Whoa spring is here! Finally! Although the weather doesn't feel like spring - I'm seeing little wildflowers starting to pop up here and there. And of course, the Kings Park Wildflower Festival has also officially kicked off - so time for me to bring out the camera and give it some love! :) Of course, I'll have to brave hay fever...but that is fine! I do enjoy taking pics of flowers!
Anyway I had a major presentation recently and straightaway after the presentation, my mates and I went to celebrate with some alcohol...and had a really nice time catching up. It's been a while since I last saw them. It was really fun being able to finally sit back and relax after the presentation. And of course, to "cancel out" the effects of the alcohol, I went to have some hot chocolate! Check out the chocolate spam on the side! I chose not to think about the outcome of everything - and spent the weekend just relaxing and bumming around :)
I even had some quotes to keep me motivated! These are written all over my notes...everywhere...
My favourite quote of all - because it really resonates with what I'm currently studying! And also by one of my favourite artists of all time!
Oh yes - I had to include a quote from my old residential hall too - and for the record, here are some Aggie pics...
So anyway - enough of talking about work. This week is meant to be a rest-week for me, considering that I'm still awaiting the outcome of lots of things.
Some time back, I attended an event at Mt Claremont - a place I had NEVER been before, throughout my 2+ years here in Perth. I've been to Claremont - as it's famous for its cafes and Koko Black (one of my favourite chocolate lounges ever), but at that point in time, I had not ventured far out yet. So going to Mt Claremont was quite a challenge for me! It's certainly a place which I won't go too often - as I ain't too familiar with it...but I have a feeling that I may have to go there again sometime soon.
I actually went to Mt Claremont one afternoon, and twice more for the event (which lasted over 2 days). The first time I went, it was so clear and sunny...but for the subsequent 2 instances, it was so rainy and windy...hence the differences in cloudscapes (as seen in the pics I posted below).
To start off the challenge, I HAD to have some energy first! I had to wake up at 6am (honestly this was a herculean task for a night owl like me!) to catch a bus to Fremantle, then take the train to Claremont, and then another bus to Mt Claremont...and then I had to WALK up a hill surrounded by forested area, to my destination! So food was definitely important, and of course, caffeine was important too! So I had some mocha to accompany my breakfast - probably also the first breakfast I had in quite some time! I usually skip breakfast and go straight to brunch - maybe that isn't too good. I should seriously aim to eat three meals a day.
Because it was still pretty early in the morning (and the bus only came at 8am), I decided to take a walk around Claremont...and of course, I had to take some pics of the music note-themed bar - one of the major attractions around Claremont. I've been in the bar before for a meal, and their food's good!
All went pretty well - as planned, and I caught the bus...and ended up here. This wasn't it - I had to do the climb up the hill. Challenge accepted! So to get there, I had to walk down this pretty deserted road (I think I was the only one walking there...the houses seemed so far away!)...
And then up the hill I went! There wasn't any footpath, so I was walking on the grass. My shoes got so waterlogged by the time I reached my destination, so I went barefooted for the entire event. No one seemed to mind...I didn't want soggy feet either. The walk was pretty long...
But along the way I spotted these beautiful little leaves...still wet from the morning dew. I wasn't too fussed about stopping for a bit...but by then my shoes were really wet...
According to my GPS, I was supposed to look out for a right turn...and when the GPS finally showed the right turn, I was pretty excited! It was quite a long walk from the bus stop to this intersection here, and I was literally the only person walking on this path. Well - at least for the second and third times I was here. The first time - there were a couple of people here and there, taking strolls and enjoying the tranquil environment.
I'd admit - this place is really, really peaceful. So appropriate for meditation and all! And I was enjoying the nature sounds all the way!
At this point, I thought I didn't have to climb anymore hills...but apparently not! To get to my destination, I had to climb two more steep hills! Gosh...had to brave it somehow! And so I did. And I was so happy when I finally got to the top of the hill.
Each day, after the event (I spent 2 full days in Mt Claremont), I would head back down the hill...back to the bus stop I came from. The bus stop was situated in a really quiet suburb - which looked classy and pretty expensive. When I was waiting for the bus, I had some time to explore this park here (I believe it's called Daran Park) - it's just a little park nestled in the suburbs. I think it looks really amazing when the skies are clear - when it's rainy, the park doesn't look as peaceful...for some reason.
When I was exploring the park, I couldn't help but hum the melody to the song "Somewhere" from the musical Westside Story. I've listened to a number of covers of "Somewhere" (one a capella by Celtic Woman, the original Broadway cast, Barbra Streisand's 2 versions - one solo version and one with Il Divo in 2006...and a few others), and honestly it is difficult to decide which one's my favourite! But if I really, really were to choose one, I'd go for the one Barbra did with Il Divo in 2006. Mainly because of the orchestration. I like the opening passage before Barbra starts singing the first few lines:
There's a place for us, somewhere a place for us...
Peace and quiet and open air, wait for us, somewhere...
Anyway...go check it out on Youtube, and while viewing these pics below, imagine this song in your heads...I certainly had it playing in my head!
One more pic of the deserted road before I hopped on the bus to get back to Claremont. On one of the days, I initially panicked a little when the bus didn't come at the scheduled time...and wanted to walk to the Challenger Stadium which was about 10 minutes from where I was. While contemplating about whether to walk or not, the bus arrived...so I got on!
And I ended up at Koko Black each evening - consuming hot chocolate and an alchemy cake...to get rid of hunger pangs!
This was a pretty unconventional adventure, I think! 3 trips to Mt Claremont (first trip being an exploratory one and the next two for the event I attended). I don't think I'll wanna wake up at 6am to do this entire trip again...at least not for a long time. And perhaps, if I ever have to go there again (which I anticipate I will!), I probably would drive...that would save lots of time!
Anyway - we're now moving back to Perth posts! And in the next post, I'll be putting up more stuff that I've accumulated. Do stay tuned!