Star Wars - Scienceworks

In a galaxy far far away...

Well, actually it's just over the West Gate Bridge - the Scienceworks museum is hosting an exhibition showcasing more than 80 costumes, interactive displays, models, and props from all six Star Wars films.


Preep too peeep

The exhibition features authentic costumes and props from the entire Star Wars series, such as Luke Skywalker’s Landspeeder – used in Episode IV A New Hope.


Cut through M1 traffic hassles easily

The hero's journey has been a staple of tales throughout the generations (trying to recall my Joseph Campbell Humanities 101 here). Perhaps that's why the Star Wars saga has had such a long life. It's incredible to think that back in 1977, we were bundled into a theater like Rex or Cathay by our parents to watch A New Hope, and now in 2009, our two kids cannot get enough of Star Wars.


He's bigger in real life

The props were quite attractive in their intricate details. Running your eye over the Millennium Falcon, you could just image Han Solo and Chewie providing covering fire for Luke's final attack run on the first Death Star, or serving as Princess Leia's escape during the Battle of Hoth.


Kessel Run here we come!

We currently have four lightsabers, and this display had the kids riveted. We literally had to drag them away. It would have been great to have a short documentary playing that showed how they made the lightsaber fight scenes in the movies.


You can't just have one

There were countless display figures distributed around the exhibit. A friend told us that during the school holidays, they actually had actors dressed up in Star Wars costumes walking around, no doubt thrilling the kids to bits.


Feels like someone's watching me

Hosting a few hands on exhibits was certainly one positive thing. Kids of all ages had fun learning about how robot vision worked, experimenting with magnetic levitation, or learning the basics of robotics by putting together a miniature R2D2.


Hands on fun

Luke Skywalker spent his early years living on a moisture farm on Tatooine. Moisture farms harvest water vapor from the atmosphere, and used to grow crops in underground hydroponic labs.


Future for Victoria?

The kids very much enjoyed the animatronic C-3P0 display. This educational display helped explain the different roles robots currently play and the challenge scientists face trying to give them human traits such as mobility, perception, and cognition.

The Star Wars exhibit runs till the 3rd of November, 2009. Queues are incredibly horrendous, so we've been told, during the school holidays or weekends. We visited on a Friday and the crowds were not bad. The kids have already been asking when we'll be back! It's definitely worth a few more visits.

There's no denying the interest kids (and adults) have in Star Wars. You can download educational kits in preparation for your visit from the Sciencework's website. Click here for their operating hours and directions.

Melbourne - The Windy City

Chicago may be known as the Windy City, but I think Melbourne has got it beat. The wind does get to you an a damp winter morning, but during the summer, there's nothing more fun than flying a kite. As they say, when given lemons, it's time for some lemonade.

So there we were on another stunning (please rain!) Melbourne afternoon. Warm, low humidity, and a stiff breeze blowing. I pulled the kite out of the shed, put it together, and the boys and I ran over to the field.


Ready for the launch

It took just a light launch from the three boys, and that big delta was pulling at the line. It was climbing faster that I could let the line out. Like a big V8, it was ready and willing, climbing up higher and higher. I could have run all of my line out, but the thought of having to reel it all back in put a stop to that. In the warm breeze, looking at the kite fly, I was instantly transported back in time to my high school in Penang, where we often try to fly our cheap rice-paper kites or catch a fish with the spark-plug lures!

The boys all had a turn and had a blast. A couple weeks earlier, we were flying our smaller delta, and the wind actually snapped one of the frames! It's still on my to-do to get a replacement dowel fitted out.


Hang on tight fellas

We've bought all of our kites from an aptly named store in Boulder, Colorado - Into The Wind. They're located in the Pearl St tourist trap - I mean shopping area, where you can walk around an incredible number of unique shops (ever wonder if wearing a fleece vest is a prerequisite to entering the Pearl St area?) They do have a website. I have to look for a kite store here in Melbourne, as I'm thinking about getting a stunt kite.

So there we were, just some nylon and fiber glass, without a care in the world, flying our kite. Can't you almost imagine Mr Banks out there somewhere, singing out "Let's go fly a kite"?


Send it Soaring!

Sand Sculpting Australia - Frankston Waterfront

Kids seem to have an incredible predilection for dinosaurs. One of the favorite destinations in Melbourne is the Melbourne Museum - care to guess why? They seem to also have an avid interest in playing with sand. Andrew would spend hours in the little sandpit we had on our deck back in Germantown.

So it was delightfully serendipitous that the yearly Frankston Sand Sculpting Exhibition for 2009 featured Dinosaurs!


Dinostory Entrance

Unlike the castles we build at the beach, the amazing sculptures here are built from brickie sand. Large squares of sand are compacted and built up and they are incredibly solid. The sculptors than work with the rough shapes to create these amazing results.


Unbelievable

The display runs from boxing day till Anzac Day (26 April 2009). We were there a couple months ago - I've been slow in getting this report out.


I'm hungry

The kids were thoroughly entertained with the dinosaurs. They also have workshops where the kids can learn a few tricks for their next trip to the beach. We can't wait for the next years show! The display is at the Frankston Waterfront where you can easily spend an hour or so after looking at the dinosaurs, just walking up and down enjoying the day.


Whatcha Looking at?

See's Candies Peanut Brittle YUM!

I was just a couple months away from total annihilation!

I'm not much of a sweets person, I usually pass on dessert. However, I just love peanut brittle. We had never heard of See's till my sister-in-law brought some in from the west coast.

My friends, run, don't walk to your nearest See's outlet and buy heaps. This peanut brittle is incredible. Incredibly crunchy yet melts in your mouth soft, lovely sweet peanuts...

See's never opened up an outlet near us in MD. I guess it was good for me in a way. I would have likely gained 450lbs, lost all my teeth to decay, and spiraled into a diabetic coma.


Heaven in a box

Please send me a box, alas we're See's-less in Melbourne.

1000 Steps (MEL)

Welcome Gate

The 1000 Steps (Kokoda Track Memorial Walk) is a walk through dense cool temperature rainforest that's not to be missed. It was created to memorialize the original Kokoda Trail in Papua New Guinea which is most famous as the location of the World War II battle between Japanese and Australian forces in 1942.


Historical Overview

As if by design, the hike starts up on a gently rising trail allowing you time to get your hiking legs in gear.

Gentle warmup

Out of nowhere, you are then faced with the steps. They can be a little slippery when wet.

Here come the steps

When the say 1000 steps, they mean it (800+ I lose count after a while). There are a few benches to rest along the way, so keep going!

Are we there yet?

The numerous plaques along the way prove educational, and allow you to sneak in a breather whilst pretending to read cross-eyed and doubled-over.



Informational plaques

The 1000 steps is a great place to bird watch. Listening to the calls and trying to spot the birds help me forget my lungs are about to burst. The Superb Lyrebird is the most famous bird in the area - it figures that the one time I've managed to spot one just metres off the steps, is the one time that the batteries in the camera were flat. I apologize for the picture quality below, the camera needs a better photographer...


Great birdwatching

The giant playground at the start of the trail is a great place to let the kids run off a little more steam.


Giant playground

Currently closed for work, it should re-open sometime in August 2008. Visit Parks Victoria's page for more information. The park is very popular, even on weekdays be prepared to drive up to a full car park. After the walk, it's a short drive up to Olinda to reward yourself with some tea and scones.

K-mart Toy Sale

If you don't know about the K-mart toy sale, starting 03/07, which planet are you from? K-mart open its doors at 12:01am to all those crazy, bargain-hunting moms. As for me, I was not that insane to line up at 12:00am just to save a few dollars. However, I did drive to K-mart first thing in the morning with my 2 boys to pick up a few items. My son was looking at the online catalog the day before to pick out his toys, mainly Lego and Lego and more Lego.

When I arrived at the store, there was quite a few people with shopping carts. Phew...it wasn't as bad as I expected. We walked through the aisles lined with toys up to the ceiling. I was careful not to bump into any displays...it would have been an ugly sight with the boxes of toys falling on us. Of course Andrew wanted something exorbitant in price but we managed to do some compromising and came to an agreement as to which Lego to purchase. The boys were really good about what to buy considering the temptation of toys galore on the floor.



Just an hour in the store, I was ready to head home. The store was crowding up. There were moms with carts full of toys to the brim. Wherever we turned a corner, we came up to more moms, carts, and kids. I didn't know everything was free in the store! :) It was funny to hear a child exclaimed to his mom "Mom this is ONLY $80" and the Mom replied "Do you have $80?"



Big W is also having its Toy Sale this week. Target will be starting their toy sale soon. I must say I'm impressed with Melbourne's toy sale because one can really get some good bargains. This is my first time experiencing a big toy sale in Melbourne and it won't be my last!

To check out K-mart's online catalog, go to Kmart's website.

Glen Waverley - Darling Steam Shuttle

On typical windy Wintry Sunday morning, the Liau family experienced a rare treat of train ride at the Glen Waverley train station operated by Steamrail Victoria, Inc. Barely 5 minutes after arriving at the platform, we spied the steam engine chugging down the train line. At the sight of the black engine, children and adults alike cheered and clapped with anticipation. Andrew was intrigued by the thick black smoke escaping from the chimney and the abundant of coal. As the steam engine comes to a halt, it was neat to see the old engine on one side of the tracks and the modern commuter train on the other.


K190 pulling into Glen Waverley

Alvin stormed through the doors of one of the coaches, hoping he was quick enough to get a booth to ourselves. We had underestimated the number of people who came to the ride. Most of the coaches were full, primarily with wide-eyed children, their parents and train enthusiasts. Lady Luck was on our side as we managed to secure one. Andrew immediately stuck his head out the window. "This is so cool," exclaimed Andrew.


Enjoying the view

However, Alex was intimidated by the black steam engine and stayed close to Alvin. As the train moved out of the station, Andrew's excitement was further heightened. He stuck his head even further out of the window and waved at the spectators. Alex remained close to his Daddy.


Steam and Electric side by side

Throughout the ride, we kept the windows open so that we can feel the cool breeze on our faces and smell the black soot! Andrew was insistent on keeping his head out the window for the whole ride. The ride to Darling was about 20 minutes. At Darling, the train switched tracks, picked up passengers and turned back towards Glen Waverley. On the way back, Alex could at least stand near the window and look out cautiously. Andrew proudly gave our tickets to the conductor when he stopped by. We will definitely ride this train again when they operate it next year.


Passengers waiting at Darling Station

Steamrail is a not-for-profit group dedicated to the restoration and operation of historic locomotives and rolling stock. They run numerous exciting tours guaranteed to excite railfans of all ages. Destinations include Geelong, Seymour, Maldon and Bacchus Marsh. Trip information and further details are available at Steamrail's website.