The last stop of my Australian trip was Brisbane. There is so much to see in Queensland, and I only caught a glimpse of it. I’d have to come back another day, no doubt. My aunt and grandaunt were kind enough to host me, bring me around, cook for me, make me feel at home.  But the highlight of the trip, other than spending time with family, was the unexpected encounter with my aunt’s friends at the community garden. Every Tuesday they go there to tend to their vegetable crops and some fruit trees, and they’d bring tea and cakes…

As years went by, I find it harder and harder to meet true friends who are willing to work on keeping the friendship going for as long as it can be. Not that there aren’t people I can call friends, but most of the time it’s usually with strings attached, or they’re just not that interested in being true friends. It’s understandable- most people at this age would already have their own family or have their own clique of friends; or they just want something from you, or it’s just a fleeting encounter that couldn’t be solidified into true friendships.…

On one of the days that I roamed the city by myself, I found myself checking out the ACMI (Australian Centre for the Moving Image) where they have two free exhibitions on the ground floor. Because it’s free and who doesn’t love free stuff, I decided to check them out first before I explored other exhibits. Most of the visitors there were mainly school children- probably another school excursions, and that made me feel younger by being around them. Found myself stopping at each section to learn more about movies- the history, the cinematic effects, the color schemes and the…

I suppose there’s a lot more that I could do in Melbourne, like visiting the aquarium, the zoo, taking the river cruise, or day tour to Great Ocean Road etc., but I didn’t want to rush and since there’s just not enough time to do everything, I’d rather just relax and explore the city by foot. Found my favourite bench to sit and people-watch. Pic below was the view from the bench.  Somewhere further down this street there is a jewellery store, where one of my childhood best friends got his then-girlfriend an engagement ring. 🙂 Bestie told me the…

As someone who grew up in a city, I feel at ease with huge crowd around me. I like being surrounded by the hustle and bustle (most of the time, with exceptions), but only just enough so I can get lost in the city and wrap myself up in my own thoughts, and not too much that it might overwhelm me. The lights, the trams’ bells, the street performances, the quirky fashion, the cafes sprinkled all over the city. They stimulate my senses, in a good way. Here I spent my time walking around, stopping to breathe and feel the…

Melbourne, or Australia in general, has always been on my list of places to visit. But I was never really serious about making my way there, mainly because I have friends and relatives there whom I know will always be there so I can go anytime I want and there’ll still be people I know to show me the place they call home. There’s always the next year. Then one day when I found out that my best friend was going to move to Japan, I have this sense of urgency to visit, before she leaves. It’s not that I…