Melbourne Memories

I was in Melbourne last week for conference and had the chance to enjoy the city for a day on either side of my working days. I arrived on Monday morning and checked into the Novotel on Collins, which was a really nice hotel in a great location. I didn't realise that Collins St is kind of like the boutique street because I went for a walk and found all the designer boutiques along the sidewalk. It was heavenly. I came across Gucci, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Escada, and by the time I hit Prada, I'd decided I needed to go inside. At least I can say that I went into one of the stores! I probably should have taken more pictures, but I get so lazy to do the tourist thing and I am probably going to be back in Melbourne in December anyway so I let that slide.

I had lunch at Grossi Florentino's which was lovely but terribly expensive. As expected of a fine dining restaurant, the service was excellent but the portion sizes were puny. Surprisingly, when I ordered the tiramisu, this ginormous thing that looked like part of a mini igloo appeared on my table. It was the biggest slice of tiramisu I had ever seen. It was ridiculous! I struggled to finish it and gave up in the end from being too full and feeling guilty for all the cream I was consuming.

I didn't do much else on Monday except walk around the shops and do a spot of shopping. I understand now why their tourism campaign uses the "lose yourself" tagline because I pretty much spent my time exploring the laneways, which was fun but I probably would not have been able to find my way back. I checked out Haigh's Chocolates, which was right next door to the hotel, so I was actually able to find my way back. I spent forever browsing in store and I spent a lot of money in there during my stay but didn't actually buy any chocolate for myself as I was paralysed by choice.


I had dinner at Laksa Me, which is supposed to be a Malaysian laksa place. I didn't realise it was curry laksa and not the "normal" laksa I'm used to in Brisbane and back in Singapore, but it was worth a try nonetheless.

The next day, Tuesday, was the first day of the conference followed by the conference dinner at Bluestone Bar and Restaurant. We went to the lounge first for a pre-dinner drinks reception and then upstairs to the restaurant. It was quite beautiful and I appreciated the decor. The service was very good and the food didn't disappoint.


Wednesday was the second and last day of the conference, after which we caught up with Sandy in Lygon Street for dinner. We went to a restaurant called Ti Amo, which is Italian and again I thought the food was pretty good. Although it was State of Origin night, we were a bit tired after dinner so I caught the game in bed in the hotel.

Thursday was my last day in Melbourne and my flight didn't depart until 8pm that night, so I had a full day to walk around and explore. I wanted to catch the Salvador Dali Liquid Desire exhibition so I walked over the Yarra to find the Gallery.


I'm really glad I went because I enjoyed the exhibition more than I've enjoyed any other. I never knew much about Dali's work before but his paintings and his work was so beautiful and so emotive. I felt quite emotional looking at some of his art (and then felt like such an idiot) but it was just beautiful. He manages to express so much into his paintings. I enjoyed that a lot of his work reflected the different stages of his life as well as the times that he lived in. I liked how his art went through different phases, like how his early work reflected much of his home and his family, and then his later works reflected his thoughts about the war, and so on.

After the gallery, I decided to check out Southbank. Or is it Southgate? Or are they two places adjacent to one another? I went to the Eureka Skydeck and was treated to some spectacular views of Melbourne.

I was quite impressed and I can understand now why so many people have such a strong preference for Melbourne. It's pretty spectacular and it has beautiful architecture with some beautiful Victorian-style buildings. I got the sense that it was a very cultured city and people everywhere were so beautifully-dressed.

After the Eureka Skydeck, I decided to find the Crown Casino. I remember having lunch in the food court the last time I was in Melbourne 5 years ago. Along the way, I managed to get some beautiful photos.

I found the Crown Casino and the food court fairly easily and discovered that the Asian stall had yong tau foo. Mm.... I miss yong tau foo... After lunch, I caught the free tourist shuttle for one last look around. I skipped the Melbourne Museum as I was too tired and too lazy to check out the Pompeii exhibition. A small part of me still thinks that I should have, but I would have been wrecked if I had. Overall, I quite enjoyed Melbourne, although I'm still trying to shake off this chocolate addiction I've acquired ever since stepping foot into Haigh's!

Return to Sydney (and Parramatta!)

I was in Sydney again this year for the ANZMAC doctoral colloquium in Parramatta. It was about an hour to Parramatta by train and although it felt like a small town, I was impressed by the number of restaurants, shops and cafes on offer. Apparently, the biggest Westfield in the southern hemisphere is the one in Parramatta and it was absolutely massive. The girls and I had dinner at one of the italian joints along Church Street on our last day and we had the best pasta ever.

Cheryl and I stayed on in Sydney for a few more days, where we were put up in a hotel which was pretty strange. It had the most abstract layout to its floors, the rooms were oddly-shaped and our room had 2 single beds as well as bunk beds - 4 people could have stayed in our room! It was pretty tiny but the location was smack in the middle of Chinatown, which was great. We were close to food, EasyWay, World Square, and Darling Harbour... for a few dollars more, you could stay somewhere nicer like the Ibis World Square but we weren't spending much time in our room anyway and the location really won me over.

We spent the first day just wondering around Sydney and later met up with Kirsty for dinner and drinks at Circular Quay. She took us to the Shangri-La, which had a cocktail bar at the top floor with amazing views of Sydney, the Harbour Bridge, and the Opera House. We then headed to this pub for dinner with views of the Harbour Bridge on your left and the Opera House on your right. It was quite surreal.

The next night, we met up with the QUT people - Sam, Tom, and Olivia for Happy Hour drinks at Tokio Hotel on Darling Harbour. Olivia, Cheryl and I continued with dinner on the other side of the harbour and it was a pretty fantastic night, catching up.

I went to the Olympic Park the next morning to meet with a professor to get some feedback about my work and ended up staying for one session at the main conference. I met so many people I knew that I hung around for a while before leaving to have a late lunch back in Sydney. A $27 sushi-train meal later, I was ready to head back to the hotel to grab my bags and leave for the airport. I must have spent a bit on the trip overall, but I rather not know!

My Brighton Trip

Two weeks ago, I was in Brighton for the World Social Marketing Conference. It's hard to imagine that it was only recently that I was there. I flew to London via Singapore and did a one-night stopover to see Mum and Azri and check out the Geylang Serai Bazaar together. The next morning, I was back on a plane. I wasn't looking forward to the 14-hour flight. I hadn't done such a long flight in yonks. I think the last long-haul flight I did was to Cairo in 2001 and I don't even remember how long that must have been.

I watched movies for most of the flight and was a bit disappointed with the food service as I was starving for most of the journey. When I finally arrived in London, I was surprised at the number of Eastern-European looking people at customs. London must be the place where everyone in that region wants to escape to. I had to take a train from Heathrow to Brighton, which was another agonising journey. I took the wrong train from Paddington, got lost, and tried to ask for directions from a well-dressed woman who promptly ignored me like I was invisible, even though I was standing right next to her and saying "Excuse me" three times.

I arrived in London at 3pm local time, but it was 7pm by the time I reached the hotel in Brighton. I'd spent 40 pounds on the trains, 20 more than I thought I would, and my mobile wouldn't let me make calls or send smses even though I had auto-roaming, a signal and could receive calls and smses. I was exhausted, poor, and upset that I wasn't able to call home and hear a friendly voice. I didn't even think about dinner and just went to bed.

The next day, Monday, was the first day of conference. It was my first overseas and international conference (apart from ANZMAC which is regional) and I was there alone. Interestingly, the first people I met were Australians and as the day went on, I met more and more Australians I knew. I was a bit freaked out by the conference at first, but decided to just enjoy myself since I wasn't presenting that day. I ended up listening to some really good sessions, but was so jet-lagged that I'd left the conference dinner early that night to go to bed.

On Tuesday, I ran into someone I met in Wollongong at the hotel restaurant so we had breakfast together, which was nice. I attended a few of the sessions in the morning before going back to prepare for my own session. I thought the presentation went well. The room was full at the start (almost full by the time it got to my turn), although I had two questions both of which I really had no idea what the person was going on about. I was just glad that it was over.

That afternoon, I randomly bumped into the professor I knew from the University of Brighton, so we made plans to meet for dinner. I was happy about that as I'd really wanted to meet up with him and I was going to go out for dinner by myself anyway. He took me to an English restaurant/pub type place where I had a traditional English Guiness pie. Very nice! It was a lovely experience, although when we left it was starting to rain and the wind was pretty gusty. I'd never experienced wind so strong before, I thought I was going to get blown into the sea!

The conference only lasted for two days, so by Wednesday I was free to explore. I cancelled my plans in London and decided to just stay in Brighton and do a little sightseeing.

It was too early in the morning and the Brighton Pier was still closed, but I managed to go for a walk around the beach and take some photos. I then went into the city to explore some more and went to the Royal Pavillion, which was built as a castle. The architecture of the pavillion reminded me of the domes you sometimes see at mosques and I thought that maybe there might have been some Arabic or Egyptian influence.

I also went for a walk around the Lanes, which is were many shops are found although most of them were still closed as I was out really early in the morning. I went back to the hotel for a break before heading out again, as I wanted to have a look at some of the shops. I ended up buying some nice things but didn't get much 'cos it was all too expensive.

It was just a beautiful day that morning. The sky was blue and it was nice and sunny. I checked out and walked to the train station to head back to Heathrow and the closer to London we got, the more grey the sky became. Haha. London and its crappy weather. I'd been to London before but don't remember it being as chaotic as it was.

By the time I got to Heathrow, the airport staff made us wait in the queue forever and when I finally checked in, I was told that the flight was delayed. I spent most of my day idling around in Heathrow Airport. All I wanted to do was sleep 'cos I was so jet-lagged but didn't dare doze off for fear that someone would steal my bag! I eventually made it out of Heathrow (urgh) and the minute I got into my seat on the plane, I just passed out. I was asleep for most of the flight, all the way to Singapore...

I've packed, and my bag is half empty!

Ok. I admit that I'm looking forward to my trip just a smidgen, although there are several aspects of it that make me groan a little.

1. the idea of trudging around England trying to find my way from London to Brighton
2. having to bring an extra pair of shoes, just because I don't want to trudge all around England (trying to find Brighton from London) in heels
3. the cold
4. how much money I'm going to spend just on transport - damn pounds!!!!

However, there are aspects of my trip that I am looking forward to.

1. seeing Brighton and checking out the Brighton Pier
2. dinner at Al Duomo in Brighton
3. a trip on the London Eye
4. lunch at Claridges

I'm a little bit over international conferences... I'll just stick to Melbourne next year... I can handle that.

Mid-week ramblings

I can't believe that in 2 weeks I will be in Singapore. Actually, in 2 weeks, I will still be in London but making my way to Singapore. In 2 weeks, I will:

• be having lunch at Gordon Ramsay at Claridges
• taking a trip on the London Eye
• making my way back to Heathrow
• getting on a plane (not the A380 thank god) and heading to Singapore

I leave Brisbane on the 27th of September, and arrive in Singapore with enough time to check out the Geylang Serai Bazaar, have some food, and then go to sleep so I can wake up at 5am the next day to go to the airport (duty-free shopping here I come).

I arrive in London on the 28th of September and have the arduous task of finding my way to Brighton. I have enough time in Brighton to check-in, have dinner, and then go to sleep.

I have conference on the 29th and 30th of September (cringe). I think I present on the second day, but it looks like there will be so many people that I anticipate not many will show up to my presentation. If there are so many other concurrent sessions happening at the same time, why would anyone come to mine when there are more prominent researchers presenting their work at the same time? I'm not bothered. In fact, I hope it will be quite easy for me to go relatively unnoticed at this conference. I guess I'm hoping for this 'cos I don't really have my game face on.

We're in the third week of Ramadhan now and I'm still fasting. I haven't been waking up at 3.30am for sahur the last few days because I've either overslept, or I had a big dinner the night before. I must be the only person I know who can put on weight while fasting. It's really very upsetting and depressing. I like to say that I'm one of those people who have to starve to maintain my weight. Regular diet and exercise will only see me get fat. God forbid I should let myself go. I would probably end up looking like a blimp. Yeah, I make jokes but it still hurts inside. Life sucks, whatever. I'm just pissed off that nothing I do seems to work. I'm bitter and angry.

I'm still feeling like I'm in a bit of a hole with the research, but I also suspect that Mondays are just exceptionally bad for me somehow. Every Monday I get so incredibly depressed to be where I am - stuck in a PhD that is going along too slowly, doing research when I'm not even sure I'm cut out for doing that, upset that my glorious weekend is once again over, depressed over feeling like I'm stuck with a questionable choice because I'm poorer than pensioners (who Kevin Rudd himself says do not get enough from the pension to live - and they still get more than me!!!).

I have no career, no money, and no idea what sort of job I should do that will allow me to be happy and be with the people I want to be with.