Singapore Arts, Beauty and Inspirations Male Blogger

As the lights went off while the curtains went up, I was already seated at the edge of my seat, excitedly waiting for the performance to begin. I was least expecting Lawrence to make a grand magical appearance on stage which signalled the commencement of "The Nutcracker".

For those who might not have known, "The Nutcracker" is an old Christmas classic tale of a young girl's favourite Christmas toy, the Nutcracker, came alive and after defeating the evil rat king in battle, brought her to a magical kingdom populated by dolls.

Jointly produced and presented with a twist from the original "The Nutcracker" by Gateway Entertainment and P'art 1 Design, this magical theatrical production has incorporated countless world-class illusions, known as magic in layman or kiddy terms. With the performance performed by award-winning Lawrance Khong and his daughter Priscilla Khong, together with an international dance troupe of 14 dancers and supported by over 50 backstage crew. No wonder the show had such an excellent and smooth flow of scenarios. 

Basically throughout the entire performance, there were almost no narration or dialogue except for maybe a brief introduction by Lawrance. Despite that fact, I could still easily understand and interpret the storyline through the professional acting of the performers. Their facial expressions, movements as well as the multiple dances performed kept me leaning over the edge of my seat since I was seated nearer to the back of the theatre.

My senses were overwhelmed in a positive aspect by the digital screen, an unconventional technological backdrop that displayed special 3D effects and laser-like lights that dances with the rhythm as well as for dramatic enhancement. Not forgetting a running scene where projection was used for a hyper reality effect that kept audiences in awe. Smoke was also incorporated close to the end of the performance.  

Elaborated props and colourfully designed costumes definitely deserved a thumbs up as well as such elements added to the overall visual of the performance. I could still remember my fascination as performers appear on stage, each with a totally different yet coherent style of costumes, scenes after scenes. I wouldn't mind wearing such nice costumes as well too! I went "OMG' when a realistic structure of a massive branch slowly descended from above. A rhetorical question of how on earth and how much effort and time was needed to make that? I exited my thinking cloud as I preferred to continue enjoying the performance since that particular scene reminded me of the movie "Monster, Inc".

Tempted to go on and on describing every detail from the different scenarios to the breath taking magic performance but I would never want to spoil surprises. Do take a look at their website and tickets are available to be purchased on https://nutcracker.gateway.sg/.

Thank you Gateway Entertainment and Affluence PR for the magical invite!

Maintaining my oral hygiene and keeping my teeth white is definitely a dread for me. Although I hardly drink coffee or alcohol, tea was the main culprit that stained me teeth and it has unknowingly became my habit to order 'teh ping' (ice tea) at least 3 times a week.

Brighttonix has recently launched the Y10 system which is a procedure that provides immediate results in teeth whitening as well as oral cavity rejuvenation. Nowadays, results are what everyone would expect to see. The earlier and more obvious the results are, the better.

My experience with Brighttonix began with the comparison of my current teeth shade to a scale of teeth shades from 1 to 29 as shown in the picture below. Mine falls under 11 despite the fact that I did scaling at the dentist just a week before. 

I was then led to a sofa beside a pretty portable I-pad looking system with an attached disposable mouthpiece. With an initial shade and P3 (30 mins) preset selected, the nurse proceeded on to remove the plastic packaging of the mouthpiece. A special bright blue toothpaste was then squeezed along the groove of the top as well as the underside. I was asked to bite onto the mouthpiece before the timer started running in percentage.

The toothpaste was minty and completely edible as explained by the nurse. I guess that swallowing the toothpaste was one of the primary concerns that people would question. At first, like everyone else, I was a bit hesitant to swallow even the slightest bit of saliva that formed in my mouth. I ended up just swallowing it since it was safe to do so or it would ended up overflowing from my mouth.

So what exactly does this Y10 Mouth Rejuvenation System does?

It employs low power radio frequency (RF) technology that would remove stains from teeth enamel within that single session of 30 mins time frame. Think about the constant vibration that would occur between the Y10 toothpaste and the stains of your teeth at the molecule level. This collision and separation occur about 7 million times per seconds, resulting in stains being pulled out and leaving whiter teeth.

Thankfully it was only 30 mins since I get bored easily while fiddling with my phone.

This treatment is considered safer since it was painless, pleasant and do not have any post-treatment side effects at all. Best reward of all would be able to see instant results from a single session of Brighttonix Mouth Rejuvenation treatment. I have witnessed other influencers who did their treatment during the media launch and their teeth went a few shades whiter, leaving them a wide smile on their faces!

The treatment ended with me gargling my mouth and once again comparing my teeth against the scale. My teeth actually went a shade whiter from 11 to 9 even though I did scaling just a week before!

Who wouldn't want to smile in front of the camera with whiter teeth?

Centre for Cosmetic Rejuvenation & Surgery

#03-03A Shaw Centre

http://www.centreforcosmetic.com/

I was lucky enough to get hold of a pair of Singapore Coffee Festival 2017 tickets for the trade preview on Thursday and decided to head over to Marina Bay Cruise Centre to explore. It is basically a festival to showcase Singapore’s speciality coffee, local kopi as well as the cafe lifestyle.

I arrived about 7pm and there wasn't much crowd since the people attended that day were probably bloggers or from the media. The aroma of coffee filled the air and I was trigger-happy, busy snapping photos, but of course not forgetting to appreciate the booths that were beautifully set up to attract and welcome visitors. Be prepared to get your bags spot checked on both level 1 and level 2 before entering!

Each ticket holder will be entitled to a card with 2 stickers that could be used to redeem 2 cups of sample beverage. I ended up using both stickers on chocolate drinks since I am rather sensitive to caffeine and definitely would not be able to sleep the entire night. I loved the chocolate drink series from Grounded Pleasure so much that I ended up buying a packet of French Mint Drinking Chocolate (S$16.00) that reminded me of Christmas! I also tried the cream muffins (S$3.00 each) from Hattendo and they did not disappoint. The bread-like texture with a caramelised biscuit-like top was filled with lovely cream. Unfortunately only the kaya cream was left since both the chocolate and matcha were sold out. 

With over 100 exhibitors from the coffee and café industry, scheduled activities such as educational talks, workshops as well as music, it would be a great way to spend one's weekend.

The event is happening from 4 - 6 August 2017. Do check out their webpage here! 

Residing within the parameters of Boss Hotel, along the Rochor River of Lavender, Tocha Bistro is a fairly new place to chill and dine. Its bar well stocked with a huge selection of alcohol, particularly whiskies due to its owner's love for it. Crazy Hour is from 5pm to 6pm daily, where beer buckets go as low as S$25++ for half a dozen!

Since cocktails are available, I might as well start off with Sex, I mean the cocktail named Sex On The Beach (S$15.00) which was a fruity subtle-sweet concoction of cranberry juice, orange juice, peach and vodka. My friend's neon blue Singapore Sling (S$18.00) was rather refreshing and I kind of enjoyed sipping it.

Homemade Mushroom Soup was first served, brimming with chunky bits of diced button mushrooms. Enjoying every mouthful of soup, alternating between the perfectly crisp garlic bread. Both the Baked Scallops (S$8.80) as well as the Smoked Duck Roll (S$6.80) do make excellent accompaniment to alcohol. 

Kam's Roast would be the first Michelin Star restaurant I have patronised and I probably could no longer proclaim myself as a hardcore foodie for a delayed review. I seldom select Chinese food as my option when I dine out as I have the tendency to select other cuisines instead. Kam's Roast was perhaps a game changer since I actually craved for some of its dishes once every now and then.

My dinner started off with a couple of braised dishes such as the Marinated Chinese

Mushroom ($5.80), Marinated Duck's Wings ($8.80) and Marinated Tofu ($4.80). I definitely love the marinated tofu so much due to its smooth silken texture.

I tried both the Marinated Duck and Roast Duck which were contrasting in taste and for you to define which you would prefer. My preference was obviously the roasted duck since I prefer roasted food as compare to 'lor' (gravy).

My favourite dish was the Toro Char Siew! The meat itself was tender and it probably comprised of more than 50% fats that readily melts in my mouth. Not for the faint hearted.

Last but not least, I ended off my meal with a hearty bowl of Red Bean Soup with Aged Orange Peel ($5.80) for dessert that night. The dessert wasn't too sweet, contained loads of easily mashed red beans with a hint of orange peel. The orange peel did enhanced the soup making it less 'ni'. 

Having Chinese food in a restaurant, especially a Michelin star-ed one could be an option for me in future.