Melbourne Picspam post + Close encounter with danger? + Wolverine

Ah today is such a nice day. The sun is ACTUALLY out. Bloody hell, the weather's been effing miserable for the past few days, there was at one point, since I came back from Melbourne where it rained and stormed for three days straight. I had to stay in the whole three days. WHAT KINDA PERSON STAYS AT HOME FOR THREE DAYS STRAIGHT?! Because the rain kept pouring like it's nobody's business, the winds were so strong I swear they can send me to Kansas to Oz and back and it was so bloody cold! After a while it subsided and I could go out again, and today is the first time we've seen an actual warm sunny day for a whole week. It's mid-autumn now, and everyday the sun sets at 5.30pm. Can you believe it lol? Also today was the first time I actually saw the sun and moon, up at the same time. Weird. And God must be favoring us by giving us good weather today because Natalie from Colorado celebrated her 21st birthday today! We had a nice lunch at Rundle Street and later tonight, some of them are going to a footy game. Which reminds me, I should watch a real live footy game before the season ends and I go back to Malaysia where there's no point in me going to watch a football match.

Anyway, Melbourne time!

I took this photo at Melboure Central Mall/Station.

Anyway, I wasn't planning on going to Melbourne at first. It was difficult for me to find a place to stay, Khai Gene was hosting her aunt at her place, so I couldn't stay (at The Melbournian dayumn, purple for regal effect), and Aunt Veron's place is in the suburbs, like 50 minutes from the city. I thought I'd save money and go during winter instead, go skiing on Mount Buller or something. However, I found out that most of my friends were going to Melbourne, and if I stay here, I'd be bored out of my wit. After a long discussion with my parents, I decided to go! And boy did I NOT regret it.

When I first got at Melbourne, I didn't go straight to the city like most of my friends did (the Tullamarine airport was about 20 minutes from the city), Aunt Veron picked me up and I proceeded to stay the first night at her place in the suburbs. I slept in the guest room, and when I arrived, there was a little package on the bed for me!

My first Easter eggs the whole Easter!! (I know I'm lame, I didn't bother to get any Easter eggs before because they were on mega-sale and super expensive). I went shopping with her at a nearby mall the next day. She and her husband Uncle Paul (who I had just met for the first time) took me for Italian desserts near Altona. I tried a Canoli, it was so yummy! I regret I did not take a picture with them before I went to the city.

On that evening itself, I took a train into Melbourne City. I then trammed to Timothy's apartment on Swanston Street, where I stayed for the rest of the week. I felt so bad imposing on them (he and his roommate Kenneth), thanks for letting me stay at your place guys!!

I love Melbourne city for so many things! For one, they've got better Asian food. I actually had Bak Kut Teh that tastes like Bak Kut Teh (though it was more like KL Bak Kut Teh, but at least they got the taste right). And some pretty good Dim Sum....yummmmm.... And great Malaysian food, nasi lemak mmmmmmmm.....

I went and did some shopping. I didn't buy much cos' I was on a tight budget, but I did get some neat stuff. I finally got my skinny black rocker jeans. I was real happy I found them because in Malaysia, most marketers are under the assumption that the typical Asian girl is small, petite and like a surfboard, which makes it hard for um...hour-glass-figure or well-endowed people like me, Denise or Jennifer to find clothes. Only in Western countries will you be able to find skinny jeans, my size, my length and the right width for my hips in proportion to my legs. And they're cheaper too! My mom usually buys my Levi's from the US because even at retail, she can get jeans for 20 dollars. I think the same goes for shoes as well. Vincent finally got his first pair of Chucks in Melbourne, (and a pair of new Kobe 4 shoes from Adelaide) because he couldn't find his size, which is size US 13 (freaking giant) in Malaysia.

I also got myself a Gatsby! XD Finally! I have for many years adored vintage and old-fashioned hats and I finally found one that fits! One that looks good on me too! And I think it's cute how I always look like a newspaper boy...or Oliver Twist. Next I shall attempt to buy a Cloche, or a beret, or a Bowler hat. Don't laugh.

I also bought these real awesome pair of Gisele Bundchen Ipanema thongs for AUD20. I thought it was a steal seeing as we get Ipanema for like...RM80 to RM90 a pair back home?

I got the white pair and Yuen got the brown ones, only difference is ours don't have the ankle strap and the toe straps are slightly different.

Anyway, I visited places like Chinatown. It's a much longer stretch than the one in Adelaide (duh).

Let's play "Count the number of azns in the photo!"

Melbourne city is really cool. It's got so many skyscrapers! All we got in Adelaide is the thirty-three storey Westpac House.

Random pic I took in the city and edited.

I went to Saint Kilda beach with Philip and Yuen. We went to the flea market, went to look around at the shops (it's kinda like Glenelg, only a bigger and longer stretch), went to a fair, just to look around, and went to the beach. By that time the sun was setting and it was effing cold.

I managed to get some nice shots of the sunset. I'm beginning to like taking artistic photos...BUUUUU I WANT A DSLR. And I adore taking pictures in Australia. The sky has very interesting shades of blue.

I also visited Fitzroy Gardens, because my mom told me if I wanted to do the tourist thing (and if I couldn't drive The Great Ocean Road) I should go there. And visit Captain Cook's cottage while I'm at it. I currently don't have any of the cottage pics on me now, but meh.

In Captain Cook's vegetable garden in his backyard.

Fitzroy Gardens, and Vincent walking ahead.

And now, me being a camwhore. Which hardly happens, so for the sake of the universe, let me enjoy myself while I'm at it.

Me and Yuenny~!

Oh we celebrated Yuen's 21st Birthday too, once before going to Melbourne, and another time at Melbourne.

Before Melbourne.

After Melbourne.

And now for some photos of the boys who let me stay at their place, took care of me and took me out for dinner and clubbing lol. Thanks guys, I really owe you one!

Timothy, who let me stay.

Gregory Thum Chee Hang, who slept over as well.

Kenneth, Tim's housemate and Dom, their friend.

Oh well. Melbourne was awesome. And I would really love to go again, because 6 days in Melbourne definitely wasn't enough.

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Recently I had a close encounter with danger. A couple of days ago, I went into the city, UniSA City East campus to attend the Adelaide Japanese Animation Society's weekly anime screening. After the screening, I walked to the intersection of North Terrace and Frome Road. I needed to cross Frome Road, so I waited at the light. A lady on her bicycle, pressed the button to cross the other road, North Terrace. As we were waiting, a guy hurriedly walks up to the light where I was waiting, to cross Frome as well. He looked nervous and he hung his head down. I realized that he was trying to ignore this other guy who was walking towards us, he was shouting. I decided to steal a glance at this shouting dude, I assumed he was another college student as we were in front of City East campus, yelling at his mate to wait up or something. But then I noticed he was holding something shiny. It was a gun.

Before he managed to reach us at the Frome Rd. light, the light on North Terrace (the one the lady on the bicylce was waiting at) turned green. I quickly turned and followed bicycle lady to cross North Terrace instead of Frome (which was where I should've crossed instead). After we had arrived safely across North Terrace, I turned back to see the that the guy did not follow, but my attention was quickly averted to the sound of police sirens. A copper car had arrived on North Terrace. Two officers got out of the car, started yelling at the guy, who started to run away. They gave chase.

The lady on the bicycle was apparently oblivious to what was happening. She told me that if I saw the guy's face I should make a report.

Then it dawned on me that I couldn't recognize his face, I don't even remember looking at it. When I saw the gun, my brain told me to get the hell outta there asap. Amazing.

I then proceeded to the IGA convenience store and got my first Dr. Pepper soda (SHUT UP WE DON'T HAVE IT IN MALAYSIA) despite the penumonia-inducing weather.

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Oh I went to watch X-Men Origins: Wolverine a couple of nights ago at Norwood with Jay, Thomas and Yuen.

I have come to a conclusion that it was only FAIR. And that is ONLY if you count out the major storyline inaccuracies as compared to the comic book versions. Major spoilers here onwards.

First, they made Logan (for those who don't know, that's Wolverine) and Victor (Sabretooth), brothers in this story. Since they wanted to focus on the origins of Wolverine as well as his rivalry with his arch nemesis, I guess that was an okay change to the plot. They also made Silverfox and Emma Frost sisters. I'm like "Huh?" Why?".

I assume they just wanted Silverfox to have a motive for what she did in the movie (which is her sister) but I think they could've just made up a random original mutant for that part, because Emma's role in the movie was almost irrelevant and pointless (unless you call leading a band of mutant escapees out of the Weapon X facility a point, but then any mutant could've done that). When I saw Emma on the movie posters, I actually thought she had a bigger role.

Timothy and Jay are upset that they had ruined Deadpool and turned Gambit into a (quote Jay) douche. Deadpool was easily defeated when Wolvie and Sabretooth severed his head. Jay was upset at the fact that he didn't do any fourth wall-breaking (no it's nothing X-Men related, look it up if you don't understand) and make any wise cracks, and of the fact that they turned him into a, quote Jay again, "mouthless, samurai sword-version of Wolverine". Whilst his regeneration powers are supposed to, quote Tim, own that of Wolvie's and Sabretooth's, he was easily 'killed off'. However, I found out that certain theaters around the world (not including the one I was in, dammit) played a secret scene where Deadpool regenerates his head. Now THAT sounds like the Deadpool we know. As for Gambit, he had a pretty minor, if not supporting, role. And I have a few things to say about it. He wasn't cool enough, he didn't speak enough French (mon ami!!), his Cajun accent wasn't strong enough, and I agree with Tim when he says that Remy's cards didn't explode like they're supposed to.

Also Tim and I have come to a conclusion that the reason why the movie faired this way was that it was done by an Australian studio lol. With Hugh Jackman as a co-producer. Okay, I am not dissing Australia OR Hugh, it's just a little joke. It's just I thought it would've been better if Marvel Studios had done it as an independent film, instead of ONLY co-producing it. Ironman was Marvel Studios' first independent movie, and The Incredible Hulk next, and both were, in my opinion, VERY GOOD movies. It's prolly also why the first three X-Men movies had sucked, because Marvel Studios only had some involvement in producing it.

But anyway, what do we know? We're just disgruntled biased fans who ALWAYS think people can do better. 8D

Fighting scenes were cool, effects were cool, and they paid a tribute to the Brotherhood of Mutants by putting the Blob in Team X, and putting in cameos of Quicksilver and Toad in the Weapon X cells (although, Blob was never in Team X, and Quicksilver and Toad were never part of the Weapon X project). Tim says this tribute to the Brotherhood probably is a teaser for the upcoming X-Men Origins: Magneto movie.

Oh yes, Jacqkie reminded me, I also want to watch Star Trek. I had forgotten to write about it in my previous post. I'm not a Trekkie, but I am very psyched for this, because Zachary Quinto (SYLAR from Heroes, yay) will be playing young Spock. And I saw some preview pictures, BOY DOES HE LOOK LIKE A YOUNG LENARD NIMOY. They scored when they cast him as Spock.