To be extremely honest, I’ve never seen/taste/smell/ate Vegemite in my entire life.

Until I came to Australia.

Bardha, Cleefy and I in the kitchen on the night of the challenge

This is how it all began.

One fine day, Konzy and Cleefy decided to ask me a million dollar question.

“Have you tried Vegemite before?”

My answer was an obvious “no”.

However, I’ve heard some pretty horrid stuff about it; that it tasted vile, disgusting and nasty on your tastebuds. Then again, Cleefy insisted I had some, regardless of what I’ve heard.

Allow me to quote him “you haven’t experienced Australia if you leave without Vegemite”.

Looks like a creepy Vegemite ad, no? 😛

He proposed I eat it in front of the camera so that I could always remember the “Australian goodness of Vegemite”. Fair enough. So I decided to take up the challenge of the infamous yucky Vegemite.

Let the camera roll!

One night before we headed out clubbing, Cleefy brought me a jar of Vegemite

& had it wrapped in a cute blue ribbon too! 

I was extremely hesitant after unwrapping it but my mates were pretty persistent.

Fine fine fine. I’ll do it! 

Here’s the short video I made. Enjoy it!

Hahaha. Hope you liked it! So there, my 1st moments with Vegemite, added with laughter, nasty facial contortions and friendship encapsulated in a 6 minute video 🙂

Now, everytime I think of Australia or crave for Vegemite, this video will do the trick!

Ahoy mateys! Arrrr. Vegemite has arrived.

How am I ever gonna forget that?

The next time ANY of you come to Malaysia, I’ll do the exact same thing for yall – not with Vegemite, but with Durians instead. *evil laughter*

Thank you Cleefy bear!

Now that I’ve finished blogging this entire post and editing the VLOG, I’m totally up for some. Only thing that’s stopping me is…. I can’t seem to find my Vegemite.

Who has stolen my jar from me!?  Identify yourself!!

After 2 years of not meeting up, Violet and I were glad to *finally* see each other again!

We were both in Melbourne at that time so it was perfect for a catch-up sesh

Violet and I 🙂

We didn't know where to go at first cos we were practically gushing when we saw each other!

I was happy to see her again! After walking around aimlessly for a bit, we went to Koko Black

What could be better than catching up over glorious, glorious chocolate?

The hardcore chocolate lover was simply delighted! *beams* 

James was there to join us as well! 🙂

We chatted for hours and talked about old times and what we're going and where we should go next when we meet again. So much to do together, so little time!

But unfortunately, all of us have busy schedules plus the fact that I live pretty far from the city! 🙁

Girls doing what we do best 😛

Thanks for the photo dearie! 😀

After our teatime, we went outside for some air and to do a lil shopping.

Also, it's sometimes really cool to have a guy who is into photography tagging along while we do girly stuff or whatever we do. 😛 So I passed James my camera to help me take a few shots!

Hence, we get to actually have candid shots while walking or talking to each other LOL

Thanks for helping us take candids, James 😀

T'was an awesome day catching up with them but alas, something fairly tragic happened!!

I was wearing the new pair of boots which I bought yesterday, and since I've never wore boots before (we hardly ever wear boots in Malaysia) I didn't know we needed to wear socks or stockings or something similar.

So I was badly cut and bled from above my heels. A blister somehow managed to appear in less than an hour and it hurt to the max  

pic courtesy of Violet

Hmph. And this is why I hate wearing new shoes 🙁

Thankfully, they took me to the nearest footwear section and I bought a pair of flip-flops

I also had some band-aids with me (fortunately!) and poor me had to limp back home.

—————————————————–

Our next outing wasn't as tragic as the first one, though. Phew!

We met up at Pancake Parlour this time :D

Before our food arrived!

It was funny how we actually ended up choosing what to eat.

Both of us wanted to suggest Pancake Parlour, but didn't think that the other would want to eat that. But eventually, we both found out that the both of us had Pancake Parlour in mind! @__@

So, Pancake Parlour it is! 😀

I've always been a pancake fan. If you've been a long-time reader, yall would know that if there was any pancake outlet in front of me, I'd hit it. No matter what!

The flooring reminded me of checkerboards!

I liked the interior decor as well!

Don't know why, but ambience plays a part in how much I'd enjoy myself in a restaurant

Perhaps I'm not exactly a minimalist, that's why. I like elaborate or even artsy decorations 😉

While waiting for food!

Since I'm an avid fan of traditional stacks with maple syrup, I ordered that and something savory

Violet had some Pancake Spanakopita while James opted for Blueberry Pancakes!

In the end I was so full I couldn't finish 'em!

Had a great time with them, as I did the previous outing.

Cheers to more catch up sessions the next time I'm up in Melbourne! 😀

Camwhoring against some pretty Pancake Parlour backgrounds

Love their pop art-ish concept!

Yay for good times and good food! 😀

Ahhh! I spent the entire day yesterday batch editing all the animal photos I shot at the zoo.

It made me realize how similar animals are to human beings.. in many ways!

For those of you following, this post is a sequel to this sneak-peak blogged here

Konzy and I wanted to check out most, if not all, of the animals residing in Melbourne Zoo. Guided by the map, we started from the left and went anti-clockwise, ensuring every area is covered.

Holy crap! Gave me a shock. Easy, kitty, easy.

The Snow Leopard was the first animal we saw high atop the makeshift cave of its den.

T'was a beautiful animal, with an equally beautiful coat.

But the poor thing looked rather bored

Heck, I will be bored too if I were to be sitting in a man-made den all day and all night.

Somebody, find me a live animal to hunt! 

My point exactly.

Goodnight kitty, we won't disturb you anymore.

On to other animals!

Stopped by this huge den

What animal could possibly inside?

Most certainly not a small animal, considering the sizable space allocated for this enclosure

Oh, hello there, you cuddly fellow! 😀

It's nice watching how this bear malevolently lumbers around; without a care in the world.

I wanted to take a photo with it!

Obviously, this was the closest I could get lest it rips my head off

Turned around to peek at the Snow Leopard again to see…

LOL okay. Go ahead. Don't mind me.

Walked past a smaller enclosure, with lots of dried leaves and gravel inside.

Ohai! Would you puff out your tail feathers for me?

Hmmm.. maybe not.

Artsy photo of Konzy taking a photo of the peacock

We waited for ages ans ages for it to puff up its tail feathers… to no avail!

Hmph, maybe if I was a female – a peahen – it probably will try to impress me LOL

Us and the stubborn peacock!

There was some other creature that was sharing the den with Mr. Proud Peacock here

Konzy didn't know what it was (neither did I) so he started exclaiming, "Quick! Take a picture of that crawling thing!! It's crawling away!" 

And I did. In the midst of crawling away from over-enthusiastic people like us

We soon found out that it was something lika groundhog

The next enclosure was made to look like a massive cave that we had to enter.

UGHH. A reptile/amphibian farm – as I had expected.

Green chameleon!

Turned brownish-green

Into entirely brown chameleon!

Bah. Why are you afraid of me? I know I shoot, but only with my camera 😛

Moving on….

Look at this baby crocodile!!

The top of its head and its eyes are floating while the rest of its body is submerged underwater

Saw a smiling tortoise. Something must've made its day 

Here's a different kind of tortoise.

My slithery, slippery friends! How are you?

 For those wondering, I was born in the year of the Snake according to the Chinese Zodiac.

Okay, no need to count my age. I've just turned 22.

Gawd knows what bird is this.

Whole flock of them scurrying away from me -__-

I may eat KFC but sorry lah, you don't qualify. So don't be scared!

I stood outside in the field for a while. Just HAD to get away from the creepy-crawlies in the cave, while Konzy happily continues taking pictures of Monitor Lizards, Beetles and Tarantulas FML.

LOL cool.

Scary face OMG. Looks like some mutant 

Went inside the butterfly farm

OMG what is this! T'was SO HOT AND HUMID 10 times worse than Malaysia!

Had to remove my overcoat immediately! I guess butterflies breed best in tropical climates

There were millions, perhaps trillions of butterflies fluttering all around us!

Nope, they weren't caged up at all. Oh wait, technically they are, but..

WE WERE IN THE CAGE WITH THEM! 

The most massive, elaborate "cage" ever! LOL

Didn't even feel like a cage. It was more of a large greenhouse.

We left soon after. Konzy was amused by all the butterflies and started videoing them.

I'm like OMG IT'S SO HOT CAN WE GO NAAAAOO? hahahaha 😛

Don't know what animal this is but saw it in The Lion King before

Probably some kind of gazelle or an antelope.

And and and…. I rode an elephant!! 😛 😛

A wooden elephant. So? Still an elephant nonetheless 😛

Awww… momma elephant teaching baby elephant how to drink water through its trunk!

Konzy and I with the elephants!

He made some sort of cynical joke about elephants and a person. I refuse to reiterate.

But had to admit, it was funny. As much as I tried not to laugh.

Baby elephant, open wide! 😀

Konzy took a sneaky picture of me taking a picture of the elephants

But I managed to sneak in a smile! HA!

Okay, you should know what's coming next

I absolutely love tigers.

Well, they're essentially kittycats 😀 

Just… very big and dangerous kittycats capable of having me for lunch, that's all

Konzy and I outside the cage

Of lions and lionesses! 😀

RAAAAAWWWRRR!!!! 

Climbed to the top of the cage to see a dingo/hyena-like animal

I wish I could ride a zebra to university and be the coolest kid on the block

Hello Giraffes!! Super-tall creatures!

Kisses! 

Also, I've learned that you can't take a giraffe seriously.

Wanna know why?

How to take you seriously liddat???? -____-"

Fell in love with a female Orang Utan that smiled at me

Orang Utans are wonderful creatures, very much like humans.

But, I fail to understand why that particular Orang Utan chooses to wear cloithes

Maybe he doesn't fit in with his peers.

Should try going naked too. Maybe then he'll fit in 😛

Mother & Baby Orang Utan portrait!

When she smile for the camera, I melted.

When I showed her the photo, she looked at it and smiled at me again.

I was smitten by her until…..

She spread her legs wide open for me -___-"

Oh you skank 🙁

On 2nd thoughts, maybe she spread her legs for this Orang Utan 😛

Kangaroo!! It reminds me that I'm in Australia

Okay lemme recall a funny incident.

Poor joey wanted to come out of mama roo's pouch but mama wouldn't let her.

Kid : "MOM! LEMME OUT!"

Mom : "No."

Kid : "i'M OUT! YEEOUCCH! MY BUTT HURTS"

Mom : "NOW GET BACK INSIDE!"

Kid : "FINE"

Mom : "OUUCHH! DON'T JUST BARGE IN LIKE THAT!"

HAPPY NOW?

Okay 1 more kangaroo photo

Lazy Koala Bear was hibernating throughout the day!

Probably still baked from Eucalyptus LOL

Don't know what adorable animal this is but Konzy took its photo

Looks like a weasel/meerkat/civet cat to me

The Seal was delightful to look at!

Cos it goes both underwater and on land! 

Also saw penguins who couldn't walk nor stand straight

Neither could I. In this photo

Saw the caretaker feeding Percy the Pelican!

Cockatoo!

Ta-daaa! Found a stray peacock.

Don't know what animal this is but it reminds me of a skunk LOL

The entrance/exit

By the time we realized, it was already close to 6pm!

Geez. Looks like 5 hours isn't enough to tour the entire zoo.

But imma take less than 5 minutes of your time to watch a VLOG I made!

Enjoy the video :) 🙂

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IqWPa19lxs

Watch till the end! 😉

Managed to stop by the souvenir shop for a bit

RAWWWRR RAWWWRR!!

Konzy surprised me with this adorable fluffy, furry tiger hat! 

Although I have no where to wear it in Malaysia, It's in my car now! Yay tiger gets to go everywhere I go!

T'was an amazing afternoon spending time with all the animals of the animal kingdom!

I love animals, do you? 

I've always liked the sea/seaside/beach concept of things.

Complemented with awesome music, bass, drinks & crowd, you can never go wrong; which is why I was convinced that Alumbra was my favorite club in Melbourne!

I swear I don't remember painting my nails pink? 

Alumbra's tagline is Music, Life, Culture.

It was pretty apt for a club of its kind, as you will see soon enough.

Located along a harbour, it's no wonder you can see heaps of boats, ships and yachts around

The canopy walkway before we arrived the entrance

Good for rainy days

Okay, so what's with the culture part of the tagline?

I was shocked upon seeing this MASSIVE BUDDHA HEAD inside by the bar

WOW.

Although I doubt this club as anything to do with or affiliated with Buddhism, the concept just blew my mind.

Apart from the bar, there were more statues and heads of Buddha at the main dance floor too.

But it's fairly awkward, no? It's like, the Buddhists would probably think "oh no, Buddha is watching me drink"

Likewise, I'd feel uncomfy if a statue of Jesus was watching me drink and party away.

Get ready for some shots!

There was just an amazing variety of drinks to choose from!

Tim was awesome enough to bring me here!

Thanks heaps 😀

Met some really cool people too. Culture fusion indeed!

Italian guy on my right, Japanese guy on my left. 

Thank you for the fabulous evening, Tim! 

I enjoyed myself.

If you guys happen to be in Melbourne, do remember to make a stop at Alumbra.

You won't miss it! It's by the pier, just follow the sea and it'll lead you here 😀

On one of my voyages to Melbourne city during my first week in Australia, I hit up the ever-popular Southbank aka Crown Entertainment Complex.

Heard so much about it prior to my arrival, and now, I'm right in the heart of its vicinity.

The sights are even prettier at night all lit up! 😀

I could still remember being like a little kid lost in the big city on my first day in Melbs.

But thankfully, a few awesome people showed me around…

Aunt Ket included! She brought me ALL around Melb city 

At Melbourne Central.

It had a Metro Train beneath the mall! Wait a sec — I shouldn't be surprised. There's an LRT Train underneath our famed KLCC Twin Towers too.

.

Shopping at FCUK. Gawd I love this brand. Nice play of the acronym too 😛

Always works for me! (Besides the gym, of course)

We kept walking and Aunt Ket wanted to bring me to a picturesque spot on top of Burke Street Mall (or was it still Melbourne Central? I don't recall) to take pretty photos of the city from an aerial view.

And so we went to this rooftop garden!

So pretty! 😀 😀

I also reckon it's a place where heat is conserved at an optimum temperature for the plants.

The moment I stepped inside, I felt so warm! Almost like in Malaysia hehe.

Part of the city on a Saturday afternoon

We just kept exploring the city until evening. 

Oh and, funny how the sun begins to set around 5.30pm in Australia!

And by the time it hits 6.30pm, it'll be dark already

Nawwww horses along the streets of Melbourne!

There were horse carriages around. Just like the olden days.

I didn't ride it for some reason; reckon it probably costs a bomb 

Liquor shop!

Oh sorry, I forgot to warn you about this PG-13 photo,

Too bad you've already seen it! 😛

Shotbuckets on sale! Perfect for parties.

Tried on a coat with busy motifs. Liked it. Didn't like it

Liked it again. Changed my mind. Liked it again. But didn't buy it

Stopped to grab a lunch break!

Continued walking till we reached Southbank.

So pretty, right? T'was a great idea to go just before sunset.

Breathtaking

By the time we crossed the bridge to the other side, we were greeted by lots of buskers!

Some were singing, dancing, painting, juggling and all sorts of different things

Impressive street art!

Sat down inside Crown Entertainment Complex to have dinner

Yes, if you're wondering, that's all I'm having for dinner

Can't help that the Australian currency is triple times that of mine. 

How sad! It sucks always feeling like a pauper overseas. I finally how it feels like to be poor. 

Artsy shot 😀

And before we realized it, it was nightfall

We were just in time for the fire flamethrower show!

For those who don't know what I'm talking about, Southbank boasts a display of flames every weekend at a specific time. I think I was there at 8pm? It lasts for about 10 minutes, tops.

Yeah, if you're ever in town, try to catch it with your very own eyes!

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WWRLqEgil4

Here's a short snippet of it.

The heat was so intense at some points that you can feel a very mild burning sensation!

Everybody (especially tourists) stopped and watched it in awe

Just a nice silhouette 🙂

Southbank was buzzing with people even late at night!

Now that's what I'm talking about 😉

Lovely sights!

Stopped by the bridge to take picture but was constantly photobombed by drunk boys 

OMG leave me alone! They insisted a picture anyhow. Reminds me of what one of my readers once commented, "You always seem to attract weird men huh" LOL. That made me laugh!!! 

ZOMG! Trying not to ruin my smile.

Ok photo over. You can go now kthxbai

Gave up trying to take a solo picture as they wouldn't leave me alone unless I joined their nightly drunken crusades or left the spot.

Obviously, I politely declined their offer with an awkward smile and chose the latter. We adjourned home soon after. Phew.

Back at Flinders Street Station

So that was my 12 hour day out at the city.

Didn't feel so lost anymore when I went downtown again the following weekend!

Can't wait to go back. Countdown: 55 days!