Carissa Gan: City People

In my previous blog post, I talked about FOOD. So I'm dedicating this post to the city, shopping and the PEOPLE :)

The city was buzzing with people and life. It was huge. I think I could walk the whole city in one day :) But I might get distracted by the shops along the way, so it would probably take me one week to finish the entire city by myself! :) LOL.

Winter blues

For some reason, Melbourne made me think of Manhattan. Yes, I know Manhattan is far bigger but you can't deny that the tall buildings, narrow roads and city bustle doesn't make you think of Manhattan.

I visited the city pretty often. Sometimes, we'd just go for a movie and have lunch/dinner in some of the shops. On other days, we'd do some shopping :) (Most days, actually). Winter sales were HUGE and all my favorite stores were always so attractive. I visited Valleygirl at least 5 times when I was there. Supre was another one that I checked out quite frequently, and Cotton On, and a whole bunch of other shops. The inner shopaholic in me that I tried so hard to tame this year just went wild in Melbourne.

People say that Melbourne has 4 seasons in one day.

They're not kidding.

There were times when the morning was sunny and warm (I was elated), and in the afternoon the cold wind took over, sending chills everywhere. Few hours later, it'd start raining and when it rains during winter, the last thing you wanna do is head outside. One night, it started raining and my friends and I had to run across the city to get to our destination. That night itself, I caught a headache and fell sick the next morning :(

So, I learned to pack a scarf, gloves and a cap in my bag everytime I went out to prepare myself for such situations.

The city was really stunning at night. Bright lights glistened in the dark and washed the whole city with a gentle yet vivid glow.

The sad thing about city life in Melbourne is that the shops close at 5pm everyday, except on Friday nights. That's the only day they're opened until 9pm. I couldn't help wishing for them to extend their business hours until 10pm every single day, like Malaysian malls.

Queen Victoria Market

The largest market in the city.

It sold a variety of fruits and vegetables, along with meat and other stuff as well. There were clothes, scarves, accessories, souvenirs, toys and the weirdest things too. I took Gloria there on Thursday morning.

Gloria!

Gloria arrived on Monday morning from Perth. Ming and I drove to the airport to pick her up. It was SO GOOD seeing her again because it's been 6 whole months since I last met her. I didn't even get to wish her a proper farewell before she left for Perth. So this time, we had almost a week to spend together, and I'm really grateful that I got to hang out with her and talk and catchup just like the old days :) We stayed up really late on the first night just chatting and telling each other stories. It was so fun.

We had Thai food one night with Ming Zen and his brother on Lygon Street. I didn't take any pictures of the food, strangely. But I have memories of them! I don't fancy spicy stuff but the tom yam soup was irresistable. I think the restaurant was called "Ying Thai". It shouldn't be hard to find.. probably just a few blocks up from Freddo's Ice Cream.

I also met up with the bunch that flew in from Brisbane! Shu Xian and Grace Ong were both from church, and they came with their uni mates: Andrew, Su Yin, Sheau Han and Seu Foong.

(Not sure if I spelt the names right, but that's the right pronunciation)

On that day itself, we hung out with Priscilla Yap too! It's been 2 and a half years since I saw Priscilla (that was the year she left for Melbourne). It was great seeing her again! And in case you're wondering, she's still as tall as ever. Towered over me the whole time in her brown boots with HEELS. Lol.

Pris & Gloria

While I was there, I also met up with Charis Wong. :) She took Ming and I for yummy dumplings at the Shanghai Dumpling House. That was how I got to know about that place tucked away in the little Chinatown alley. One week later, when Grace and the others arrived from Brisbane, we brought them there to have dumplings! They liked it.

Charis!

Charis and I did a lot of window shopping that day. After lunch, we walked along Bourke Street where the nice & affordable shops were, and then we walked into 7 Angels (a store selling very weird clothes) and dared each other to try on some of the most outrageous/ugly/funny clothes in the store. Too bad we didn't take photos of ourselves in those outfits. I remember trying on this long vintage green-blue dress and the first thing that came to my mind was, "EW. I look like a mythical creature from Narnia." LOL.

I also met two of Ming's friends, Brian and Lela. Lela took us rollerblading one fine morning and that was my first time on rollerblades. It was SO different from ice skating. I think rollerblading is easier to catch on to. I was very wobbly for the first 30 minutes or so, but halfway through, I started to love it. I loved the adrenaline rush when I dared myself to go faster. Haha. It was a good experience! Wouldn't mind rollerblading another time ;)

Brian, Lela & me

Then one night, I went to Dracula's with Ming, Jen Ne, Evan, Jer Mayn, Adam and Wai Munn. Dracula's is a comedy cabaret in the city. They're open all week for a fun filled night of entertainment and horror. Their horror leans more to the comical side.

So on a cold Friday night, all of us lined up outside the building with the 100+ people who also paid to enter. Then the gates opened and we were allowed inside. First, there was a 'ghost train' that led us to the main theatre, where the dinner and performances took place. I enjoyed myself the whole night. The performers were uber talented and extremely funny. They sang, danced, acted and performed stand-up comedy. We also got a group photo with some of them, and I got my picture autographed after the show.

Great night!

Let me introduce you to Josh the MANnequin. He's incredibly cute and has a distinct style of dressing, which is what I like about him the most. Ming caught me making out with him and decided to hold this picture as an evidence against me! :( Dang. We should've been more discreet, Josh! It's all your fault because you refused to budge!

HAHA.

Just for the record, we were air kissing.

Ming: I can't believe YOU made out with PLASTIC!

Me: So you're telling me you're jealous of that plastic?

Ming: PFFT. NO!

Me: Good! Then I don't see what the problem is :)

HAHA. He wouldn't drop it.

Moving on...

I miss little Snoopie. He's Ming's dog and he is extremely affectionate and adorable. And quite a charmer, too.

I took him for walks several times during the 3 weeks of my stay. It was always freezing cold, and I always begged Snoopie to hurry up and pee/poo. The whole point of walking around the big lake was so that he could do his dirty business on the grass. But he took his own sweet time and was very picky about his spots. He would spend a great deal of time sniffing around before finally deciding on lifting up his hind leg to pee. Then after a few drips, he'd move on to another spot and release a few more drips. And repeat that action several times. Lol. Why wouldn't he just release all his drips in one go? I guess he wanted to walk the entire lake first. Smart dog!

Despite making me suffer in the freezing cold, I still love him anyway :) He won my heart!

I bought him a toy pig to play with and within a few days, he bit both the pig's ears off! Haha. He always bites off the ears of his soft toys.

Oh gosh, blogging about my trip is making me miss Melbourne SO much. It's still winter there. I can picture people walking around the city in their winter jackets and leather boots, with a warm cup of coffee in hand. I miss everything about that place, from the unpredictable weather changes to the golden sun on lucky mornings. I miss the vivid colors of nature, like the bright blue sky and the lush green grass. I miss the food and the people. I miss all the sweet memories!