LEGO VR Roller Coaster Launch

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Do you know that LEGOLAND Malaysia had launched the world’s first LEGO® VR roller coaster ride recently? The kiddos were super lucky to be invited over for the grand launch of The Great LEGO® Race VR Roller Coaster when it finally opened to the public last Tuesday. But unfortunately only Steffi was able to try it out first due to the height or age requirements that the rest of the kiddos failed to meet. Just so you know, one needs to be at least 6 years old and 120cm tall to be able to take the ride with the VR headset. Kids can still ride the “normal” roller coaster (without the VR headset) if they are between 110cm – 120cm.
 

I love how the Samsung Gear VR device are so easy to put on and simple to adjust with a single knob! For those who are concerned about the hygiene, I asked and was told that the head set will be cleaned and disinfected after every use.

So what’s so happening about this new ride? First and foremost, it is not a new ride. It is still the same old tracks from the Technics ride before, the same ride that may bore you after a few rounds. But what is new, would be the inclusion of the VR technology developed in partnership with Samsung Malaysia (one of my favourite brands too!) which turns the ride into a totally immersive one, filled with colourful characters such as the Pharaoh, Wizard and Surfer Girl amongst others. The blue tooth technology also syncs the visuals with the actual track so that you will feel the right movements every time, be it the drops or turns!

New holding area that is fully air-conditioned!

 

While the tracks in the digital world may be right in front of your vision, the virtual twists and the turns are truly amplified by the physical manoeuvring of the carriage. Oh wait, or is it the other way round? In any case, it is truly more excited than ever! More exciting than a normal roller coaster, and way more dramatic than a VR roller coaster ride on a stationary machine that moves. I had personally tried the rides thrice and still discovered new characters and scenes every time. So if you have the chance to take the ride, be sure to look all around you! This new ride format has potential to become a perpetual evergreen if new worlds can be added on in future, with the riders having the ability to choose their preferred world even!

In anticipation of a bigger crowd wanting to try the ride, the holding area has also expanded and is now fully air-conditioned for the comfort of all. We shall be looking forward to even more innovative new attractions from you and thank you for inviting our family over for the launch LEGOLAND Malaysia!

Check out their current promotion of buy 2 adults tickets and get 1 free kid ticket free here.

New Trails and Skyride at Skyline Luge Sentosa

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We are no strangers to the ever popular Luge rides at Sentosa and had played there with my own friends more than a decade back. Now that we are parents, our own adrenaline-junkie kiddos are loving these rides as well and would constantly ask me to go faster when they are seated with me. Oh and they really enjoy the skyrides as well, taking in the sights and enjoying the breeze as we hover over the tracks.
 

We were invited over for the official launch of their 2 new routes, as well as the start of another skyride system, which explained the high cost of $14million in this round of upgrades. I had seen for myself how the queues for the rides can extend beyond the comfort level of Singaporeans and visitors alike at times, especially in our hot and humid weather. Hence with this new skyride, waiting time would effectively be cut by at least 50%. A good move I would say.

There used to be only 2 tracks for the Luge rides, namely the Dragon and Jungle trails. This meant that riders would minimally try out both to have a full experience of the place. Now that 2 new trails, Expedition and Kupu Kupu had been added, I assume that riders would want to try out all 4 routes. I knew I would. So yup, it was another great move and from now till end of the year, Singapore citizens and permanent residents can enjoy $3 off for four luge and Skyride rides, which would normally cost $28.

When we first tried out the routes during the official launch, I had actually wanted to try out the new routes but ended up going on the 2 old routes on our first 2 tries! Looks like old habits die hard and we had the old routes hardwired into our brains. Just so that you know, to get to the new routes you will need to -

A) Turn left at the first fork and left again at the second fork for Expedition trail; or 

B) Turn left at the first fork, right on the second fork and right again at the third fork for Kupu Kupu trail.

So there you have it. 2 new routes and one more workhorse (Skyride) to carry the weights of human riders and luge vehicles up the hill. It's really a no-brainer that once is NEVER enough. The question is, how fast should you go? Adrenaline junkies will finish the ride in less than 2 mins while those who want to make it worthwhile will go slow but never get the high from the possible speeds! You choose, or try all the routes twice!

Thank you Skyline Luge Sentosa for inviting our family over and also for taking care of the local charities and community organisations.by setting aside $15,400 worth of tickets for them. We will be back for more and we look forward to your new attraction too!

Cheapest Place to Get Electronics?

I am very price sensitive, so when I heard about a place boosting sale of electronic goods at the lowest price in Singapore AND yet still offers $20 “cashback” for every $100 spent, I knew I had to take a look.

So off I went, to Audio House Singapore located at 72 Bendemeer Road, #01-20/21/22 Luzerne Building Singapore 339941 recently when they went totally cashless at the outlet. To make any purchase at the outlet, you will need to sign up for a free account at https://audiohouse.com.sg first.

To be absolutely honest, I am really concerned about the pricing only and from what I can see, the prices here are really competitive. I am guessing that the savings from having just one central location, and having customers do their own browsing, selection and purchasing, were being passed on to consumers. Since they claimed that they will match any prices anywhere in Singapore, you can rest assure that the stuff you get will be the cheapest IF you do your homework beforehand.

Now back to the membership. Since it is free, there is absolutely no harm in signing up for it as you will get $20 cashback for every $100 spent. Effectively that would mean another whooping 20% discount over what is already the cheapest price in Singapore. Sounds too good to be true? Well it is, because there are terms and conditions tied to the usage. I do not think it is wise to name the $20 credit as "cashback" because it gave people like me, the impression that that would be deducted immediately or given back to me as cash. The truth is, the $20 value is credited into the member’s e-Wallet for use in multiples of $20 per $100  on the next purchase.

Example

• You buy a fridge for $1,000. You will accumulate $200 in your e-Wallet.
• Next you buy a TV for $900, you can use up to $80 credit in your e-Wallet to offset the purchase amount.
• The remaining $820 will have to be paid via cashless mode, attracting 3% or $24.60 into your e-Wallet again.

So in theory all is good, except that you will NEVER get to utilize ALL of your credit balance in your e-Wallet. Which is essentially a smart move on their part. It is more of a membership point system if you ask me, with fanciful terms such as “cash back” and “e-Wallet”. But if you were to just focus on the price of the item you intend to buy, and treat everything else as an extra, you will be much happier. Cheapest price they said, and I believe they will honour that promise.

Oh and if your sign up for the free membership between now to 20 Nov, you get $100 credit free to start you off! That means you should spend up to $500 to fully utilize the "free" credit. Thanks for the invite Audio House Singapore! 

The Sound of Music

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Another first for the kiddos and myself, and  that was catching The Sound of Music musical for the very first time, and right here in Singapore! I knew I had never watched it before, not even the film adaptation but I felt as if I had seen it somewhere, somehow. It was so new and yet familiar, and then I realized I knew most of the songs, for they were truly classics I heard from young.  I even remembered putting up a dance performance to the tunes of "Sixteen Going on Seventeen" during my lower secondary days and Leroy can't help but sing along to "My Favourite Things" and "Do-Re-Mi" but I had to stop him for fear of him disturbing the other patrons! He ended up getting cross with me for stopping him from singing what he learnt from choir!

The set was truly amazing too, and pretty much wowed everybody in the hall. We were transported between the beautiful mountains, the abbey, the luxurious interior of the Von Trapp's villa and relaxing patio complete with sunset seamlessly throughout the musical. Then of course we had the lively performances by the 7 Von Trapp kids and beautiful singing of all the familiar songs that so captivated Louie, he had his eyes glued to the stage. He got a little cranky after the intermission though, because it was pass his bedtime.

Thank you for having the kids and myself at the awesome musical BASE Entertainment! It was truly an enjoyable evening for the family, with lots of funny moments that will get us laughing out loud and even touching moments that got me a little emotional, especially the part when the Captain finally realized that the kids needed a lot more, other than marching.

If you out there had never watched the musical before, like us, do yourself a favour and go get yourself tickets before the show ends on 03 Dec 2017. Special tickets are going for a steal at $35 for students, NSF and the elderly!

Useful Information

Performance Times (now till 03 Dec 2017):

Tuesday - Friday: 7.30pm
Saturday: 2pm and 7.30pm
Sunday: 1pm and 6pm

Ticket Bookings:
Internet - www.MarinaBaySands.com/ticketing or www.sistic.com.sg
Phone - +65 6688 8826
In Person - Marina Bay Sands Box Offices (Museum, Theatres, SkyPark, Retail Mall and Hotel Tower 1 Lobby). For more information please log onto - www.MarinaBaySands.com/ticketing

Halloween Spooktacular Party 2017 by Waka Waka

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We brought all the kiddos to Waka Waka last week for their Courageous Kids Challenge - Halloween Spooktacular Party and in the kiddos' own words, they had the best times ever! The ticket price for each child is $50 (inclusive of free entry for 2 adults), and to be honest, actually sounded quite high to me initially. But after going through what was in the package, it is really not too bad!

Although the event time was stated as 5pm - 8pm, all the kiddos can get in as ear;y as they want for the free play + 1 adventure bundle worth $22. On top of the free play, there were also Halloween competitions and games to be played, as well as buffet for all! Not to mention the lucky draw too! Darn, we were not that lucky, but happy to see other families winning staycations and unlimited Polliwog play passes nevertheless. 

After all the fun and activities, each kid was entitled to a goodie bag which included a Free Play Pass and snacks worth a total of $28 too. So if you were to ask me, just the playtime on that day and the value of the goodie bag added together, would have made the $50 ticket price worth every cent. You still get to have a chance at the lucky draw, while the kids get to go back with their collection of candies and all get to have buffet dinner on the house! 

Having said that, there were definitely room for improvements, such as the games and activities be better facilitated and the buffet timing can perhaps be staggered in groups so that the crowding will not be so bad. The kids are definitely not too bothered. In fact mine doesn't even need to eat when play is involved, but it can make a difference to the adults who are there with their wards. By the way, maybe the company can come up with some special Family packages for families with multiple kids next time? 

We share look forward to the third instalment of your Halloween party Waka Waka, and so much appreciation for inviting or family over!

Bank of the Future?

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I don't really like going to the bank because of the long queues just to get simple transactions done. The last time I went to the bank was actually to change some commemorative notes. These days though, at least some of the banks started notifying customer via SMSes when their queue numbers are about to be called and that allowed customers to run errands prior to being served. Definitely helps in reducing unhappy customers if you ask me!

DBS Bank took it one step further this time round, with the launch of its latest "cafe and branch" at Plaza Singapura last night. I would have totally walked pass the outlet if not for the launch event setup and the fact that I knew it was there previously. One no longer feels that irritation of walking into a conventional branch and having to take a queue number as well as jostle with the masses.

The Plaza Singapura branch had a complete makeover and it is now has the look of a lifestyle place more than anything, with a cafe fronting the outlet and the banking facilities a couple of steps further in. The banking staff need not have to learn to how to brew coffee because the cafe is operated by Bettr Barista, a social enterprise supported by the DBS Foundation. We had some sandwiches and pastries during the event and if they were prepared by the cafe as I have assumed, this place is definitely worth paying a second visit for their delicious food.

Some of the notable services would be the Cash Services Machines that allow notes changing, cash deposits and withdrawals above the customers' ATM card limits. With their new 24hr Video Teller Machines (VTM), customers can also get card or banking tokens issued or replaced almost instantly! And the video component actually refers to the instant "face-to-face" assistance via live video if customer requires. There are 13 such machines across the island now, with the plan to install another 20 by end of 2017.

All these changes were made to cater to the changing lifestyles of digital generation and with that in mind, DBS also launched an online initiative, Twenty Thirty (www.twentythirty.com) with contents on a wide variety of topics touching on lifestyle, career and financial literacy targeting young adults. Follow them on Facebook and Instagram. The bank even set up an industry-first VR corner for retirement planning at the branch, giving us a glimpse into our future, and how banking or retail will be like in the days to come.

To further cater to the aspirations of young working adults in Singapore, the bank had also launched the enhanced DBS Multiplier Account with a lowered transaction threshold of SGD$2000 instead of SGD$7,000 previously, thus enabling more to be able to enjoy higher interest in their account balances. The interest rates comes in different tiers, meaning the more salary you credit and the more spending in your credit cards, home loan, insurance or event investments, the more interest you will get, up to 3.5% (first $50,000)! To earn an interest rate of 1.55%, the bare minimum you need will be salary crediting and 1 transaction in any other categories amounting to $2,000 month in total. This is surely worth a comparison with other similar products by other banks (but comes with a myriad of conditions)! I am no financial planner, so you better check out their official website for more information.

Go pop by the branch at Plaza Singapura if you are around the corner. I assure you that you will be pleasantly surprised at the difference in the look and feel of the place, and have a cuppa!