very sadistic. Think Tim Burton but darker. A lot darker.

I do recommend watching it. Just be ready for shock value gore. Also, it's in Spanish and is subtitled so it might not be everybody's cup of tea.

Australian Open

I didn't find time to blog about our Australian Open experience yesterday as I was busy searching on the net for gift ideas for D's birthday which is next week!
_____
I really enjoyed the tennis. The day definitely needed more sunshine but at least the rain held off until late in the day.


This is how our day went:

D wakes me up early on Sunday (barely even 8!) just because he was too excited to sleep in. The games were scheduled to begin at 11am so you can imagine my reaction when he woke me too early. Not a pretty sight.

I crawled out of bed at around 9 o'clock, puttered around the house for a bit, got D to make some coffee, packed necessary things (tickets, metcards, venue map, match schedule, cap, extra jumper, umbrella, water bottle, etc) and was out the door by 10. We went to the grocery and bakery to pick up some baon.

We drove to the train station, parked the car (more on this later) and waited 16 minutes for the next train to Richmond.

We got to the Vodafone Arena at quarter to 11 and were able to score decent seats. It was around this time that D realized he had accidentally left his keys inside the car. Hehe, that is so like me. As we couldn't do anything about it then, we decided to sit and enjoy the tennis (well, I did anyway. I'm sure D was stressing about it the whole day).

We decided to watch the first 3 matches in Vodafone Arena before making our way to the outside courts.

They were:

Haas vs Mayer
Peer vs Kuznetsova
Vaidisova vs Dementieva

As I am not a sports commentator and am too lazy, you'll have to read the links for the match summaries.

My dad asked me if it was different watching it live rather than on TV. It definitely is. The atmosphere, the watching-things-unfold-as-they-happen and no commercials make the experience worthwhile. On the downside, you don't get replays or commentaries (then again, that's not such a bad thing anyway). I wish I had scheduled more days to watch this year. Oh well. I'll definitely be back next year. I'm hoping my dad gets to join me then...

We were headed for Show Court 3 to watch a doubles game when it started to drizzle steadily.

Vera Dushevina (RUS)/Maria Kirilenko (RUS)
vs
Martina Hingis (SUI)/Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS)

We got to the court but all play was delayed and everything was very wet. We decided to call it a day and go home.
____
p.s.
D (using packing tape he scrounged in the arena) was able to break into his car in less than a minute. I was duly impressed.

p.p.s
I'll post some pictures later as I don't have the memory sticks with me here.

Weekend

D and I went to the Rooftop Cinema last Friday night to watch Bright Young Things with Karima and her sister. It was great, both the cinema and the movie. Would highly recommend both.

The cinema had a mini bar where you could buy drinks and snacks while waiting for the movie to start (which took a while, since we got there past 7 o'clock and the movie started when it got dark which was a little past 9 pm). Only downside was the elevator was broken when we were coming in so we had to hike 7 floors up. Ouch.

Next time, we would opt to grab snacks at the bar instead of having dinner beforehand so that waiting time wouldn't seem that long. Suggest you come in early (doors open at 7) to save seats. They tend to fill up. Another tip: rent one of the blankets they have for hire ($5 each, all proceeds go to charity), even if you think you won't need it, as the night cools down to a chill.

All in all, it was a really great experience. $18+booking fee.
_____________

Yesterday (Sunday), we went and had a picnic barbecue at Sugarloaf Dam in Christmas Hills. D's family were supposed to join us but they all piked so it was just me, D and Kev. We brought steaks, sausages, salads and a 6-pack. Makings of a good picnic. Yum, yum.

After we ate, D and Kev went to try their luck with the fishing. I stayed at the picnic site to finish the book I was reading (The Fabulist by Stephen Glass, not worth reading really). After I was done with my book, I went to look for them but encountered 3 kangaroos instead. I was walking around the park, minding my own business, when I looked up to see 3 kangaroos staring at me. Freaky. Needless to say, I stopped looking for the boys and decided to wait for them at the picnic site instead. I'm not very nature-y.

It was a good way to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon though and, for once, the weather cooperated.

Markets

Last weekend we went market-ing, for lack of a better word. It was generally a lazy weekend but we did manage to discover new places to go.

Saturday: We tried the Elwood Market first but it wasn't on until February. Oh well. After that, we went to the South Melbourne Market, which is sort of a mini-me version of the Queen Victoria Market in the city. It was alright but I didn't get to buy anything. D bought about 5 records. We'll probably go back there to go fruit and veggie shopping.

We also went to the ACCA to see Mike Nelson's Lonely Planet.

Modern art. Very weird. Bunch of rooms that had that abandoned look to them. Felt like you were going through an old abandoned apartment building or an old house. A bit creepy too. Had that "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" feel to it.

Mike Nelson, Lonely Planet, 2006; Installation view, ACCA

Needless to say, we weren't big fans. But then again, we're neither "cultured" nor art freaks.

Sunday: Went to the Camberwell Market late morning. We had a lazy late start and got to the market past 11 o' clock. It was scheduled from 6.00am to 12.30pm. Met Rob there, had a wander through then promptly got rained on. We'd only been there for about half an hour when it started raining. Bummer. Got myself some card stock for cheap (a project I'm working on) while D bought heaps more records. And I mean heaps more. I think it's vinyl addiction.

We headed for the Prahran Market but it wasn't there. No idea why. So we decided to go the St Kilda Arts & Crafts Market instead.

Grabbed lunch from a cafe in Acland St. The food took ages to come and D's and Rob's orders weren't up to par. I ordered a Prawn and Avocado Salad which was yum, though. I've blogged a review about this place previously (Kat Bahloo) and raved about it. We didn't have as good an experience this time.

After lunch, we went to the Market, which turned out to be a dud. Very arts & craftsy. Hehe.

Decided to go home and chill. D & Rob listened to records while I worked on my project. Went to D's mum's house afterwards to visit.

Not a bad way to spend the weekend.

Can't believe it's 2007...

New Year's Eve was spent in the city, viewing the fireworks. It was good, way better than staying at home and seeing it on TV. Got there early enough (too early, maybe) and saw the kiddie fireworks at 9pm then waited 3 more hours for the midnight one. Got a bit bored, a bit chilled but all in all, it wasn't a bad way to spend New Year's.

We were able to score a very good spot on Birrarung Marr (just off Fed Square which had hordes of people) which wasn't too crowded and had the best views (we were able to see 3 - 4 different sets of fireworks).

We were all asking each other about new year's resolutions and nobody really had anything much to say about the topic. I guess we're at the age when we know that resolutions rarely (never?) work and having them during new year's is very very silly.

That said, I've had a thought and I've decided to be more proactive and explore more of Melbourne, the city I call home for now.

Here is a list of things I'm hoping to do, soonish:

1. Take Spanish classes with D (already enrolled. classes start Jan 18, Thursday evenings.)
2. Watch the Australian Open (bought tickets for Jan 21, Sunday)
3. Watch a film at the Moonlight Cinema (sometime in Feb, waiting for the screening of a movie we actually want to see) or the Rooftop Cinema (maybe next Friday to see Bright Young Things)
4. Learn Yoga (I really need motivation for this)
5. Visit more museums or cultural centers (next stop is the Australian Center for Contemporary Art where Mike Nelson is exhibiting Lonely Planet at the moment)
6. Explore Victoria through books (I'm actually doing this already through the reading program, Reading Victoria. Already gone through one, Stiff, and now reading through Picnic at Hanging Rock.)
7. Catch more concerts (D wants to see Tenacious D this month. I doubt we'll be organized enough to catch that one... Damien Rice is playing in Feb, Gomez in April) or go to music festivals (St Kilda Festival is on!)
8. Have picnics (if we end up going to the Moonlight Cinema, then that's 2 birds with one stone. If not, I want to go to Hanging Rock).

That's my list for now. So many things to do...

Australian Open

I've just decided to go and watch the Australian Open. It's practically happening in our backyard and I thought it would be a shame not to go. Plus, it's one of the cool things about living in Melbourne and I should take advantage of it.

I've roped D into buying tickets tonight. We're going to get the Ground Passes ($29/person) for the first weekend it's on. How exciting...

Read more about the Open here.

Spring Fever

We went to the city last Saturday to go on this chocoholic tour. It was okay. Not fantastic but still yummy. Got kinda sick of chocolates after the tour though. Hehe.

What was interesting when we went to the city were all these people dressed up (really dressed up) for the Horse Races. Apparently, the Melbourne Cup is a really big thing here in Melbourne. All I know about it is we get Tuesday off (yey!) and that it's funny to see people dressed up to the nines, running to catch the tram (drink & drive rule). =) Click for more info on this bizarre Melburnian tradition.

Yup, they were dressed like that catching public transpo. Go figure.

I got some practice driving done over the weekend. D says I'm getting better but I still feel antsy. Oh well.

Yey, one day of work then a day off!

Nights out

Last night, D and I went to get a quick bite to eat for dinner. We were headed for this kebab place on Acland Street but we got sidetracked by this café where there was this chick performing live music. It turned out to be a good choice, actually. The food was good (and cheap! D had a huge burger for $6), the chai latte was reasonable and the singer turned out to be good as well.

Kat Bahloo. Cool.

D had a chat with the chick (i've completely forgot her name by now but D has her flyer) and she gave us her next gig dates/venues. There's one tonight in Collingwood. Maybe.

Kat Bahloo was a good find as well as it has open mike nights on wednesdays. D's been wanting to gig since forever and this might just push him to actually do it.

There's a work social function tonight. Bare Feet Lawn Bowls competition & BBQ. Hmm, never been lawn bowling before. D says we should go to help me with Australian transformation... That's a bloody good reason not to go. But I am curious.

Either that or D and I will go have a lovely dinner somewhere. Spanish or Mediterranean. Yum. Choices, choices.

images from Kat Bahloo website