Koala Park Sanctuary (Sydney)

Honestly the name of this park is super misleading because it was more like a prison than a sanctuary for the animals.

"Colman you must be exaggerating," is what you must be thinking right now. But just take a look at these photos. I mean I'm sure I'll enjoy living in such a small cage if I was a bird. Ok I guess it makes sense to cage the birds to prevent them from flying away, and to cage carnivores so that they won't hurt anyone, but even the goats are fenced up in a super small area.

Before I continue let's play a game. Can you find the animal?

Don't worry if you can't because there isn't one!!

At first my parents kinda thought that the place was under renovation or something because of how dilapidated it was. Some of the cages were also empty and most importantly there were only two other tourists when we first entered. So I went to ask the cashier where all the animals were, specifically the wombat and she promised that it was there.

The park provides animal presentation- don't be to hyped about this because almost every other zoo in Australia does the same- but during the dingo presentation, the worker came to the dingo cage late and refused to bring the dingoes out of the cage even though it was part of the presentation. And I swear to god the dingoes did not like the worker; you can assume why. Also you can see how skinny this dingo is.

At first I thought that it wasn't too bad considering we could take a picture with the koalas but then we went to Featherdale Wildlife Park a week later and when you compare the difference between the photos...

left: Koala Park Sanctuary
right: Featherdale Wildlife Park

There was also the sheep sheering show which might be considered interesting to some people, but to me, I found it really cruel. It was really obvious that the sheep felt super ashamed after it's wool coat was sheered off.

Putting aside the poor living conditions of the animals, the park is really far away ($50 on Uber), the attractions in the park do not justify the price of the tickets ($27). It's in the middle of nowhere with only 1 (or 2) busses back to the city.

While writing this post, I searched for the park online and it's 99% negative comments. Honestly I have no idea where my dad found the other 1% which made him bring us there but that's not the point. Apparently the place is being sued for animal negligence, and unsurprisingly there's a campaign to close down this place and if you feel that the zoo should be closed down after looking at the photographs, please sign the petition to help.

Alternatives:
Featherdale Wildlife Park
Wildlife Sydney Zoo
Taronga Zoo

Sign the petition here!

Phillip Island Tours AAT Kings (Day Tour)

On the second day of the Australia trip, we joined a day tour from AAT Kings to Phillip Island. It's actually a really fun tour but I wouldn't recommend it.

Stop 1: Maru Koala & Animal Park

This is actually a pretty good attraction because you can feed the kangaroos for $2 which is really affordable. But if you're looking for photos with koalas you can get them for free at Featherdale Wildlife Park. You can also feed wallabies and kangaroos for $2 there as well.

Stop 2: Phillip Island

We were taken to a couple of attractions in Phillip Island. The first one is this park place where you can take lots of really nice photos.  If you live in melbourne like I did and want to go to a nice picturesque like this, head down to Botanic Gardens.

Our next attraction is a beach which is actually really nice because of how empty it is. But no one could really enjoy the beautiful scenery because of how strong the wind was. It felt like standing in a sandblasting machine walking near the beach (i didn't even walk into the sandy area).

So one of the main reason of saying that this day tour isn't recommended is because of the crazy strong winds. Our next attraction is also right beside the sea.

Stop 3: Nobbies Rock Formation

So windy that I can't even smile properly.

Stop 4: Penguin Parade
The main course of the day tour was super disappointing. So based on the description in the website, we'll be seated at the coast to watch penguins swim from the sea and then find their houses on land. Yes, the penguins have houses which are built by the workers. And because of the word 'parade', I was expecting hundreds of penguins swimming in at once and covering the beach but what happened was only a few small groups of 5 to 6 swim in every now and then. Also you might have realized that I didn't include any photos of the attraction because photography is prohibited.

What you're supposed to do is to sit at the seating area for about 20 minutes from the start, then walk along the boardwalk back to the gift shop to watch the penguins waddle back to their little wooden homes. Now it will be quite dark along the board walk and the color of the penguins makes it even harder to spot them in the bushes. So the key to finding the penguins is to look out for a crowd because that's likely where the penguins are.

This is actually a really nice attraction if you're super into nature. Like it is quite a nice experience to see penguins in the wild. But if you're planning to just have a look at the penguins, I'd recommend Featherdale Wildlife Park or Wildlife Sydney Zoo because you'll get the opportunity to have a close up view of penguins AND take a picture with them.

Conclusion:
Out of all the stops, the only irreplaceable attraction is probably the Nobbies Rock Formation so I do not recommend joining this day tour.

Replacement attractions
Stop 1: Maru Koala & Animal Parl
Featherdale Wildlife Park

Stop 2: Phillip Island
Botanic Gardens (Melbourne)

Stop 4: Penguin Parade
Featherdale Wildlife Park
Wildlife Sydney Zoo

https://www.aatkings.com/tours/melbourne/phillip-island-penguins-kangaroos-and-koalas/

Aladdin The Musical

So as some of you might know, I went to Australia for 10 days so I have a lot of stuff to write about but I think I'll start with my personal favourite: Aladdin The Musical.

It is honestly the best musical I've seen and I'm not just saying it because it's Disney.

Aladdin The Musical is very very different from all the other ones I've seen because of the interaction between the audience and the cast, specifically Genie (Michael James Scott). He is so sassy and funny and really steals the spotlight!

Out of all the musicals I've watched, Aladdin also has the best female lead (in terms of voice) and the best set.

Jasmine played by Arielle Jacobs.

Sadly photography isn't allowed in the theatre but luckily I managed to find a couple of photos on google. But I promise you will be so impressed with the props, backdrop and everything! There are even fireworks, in addition to confetti. Yes that's right, fireworks.

But really if you're going to Sydney you should definitely include this in your itinerary!

AND also if you're a Disney fan you must bring some money because they have really nice things in their shop. The lamp-snowglobe thing is also a music box which plays "A Whole New World" and costs $85. If you're looking for a more affordable memento, they also sell really nice keychains and magnets for $15.

Purchase your tickets here!

Broadway playlist (not by the Sydney cast)

My 10 Travel Essentials

I've decided to do this post as I am currently packing for my Australia trip which starts tomorrow. I remember how my packing list was so long when I was younger, like I included rubber bands, blue tack, 5 books and other junk. So I've decided to share with you guys my 10 travel essentials for now. I'll be starting the list with the more general items that most people will bring.

1) Portable charger + Cable

So first on the list, which is probably everyone's travel essential, is a portable charger. Personally I'm not the kind of people who uses a portable charger daily so most of the time when I actually do need it, the battery will run flat. But this portable charger here doesn't "leak", meaning the amount of battery remains the same even if you don't use it.

There's also this unbreakable cable that I have. I'm a really messy person so I always throw the cable in my bag, causing it to bend and break and expose the wire.

2) Camera

I'm using a Canon M3, which has a wifi function to transfer the photos to my phone so that I can upload it on Instagram or whatever instantly. I also got a leather pouch from qoo10 for $30 which looks a lot nicer than the original camera pouches in Canon. It's also detachable so it's quite cool.

3) Sketchbook + Drawing Material

To pass time on the plane, I'll usually bring a sketchbook to draw whatever and I'll bring an artist's pencil case to hold my pencils, a couple of drawing pens, an eraser and a ruler. When I went to London I also brought a mini sketchbook which I carry with me everyday because I visited many museums in that trip.

4) iPad

I'll bring my iPad for blogging, reading and watching anime in case the movies in flight are boring




5) Spectacles



I got this free sample of a blue light filtered specs from my mom so it doesn't really fit that well on my face. It's supposed to reduce the amount of blue light from entering your eyes from staring at your phone for too long. Not sure if it it actually works but I still bring it with me whenever I travel.

6) Dry Shampoo

This is seriously a game changer especially when it comes to long haul flights like I cannot stand it when my hair is greasy and flat and sticks all over my forehead. Dry shampoo is basically shampoo in a can and it works so well. I'm using Batiste because it's cheap (about $5 from Watsons), it works well, it smells great and most importantly it is travel sized so I can carry this on my flight.

7) Bio Essence Miracle Bio Spray

This is basically dry shampoo but for your face. It's actually my sister's but I use it occasionally when my face gets oily or sticky and it basically just refreshes your face.

8) Hand Sanitizer

Sometimes when I travel, I'll encounter super dirty public toilets which is so dirty that even the water tap is crawling w bacteria. or maybe it doesn't even have a sink. Like when I went to Grand Canyon last year, their water system doesn't work so this really comes in handy. You can get this from Watsons for about $2 which is very worth it.

9) Environmentally Friendly Bags
I always bring one of these to reduce on the amount of plastic bags used. Also, some countries charge for plastic bags so it's always good to keep one of these in my bag.

10) Medicine Pouch
And lastly my medicine pouch which I carry everywhere I go, which includes a bottle of eye-drop, 2 gastric medicine, 2 panadol, cough and allergy medicine. You never know when you'll fall sick so this comes in really handy.

That's all! I'll be going to Australia tonight and be back by 1st December so hit the follow button on the right (if you're using your computer) to get notifications when I write about my trip.

TCC Christmas Menu (2016): Food Review

Back again with another TCC review. TCC has never failed to impress me with their regular menu updates and since Christmas is around the corner, they've came up with a course set menu.

I ordered the 3 course meal, with the turkey ballotine as my main course

Roasted Cauliflower Soup
The soup was pretty nice. I like the additional flavor from the miso pesto and also the texture from the croutons and vegetables. Also the soup was very flavorful but not salty which is a good thing (yay healthy food)

Turkey Ballotine
I was obviously gonna order this because I don't usually get to eat turkey. The turkey is stuffed with a chestnut and cranberry paste and drizzled with some brown sauce and jam. I don't recommend eating it with too much of the sauce because i find it really salty and it masks the taste of the turkey.

White Chocolate Reindeer
Ooh this is a must try in their Christmas menu. It's a white chocolate moose+ green tea spongecake desert with a biscuit base so there's a very good mix of texture.

I do not know what this is called

This is my favourite dish of all. It's a scoop of vanilla ice cream topped with caramel popcorn and whip cream with a cookie base. The espresso drizzle is optional but i highly recommend adding just enough coffee to cover the cookie base. The ice cream is probably made with vanilla pod (meaning it's good stuff) and the taste of the espresso, melted whip cream and ice cream with the soggy biscuits is just divine!

https://www.theconnoisseurconcerto.com/

Christmas menu: http://www.theconnoisseurconcerto.com/images/pdfs/tcc-xmas-menu.pdf

The Connoisseur Concerto (TCC) (Vivo City): Food Review

On Sunday, my parents and I decided to head down to vivo's tcc for breakfast. It states on their website that they open at 10 am so we arrived at 10 because we had stuff to do afterwards. But they opened the shop about 15 minutes later and the kitchen was only ready at about 10:40. So either their opening time on the website is wrong or they just opened late.

Moving on to the delicious breakfasts-

Benny's Breakfast $16.8

I highly do not recommend ordering their poached eggs because it's overcooked most of the time, but my dad still orders it for some reason.

My mom and I shared the next two dish.

Oozy Coffee Pancake $15.5

I really love how they managed to put the coffee cream into the pancake. The cream kinda tastes like coffee milk, which has a hint of bitter, which balances perfectly with the caramel drizzle. Also just in case you were thinking that this two pancakes isn't enough to fill you up like what I thought, it is extremely filling.

Morning Mix & Match $20.0

Ok this is part of their new menu as well and I highly recommend this because it's worth the price. For $20, you get to choose one kind of egg, two proteins and two sides which is extremely valuable and it tastes good as well. Again, do not order the poached eggs because it'll most likely be overcooked. I ordered the poached eggs though, because I thought it was something else, along with wagyu beef patty and smoked salmon as my proteins, and avocado salsa and greek yogurt as my sides. So what I did was I took a little bit of everything, layer it on top of my bread and ate it in one bite and surprisingly the tastes blend together really well. Out of all their sides, I suggest that you order the avocado salsa and greek yogurt because they're both really really nice.

Soy Hazelnut Heaven $8.0

Another new item on their menu under the healthy and organic drinks section. It's a little pricey but hey it is an organic drink. This is the first time I've drank soy lattes before and I'm not disappointed because this one has a really strong hazelnut taste. With the addition of chocolate chips and hazelnut crumbs, it kinda reminds me of kinder bueno and nutella. But halfway through the drink I found it a bit too sweet.

My Ratings

Service: 8/10

Food: 8/10

Ambience: 8/10

Total: 8/10

 http://www.theconnoisseurconcerto.com/

Achieving your desired hairstyle: Do's and Dont's

Let's just skip the pointless introduction and get on with the 6 points to achieving your desired hairstyle -->

1) Shampoo myth
which claims that shampooing daily should be avoided as it strips your hair of its natural oil. I've tried it for 2 weeks- shampooing only 3 times a week and it was such a pain in the ass plus I probably got some dandruff from that. True it did make my hair wavier from the hair oil but at the same time, it weighed my hair down and made it look greasy. I've developed my own shampoo routine- which is to try to shampoo once every two days, unless I have products in my hair or if I've swum that day. This way, my hair won't be dried out or become greasy.

2) Hair texture/length
If you have pencil straight hair I highly doubt that it's possible for a curly-hair hairstyle. Sure, maybe if you get a perm then yeah, it's possible. But you have to understand that not everybody is going to able to achieve a hairstyle that doesn't suit their hair texture or length. If you've got hair shorter than 3 inches there is obviously no way you can achieve this huge volume quiff vice versa

3) Pre-styling
This is another issue with my friends because they seem to think that blow-drying their hair is girly/ will burn their hair. Firstly, it's not. Secondly, heat-protectant. It's a little something you add in your hair before blow-drying to prevent it from drying out. I'm currently using Sidekick by Vilain which I've mentioned before in one of my product reviews. Do check it out because I highly recommend this product; in short, It's a pre-styler which volumnizes hair with a heat-protectant function.

By pre-styling your hair, your hair is automatically volumized it is so much easier to apply your finishing product. It also minimizes the use of the finishing product, thus saving money.

4) Choosing your hair products
There are so many hair products out there but just to generalize it- there're waxes, clays, pomades. fibres, putties, pastes etc. Different types of hair products will help you achieve different hairstyles. If you're going for a high volumnizes quiff, you might want to go for a wax which usually has a stronger hold with a more natural finish. For me, I tend to go for a more rugged messy hairstyle so I use a clay (Hairbond) which is amazing because it has a medium hold and is easy to apply. For a sleek, formal combback (double check name), apply pomade while your hair is still wet.

5) Applying products
Before applying whatever products, rub in your hands, emulsify. Don't chuck the a whole finger of hair product in a place and expect your hair to style itself. Also, don't use too much because it will make your hair look greasy and it'll weigh your hair down. Take just enough (about a 10 cent coin size), emulsify it and make sure the product gets applied from the roots to the tip of your hair to prevent it from being weighed down.

6) Experiment
Nobody's going to get perfect looking hair with a snap of their fingers. You gotta learn and try out different ways of blow-drying your hair and using different types of products. I remember when I first tried out hair-products, I got this orange colored Gatsby wax and I just straight up applied it to my fringe; Without spreading it through my hands and prestyling. I just took a finger full and smacked it in my fringe. Then I realize that pre-styling really helps and I tried out using gel at first, then moose and now a sea-salt spray. So yes do try out different ways to achieve whatever hairstyle and don't be disappointed if you don't get it on your first try. It'll take time and I'm sure that one day you'll have kick-ass hair.

Thanks for reading!