more Melbourne moments: Great Ocean Road

this should be my last batch of Melbourne trip-related photos. all that i have posted here were taken with my iPhone. the rest which were taken by the digital camera are in the other laptop, and i suspect they will not see the light of facebook or here. because i am too lazy to want to do it. :D

typical Aussie motto: recycle ALL the things!! old fishing line included. this bin was found near a pier. 

the first kangaroo we saw. it was a relatively small-sized one, as were all the ones we saw.. i wonder where the huge ones were. in the zoo perhaps.

 

the emu looks camouflaged eh? :)

i found the candor of this sign amusing, hilarious even. hehe... 

taken at the Twelve Apostles.

at Lorne, one of our many many many stops. :) the grass was so green and inviting, so i tried rolling on it. but erm it wasn't as easy as i thought it would be. not as fun either. so i stopped very soon after i started. :D 

baby acorn. i think.

at port fairy. sigh. i'm missing GOR all over again.

this is a direction marker for hikers. it was a circular route and at the starting point, you can choose to go from left or right. these markers are found along the way to guide you. 

i took this pic because i find the "face" amusing (yes, i'm easily amused). it reminds me of the Easter Island head statues.

this is another amusing photo. it's like "suddenly, mountain!" 

i think this is the first photo of us from that trip that i posted here. there were very few of such photos, primarily cos the husband detests having his photos taken (-_-") this was taken atop the lighthouse at Aireys Inlet. we paid AUD12/pax for a 30-min guided tour. i think it was pricey, for what the tour was worth. gorgeous view of the ocean though. :)

since he doesn't like to pose for the camera, i have to resort to taking his photos without his knowledge. win-win for the two of us. :) 

this was back in town, at the botanical garden. sorry for digressing from the post title.

i love what autumn does to trees. bereft of leaves, what's left of a tree is a sight to behold. :D

this could have been my favourite photo of myself, had i not "lost" my left arm. i love that striped top (from Esprit), and when i bought it, i knew i was gonna wear it specifically during this stretch of the trip. hehe. this was taken at Port Campbell, our lunch stop for the day after spending a couple of good hours at the 12 Apostles. 

it wasn't always the coastline allll the way along the GOR, sometimes we were greeted by longgggg stretches of grazing fields. Aussie farm animals must be the happiest of the lot. so much space for them to roam about. 

sheep! they are so cute! i giggle every time we drove past them. tee hee.

baa~ baa~ white sheep, have you any wool?

yes sir, yes sir, many bags full!

psalm 23, naturally. :D

the Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.

he makes me lie down in green pastures,

he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul.

he guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.

even though I walk through the darkest valley, 

I will fear no evil, for you are with me;

your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

you prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.

you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,

and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

a bronze statue of a shearer and his sheep, right in Melbourne airport. this was the last photo i took before we flew home........ awwwwww, i miss Melbie so muchie! rarely does a city so this to me. so to end this series of picture, i would like quote a famous Austrian-accented cyborg: 

I'll be back! 

miscellaneous Melbourne moments

the capricious Melbourne weather, the week we were flying in. thank God it was sunny for most days ^^

saw this on the wall of the airport when we touched down. i wonder if anyone could use this, or only trained professional. i hope no one would have to use it though.

we took the Skybus from the airport to the city. it's a non-stop shuttle that ends at Southern Cross station. AUD17/trip is quite steep methinks. for two of us, it's comes out to be only slightly cheaper than taking a cab straight from the airport. 

the tourist shuttle is one of the best things for tourists in the city. it's regular (there's a bus every 30mins), the driver also acts as a tour guide (there's also the pre-recorded tracks), and it stops at every major tourist attraction in town, making it very convenient. definitely a must-take for 1st time tourists like us! :)

i've no idea what the greatest show on earth is. was just struck by how striking this mosaic piece is on that gray wall.

this shop is full of Matryoshka dolls. my mom has been wanting a set so i went in and checked for the price. they were going for about AUD120+ per set. too pricey for my pockets, but still nice to look at. :)

street art, literally. that's a fish he was painting. reminds me of the street calligraphy by Chinese men in China. 

somewhere over. my phone was not able to capture it, but this was a complete half arch, over River Yarra. we were walking home from town. nicee.

i read in the papers that elizabeth hurley was visiting her Australian fiance the same week we were there, and she visited this exhibition on Napoleon at the National Gallery of Victoria, with her son. we pass by the gallery each time we walk home from town.

here comes the tram. we took it once, to town. it was quite pricey (about AUD4/ride)(but there was a 2-hr ticket for around AUD8, which is still expensive)(thankfully, i had Adrian's monthly pass and rode this for free)

Queen Victoria Market has everything, from food to clothes to souvenirs. i was enthralled by the food selection, from the freshest of meat cuts and fish and vegetable and fruits to dried foodstuff like salami and cheeses and what-have-you-not. it was here at QVM that i decided that i HAVE TO move to Melbourne. hehehe.

why anyone would become a vegetarian is beyond me. the eyes of the cave woman in me practically lit up at the sight of this. om nom nom.

get free parking at QVM before 9am.

the Yongs' abode at 88 park street south melbourne. i had this memorised by heart, cos it was the starting point of all my google map searches. :)

from books to the big screen

there are a few reasons why i am really looking forward to the end of the year. and here are two of them:

Yann Martel's Life of Pi

scheduled release: the day after my birthday :D

Victor Hugo's Les Misérables

scheduled release: the day we celebrate Jesus' birthday

oh joy, oh joy, OH JOYYY!!!!!!!!!!!! you know how delirious i can get over anticipating things like this. how my heart beats faster, how my tummy dance in delight, how i would sometimes squeal out loud. ah! :D  i'm re-reading Life of Pi now, cautiously i might add, because i want to manage my expectations should the images in my head do not translate well on the big screen.. but the trailer looks really promising. I might also attempt to read Les Mis again (i've only read the movie tie-in, and only halfway through the full version cause i keep getting lost in the details of the French Revolution). here's the trailer btw. i can't waittttttt!!!!!

and speaking of things that make me happy to the point of ecstasy... ok, that would be a gross exaggeration of what i'm going to say next, but really, i'm kinda addicted to this song right now. it's Khalil Fong doing a cover of A-Mei's 记得 Remember, featured in his 2009 covers-only album, Timeless. and i like what he's done with it. it's a sad song though, about two people who have reached a stage in the relationship where they can't go one anymore. emo beamo stuff, but i do like khalil's arrangement over a-mei's, he has made it sound somewhat more hopeful, somewhat bittersweet. :)


我们都忘了 这条路走了多久
心中是清楚的 有一天有一天都会停的
让时间说真话 虽然我也害怕
在天黑了以后 我们都不知道会不会有以后
we have forgotten how long we have been on this journey
but we know it well in our hearts, that one day, one day this would end
let time speak the truth, although i'd be terrified
as the day grows darker, we don't know if there would be a next time

谁还记得 是谁先说 永远的爱我
以前的一句话 是我们以后的伤口
过了太久 没人记得当初那些温柔
我和你手牵手 说要一起走到最后
who would still remember, who was it who had first profess to "love you forever"
words from the past, are the wounds of our future
after so long, no one remembers the initial tenderness
the both of us holding hands, and we said that we'd walk together til the end

我们都累了 却没办法往回走
两颗心都迷惑 怎么说怎么说都没有救
亲爱的为什么 也许你也不懂
两个相爱的人 等着对方先说找分开的理由
we are growing tired now, but there's no way for us to go back
two confused hearts, no matter what's said, cannot be saved
dearest, why? perhaps you don't understand
two people who love each other, waiting for one to first speak up
to find a reason to break up

谁还记得爱情开始 变化的时候
我和你的眼中 看见了不同的天空
走的太远 终于走到分岔路的路口
是不是你和我 要有两个相反的梦
who would still remember, when love first bloomed, how it's changed
you and i, our eyes are gazing at different skies
after walking such a distance, we have reached a fork in the road
why are our dreams so different?




记得 (an A-Mei 張惠妹 cover)
方大同

我们都忘了 这条路走了多久
心中是清楚的 有一天有一天都会停的
让时间说真话 虽然我也害怕
在天黑了以后 我们都不知道会不会有以后

谁还记得 是谁先说 永远的爱我
以前的一句话 是我们以后的伤口
过了太久 没人记得当初那些温柔
我和你手牵手 说要一起走到最后

我们都累了 却没办法往回走
两颗心都迷惑 怎么说怎么说都没有救
亲爱的为什么 也许你也不懂
两个相爱的人 等着对方先说找分开的理由

谁还记得爱情开始 变化的时候
我和你的眼中 看见了不同的天空
走的太远 终于走到分岔路的路口
是不是你和我 要有两个相反的梦

谁还记得 是谁先说永远的爱我
以前的一句话 是我们以后的伤口
过了太久 没人记得当初那些温柔
我和你手牵手 说要一起走到最后
我和你手牵手 说要一起走到最后

by heart.

this would be my third post in 12 hours. honestly, i'm not proud of it. but it's friday, so cheers, darlin'.

i learn a new phrase today from twoc: 夫乐者，乐也，人情之所不能免也 (fú yuè zhě, yuè yě, rénqíng zhī suǒ bùnéng miǎn yě) it a Confucian quote which basically means music is something that “produces a kind of pleasure which human nature cannot do without”. now, ain't that the truth? :)

speaking of truth that needs to be told, i've been thinking of weaning myself off Lee Hom's songs. i mean, it's been a good 6 months, and i've hardly heard any new songs by other artistes, or even go back to old songs that i used to like. so far, my attempts have been met with little success, because i just can't tear myself away long enough to listen to anything else, save for a few songs here and there hehe.. oh well, maybe i'll give it another six months. i don't want to reach a point that i get turned off by his songs from over-exposure. mm i hope he comes out with a new album soon. film-wise, he has just wrapped production of a new movie with zhang ziyi called my lucky star but i'm not sure when it will hit the theater. ah, the things to look forward to. :)

you know what, i should rename this blog to leehomfangirl.com or iheartmelbourne.com :)

anyway, today i'm translating one of his most famous songs, a perennial karaoke favorite, one that you might be familiar with even if you are not a fan. i've never really learned the words to the song until now, but i could sing it like I wrote it hehe. here's Kiss Goodbye:


Baby 不要再哭泣　這一幕多麼熟悉
緊握著你的手彼此都捨不得分離
每一次想開口 但不如保持安靜
給我一分鐘專心　好好欣賞你的美
baby, please don't cry no more
we are all too familiar with what's going on here
holding on to each other hands, and unwilling to let go
every time i try to open my mouth to speak, i find it wiser to remain silent
give me a moment to be engrossed by, and to deeply appreciate, your beauty

幸福搭配悲傷　同時在我心交叉
挫折的眼淚不能測試愛的重量
付出的愛收不回　還欠你的我不能給
別把我心也帶走 去跟隨
happiness and sorrow, both emotions intersecting in my heart
tears of disappointment cannot test the weight of love
all the love that have been given out cannot be taken back
whatever i still owe you i am not able to give
please don't take my heart away, i will have to follow

每一次和你分開　深深地被你打敗
每一次放棄你的溫柔 痛苦難以釋懷
每一次和你分開　每一次Kiss You Goodbye
愛情的滋味　此刻　我終於最明白
every time we part, i feel so defeated
every time i give up on your tenderness, there is no relief for my pain
every time we part, every time i kiss you goodbye
i finally understood this feeling called love




幕 mù - curtain or screen / canopy or tent / headquarters of a general / act (of a play)
熟悉 - to be familiar with / to know well
搭配 dāpèi - to pair up / to match / to arrange in pairs / to add sth into a group
挫折 cuòzhé - setback / reverse / check / defeat / frustration / disappointment / to frustrate / to discourage / to set sb back / to blunt / to subdue
釋懷/释怀 shìhuái - to release (tension) / relief (from suspense) / to dispel (usu. with negative, unable to forget)




Kiss Goodbye

作詞：王力宏
作曲：王力宏

Baby不要再哭泣　這一幕多麼熟悉
緊握著你的手彼此都捨不得分離
每一次想開口 但不如保持安靜
給我一分鐘專心　好好欣賞你的美

幸福搭配悲傷　同時在我心交叉
挫折的眼淚不能測試愛的重量
付出的愛收不回　還欠你的我不能給
別把我心也帶走 去跟隨

每一次和你分開　深深地被你打敗
每一次放棄你的溫柔 痛苦難以釋懷
每一次和你分開　每一次Kiss You Goodbye
愛情的滋味　此刻　我終於最明白

幸福搭配悲傷　同時在我心交叉
挫折的眼淚不能測試愛的重量
付出的愛收不回　還欠你的我不能給
我才明白愛最真實的滋味

it wasn't the butler.

i love whodunits. i like page turners and detective stories excel at that: making you stay up all night just so you can find out who bumped who and what and why and how. Agatha Christie must be the queen who ruled over 'em mystery novels (she's said to be the best selling novelist in the world). her books gave me one of my fondest memory of being a librarian in Form 6, getting my hands on the entire series of AC's books available in the library.

anyways, anyways, anyways... guess what we chanced upon that first afternoon in Melbourne, as we were somewhat lost while looking for a Vietnamese restaurant? the Comedy Theater, that's what! and guess what was their next show? Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap, that's what!! haha! my heart leaped outta my rib cage and did a little dance, right there on Exhibition Street, while I just stood there, not believing my fortune. i've read about this play before, as it has the "longest initial run of any play in history, with over 24,500 performances so far"" (wiki) and never thought that i'd be able to catch it this side of the globe :). as I walked closer to the theater to make out the show dates on the banner, I prayed that I would still be around in Melbourne to catch it.

and I was!

the show was scheduled to open on the Thursday of that week, the day after our trip back from the Great Ocean Road. do i need to tell you how excited i was? tra la la.. anyways, that night i went online to check out the tickets, and goodness, there were only two price tiers: AUD75 and AUD85. that's RM248 and RM280. and there weren't even that many seats left. i was kinda torn, cos that's A LOT OF MAH-NEH, so I spent a good half an hour rationalizing it. happily, the darling husband gave the green light to get the tix. whee! tried purchasing the tix with my mastercard but the transaction was rejected (could it be that i can't use a Msian card to make purchase from an Aussie computer?) so i ended up using cassie's card instead and paid her back in cash. it ended up costing me AUD82, incl of processing fee. ouchie!

thankfully, the show was good. it was a solid performance by the cast. at one point, although not very confidently, i could kinda guess who the murderer was (after reading too many of her books, you pick up on things like this) but it still made for a nice twist. at the end of the play after all the actors take their bow, one of them would request that the audience do not reveal the identity of the killer to anyone outside the theatre, so that future audiences would still be able to enjoy the twist.

passing by the theater on the tourist shuttle bus the day after the performance.

uncle adrian and the hubby dropped me across the street from the theater. seen here are people who were milling about waiting for the show to start.

the online ticket. i should have opted to collect the ticket from the box office - i would have loved to keep the stub, instead of this self-printed copy. ah well.

the moon was humongous that night! i thought it was an Aussie thing haha.. but the moon also appeared to be about the same size when we got back to Msia. it was the time of the month i guess. :D

the souvenir booklet cost AUD20 which i couldn't afford. so i brought back the promotional leaflet instead. heheh..

driving miss crazy

the best part about our Melbourne trip, for me, was the driving experience. that fact is indisputable, i wouldn't give it a second thought, hands down everyone, and i'll say it again: driving along the Great Ocean Road (and then some) tops my list of best vacay moments. and i would fly back all the way to Melbourne just to do it again. have i convinced you enough just how much i love.. okay, i'm sure you get the idea by now. :D

i was behind the wheel for about 400+km (basically from Geelong all the way to Halls Gap at Grampians National Park)(see map below)(we did the whole red line journey, also known as the Great Southern Touring Route), and the joy of being behind the wheel for the entire was indescribable. i was already gushing about how happy i was even when we were still on the road. hehehe..

for more about the car rental, check out my earlier post. all together, we spent about AUD600 (apprx RM2,000) for this whole journey, including food, accom, and car rental. if we could stay the extra night at the Grampians (which i would totally do the next time), I guess it would cost around AUD700 (apprx RM2,300) for two pax for a 4D3N trip. this figure is for budget travel (it could go slightly lower, if you stay in a hostel)(this cost also assumes that you eat out only once a day, and cook the rest of your meals).

blue sky, blue sky everywhere.

the weather was gorgeous for most part, thank God! :) the sun was out every day, and the temperature was between high13-low6, which was just loverly. we didn't have to switch on the aircond, which saved us quite a bit in petrol money. i gather Sept would be the best time to go, because Spring would have just begun and the weather gorgeous, and there won't be the Summer crowd to annoy or distract you -- we practically had the road to ourselves for most part of the journey. :)

most stretches of the roads were sheer pleasure to drive. the roads are in good conditions, with hardly any potholes, coupled breathtaking scenery outside the windows that seamlessly change from trees and shrubs to vast grazing land and then miles and miles of shoreline. love it! 

me at the wheels B-)

this wasn't on a main road. we had taken a detour into Tower Hill Reserve (about 10mins from Warnambool town), a supposedly dormant volcano. we parked and hiked up the hill (needless to say, we were rewarded with a gorgeous view of the surrounding area -- see below). here we also saw our first kangaroo here, and some emus too. :)

atop Tower Hill Reserve.

leaving Port Campbell, with the sea behind us. 

it had just rained, and we were making our way up to Beroka Lookout Point at Grampians for a view of the valley. unfortunately, a heavy fog caused poor visibility and we could hardly make anything out. boo. the rain also thwarted our plan to hike up to the Pinnacle, and we were caught in about 10 minutes of it, which left us drenched and freezing.. thank God for the heater in the car :)

it was 6 degree outside the car, after the rain. the wind made it feel like it was zero degree, but we braved the cold and was outside chatting with a pair of old couple who was spending their week at the Grampians. the man said that every year, they load up their caravan with food and wine to last them a week, and they just spend their days there. i want to do the same when i retire!!

it gets dark quickly. by this time i had return the control of the wheels back to the husband, who is a much safer driver at night hehe. good thing too, cos there were at least three times that some kangaroos decided to dash across the road at that hour. there was even a pair of mother-kid hopping from the left to the right side of the road, prompting the age old riddle we all know so well: why did the kangaroos cross the road? :P

this was probably taken around 6pm at Ararat (hello, Noah :D)  

took this pic just before we returned it. i had half a mind to drive around the block just so the meter would stop at 888.8 :D