[Review + Special Deal For My Readers] Trapped - Singapore's Leading Reality Escape Rooms

When Trapped invited me to review their reality escape rooms, I knew right away it was more for my teenage son to experience as he is an avid online gamer and would appreciate what Trapped has to offer. It was easy for him to round up a group of school friends and I chaperoned them to Trapped's first outlet at Kandahar Street. It couldn't have been more appropriate to mark the end of their mid year exams and the beginning of the school term break!

What is Trapped?

Trapped is a leading 5D reality escape room attraction in Singapore, whereby players are trapped in a themed room, tested on their puzzle solving skills while searching for clues to find the key in order to escape from the room within 60 minutes. It has a current 4.5 star rating by the TripAdvisor community.

There are 5 movie themed rooms to choose from - 

//Hunger Games : The Escape // Hansel & Gretel // - both at Kandahar Street. 

//World War 3 : Zombie Edition // Friday the 13th // Sooperdooperz (superheroes) // - at *Scape

A short briefing of the dos and don'ts, before they ventured into the room.

The youths chose "Hunger Games : The Escape" theme because they are fans of the movie and most familiar with the storyline. I was given the privilege to join them in the room, all the while observing how the game was played.

The Experience

Even though I was joining them in the room as an observer, it felt a little unnerving to enter a room not knowing what to expect, with your mind imagining the worst. Yes. You now know I can be such a wimp! Then again it is Hunger Games and not World War 3 : Zombie Edition, which I heard has better dynamics with motion sensor activated props. That should be a really challenging room to be in!

The atmosphere of the game room gave out a mysterious vibe and the youths promptly busied themselves, exploring every nook and cranny in the room that was laden with clues. Each clue was vital to find that elusive key to unlock more rooms, in search for even more clues to find the master key that would get all of us out. Be prepared to utilize every bit of your brain cells!

The rooms were curated differently and gave different vibes. I have to admit, the background music also played a big part in keeping you in a state of anxiety or frenzy for some. I shan't be a spoiler by describing the game too much. I guess you just have to be there to experience it yourself!

It wasn't as easy to solve the puzzles but with the help of 3 lifelines given in each game, it somewhat made more sense to piece the puzzles together. The best part was, watching them work together as a team, interacting and solving the puzzles together. (Make it 'super like' that they gave their smartphones a break!)

A peek into the first room as we enter.

Special thanks to the staff at Kandahar Street (we met Nur and Hendra. And thank you to Sarah for organizing this), who have very polite and cheerful dispositions. Throughout our experience there, they were very helpful and provided enough guidance to the youths so that they could complete the mission. I will definitely give them thumbs up for the pleasant service!

Here's what these 15 year old players had to say about the game :

Hmmm, very much in unison about what they think! I guess that just about sums up why you should try out Trapped, especially since the school term break is just less than a week away. You can enjoy the games with your friends and family, suitable for most ages. (But just a caution, do ensure that the younger ones aren't afraid of the darkness.)

Here are their current promotional game rates as I know it :

Off peak period: $22/pax (Monday to Friday before 6pm)

Peak period: : $24/pax (Monday to Friday after 6pm, weekends & PH)

Student price: $18/pax (Monday to Friday before 6pm, students below 21 years old)

****** Special Deal For My Readers! ******

Receive One FREE ticket worth $24 

with a minimum of 5 players in a game! 

 To enjoy the free ticket, quote "ADEOON" at the counter when you arrive for your game.

(or just take a screen shot of this paragraph and show) 

Remember to make a pre-booking online or call the respective outlets directly to enjoy this special. Payment is done at the outlet itself so don't worry about the indicated total amount shown on screen. 

  

The code is valid from 1st June 2015 to 30th June 2015.

 
Terms and Conditions:

• Valid to be used at both SCAPE and Kandahar Outlet
• Valid to be used during both off peak and peak period
• Min of 5 persons is required to redeem one complimentary pass (4 paying + 1 complimentary)
• Complimentary pass cannot be combined with another complimentary pass to be used in the same session
• Complimentary pass can only be utilized once
• This promotion cannot be used in conjunction with other promotions.

1st Outlet
Kampung Glam Shop Houses,
42 Kandahar Street,
S198896 (Near Arab St)
Email: enquiry@trapped.sg
Tel: +65-6292-2177

 2nd Outlet
*SCAPE
2 Orchard Link, #02-20/21/22,
S237978
Email: enquiry@trapped.sg
Tel: +65-66369722

Till the next post, have a wonderful day!

Disclaimer : The Accidental Mom Blogger was invited to review Trapped and all opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own.  No monetary compensation was made.

Winter Sights in Hokkaido, Japan

The family and I have just returned from a trip to Hokkaido, Japan. It was our first time stepping on Japan soil and also the first time the children and I experienced real snow.

We all had mixed feelings about the winter we were experiencing. The children were no doubt very happy to be jumping into the soft snow formed on the ground and having snowball fights. It was exceptionally beautiful and magical to look at, especially when you are having a hot cup of coffee indoors and watching the snow fall onto the ground. It was surreal. However, whenever we had to take a short hike at the park, or even along the roadside, it was hardly any fun as our eyes were mostly peeled on the ground. That's because the road can be slippery and we had to watch our footing. Wearing layers of clothings also hindered a lot of movement and this was not something we enjoyed.

Because of the inconvenience, I got pretty lazy to take out my camera to take photos. It would mean I have to take off my gloves each time I wanted to snap a photo and I wore the gloves back when I was done at each shoot because I didn't want to get bitten by frost! So I am thankful for my trusty iphone, that I had used to take photos throughout most of the trip. It has not disappointed me!

Here are some beautiful winter sights that caught my eye in Hokkaido. I hope you will enjoy viewing them, as much as we enjoyed being there.

Lake Toya, Hokkaido.

Ninja Village, Hokkaido

Ninja Village, Hokkaido

Taken with Olympus Pen.

Sapporo. Taken with Olympus Pen.

Otaru, Hokkaido

Till the next post, have a wonderful day!

Dinosaurs : Dawn to Extinction @ Artscience Museum, Singapore

Image extracted from the museum's website.

If you, like our family, are curious about history and archaeology findings, you will certainly not want to miss the latest exhibit at Artscience Museum. "Dinosaurs : Dawn to Extinction" gradually takes us back in time, journeying through 600 million years to the Triassic, Jurrassic and Cretaceous prehistoric periods. It is the largest dinosaur exhibit in South East Asia.

 

 

We had an excellent docent guide, Anita, who brought us around the exhibition. My children followed her closely and listened intently as she shared stories and  fascinating facts of the world of dinosaurs, as we relive the dinosaurs' natural environment on earth with each showcase. It was made even more interesting for my children with a free interactive mobile app for iphone and android users, to uncover more facts and visuals during our journey. There was never a dull moment!

We were awed by the life sized replicas and fossil displays which were centred throughout the exhibit.

This gallery of a battle scene, is probably the most breath-taking, with it's dramatic atmosphere.

I was also very intrigued with this particular section, where Anita shared how these fossils (below, encased) were discovered and kept intact despite going through rough terrain obstacles, before it was shipped to Singapore. The whole process was sponsored by ArtScience Museum as the fossils makes it's debut appearance here. A major wow.

In selected galleries, depicting the different prehistoric periods, there are also touch and feel settings to engage the adults and children alike, to discover more about the dinosaurs.

 

 

 And what's a dinosaur exhibit without the much loved T-rex? We learned from Anita that humans are able to outrun the T-rex, if ever such circumstance is called for. It seems they can only run for up to 16 km/hour. That's when many will ask how is it so when in the Jurrasic Park movie, it almost outruns the jeep? Well, Anita says "That's Hollywood for ya!"

 

  One of the final exhibits to mark the end of the dinosaur era. A display of the Liaoning Forest in China, where biodiversity takes place and prosper in land, air and sea.  

  We also finally learned the truth about how dinosaurs became extinct! And no. It's not because of a meteor story that we are familiar with.   

If you have dino-loving children or you are a dino-buff yourself, a visit to this exhibit at ArtScience Museum will  be worth your while! The exhibit will be held till 27th July 2014. Be prepared to go through the exhibit more than once because there is a lot more to see than what I'm showing you in my post. *wink* You will definitely not be disappointed!

Activity Highlights

There are numerous activities lined up for everyone in the family! Children can look forward to making their own dinosaur shadow puppets to take home or become a Paleontologist for a day! There's also fossil sketching, dinosaur tales, sculpting a soap, etc to look forward to. These are free activities for all open ticket holders. Please check with the museum directly for session timing so that you can plan and make the most of your visit.

Dinosaurs : Dawn to Extinction (now till 27th July 2014)

Standard Ticket price
Adult : S$24  Senior Citizens : S$19  Children : $12 (2-12 years old)

Guided Tour Times
English : Saturdays and Sundays | 11.30am & 5pm

Mandarin : Saturdays & Sundays | 2pm & 4pm
(I strongly recommend to go for a guided tour and then explore the exhibits leisurely on your own after that.)

Opening hours
10am - 7pm daily

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you have no plans for a vacation this coming March school holidays, why not consider spending some time with your children at the museum? Here is an activity schedule you can consider!

March School Holiday Programme 

 'Dinosnores'

There will be a parent-child sleepover with the dinosaurs at ArtScience Museum for the week-long March school holidays on 16 and 21 March 2014. A first for the museum! It promises an action-packed night with movie screening and interactive workshops to engage everyone.

S$120 per child participant (accompanying parent is free). 

Registration is now open and you can do so through the Marina Bay Sands ticketing hotline 65-6688-8888, online and box offices. Or call the museum +65 6688 8826 to find out more.

Other holiday activities to consider :

17, 19, 21 March 

1-2pm : Dinosaurs : Dawn to Extinction guided tour

4.30-5.30pm : A Day in the Life of a Paleontologist demonstration

18 & 20 March

1-2pm : Dinosaurs : Dawn to Extinction guided tour

2-3pm : Guided tour in mandarin

3-4pm : Dinosaur vs Mythical Dragon workshop

4.30 - 5.45pm : Stop Motion Dinosaur Wipe-out! workshop

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Till the next post, have a blessed week!

Disclaimer : The Accidental Mom Blogger and family were invited as media visitors to this exhibit hosted by ArtScience Museum.  All views are entirely my own. Information provided is correct at time of post.

Sights and Tastes in Penang

Photo taken with my iphone 4S, from the room balcony. As we watched how the ship was skillfully docked.

We just got back from a little vacation in a cruise ship with friends and docked off at our first stop in Penang. The time spent in Penang was barely 5 hours but it didn't stop us from going out to explore George Town! Well, in fact, we were just being typical Singaporean foodies and yearned to chomp down some good local food!

An interesting nostalgic sight for me to capture on my camera.

We were lucky that one of our travel companions, originates from Penang so he knew his way around. It was about an hours' walk from the pier (with a short detour to get some tau sah piah and a stop to poke our noses into a local chocolate museum) when we arrived at this old school coffee shop located at Libuh Keng Kwee lane, that was famous for their char kway teow. We were so darn lucky that we managed to order the last 6 plates for the day, before they turned everyone else away! And it was only 5pm.

The infamous char kway teow lady boss in action. I was told she is a fierce one!

What we came here for... mmmm I can still imagine the taste lingering in my mouth! Extremely worth the walk!

 Within the coffeeshop,  there was also the mouth-watering Assam Laksa.

Oh man! Look at that "hae gor" (fermented shrimp sauce). Still drooling.

And also the lor bak! 

Last but not least, we also sampled the chendol, sold at a roadside stall - which was apparently as famous. Very simple ingredients of the green jelly and red bean but thirst quenching and yummy nonetheless.

Satisfied Singaporeans.

Right after the meal, we headed back to the ship. Yep. We were that hardcore for the local food!

Captured this image along the way back.

And learned that Jimmy Choo originates from Penang as well!

Albeit the short hours in Penang, we felt our food hunting mission was completed. 

I shall be sharing what we did in Phuket, in another post. Stay tuned to find out what you can achieve in Phuket with the older children in one day. Guaranteed to make them really happy.

  Till the next post, have a blessed week!

Our Zombie Date Night @ Senoko Fishery Port

Weird. No. It was not Halloween. The only sleep deprived zombie was probably just me and with no make up on, one can visualize how horrifying I would have looked.

It was the first late night couple date we ever had since we had kids (let me count... ya 13 years) and we headed to Senoko fishery port!

Well, it was supposed to be a double date with another couple friend. However, their tiredness got the better of them way before the stipulated time to pick them up. (I don't blame them - one of them had just returned from a business trip and they have 4 kids to mind!) It was also tough for me to stay awake as I am so not a night person. But the hubs said, since we were both already up from our 2 hour nap, we might as well go ahead with the plan.  With much resistance (from me), we left home at 1.30am.

*Pardon my photo quality as most of the indoor shots were taken while I was just walking along. And authentically speaking, it was also how my vision was at that time of the night.*

First impression of the fishery, FISHY. The moment the hubs wound down his window to exchange for a visitor pass, the "aroma" filled our car. So be prepared to be smelling the same when you get home.

 It is basically like a wet market, just that all the stalls sell seafood. And they mostly sell the smaller seafood by a 10kg basket.

Uh-uh... it is NOTHING like the fishery in Japan where they auction their tunas! The fishes are mostly strewn on the ground like that.

 One of the fewer stalls that bother to arrange their catches neatly. This is as neat as it gets!

The highlight of our trip - prawns. 

We bought 3kg worth of 2 different kind of sized prawns. Some stalls were willing to sell at a minimum of 1kg while others at 2kg. It was not actually that cheap too. For an average of $16 per kg for medium sized prawns, we can buy it for about $18-$19 at the wet market. I think the prices are pretty fair at our regular wet market supplier. (As Adora from The Gingerbread Mum would say, "oh my! we're indulging in "auntie" talk again!")

 

 A lot of friends wondered why we didn't buy fish. It is because they are wholesalers and do not have fish cleaning services like those in our neighborhood wet market. Buying, handling and cleaning the fish, especially the bigger ones, would be a very daunting task for me as I am used to handling fish fillets. I was also certainly not prepared to have my kitchen reeking of fish perfume or decorated with scales.

So anyway, we learned some to-dos and not-to-dos while at the fishery. Perhaps you would want to take them into consideration if you plan to head out there one of these nights when you are bored at 2am or something.

• wear easy wash footwear. You wouldn't want your shoes stinking of fish.
• bring along bottles of water so that you can rinse your hands and footwear before you get into the car. You wouldn't want your car mat to be tainted with fishy smell too.
• bring along newspapers to line your car boot if you decide to buy seafood. Another idea would be to place your buys into a plastic container or pail.
• transactions are in cash only. So... you know what to do.
• Don't bother bargaining. They don't entertain.
• Don't expect much social manners coming from the workers. They are there to work so expect a little pushing around if you are in their way. Watch out for the trolleys!

The next time we go on a late night date again, it will probably to check out Jurong Fishery Port.

Oh the things I do for my husband.

Location :

Senoko Fishery Port
Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority
31 Attap Valley Road, #02-29,
Singapore 759908

Opening hours : 1am - 6am (closed on Mondays)

Till the next post, have a blessed week!

Things To Do @ Downtown East

We checked into Costa Sands Resort and escaped home for 2 nights earlier this week since it was the schools' September term break, but mostly to be away from the noise and mess since we were overhauling our master bedroom. Yes, overhaul! Because the previous contractor did not do a good job with the waterproofing of our bathroom and wreaked havoc on our laminated floor and built-in wardrobe.

We were not duly disappointed even though we visit Downtown East very often, it was different to be staying over and hanging out with the family without worrying about time, what to do and what to eat because they have everything to entertain us as a family!

The cozy room that we had with the basic amenities. I wished the beds were a tad less hard though!

Here's what we did to keep our children entertained and have some family fun apart from going back home now and then to monitor the renovation.

DAY #1 BOWLING & SWIM

DAY #2 

The kids caught up with their homework from school in the morning and had their favorite choice of breakfast.

 We went to Wild Wild Wet in the afternoon, mostly to please our resident adrenalin junkie!

Images taken from Wild Wild Wet site

Some of the slides and rides they covered. Urm, ok I'm no water babe of any sorts and certainly don't look like one. I was happy just to hang around the Tsunami and Jacuzzi but was convinced to try the Ular-lah. I screamed... and screamed some more while the three of them hummed to the smurf tune. Yep! That's my family for you, if you must know. Ah well, as long as they were entertained. -__-
 

We had an impromptu barbeque at the resort since the weather that evening was fabulous and caught up with a couple of friends, who were living in the area. We were glad that the convenient shops there had all our barbeque needs - including marinated meats so we needn't worry about the hassle of preparing the food!

It has been a good few days spent. I'm very happy to see my children enjoying the time together as a family - with no computer distraction. It is moments like these that makes me feel blessed to be a part of their lives and reminds me how far I've come in my motherhood journey.

  Till the next post, have a blessed week!