Melbourne Open Day - Part II @ Union Lane Street Art Project

This second part of Melbourne's Open Day was really more of us walking through one of Melbourne's many lane-ways (Union Lane in particular) after visiting all the other "old" buildings... as we were walking by, the graffiti street artists were "refreshing" the art on the walls...


The art here changes constantly...


And I had to do a quick update and snap it all up...


The last time I took "memories" from these walls was in 2008!


I'll let the images speak for themselves =)
























This one is my favourite...!

So which is your favourite?

The Boy quite likes Mr Monopoly =)

Enjoy Melbourne...!!!

Melbourne Open House 2010 - Part I

A couple of weeks ago on the last weekend of July (I'm catching up on posts I promise!!), I received a VIP pass for Melbourne's Open Day...

(I took this picture in 2007, but Melb doesn't change much)

I missed last years and utterly regretted it... so armed with the Boy and my VIP pass... I hungrily toured Melbourne like an eager tourist...


First stop, (after scouting around and passing all the long queues everywhere, didn't matter at some places that I had the VIP pass)... we decided to enter the foray of the Melbourne Town Hall


Always looked so cold and imposing to me from the outside, it was actually quite warm and comfy inside...


Making important decisions is often difficult with a comfy chair and a heavy hammer...


Sir John Batman, who bought Melbourne for many items, including shirts, scissors, knives and 3 mirrors (if I recall correctly... my grasp on facts in history is a bit lacking)


Too bad it's no longer John So.. 'cos he and I were tight... John So, was my bro... ^_^


Apparently the Beatles played on this piano (by the Beatles I meant Paul McCartney only)


A snapshot of the "then" Lady Mayoress room...


We next visitied CH2 (Council House 2)... which is located at the back of Lin Control (Opposite Golden Tower)... on Little Collins Street...


Built to be environmentally friendly, I was quite impressed with the structure of the building


The Director explaining to us the importance for buildings to go Green.


The "movable" panels that block out the sun on hot summer days...


The rooftop garden... impressive.. I like rooftop gardens!


I next wanted to bring the Boy to visit RP Substation... but was told by my colleagues that the wait would be 1.5 hours long (does this tell you where/whom I work for? *hint hint*)


A lunch break and back on the trail... we next visited Melbourne's State Library (go Google the image)... and


despite never been in there before (I know, I know)... it was strangely disappointing...


The Boy at this stage was getting bored, and didn't want to wait long in any line (so impatient, considering we didn't have to line up anywhere!)


So we popped by the Athenaeum Theater (now most famously a Ticketmaster collection box) which is located across The Regent Theater...


Our last stop... (it was already 4pm!)... ANZ Gothic Bank...

Turns out that my favourite building from this "tour" was the only place that doesn't allow photos... it's still a working bank after all...



Will we do this again next year? HELL YEAH!

Should you do this next year? YES!

I've been living here for years and walking these streets on a nearly daily basis, this tour really opens up your eyes to Melbourne... relax, have some fun and dissociate yourself as a Melbourne Citizen... be a tourist for a weekend =)

Tips: Plan ahead, think of where you want to go, it's cold...wear warm clothes.. lines are long and waiting times can be as long as 1.5 hours for popular spots... alternatively try finding someone who's willing to spare you some VIP passes=) (1 pass = 2 people)...

Som Tam @ Siam Square SOI 5, Bangkok

"Whatever you do in Bangkok, you HAVE to visit Som Tam!!", my dear bronzed friend declared to me.



So when our van from the airport drove past Som Tam on the way to the hotel, I exclaimed excitedly to Madam Mummy, "REMEMBER where that shop is!"...

Turns out, the Restaurant was only 1 road away from Novotel, where we were staying for the next few nights... "Hurrah!"



Som Tam literally translates to "papaya salad".. which is one of the key things to eat when one is in Thailand =)

Wiki says, "Som tam or Som tum (Thai: ส้มตำ, IPA: [sôm ɗam]) also known as Tam bak hoong (Isan: ตำบักหุ่ง, IPA: ɗam bak huŋ) is a spicy salad made from shredded unripened papaya."

As could be seen by the many people gathering outside waiting to get in, and the generous load of newspaper article's stuck to the main door, this was the right place to be!



The really nice wood panneling ...



The place wasn't very big, however, many people were able to be squeezed in their premises

They also sold deep fried pork crackling...!!



My giant coconut (which was pretty expensive.. got charged 55 baht for it... when I can find it outside for only 20 baht)



Pork Crackling served with fresh green chillis



Lemongrass Pork



Fresh Crab Som Tam... Som Tam Bla Rah



Note: The dishes above are definitely not for the faint hearted as they were really spicy!!! Except for the lemongrass pork... Overall food was excellent.. and extremely clean... we came back here 2 days in a row =)

Overall Food Rating: 9/10
Restaurant ambiance: 9/10
Value for money: 7.5/10

Address:
Som Tam
SOI 5
Siam Square

How to get there: You can take one of their Skytrains (BTS) and get off Siam Square station (Same stop as for Siam Paragon Mall)