January 12th, 2017 Even though I was in Melbourne for two whole days, I was dead tired on the first day after my flight, I just crashed when I checked into the Airbnb apartment. All I did that day was eat dim sum, go to the show and went back to the apartment and crashed again.
On the 12th, I managed to get enough sleep or maybe too much sleep because I woke up after noon. I initially planned to go for brunch but I guess my exhaustion got the best of me. In the end, I went to one of my favourite cafes for lunch and coffee and just decided to walk around the CBD before the show.
There was nothing new obviously because I was just in Melbourne 6 months before this trip. I didn't bother taking many photos except for the graffiti since I've been to Melbourne so many times.
This time, though, there was way more graffiti. Instead of just using one alleyway, all the alleyways in this area was covered in graffiti. A picture perfect spot for those people who do OOTDs for Instagram. Unfortunately, I am not one of those people.
I spent my afternoon in the CBD walking around, visiting some of my favourite stores and when I was done, I decided to visit St. Patrick's Cathedral. I never fail to visit this church whenever I am back in Melbourne. Even if a nun did scold me off last time for no good reason.
My favourite spot in the world is actually behind this church, I think little sis and I have spent an hour or two there just talking away.
I remember visiting church close to evening, after that, I went to grab dinner at a Greek restaurant that I always go to when I'm back. Cabbage rolls! and slowly walked down to the show venue. Honestly, I didn't do much at all but I was just glad to be back home even just for a little bit.
My flight was the next day at noon, I didn't do anything in the morning because it was raining heavily. I left the apartment and went straight to the airport.
I don't know when the next time I will be back in Melbourne but it'll probably be for another show. Hopefully the next time when I'm here again, I'll have enough money and time to get a tattoo as well.
I decided to go back home to Melbourne to catch one of my favourite bands, letlive. I bought the tickets to the show just a month before while I was still in Tokyo, I just felt like I needed to go to this show for a change of scenery and going back home helped me in so many ways. I'm thankful I made that decision.
letlive. isn't that famous in Asia, so I figured if I really wanted to see them, I would have to travel. It's such a shame that they aren't that known over here. I only started listening to them last year when If I'm The Devil... was released. There was something in Jason's voice that moved me. It's hard for me to feel like that about bands, so when I do, I tend to fall in love completely with the band.
Since then, their music has been on loop. I love that whenever I find a band on a later album, I'd always try to listen to their previous albums and fall in love with them even more. letlive. did that for me.
I arrived back in Melbourne on January 11th and was dead tired because I just got back to Singapore for less than 24 hours, rushed errands in the day and was off to the airport by night. I didn't get a wink of sleep on the flight, so I took a nap before heading out to the show.
Underoath tour in February ;__;
The show was at 170 Russell, formerly known as Billboard. It's my favourite live venue in Melbourne. It was pretty packed when I arrived. I got there in time to catch Counterparts. I bought some merch and tried to find a good spot somewhere in the crowd and I didn't even stand still for 5 minutes when Counterparts took the stage.
I listened to them for just a little bit before the show so I wasn't too familiar with their music. They put on a pretty good 30 minutes set.
It didn't take too long forletlive. to take the stage. I was probably too excited to see them because I could feel my heart race and get goosebumps when they were on stage. I miss that feeling. They opened to Renegade 86' and they BLEW. MY. FUCKING. MIND.
Their energy on stage was amazing, I would say most of the credit is given to their vocalist, Jason. The way he loses himself in the music is just something. Unpredictable. letlive.has definitely stolen the top spot for best bands I have seen live.
Their setlist was sooooooo good as well. All of my favourites were played and I think my favourite performance of the night was The Fear Fever. Jason totally lost himself to the music, especially on that song and was throwing the microphone stand and shit everywhere. I live for moments like this. Their setlist had a good mix of old and new songs and some slower songs. Foreign Cab Rides was another song that was really good live.
He jumped into the crowd during one of the songs as well, I can't remember anymore because I was just in awe of how good they were live. I really love the message Jason left about respecting women before performing Muther which was also spectacular to watch the crowd singing the entire first verse of the song back to Jason. I realised how much I have missed going to shows in Melbourne. The enthusiasm of the crowd and just flat out - the band talking in between songs without worrying if people were going to understand them. It's the language barrier in Japan sometimes that makes shows less fun for international bands.
They closed to Good Mourning, America off their latest album. Jason jumped onto the drum set while finishing off the show and everything got dismantled. The crowd went "WOAH", which I thought was pretty funny. They played for exactly an hour. I was so happy I chose to fly back home to see them. I thought I love their music already but now I love them even more.
Their setlist (not in order) :
Renegade 86'
Another Offensive Song
A Weak Ago
Younger
The Dope Beat
27 Club
Le Prologue
The Sick, Sick, 6.8 Billion
Foreign Cab Rides
The Fear Fever
Reluctantly Dead
Banshee (Ghost Fame)
Muther
Good Mourning, America
Next up was Every Time I Die and they opened to Glitches. I wasn't feeling their set too much because even though I have been listening to them since I was 17, I was never a big fan. Though - I do admit, they did put on a solid set and killed it. My happy, higher mood from letlive., died off because I had to endure another hour in the crowd for a band I didn't really care about.
I was just glad I got to see letlive. again next day, I decided to skip Every Time I Die at the next show.
January 12th was my last day in Melbourne. I literally only came back for these shows. I made my way to Arrow on Swanston really close to the show time again, it was a 20-minute walk from the Airbnb apartment I was staying in. The venue was much smaller than 170 Russell, maybe just a quarter of it and had a really small stage. No barriers, though. That can only mean that it'll be an intimate show.
It was almost like a floor show, I got used to going to small shows ever since living in Japan so I didn't mind at all. The only thing I minded was being the only Asian there because I just stood out and whenever I walked past people at the venue, they would just stare at me. It did bother me at the beginning but once letlive. took the stage, I just didn't care and squeezed my way to the front.
It's been a long time since I've stood in front for a show. I only do that for bands I really love. Today's show had the same lineup, Counterparts, letlive. and Every Time I Die. I watched Counterparts's set again and just waited around for letlive. to take the stage.
They played exactly at 8:20pm and had the same set list. I really liked that they decided to perform the chorus of Linkin Park's Crawling during 27 Club because they kinda have a long interlude in that song. I was glad to be in the front since I don't know when I can ever see letlive. again, I just wanted to enjoy their performance and lose myself in their music.
When they closed to Good Mourning, America, Jason ran into the crowd and did a backflip while the fans attacked him, in less than a minute, you couldn't see Jason but just people running towards his direction and jumping on him. Don't worry, he didn't get hurt. I just miss seeing things like that because that doesn't happen in Japan.
They put on a good show again but honestly, the night before was better. I think it's just because the stage was bigger and they could utilise the area. I also personally think a band like letlive. just does better on a bigger stage. Also the fact that the show for the day before was Above 18, makes it better because kids are annoying. The second show was an All Ages one. They played for an hour as well.
I didn't bother staying for Every Time I Die and just grabbed dinner on the way back to the apartment. I felt really happy when I got back to the apartment, even though I came on my own to see a band I really like, I felt really accomplished. I wanted to prove to myself that travelling alone is not that bad, because of things that happened years ago, I always get paranoid and anxious when I'm in Australia. I'm glad that now, I have overcome that fear and better yet, got to see one of my favourite bands. This trip was definitely worth it.
Nothing beats seeing your favourite band for the first time. I haven't felt this way about a band in a long long time. The last time I felt this way, this excited for a show was for lynch. almost 4 years ago, and AFI which was 7 years ago. It's really rare that a band can amaze and move me this much.
letlive. also reminded me of how much I love music. I feel like I have been losing my way with music because of living in Japan and getting "too close" to the scene that I started losing interest in music. It has been really hard for me to listen to music in the recent months but I can't not listen to music so whenever I listened, there would be an emptiness that would fill me, which made me feel really uncomfortable. Thanks to letlive., I am reminded that I love music for bands like this. So really, thank you.
To top it off, it's always Melbourne that helps me get on my feet again. What a way to kickoff 2017, I'm just so thankful I decided to follow my gut and flew back home to catch this band. They were really the push I needed after the crazy rollercoaster of emotions I felt in the last 3 months of 2016.
Thank you, letlive. I hope to see you somewhere else in the world again.
Heaps of entries have been piling up since my last update, I have a ton of things to write about but I'm just too pre-occupied with drawing and planning out some projects. I have been going around Singapore to check out prices to make prints and some merchandise. I hope to see these projects fall through before I return to Tokyo.
As I already have mentioned, I was in Melbourne to celebrate my birthday last month. I didn't do anything special but just went around Melbz for some good food, coffee, relax and unwind. I didn't bother taking much photos either. Melbourne has changed a lot over the last two years and I love it even more now because things are way more convenient. Also, there's an ACNE, COS and so many more clothes catering to my style newly opened.
I think a couple of new malls, many many food outlets have sprung up. The CBD is so busy at night now, it's nice to be out and about. I obviously dropped by my favorite gallery in Melbourne, it's so convenient since it's in the CBD. The exhibition going on last month was Xenoplasm, mostly paintings, drawings and sculptures of monsters.
I thought these guys looked like evil broccoli.
The exhibition was not really my style but I still enjoyed it. Little sis and I went to too many new coffee places, so I can't remember the names anymore. Nothing beats coffee in Melbourne. We also had some time to go to church, and walk to Fitzroy. There's a lot of new craft stores, cafes and clothing boutiques in Fitzroy now and we spent two afternoons exploring the entire place. Really convenient because it's about a 20 minute walk from the CBD.
There was also a light festival going on in Fitzroy on the week I was there but unfortunately, it rained on the night we were there and didn't have time to check it out again, these are the only photos I took while we rushed to get on the tram back to our apartment.
Being back in Melbourne was a much needed break from busy Tokyo. I felt much better after being home for a while. I really want to go back to Melbourne in January again for some shows (alexisonfire, letlive., Refused and Everytime I Die) but we'll see how that goes.
I've also fallen in love with a hidden book store in Melbourne. I bought a Norwegian folktale book there and can't be any happier. I really love Scandinavian folklore. The building Metropolis bookstore is hidden in has so many gems. The owner of the bookstore was really nice as well, unfortunately no photos are allowed in the store. So click on the link above to check it! Definitely my new favorite place in Melbourne.
This trip back home was a really good one since I got a new tattoo, satisfied my cravings for all of Melbourne's good food and coffee, got to explore new places and just let my mind take a break for a little bit. Now, I'm back with my family in Singapore and surprisingly, it has been good to me so far (minus my non-existent social life here). I have been really productive and haven't feel this good about myself in a long long long time.
I hope to come back to Tokyo once I'm done with all these projects and I might be coming back later than expected. Of course, the boyfriend has been nagging at me to get back sooner but I really need to do things for myself. Even if that means skipping some shows by my favorite bands, so be it. I'll definitely be back in Tokyo by Autumn. Right now, I just want to concentrate on things here and have no distractions.
Like I've already mentioned before in my earlier post, I was back in my hometown for a little bit to celebrate my birthday. Being back home was a really nice break and something I've been wanting for a while now. I've missed Melbourne's food and coffee a lot. Even though Tokyo has plenty of good cafes and coffee, to me, nothing beats Melbourne when it comes to food.
So, this time, I decided to go to new cafes with little sis. She was a little hesitant but I'm glad she finally changed her mind. I'm not a morning person at all but breakfast in Melbourne is incredible. I'll gladly wake up to go to brunch there. (Yes, it is a breakthrough for me)
I stumbled upon Kitty Burns located in Abbotsford online while I was still in Tokyo, the plating for their food was so pretty and I read reviews and it seemed to be good, so I decided to head there for breakfast one morning. It's about 25 minutes away from the CBD by tram.
The lighting at the cafe was superb, I would say really photogenic for your food if you're the type that likes to post on Insta. I caved in and did it too. I personally don't like posting food on my account because I find it really pretentious. With all these "foodies" now out and about, I'm forever judging people who think they know so much about food.
I grew up with a chef for a dad, had my uncle live with us till he passed away who was also a chef, and my godfather is also a chef who owns a famous restaurant in Melbourne at St. Kildas. I still don't think I know much about food but I know I have pretty good taste.
Little sis ordered Spice Togarashi Avocado - citrus, umami salt, avocado & edamame smash, bacon crumb, poached eggs, smoked salmon and toast, while I ordered Kitty Burnidict - pork hock, hay hollandaise, poached eggs, compressed watermelon and toast.
The cafe was cute, so we chilled there for a little bit before heading back to the CBD. I also got a salted caramel Butterbing on the way out. A Butterbing is a cookie sandwich that originated from Melbourne. These babies will make you so fat, but it's sooo goood. (didn't bother taking a photo though)
Little sis really liked our breakfast at Kitty Burns so much, she searched for more cafes to go to and we went down to Prahran another morning to Tall Timber.
Tall Timber is definitely worth waking up early for, it's a little cafe near Prahran market about 30 minutes away from the CBD by tram. The cafe was almost full when we arrived. I had some problems with the menu because I didn't know what to choose, haha. In the end, little sis got Breaky Board and for me, Sauteed Cauliflower!
(Top) Breaky Board - dukkah poached egg on pumpkin loaf with hummus and smashed avocado, museli with berry yoghurt and seasonal fruit and orange juice. (Bottom) Sauteed Cauliflower - kale, feta, pomegranate, beetroot, quinoa, superfood salad with poached eggs, sweet potato hummus and tahini yoghurt.
The caulifower was seasoned so perfectly, I wished I had more. I haven't had (real) cereal in such a long time, I'm glad little sis decided to share her food with me. I really miss food in Melbourne.
We both liked this more than Kitty Burns. Recently, I've really gotten to like quinoa, thanks to little sis who brought me to this Italian food bar in Singapore. I was so full after the meal, we decided to walk around Chapel Street before heading back to the CBD.
I probably still won't post much about food on my blog or instagram but this was too good to not write about. I think I've missed this so much because Japan lacks a lot of good Western food or at least I don't know where to find them. I don't miss Japanese food just yet, honestly. I'm actually tired of everything there, so I'm glad I got to go home for a breath of fresh air.
I was back in Melbourne with little sis for my birthday, we didn't spend too long there but I managed to squeeze in a tattoo appointment. Initially, I emailed Heretic Tattoo to book an appointment to have a tattoo done by Annita because I have been following her work for years now, but she's fully booked till August.
I just visited the studio for fun since I was around the area, and talked to the manager of the studio. He introduced me to Lilli's work because it's similar to Annita's. I was looking at her work and her scissors actually caught my eye. So, I decided to get a pair done by her.
I was lucky enough to get my tattoo done the next day. Heretic Studio has a really chill vibe and with the brake walls and gothic furniture, I would say the style is right up my alley.
I didn't really take that many photos or of Lilli doing my tattoo because I was lying on my stomach to get my tattoo done. The placement of my scissors requires me to be in a kinda weird position. It took about just an hour to get my tattoo done and my hand was cramped up by the end of the session but I was really happy with the outcome!
I asked Lilli to change the handle of the scissors from her original drawing to look like the scissors I have hanging on my apartment wall in Tokyo. I really like the little hearts she added into the scissors as well. The beads are her original design and that was the main thing that caught my attention.
People are probably going to ask "What is the meaning of this tattoo?" You know, sometimes, I feel like people have no right to know and sometimes, maybe simply there isn't a meaning but I just enjoy the work of the artist? But there is a meaning and I don't feel like sharing it with anyone just yet, it's not that personal but somethings I just want to keep to myself.
This was a birthday present to myself and I would say it's probably the best present I have given myself so far. I'll be writing more about being home in Melbourne on the next post. This tattoo deserves a post on its own.
It's been a week since Soundwave and I'm here sitting in bed listening to AFI. I thought by now, I would have gone back to listening to all my Japanese bands but here I am still listening to all the bands I saw last week.
Last week was well spent going to cafes, eating way too much, going to concerts, letting time pass at parks and reminiscing all my teenage years with little sis. We were just talking about how nostalgic we feel when we see those bands. I spent most of my teenage years indulging in music, loving it, breathing it and falling asleep to it (yes, even metal). It was nice to see them all again, especially AFI. They have been my favorite band since I was 17.
"Moment" by lynch. is playing in my head as I write this entry. It's already coming to the end of December and I haven't fully accepted the fact that 2012 is ending so quickly. I really loved 2012, so many things happened and I'm still changing. The good outweighed the bad, that's for sure.
To end 2012 with a bang, little sis and I will be in Maldives to celebrate the new year. Hopefully welcoming 2013 will help make next year as good as this one or maybe even better (wishful thinking), but I hope the year of the Snake would be good to me, because well, in the Chinese Zodiac, I'm born in the year of the Snake and I really love snakes, so 2013, please be kind to me.
Here's some stuff I did this month : (I was so lazy to update, haha)
Federation Square, one of my favorite places in Melbourne and it has free wifi yay!
Myer Christmas Windows, these are just two out of 5? Cute!
There were animated and could move and the lights would flicker. There was even a queue just to look at this.
It was raining on the day I was coming back to Singapore (why I am back is a long story),
but I was lucky enough to see a rainbow before I left home. Melbourne is so good to me.
Little sis brought me to watch Rurouni Kenshin, she knew I was bummed to be back.
The cinema hall was FULL, and we were lucky to catch the last screening!
The movie was pretty good, the characters really looked like the ones in the anime! *___*
And Sato Takeru really suited Kenshin well. I love the fighting scenes.
They changed the story a little to suit the film and it was about Jinei,
still wish it was about Shishio but it would be so long if it was.
The film lasted for about a little over 2 hours.
Dad looking all happy to murder lobsters for our Christmas eve dinner! Dad came back to celebrate Christmas with us since it was a long weekend. We had the lobster and turkey on Christmas eve and on Christmas day, we went to Hyatt. As usual, I had steak and we all shared appetisers and desserts! I got a new Moomin plushie, Fullmetal Alchemist series blu ray, TEKKON KINKREET blu ray (finally) and a Rei Kawakubo book for Christmas! Happy ^^
Dad won a free trip to Maldives so, we're going there for new year, like I already mentioned earlier. I still haven't unpacked yet and now I need to pack again?!?! T_T I never thought I would go to Maldives because... beach. sun. SEA = fish. fish = me dead. I have a phobia of fish. ~_~ They scare the shit out of me but I feel like this is Krabi 2.0 but upgraded, haha.
Hopefully I'll have fun! Currently, I'm working on drawing more girls and still finding and figuring out what I want to my art to be like. Experimenting. I'm really enjoying painting jellyfishes... it's so ironic right? I don't like the sea but I'm basically drawing a sea themed piece just minus the fish and I love sea themed movies like Little Mermaid and Ponyo, they're actually my favorites but I'm scared of the ocean. If only fish looked like Ponyo and instead of sharks, there will be Ariels.
I don't feel like my current work is very me but I got bored of just drawing girls and nothing surrounding them but hair, so I'm researching on other things that maybe I could add in and create my own world. Since I was little I always wanted to create my own animals, girls, universe. So here I am trying to do it.
Also, after I am back from Maldives, I want to write Top 10s of 2012. This year has been far too great to not even write anything about it! Music, muses, girls, boys, parties, travelling, dining, everything has been great this year and I'm so happy about finally doing what I really want. So, happy holidays and have a great new year! I am definitely cherishing every last moment of 2012.
I booked a tour to the Eastern suburbs of Melbourne for some sight seeing the day before because mom really wanted to go to a winery whilst she's still here. We set out in the break of dawn and got on the bus that would drive us all the way out into the hills on Eastern Victoria. (For those of you who didn't know, Melbourne is in the State of Victoria)
It was raining heavily that morning, I normally hate it when it rains when I tour, but the rain that morning had this calming effect on me and I love the cold so much, I don't even care about the rain pouring down on me and getting sick the next day.
It took about an hour or so drive to get up to the hills, we passed by many tiny and cute towns and forests, I felt like I was still in my dreams, the trees were so tall it made it seem like I was lost but still felt so safe. Listening to THE NOVEMBERS suited the mood so well, I can't wait to listen to them in winter. I've always thought that they'd be a perfect band to listen to in the cold and quietness.
The stopped somewhere along the way for breakfast, initially, we were supposed to feed some birds but since it was raining, mom and I just decided to hide inside a little cafe and have something warm to drink. We had no choice but to get an umbrella, we settled for the smallest one with cute koala prints on it. We spent about half a hour there and got on the bus again and continued driving to Puffing Billy. Again, we passed by some cute towns.
The rain lightened a little when we arrived at Puffing Billy, we had to wait for another half an hour before getting on the steam train. The guides were filling us in about the history of the railway and train and all that jazz, so we were actually going to get on a train that started operating as far back at the 1900s. It was nothing special but well, it's for the experience right?
The train ride was about 20 minutes, there was nothing much of a view but trees and more trees and lamas? I couldn't tell if they were lamas or alpacas. We got on the bus again at the end of the train ride and had another hour drive to Yarra Valley for lunch.
The rain cleared up and the sky was in a nice shade of blue. One thing I hated was how bright and strong the sun rays were. I never liked the sun that much, I think everyone knows that by now, even if it's for the better, I still don't like that ball of heat.
We had roast beef with some salad and a glass of red wine for lunch. I always love how fresh the produce are in Australia. It's just something that makes me a little happier inside. After lunch, I accompanied mom for a little wine tasting and she bought two bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon, we both agreed about how much we love how the taste of this wine rested in our throats.
It wasn't before long that we had to get on the bus again, we headed to the final stop of the tour that was Healesville Sanctuary. I was most excited for this stop because I wanted to see platypuses for as long as I can remember. They are cute, weird little creatures, don't you think?
At Healesville Sanctuary, the first thing that greeted us were koalas, I've seen a lot of koalas in my time, obviously, because I am an Australian. I love holding them though, their butts are all warm and smooshy. There were Echidnas (little things that look like hedgehogs), Kangaroos, several species of birds, snakes and lizards, Tasmanian Devils, Dingo Dogs and Wombats (which were sleeping, they are nocturnal).
We spent the rest of the afternoon at the Sanctuary, the weather was nice to us that day, it cleared up right in time. When we arrived at the Sanctuary, it stopped raining completely but I got a little annoyed because of the heat. We left the animals at about 4 in the afternoon and arrived back in the city an hour later, just in time for dinner. The bus dropped us off right outside Taco Bill, so we settled for Mexican. We were both lazy to find and think of something else to eat, plus we didn't want to walk anymore.
I had enchilada and dip for dinner and mom had the mixed platter. I forgot to take photos of my food again, it's rare that I have mexican food. We didn't do much but eat and eat and went straight back to the apartment after that. All I can think about in Melbourne is the food. They have the freshest produce and nicest pastries and coffee. I swear I am going to grow fat in this town.
