Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Gunman identified

The killer of yesterday's triple shooting in downtown Melbourne has been identified and police have since initiated a nationwide vigilance for the fugitive. I believe it's now a matter of time before the man is captured and brought to justice.

Amazing Grace has got over the shock of the experience, although she still gets distressed in a busy crowd from time to time. She'll be going for a counseling session tomorrow so things are looking good.

Monday, June 18, 2007

Shooting in Melbourne



Amazing Grace witnessed a shooting in the city this morning on her way to work. The shooting happened right in front of her eyes and just a block away from her office. And she was still shaking when she called me 2 hours later. The police conducted an interview at her office and, finding that she was one of the eyewitnesses, invited her for a testimony in the station.

Stay tuned for updates of the news.

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Writing to forget

Don't we write to forget? We enter the numbers of our contacts into our memory cards so that we don't have to remember any of them – sometimes even our lover's. Historians record the witnesses of history so that later generations would have the knowledge that the precious lessons will always sit securely on the shelves of the library archive untouched – like boulder shrines buried in a tall jungle.

Just a year ago I had a heart-wrenching experience that almost destroyed my trademarked hope of life and a year later it all seemed a bit worthless for all the troubles it has caused. And for better or worse, on days when I wasn't licking my wounds, I almost totally forgot when and how it happened. I penned it down somewhere and time managed to tuck it away in a cool, dry place of memory where we seldom visit.

It's a human ritual to cast the past in stones not to remember, but lest we keep remembering and choose to linger there. Poetry has got to be one of the greatest discoveries ever, even more so than music, I think. Where music came to seduce the heart, poetry entered to save the soul from the aftermath of a fading melody. Music is the passionate Casanova, earnest to please. Poetry the compassionate Christ, able to heal. A broken-hearted lover could turn her tears into wine by making poetry out of nauseated pleasure, and then live – not as if the heartache never happened but in spite of it. By letting go of what's out of our hands anyway, we set ourselves free to feast on life's grand mysteries, and to regenerate the spirit and courage to take on life again at all costs.

We write to forget.

Monday, June 11, 2007

Soda Rock Diner

A relaxing Sunday afternoon outing has turned into a step back in time when we entered Soda Rock Diner, a restaurant à la Americana on the corner of Toorak Road and Chapel Street (Melway ref. 2L J5). In this instance we were transported back to the 60's, a time when street-corner diners serving hot dogs and hamburgers abound. The first thing that hooked you even before you enter was the oldies that were playing at the entrance of the diner, beckoning hungry hippies to enter and let the good times roll.

Once you're in the doors you're instantly attacked by the frying smells of beef patties and fries. Settling down into one of the dining booths upholstered in bright leather, you'd notice at the end of the table a silvery widget that was in fact a functioning mini jukebox preserved from the 40's! Across the diner there was a pinball machine that reminds you of a scene in the Back To The Future movies where Michael J. Fox was picking a fight with the bully in a nostalgic diner this one could easily pass off as.

The menu ranges from hamburgers to salads, with hamburgers that are claimed to be made of 100% beef and thickshakes and malts that are best in town. I ordered Sloppy Joe, a beef burger topped with chilli con carne and really hot chilli sauce while Amazing Grace liked her hot fudge sundae and Aaronwe his chocolate thickshake and Hubcap, a big hamburger with pickle, mustard and mayonnaise. And did I mention the old-fashioned uniform the waitress has got on? If I didn't know better I would have thought that I've lept into a Norman Rockwell picture!



The menu served here isn't your averagely priced fastfood, with a combo that costs at least 10 dollars, but then again this is not one of your average fastfood chains dotting the city. With the variety of food offered and the nostalgic environment that come with it, I'd say we got a run for our money.

And to top it all off: dancing waitresses!

Sunday, June 10, 2007

Varekai: a brief afterthought

Well I went for the show and didn't regret it. Felt like a kid again with all the oohs and ahhs the show managed to draw from the audience. The display of colorful costumes, lights, sounds, and twisted movements created a busy menagerie of exotic life. As I expected, the performance didn't dwell as much on storyline as its gravity-defying stunts. Although I'm not much of a juggling fan the show was well worth the money simply for its beautiful production design and diverse cast alone. But I must say that the show did a great job in creating the enchantment of another world with the acting.

Would I go for another Cirque production? I definitely would, if only to recapture that childish wonder.

Saturday, June 09, 2007

Cirque du Soleil's Varekai

Today I'm finally doing what I've been wanting to do since I set foot on Melbourne: theater-going. Not the big, silver screen kind that goes along with giant popcorns that cost fifteen bucks and taste like paper. Live performances is what I mean. On this occasion, I'm going to watch Varekai, one of Cirque du Soleil's mystical performances.

I've seen the ads on TV and only barely know the storyline's about a young man's fall into a deep forest somewhere near a volcano, and his subsequent rebirth. Since it's a Cirque production, I'm expecting a lot of jaw-dropping stunts, though not as much in storyline. But I hope my expectations will be surpassed. The ticket cost me a fortune, but I believe would be worth the spend. Hoping this is the first of many interesting cultural events to come.

Te quiero

Received a letter from Maycol yesterday. He's in second grade now and is doing well, he said. And he's grown up a lot since his last photo, but looks just as adorable. He also said "te quiero" and, as always, sent me a huge hug. This kid will do well with girls some day.

《我們青春的三言兩語》

他跟她是隔壁班 每當他出現在她的面前 她都愛靜觀他的一舉一動 然後幻想兩個人在一起的畫面 中學時期過了 當然兩個人也沒在一起 是他因為害怕而錯過了 二十年後 他們重遇在他的工作室 成了要好的朋友 她問他有沒有喜歡的人 他愣住了...