three days to go. my to-do list is clearing up:

1. aussie visa? check.
2. accommodations? sorted.
3. travel insurance? purchased.
4. aussie cash? will have it in hand within the hour.
5. mixture of light and warm clothings for melbourne’s tempestuous weather? check.

messaged a melburnian friend for some weather advice. his answer - your guess is as good as mine. according to him, the weather ranges from 30°C to 10°C. how on earth do you deal with that kinda range in one day stumps me, but i will soon find out first hand. the guide books are not much help, all they do is quote Crowded House’s lyrics - melbourne has four seasons in one day. that with a tongue in cheek advice - if you don’t like the weather in melbourne, just wait a few minutes for it to change. hah!

leaving tuesday early morn which means monday is packing day! am already wearing scarves in the house in anticipation of melbourne’s autumn. please let the leaves be red and brown and orange! i’ve always wanted to experience a true blue full blown autumn. is this my chance? we’ll find out soon enough!

out to get aussie dollars. later peeps.

was suppose to pack tomorrow. i always pack a day before because after packing i am restless to be on the move. but it was sunday, a lazy sunday. i had nothing to do all afternoon and thoughts of what to bring kept invading my head. so i figured, let’s just get it over with and replace “packing monday” to a relaxing monday.

as always, i started with my packing ritual - whipped up a playlist. today’s one comprised of jack johnson’s live acoustic numbers.

packing for this trip is completely different for me - i am not backpacking, i am there for work. i have to look presentable. i have to variate my clothes. first impressions must be made. i am not bringing my backpack, but one of those square luggages. with wheels. which offered a hell lot more space than my 40 litres rugsack.

now, i have been backpacking for five years. my how-to-pack-light skills have been horned, polished and refined. over and over again. faced with so much extra space stumped me. for five minutes. then i was stuffing things into the bag as if i was a thief in a bank that had fried its alarm system. i used to half the clothes i bring, now i double them. out goes small packs of toiletries, in comes regular size bottles. two pairs of shoes, two weeks worth of knickers, eight scarves, two jackets.

that luggage swallowed them up as if it was mary poppin’s bag itself. whatever creature comfort items i want, in it goes. a comb (i never travelled with one before). coffee. slippers. a whole tub of wild cherry body lotion. oatmeal soap.

so here i am, two days before my flight. all packed, smug and satisfied. foot loose and fancy free.

been up since five am, having an extended slow morning. listening to my current happy song, drinking coffee, checking melbourne’s weather and making sure all is in order before i head to the airport. it’s now seven am and i’m all ready to go! see you from down under mates!

stay beautiful on the insides people!

i’m staying in a service apartment called Quest Glen Waverley. there is a full fledge kitchen complete with microwave and cooking utensils and dishwasher in my room, washing machine and dryer plus a lovely balcony. here are some pics! can’t write much, gotta dash off.

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behind the mirror lies the closet

door leads to the balcony. place certainly looks well lived in already altho i’ve been there for only 2 hours

kitchen on your left. white door conceals laundry area - washing machine and dryer.

the balcony….quite a nice sized one too!

p/s: whoever said my nose won’t act up in melbourne has got it wrong

what i learnt today - people in melbourne dont go out for lunch…..they pack from home and eat in!

had a good first day. the people in the office appear to be a good natured bunch without airs. the weather was hot today, felt just like malaysia. in fact, half the office are malaysians and i keep hearing canto chatter and had to remind myself time and again that i am in melbourne.

a bunch a kind gentlemen took me out for some asian grocery shopping during lunch. and then another kind malaysian colleague dropped me home. and we got lost. on a straight road. hehe.

met up with andrew and evelyn. old mates from home. had a good catching up session over dinner. priceless how the many years we didn’t see each other just vanished.

we went grocery shopping after dinner and i was astounded by the selection they had in the supermarket. the amount of yoghurts, types of milk, bread. flabbergasting. bought a whole bunch of stuff and i’m good for more than a week of breakfasts, lunches and dinners.

here’s a snippet of conversation i had with them while grocery shopping:

e: what kinda bread do you want?
a: there is bleached, grain, traditional, these heavy ones, crusty ones, bread for toasting etc etc
me: errr. i just want the simplest one.

morning! i’ve been really enjoying the melbourne sky. there was a lovely sunset yestermorn, then cornflower blue all afternoon. at dusk, the sun kissed the sky goodnight with a pretty sunset.

right now - another gorgeous dawn. you know you’ve got it good when you got time to look skywards and appreciate.

here’s hoping everyone who’s reading is having a great morning and an even more fantastic day! stay real peeps.

this is the view i am blogging to right now.

another lovely day in melbourne. you can feel the sky stretch and unfurl without reservation. and gazing upon it, your heart just opens. am pretty knackered right now, but contented. the lack of sleep during the last two nights is hitting me, so i’ve decided to have a night in. i’ve got a chilled bottle of chardonnay that i bought for 13 bucks, and some lamb and rosemary hot pot in a bowl microwave meal, so i am all sorted with food. dessert - a choice of fresh apples or peach or plums, and some divine yoghurt. mmmmmm.

i had so much kindness shown to me today. i am grateful and blessed.

last night i heard some voices outside. curious, i stepped into my balcony to see where the noise came from. i opened the sliding door, stepped outside, closed the sliding door and turned towards the balcony. then, the brilliance of the night sky shocked me. my jaw just dropped. the stars here are amazing. like whoaaaaaaaaaaa kinda amazing. the only rival for such a twinkly night sky was watching it from Mt Kinabalu, and that’s pretty up close and personal. this is down under but probably just as good!

happy friday good people!

the rain here is very sudden. its all tweety bird and happy rustling leaves  when suddenly WHOOSH the rain will fall. a heavy dramatic downpour.

i was in the office when the rain pelted down. everyone took their turn in front of the window, staring out. apparently rain is a commodity here - they have water shortages and their dams are at 29% level. this means no one can wash their car at home. and you can water your plants only between 6am - 8am twice a week on certain days depending on whether your house number is an odd number or even number.

everyone who passed by the window (where i was sitting nearby) commented “gosh what a lovely weather!” and i always had to  check whether they were being sarcastic, but no - they were genuinely pleased to have rain.

the weather finally cooled down. right now it’s 16 degrees outside. super lovely. am looking forward to some chill.

there’s a coffee truck that visits my office daily. they brew fresh coffee on the spot, a travelling barista. they call themselves the bean genies. hehe! will snap a pic of them soon, i promise.

had a lovely dinner with a&e and their colleague. a very meaty place, won loads of awards. pricey dinner, but i enjoyed it. after dinner they took me for a drive around the city. melbourne has got some lovely churches and i am really itching to explore it this sunday!

tomorrow - off to dandenongs for some proper english tea!

finally the weather starts to get colder. pulled the scarf out of my closet, and wore an extra layer. totally looking forward to some nice chilly time! the maximum temperature forecasted today is 18°C and lowest about 10°C. woot!

i really hope i’m not the only one walking about with a scarf today…..haha!

be back later with some pictures people! have a fab sat!