It is finally time to put my thoughts in my travelogue after what feels like an eternity. I shall start with the most recent trip that I have embarked on - Australia/Brisbane. My impression of Australia has always been this calm and serene country that has a lack of activities as night approaches.

However, as opposed to popular belief, there are still night activities that can be done in Brisbane. It's true that most shopping malls are closed after 6-7pm but truth be told, it is not always the case. If you are interested to find out more, carry on reading my post on my Brisbane Escapades.

So here are my 6 key takeaways from the Brisbane Trip.

#1: Cars are essential to get places in Brisbane


Australia is the place for road trips. Getting places in Australia requires a good amount of travelling time. The longest ride I took to get from the service apartment we stayed to an attraction in Brisbane(the Factory Outlet areas) was approximately a 2 hour ride. Even the closest attraction to the place we stayed(Springwood) was a good 15-20 minute drive away. It requires an incredible amount of concentration and energy to sustain this long distance and I am ever so thankful that I was not the one taking the wheel in this trip. Thankful that I got to travel with my extended family this time!


Essentially, the cars are all right hand drives like those in Singapore, and if you happen to have a Singapore driving license, there is no need to apply for an International Driving License when you want to drive in Australia. All you have to do is to sign an insurance and a contract from the car loaning stalls and ta-da! You get your drive for the period of your trip. Just make sure you return it fully refilled with petrol. One easy way to get your car rentals settled would be the use of this website: https://www.budget.com.au/quotes-bookings/new-reservation?skipStep2=true

Just fill in the necessary details and you would be well on your way to a successful roadtrip!

#2: Night life is still present in Brisbane


Contrary to popular belief as what I have mentioned, Brisbane still has a couple of attractions where you can pay a visit to as the sun sets. Be it the wheel of Brisbane, shopping malls along Gold Coast, the view from Coot-Ta Mountain and other selective locations, these venues provide an interesting array of night life that is an alternative from the usual drinks and bars that you would come to associate with the words "night life."

Interestingly enough, one of the places to go to during the night is actually the many different supermarkets there. I'll come to this in my next point. So apart from those places that I have mentioned, there is this one particular food paradise venue that is named Eat Streets Market.


Apart from the typical Western delicacies, this place serves different cuisines from around the World and that includes Sushis, Tapas, Gyozas and appetizing desserts. This part of the trip got me so pumped up and excited that I went on a spending spree.

No regrets there because I so enjoyed this part of night life in Brisbane.

#3: Supermarkets spoilt market big time in my time in Australia


With the paucity of night life in Brisbane, one of the main surprises was the power of the supermarkets in Brisbane. With cheap deals all round for fruits, snacks and even clothings, the thoughts of shopping in Brisbane being expensive seem a far-fetched myth. Supermarkets like K-mart and Woolsworth were seemingly havens for us to shop for affordable wears and snacks to bring back home. Christmas definitely came early for us in the supermarkets of Brisbane.

#4: If you are looking for a getaway from the stressful grinds of life, look no further than Australia


Singapore is probably famous for its extremely fast pace of life. The high rankings in many global studies speak volumes on the competitive nature within the country. That is why being in Brisbane is so contrasting from the environment in Singapore. At around 6pm, most places would have already closed and many families would already be home, winding down from the day of activities. The slow pace of life in Australia can be so addictive after going through the rigours of a fast-paced life.


It really is the perfect place to go to to relax and rest your mind and soul. I remember how refreshed I felt from the uncountable long naps I took and going through their way of life for 11 days. Certainly 11 days of fresh air at its most energizing.

#5: No surprises with those gigantic food portions..


Right before my Brisbane trip, I had a 3D2N vacation in Bangkok. After that trip, I had a bout of food poisoning and it plagued the initial part of my Brisbane trip. It did not help that the portions of meals in Brisbane were humongous and not as Asian friendly. Even their KFC and Macdonald's meals are king-sized. It made me feel so unhealthy devouring them but whatever the case, such signs are still an eye-opener. I have always wanted to try out those big Western portions of food whenever I see them on television and I definitely got a reality check when I saw it for myself in person.

#6: Brisbane is an Animal Paradise


Most of my Instagram posts from my time In Brisbane were together with animals. Be it the dogs,  horses from farms and even kangaroos from the Australia Zoo, the wildlife nature is rife in Brisbane. Brisbane is home to the Australia Zoo that pays homage to the legendary Steve Irwin and the country houses many of the World's most venomous and dangerous snakes.



The kangaroo farms in the Zoo allows you to have intimate contact with these lazy animals and the farm in Biddaddaba offers horse rides at a cheap rate. All these opportunities of close interaction with nature show that Brisbane is one of the go-to places for a good getaway with nature.


So there you have it, my 6 takeaways from my time in Brisbane. In what has been one of the most important trips I have had in my life so far, it was really a time for me to reflect on what has happened over the past year and be pensive over it. It has been such a hectic year for me but ultimately, 2015 has been the year of rejuvenation and recovery from what has happened in the past. It is impossible to get a smooth sailing year but this year in particular, has been rather kind on me and I am ever so thankful for it. With 2015 drawing to a close, 2016 brings about new light and opportunities to look forward to. So here's to a great upcoming 2016!


So with that, Peanut has left a marker in Brisbane.

Stay tuned for more adventures!

In all honesty, my last 7 months or so of hiatus from this blog has been enjoyable and vindictive of sorts and perhaps sprinkled with that bit of laziness. It all begun with Camps, more camps, rag and ultimately the crazy adventure of what we call the," SCHOOL SEMESTER."


Those 2 simple and seemingly innocuous words are littered with so many hidden things from the outside perceiving public. And yet for those that are in this wild ride of an adventure, it is seemingly, a weird mix of everything. Tiredness, happiness, sadness......it all boils down to the nature of the University School Life.

So a SCHOOL SEMESTER consists of 14 weeks of 5-6 subject syllabus raining down on us along with outside commitments... blah blah blah. After going through this rigorous and draining period of time, the only way to score well is that you would have to study your socks off to achieve your personal desired grade. However, there are plenty of those seemingly ridiculous individuals that have intellects that go beyond their efforts. Their effort simply do not equate to the grades they achieve. Well this happens everywhere and I am not at all surprised.


For someone like me who usually has goals and ambitions whenever I set out to do something, there was something that was missing from my mentality when I first stepped foot into NUS. Was it because of the fact that I have not enjoyed my long break sufficiently after I ORD-ed? Was it because of the fact that I really did not know what to expect from this 4-5 year journey I was going to embark on? I really have no particular clue to be honest but my gut tells me it was more of the latter and how true that turned out to be. Turning up for Camp Calibre but ultimately ending up getting the role was perhaps one of the few indicative signs that University was gonna be one heck of an unpredictable ride in general.


There are many different kinds of students - those that choose to be less involved in school activities just so they can focus on their studies, there are those that just don't care about anything, there are those that choose to concentrate more on outside commitments like hall and CCAs and THEN, there are those that try to balance everything like myself. Being that type of student doesn't necessarily mean that you will succeed in your goals and plans but it still decides what kind of a life that you will lead in school.


But ultimately, what I realised from my experience this first semester was this. Grades are important and should be the priority but in actual fact, you should really just go all out to enjoy every single aspect that University life can provide and have the most fulfilling and holistic experience that you can ever ask for.

There's so many highlights during my school semester and this only goes to show that spending Uni time in the right way can really define its experience aplenty even though it has only been one semester for me so far. And I can only have experienced this because of the company and support of my family and friends.There are really things that I would want to highlight from my lessons and school experience thus far. So here goes!

#1: In Business School, there really is a need to class part

One of the most unfortunate things about being a Business Student is the fact that a large proportion of your grades are based on your class participation marks. So that really means that, in the event that you have nothing to say in class, sometimes it really is still necessary to say something to indicate your interest in class and participate. 30% for class participation is really incredible for a module like Business Law. Sometimes it really makes you ponder if such a huge proportion of marks should really have been given and set aside for certain modules because it could be plain pointless at times. However pointless it is, every lesson in itself would be like a competition.

I can seemingly understand why modules like marketing and management requires you to class part so as to train you as confident inquisitive individuals but Business Law...? But yeah, class participation is mandatory in Business. Just fast forward to 1:12 of the following Rag Video of our performance this year on the floating platform. I guess it is to prepare us for impromptu questions like this?(ERHEM JOSH)



Jokes aside, it really is necessary to be an active participant in class as a prerequisite to achieve your desired grades.

#2: Getting lousy teachers are really a given at times

I won't want to name anyone but the fact is, the chances of getting a teacher that doesn't actually help you to learn much are extremely high anywhere in University. If that happens to be the case, one would have to work really hard to do well in that particular module and not be dependent on the teacher. It actually reflects the reality that is University, as most of the time, you would have to depend on yourself. In the rat race that is our University course, it is always about the survival of the fittest. Sad to say that it's true, but it doesn't mean you can't have a balanced lifestyle and enjoy your school life!
#3: Hall/Residence Life can really define your school life


Imagine having a really long and tiring day at school, and you reach back your room during the wee hours of the day. You are getting ready to shower and go to bed and am extremely drained. But then, your neighbour for some reason, is seemingly awake at the same time as well. So you end up having a good long chat, talking about your day, talking about some of the worries that have been troubling you.


Another scenario, where you just walk around the aisle and have random conversations or you visit your friend who stays at the same block/corridor and just catch up on life or just having plain talking cock sessions. All these small things that happen can really make your day. Be it playing sports, playing mah-jong, watching movies together, having supper sessions together, all these forms a major part of your University Life.


Many years after you have left hall/residence you will honestly look back and realise, that you really had one of the most awesome times of your life in campus. No offense to those not staying in campus but staying in campus can really define one's school life.

#5: Importance of having support


But ultimately...in this slugfest of what we call the School Semester, perhaps the most important thing that I have learnt is that, without the support and company of my friends and family, I wouldn't have survived this friggin memorable SCHOOL SEMESTER.

I won't ever forget this semester for...


The crazy fun Camp moments..


The tiring but memorable RAG moments..


The awesome late night supper sessions I had..


The really great catch up sessions..


Those talking cock sessions..


The HTHT sessions..


Those entertaining group project discussions..


Planning for School Events..


Perhaps your ideal kind of Semester would be different but what is certain is that, in light of the recent release of results, Semester 2 would certainly be different from the Semester 1 experience in one way or another. For many, it really is time to pull up your socks and buck up for the imminent semester. It is the same for myself and I will definitely make full use and have all the fun I can have in what is remaining of this December Holidays.


Everyone's semester experience is different but one thing is for sure, this Semester 1 experience will stay special in my heart.

Merry Christmas everyone!

So with that, Peanut has left another marker.

Stay tuned for more adventures!

Indulging myself with vegetarian food for an entire day was not something that I had expected when I went out with my uncle this past weekend. It turned out to be really good and it all begun with my lunch at Elemen 元素.



Interestingly, this Vegetarian restaurant does not serve A la Carte dishes and instead come in a 5-set or 7-set course meal that cost $23.80 and $32.80 respectively. The course meals include an appetizer, soup, main course, dessert and drink of your choice. The menu can be found by clicking on this link.