Below: Brunetti cafe, just before sunset, with St. Paul's cathedral in the background

I'm at this cafe called Brunetti, which is apparently quite famous and located right next to St. Paul's cathedral. Dina's on her way from work, so I'm just typing away on my iPad.
Today was a good day. Melbourne weather wasn't that moody and I got to catch up with a friend that I have not met in more than a decade. Priceless.
Ness is a primary school friend from Singapore, and we used to hang out quite a bit as kids. Her family then moved to Melbourne and I later moved to Sydney and we lost touch - completely.
Sometime last year, she found me on Facebook and we cyber re-connected. I learnt through FB that we both enjoyed Vinyasa yoga.
But that is not the most important part. What is more important is that we decided to get back in touch, and I'm thrilled about that.
It's wonderfully strange how it wasn't awkward when we first met - we bear hugged along the street, and immediately connected the way old friends do.
I am also grateful that Ness had the time to take me around and show me the lovely quaint side-streets and cafes of Melbourne city - basically for the whole day. I will blog about this tomorrow.
I have a bit of catching up to do, so I'll just dive right in...
Given that I'm limited in time, this post will focus on Day 3.2, or the second half of yesterday.
Day 3.2: After Lunch, the National Gallery of Victoria and the Vienna Art & Design Exhibition.
Below: The NGV. I find shadows in Melbourne enchanting. As long as there is no fog / rain, the light here casts incredibly distinct shadows, be it from tree branches to simple railings. It's beautiful. I'm pretty sure that the architects thought about this when they built buildings like the NGV.

This exhibition deserves a whole post on its own, and that will come, but probably when I get back to Singapore. I certainly have a good line-up of posts in my head.
For those of you who don't know, Art History was one of my majors in university and I've always been interested in the concept of imagery and how it can hold meaning and therefore capture history.
Since I moved back to Singapore, perhaps through a combination of entering the "grown-up" workforce, battling the new and/or maybe due to a lack of stimulus, I feel like I have neglected this part of my life and plain forgotten the passion for art. The simple pleasure of trying to interpret and understand imagery and maybe go into a frenzy reading into the history of some has been lost to me
This is such a pity because I realize now, more than ever, how it can stir thought and introspection. At least for me.
This is important for active and therefore healthy braincells I believe :P!
Besides, art is fun.
Every symbol, every image has a message(s), whether it is intentional and/or unintentional. Some messages are more subtle, diluted by the commonness of the everyday, others are more potent and spur thought that can lead to action.
Anyway, I am starting to yonder off course, and I don't have much time, so I need to get to the point. :P I'll save this discourse for later.
After lunch at World Cafe, I took a stroll down Yarra River towards the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV).
Devotion to art was already on the streets, with anonymous chalk drawings on the ground. All were classical art depictions. Beautiful and unreal given that they were created using chalk. I wanted to make a donation (it was written in chalk that donations were welcome) but there was no one to give these to.

There is something about art like this, art intentionally created to be temporary - like sand art - that intrigues me. It brings to surface the transient nature of our world and our existence and reminds us, or at least me, to stop and appreciate art/love/life while you can.

The walkway is getting busy as its lunchtime and I notice that - just like Sydney - there are a good number of people having lunchtime runs. Aussies are so healthy and outdoorsy :P.
I take a couple of photos along the Yarra River, here is one that I especially like because of that seagull perched on the streetlamp.

Eventually I make it to the NGV, but not before passing by The Arts Centre.

Unfortunately I have missed the 11am guided tour :(. I think about catching the ballet, but tickets are pretty pricy. Maybe another time.
Then I see this:

Ah huh! I have arrived at my destination.
To sum it up plainly, the exhibition is awesome, and I will have to devote an entire post to it.
What I thought would be a quick one hour excursion ended up taking almost 3 hours.
This time I was lucky and managed to catch a free guided tour - which was wonderful. I now hold the architecture and art of Vienna with higher esteem and am a lot more curious about the history and ideology of the Vienna Secession movement.
I'll have to get into this in more detail another time. But bottom line is that I'm now a fan of modern Viennese design.
The NGV exhibition closes at 5pm, which is just in time for me to get back to Dina's apartment and prepare for dinner.
The moment I step out of NGV I notice that a fog has settled. It's much colder.
The walk back is a little strenuous and I get lost, but I manage to take some photos of this incredible fog. Moody Melbourne...



I'm looking forward to dinner - it'd be the first time in a long time that we get to catch up.
Dina takes me to the Vegie Bar, which is located in grungy Branswick.
It's dark but I somehow already know that I like the hip and alternative Branswick vibe.
The Vegie Bar epitomizes this - and I now get Dina when she speaks about Melbourne as being "quirky".

It is a very popular, even on a Tuesday, and it only serves vegetarian, with good vegan and gluton-free options.

I love it. I love the idea of it. I love its quirky alternative aura. I love its commitment to providing the perfect substitute to an otherwise typical meal out. I would recommend it.

But, be prepared for the wait (Dina and I had to wait over drinks at "the courtyard" for about 35 mins). Also be prepared for big Aussie servings. We most definitely overordered and there was a good deal of wastage.
Below: Dina and I at the Vegie Bar, Branswick:

This is what we ordered, together with the soup of the day which was pumpkin and sweet potato soup. Yummy!:

Their Mexican Burritos are famed, and both Dina and I order it as our mains.
Delicious, but huge.
We take the tram home, and it's freezing. Our breath forms mist as we speak, but I did manage to capture a couple more iPhone photos of quirky Branswick.
I love this blend of old and alternative personalities:


That's all for now folks!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Location:City Road,Melbourne,Australia