Friday, November 14, 2014

Backstage Cafe

FINALLY I HAVE SOME TIME TO SIT DOWN AND BLOG!

I've not been blogging for like 2 whole months and that is totally because of the workload I have for school. Now, it is finally the holidays! So, I am sure that I will be more active blogging away.

This is a way overuse post that I owe to Backstage Cafe and I feel so so so bad!
So sorry about it! 2 months back, I was invited to Backstage Cafe for a food tasting session and because it is my first time visiting tho cafe, though my friend used to work there, I've never been there before. So, I guess it was a good opportunity for me to check this place out too! 


Soup was being served with garlic bread, and I love the garlic bread so so much!
The mushroom soup was creamy too and I am a big fan of mushroom but very picky about it as well.
So I gues Backstage Cafe's mushroom soup did satisfy my appetite! 


Being a coffee addict, I've ordered the Iced Mocha as well.
Most of the time, I am quite skeptical about ordering Iced Mocha, because they turn out to be bleah…
To me, Mocha should be very chocolaty in terms of taste and with that coffee essence within it.

However, most of the time when my mocha is served, they taste just like chocolate milk and nothing more. That is quite a turn ff because the chocolate taste is not there fully and of course, where is the coffee?! Haha.

But, I got to say that Backstage Cafe's Iced Mocha was pretty good. 
I mean, just look at the picture, it looks good right? Haha. 


And here comes the main dish!
I am so sorry that I've forgotten the name of the dish above, but it's some chicken dish haha.
It tasted so so good and according to the host, it is one of their top favourites among customer and it was only back due to popular demand! 


I've ordered the Duck Confit as my main dish.
Honestly speaking, I was quite disappointed with this dish not because it taste bad. it was yummy with all the sauce and the crispy skin of it.

What it actually lacked, and I did tell the host as well, was the "meat melting in mouth" experience.
When customers order Duck Confit, what they are looking for is not only the great taste but also the feeling when you place the meat in your mouth and the meat will melt within.


For Backstage's Duck Confit, the meat was rather stiff and tough to chew on.
So, they actually taste just like those duck meat that we can get at normal duck stalls. 

Ya….I was kinda disappointed but I do hope they improved on this! 


Lastly, I was served dessert and according to them, their waffle is their signature dish.
Of course, I couldn't miss it right? Haha.

My verdict?
It's not the best in town but it''s worth the trip down to eat it!
I will say that it is because of the ice cream. i was served the vanilla one as well as the chocolate one which taste like Ferrero Rocher! The chocolate taste was so so rich and nice! 

And it goes so well with the waffle! LOVING IT! 

Do visit Backstage Cafe if you are free because I do love the ambience of the place as it was rather peaceful and quiet! But, it could be quit inaccessible to some if they do not drive (but it's okay! nowadays everyone travel everywhere in anyway just to get to cafes right? HAHA).

#01-06, Performance Building, 158 Kallang Way, Kallang, Singapore


Till my next post and I promise to blog more since it's the holiday! Haha. 
Love you guys :) 

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Leave Your Future To The Hands Of M2 Academy!


Been looking around for a good academy to study in?
Want to pursue a good degree, yet you have no clue who to approach?

These worries are no longer issue to you because we have M2 Academy! 
M2 Academy is a new academy who has its sights on Singapore's tertiary education industry, and they've entered the market at a very good location!

Want to guess where it is?!
It is actually smacked right in the centre of town, OrchardGateway @ Emerald, opposite Somerset 313! 
It is not only convenient, but I am sure it does attract a lot of students to study here due to its prime location! 

Just a short introduction, M2 Academy is in collaboration with the University of South Australia (UniSA), which is recognised globally as one of Australia's rising stars. This implies that the degree that you are pursuing are definitely of great credibility as well! 

M2 Academy offers a wide variety of programmes, raining from Business to Commerce and to Engineering! More details could be found HERE 

Now let's take a look at the campus itself! Let's go! 


Upon entering the academy, what actually caught my eyes were the large numbers of iPad in the middle of the room! It seems as though I've just walked into an Apple Store! I've learnt from the host later on that, at M2 Academy, they implement the flipped classroom approach. This means that they are actually bringing learning to a whole new level, by making everything digital.

This means that lectures are now being done online as students watch videos to learn new contents. Then, they will proceed to the academy and do their assignments in class, where teachers are present to offer more personalised guidance and interaction, instead of pure lecturing! 

This is definitely great in my opinion as I feel that it is good for students, especially local students to deviate and move away from the mainstream study system so as to expose themselves to more critical thinking skills and adaptability. 

This is the friendly host who brought us around the 4 level academy! 


The classrooms have seats and table arranged over a spacious area so as to allow more space for the students to feel comfortable and conducive to study in.


Looking right out of the window from the lecture hall, we can see Somerset 313 and Orchard Gateway right opposite us! The view is so nice at night! 


At different levels, there are actually comfortable seats for the students to lay back on to have their own self-study session or discussion with their course mates. Of course, they can hang around as well with their friends! 




Personally what I really like about this academy is that the classrooms are not too big and a room will take up at most 36 students. This actually creates a learning environment where the tutors are able to focus more on the students due to the small number, providing a much more conducive learning environment and experience for the students as well. 

Not to mention that, it is located right in town!
Not only it is convenient, it is definitely great to have your school in town itself, as being youngsters and teenagers, we do spend a lot of time in town.

Do go to their FaceBook page, "Like" it and keep yourself updated wight heir various exciting activities which they will plan from time to time! I heard that there is a flea market coming soon as well!  Do look out for the details on they Facebook page right HERE

Lastly, there is also a Spotify contest! Details are as follow:


For those students who are currently looking for an academy to obtain your degree, why not check out M2 Academy? I am sure that they are more than willing to explain their course choices to you as well! 

Do remember to check them out and see you all around! 


Thursday, July 31, 2014

COHUNU KOALA PARK!

My third day in Perth has got to be the day which I look most forward to!
Because today, other than the dreadful 35km drive to Pemberton from Fremantle, we decided to pop by a mini park known as Cohunu Koala Park, where I get the chance to carry a koala in my arms and also interact with the kangaroos which are hopping around a cage!

Feeling totally excited about carrying a koala in my arms!
I mean, we don't get to see them even in the Singapore Zoo, needless to say carrying it in my arms!

Here we go! 

Greeted at the entrance by many peacocks showing off their majestic feathers



When I went to the enclosure for the koalas, this nanny of the koalas, told me I am lucky as she is carrying a mummy koala with a baby koala on her! But I am not allowed to touch it. It's so cute right?! Look at it clinging and hugging tightly onto its mummy! Awwwww

And then now, it's my turn to carry a koala! 

In this photo, the koala is giving the "-____- WHAT YOU WANT" face HAHAHA!







Feeding the ponies with some fresh veggies which were available there for us! 

Look at this photo of the kangaroo, it looks quite intimidating eh? Haha.

This is the behind-the-scene footage of how R tried to take a selfie with the kangaroo. LOL! 

I decided to approach the smaller ones to pat, because even if it decided to kick me, it won't hurt as bad

My version of a selfie with the kangaroo! 

A candid shot of a girl in the kangaroo cage with my new lens! She's so pretty! 


The park wasn't very big, but it definitely made me a happy boy that day. 
I was smiling even when I got on the car and kept on rambling on and on about how cute the koala were. I guess I must had irritated R :p 

Well, the drive is very very long, i mean its 35km, and just imagine driving on the road for hours!
We were also fighting against time because we do want to reach the apartment in Pemberton before the sun sets, which is around 6 as mentioned previously. Thus, we don't really have much time on hand.

Along the road, we came across this gas sation which is also a cafe and decided to settle our lunch here.
The theme of the cafe is witches, which was quite cool because it felt like Halloween came early haha.



And finally we reached our apartment in Pemberton! Phew, the ride was definitely long man! 
The apartment lies amongst the woods and forest and its called Forest Lodge. I must admit that it does has a great environment and view as well. But then, when the sky turned dark, I felt like I was a character in Silent Hill while we drove to the nearby town for dinner. 

The road was pitched dark and the only light source was the one coming from our car's headlights.
And surrounding us were just trees and more trees and we could't see anything at all. 
Totally creeped me out, and R kept saying that I am very timid.


Ending this post of the lake which was just right beside the apartment! 
More posts of my Perth trip coming up!

Just a side note, my school is starting already next week! 
Tons of mixed feelings, gonna meet my course mates this Friday already.
Hope I can make friends and be on good terms with them! Jia you! 

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

An Awesome Start In Perth!

I am gonna blog about my Perth, and as you can see, I kinda gave up blogging about my Europe trip haha. I never seem to be able to finish blogging about my overseas trip, so I am gonna make sure that I blog all about my trip to Perth this time round! 


Took off from Singapore last Monday afternoon, and arrived at Perth around 7?
The sky was already dark, so we took the car we rented, headed straight for our apartment and just grabbed dinner. So nothing much for the night. Slept in early and was ready for the next day! 

The apartment that we stayed in was at a small town (?) call Fremantle, and its called Quest Harbour Village. I love this apartment because it's just beside a harbour where all the huge yachts were parked at. Not to forget the breathtaking view we woke up to! 


That's the neatest that I can make of the bed after waking up haha

The view from our balcony! It's so beautiful because the colour of the sea is just so pretty to look at! 



This is the car we rented in Perth. It's a Hyundai but I've forgotten about the model.
It's a pretty decent car! It's quite powerful and the petrol consumption is quite low.
Would love to own this car actually. Hmmmmm…..So this is the car that stood by us for 6 days :)

Went to explore the harbour a bit before heading to the nearby cafes for breakfast! 


This is totally a candid shot of me haha


The parking tickets that we have to purchase whenever we parked. 
It's quite cute how they operate because different lots along the same street, may cost you different prices! Some lots you can park up to 2 hours, some 1 hour an some only half an hour! 

With regards to this, I prefer Singapore's coupon system. Much more convenient! 


And this is our breakfast! One thing about their breakfast is that, they cost the same as those we eat in Singapore's cafes, but the portion that was served in Perth was much more as you can see! Definitely worth the price and no complains at all man! It was nice having such great breakfast, just sitting by the road side as the cold wind blows occasionally on our faces. Life is good~ 


Headed to Cottesloe Beach and the sea view was magnificent! 
I am sure you all have seen the photo that I've posted on my InsaGram! 
If not, just take a look at the photos below! And you decide for yourself :)




We got hungry real quickly and so we went to a restaurant that was recommended by our friend and it has a cute name called "Blue Duck"! Haha so cute right?

These are 2 blue rubber duckies which we purchased from the restaurant haha. Couldn't resist it! 


When we walked into the restaurant, we were the only Asians around! And Rob has to ask the waitress if we could have the seats at the balcony. She gave us the weird stare initially because it was quite breezy and cold outside. But tadah, we ended up being the only 2 sitting at the balcony. Getting judged even more haha.

But it was definitely worth it because we get to enjoy the view much better too.




We ordered this chicken breast meat dish to share and it was so so so so good!
I wanna have them again! It was just so yummy. Gosh, totally felt like I'm the happiest man on Earth! 


Nothing much to do, and we drove to Sorrento Quay to walk around. d

Seagulls are like crows in Singapore- everywhere! 


Didn't snap any photos at night because it was too dark and their nights start early too, meaning the sun sets way earlier haha. So all the great views are captured in morning - afternoon period. 

Perth is definitely a slow city and relaxing I would say.
Not hectic like Singapore! Even the drivers there are patient and they don't honk like Singapore's drivers. But it gets boring at night because there is literally nothing to shop at night and shops closes at 5. Can you imagine that? Haha. So, it is a retirement city to retreat to in future.

That being said, all my photos are taken with my newly bought EPL-3! 
And with my new 45mm/f1.8 lens too! Totally worth the purchase!

Stay tune to more updates of my trip!
I WILL complete blogging it this time round!

Nights guys!