Mamma Mia and Brisbane

Watching “Mamma Mia!” in the theatre has been a long-time dream for me. I was really upset that I missed it in Perth because I couldn’t find someone to go with. But today, I finally made it in Brisbane. For a long time, the word “musical” has been directly linked to “Mamma Mia!” for me, and ABBA is also my all-time favorite. So I’m thrilled to finally have the chance to watch it live.

I saw the advertisement at the Brisbane airport after arriving, so I’ve been thinking about watching it. Also, my Couchsurfing host Greg has been really welcoming, so I booked tickets for us this morning as a thank-you for his hospitality.

The production was very nice; I was singing along to almost all the songs. The musical lasted two hours and included 22 songs, all of which I’d heard many times before. At first, I was a bit disappointed because my expectations were high, especially for the visual effects. But as I kept watching, I enjoyed it more and more.

The beginning of the second half was a bit weird; it mixed in some contemporary dance and other elements to depict Sophie’s nightmare. I didn’t quite get it, it reminded me directly of Sleep No More and the creepy stuff that goes on in mental hospitals, but it quickly got back to normal. I was singing along right up until the credits rolled, and I was very happy. Greg enjoyed it too.

While watching the show, I started to think about the many possibilities in my upcoming life. What do I really want? I don’t think I’ll figure it out anytime soon, but I eventually will. I believe in enjoying the journey, not just the destination, because we have limited time.

It’s been more than three years since I last visited Brisbane, and I’m having a great time here. I feel warmly welcomed by Brisbane.

The welcoming hosts picked me up at the station. Met Cruise and Tim, a great couple I've been chatting to for a year and a half. New friend Andrew organised my last two days, offered me a place to stay too. The people online were so nice and welcoming, messaging me all the time. Even the day I departed for here, a Chinese lady offered to let me stay at hers on couch surfing.

Almost everyone I’ve met or am going to meet on this trip is someone I already knew or was connected to. My friends Eddie and Charles are not here, so I had to find a place to stay. It didn’t take me long to connect with Greg on Couchsurfing. He’s been great and even offered a day trip to Byron Bay if the weather allows. I hadn't planned anything other than meeting Cruise, Tim and Andrew, but I've had two great days here.

After meeting Greg and I had a great chat, he cooked me breakfast for two days and showed me around Brisbane, the Mamma Mia show was great, and the new friends I met, Chris, Peter and Michael, are all great people. I had another long chat with Greg after the show tonight and I'm really grateful to have met these people. I think I have a good time in any major city in Australia, even in Canberra and Darwin (there's not much to do there so I can't live there, but it's still nice to visit), I'm easily satisfied in a lot of ways, which is fine by me.

After the show tonight I had dinner and dessert made by Greg and had a long chat with him about politics and other things I don't know much about but am interested in, and he's really inspired me to do more. This was my second time on Couch Surfing and I want to maintain a long-lasting connection and friendship with him, and I'm sure he'll host me again when I visit Brisbane again. I'm so happy to have met such great people as Greg and Darren in Singapore and I'm sure this is just the beginning.

I’ve minimized my daily studies and suspended my workouts for now, but once I get “back” to Sydney, I’ll resume my regular routine, as I’m not really travelling there anymore, I will begin mandatory daily exercise and at least two hours of study. After my recent research and reflection, my main priority for the rest of the year will remain language skills training, which will contribute to my academic performance, community involvement, and credential attainment to help me achieve my goal, which is the current NCP program.

Well, it's almost 3.30am, time to go to bed and enjoy my last two days in Brisbane, I'm sure I'll have more fun times and even if nothing happens, I'll still be able to complete my studies, trainings and workouts, which are all necessary steps to achieve my goals and make me a better and more competitive person.

Thanks Tommy, I'm glad you’re having so much fun.

24.09.23