Melbourne (Part 2)

Our third day in Melbourne was pretty good, I must say. (Part 1 here) We had signed up for a Day Tour of Melbourne, and had to make our own way to the pick-up point. We figured that we would find a place for brunch along the way as we walked to the tour place, because we didn't want to be late. In the end, we passed by this small street with a whole row of cafes on either side, with the tables all squeezed in the middle of the street. It was a welcoming sight for me, because I'd been looking forward to having brunch (which I love) at one of Melbourne's cafes. It's not a secret that Melbourne is well known for its cafe culture, so I was glad to have found this place! (Unfortunately I can't remember the name of the street, but it was near the place in the city with all the arty buildings like the art museum, theatre and all)





Wallace had the biggest breakfast (surprise surprise) and I think his mum had the scrambled eggs with ham.



My eggs florentine. Usually I'd have the eggs benedict but I decided to dry something different/healthier. :)



The food was pretty delicious, and I quite liked the atmosphere of sitting in a crowded alleyway on a late Sunday morning having brunch and coffee. :)


Along the same street, I saw this cupcake shop called Little Cupcakes. (Upon looking at their website I think it was probably Degraves Street? The name sounds familiar.)



The cupcakes were so small and cute, I couldn't resist entering and taking a peek!






And yes, it wouldn't surprise you that I bought some to try.






I got 5 mini cupcakes (clockwise) - Red Velvet, Devil's Dark Chocolate, Lemon, Belgian Chocolate and Carrot in the middle. As you can tell, the frosting kind of melted a bit because we were walking in the hot sun!



According to their site, each mini cupcake is 4cm in diameter and is AUD$2.20 each. I can't exactly remember how they tasted because it was 3 months ago, but if I'm not wrong, there was quite alot of frosting on each cupcake, so in proportion, they were quite sweet. I think my favourites were the carrot and belgian chocolate though.


Eventually we made our way to the tour group pick up point. We opted for a half day ferry + coach tour, something along the lines of 11am-5pm.



Strangely, I didn't take any photos on the ferry tour, which took us along the river with the tour guide giving us a commentary of the sights and history. After that, we hopped onto a big coach for the second part of the tour. The tour guide was amazing! He's literally a 1-man show. He was the driver, the tour guide, and even can prepare tea for us (lamingtons and hot tea)!


Us on the coach. First we toured around the city area, after which we took a long drive to Mount Dandenong.



We mostly fell asleep on the way to Dandenong, but when we reached there, it was all trees and greenery, such a stark contrast to the grey and built-up areas of the Melbourne CBD. They even had a little area with birds, mostly cockatoos. You could pay to go in and feed them but I didn't dare. Haha.



Oh hi!






Our tour guide aka bus driver also prepared tea for us, and then brought us to the observation deck area to explore and take photos.












There were small little gardens that were really really pretty too.












Didn't bother editing any of my photos. This shot isn't too bad eh?



Bright orange flowers :)









I like the violet and dark pink ones with alternating white.



And look at the super long row of daisies! Prettyyy :)






I felt like I was surrounded by a field of daisies. Haha.






After leaving Mount Dandenong, we headed back to the city, where we chose to drop off at Chinatown for dinner. After that, we went to the James Squire Pub - serving only James Squire beer! Wallace first dicovered James Squire beer in Tasmania (or was it Brisbane?), and he's loved it since. This is the first time we ever saw a James Squire specialty pub.


If I'm not wrong, his favourites are the Amber Ale and Golden Ale.



Every beer fresh off the tap!



As you know, I don't can't drink, so I decided to try the cider, since both Wallace and his mum were having a beer each. Turns out I couldn't even down 1/3 of it without getting red, flushed, and heart throbbing. :P




So that was another day in Melbourne! Probably 1 more post to go till I finish it :)
Anyway, my exams start in 2 days time! Back to back papers from Monday to Saturday. Eeek!

I Won't Give Up

So in love with this song now. I had heard the original version by Jason Mraz on radio before but didn't really pay attention to it. Then when Jayesslee did this cover of it earlier this week, I fell in love with it. I've been playing it over and over again, even bought it on iTunes - my first US iTunes store song purchase! (Yes I'm trying to have more integrity and be less of a pirate.)





When I look into your eyes
It's like watching the night sky
Or a beautiful sunrise
There's so much they hold
And just like them old stars
I see that you've come so far
To be right where you are
How old is your soul?

I won't give up on us
Even if the skies get rough
I'm giving you all my love
I'm still looking up

And when you're needing your space
To do some navigating
I'll be here patiently waiting
To see what you find

'Cause even the stars they burn
Some even fall to the earth
We've got a lot to learn
God knows we're worth it
No, I won't give up

I don't wanna be someone who walks away so easily
I'm here to stay and make the difference that I can make
Our differences they do a lot to teach us how to use
The tools and gifts we got yeah, we got a lot at stake
And in the end, you're still my friend at least we did intend
For us to work we didn't break, we didn't burn
We had to learn how to bend without the world caving in
I had to learn what I've got, and what I'm not
And who I am

I won't give up on us
Even if the skies get rough
I'm giving you all my love
I'm still looking up
Still looking up

I won't give up on us
God knows I'm tough enough
We've got a lot to learn
God knows we're worth it

I won't give up on us
Even if the skies get rough
I'm giving you all my love
I'm still looking up


How awesome are they? It's been a long time since a song made me tear up, and it's spurred me to listen to more music again and spend alot of time on Youtube. I sometimes forget how much music can move you. I usually don't listen to music alot alot, just on the radio when we're in the car. (I'm also loving Drive By by Train)


Anyway, this song has finally replaced the Wicked soundtrack that was on repeat in my head for a whole 2 weeks after catching the musical on Valentine's Day. We bought the CD and have been playing it in the car very often, so much so that the songs are perpetually playing in my head! It got pretty annoying when I was trying to study earlier this week, during which Popular and What Is This Feeling were resonating so loud in my head that I couldn't concentrate on what I was studying. (And I wasn't even listening to it) Lol so kwa zhang right?

Melbourne (Part 1)

We were in Melbourne from 10-14 Dec last year - me, Wallace and his mum. After his graduation ceremony in Brisbane, we flew to Melbourne for a short holiday. The only state I've ever been to in Australia is Queensland and Tasmania, so Melbourne was a first for me.

Melbourne is known for being able to have "4 seasons in a day". The weather can be hot one moment, and cold and rainy the next. When we arrived, (it was supposed to be summer), it was pretty chilly! Felt like autumn in Brisbane.


Anyways, after checking in to our hotel in the CBD (Mantra on Little Bourke St), we explored the streets for somewhere to grab lunch. It was a Saturday, but the streets we were walking along were really empty! Well my Singaporean friend had recommended me some places to eat, and one of them was this crepe place at Hardware Street.





Unfortunately we only ordered savoury ones, didn't get to try any sweet ones. It wasn't too bad, but then again I don't really eat savoury crepes very often.



Right next to the crepe place is La Belle Miette - apparently the best macarons in Melbourne! Pretty crowded as you can see from the photo. Thanks Zoe for recommending this and the crepe place!



Love their decor - a nice little place for tea and macarons on a lazy Sunday :)









Their macarons sell pretty fast! But I think they replenish quite often whenever a flavour is running out.



When I saw all the pretty boxes on the shelves, I was silly enough to think that they might come free if you buy 6 0r 12 macarons, so I got this pale blue one with silver embossing. Of course it wasn't free (I think mine was $3), but at least I could keep it. It's sitting in my cupboard now :)






And these were the 6 flavours I chose!
From left: Salted Caramel, Violet and Blueberry, Rose, Raspberry, Earl Grey, Hazelnut



All were super yummy but my 2 favourites were the Raspberry (one of their best sellers) and the other was either the Salted Caramel or Hazelnut (I can't remember it was too long ago!). The macarons had generous fillings and all very delicious! They were AUD$2.50 a piece, which some may consider expensive but I think that it's pretty standard for a macaron in Melbourne.


After that we decided to explore the city/shopping area. To be honest, Wallace and I didn't like it the city at all. It was so busy and felt like Hong Kong (especially with so many Asians). I didn't even buy anything except bubble tea (which was when I first discovered ChaTime).



We had dinner at - guess where - Nandos of all places, because there was one just a short walk from our hotel. We did so much walking in the day that by dinner, we were all exhausted.


The next day, we took a tram to the famous Queen Victoria Market.



One thing unique about Melbourne is their tram system (most common mode of public transportation). I was quite baffled though by how much their payment system depends on honesty. You get on, and there's a machine for you to pay. The driver sits right in front, so no one checks whether you pay or not!


Anyway, the Queen Victoria Market wasn't too bad, but seemed to be more for groceries than anything else. (I was hoping for something more carnival-like and with more ready-to-eat food stalls.) It's quite a permanent thing, and the bread and dairy hall have built up stores.



Coffee and tea shop which sold alot of super cute teapot/teacup sets! Was so tempted to get one but I got my mum a bag of Spicy Chai Rooibos tea leaves instead, since we don't use teapots these days.



No surprise which was the first place Wallace headed for...









Seafood section. We didn't spend long there.



He decided to try this from the deli - Kangaroo Proscuitto! It was really expensive but I didn't even want to touch it.






Fruit and veggies.



Then while waiting for his mum to buy fruits, an amazing smell wafted my way, and instantly, I turned and followed my nose to join this queue:
(no kidding, the moment I recognised the smell I just walked towards it)



What are they? They are prepared from scratch in this van. From the dough...



to the frying...



to the filling and sugar coating.



Yes they were doughnuts!



Jam-filled and sugar coated, they are prepared fresh so you get them piping hot. Extremely shiok and only $1 each!









We didn't really buy anything from the markets because it was mostly groceries. After we were done, Paul, a good friend of Wallace's mum who lives in Melbourne picked us up and brought us to Lygon Street, aka "Little Italy" for lunch.


We passed by this bakery, and apparently it sells very good bread, and top restaurants order their bread from them.



We also passed by Brunetti. All I can say is - it's heaven for a dessert lover. 3 whole shop lengths of cakes, desserts, chocolates, pastries, etc.
"Over the years, Brunetti in Carlton has become one of Melbourne's most iconic places to visit to indulge in a delicious Italian style coffee from the Bar, cake from the Pasticceria, gelato or tempting savoury from the Paninoteca."



We just walked through it, but I was still amazed at the sheer number of desserts! See this glass display cabinet? There were I think 8 of them in a row!



It took so much effort to walk out of the shop not being able to browse longer or buy anything. :( (I did manage to buy something on the last day though. And apparently they have opened a branch at Tanglin Mall!)



We had lunch at the Universita Restaurant. According to Paul, in the past, university professors used to frequent this cafe.



Our lunch



My pasta.



Then, Paul drove us around, showing us all the different places like an experienced tour guide, and dropped us off at the St. Kilda market, which was by the beach. Wallace and I much preferred the atmosphere here compared to the city. So much more peaceful and "aussie"-like. I bought 2 pairs of handmade earrings, but other than that we just walked around enjoying the sights.



After that, we went to check out the casino a few tram stops away. It was my first time entering an actual casino (the only other time was when Wallace's dad showed us around the RWS casino before it opened). When I was walking in, I could see in the corner of my eye that the female security person wanted to approach me (to check my ID), but I just walked past her without stopping and she hesitated and decided not to check me in the end. Haha. Of course I was perfectly legal though. Being inside the casino was quite an eye opener. It's crazy how people can just put so much money on the table, and in the next few minutes, they lose it. And I guess I can see why people get addicted to it. But in gambling, you'll never make money, unless you're one of the rare lucky few who hit the jackpot or something.


Anyway, that was my first 2 days of being in Melbourne. Sorry for the long hiatus again, I'm currently studying for my exams that are taking place in 1 and a half weeks time. Stay tuned for the rest of Melbourne :)