Day 1 & 2 - Melbourne

To the OZ.

When Zen mode is ON.

Travelling to a place with lots of Kangaroo, Beach and Chips?

cr. www.interestingfacts.org

cr. www.webmd.com

This trip was always in my plan since years ago when one of my best mate 

(*Aussie pronounce as: "Mike") bound to Melbourne for further study. 

I'm so glad that I am able to arrange my schedule and give this fun trip a green light! Yay!

It was a warmth trip I would say, because I got to go with my friends 

Shin, Jun and a new friend Edmund. 

Not need to mention we will also meet our old old friend AC in Melbourne of course!

So basically we planned all the stuff by chatting online, 

from tickets booking-hotels-to luggage and daily schedule. 

Well, part from Melbourne which nicely arranged by AC 

who really familiar after living there for a few years now, we also heading to Sydney! 

Another nice spot not to be missed and therefore we have to survey what to do and see in Sydney.

Oh well, just when we thought of everything would comes in plan and then when accident did happened. 

Shin suddenly fall sick to dengue fever few days right before our departure day and she has no choice but to fly in another day soon. 

We all so sad that her attendance is all depend on the platelets rate now :( 

14 May 2016

We took a night flight from KUL (KLIA2) 10.30PM to MEL (Tullamarine) Airport 8.20AM, 

bound with Air Asia X Flight D7 214.

Chatting with Shin on the way boarding, tell her to fight the dengue off and we will meet in Sydney or Melbourne soonest possible.

15 May 2016- Day 1

Safely landed in Tullamarine Airport at 8.20AM and heading to the public pick up spot where AC showed us.
My face wasn't got detected by the custom check in point and lead me to a queue but my passport got stamped which is good. Lol.

One of my friend was suffering from the airsickness but he is turning right after we landed and took some rest. (Pheww..) 

And thanks to Edmund sister we got food on flight! Happy kids with no hunger haha.

While waiting for AC car to appear, we quickly took some photos in front of the MELBOURNE signboard to prove that we ARE HERE! Haha..

The weather was chilling with strong wind and super bright sunlight. 

(I could hardly open my eyes without sunglasses)

Not long after the photos taken, AC finally reached and gave us a big welcome to where he live currently. We all miss him!

He drove us straight to brunch in a nice cafe, and we can continue the chit chat which only started in the car. (*Australia rules on the road definitely not a joke, you need full attention while driving because even a Turn there's so many types of them and looking on your smartphone is nearly an impossible thing to do while driving lol!)

First brunch place after touch down is Le Miel et la lune Cafe

The awaiting moment, when I got to sat down in an unfamiliar country, with the most familiar faces, 

and we started to talk anything from east to west.

All food on table are good enough to awake our taste buds from 8 hours flight.

The bottom was fanciest French Toast I've ever tried, definitely not the usual one we had in mind, such rich taste won our heart! 

After that, we head to AC house, where we will stay there the rest of days here in Melbourne.

AC is sharing home with another 3 housemates, and I am truly appreciate that one of them, 

Louise even offering his room to be a "Girls Only" room temporally for me and Shin.

Settle down our luggage and took a good rest, (actually I am awaking myself over hundred times of : I am in Australia, I am in Melbourne now!) 

then we are ready to go for dinner!

We were heading to a nice bar as recommended by AC in the early evening, a very special rooftop bar locate on top of an office building, 

but it was full house during our first visit. 

So, we head to check around the city view and return again, but still it was a full house. Meh.

Melbourne city view was so so nice at night by the way.

St Paul Cathedral, Melbourne opposite of Flinders Street Station.

Fancy Horse Carriage which remind me of Malacca Tricycle.

Flinders Street Railway Station opened since 12 September 1854.

Instead of waiting in front of the office lift, we decide to go for a dinner first.

Dinner was in Universal Italian Restaurant, 

located on Italian street which can see quite famous dinner place for local. Tempting food on table wahhh~

We were checking on some nice soft serve (ice-cream in Aussie) shops nearby after dinner and we decided to wait until Shin get here to eat together.

After dinner, finally for the 3rd time we went to the
Lui Bar,
cuz we just never give up heh.

This time, luckily, we finally got a table! (Now I know because their tables are quite limited. No they don't do reservation if you wonder, and they sounds pretty mysterious idk why)

Got up to 55 Floor, the night view and glamorous interior do worth the price of keep us waiting.

I am sinking in the mood.

Good to be here. Cold open air and fascinating night view.

A toast to AunChian, because without him we won't be here.

We took this as a welcome party with beer and some heart talk, 

and lots of photos to wrap this first night off.

16 May 2016- Day 2

Going out 8AM for breakfast in Vietnam restaurant nearby.(We stay in Springvale which is a Vietnamese living area)

See how blue and clear the sky was! 

My first try to Vietnamese food and I like them, phó is so good when you know you will have all these fried and grill food in later days.

AC need to go Frankston hospital 12PM, so we ask him to just drop us at a beach nearby Frankston Pier.

We were surprised to see the beach is nicer than AC describe and we enjoyed a good 2 hours hanging around and have a coffee there.

Sun shine with my favorite temperature!

Middle of the random tire track.

I saw freedom here.

The shining black fur of this dog , see!

On a random bridge.

Frankston Pier, not in Manhattan beach ya? 

Thinking about I'm gonna be so tanned later.

3 of us fighting on sunlight with our eyes.

A Hello Selfie and messy hair. 

Then we walked to a shopping mall nearby to meet AC in Coles. 

(Coles and Woolsworth are supermarket brands in Australia, just like Qiant or Econsave in here Malaysia.)

Thanks to Edmund who was behind all these nice candid photos.

We met up for getting a prepaid SIM card in Optus (local telecommunications company) , 

we chose $10 with 100 mins call and 300MB data/week plan to use when we in Sydney later.

After that, we head back to Coles for some fresh prawns & dip sauce introduced by AC to us for a picnic at Mornington Beach, VIC.

They are brilliant in preparing the prawns by immediately steam cooked them up from ocean, then frost them and ready to sell, ready to eat!

All so fresh and not so expensive

High Tech pay and pack all by self at counter.

A fresh and sweet chewy prawn by the seaside, it taste heavenly good without any seasoning!

Another snacks called Dips also not to be missed, simply matching capsicum or basil sauce with rice crackers yum!

OK what happen next was Epic! A group of sea gulls flying on top of us with their eyes spotting on those fresh prawns! 

We were like OMG and quickly packed our stuff and move from the open space to small beach houses area.

My expression goes totally OMG! Hahahaha

Dear sea gulls, hungry sea gulls...

It took us some times to remove the sea gulls attention from us and so we could finish up our picnic haha. 

Picnic with a superb view, so much laughter, pretty cold weather and so busy for sea gulls attack.

Like an angel is coming down anytime. 

Small colorful beach houses.

A photo before we leave, weather was too cold to handle.

While we decided to make today schedule shorter and rest early for the coming 4AM airport call time bound to Sydney, 

a plan came up to cook a dinner for all, including AC housemates as an appreciation to disturb them these days.

We went Coles again to grab some dinner materials and lots of TimTam!

On the way home we stopped by Maccas (a.k.a McDonald) for sundae soft serve,

Back home and start chopping every vege in kitchen..

I am the only girl in the house but cooking skill is just so so, therefore let the pros bosses do the cooking. 

Haha I did cut some tomatoes and potatoes and stir the pasta OK? If that count...

On menu tonight: Roasted Chicken with a beer in its butt, Many vegetables and potatoes cut in oversize, and well cooked pasta bolognese.

Gan Jiong moment to check if the chicken is well cooked. Or not.

Home cook dinner in Melbourne checked. Yayy~

Finally we got to meet all AC housemate in the house, did some self intro and enjoy talking AC bad words on table to call it a wrap.

Sleep time was only 2 hours but I was having insomnia for these two hours because time was too confusing and I worried of overslept, 

so heading airport at 4AM in Panda condition grrr....

To be continue.

Laven.L

Escape to Urban

I don't know why it took me so long until this year to find out

 about this cool event happening in KL every year.

It's an artistic urban event, Malaysia's Creative Arts Festival- Urbanscapes 2016.

Okay probably because this year poster was too attractive for me to check it out!

Or, the Pop Up Artistic box located on the LRT station where I will pass by every weekdays?

Photo credit to Time Out. com

(*Most LRT station have this box with different art design, if you notice.)

Surprisingly less people actually stop by and take photo in these boxes, 

(What social media had changed us homo sapiens so far.)

Maybe people can't pretend there's only him/herself in the world 

while it was a super busy traffic flowing train station. For example, me. Haha.

Ok.

What is Urbanscapes?

It was founded since Year 2002 (so many years ago!), 

playing role as one of the longest-running creative arts festival in Malaysia. 

This event was initially aiming to gather Malaysian creative communities from every art related fields 

e.g: music, arts, design, film etc, which now turn into one of best event around the world. 

Our community-centric festival is built on the belief that great things happen when people come together.
--Message from the Urbanscapes committee.

To sum up, Urbanscapes is a cool event which will spoon-feed you for a full day of music, arts, design, film and fun at the festival! 

Here is the timetable which I got on the day I went to Urbanscapes House.

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I went on 6th May, which was a usual day in their schedule, only exhibition-cafe-and a night live band was happening.

I still remember the guy assist me on the register counter, he show me this schedule and hand cover up the whole page on the left, 

saying: these all unavailable, because too late liao, already passed.Hahaha wokey~

 I knew that I missed out a lotss of fun when I was busy working, but nevermind.

I almost gonna tell him, I was actually here to see the neon light underground because it will be so cool if I got to take picture in there! Heh.

Then I explore the little Urban House with my photographer in crime, my mom ;) 

Went up Level 1 for the [Cannot Be Bo(a)rdered] exhibition at first.

(I was sooo glad I chose to go up rather down first because this area had good air-conditioned 

for a hot baby (Me) after a walk from Masjid Jamek LRT station.)

It was a skateboard exhibition with many artistic skateboards.

People write on, draw on the boards,

 

 or even glue on to be a sculpture or a windmill!

So good to look at.

Samurai Warrior! Somehow, tribal.

Click in below for a windmill chill. :)

Some extra: 

Made me hungry. :p

Love this color combination.

Walking down to B1 Underground. Ready?

OMG What is this?!Hahaha my photographer literally got scared by this view once stepped in.

But wait, it was actually creepily cool!

Camoflage into the space.

Find me in between the neon light.

This wall was a Fab! 

I remember when I was a little younger, I wish I own this type of "messy" wall.

Well, I guess I don't have to now because I found it in here underground of Urbanscapes House.

And another extra:

In another room underground.

Some of the things we see, we read, we heard in this country. 

You will understand, if you are a Malaysian.

The Urbanscapes 2016 had wrapping up with a closing party on 8th May, Mother's Day.

So, let's stay tune for the next!

#ArtisLove

Laven.L