Yes this is delayed post. Was burnt out on Sunday night after spending the day at Albert Park, and of course the net was down on Monday. It's still really slow right now but what can you do?

So how was Sunday? Besides being intolerably hot of course. I'm guessing Mother Nature finally decided to give us some weather she'd been holding back from Summer. I'm not laughing. I want my cold weather back. Now.

Back to Sunday. No one from RMIT was in any bit keen to leg it over to watch the race, so it was just Johnny and his harem coming down from one Monash campus, and Shawn from another. Oh and for those out there who know and love Johnny, he's in good hands. Apparently the girls have been feeding him regularly so he's nice and plump. So as promised here he is with his new haircut from hell.

Oops a little too slow. Nevermind I'll just...

catch him unawares :D

So off we went to the track, 5 of us in total (excluding Shawn who was already there). Johnny and the girls (who insists on calling him 'JohnJohn' and go into excited giggles whenever I call him Johnny). Sarah, Nancy and HuiTing. Yepp I think I got the names right. Had to double check at the end. I was never good at names.

Albert Park was packed and most people had come prepared with beach chairs and picnic mats. The early birds were clustered at choice spots beside the track and we were lucky to find a spot on a slight hill across from the decidedly small Jumbotron screen.

Of course there were some who were more interested in taking a nap on the grass in the sun rather than staring out at the track but with the temperature as it was, who could blame them? Besides, the real action wasn't starting till 5pm and it was barely 2pm when we reached. The girls went off in search of refreshment while Shawn and Johnny seemed more interested in finding some pit babes and grid girls to snap photos with. Of course with Johnny, that refers to taking photos with babe in picture, while with Shawn, it's more a matter of snapping them unawares. I shan't elaborate heh.

With the temperature showing no sign of abating, a walk around Albert Park was on the cards. There's this lake right smack in the middle of the grounds and they'd erected a long pontoon bridge right across it. It consisted of floating plastic blocks that were fun to bounce on. So you could practically bounce/flounce your way across. On the other side were lots and lots of cars on display. From modern Lamborghinis and Ferraris to classic hotrods, they had it all. In fact, I noticed a vintage car being driven back on the roads after the race so that was really something.

Shawn was basically taking pictures of every single car. His reasoning? He'd borrowed the camera off a friend so he was going to make good use of it. And what do you do with a hundred pictures of different cars, I wonder. He's not exactly a car nut. Here are a few anyway just to let you guys have an idea of what was going on there.

The racing wasn't bad in general. It was just so lopsided. There was Jenson Button, racing away at every opportunity and then the rest of the field fighting among themselves. Sure there were one or two safety car deployments which forced the field to bunch up again but once the yellow flags were retrieved, off Button went again. Webber, once again was terribly unlucky in his home race, Barrichello extremely fortunate to be invoved in two accidents and yet fare better that the other cars he was involved with, and Hamilton driving really lousily in a car that was not up to scratch but yet still snagging third place. Unbelievable.

There was much talk before the race about this being a twilight event, but honestly that probably only came into play in the last two laps or so and it wasn't too much of a different spectacle really. Though it did make for some really nice photos.

Near the end, the Jumbotron was warning people not to spill onto the track while the cars were still racing. Why anyone would even consider doing such a stupid thing, I have no idea. But once the cars were past the chequered flag and Button had driven past on his victory lap, everyone made a beeline for the track.

I saw some dudes bending down to pick up pebbles and hastily shoving them in the side of backpacks as souvenirs but nothing topped a particular guy who probably decided to go for broke. Here he is on the left. Brazen eh? Me, I took a simple photo on the track as a memento. Nothing too drastic unlike Johnny who was photographed kissing the track. Shawn and Nancy got left behind but that story's probably for another day's telling.

Melbourne Grand Prix '09

My Internet connection went belly up last night. No amount of cursing and swearing could bring it back to life. It only came back on at 9am this morning while some irate student was downstairs at the reception demanding an explanation from the manager.

Before today, the Melbourne public transport system had been a total mystery to me. Metcard? Validation? Tram? Train? Buses? I mean, the closest I came to it was taking the City Circle Tram around town. And when I say around town, I mean exactly that. For the uninitiated, the City Circle Tram does a whole circuit around the CBD and it's absolutely free. So all I do is hop on and hop off. Absolutely hassle free if you don't mind the eclectic mix of nationalities on board (and an almost equal kid to adult ratio) plus irritating touristy commentary along the way.

Today, I took a leap into the unknown. I bought a 5 x weekend daily metcard and ventured into the depths of the Melbourne Central station. I've been around Melbourne Central countless times, but mostly aboveground in the shopping arcade. The station and what it held within was virtually the unknown (wait I've used that word twice already, haven't I? One of my shortcomings I'm afraid. I'll have to work on it. Then again, can you think of another word for unknown?).

So needless to say, it went well. I didn't get lost in Geelong or Porepunkah (saw that in the Herald Sun ha!). I made it to where I wanted to go. Southern Cross. Yes, the DFO. I know how I've probably been there like 3 or 4 times already but I don't know. I feel like I've been wearing the same outfit every week. I can't even switch it around much. There's about like three different combinations. Plus I have to do the laundry ever so often. It's a bleeding waste of time and money (2hours, $7).

The trains look spacious! Even though there's more seating than on the MRT back home. Of course the carriages are longer and stuff. But I haven't seen rush hour either. I took the train after lunch hour on a weekend. So passengers were at a premium. The train from Melbourne Central was cool, clean and comfortable. When the train reached Southern Cross (one stop. Yay for laziness!), I stood in front of the doors waiting for it to open. The girl beside me sniffed in disgust, reached over and pressed the button to open them. What? We have to open our own doors here? At least now I know.

On the way back, the tram was stuffy, dirty and uncomfortable. Probably the older model. It was definitely more crowded too as we passed Flinders and then Parliament. And there was no button on the exit doors! I started panicking until I noticed that there was a handle. Oh, so this one opens by brute strength. Got it. Or so I thought. When the train pulled in to Melbourne Central, I got up and strode confidently to the doors, gave it an almighty yank and then watch horrified as it banged against the sides and almost rebounded. Oops. Cue hurried exit and fast trot to the escalators.

On the walk back to the apartment, I felt a twinge in my left ankle. Apparently, I'd sprained it somewhere on the journey back. It felt so... uncomfortable. I didn't think it was something that'd just go away, something that could be simply walked off. I needed an ankle brace, but I'd left mine at home. What to do? After some painful pacing around the apartment trying to make it go away, I decided to walk across the street to QV to see if they had any. Most of the shop were closed but Safeway and Big W were still open. And guess what? They don't stock any. IGM on the other side of the street didn't have any either. Then while moping back to the apartment, I realised I was walking normally. The sprain was gone! I'd walked it off. Glad the trip was worthwhile after all, except not in any way I'd imagined.

I've been toying with getting restarted with a novel again. I've always held back, thinking ahh I'll do it when I have time. Besides, no one's going to publish it. You know how they say that like 99% of scripts don't even get read. But I'm close to 22 now and I haven't even tried. I know I can write, and yet there's still nothing. Apart from bits and pieces all over the net of course. And mostly inconsequential stuff, the sort of thing people read and then forget about. Of course, it's nice to receive good feedback at time, like girls writing to say how you should have warned them they'd need tissues or guys... wait a minute. The guys don't write haha! They just tell you you're a good writer. Bad for my ego. It just makes my head swell without any constructive advice.

Back to the present, Raceday at Albert Park tomorrow! Was watching qualifying today while chatting to Johnny on MSN today. Brawn looks really really strong. I'm astonished by the McLarens' horrible showing and rooting for "Titanium man" Mark Webber. But Johnny is right. If the promoters mention "First ever twilight race" one more time, I'm going to stick my finger down my throat. Honestly. Maybe they're hoping to lure unsuspecting fangirls who think that it's some movie spinoff.

Pictures in tomorrow once I get back. Pictures of the race of course, and exclusives of Johnny's horrible buzzcut.

It's past midnight and the wallies down the hall are still making lots of noise. I can hear banging on tables and racuous cheers. Sound like they're having fun in there. What happened to the notice from management talking about how there should be total silence after 10pm? Ignored apparently, just like the one about how you should dispose of your rubbish properly. Ha!

The light bulb in the corridor outside is flickering madly too. I'm sure it does wonders for the ambience of the place. Fits in well with what Deborah was going on that day. I told her I was staying at Unilodge at Swanston and she was like, "Woah! Isn't that the haunted place? You know it's haunted don't you?" Thanks like I really wanted to know.

Apparently, she claims that people have reported voices in the lift. And even screaming when you're all alone in them at night. Strange, I've never experienced that. And you think I would have noticed if someone struck up some kind of intelligent conversation with me while we're riding the lift down. How much can you talk about in less than a minute? Hi, bye and then the weather? I'm outta here, man. Then again, I'm usually too preoccupied with the musty smell. You know, the various places in the apartment have their own unique smells. The hallways smells differently from the lift, for example. I'm not entirely convinced that the pong from the time they had to clean up vomit outside my door has cleared.

So today was the end of another school week at RMIT. Time flies doesn't it? Just wonderful. More assignments, essays and presentations coming up probably. I handed in my first today for Social Relations. All you needed to get a pass grade was to have 6 pictures in there. Maybe there's someone who failed Math.

So there I was, gleefully considering all the meaningful ways I could spend the rest of my day. Then I get back to the apartment, put down my stuff, lie down for a snooze and next thing I know, it's 6pm. Bleagh. And I've just realised that I missed lunch as a result.

So all I got to do for the day was some groceries. Oh and I picked up a weighing scale on my way back. It's official. I've lost 3kg since I touched down in Melbourne. More gym trips for me then. I promise to visit tomorrow. Really, I do.

P.S Those selfish bastards down the hall are still making a hell of racket. Anyone know any contract killers in Melbourne?

Yum! That was a great dinner :D

Wednesday was tough once again as usual. There's something about a PR-Philosophy 6 hour combo that scrambles the brain pretty good. Had planned to head over and check out the drinks session at the Oxford Scholar in the evening. But by the time Brana, Melissa, Erni and I had reached the pub, there was only a little beer left on the tab. Lucinda offered clean glasses but we decided to just head for dinner instead. Erni took a tram home and the remaining three of us moved on to Lygon Street.

We sat down at Universal and was soon tucking in to some pizza and pasta. The pizza was substandard I think. We did agree the crust was unsatisfactory. But the pasta was heaven. For a non-pasta eating dude like me, this was indeed a surprise. Melissa's been a vegatarian for more than half a decade but was soon piling on bacon pasta on her plate. Hard to resist definitely :D We'd ordered a trio pasta, and I'd chosen Universal (Bacon and cream cheese). Absolutely delicious.

A scoop of ice cream and a walk in the park later, I pushed my stomach in front of me and dragged myself home. Last lesson of the week tomorrow morning. My assignment needs handing up.

I stepped out of the apartment today to get some lunch. Was supposed to be a quick break before I went back to studying and finishing up some assignments. But when I reached the corner of Swanston and Lonsdale, I could hear children shrieking. And no it wasn't a holdup in a candy store.

It was as I later found out from some ladies setting up a stall, the Antipodes Greek Festival. Greek food and performances lined Lonsdale Street, of which a huge portion had been sealed off.

The Antipodes Greek Festival 2009 was held this weekend on the 21st and 22nd March. Held in Lonsdale Street's Greek prectinct, it aims to bring a touch of Greek culture to Melbourne, allowing its citizens to share in some of the culture and food it is best known for.

Huge crowds were thronging the sidewalks, either enjoying the food or watching the performances. Pictures coming right up!

I was at QV today having brunch when I was accosted by two men trying to preach about the love of Jesus to me. Honestly, I have no time for these kinds of people but somehow I'm a sucker and they always attempt to save me from eternal damnation in the end. After assuring me they were onl going to take 5 minutes, they got right down to business. "You're going to hell!" the caucasian intoned. Good start. Aren't we all?

Where: 18 Tivoli Arcade, off Bourke Street

Cuisine: Asian

Ordered: Crispy Chicken Rice

Cost: AU$8.30

Review: This trip was at Darius' recommendation. He'd been raving about it since the first time I met him. The dish comes with either a maple sauce or curry sauce (if requested). The chicken was crispy and hard, but definitely delicious. The rice, my pet peeve, was warm rather than hot for once. I can see why Darius claims he can eat this every day. I might have to try the Bak Kut Teh (AU$8) that Jolene ordered when she arrived. With tau pok added in a delicious looking soup base, it certainly looks appetising too.

Ratings (Out of 5)

Service: 3
You have to order at the counter from the aunty at the cashier, much like back home. Food arrived within 5 minutes, but I can't be sure because I was discussing something or other with Darius. No fuss dining.

Ambience: 2
It's just like a hawker store, of the kind you can find in Paradiz in Singapore. We took to seating outside, which was shady and when the cold wind blew (Yes Darius did sing the army song lol), it did feel a little chilly.

Taste: 4
Good food finally :D And the price is reasonable too, considering the average price of a meal in Melbourne. I will most likely make a second trip back when the urge strikes me.

The internet connection here in the apartment is painfully slow at times. I suspect some idiot is downloading stuff. Damn you to the deepest corner of hell. Yes sit in the chair facing the lava wall. Now hold your ears and stick out your tongue. Yaah to you too.

Finally got down to cooking! Took a moment out from stuffing my mouth to post this up. Chicken rice! Looks eatable, no?

The highlight of the Moomba festival was a huge parade down Swanston Street this morning (or rather yesterday morning since it's now past midnight). Huge procession, lots of spectators, great atmosphere. It passes right down the street in front of my apartment so it's literally at my doorstep. I'd expect you dear readers want pictures and perhaps videos. But I'm sorry to disappoint you since I missed the WHOLE thing.

I have to admit I was tossing and turning in my bed, wishing they (at that point I thought they were the Hare Krishna people) would just shut the hell up and go away. There you have it. A missed opportunity.

And as a result, I can't seem to go to sleep now. Classes tomorrow, but then again the first lecture is right next door.

Yesterday was pretty much a non-event till late. Why? Simple. I woke at close to midday haha.

Pizza! Are you hungry now?

Johnny has two modes when eating. Fast and really really really slo-mo. Check out the dude at the back streaking past as he takes a bite. No camera trick, I promise you.

So dinner done, we headed back to Swanston and the topic turned to movies. So, obviously Watchmen came up. Hell, Johnny was stuck here till his friend was done at around 11 so we had time to burn. Hoyts was convenient, the ticket price wasn't as welcome but it's only once in a while eh? Have to say it was a good decision. Loved every bit of it. You know, when they were still in pre-production, there was talk that it would be hard to film. I mean, the graphic novel has done such an immense job of it, how are you going to fit it within the confines of a flim. So what they did was stay faithful to the original. Man, if you've read the graphic novel, you'll be amazed at how many scenes you will recognise. Though the audience tend to break out in helpless sniggles everytime they show Dr Manhatten's full frontal nudity (CGI thankfully!) The standout was easily Jackie Earle Haley as Rorschach. Easily one of the best movies I've seen in years.

The day before I left for Melbourne, my sister left a souvenir in my camera. So I presume she'd be fine with me posting it up on the internet. Here she is.

I hope that hasn't put you off eating for the entirety of next week, but trust me, she's usually better looking than that. Or perhaps not.

Anyway, it's her birthday today and since she doesn't want to personally fly down to collect her present, and being the thoughtful brother I am, I've taken a picture so she can check it out. Mind you, she's been trying to return/reject birthday gifts from me that don't meet her expectations since forever, so I might just have hit upon a solution.

It's been raining the past two days. Not just a light drizzle in the early morning, but real actual rainfall. Light and bitterly cold it may be, but it's quite welcome.

Had my last class of the week this morning (Yes on a Thursday!) and my next will be on Tuesday so this here's the start of the weekend for me. The tutor today had just flown in from Singapore so needless to say we were more acquaintenced with the lecture materials than he was.

No there was nothing particularly memorable about today other than the fact that it was my first day back at school after a long hiatus. Memorable's just what we were supposed to write about during Professional Writing Practical.

Apparently we have to set up a blog. So that's two blogs I have to maintain now. Sorry if I ain't exactly jumping for joy. But at least it's something that's doable, rather than crazy physics theories or cranky math sums.

So back to today. Nothing all that special about my first lecture apart from the fact that the lecture theatre is right next door to where I live at the moment. So it was a matter of going down 8 stories and popping out the front door and there I was. Ron was visibly fidgeting after 10 to 15mins. Celine, who's someone new we met today (also from Malaysia btw) and hasn't exactly got her schedule down pat due to the fact that she arrived late and missed enrolment, was faring no better, looking politely bemused and wondering aloud if it was her thing in the first place.

The second lecture was across the road, right smack in the middle of the main campus, 10th floor of building 8. I learnt a lesson today. It's quicker taking the escalators up rather than wait for the lift. The room was stuffy (and full) and we were told that Professional Writing was NOT Creative Writing *mock horror*

So after that was a 2 hour break, which allowed me to pop back to the apartment for a bit. Yes I know, horribly convenient isn't it? Which is probably what I had in mind when I chose it, mind you. I'm a lazy bum, I am.

The practical was held in one of the computer labs which required security access. So there was the usual crowd of mystifed students milling around outside the security doors until we figured it out. We started off doing the usual name game icebreaker. You know, you go around the room and try to remember everyone's name? Everyone's gotta do it once. In fact, I can still recite the order by heart. Lemme go now (keep in mind this is like 8 hours ago).

*deep breath* Georgia, Helen, Nick, Ernie, Darius, Zee (Me!), Bella, Zara, Ming, Deborah, Kenneth (doing the course for a second time!), Timothy, Pei Lin, Hannah, Emma, Madeline, Michelle, Beth, Michaela and Clara.

There you go. Kinda hard to forget once you've heard it so many times. Oh and some of the boy sounding names are really girls, so you can guess the gender ratio is once again kinda skewered.

Weather wise, it was really hot today. Not stifling and humidly hot like in Singapore,but more the stuffy kind. The wind was blowing (gale force apparently, but I still think the ones at Tuas were way stronger since I had difficulty walking with those) but it was all hot air. Everyone received smses about the weather from the Victorian Police the night before though, so you can't really say it was unexpected. More warm weather expected tomorrow...

School starts tomorrow! And I'm seriously considering getting my own lappie. I'm sick and tired of waiting for the school to get it's act together while visiting Internet cafes daily.

Went down to Swanston Library for some serious studying yesterday. I have to admit it's all new for me, wandering around that expense of space and trying to figure out where all the books I wanted were. Managed to get two of those listed on the course guide though, namely Walter Truett Anderson's The Truth About The Truth and Lawrence Cahoone's From Modernism To Postmodernism. Yes I know, that's like really deep, but what can I do? My contextual major is Philosophy and Lit anyway. If I wanted to take it easy, I'd have gone for watching movies every week (yes that's an option).

So there I sat, scribbling away furiously on my notepad while I churned the pages. It's been a long time since I did anything like this. It felt foreign. My hands were hurting from gripping the pencil within minutes and my scrawl looked more chickenshit than ever.

I used to be able to write really nice in tiny script but that ability seems to have been lost in the winds of time. It looks awful now.

But it felt good. Darn, it really did, in a way. I really have to figure out how to borrow books.

And get a laptop, so I don't have to constantly laboriously record everything word for word on my Blackberry.

Autumn has arrived and I swear that it's already colder than usual. Then again it could just be my imagination after the slightly warmer conditions the past few days.

Johnny finally appeared in the city yesterday, having taken the train to Melbourne Central. On a lark, we tried some touristy stuff. And did I mention I walked a lot yesterday? No? Well you'll see in a bit. We had lunch and then I took him on a tour through the slightly empty campus (Apparently he only has 3 buildings at his University... and a shopping mall in the village. Poor thing.) and then we headed down to Lygon Street. Gelato was on the menu but the store only opened at 12.30 and we were there on the dot so we wandered down some side streets and after venturing closer to what we thought was a uge rubix cube like structure, ended up at the Melbourne Museum. So that's like crossing through half the city. Since Swanston Street is the city centre and the Museum is on the East side, I've walked half the length of the city (and back since we had to head back anyway). Admission was free due to student's concession. The Dinosaur exhibit they were setting up in December was still not ready yet so there wasn't anything new.

Then after Johnny had headed home, it was time for the A League Grand Final at Telstra Dome. For the uninitiated out there, it's football (or soccer if you insist) and the Australian League's finale to what was a topsy turvy system for Melbourne's home team. The single ticket cost a cool AU$25 and that was already half price with student concession.

There was some disturbance blocking the trams along LaTrobe at around 6pm so I ended up trekking all the way to the stadium. Telstra Dome is located just behind Southern Cross train station on the West Side of the city so technically, I've traversed the length of the city at least twice in a single day. How 'bout that?

Level 3. Row C. That may seem pretty high up but trust me, I was closer to the pitch than I've ever been in Singapore. The temperature was a cool 19 degrees celcius and the stadium was packed to full capacity. Unlike Singapore once more. Oh and the Melbourne Victory fans outnumbered the visitors like 10 to 1. Check out the huge parade to the stadium by supporters before the match. They were chanting all the way and the noise was deafening. The crowd was roaring them on to once they reached the steps to the station.

More pics here on my way to the stadium. Oh anyway, even though the ticket reads Telstra Dome, apparently their sponsorship ran out and some Middle Eastern airline bought the naming rights so it's now an ugly sounding Etihad Stadium. Yuck.

And inside the stadium.

A capacity crowd, lots of cautions, 2 red cards, and a single goal seperating the two teams. Brilliant stuff and definitely worth the trip. I'm a newly minted Victory fan now. Yepp yepp.