i know, i know. you don’t have to say it. i have long since accepted the somewhat awkward truth and have claimed it as one of my idiosyncrasies:

i am such a nerdy geek.

for as long as i can remember, i was always that silent girl in the corner reading a book. lunch breaks i spent at the library devouring illustrated books of fruits and vegetables until i progressed to those that didn’t have pictures on them anymore. needless to say, i’ve always loved reading. and i’ve always loved libraries and bookshops (cue in that little love affair that i had with that bookshop i discovered in auckland) and… omigod, who can resist the smell of books? not this geek girl.

so forgive me if my interests border on boring. but more than that, forgive me if i don’t care.

so, yeah. the 19th-century building state library of victoria was just sitting there on swanston street so i figured, why not?

it’s a humongous library. i’ve never seen anything like it. the facade may look ancient but inside is actually pretty modern with computers and wifi and all that modern-day stuff which modern-day folks now consider a necessity together with other basic necessities such as food and water.

i didn’t really get to explore the library much but i did take some photos of the paintings on exhibit there which, for one reason or another, struck me.

of all the paintings i saw, my favorite would have to be that last one. the one with the picture of a tram. because i love melbourne’s old trams. call me old-fashioned but i find them so romantic.

i mean, don’t you?