Chocolate, gift, wishing tree, squeezy

What an ace day. My seminar went off without a hitch this morning. I left work at 4.00pm and met up with my friend Si for a chocolate overload at Chokolait. Mmmm....mousse cake....Belgian hot chocolate...

Then we went for a wander and I spotted this on a wall in a laneway off Little Collins Street:

It's a wishing tree! Awesome!

Someone's wish. Awesomer!

I just love that someone did this and people embraced it (apart from the joyless person who wrote FAIL on the trunk). Most of the wishes were 'to be happy'. Which makes me happy, but also sad.

It was Si's birthday last week and I gave him a card and gift, which he was super-pleased with, which also made me happy. It really is better to give than receive and the best kind of giving is when you give with no expectation of anything in return, just to put a smile on someone's face.

It was raining when my tram arrived, and it was packed full but I squeezed on. Normally I dislike squeezy tram rides (doesn't everyone?), but this was the best jam-packed tram ride ever. The people were in good spirits - most were going to the Andre Rieu concert or the Dinosaurs Alive  show. They were chatty and friendly, the children were excited and the driver was also chatty and in good humour. At one stage the lights went off on the tram and everyone went, "Oooooh" and the driver joked, "That's a concert warm up for you." It was quite lovely.

I walked through Gosch's Paddock in the chilly night air in light rain. AAMI Park was lit up and looking stunning under the cloudy sky, tinged with orange by the city lights. Megabats (of the grey-headed flying fox variety) flew overhead. (Since I found out they are classifed as megabats, every time I see one I think, "Megabat!")

I was very happy to get home to my toasty warm flat. I think it might be mitten and ear muff weather now. Yay.  Well, sort of yay.

Happy, squelchy, choccy

Bad phone pic of the rain.

I had my annual performance review at work (even though I haven't been there a year) and my boss is very happy with me. Yay. I'm very happy too.

I got caught in a heavy downpour coming home. It started just as I got off the tram and I was soon saturated from the knees down and squelching in my sneakers. But you know what? I kinda liked it. I also liked getting home, changing into my pyjamas and putting dry socks on. Aaaah.

A thing I almost bought a couple of weeks back was today on sale for $50 off. It's now mine. Glad I held off.

One of the solicitors I work for gave me some Haigh's chocolate for Easter. What a sweetie.

Rain, surprise chocolate, bread joy

The view from my office window turned completely to white during the rain this morning. I'm not sure if we were in the clouds or if the rain was heavy (or both), but we couldn't see anything. Eventually the city re-emerged as the rain eased.

I found a Freddo Frog in my pocket when I left work tonight. Yay! I'd forgotten it was there from lunch time. Ten minutes later I pulled my iPod out of my pocket and a Caramello Koala came out with it. I forgot that was there too. Double yay! (Absentmindedness again proves to be a source of joy...)

I was thrilled today to find a cafe near my office that offers gluten-free bread. I'm looking forward to having a sandwich for lunch tomorrow instead of sushi.

I've been listening to The White Stripes again lately. I love this old cover of Black Jack Davey.

Crunch, view, stapler joy

Last night I had a bowl of vanilla icecream sprinkled with Rice Bubbles and topped with generous layer of Ice Magic. It was delicious. Just like a Crunch bar.

I was the first person to a training session in my building this morning and I had time to snap a picture of the view before the others arrived. (My new phone has an 8 megapixel camera!)

I've worked a full week in my job. I still like it a lot. The people are SO friendly. Oh, and I have the same kind of stapler as the ace one in my last job. Yay.

Contrast, sandwich, koala

I love the contrast of new growth and weathered wood in the picture above. I took it near the old Sandridge Bridge walking home beside the Yarra tonight.

I was taken out to lunch at the RACV Club today, which is always nice, but what made it even better was that the restaurant offered gluten free bread. You don't find that very often. I know it doesn't sound like a big deal to most people, but it was great to be able to eat a sandwich for lunch for the first time in ages. (Unfortunately you can only dine there if you're a member or accompanying a member).

It's taken me a long time, but I've finally developed a taste for Caramello Koalas.

A sunny day out in Batmania^

Great building, old brickwork and fading sign, Chapel Street

After a grey start, it turned into a glorious winter's day today. I went for a very long work from Windsor to Richmond and then home, part of it wandering through the quaint-meets-gritty backstreets of Richmond. I love Richmond.

The sun and exercise made me so toasty I not only took my jacket, off but pulled my sleeves up as well. Ah, the first kiss of sunshine on winter-white flesh is a delight.

Other good bits about today:

* I enjoyed people watching on Chapel Street as I lingered over lunch.

* I indulged in a hot chocolate and a raspberry and chocolate mousse at Ganache on Toorak Road. The mousse was almost too pretty to eat.

* I added to my library of books about Melbourne with Jenny Sinclair's When We Think About Melbourne: The imagination of a city. Flicking through, I read this snippet:

"...Chapel Street is a promenade banked wall-to-wall with cars and the South Yarra types who walked there (purple-haired old ladies, gay boys with French bulldogs on leads, confused and muttering mat-haired homeless men, groups of girlfriends swinging bags from boutique, stiff suits with real estate agents inside them) were an endless dumbshow, a never-ending stream of life I loved to feel part of."

Yep, me too.

* I discovered a row of small galleries on a non-descript side street off Church Street. Always something to discover when you get off the well-worn path.

*  I made a quick detour to the gardens and sat on a park bench as the late afternoon sun sank lower over the lake and a chill crept into the air.

*  I smelt spring. It's nearly upon us! 

*  I picked up two DVDs to watch tonight (including The Shining). I have the flat to myself, my pyjamas on already and a pizza on the way.

^ Melbourne really was briefly named Batmania after its founding father John Batman (pronounced BAT-mn, not Bat-MAN). It's both a disappointment and a relief that it didn't stick.  

At last, opening night

I came through the park on my way home tonight just in time to catch the end of the opening night light show at AAMI Park, Melbourne's newest and coolest sports stadium (which looks set to become nicknamed Bubble Dome). It looks amazing, especially with the lights reflecting off the drizzle.

Here's a cool time lapse video of construction of the Bubble Dome. Keep watching at the end to see what it looks like inside. I love it. Shame I'm not interested in either of the sports that will be played there...

Mmm...giant jaffas.

A tasty coincidence

Last night I conjured up a whole chocolate shop with my mind. No, really.

When I left work, I had a hankering for Lindt's Lindor Balls, so I went in search of them. Then on Collins Street, near Tiffany's, I discovered an entire shop stuffed with Lindt chocolate goodies. I'd never seen it before. It was still open. Mmmmmmm...Lindor Balls.

*imagines Johnny Depp at my front door* ............................Dang.


I love this guy...

The video is crappy (what's a studder?) - just listen.

Useless trivia: I saw Demetri Martin in a coffee shop near my work a couple of years ago during the Comedy Festival.