I'm done with my dance classes.

beginner's at least. rumba, samba, jive, cha cha and salsa. do i wanna move on to intermediate?for rumba, cha cha and jive, definitely. Felix thinks i should sign up for private lessons..

private lessons are expensive. but he seems to think that i should continue doing cha cha. i like cha cha too. jive too. they are happy dances too! the infectious quick steps and "teasing" moves.

then again, i feel like taking up tango or waltz. and now with new dance kakis.. Maybe a new dance is on the books.. like at studio wu! it's moving to the basement of SMU and it's just so tempting. they have sunday classes at 1 which means that i have to start going to church at 9 am. urgh. at least i can wake up at 8 am for service.. gives me enough time to get up, freshen up, eat brekkie and trek over.

no, it's not that "so you think you can dance" is getting to me.. i've always liked dance. dance shows thrill me to no end. just as soccer unites people, so does dance. you need no words to move to the music. you don't need to know the lyrics to the songs to appreciate the tune and beats of the music to boogie down to. i'm not a fantastic dancer but still, i wanna learn.

anyone interested? http://www.studiowu.com/content/dancestudio/courses.php

after we're done with that beginner class, i say we move on to hip hop and actual street jazz!

it was one of those moments again in the office...

tkl: "you're a bit schizo"
me: "oh, you didn't know? no, i'm not."

i don't know. it's just me. i think stuff like that are funny. and it comes to me nearly instinctively. i remember there was one time my friend said that i was fierce. i turned to another friend, banged the table and demanded, "i'm not fierce, right?"

or i whine and insist that i'm not whiney when people say that i am. and i wonder if they get the humor behind it. the friends at work prob do since they are faced with me at the production line all day long.

yes, i admit, my sense of humor is different. i'm the type who chuckles when people don't laugh. i'm the type who frowns when people chortle. at this point, i can't stop thinking of a dialogue exchange in The Dark Knight.

Lucius: It uses sonar to give you a real-time image of the surroundings.
Bruce: (smiling)Using sonar to see? Just like a-
Lucius: (cutting in) Yes. Just like a submarine.
taken from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0468569/quotes

i grinned immediately. i love jokes like that. yes, my poor friends had to tolerate me when i gushed non-stop. especially when Joker told Batman, "you and i are destined to do this forever."

i died when i heard the line. in the cartoon, that happens. the ironic thing? Heath Andrew Ledger is no more. depressing stuff.

but i digress. i remember the first time i watched the monty python spam clip, i was crying from laughter. and i've had friends who just stare and frown at it. i thought hot fuzz was quite amusing. i love little Britain and low fat dust!

i don't think spelling manager as "manyzer" and being happy about just hitting four digits is funny at all. not at all. it's not that i'm not ok with slapstick. i laughed during the trailer of mummy 3 when brendon fraser laughed along with the pilot and all he could say was, "why am i even laughing?" and i adore zoolander and his magnum moments. even more classic that eva longoria can ever get.

oh well, each to his/her own. why so serious?

i never finished my final days in melbourne. here goes:

on friday, it was to st klid's before i met up with bryan and sophia. it was the begining of eat-a-lot day. before that, we did a dizzying frisk of melbourne central. i was more reserved though. the previous night attempt to squash the shopping into my bag practically screaming into my face, "stop shopping!!"

after crazy shopping, we headed to lygon street for italian food. after a large pizza, a big of greek salad and deep fried eggplant (one piece and i declared it funny tasting..), we walked to brunetti for pictures.

the cakes are gorgeous. after a while and a short distraction in form of a colorful lolly shop, we headed to freddo's for gelato. good gelato too! which meant that we were amazingly stuffed too. still undetered, we moved our business to koko black for hot chocolate. but being too full, bryan and i settled for a pot of tea and sophia and bryan shared a hot chocolate.

we were knackered. too much food but still an amazing night of food and company.

the next day, i slept in before grabbing brekkie and heading out to queen vic. last day in melbourne. i wandered out with a heavy heart. as the bus went through the city, i tried my very best to absorb the energy of everything around me but the heaviness was weighing down.

i met the couple and their friends in queen vic and brought them to the bratwurst shop. speaking of the bratwurst shop, there's one in the basement of plaza sing. same concept. bratwurst in the huge bread topped with mustard and sauerkraut. awesome stuff. the only diff is the one in PS toasts the bread and has more variety of sausages.

after scoffing down one, i was quite full. still, i wanted my last crepe or pancake before leaving. so sophia packed us away from queen vic and to a place for crepe and hot chocolate. awesome thickness but i swear, i knew i was going to be hungry in two hours or so. it's the cold. it makes you hungry..

when we were done, i headed back to the guesthouse. as i sat in the sitting area, waiting for my ride to the airport, i spoke briefly to bobbs. the poor boy had to endure the whining from yours truly and how much i really felt like crying.

so that pretty sums up the main part of my stay in melbourne. i do miss the place so much. the revellers on the street and the weather and the people who helped me find myself again. i would love to return.. more a longer period.

as to whether it'll be a permanent move or not, i still have no idea. i'm just quite sure that i would like to work there for a spate. i would definitely be absolutely stoked to be given that opportunity to go back.

to perhaps return to the homely comforts of south yarra. back to the morning jogs around the botanic gardens or albert lake. watch footie in the winter and cricket in the summer. do my grocery shopping in the hustle and bustle of queen vic. squeeze on the tram at the end of the day or walk back home on cool wintry evenings. swim and have a workout at the baths. whether it is to study or work.. whatever it is. bring it on.

i am earnestly sadden. like there's a weight in my heart.

it's home away from home. i'll miss the people... miss the weather... miss the long walks... miss the charming city... and miss big brother! gosh. i swear, melbourne is the only country that has made me feel this way.

normally, what that saddens me is the fact that i have to return to work/school. that's what that gets me down. but now, it's the fact that i have to leave this place that gets me down. i wld really love to move to melbourne and work here. absolute struff, really.

the fashion.. it's so forgiving. florals. prints. peasants. trackies. boardies. woollen shorts. and in winter, the hoodies that spring up.. i really had to stop at one 'cos my bags are threatening to explode now. if given the chance, i would have bought more than 10 from both jay jays and qv. and the uggs!!! i want a pair of uggs!!

don't get me started on the food. italian is amazing.. the pancakes at pancake factory? and coffees and gelatos and hot chocolates and donuts and chippers and victoria bitters and sweet mandarins and pink lady apples and lollies and sherbets and... argh. i know singapore is a food paradize. but where are my pancakes??

omg. absolute misery for me right now.

ok, time is running out for me right now. let me just sit here and mope. i wanna move to melbourne. now.

met up with jas yday. we talked. we caught up. i took a long long long walk back to guesthouse. got lost along the way but had an eyeful of the suburbs. i really like this. i'm going to miss this.. including bumming at the guesthouse and louging in tracky decks. think of all the boardies i'm going to miss out on in dec!!!

besides, i'm slowly starting to feel more like the person i kinda lost along the way since my final year. fruitful trip? yea, i guess.

today, i returned to myers and melbourne central. it's official. i need to stop shopping. really. ahahahah. i think i'm done.

craving lunch, i popped by elizabeth street. the usual cafe and overpriced fast food fare lined the roads. then i remembered an address. 359 little bourke street. it's a little off elizabeth street so i pop by for a cuppa. long macchiatos are the way to go for me.

Brother Baba Budan is a cool little place with chairs hung from the ceiling, save for the screaming kid who was there when i dropped by. it helps that one of the barista is easy on the eye. brunettes rock!

sorry no pics of the said barista. you can't expect me to be snappy when ever a looker appears, right? too stalkerish. speaking of stalkers, freddy rodriguez is hot in ugly betty 2 (watch to find out the link. ha!)

there's just a table in the middle of the small cafe. everyone sits around it. i love it. it's just shy of an attractive lone stranger sitting across me and smiling back. my long macchiato came with a heart. i glanced around and see the white ferns against the coffee brown. when i know that the cute one took my order and is in charge of the milk imprints, i'm not complaining. :)

i was pretty lost in my book and then came the familiar grinding followed by the clicking sound. i looked behind.

man i miss making coffee. i miss grinding the beans, filling up the funnel, watching the espresso drip into the cup while i steam the milk.

it made me think. i wanna open up a cafe. i wanna be there for people who crave a coffee fix or just a place to hide away from the hustle and bustle of the city and mingle around a large table. i wanna be there with the staff to greet people with, "hello, how are you today?" and watch as shy strangers find companionship with each other.

anyone wanna suggest a apot and contribute to the start-up capital? think it'll be lovely.

talking about finding people to join me on stuff.. anyone wanna take up diving, surfing and/or sailing? i wanna hit the waters again. :)

i swear, i could get used to this..

continuous walking while freezing early in the morning, long machiatos to warm me up, instant dinners on the bed in front of the telly, watching big brother at 7.30, knowing that queen vic is an hour walk away from my place for fresh and cheap fruits (prahan is too expensive).

met up with derrick yday. it was nice to hang out again and just catch up again. that dude's got long hair now!

anyhoo, fashion here is just sweaters and sweaters and sweaters. managed to get some stuff. some.. trying to stop myself from buying more hoodies. they are too awesomely cute.

and oh, since when did blonde guys become cute too?? i blame surfer dudes!

oh well, guapo galore. i still blame the tanned blonde hair blue/green eyed well-sculptured surfer dudes like cherry from big brother australia 2008. ok, his photo on the website isn't as nice. you have to be here to see the guys for yourself.

ok, usual fare each day. my camera hasn't seen much light though. i somehow i just enjoy walking and looking around, but now, i just like lookiing around and soaking in the sights but just no kick to take out the camera to snap away.

feel like i need to do more shopping. a little unsatisfied with my shopping so far. anyway, first thing to do when i get back to singapore is to cut my hair. it's keeping the neck warm but it's also getting out of hand.

oh, need to get me a pillow. like a big one. so that i can sleep and hug on the planes. sigh. it's gonna take me a while to get used to the non-natural air conditioner temp in singapore. sigh.

tiring day today. i've been on my feet since the morning. took a walk from the guesthouse after brekkie and on the move since then. finally ventured to the shrine of remembrance. thought of what uncle peter mentioned abt the shrine and was chuckling to myself.

from there, i headed into the city for shopping. crazy sales every where but when things begin expensive, even after sales, they are expensive. ended up with 2 hats, 2 belts and a jacket. and oh! had sashimi for tea! aussies have little appreciation for sashimi, i think. had nice 15 pieces for 8.50AUD (11SGD). normally, a sashimi fillet that wld give you abt 15 pieces would set you back by 15SGD back home.

the handrolls are weird though.. they are like huge sushi pieces that aren't cut up. and they cost 2.20AUD (2.86SGD). and they didn't even have tempura or soft shell crab. instead, they had teriyaki chicken or seaweed(??!!??) handroll. and inari with godknows what fillings are 2AUD (2.60SGD)

note to those back home, aunty yong, if you're reading this, i have your extra hot nandos sauce! jt, there are noooo board shorts for girls here. shorts are minimal and normal cotton ones..

found one of the coffee places on little bourke street. too late, places here close by 5 normally. did more grocery shopping and bought me dinner for the next few nights. saves me a couple of bucks.

unfortunately, i had to air my room 'cos it stank of lagsana and a lot of cheese. which means it's crazy chilly with the natural air-conditioning. tmr, i'm dinnering in the dining room.

anyway, since i've done the main city area today, think i'll head over to bridge road or queen vic tmr and end off with elizabeth st again for hair stores.

big brother is very distracing. i can't believe i'm watching big brother. but it's really quite funny. anyone who's played "hotseat" will really enjoy it.

hotseat is a game where everyone sits around the table and one person sits at the head or hotseat. then they get 4-5 questions directed at them and they have to answer truthfully. hilarity ensues, esp when you put a couple of lookers in the mix. 'cos then people start confessing about liking each other and stuff.

and i adore travis! he's sooo funny and entertaining. plus, he's always ready with a joke and smile. and how everyone seems to enjoy his company. i need a bff like travis. i imagine shopping and cafe visits to be extrememly fun. more on travis here: http://www.bigbrother.com.au/housemate-profile-travis.htm

the hosts made him drop his jeans on national tv while his mom was in the audience just so that people could see his bright red biker shorts. and he was screaming like a little girl when he turned his back to the camera, dropped his pants and pulled it up quickly.

ah... i've got my tv-fix for the rest of the nights!! hopefully can meet up with derrick tomorrow. need to memo myself to call him tmr morning. urgh.. don't forget.. forget..

my shower has officially made me dumber. then again, i was dumb enough to take a shower. the water daggers from the showerhead should have been enough warning. me and my vanity.

right now, i'm under my covers and i'm absolutely knackered.

did part one of shopping. nearly all my snacks shopping is done. bags and boxes of starburst.. a full carton of multi-colored sour ribbons and a box load of "extra-raspberry" candy. a dark flake and chips for myself too. bought me some fruits from QVM and a box of instant soup.

just got tim tams and the nandos' peri peri sauce left.

after that, i was taken to the albert sailing club to catch part of the regatta. neat stuff. i walked the entire 4.7 k of albert park surrounding the lake, plugged into the beatles and watching the swans chase people.

by the time i hit back to the club, the last boat was coming in after the second race. during dinner, i got to talk to a sweet couple who's name i never got. talked abt sailing, abt work and coffee joints. the very nice lady who's a nurse gave me the contacts to two nice ones. going to check them out soon enough.

aunty boon, james (uncle peter's nephew) and i went down to the lake to fed the swans. james made us feed the swans by hand. stupid swans. got bitten and then chased by a fat one who had its eyes on my beer.

at the end of the night, i spoke to the owner of the sailing club. think his name is bob. interesting guy. besides managing the club, he just travels the world with his wife. listened to his ancedotes and got some advice from him about europe.

funny how i haven't been in much of a socializing mood recently. i have to force myself to talk at lunches, even when it's with close friends. i'm just happy to sit and listen. today, it felt more natural. and even fun.

so much from the first day. this tuesday, i'm hoping to venture over to daylesford spring. tmr, it's the city!

as i type this while muching my jacob crackers, it's 11.58 pm in singapore. and a fantastic 1.35 am in darwin. it's not stopping the darwin international airport from being superbly crowded.

then again, the airport is really quite small. comparable to our budget terminal even. cool stuff. I'm hanging around, waiting to board the plane to melbourne. NT* seems cool enough.

like people so sleep-deprived that they are groggy and don't register anything coherent when called to board their planes. wicked.

speaking of wicked, it upsets me that the muscial is showing in Melbourne. Is it ever going to reach the home of the spewing mythical creature?

anyway, photos will come up later. too lazy to upload. then again, i'm like a little coward who doesn't wanna be toooo touristy by whipping out my camera and snapping away like a psycho-nut while people are attempting to get shut-eyes.

during our sunday brunch, carolina remarked that the best looking guys are hiding out in melbourne. you kidding me???

the NT guys are easy on the eyes too! trust me, it's not a causcasian thing. there are non-good looking caucasians just as there are attractive asians. trust me, i've seen below average ones. There are those with ears that sitck out, buck-tooth.. (when i judge others as below average, people are very very very welcomed to put me in that category. my vanity will argue otherwise though..)

but there are good looking ones with eyes sooo blue. and seas of green... ah.. going to board the plane now. more when i reach melbourne!

*NT = North territories, the state where Alice Springs and Darwin are in.