Op Shopping Loot

[ recently went on a shopping spree. It's time, after all, to bust these out again:

It is FINALLY getting hot here in Melbourne and I needed to stock up on spring and summer clothes. But as the temperature rises my bank account balance drops, so I didn’t want to spend a lot of money to spruce up my wardrobe. So.. Op-shopping it is!

Melbourne is a treasure trove of awesome op shops and with blogs such as Trish Hunter Finds and I Op therefore I Am it is obvious that Melbournians love their op-shopping. True to being a neophite Melbournian, I have slowly become a regular at op shops mostly to fill my bookcase with a wide variety of  second hand books.

But let’s get down to the loot I came home with when I scoured the op shops in Preston shall we?

So I came home with a big satisfied smile on my face with:

Salvation Army 331 High Street, Preston

grey top from Country Road                     $4.99

blue top from Country Road                     $6.99

Witchery Singlet                                     $4.99

Scrooges 385 High Street, Preston

blue dress from Glassons                           $8.00

St Mary’s Opportunity Shop 629 Plenty Rd, Preston

black tailored dressed                              $4.00

————————————————————-

$29.00

So you see I bought great spring and summer staples for less than $30.00 and all for a good cause too!

Samdays in Melbourne

My friend Sam from Vanuatu arrived last Thursday before heading out to her 5 week UK holiday and onwards to  her new job in Fiji.

Living in the Pacific has its perks, but one thing it deprives its lucky inhabitants of? SHOPPING. So when an islander lands in civilisation spending money and buying pretty new clothes is priority. so I took her shopping – Bourke Street, DFO, Smith Street Outlets (for her travel gear).

Port Vila, where Sam and I previously lived, is a teeny tiny town with less than a handful of places you can go out to drink. So we took her out to get wasted too.

Madame Brussels -63 Bourke Street, Melbourne

Meyers Place – 20 Meyers Place, Melbourne

An islander might also be in awe of the cityscape. Port Vila, afterall, cannot exactly be described as a metropolis. In the whole country there are only 2 lifts – at the Reserve Bank of Vanuatu and the Sebel Hotel. Skyscrapers are none existent, so we took her around the CBD.

High Vibes 2009

as we got past the barricade, this is what we saw: street art using discarded lighters!

I was duly warned before going to the High Vibes Festival in Northcote to wear comfortable shoes and to eat before going. Mitch said it’s an afternoon of standing around drinking in the street whilst trying not to be stepped on by the sea of humanity.

the sea of humanity

But we did manage an afternoon of fun (aided of course by a lot of beer) and good company, an awesome atmosphere and good music.

We even managed to watch the amazing Paris Wells (joined on stage at some point by the guy from True Live) at the Peacock Hotel

Spent the rest of the night at courtyards of random pubs in High Street

and made our way home around 11ish via Bell Street Maccas of course.

these boots are made for walking …

One night, while walking along Brunswick Street I showed Jack the boots that my heart is aching for through a shop window. I told him how they stopped me on my tracks and made me block the walkway for about  10 minutes while I stared longingly at them. How when I walked away from them with tears in my eyes, I heard them calling out to me. (yeah.. i get a tad melodramatic about footwear and other wardrobe staples)

So he asked (as a boy would) “why didn’t you just buy them”.. I gave him a withering look and commenced a long rehearsed speech that I repeated to myself the whole day to stop myself from running out the door of my flat to the 2 short blocks where the boots were waiting to be rescued with a quarter of my monthly budget in hand. So my whiny retort to his question consisted of these very mature reasons:

They’re expensive ! If I buy them I’m going to have to eat 2 minute noodles for a week!

Winter is almost over. I won’t have much use for them in about a month!

I really don’t need ANOTHER pair of boots (but one can never really have enough pairs of boots. really.)

I’m a big girl. I know now that not everything you want, you get.

He shrugs, continues on and that was the end of that.

Or so I thought…

he came over on his lunch break the next day and told me to open his bag and there my booty babies emerged.

I was so shocked (and secretly ecstatic)!! I couldn’t believe he bought them for me! But I couldn’t accept them 9r could I? I told him to return it, he said he is most definitely NOT going to do that. I said I can’t possibly accept them and won’t wear them, he said fine I’ll throw them in the bin then. I couldn’t let him do that….

THE MAN IS A FRIGGIN LEGEND!!!

They are beautiful… I couldn’t get enough of them! I wear them to Coles, to go to the post office and even to take the rubbish down.

One bright windy wet Friday I took it out for a spin in the city. Jack was paparazzi taking photos of my bootyfull boots. So here they are..

trodding that arcade between bourke & little collins

cocktails and the croft

We . . .

set a date to try out Pete’s reknowned cocktail while having beer at Bimbos. So the Fitzroy dwellers trouped to Kew to sample this controversial cocktail (with stories ranging back from parties in Port Vila).

which consisted of an expresso shot + vodka + whatever else was in Pete’s extensive liquor collection they fancied to drop in there. The concoction was potent! I think one sip got me dizzy.

After a few (labour intensive) trials, we decided against our better judgement to head to the city. It was determined that the girls have never been to the Melbourne laneway institution The Croft Institute and so the boys were quick to suggest the place.

After the most entertaining cab ride EVER (thanks to the best cabbie in Melbourne)  and some head scratching from the boys to try to remember just where the mysterious hidden Croft Institute is (Little Bourke & Swanston at the end of Croft Lane after a walk through a stinky laneway, overflowing rubbish bins, an abundance of milk crates  & quite possibly scurrying rats) we arrived at our destination where we proceeded to:

dance to awesome old school music (complete with crazy dance moves)

pose for a few decent photos

examine our footwear?

emerge victorious from the Institute with another night of fun under our belt

suburbia

Mitch and I went to St. Albans so I can satiate my craving for Filipino food. We found an Asian grocery store that stocked mostly Filipino products and then was directed to a Filipino fastfood place where I had lechon and sisig (two really delicious traditional Filipino pork dishes).

I realised I haven’t really been exposed to the suburban part of Melbourne. I live in Fitzroy which I stay close to. I study in and explore the city. I’ve been to St. Kilda, Albert Park, Kensington, Clifton Hill and opshopped as far out as Preston. But going on the freeway and taking an exit and seemingly being transported to Suburbia was a bit eerie for me.

To see houses in big blocks I suddenly missed the congestion of my tiny suburb, the constant (and often colourful) foot traffic and the ramble of the trams. I could certainly understand the appeal of the suburbs for families: the quiet, seemingly safe neighbourhoods are ideal places to raise kids. But at this point in my life, I’ll only come here for when my homesick tummy wants Filipino food.

*I am learning the art of op shopping! This dress was bought at a church op shop in Preston for $8!!!

Monties, Smith St

Jack’s morning off, the sun shining and my intense craving for pancake brought us to Smith Street via our less trodden streets of Fitzroy.

• A block of flats (at least we think they’re flats) that Jack thought is very reminiscent of Europe on Kerr Street (i think?)
• My chocolate pancake smothered (yes SMOTHERED) in Vanilla icecream
• Jack’s Big Brekky
• and the fine establishment where we had them

beer at bimbos

A quiet night was on our agenda that Sunday night: a simple Sunday dinner, a movie in bed and an early night in. But it was not to be. We were on our way back from shopping from (the newly refurbished Fitzroy) Coles when we got a message from Pete.

Heya Fitzroy dwellers. Either of you guys up for a drink/bite to eat? If so let me know. I’m headed past in about 40mins. Hope you’re both playing nice

Jack and I looked at each other, and said “meeeeh. why not.” So Pete was told to drop by our flat to suffer through my mediocre cooking skills and then we’ll skip out for a few pints. Hella, the flatmate, came home just in time when the dishes were washed and the boys were just about finished with the beers they dug out of the fridge.

So off the four of us trouped downstairs to the freezing Brunswick Street. We let the one Kew dweller decide where to go and he chose Bimbos as he claims he hasn’t been there since 2007.

And there we . . .

busy in the city

Friday is my free day and on this particular one, it was Jack’s too. So we went out to the city to do some things we’ve been meaning to do for some time..

Like …

Go to the music store on Bourke Street to buy Jack’s drum sticks

And then have coffee and some yum lunch at a laneway in Flinder’s Lane

Neighbourhood Watch

Sunday, 2 August

Sundays are made for sleeping in; long, lazy brunch and idle talk. And so we did just that.

Living where I do, we are alway spoiled for choice and I am ashamed to say we haven’t really been exploiting the variety available to us.  We have made it a point then, not to go to a cafe or restaurant that we have already tried, until we have given at least half of the other establishments in this charmed suburb of ours a chance.

Why, it was only last week when we realised that there is a whole area we have yet to explore. So instead of turning right towards Johnston Street, we veered left to get to Gertrude.

And there we were confronted with brunch heaven. We decided to walk the length of Gertrude Street from Brunswick to Smith before deciding on where to eat and this exploration lead us to Arcadia.

Arcadia 193 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy

The place was packed but had a fast turn over and in no time we were led to a table out in the small courtyard. There is no table service, orders are placed at the counter so while Jack and I deliberated over what to eat, next table’s meal arrived and we looked at it wistfully. We knew what we are getting! Who needs menus when you can stalk other diner’s food instead?

The food was fantastic! Service friendly. And for two of those plates in the photo + 2 lattes = $40.50 the price was ok.

back from our sunday stroll

Thanks Gertrude Street, so far you haven’t disappointed us.