The Parody™

The Trip: Day 4 and back. 6 April 2006

Day 4

It’s my last day! My bus leaves at 9:30 p.m., boarding at the same place, bus station at Franklin Street, Melbourne. You’d think I’d just hang around and wait till I get on the bus, eh? Wrong. Wait till you hear what I did before I left. Teeheehee.

I was still sick but I was adamant that I will take advantage of this time that I have left in Melbourne. I told my friend that I want to do a little shopping if I could, well, I’m hoping I could do a little window shopping, at least. Hahaha. So, we hopped in his car and took of to our first stop for the day.

St. Kilda

I immediately fell in love with the place. I know we drove through it a couple of times a few days earlier and I loved it then but to actually walk around and take in the atmosphere — it was wonderful. I love the cafes, restos and boutiques.

I absolutely luurrvveed this boutique [I wish I could remember the name!] where they sell amazing and expensive clothes! The pinstriped wool walking shorts I saw was priced AUD$89, dammit! Browsing through vintage shops and seeing that they’re selling a polo barong with Philippine flag embroidered on the sleeve at AUD$75 was freaking hilarious! Anyway, I resolved that if I do go back to Melbourne to do some serious shopping, St. Kilda is on top of my list of places to go to. Teeheehee.

This area seems like it has a world of its own. It reminds me of Alabang in some ways only way better, of course. Not that Alabang isn’t gorgeous because it is! St. Kilda has that same laid-back atmosphere probably because it’s so close to St. Kilda beach — uh, it wasn’t named that way for nothing. Hahaha. If you look at the photo closely, you can see the green sign behind me on the post, the one that has that smiley face on it, it says: “1 smiles per hour here” Hehehe.

Anyway, another bit of trivia about the place, it’s a well-known spot for people who want to be seen as told by my friend. It’s normal for you to see celebrities walking about or hanging out at cafes. Well, not that I can recognize them. I have no clue who they are! So, it doesn’t really matter much, eh? Hahaha.

All the trams in Melbourne remind me of San Francisco. Uh, not that I’ve ever been to San Francisco.. I’m just comparing it to what I’ve seen on photos and films about the place. But hey — San Francisco‘s known for its trams, right? Okay. Apart from the Golden Gate bridge.. Pffft.

Okay, with the tram out of the way, he wants to take another photo with all the palm trees behind me. It turned out alright but it looks too Beverly Hills for me, if you know what I mean. Heh. Anyway, we just walked around, tried to go to the beach and ogled at the weird clown face for an entrance of an amusement park that had a wooden rollercoaster. That’s it. Enough sightseeing. Now for some serious shopping. Hehehe.

Bridge Road

For all those familiar to where Bridge Road is in Melbourne, they already know what I’m about to tell you before I even say it. How to describe it? One word — Shopping! Hahaha. It’s a long stretch of road with shops and boutiques lined up on both sides of the street. You can see popular labels like Esprit and Portmans together with some unknown but equally wonderful stores. Yea, it’s number two on my list. Teeheehee.

Arrggh. I just thought of the top that I saw, which I really wanted but someone beat me to it. Grrr. Well, I’m happy to have found the hat that I’ve always wanted to buy. [Look-y me in the photo!]

Downtown

I had my lunch of chicken-something at this quaint Chinese resto in downtown Melbourne that served Japanese Pancakes. I reckon it’s just crepe. Heh. It was good though. I had the Peach.

I browsed through a couple of more boutiques. One, I reckon sells Korean clothes, which were really funky. And the other was hardcore Japanese fashion, man! I totally loved it! Hahaha. I recall urging my friend to really consider switching to Japanese fashion, men’s style. Hehehe.

Oh, yea. I walked around in a small part of Chinatown before heading back to the car. Ducked in the nearest 7-eleven to replenish on cigarettes. Hehehe.

On the Streets

I’m always in the car driving off somewhere when I was in Melbourne. I can say I saw a lot of the city through the windows or windshield of the car. Hehehe. It’s all good though because it’s the company that I really enjoyed. Even when I had to endure Jay’s horrid driving skills! Ha! Just kidding. You’re alright for an Aussie driver. Even if I reckon you need to get your car checked for brake malfunction or perhaps it’s not the car’s fault. Teehee. Nah. You’ll be able to hack it , driving in Manila, uh, well — with a wee bit more of practice, of course. Hahahahaa!

It’s cool how I get to really know some of the weird road rules they have here in Australia — like the right turn from the left lane at a junction. Unthinkable! Heh. Or do they just have it there in Melbourne? Because I haven’t seen anyone do it here in Adelaide.

Shrine of Remembrance

When my friend asked me what I wanted to see or where I wanted to go before I leave, I just told him to take me to a place that he or anyone for that matter would consider a must-see if you’re ever in Melbourne. He then took me to this place, Shrine of Remembrance.

At first I thought, what’s so special about this place? Then like a drop of water trickling down your back, I get it. And yea, it was a special place. It reminded me of the Lincoln Memorial or some building in Washington D.C. — Arrggh. What do I know? Well, just that one place in my head that I know I saw somewhere and I know it’s in the U.S. Bleh. — basically because of the pillars and the steps.

I was staring at the building and the steps before I actually realised what was behind me. An amazing view of the city and the length of the street that seems to go on and on and on. Wow. I knew right there and then that I’m going to try to capture it. So, I went and sat down on the steps and asked my friend to do it for me. Hehehe. Hey! I wanted to be in the photo, too!

After I’ve gotten it out of my system, I walked up the steps so I can admire the building up close and admire it, I did. Walked around the perimeter and took in all the views of skylines and gardens that the Shrine offered. It’s amazing just thinking about it and looking at the photos again.

Shameless how I took photos after photos. Heh. Well, I am a tourist after all! There’s no shame in that, right? That’s what tourists do when they visit some foreign place. Hehehe. My friend was a good sport when I boss him around especially when it comes to how I want him to a certain photo. I am bossy, eh? Hahaha. I can’t help it if I know what I want. Hehe.

Anyway, a couple of people there looked at me as if I’m tacky or something. Uh, because I’m having my photo taken? Duh. Like it doesn’t really happen in a tourist-y place like that one! Bleh. Never mind that. It’s funny anyway.

I am vain this way. I love taking photos. I love having my photo taken. I love travelling. If you put them all together, you can come up with either me taking a photo of myself in a place I’m visiting or making someone else take my photo in a place that I’m visiting. Hahaha. Oh, well — I know that’s tacky. Hahaha.

I love the place even if I wasn’t able to explore the entire thing. I love the grounds. I love the torch and the tower. Uh — The torch that’s on the pavement at the foot of the tower and not on top of it. Uh, don’t ask me why. I don’t know. Heh. But I like it anyway.

If you must know, the Shrine of Remembrance commemorates the lives lost in the wars where Australia was part of. They are thanked and remembered by the rest of the Australian people through this place. I really find it cool. Imagine, if you are one of the family members of the person who served the country, when you go to this place, you’ll always know it’s to honour him or her. I love the idea.

So, yea. It’s a place that tugs the heart. Well, at least it tugged mine anyway. Especially this soldier I met… Oooh. I’ve always wanted to get me a soldier. I feel soooo feminine. Heh. Hahaha.

Oh, well. Just said good-bye to the place and I headed back to the city after that. My friend’s going to drop me off at Franklin Street to wait for my bus and get on the 10-hour trip back to Adelaide. Pffft. I bought nourishments of chocolates and water from a nearby 7-eleven [I told you, they were everywhere! Hahaha.] then killed time at an internet cafe before getting on the bus to commence the loooong trip. Heh.

Good-bye, Melbourne!

Day 5
6:00 a.m.

11 degrees, still sick, groggy and sooo tired for being cramped in my seat and hardly had any sleep. I was supposed to take the bus home but I opted for a cab instead. I plan to hit the sack as soon as I get home and sleep on the bed for hours and hours and hours. I can’t wait!

Thoughts about the trip? I love Melbourne but I love Adelaide‘s quiet and relaxed atmosphere more. I’ll definitely go back if I get the opportunity but if I am to choose between the two on where I want to live, I’d choose Adelaide. But I’ll make sure I’d save enough money so I can go to Melbourne for shopping. Hehehe.

Thanks a million, Jay, for a wonderful trip! I loved every bit of it! And oh, yea.. I lost my lighter again. No. I know you didn’t take it this time unlike the last time when you took my black lighter. Ha.

Note: If you want a larger view of all the photos, just click on them and it’ll take you to my flickr account. 🙂

Humor Me.
The Trip: Day 0-1
The Trip: Day 2-3

The Trip: Day 2-3 3 April 2006

Day 2

Okay, today’s like a spill-over from Day 1’s clubbing adventure because I ended up hitting the sack around 8 a.m. then waking up around two-ish in the afternoon with a severe sore throat, headache and was at the brink of a cold-flu outbreak. Uh, I already had the sniffles and cough so I vowed not to touch a single stick of cigarette that day.

I had my usual herbal tea, panadol and lots of water. My friend and I had some late lunch then settled in the couch, uh, well — me, at least — hugging my nephew’s Pooh pillow that I brought along with me on the trip and watched Ralph Macchio’s Karate Kid II on telly.

It’s such rotten timing that I fell sick during this trip. There I was, finally in Melbourne, with a promise of getting things sorted out in my head about certain things that were bothering me the past couple of weeks by partying really hard [Okay. Okay. I wanted to forget. Bleh.], only I found myself too sick to actually go out and fully explore the city.

However, after the movie, I stood up with a purpose and marched straight to the bath so I can start preparing to go out. I refuse to stay at home and be sick. Ha! My friend was DJing at a house party over at the city so he’s letting me tag-along. Hehehe.

From the south-east of Melbourne, we headed west. It was a good 30-40 minute drive but what the hell, I endured an almost 3-hour long drive yesterday, it’s nothing compared to that! Hahaha. We had to pick up some records at his house and I wanted to see and drool over his extensive vinyl collection. I listened to the albums of The Doors [I loved the way he added HipHop Flavour to one song. Brilliant!] and Billie Holiday. I was bugging him to let me see the Miles Davis album but it’s lost in the shelves and shelves of vinyls. I was so disappointed I couldn’t find it. I loved that I saw Jimi Hendrix and a lot of Rock albums in the collection, which he admits belong to his younger brother, DJ James Dela Cruz from the famed Avalanches. Anyway, he offered to teach me how to scratch but I couldn’t! Too scared I might scratch the vinyl if I make a mistake! Hahaha. But now I’m wishing I could’ve at least tried.. you can’t get free lessons from old school scratch DJs nowadays. Pffft. Dammit! Oh, well. I just took a photo instead.

After some tea and watching a bit of telly while he gets his stuff together and surprisingly he made time to burn me another CD of a latest mix of HipHop music thus adding it to a total of — is it four or five now, Jay? Hmmm. I forget. Oh, well. Taking a box of tissue with me, off the kitchen counter, with his knowledge, of course, we left his gorgeous “he’s not rich” house, then drove into a grunge-y part of the city, to Tooch’s house party. After I made him buy Hungry Jack’s [aka Burger King] for dinner and almost but not quite got lost in the process, that is. Hehehe.

It was my first ever house party of the sort. It’s like a BYOB-kind, with mostly the male species inhabiting the party. Yea, met quite a few number of men that night. Uh, no. No sparks went flying. Heh. Tooch was out buying beer and liquor and a Beastie Boy groupie DJ was behind the turntables so we had a few minutes of talk and making me feel comfortable thing going until Tooch finally arrived and introductions were made. He shoved a whiskey-coke in my hand that had waaaay too much whiskey in it if you ask me that no amount of coke can wash down the aftertaste it left in my mouth. Yeeecch.

And finally, my friend finally got pushed behind the turntable and I retreated into the background by staying in the foyer just near the door leading to the backyard where the party was at. I listened and I watched. I was impressed by what I heard and yea, most if not all were ooh-ing and aah-ing while he did his thing on the turntables. There was even a guy from Germany or Sweden or some European country outside the UK, who wanted a photo taken with him while he’s scratching with a sign that says something in the lines of “I’m in the land of the master DJs” written in his own language so you can’t really quote me on that since I don’t know German or Swedish. Bleh. It was just hilarious that’s all. Hahaha.

And another reason I stayed in the foyer was because it was f*cking cold out there and I was not feeling too well! Ha.

It’s funny because it seems like I was hiding and refusing to mingle, which is partly true since I’m not feeling too hot and well about doing such but I reckon it still didn’t stop a few from coming over and try chatting me up. Teeheehee. I don’t mind really but I’m not my usual friendly self since I was sick and I couldn’t be bothered but it was nice, though. I like meeting new people especially if they come from a different culture. I’m fascinated by other cultures. However, when I was talking to this guy, whose name I forget, my good friend, Jay, brought it upon himself to rescue me and dragged me inside the house to show me a photograph coffeebook of the Ifugao / Kalinga Apayao Province in the Philippines. Duh. I was confused at first because I really didn’t know what was going on but just went along with it. I just teased him about it afterwards, to which he admitted to be guilty of doing. Just like an over-protective brother, eh? He probably thought the guy’s not good enough for me. Poor guy. Hahaha.

Anyway, we hung around the living room and got to know Tooch’s other flatmates, one happened to be a Filo [local label for Aussie-Filipinos] and he’s a pretty cool guy. We left the party after one last cigarette [I couldn’t help it! It was too damn cold!] then offered to drop them off at the city on our way back. We stopped at Angelucci’s for some latte before heading back to the house where we rummaged for some food, a couple of more cigarettes then finally go to bed. Whew.

Day 3

Worst thing happened, I woke up with a fever. I had a hard time sleeping because of the cold that it really made me cry. I’m not kidding! I felt so terribly cold and it was a horrible time. It really didn’t help even if I had 3 layers of clothing and 4 blankets. I was dreadfully sick. Dammit!

Twas around 10 a.m. The earliest I’ve been up since I got to Melbourne. My friend was hestitant to take me out but I just told him to just let me wake myself up a little and I’d be fine to go. His cousin invited him to a party, you see. So after my usual tea, panadol and cigarette, we set out for another drive. I’ve been spending a lot of my time sitting in his car the past couple of days, listening to a lot of HipHop music. I still can’t believe the traffic and the enormity of the place since I got so used to Adelaide‘s relaxing atmosphere. All I can do to amuse myself is to take vain-y photos of me sitting in the passenger seat with the seatbelt strapped on. Heh.

I think the party was in the south-west of the city. And it turned out to be a surprise birthday party for my friend, too. He told me he just celebrated his birthday like a few days before I got there and had a party a few after I left. Bugger you! Hmpft! Anyway, we stayed there around 5 hours, I reckon. They had several rounds of beer while I watched from a corner, envious. Sniff. I just couldn’t be bothered. I was too sick to consume alcohol. Bleh. But it was great food, though. I loved the Dinuguan with gata. It’s a Filipino dish. I’m sure people will be totally grossed out if I describe what it is. Well — you can ask me if you really want to know what it is. Hehehe. We went back to the house, had Hungry Jack‘s take-out [again!] and just hung out at the house till I went to bed around eleven-ish.

I still can’t get over that he had a party a few days after I left. He even had the audacity to invite me! Like I’d go on the 10-hour bus ride to attend that freaking party. Get real. I know. I know. It wasn’t something you can control, dear friend. Oh, bugger off. Hahaha.

Just kidding, of course.

Humor Me.
The Trip: Day 4 and back.
The Trip: Day 0-1

The Trip: Day 0 – 1 28 March 2006

Day 0

I boarded the Greyhound Australia bus at the Franklin bus station at Adelaide, South Australia around 7:45 p.m. It is to take me to Melbourne with an ETA of 6 a.m. the following day. We were scheduled to take 2 pit stops in the 10-hour roadtrip. Yes. It was like my flight from Manila to Adelaide. It took me that loooong. It sucked cuz I couldn’t sleep and I thought I was coming down with something cuz I was starting to feel sick.

Day 1

6 a.m. arrived at the Franklin bus station at Melbourne [it’s funny how they name streets the same way. Hahaha.] a little before six so I had to wait for my friend to come pick me up. I wasn’t surprised to find out that he woke up late. Hahaha. I just walked out of the terminal stood on the curb smoking and conversed about education systems in different countries [mainly about the differences between American and British influences] and the Commonwealth Games with a Uni student waiting for his friend to pick him up, too.

Yes, I was sick. I was beginning to have symptoms of the flu and I had an eye infection. This much I found out when I went to the toilet to freshen up after that long bus ride.

It didn’t stop me from going out that night, though. Hahaha. After like a couple of hours in my friends car going from the CBD to the West of Melbourne then headed South East. Errands. He had to take care of some errands. Oh, well. I slept in the car most of the time anyway. We got to the place where I’d staying, we settled in, ate, talked a bit then I slept.

First on the itinerary was He wanted to take me clubbing. How can I resist? Ha. He wanted me to see the clubs he DJ’d in at one time or another. First on the list was Chasers. Cool place. Got there around 12:30 a.m. I reckon. It’s not overflowing but it was busy. Hiphop music but mostly commercialised tracks that it somehow annoyed me. Heh. We took our time dissing the DJ and Aussie chicks dancing. Don’t get me wrong, he started it. Hahaha. I just had to agree that it did look weird. Can you imagine a white chick weighing around 130 lbs with thighs, 10″ in diameter, dancing to hiphop and her movements are alternating rotations of legs with hips thrown forward, all done with a steady torso? Sorry. But I just think it’s not right!

Anyway, after a bottle of Stella, we headed to a very posh club called Seven. I liked the atmosphere much better. I love the red interiors with all the big lanterns and lounges. There are even portions where lounges are separated by big curtains for *privacy*. Hahaha. Not that they really use it cuz what was it that I saw that night? Noooo. I’m not gonna tell. Teeheehee. It’s not too busy though even if it was just 2 a.m. And they were playing old school hiphop, which was pretty cool in my book. We didn’t really stay long since I’m not feeling too good and he wanted me to check out one last club. Off I went to the cold streets of Melbourne once more.

It’s Platform One. It’s a quaint club, really. Clubbers are mostly Asians, which I really find funny. It has this tunnel look to it. I reckon it was an old train station converted to commercial establishments and this club got to use 2 tunnels. Why two? I really am not sure but they segregated 2 kinds of music in one place. One tunnel dedicated to House Music and the other, to HipHop. Both have their own bars and lounges but they share one entrance. It’s cool but I was vaguely unsettled by all of it. Perhaps I was just sick, that’s all.

When we got home, we were both hungry. Found some left over spaghetti from dinner, heated it and enjoyed every bite.

Hey, I miss *my* stool in that kitchen. It’s mine!

Humor Me.
The Trip: Day 2-3
The Trip: Day 4 and back.

Unpacking the suitcase.. 22 March 2006

I got back from Melbourne yesterday morning. Tired and worn out by the bus ride, not to mention I’m dreadfully sick. I prayed that this kind of thing wouldn’t happen on the trip but hey, guess what? It did. Heh.

I haven’t fully unpacked my suitcase. I’m too tired and too sick and uh, yea.. too lazy. Haha. I haven’t had a cigarette since yesterday and it’s a bummer. Just as well since I’m coughing my lungs out. I know, too graphic. Sorry.

I’m thankful that my friend and his family took care of me. What a way to spend a holiday, huh? No. I did not just stay in bed. I’ll tell you about my trip next time. I’m just too sick right now to do it justice.

All I have time and energy for right now is work. I have to. I need to. I feel like a loser sometimes. Bleh.

Humor Me.
Off to Melbourne?
Roadtrip!

Off to Melbourne? 2 March 2006

I’m planning on heading to Melbourne in a couple of weeks for a short weekend vacation.

Roadtrip.

It’s intimidating yet exciting, too. I’m going on a 10-hour trip alone. Imagine what can happen? Eek. Scary. Well, lots of people have done it and still do it, like backpackers, so I’m sure I’ll be alright. It’s too expensive to fly for me.

The thought of exploring Melbourne lifts my spirits, though. The city. The people. The nightlife. Yay! Clubbing with a DJ! Woot! That is if my dear friend, Jay, would come out of hiding and answer his freaking mobile. I’d get the chance to meet another friend who lives in St. Kilda. If he’s not too busy.

Which reminds me, the Commonwealth Games will be on during that time so I reckon the atmosphere will be pretty festive. I’d get to be a part of it. Coolness.

A total of 4 days. Though 2 days will be spent on travelling. Better than not being there at all, huh? =)

I certainly hope my plans will push through. Wish me luck!

Oh, by the way, anyone interested to come along? Feel free to let me know. Hahaha.