Moomba 080308

MOOMBA

08-100308

Moomba aka Moomba Waterfest, has been established in Melbourne since 1955. Like all festivals, it comes in the form of a Carnival (like Royal Melbourne Show). Like all Water Festivals... it involves *gasp* WATER. Situated along the Yarra River, from games to rides to water skiing, outdoor movie screening, river fireworks display... they have it all!

Abstract from Melbourne City's Official Website:

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One of the largest and longest running festivals in Australia, Moomba has survived in spite of its critics, and it commands a strong place in the social history of the city.
Moomba has always sought community involvement. In early festivals, post-war migrants typically displayed their ethnicity through traditional costume and performance and in the mid 60s, with a turn towards a more arts-orientated program, Aboriginal, Jewish, Italian and Latvian arts featured prominently. Multiculturalism has been widely accepted since the early 1990s, and from this period particularly cultural diversity has been well represented in Moomba.

More info on Moomba can be downloaded/found here.

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Before moving out...

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LUNCH @ Yiwen's Place

It really pays throwing a house party!!! First, we got invited to Yiwen's place for Lunch. We had delicious Mee Siam (Prima Deli.. lah) and ... Laksa-flavoured Mee Tai Mak. It was really good for an instant, I thought I was in Singapore again!

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Thanks Yiwen and HaoNa for the Yummy Meal!

Gosh! I got a photo with the Chef!
After that.. we stayed on @ her place until it's time for... Dinner.

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As I was saying, it really paid to invite so many people over for our House Warming. The next day, Carolyn invited us over to her place for Dinner too.. Yay. Anyway, we met up with our seniors, 5th year Optom students Lynette and Corinne. We decided to have dinner @ Shanghai Village, in China Town.

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Cheap.. and good.

Pic below:

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Back Row: Jasmine and YiWen

Front Row: Rachel, Lynette and Corinne

It doesnt HURT to be the only guy sometimes.


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We couldnt finish our meal.

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Next we took a stroll down to the Yarra River.. beside Federation Square. It was packed. The crowd was steadily streaming in for the Fireworks display at 9.30 pm.

A reminiscence of the Royal Melbourne Show:


Look at the all the crazy rides!

My hair is on Fire.


Next we found a spot just on the bank of the Yarra River.. where we promptly sat our behinds or the next 30 min or so in anticipation of what's to come. We were lucky enough to be seated directly in front of a firework launching platform (or whatever you call that), which was floating in the river.. just 50 m or so in front of us!!!
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As a result.. the fireworks were VERY close to us and... VERY VERY LOUD!! W00t!

As I sat there gazing at the lights/sound display.. I suddenly realised.. erm.. what's all this fascination about fireworks? I mean.. its just.. explosions in the air.. shouldnt we be scared and hide? Is this really productive? So there I sat, completely lost in the enchantment of the moment..

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Soon after, we joined up with another senior, Diana - a bubbly girl with a sunny disposition. She was proud to tell me that she and her twin sister (dizygotic - they don't look alike) where the first pair of IVF twins (aka test tube babies) in Singapore history! Their parents must be real proud of them

After getting ripped off AUD 10 bucks from a *cheating/lying/scum- of - Carnival games store operator, we decided we had enough and headed home.

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* Rach and I shared 5 bucks each on 6 balls. The aim was to throw the ball into these HUGE buckets.. any 2 balls that successfully got in, we win a prize.. (HUGE soft toy of our choosing). It looked so SIMPLE.. yet somehow.. the balls we threw in never failed to bounce out.. Yiwen managed to get one in though. And yet the BIG signboard on top says... 1 out of 2 players WIN... Yeah right.

Rachel, Jasmine, Yiwen, Lynette and Diana.

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The following Monday (2 days later). Moomba took the streets!!

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I just came home from school and had luck has i that I made it in time for the Moomba parade. Its VERY VERY similar to our Chingay Parade.. but nonetheless, it was fun to watch.

Nice view from my living room eh?


I really loved the Fire Works.

Till next year.