Melbourne Trip: Scienceworks and Wicked

9th July 2014
We knew that it would be a gloomy day today so we decided to head over to Scienceworks, similar to the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney.




Block Arcade


But first, breakfast at Laurents.






It was school holidays and when we arrived, there were around 80 people in line. There were so many kids and most were under the age of 10. Awkward. Finally we got in (for free since we could get concession tickets) and it was packed inside.



One of the key reasons for visiting Scienceworks was for the Lightning Room which I thought would be amazing. In reality, it was average and not really worth the $5 ticket pp.




We headed back to Melbourne CBD and had dinner at Kokoro Ramen which we had discovered the previous day.







A. ordered extra ramen for $1 thinking that it would be a little bit more. Rather, the amount of ramen that I received was 3/4 of the amount that was in the bowl itself. Whoops. Ramen overload.







I've been obsessed with Wicked ever since I went to Japan back in 2007 and there was a performance at Universal Studios by the cast of Wicked. I was delighted when it was running at Capitol Theatre back in 2009 however at around $100+ a ticket, it was a little expensive considering I earnt less than that a week from my job. Fast forward 5 years, I decided it was worth the money. Hence for our anniversary, I purchased tickets to see the musical. I was originally um-ing and ah-ing over the location of seats, however I was quite happy with what I picked in the end. We sat in the stalls in Row F and almost right in the middle of the row (two seats off)!

Wicked was amazing as I imagined it to be. However, I was a little disappointed with the performance of the actress who played Galinda/Glinda. Perhaps she was sick (as she played the same role back in the 2008/2009 run) but her voice was quite unstable and generally weak. Nonetheless it was still an amazing experience!



It has been quite hard to write up my travel posts. On a personal note, I've been feeling quite down lately which is alleviated only when the sun is out. Post holiday blues? Mid year blues? Quarter life crisis? No idea which one it is.

Melbourne Trip: CBD

8th July 2014




The room upgrade granted us with a gorgeous view of Geelong.


Driving to Melbourne!
It was a very short drive (under an hour) to Melbourne CBD. After dropping off our bags at Victoria Hotel and returning the rental car, we headed on foot to explore the area.


Who goes to Melbourne and doesn't take a photo of Flinders Station?


First stop was breakfast at Café Andiamo. I ordered the andiamo b’fast.


3 scrambled eggs, tomato, gluten free sausages, prosciutto & fried tomato w/ thick pesto toast




Abbott is my local MP. Shhh.






The prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi is my favourite.


From the steps of Parliament.


So cute!

For our last stop of the day, we headed to GPO which houses H&M. The store is ginormous however also crazily packed with people. I'm not a big fan of shopping and I especially hate crowded shops so we simply walked around before heading back to the hotel.






This street performer was playing Comptine d'un Autre Été by Yann Tiersen which is one of my favourite pieces of all time!

Melbourne Trip: The Great Ocean Road

Like all my travel posts, this post is image heavy.

Melbourne has been a city that I have wanted to visit for a while now. I have visited it once before when I was 15, however I don't remember much and I was also on a tour. I left early on Monday morning; I woke up at 3.45am so I would be able to make the 7am flight.









From Avalon Airport, we headed straight to the 12 Apostles on the Great Ocean Road.

Lunch stop at Lorne.









By the time we arrived at the 12 Apostles, it was overcast and super windy.

Trying to catch the sunset. It was prettier a few minutes before this shot.

At the hotel in Geelong, we got a room upgrade which faced the bay.

Geelong reminded me a lot of Christchurch. It was so flat and the buildings were ridiculously low. There were also shopping areas that were similar to the US in the sense that the shops bordered the giant carpark.

Game of Thrones Exhibit

The Game of Thrones Exhibit was on at the MCA from July 1 - July 5 2014. As I have mentioned a few times before, I am not a die hard fan but I was interested in visiting. After reading people's waiting experiences on Instagram (follow me!) we decided to arrive relatively early. We started lining up at 7.50am and there were already around 200 people waiting in line in front of us. We waited around 3.5hrs in total (the exhibit opened at 10am) and got in just before 11.30am. 

The exhibit was alright. I thought it would be a little bit more extensive


Grey Wind.











You could sit on the throne (the throne that was at Martin Place a few months ago was a lot more intricate) and also ascend the wall using Oculus Rift. It was very cool experience, however I was a little freaked out. The simulation took you up the Walls' wooden elevator to the top of the wall before you were guided (by the staff member) to turn around and face the desolate snow landscape. Apparently a flaming arrow lands at your feet before you are forced to look down, whilst standing at the edge of the wall. During the simulation, there were sensory elements to make the experience more realistic including wind elements and having the wooden boards you were standing on vibrate. Disclaimer, I'm not the biggest fan of heights. In the beginning of the simulation, it was quite cool until you got quite high up and even though it was only looking through an obviously computer generated scene, I felt so freaked out especially with the additional sensory elements. I closed my eyes before the elevator even reached the top of the wall and only opened them when the staff member prompted me to turn around. I saw how high it was and the arrow coming towards me and then I just closed my eyes. Quite awkward since it is obviously not real, but it still freaked me out a little.

My favourite costume was Sansa's. The neck piece was so intricate.




For lunch, we headed to Chat Thai in Westfield. Boy, was that a mistake. I have only visited Chat Thai once before and found it overhyped and just average. After this experience, I will not be visiting again. I waited around 40 minutes to receive the wrong dish, experienced lack of attentiveness and care from the waitresses and incredibly slow service from the kitchen. Not happy Jan!







This is a scheduled post. I am currently in Melbourne, Australia.