The City is alive!

Most respected person in Melbourne CBD, non-stop hulahoop for days

When you wake up, and you look out of your window, what do you see and hear? If you are staying in the city, what do you see and hear?

Car?

Smokes?

People opening the department stores?

Noises from traffic jams?

From these, do you think that the city is alive?

NO!!!

The city is not alive by these noises and these craps.....

It is the street performers who make the city (any city) alive!

They bring music into the city, instead of some kind of music from the department stores, they bring laughter to the city, they bring people to attention, and the most important thing is they bring LIVE to the city.

Every time I went down to Melbourne, I see people performing at every corner of the CBD (Central Business District). People with expensive guitars and stands. People that look like they slept at a trash corner somewhere. People who have decent looks playing on drum that is made of tins and basket. Kids playing X'mas songs with their electrical organ, saxophones. People from all different races.

What are their purpose. You might ask.

Each of them have different purpose. So are everyone on this lonely earth. Some of them are chasing their dreams in performing related business. Some of them are doing it so that they won't have stage-fright. Some of them have only one purpose. To earn a decent money, without breaking the law.

I, being my naive self, always think that money is easy to earn. Maybe I've not in such situation where I have to scrape the bottom of the barrel. But, there is always but, I got kick back to reality for this moment after watching The Pursuit of Happyness. This movie tells us about how bad can your luck be. Some people need money so desperately, that they hold dear to their 5 dollars like it is 1,000 bucks. These people on the street, some of them just want to earn so decent money. They do not give up no matter how deep they fell. Like the most famous person in Melbourne, not John So the Melbourne Mayor; the Asian guy doing hulla hoop for days without stopping for meals. Yes, he is the guy above!

I have never seen him, standing with his own leg, and have a meal before. Most of the time, when I am in the city, I will see him performing along Bourke Street or Swanston Street. He is that good, and determined to earn enough money for him to eat his dinner.

When I got tired of window shopping around city, the place you can find me is around Bourke Street Mall. I'll just sit there and see people perform. Aussie guy playing Chinese instruments; aussie guy blowing didgeridoo; bands playing in front of Myers Department Store; etc etc. They help me to kill some times before I heading back to Spotwoods, my aunt place.

Band performing at Bourke Street Mall, possibly outside Myers

I always pay them some money, coins every time I passed by. AND I URGE you people to do the same. We should appreciate such people. Without them, city would not be so alive.

P.S. It is ashame that Asian cities just don't have such things.

P.SS. Next time I am going to talk about graffiti. That I'll leave for next time.