The pic above pretty much sums up what I've been doing to keep myself going. It's "marking season" for me now, which means that there's tonnes of stuff to do. Fortunately I've got chocolate, Fremantle (nearby) and lots of good music in my iPod! And yes I had to include Barbra Streisand's Higher Ground (1997) album as part of the pic - it's been my favourite for at least 6 months already! Of course, I've got other records (like Partners (2014) which I recently purchased and lots of classical/film music), but Higher Ground (1997) will still reign supreme for me. Best music to listen to while working/studying! And for the record (pun absolutely intended), Higher Ground (1997) DID debut at #1 on Billboards 200 in November 1997!
The other day, while taking a break from studies, I decided to come up with a collage - "Life of a PhD Student from Min's POV (Point of View)". My initial intention was to make it (kinda) serious - to emphasise that even though I don't have coursework, I am still darn busy because of all the writing and reading! In the end, the intention to make it serious backfired...and this was what I came up with:
For the record, the "what my mum thinks I do" grid is absolutely true. My mum DOES think I eat lots of chocolate...and here's a pic to prove that she is right. Mothers know best, hey?
My mum was wrong in saying that I'd grow fat from all the chocolate though. For some reason, even though I drink so much chocolate, I'm still getting smaller in size...must be the brain! After all, a lot of brain work is involved (and is gonna be involved) for the next couple of weeks.
So anyway - back to the main topic - today we'll be focusing on some of the hidden treasures I discovered while exploring the upbeat and vibrant suburb of Claremont - which is conveniently located near Fremantle. When I went to Wollaston a couple of months back, I had to pass through Claremont but didn't get to explore it in detail. This time - I managed to take a weekend off, and explored more.
First things first - the visit to Claremont was quite unplanned...I initially wanted to just go to Koko Black and have chocolate (see, my mum IS absolutely right!)...but ended up walking around, and discovered this colourful alley with a beautiful wall mural. Of course, when I found a grand piano as part of the mural, I had to take a pic!
Also had a really pleasant surprise when I saw these three cuties sitting outside one of the shops! The three puffballs were hanging around, waiting for their owners. I later discovered that they were all girls, and one of them was going to have a "boyfriend" soon! They were so boisterous but were happy to pose as well, so I took a couple of pics of them. And when their owner came back, they kept barking and jumping around him...so cute!
Wandered into Old Theatre Lane by chance...and I discovered that it was this quaint, colourful little area with beautiful tiles and some small shops...
But the best part of the day was when I discovered a collection of vintage treasures in Tom's Gentlemen's Hairdresser - located in Old Theatre Lane itself. Gosh - I had such a nice time admiring all the vintage treasures...
Here's a brief overview of what I saw from the shop entrance - even the chairs were vintage! Gosh I was so excited when I entered, and was so ready to take pics of everything! Tom - the shop owner - was such a lovely dude, and showed me around and all. He was so gracious and answered all my questions (and I think I did have lots of questions!). I'm so thankful to him, for explaining stuff to me and being so friendly and accommodating. :)
Amongst the treasures - old car dashboards, car parts and all...and a motorbike! Trinkets which I have never seen so up close before!
Old magazines were also on display - and here are some of them dating back to the 1970s. How cool is that?! I actually have a collection of Movie magazines (yup that's the name!) which I bought from a record store in Fremantle, and I intend to keep them for a very very long time. It's fun to collect all these historical stuff. And of course, I love vintage stuff...especially old movies!
Old school telephones were also on display. I was particularly fascinated by the second one...as I have never tried something like that before! Most of the phones I've used in my lifetime aren't as fascinating...and right now, I have a smartphone...so this was definitely a one-of-a-kind experience!
Vintage radios on display - and yes, they work! When I was there, 'You've Got a Friend' (written by Carole King) was played on one of the radios (I can't recall which one), and I couldn't help but hum along. It's a really beautiful song.
LP covers and 8-track stereo tapes were also on display. I hope to collect LP (vinyl discs) someday. The sound quality is just so mind-blowing - in the best way possible. I spotted the Bing Crosby cover first, and had to take a pic of it, of course!
Some horse-racing trinkets were also displayed. The 2nd and 3rd pics from this caption feature a high quality image dating back to 1954! If I am not mistaken, the image was printed specially onto plastic and has been very well-preserved ever since.
Discovered these old pics too - which I found so fascinating. Imagine how old these were! They must have been really carefully preserved...the quality's just so good.
Tom also showed this to me, and told me that this was a 100+ year old motorbike headlight! Now THIS is definitely something I didn't expect to see.
It actually took me a couple of minutes to work out the best way to take pics of this. I initially wanted to do a 'mirror trick' and take a pic of it with its reflection, but it didn't work out. In the end, the "lightbulb moment" (no pun intended!) came when Tom brought out the old photos, and so here we go! The end products! Up till now, I still love (and treasure) these pics very much. :)
Apart from the 100+ year old motorbike headlight, there were these radio parts too, and these looked so delicate that I was extra cautious with them...I didn't want to break anything of course.
One last pic before I left the shop - a cover with Humphrey Bogart on it. For some reason, when I think of Humphrey Bogart, I don't immediately associate him with Casablanca (1942) or Ingrid Bergman. I'd usually be reminded of the beautiful Lauren Bacall. Apart from being married to Bogart, she starred in To Have and Have Not (1944) - with Bogart. She was so classy and sensual in the movie!
"You know you don't have to act with me, Steve. You don't have to say anything, and you don't have to do anything. Not a thing. Oh, maybe just whistle. You know how to whistle, don't you, Steve? You just put your lips together and...blow."
Back to Claremont Station after that - to catch the train back to Fremantle...
And I finally got a pic of the Dingo Flour Mill along the way! Had to do it really fast.
Arrived in Fremantle just in time for sunset.
Along the way, I found this building (below) illuminated in an orangey-yellow glow too. So I decided to take a pic of it...
Ended up in the Bather's beach precinct, and I was lucky as the sun was JUST about to set! The moon was also out, so I ended up having a pic of the moon too.
Here we go - the sunset in its full glory. Although I love taking pics of sunset when there're wispy clouds, clear skies also produce very dramatic sunsets! Check out the bright orange colour!
High tide that day, so I decided to do some additional long-exposure pics. I love it when there's high tide - and when I get to do long-exposure pics of waves. Drenching - not so fun.
And of course, to prove my mum's point YET AGAIN, I had to go for my mandatory hot choc! Check out the chocolate spam on the side...so delicious......
And I guess that's it for now! I'll be back posting more soon! I actually can't wait for the upcoming Fremantle Festival - that will be so much fun!