Friday, September 28, 2007
phantom of the opera
us girls went to watch the phantom of the opera on the 25th of sept. it was really good! but unfortunately the role of christine was played by the alternative, whom we felt wasn't very pretty.. the original girl was much better looking (she was featured in the programme). the phantom was good. sometimes it really makes me wonder whether the voice is recorded. it's so amazing that people can sing in that manner live. the range required for opera songs especially for the Phantom is so great! insider news: the Phantom stumbled over his boat while walking backwards! it was lucky he wasn't singing at the point of time.
and i got ripped off. during the interval i went to buy some chocolates from the candy man. i didn't ask for the price and requested for 2 boxes of maltesers. "here you go... ten dollars please." he said. i was like wtf! but too paiseh to change my mind so... oh wells. i was feeling quite generous anyway.
getting ready...
all dressed up and ready to go! 
all smiles after the show!
Genevieve wrote at 5:28 PM.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Tulip Farm
heya! i went to the tulip farm in lilydale last sunday the 23rd of sept. it was great fun but i was so tired after that as i had quite little sleep the night before. we had to catch the 8.49am train in order to board the 9.16am train at richmond where everyone else will be on board. unfortunately, our darling thomas missed his tram to melbourne central so he couldn't make it for the 9.11am train! haha and as it was a sunday, the next one was at 9.41am. oh no... the bus which we have to catch at lilydale departs at 10.55am. and as like with all aussie services, the tulip farm hired this one and only bus, which resulted in a bus frequency of one hour. no way were we gonna miss the bus!
so me, min and my sis waited at richmond for the next train to arrive. when it did, we hopped onto the last carriage where thomas and grace were. the rest took the previous train (and didn't tell us!) and we were to reconcile in camberwell station. the moment everyone else hopped on the lilydale-bound train they were scolding thomas for being late and everyone could have slept for like an extra half hour. lol. when we arrived at lilydale we all rushed toward the bus. the bus was already so full, and we had 12 of us! we had to ask the people on the bus to please move in so the 12 of us could fit in. thank goodness we were in the last carriage, which was where the station exit was, so we reached the bus first! so some credit to thomas la, for choosing the right carriage.
miraculously, the 12 of us fit in!!! maybe cos of the training we had on the SBS buses back home. the bus doors shut and the people who couldn't board the bus were so pissed cos they would have to wait for another hour. (phew!)
upon reaching the tesselaar tulip festival, it was in unison to eat first cos we were so hungry! haha.. but honestly the prices there were a rip off la. tourist prices. but what to do? after lunch we headed off to the farm where neat rows of tulips were in full splendor. quite an interesting sight. i mean, i'm not mad about flowers, but i have to admit it was quite beautiful.
so me, min and my sis waited at richmond for the next train to arrive. when it did, we hopped onto the last carriage where thomas and grace were. the rest took the previous train (and didn't tell us!) and we were to reconcile in camberwell station. the moment everyone else hopped on the lilydale-bound train they were scolding thomas for being late and everyone could have slept for like an extra half hour. lol. when we arrived at lilydale we all rushed toward the bus. the bus was already so full, and we had 12 of us! we had to ask the people on the bus to please move in so the 12 of us could fit in. thank goodness we were in the last carriage, which was where the station exit was, so we reached the bus first! so some credit to thomas la, for choosing the right carriage.
miraculously, the 12 of us fit in!!! maybe cos of the training we had on the SBS buses back home. the bus doors shut and the people who couldn't board the bus were so pissed cos they would have to wait for another hour. (phew!)
upon reaching the tesselaar tulip festival, it was in unison to eat first cos we were so hungry! haha.. but honestly the prices there were a rip off la. tourist prices. but what to do? after lunch we headed off to the farm where neat rows of tulips were in full splendor. quite an interesting sight. i mean, i'm not mad about flowers, but i have to admit it was quite beautiful.
over lunch: the girls
getting ready for a group photo amongst the tulips. so chaotic.
smile! from L-R top row: min, me, grace, pey eing, jin
L-R bottom row: thomas, lucia, wanlian, jennifer, pey jung
sis
i think i did a good job with the camera! my first attempt ok.
wheeee!!
min, me, sis, and the hybrid coloured tulips.
thomas the late boy.
nice?
after enough posing with the plants we went to eat again. dutch pancakes, potato salad and something which tasted like fried mantou. i liked the potato salad. =) we had to queue for approx 45minutes for the dutch pancakes. potterjes, it's called. i think my legs almost broke haha.
as we had to catch the 3.25pm bus, being the kiasu singaporeans and malaysians we are, we started to queue for the bus at 3pm. we were glad we did though, because once again, the 12 of us worked our miracle up the bus before the bus doors shut right behind us! lucky day for us. there were hoardes of people who had to wait for another hour. but seriously, i think tesselaar should just hire more buses. if the frequency is half an hour it still isn't so bad. just add one more bus only!
i enjoyed myself, but it didn't feel complete. i just had this emptiness inside me throughout the whole thing. it was after the trip that i realised it was probably cos joel wasn't around. for the past two years we have travelled to places together, i loved to share such wonderful times with him. joel is someone who doubles my joy, literally. don't you get this feeling sometimes? that you feel you might enjoy something better when that special someone is around? like "i wish XXX were here with me. he'd have enjoyed seeing this."
Genevieve wrote at 12:56 PM.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
my short journey home
i took a tram home today. first time since i lived in malvern. i usually take the train but this time it was because i had dinner at celeste's place. and they don't have trains near st. kilda road. i think the last time i took a tram back to my area was when i was on holiday back in 2005 and i stayed with my sis, whose previous apartment was just across the road of my current apartment, so i am pretty familiar with the tram route.i expected the tram ride to be long, but surprisingly it didn't seem that way. perhaps it's cos i was so absorbed in a book i'm currently reading, i wished the tram ride was longer. this book is the first one in many years that i actually read out of the toilet (which explains why i usually take so long to finish one book, haha). i'm enjoying the book so much i actually make it a point to sit on my bed and read a few chapters before retiring for the day. comedy romance. my favourite, always nice. the setting of the book is in melbourne too so it's oddly familiar. like i can totally visualise the writings of the author.
so after i got off the tram (i actually got off at the right stop! it was so dark i was worried i'd miss it) i started to walk home. usually i'd have my ipod plugged into my ears to make up for the quiet in my suburb. when i first moved here i really hated the walk home from the train station at night because the roads were dark and quiet. and it didn't help that the locals here sleep at 9pm, so the houses along the streets all look dark and eerie. but i slowly got used to it and became less frightened of the dark streets, but i still preferred to blast my ipods to, if you like, "block out" the silence.
but tonight i decided to walk home and take in the dark and quiet. kinda reminded me of this caulfield stretch which huimin and i took recently. she mentioned that she liked walking along that stretch as the quietness was therapeutic. i never quite understood that. till today. recently i haven't really been using my ipod. i just seem to rather take in what is around me and not drown in my own world of music.
the walk from the tram stop tonight was longer than usual as it's further away compared to the train station. i just felt like i needed this quiet walk. it was rather therapeutic... it was a good time to think of things which i've been trying to think about for the whole day, and i guess the fact that malvern is quite safe and i won't likely get mugged, raped or stabbed helped.
recently, i've kind of enjoyed being alone. the serenity of just spending time with yourself and having a good book in hand, isn't that bad after all. it seems that after joel left, i'm taking things more slowly. a lot of things that used to matter didn't seem to matter as much anymore.
maybe when the things which matter most to you is gone, everything else seems miniscule. i think i've managed to pick myself up a little, but i still feel an emptiness inside of me. i wonder how he's moving on. i truly hope he is happy.
Genevieve wrote at 12:15 AM.
Friday, September 14, 2007
i created this collage some time ago.. the weekend before it ended. so i never really got around to sending it to him. it's simple. but i really like it. i know that i should put it away in order to move on, but i really cannot bear to. :( i could stare at it all day. i miss him.
Genevieve wrote at 11:58 PM.
mmm i've decided to resurrect my blog again.. it's only now that i realised the last time i blogged was more than a year ago. before i even arrived in melbourne. riiiight... has it been that long? time really passes quickly.
i've been in melbourne for slightly over a year now, currently in my third (and last) semester of study. but i should be doing honours, so that'll be an additional year. i've only begun to get used to melbourne, actually. i believe it would be quite sad to leave end of the year if i don't do honours.
as i was visiting my own blog for the first time in many many months, i saw the blog entry dated may 2006. that was the time when i came over to melbourne to visit joel when he first came over. just reminiscing the good times. so many things have happened since. sigh.
sometimes i wish i were in a very bad dream.
i wonder how long i'll be able to keep this up. i wonder if anyone still drops by now and then.
Genevieve wrote at 11:32 PM.