Emporium Melbourne gala launch, city

"A little party never killed nobody," and a big party hurts even less.  On Wednesday night at the launch of Emporium Melbourne guests including Isabel Lucas, Rachael Finch, Bianca Spender, and Michael and Lindy Klim felt no pain as Baz Luhrmann, a dream weaver, and the creative visionary behind so much eye-popping and cork-popping officially – officially – launched the fashion and food hub in the CBD.

We wondered at what point did your life begin to surpass your dreams?   "Life is in many ways, a dream," Lucas said.  "But there are always pitfalls in dreams, shadows and gold that come together.  But I'm very appreciative of where I'm living and that I get to come home to Australia and attend an event like this."

Harrison Craig's dreams are just at his fingertips.  "Close," he said, "but you've always got more goals and dreams that you want to smash, so I'm not quite there yet.  I'm just working on my third album at the moment."

And the director, the showman, when did his life overtake his dreams?  "It hasn't!" Luhrmann exclaimed.   "It feels very - not ordinary - but it feels like what I know.  I've got two little kids and, you know, I still have to organise things, but I think if you feel like you've realised your dream you probably stop dreaming don't you.  I still dream."

The passion brings the purity

Pure Artesian Water launch, Sandbar

Wear and tear, let's call it; it just seems that the more time you spend on the planet the less perfect things become.  A little less sparkly, a little more soiled, and the challenge is to keep something, anything, pure.

At the Pure Artesian Water launch at Sandbar in Middle Park on Tuesday night we wanted to know what, in your life, remains wholly unspoilt?  "When I think about something pure, the first thing I think of is my mum," Bogdan Chirila said.  "I had, like, a tough childhood so she had to raise me by herself, which, for me, makes her the strongest woman in the world and that makes it the purest thing you can think about.  Everything is family."

"I rode horses when I was younger," Larni Salathiel said.  "And it's a real passion of mine; I still love it as much as I did when I was young."

"A Sunday roast with the family," Rachel Brooks said.  "My dad is responsible for it, roast lamb, nice and tender, and, oh, 10 vegetables."  What's your dad's name?  "Baldy, we call him Baldy." 

In pursuit of knowledge

Mercedes-Benz C-Class VIP event, Circa Basement

On Tuesday night we could be found underground, something was about to be unveiled.  It was the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, and everything you wanted to know about it – that its redesigned control and display concept is modelled on the S-Class, that it features nearly all the driving assistance systems available in the S-Class and E-Class - was revealed.

We wondered, what else do you want to know . . . about anything?  "Where is that plane, where is the plane MH370?" CC Sheffield said.  "How does that just disappear?"

"How Marilyn Monroe really died," Sarah Jane Young said.  "And Tupac," Britt Prince nodded.  "And Tupac!  Can you add that in?"  St Ali's Salvatore Malatesta wondered "why people who aren't in the service industry have zero understanding of, and don't try to understand, what's involved in service.  I think everybody needs to do a week of hospitality service and everybody will win from that."

"I'm a simple man," Grant Smillie shrugged, "I just want to find out what is the mystery meat in the meat pie."  Do you really want to know that?  "No."