 |
| The View from Up Here |
August 26th, 2015
Apparently Shimou’s house has problems without her there to mediate. Maybe it’s low EQ or just a clash of personalities. A fight has broken out between two of the housemates that resulted in one of them breaking every single plate in the house, and repeatedly stabbing a table with a knife. Shimou is the mom/mediator for the group - the one that seems to tie the group together. She’s been gone for a couple weeks and shit has hit the fan.
 |
| Indian Nachos (Spicy) |
Back in Melbourne, we were sitting, having brunch in the Workshop Brothers Specialty Coffee shop, right next to the Glenhuntly Station. Luke’s University is nearby, and we haven’t seen it. Why not take a small walk on over to the campus? It’s a small grad campus for business and IT students.
There is an outdoor spongy surface for basketball, volleyball, foosball(?), and ping pong(??). We checked out the view from the tallest structure - the car park (translation: parking garage) - and give Luke a hard time. They’ll occasionally sling insults at me for being an idiot, often in mandarin, which I’m perfectly fine with. Rolls off the back the more you deal with it, and I don’t take it personally. Why not take it and own it? Fart King Forever.
 |
| Night Market! |
We were at a loss for what to do next when Shimou remembered the Wednesday Night Market at the Queen Victoria Market. I had no idea this existed, but sure, that works.
 |
| "Antiques" Dealer |
Another lens into who I was:
In the past, a change in circumstance that wasn’t planned, or an event like the Night Market, would cause me to feel a fair amount of anxiety. I liked to be mentally prepared to go, I liked to know what was happening, and I generally just didn’t like big, bustling events with lots of people. How far I’ve come. This market is amazing, and the last one of the winter season.
We walked up to see bright, coloured lights smudged throughout the moderate amounts of smoke that was billowing from the darkness. The tent itself was spread over a large parking lot, with stands lining the outside and were dotted throughout the middle. Performers left and right, strange stalls selling antique-like objects for much cheaper than you’d expect, and lots of fusion foods. We got a large bun full of soup, and Indian Nachos.
The art installations were varied, from a paper lantern that would react when you lightly squeezed the tendrils hanging from the bottom, to a walking tour dancing/jumping in the middle of the tent in silence,* to a early-1900’s-style one-man-band, and a frenchman in a waiter's uniform on a tall unicycle, balancing a baguette on his head. Shit was nuts. |
| Luke Eating Bun Soup |
I realized that I had very few souvenirs for myself, let alone anything small for anyone back home. Then I fell into the trap of getting something for one or two people, then thinking that others might feel jilted. After spending too much money, I banned myself from spending anymore and simply perused. Pocket watches, compasses, sextants, and rustic hour glasses - I’m a sucker for things that look like the lifestyle of the 1930’s-40’s.
 |
| Bonus: A Frenchman balancing a Baguette while riding a Unicycle |
One such souvenir was a one-for-$15; two-for-$19 deal, so I got two. She mistakenly charged me $15 for the two, which I corrected her. She thanked me for my honesty, and gave it to me for $15 as a reward. Bonus!
With our pockets full of trinkets, our bellies full of fusion food,** we caught the tram back home and relaxed the night away.
Melbourne is awesome.
Editing Music: For Reasons Unknown by The Killers
*The occasional "whoop!" could be heard, but the music was on each individual’s headphones
**Luke grabbed a Ramen Burger, which had pressed Ramen for a bun.
No comments:
Post a Comment