After 9 hours of flying from Singapore, I have finally arrived at Melbourne, excited yet sad by the fact that Sarah is not here with me. Walking through the immigration gates reminds me so much of the time I spend with her in Hong Kong. Although the trip was short we enjoy the moment so much, sight seeing, shopping, eating and the best part each and other’s presence. I wanted her so badly to be with me there and there. Checking out from the immigration feeling dejected, counting the days till I head back.

The trip from the airport to the hotel was quite a long journey, looking at the surroundings reminds me so much of the last time I was down here and how much it has changed since then. The decorations on the side of the road really caught my eyes, long erected, spiral, colorful beams. I think the tour guide was saying something like the purpose of the decoration was to distract attention from the all the concrete surrounding that area. Something simple yet plays such an important role.

We finally arrived at the hotel located on Flinders St. The cool Melbourne breeze was blowing furiously that morning, I absolutely love it. For once I could walk under the sun not worrying about how the blazing heat is killing my skin. I was born with a very poor skin condition, heat causes my skin to break out in rashes and it’s a scary scene. While walking around town searching for lunch I discovered a strange looking UFO light installation in tiny Lingham Lane, adjoining to Flinders Lane.

The artwork is entitled Life Coach. Step into the glowing circle of color and an even stranger audio clip starts playing. We stood there trying to figure out what it was trying to deliver. It’s hard to decipher what the female voice was saying above the pandemonium of the traffic and passer-by. After doing some searching on the net, I found out that Life Coach is the creation of artists Hugh Covill, Bruce Gladwin and Rhian Hinkley for Melbourne City Council’s laneway commissions’ project. The project aims to enliven the many lanes of Melbourne with contemporary artworks that draws the busy urbanite into taking a different route. Life Coach, with its column of lights flashing an enticing invitation from the main street, attracts a steady stream of city types to its self-help service.

All the nook and cranny around town was full with beautiful art pieces especially at Hosier Lane where you will find street art of all descriptions. Walking around Flinders Lane alone was really an eye opener and this was just the first day, I could sense better things coming my way. I had lunch at a small sandwich joint then I did more exploring of the town. Walking from China Town to Crown, I think I pretty much covered the town area that first day. Looking at the buildings architecture, I knew Sarah would love it here. She has always been a big fan of the Victorian. Seeing all the things she likes makes me miss her so much.

Headed back to the Hotel to find out that there will be three dudes squeezing into a room, I was extremely upset because I had paid the same amount as the rest and most of them were put in doubles and the question of comfort was seriously irritating me. I don’t really know about how the other dudes felt but I clearly showed them that I was unhappy to be squeeze into such a small space. Complaints to the lecturer felt on deaf ears because at the end of the day we still had to be squeeze. My friend gave me a buzz later that day saying that she will pick me up for dinner.

We headed to Lygon St, where Italian food was at its best. Lygon St is like a mini Italy, the surroundings was filled head to toe with Italian cuisines. I ate one of the biggest pasta servings in my life that night and the best part it was extremely cheap for a mere 10AUD I got a serving that could feed a little army. As this trip was during the Germany World Cup, we then adjourned to my friends place for some football action. It was around 5am Australian time when I got back to the hotel, I was too exhausted to complain about the room I just tuck myself under the blanket and felt into a deep sleep.