It’s been a while since I’ve had the chance to do some Melbourne exploring. Between moving and trips to Sydney, it was nice this past weekend to get back out and discover more of what’s fast becoming my favourite city in the world.

I’ve been seeing advertising for the Hollywood Costume exhibition at the ACMI for a while now, not to mention several people mentioning it to me. Ironically when I was living on Flinders Lane, it was a mere 100 metres to the ACMI, yet I never made it there!

So this morning I start early: partly to make the most of the day (I have a flight to Sydney at 4PM) but partly because my Friday night only consisted of a couple of episodes of Wentworth, some warm milk and straight to bed (oh lord what’s happening to me?). So I’m up involuntarily at the time of my week day alarm, around 7am. The exhibit doesn’t open until 10AM so after some brekky at home, I wander up to Toorak Road for a coffee at “The Drugstore” which is a quirky café on walk to South Yarra Station. It’s got that Melbourne-healthy vibe, serving brekky Quinoa (nuff said). I sit for a while and people watch before heading hopping on a train to Flinders Street Station.

Did I mention the trains come like every 5 seconds and it takes no more than 10 minutes to get to the city from South Yarra?!

Campfire at FedSquare

I’m still too early when I hit the city but ACMI is at Federation Square so I grab another coffee and wander around a bit, realising with surprise that I haven’t actually seem this touristy square properly til now.  Strangely I smell bushfire and notice a campfire blazing in the middle of the square – an art piece in recognition of the indigenous community. It’s a pretty freezing day and although the fire gives off little to no heat, just the smell is enough to warm me up.

Finally 10am arrives and I wander into the exhibit which is a showing of old and not so old costumes from Fight Club to Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

The standout for me (randomly) is Glenn Close’s skirt suits from her role as Cruella De Vil in 101 Dalmatians. Two suits are displayed side by side on mannequins.  The suit on the left is your classic Chanel Houndstooth skirt suit (think the David Jones pattern for anyone not familiar), clean lines and power shoulder pads.  If you know the movie you’ll know that initially Cruella de Vil’s character is relatively calm and sophisticated (albeit nasty), much like Amanda Priestley in the Devil Wears Prada.  To the right is the identical suit but its black detailing has been highlighted with black sequins, it’s shoulder pads have been altered to come to a point and turned upwards and what was a pearl necklace draping on the neckline is now glass-like shards of black plastic. It’s such a clever symbol of a character change which I’m sure I’d never noticed in the movie and I just love it.

Hollywood Costume at the ACMI

I pass by Rose from Titanic, Roxy from Chicago but I have to stop at Hepburn in her famous Breakfast at Tiffanys black dress (in my opinion nowhere near her best costume from the movie but hey!). She’s standing next to Marilyn Monroe circa Some Like it Hot and it’s their size and the idea that they actually wore those dresses in front of me that blows me away. In the same way it’s cool to see Brad, Leo & Russell’s real size and costumes and I feel like this has much more impact than something like Madam Tussauds.

I’m told when I first walk into the gallery that it will take me over an hour & a half to get through to the end if I intend to see it all (which i look forward to!) but I don’t see how anyone could spend more than 45 minutes there. I actually find myself peering into a fire escape because I assume I’ve missed some.  It’s a little disappointing but all in all it’s a nice way to spend the early morning.

I wander further up to the CBD and spend the next hour watching a band busking to a crowd of about 50 people outside Myer! They’re incredible for a band performing to strangers on the street and I happily buy their $10 CD and even snap a video with my phone. So maybe the exhibition only took half an hour but luckily, when in Melbourne it only has to be part of the story!

Woodlock Lemons

I spent this past week in Sydney for what became a bit of a turning point for me.

Since I wrote this now notorious article for Mumbrella I admit, I’ve been kind of a mess. Not in all sense of the word don’t get me wrong – I haven’t been borderline suicidal or anything, but I have tended to wonder (on a daily basis) how one split decision and one article could affect the rest of my life. A tad dramatic I know, but after a while you start to believe what you read on the comments thread or twitter: “your career’s over” I’ve been told.  Anyway, after a few months of no sleep and knots in my stomach, this all came to a head when I was asked in a follow up to the article to appear on a panel at Australia’s largest Media, Marketing & Entertainment Conference , “Mumbrella 360”.  Why the hell did I agree to that, you ask? Well the short answer is I didn’t! But through a comedy of errors I was forced to accept and was pinned as the “baddy” in the great gender debate of the conference, entitled “ Gender Equality: Time to put up or shut the f*** up”.  FML.

The preparation I put in to prepare for the day was crazy – flying to Sydney to be put through my paces with a PR coach and practice sessions with women from my office who disagreed with my point of view but luckily still talk to me!  There was some people I even kept this information from in fear of a lecture or more accurately to avoid, “what the f are you doing that for?!” type comments.

Luckily my fear of being attached by an angry mob outside the conference was unfounded and in actual fact the session itself was surprisingly restrained. I would argue dull even, no claws anywhere in site!  The conversation never ventured anywhere that would make me nervous and the practice questions I was taken through weren’t even touched upon.

I have really come out of the experience feeling amazing.  What I thought would re-open wounds from the initial article has actually made me more confident in voicing my opinions and also open my eyes to others.  Where I would previous avoid going head to head with people on the issues I now welcome the discussion and remind myself that differences of opinions are what make life interesting!

Following that initially daunting day I hadn’t even stopped to prepare for the other task of mine at the conference – speaking and (supposedly) inspiring young Uni grads on my career progression in media, apparently to entice them to join up!  I honestly think that had I not done the panel the day before that I would have faltered.  Somehow I felt like I’d made the transition from young naïve girl, to someone actually worth listening to. Seriously – within a day.  Ironically I hadn’t even thought about the grad speech but that became I feel, I huge milestone in my life. Having a story to tell to people I don’t even view as that much younger than me. I realise I do have a story to tell, even if it’s only just beginning.

So Melbourne has a North & South side rivalry, with the North side of the river boasting the ‘hipster’ types in Fitzroy and Carlton areas while the Southern suburbs of Prahran & Toorak housing the ‘money’ types and is actually equivalent to the North side of Sydney. Luckily my place in South Yarra, technically South but in fact borders the two areas so luckily for me I’m from the right side of the tracks no matter who I speak to!

Just call me Bob

Explanation of the photo above:  I naively went to Ikea on Saturday to buy a set of drawers, forgetting just how painful flat packs can be – starting from the simple task of lifting them into the tiny Toyota Yaris I’d hired for the weekend!  The pain continued when I realised in order to assemble the thing, they assumed I had a whole toolbox of screwdrivers and hammers! I don’t.

After a trip to Big W, now an easy 5 minute walk from my place, I was hammering away like a boss and 3 hours later had created this little gem which is possibly my greatest ever creation.

I took this photo in utter excitement, which I suspect will continue pretty much every time I see my labour of love!

It’s funny to think that I’ve been here for this long when I still feel like I’m just on a work visit. But let’s face it, when I add all the days I’ve been out of the city, it’s probably more like “Day Twenty-Five”!  I suppose if I’d moved to New York or Singapore I wouldn’t have the convenience of commuting home any time I like and it has certainly made things easier. But I admit I’m waiting for the few weeks where I have no trips out of the city whatsoever and where I can just…be. Maybe then it will really feel like I’ve settled in.

Day 53 and I find that I talk to myself a lot more now – verbally congratulating myself on a yummy meal or telling myself out loud “don’t forget that umbrella Peta” as I prepare to leave the apartment. Or how about my favourite and the one I say most, “you idiot Peta!”. Mostly after I’ve spilled something during that yummy meal, or proceeded to forget that umbrella.  I tell myself this new, not so internal, communication is a great thing and just shows that I’m happy in my own company – but it is possible that I’ve just gone a little mad.

Surprising even myself, I’ve started to long for the suburbs now.  There are so many things I love about living in the city: I can sleep in on week days knowing work is only a 1 minute walk away and then head home for lunch to cook up a storm while i watch The View or Ellen. Then there are the amazing things around me for after work and on weekends like strolling to the Victoria Markets or Fitzroy Gardens.  But although I’m in one of the best Lane’s in the city, it’s also great proximity to Swanston Street, Melbourne’s George Street, which happens to be lined with McDonalds, KFC, Krispy Kreme and everything a twenty-something loves to hate! Yes, it’s my own weak personality that I can’t resist these delights (I’m referring to hangover days more than anything), but I find myself wishing there was just a nice little set of local shops in walking distance rather than the entire city at my fingertips! I have some of the best shopping in the city right outside my door but let’s face it, it’s not so ideal for my bank balance!

And although the proximity to work has its perks, I do find myself in a city block bubble most days!

Finally, the thought of being able to lie on my own bed and lounge around on my own couch or eat dinner at my own dining table, is just something my fancy Flinders Lane apartment just can’t compete with.

Day Fifty-Three, and the hunt for a suburban apartment begins!