Mizore

Life

Melbourne certainly is a cross junction where people from different cultures and origins meet. This resulted in an eclectic melting pot that is uniquely Melbournian. 

The different influences were unveiled at its various architecture which showed bold implementations of fusion designs, vibrant arts scene which showcases talents in comedy, (comedy festival) arts, music (jazz festival) and food.

There’s always something to do in Melbourne. When I arrived on Anzac Day, the Melbourne Comedy Festival was running its final chapters. When I left, the Melbourne Jazz Festival was about to get started. Enormous talent abound in Australia. Think Natalie Imbruglia, Kylie Minogue and Nicole Kidman. Ridwan introduced me to an Australian artiste, Missy Higgins, who’s Melbournian. Loved Sugarcane, a track on her latest album, On a Clear Night.

You’ll never go hungry in Melbourne as there are cafes and restaurants in every nook and cranny. I tasted the best fish & chips ever (AUD $8.00) at Apollo Bay, a resort town we stopped at on the way to Great Ocean Road. The portion was generous, fresh fish fillet, and a pile of french fries filling up the space on the plate. My only gripe was that the cafe charged for ketchup and tartar sauce, although I was only happy to pay. Wonderful weather. The sea, the waves and seagulls. It was really a terrific place to have good fish & chips with piping hot tea.

Having hot chocolate at Mt. Dandenong was also a fabulous experience. Pasta at La Porchetta wasn’t half bad, though I prefer Rocky’s personally. The one item I wished I could bring back was those peri-peri-sprinkled fries from Nando’s, which are dangerously addictive. The best breakfast set in Melbourne is Set Breakfast B at Queen Victoria Market’s Le Croissant Des Halles, which serves The Croissant, voted no. 1 in Melbourne by Melbournians. These two outlets are staffed mainly by Indonesian students in Melbourne.

While I was there, I really missed the hawker food from Singapore though. Goodness gracious me, two entire paragraphs dedicated to food! This probably explains my expanding waistline when I went shopping for long pants last week at Robinson’s. Since it was the Great Singapore Sale, I also took the opportunity yesterday to purchase a pair of Footjoy (on my golf coach Sharon’s recommendation) golf shoes. (at a good bargain!)

During my week in Melbourne, I went on a day tour to visit three wineries – Ferguson’s, Rochford, and Moet & Chandon, (this was Chandon’s only vineyard outside of France) where I bumped into Diane after 6 years since college. I was happy with my loot – the Macedon Ranges 2006 Pinot Gris by Rochford, a gold medal winner rarity; Candlebark Hill’s 2002 Pinot Noir; (bronze medal winner, I prefer its stronger taste to the silver medal vintage) Candlebark Hill’s 2002 Botrytis Semillon (gold medal winner) and a chocolate vodka variety which I presented to Denis at his wedding ceremony.

On reflection, although the people are generally friendly and the weather was lovely, (in June/July when it’d be snowing, Ridwan was thinking of going to Mt. Buller for skiing) lots of places to go visit, I actually missed Singapore while I was there.

I’ve simply grown accustomed to this hot and humid place, home for the last 18 years. I’m used to paying SGD $3.00 for a plate of char kuay teow, you know, not AUD $9.50 for a weak effort at Chinese black pepper beef rice in Melbourne’s Chinatown, notwithstanding the sizeable portions; I’m used to getting the size of the shirt I want here, rather than look for XXXS in Melbourne’s stores and then not getting the size I want. I’d probably face this problem again when I go to Los Angeles next month.

That’s just me.

For more on life in Melbourne, there’s a great blog here.