CZ’s friend is currently staying in Melbourne and was allegedly quite hyped up about bumping into me. She demanded to know when I was going to Crown Casino.

I didn’t bump into her eventually, which on hindsight was a fortunate thing for her, or I would have firstly jotted down her address and contact number- in case the volcanic ash kept us trapped, and secondly, bawled at the exorbitant parking rates on Queensbridge Street. We had just returned from the Great Ocean Road. My intention was to have dinner and a quick tour of the casino, so we didn’t bring the car back to our apartment. It was a whooping $22 per hour for the first three hours before 5pm, and $9 per hour up to a maximum of four hours at night. Crazy.

I spent a grand total of 30 minutes at the largest casino in the southern hemisphere. You probably won’t have a huge gaming urge after driving for ten hours. I was momentarily adrenalised though, when I saw tables for Casino War. The last I checked, the game isn’t available at Resorts World Sentosa and Marina Bay Sands. Auckland’s Sky City and Syndey’s Star City don’t have space for this extraordinarily simple game as well. I like its speed and efficiency, and it has been said that this is probably the only game where players have a better chance to beat the dealer, and have more favourable odds than even Baccarat.

I was at the Regent Theatre the next evening. The place is stunning and full of historic charm.

Andrew Llyod Webber doesn’t regard Love Never Dies as a sequel to The Phantom of the Opera. Uh huh. He thinks that it’s a stand-alone musical. But no one really cares. People call it The Phantom Part Two. My opinion is that they would have to stick with this association in order to move tickets.

The apprehension was apparent when I was booking tickets online. The opening at West End in March 2010 received mixed reviews. Some said it was slow and lacked in storytelling and romance; others didn’t like the music and ending. Then the Broadway dates were delayed infinitely. I read the book when I was in secondary school, and I was awed by the run in Singapore. Should the indelible images of the Phantom and Christine just remain ‘inside my mind’ or should I listen again to their ‘strange duet’?

Love Never Dies got off to a really promising start. Ten years after the Phantom vanished from Paris, he resurfaces and lures Christine to Coney Island. The technical setup was excellent. Dear Old Friend was especially well executed. I went out during the intermission to buy the CD (yes, I’m a Phantom fan), thinking it wasn’t as bad they described it to be!

However, everything fell apart after the entr’acte. The lukewarm plot stretched into an excessively lengthy and odd love rectangle. Christine appears in an outlandish peacock dress and the rogue pair of Madame Giry and Meg Giry trade roles in a bizarre twist. I could hardly contain my incredulity when the curtains fell. “What?! That’s it?!

I walked back to the apartment mulling over how the acclaimed Lloyd Webber wasted two hours of my life. (Ok, maybe just one- because I enjoyed the first act. Hahaha.) At the same time, I contemplated waking up at around 4.32am (GMT+10) to see the lunar eclipse, and then hop back into bed immediately. The plan was aborted at midnight though. The moon which was visible from my balcony an hour ago had shifted towards the other side of the building. I wasn’t enthusiastic enough to put on my gear and stand on a dead quiet street in single digit temperatures.

On the final morning of our short stay in Melbourne, we walked 200 metres to Queen Victoria Market. My foursquare app says that it was the first farmer market (with free wifi connection) that I have ever visited. I wasn’t interested in any of the organic produce obviously. My sole intention was to buy the legendary Dark Chocolate with Coffee Bean. I can’t recall what Andrew did in Melbourne, or how long he stayed there. I can only remember the stuff he brought back- entire coffee beans individually covered with chocolate. The flavour and aroma is awesome. Correction, it’s A.W.E.S.O.M.E.

I’ve told my friends that I totally enjoyed the stay in Melbourne. The weather was a big plus, and the people were so friendly. We whipped out maps at junctions only to have smiling passersby walking over to offer their assistance. And more than once, strangers would smile even when we happened to establish eye contact for two milliseconds.

It’s definitely not the most affordable holiday destination, but I’m sure I’ll be back in Melbourne soon.

Faye Wong performs at Singapore Indoor Stadium on 29 Oct 2011. Tickets go on sale from 1 Jul via SISTIC.

We had glorious weather in Melbourne last week- sunny and cold at the same time. Perfect to head outdoors.

I haven’t been to Mandai for a while now, so I can’t do a comparison. Melbourne Zoo provides a rather decent up-close experience. The lions kept me engrossed for a really long time- I was trying to decipher whether it was a look of regal dignity, or a forlorn sense of captivity. And I was really amused to see the cute little penguins. The way they walk is very funny.

I was there mainly to see koalas, kangaroos, and other animals exclusive to Australia. It was a bad choice. I should have gone to some koala sanctuary instead.

This is a public service announcement. They don’t serve Coca-Cola at Melbourne Zoo. Just in case…

This is a joke, I tell you. The menu read “battered fish with shoe string fries.” I call this fraudulent misrepresentation.

Different people offered different opinions before we flew. Some said we should self-drive, others thought it would be rather dangerous and suggested we book a tour.

I was actually inclined towards driving- I love sitting behind the wheel! It wasn’t a major problem since Australians drive on the same side of the road as we do, and it took just five minutes to figure out how they do a hook turn- turning right from the left lane (instead of the right lane) in parts of the CBD. Coupled with the fact that there was a row of car rental outlets metres away from our apartment, I decided to drive to Great Ocean Road.

With the number of bends in the mountainous terrain, I felt like Takumi Fujiwara- the tofu delivery boy turned racer (aka Jay Chou’s character) in Initial D. It was a real shame I didn’t know how to drift. I mean, I don’t know how to drift without crashing.

Anyway, who was the one who told me that it was dangerous “driving on cliffs” and “maneuvering multiple curves” along the way? The roads were so wide! I was doing at least 70-80km/h while turning. (Maybe the GPS brought me away from the danger zone?) It was a total breeze handling the Hyundai i20. I’m so glad I chose to drive.

We stopped for lunch at a random cafe and found this amazingly tasty turkey ham and avocado sandwich.

This girl with only one hand cracked me up totally.

There are many attractions along the Road, but we only had time to pause briefly before speeding off again. The Twelve Apostles (or rather, what’s left of it) are located a distance away, and I wasn’t sure of the road conditions at night, so we weren’t going to risk spending too much time there.

I like the way they put this message across. Zero ambiguity.

While I’m suitably awed by what they claim to be one of the world’s most magnificent coastlines, I couldn’t resist comparing these limestone structures to the ones I saw at the Island of Peace in Keelung, Taiwan. Similar standards of majestic splendour; different levels of marketing.

I refused to do a “Hey! I’m here” shot. This picture will do.

It was pristine white when we departed in the morning. 530 kilometres later, it was covered with a layer of grime. Thanks for the ride.