BIRTHDAY PARTY AT TIMEZONE VIVOCITY

Xi En turned 9 years old in July and we had initially decided to go with a simple family dinner with him choosing his own present. There are a few things he is obsessed about. Namely: Ipad/Iphone games (read: digital games); hands-on S.T.E.M activities and ermm.. books. Haha; yes – he is quite the bookworm – which I am glad he is!

And so, when Timezone proposed a birthday party at their flagship outlet with a party room at Vivocity, how can I say no? Giving in to the birthday boy’s wishes, we decided to bend the rules a little to allow UMLIMITED arcade games for 3 WHOLE HOURS!!!

We are often torn between exposing the kids early to arcade/digital games and yet nowadays the digital world is hot on their heels. You just can’t keep the frog in the well forever. And so, unleased they went on the special day!

GAME ON!

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Timezone has a flagship store at Vivocity Level 2 which house a party room; nicely decorated. There is a little corner which you can set up a backdrop complete with a dessert table if you prefer. However I decided there was no further need to add on the colorful party room. Our guests were predominately BOYS from my 2 sons’ schools. I knew the attractions would not be the party room! Winking smile

Nonetheless, the Timezone Party Room is well equipped with a projector, a mini fridge to keep your drinks cool, tables and chairs, drawing materials for the younger ones and also boast of a gorgeous Sentosa Island view.

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Party room at Timezone Vivocity

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Lovely Sentosa Island View from the little balcony which can be accessed through a glass door at the party room.

We were hosted by experienced Timezone staffs, Kenneth, Huda and her team mates. They really know their stuff; from giving proper instructions to the party goers to even watching out for the younger ones in the crowd and gathering them back for dinner and cake cutting. All these I understood are accumulated from experiences. Timezone party room is so popular with parents (and kids of course) that they are fully booked on most weekends! Do note that the turnaround time for each party can be really short. We arrived 15 mins ahead of our time slot and the previous party was still ongoing. We felt bad chasing them out so we could prepare for our guests.

When I first previewed the place, I knew I can keep things simple as the children won’t be confined in the party room. We went for a non-hot warmers catering and got some food and the birthday cake pre-ordered from food stalls located in Vivocity! That’s really helpful as I only need to walk downstairs to pick up the birthday cake without worrying if there is a fridge big enough to keep it chilled.

Now, the highlight of the party.

Is not the birthday.

Nor the birthday boy.

Is the ARCADE GAMES!!

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PLAY MODE ON!

We had 2 age groups in the invite list; the 9 years olds and the 5 years olds from both boys’ schools. We decided that Eizac get to invite a few friends along as he seldom have fancy birthday parties due to his birthday falling smack within CNY period on most years.

The older group practically ran out of the party room searching for their favourite games and trying out new ones. Initially, I was worried if the 5 years old were too young to enjoy the games but they really do start young these days! Eizac was weaving in and out of the crowd with his friends; launching at any games his card could take him. haha.

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A group photo before they went loose!

As part of the party package, each child was issued a lanyard with a smart game card which can be used to tap on the various machines. Each card includes unlimited yellow card readers games, any 32 games (other coloured games) and 5 attraction games (rainbow coloured). If you have “surprised guests” such as the sibling who tagged along, they can easily purchase a value fun pass with 1hr or 2 hr playtime packages.



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Xi En’s first choice for the day is this Mini Rider 2 with VR experience. He loves VR.


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Eizac was glued to this unlimited yellow card reader game almost throughout the entire time!



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The birthday boy was very happy to pose for photos on his birthday. Open-mouthed smile



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Air hockey – Eizac was challenging his friend in this game. This has to be my perennial favourite. I am just old-fashioned.
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One of the crowd’s favourite – the bumper cars! Eizac proved to be quite the dangerous driver; frustrating his friend by trapping him in corners! What a host! Confused smile

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There is even a mini bowling alley which was perpetually occupied especially with families! 

The thing I liked about such parties is, there is no need to provide further entertainment! The children was fully engaged in the games that they would skip dinner if they were allowed to! But we reined them back for a quick meal, drinks, sang the birthday song, cut the cake, took some photographs before they dashed back to the game hall to finish up their last bits of the game credits and fully maximise the unlimited yellow readers games! Some of the parents joined their children at the last 30 mins or so and it became unclear who enjoyed arcade games more! haha.

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Our “extended family” shot with some adorable little ones who joined in the photo. Open-mouthed smile

The party ended with goodie bags for every party child and a final trip to the gift shop to exchange the tickets accumulated through the play time. You do need loads of tickets to exchange for the big items but I found it helpful that there were little trinkets and snacks which were redeemable with smaller quantity of tickets. At least the party goers got a little treat even if they weren’t able to accumulate a lot of tickets.

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Both my boys and their friends thoroughly enjoyed themselves for that evening. It was a hold-no-bars and unlimited 3 hours of play time. Eizac declared that he MUST HAVE another Timezone party! If you fancy a party which can engage your little guests fully, Timezone Vivocity Birthday Party Package could be your preferred choice. Open-mouthed smile Do check out Timezone updates on their Facebook, Instagram and Youtube Channel for promotional details.

Thank you Timezone Vivocity for giving us such a memorable and fun birthday party! We will be back as the boys did not have enough! Open-mouthed smile

Party at Timezone
Timezone Birthday Party Package

And to my dearest Xi En, wishing you a Happy 9th Birthday! You are growing up way faster than my heart could take it and we are thankful every single day for your journey. We pray that you will always walk with God and treasure the blessings He has given to you! Red heart We love you!

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N.B: The party is made possible with a Timezone collaboration; thank you for all the fun and smiles!

Christmas Trees from Mason Home Decor

Christmas season started early at our home this year!

This is the earliest we have set up our Christmas tree in November, all thanks to Mason Home Decor.

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Christmas tree and decorations all nicely packed and delivered from Mason Home Decor.

Previously we had to spend time at various shops looking for the right-sized Christmas tree with suitable tree trimmings and decoration. I liked it that Mason Home Decor has everything covered under one roof/website. And most importantly their stuff are not cheesy, run-of-the-mill or sub-standard quality. The concern that shoppers have about online shopping is, the actual product differs drastically from the photos. Honestly, I had my reservations initially. But the unedited videos on some of their products helped to rest any unease.

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Wolasko – Premium Christmas Wreath (Silver)

I made my choices based on the following 3 steps:

1) Budget: How much is your budget? Mason Home Decor’s Christmas products aren’t the cheapest in town. But their quality is definitely above average and reasonably priced for their quality. I was pleasantly surprised that they came nicely packed and unboxing them felt almost like unboxing presents!

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Palline Baubles – There is a mix of 3 surfaces – glossy, matte and glittery – in each package of 24 baubles.

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Shimario Baubles – Gold. I like the dancing glitters in the semi see-through baubles.

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Reindeer Baubles – Bronze. Elegant and tall.

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Perla Baubles. I really loved its’ glossy Tiffany-blue tone.

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Snow Flake Bauble – the whites to introduce “snow”. Open-mouthed smile

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Berry Tree Picks with (real) Mini Pine Cones decorated on our TV console.

2) Size: We have very limited space at our current place as most new apartments are these day. The Altaeco (Slim Christmas Tree) – Artificial Colorado Pine Christmas Tree – caught my eyes immediately. It is slim and yet dense with easy-open branches. It fitted our requirement for small spaces.

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Boys getting ready for unboxing and setting up the slim tree just next to the TV console. You can see it’s a really narrow place we have.

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Opening up the branches and leaves.

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Good quality and dense leaves.

3) Look and feel/Theme: If I have many houses, I will like to have a different colored-themed for each Christmas tree! Since I can have only 1 house & 1 tree, I choose my favourite Christmas tree colors – gold, silver, white and a little blue. I love the icy-cold look since we can only have sunny (or rainy) Christmases in Singapore. Open-mouthed smile

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Hanging up the final decor piece – the star – a job which only the head of the household is privileged to do. Well, he’s the only one who doesn’t need a chair for that job. Smile with tongue out

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Our new Christmas Tree is up! Smile Night view.

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Daytime view.

The verdict:

We managed to squeeze the Altaeco Christmas Tree right in front of our TV console. We had such a fun time un-boxing the packages and setting up the tree with it’s trimmings together as a family. A short video of it here on Instagram.

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The soft warm glow from our cove lights together with the Christmas tree lighting. It’s all warm and fuzzy; ready for the cool season. Smile

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Alpi – Premium Metal Star Tree-Topper – Medium in Gold.

We are very happy with the quality of the Mason Home Decor’s tree, it’s close-to-nature shade of green color and thick density of the branches/leaves.  The Christmas Ornaments and Baubles are of solid quality and boost of unique designs. It is a far cry from the cheap ones I have sourced on other websites before. Well, you do have to pay for quality. Open-mouthed smile

If you are pressed for time, shopping for your tree online will be a time-saver for you. However, if you are the must-touch-and-feel-before-you-buy type, Mason Home Decor has a physical shop which is open daily.

Do shop early to avoid the peak Christmas shopping season! Smile

Details

Mason Home Decor

Address: 39A Jalan Peminpin #03-01C, Halycon Building Singapore 577183

Opening hours:

Mon to Fri 11am to 8pm

Sat 12pm to 8pm

Sun 2pm to 7pm

Website: www.mason.com.sg/christmas

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N.B: Thank you to Mason Home Decor for fulfilling my little wish of having a really lovely Christmas Tree in our humble small home. Smile 

My Little Climbing Room

Media Invite

Finally we have an indoor playground of sort which had recently opened up in the sleepy Hougang town. Rightfully put, it is a Climbing Room designed especially for the young ones.

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Xi En has recently showed interest in scaling walls but we have yet to bring him to a wall climbing place as I was concerned if those were a little too high. Then again, it is probably my own height phobia getting in the way. With a smaller place such as My Little Climbing Room, I was excited to let the 2 boys experience rock climbing.

Located at Promenade @ Pelikat (near Kovan), it is really a “room”! I was pleasant surprised that though it is located within a small mall, it was sufficient to entertain my boys for the entire 90 mins play session.

Each 90 play sessions starts with 30 minutes of free play, then 30 minutes of group games, followed by another 30 minutes of free play. It is advisable to arrive 15 to 20 minutes earlier to allow ample time for safety briefing and gearing up. Proper grip socks are compulsory as the kids were be climbing with only socks on.

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Gearing up.

The entire room isn’t huge but surprising, packed a bunch. There are four 4meters high walls, a Number Wall, an Obstacle Wall, an AR (Augmented Reality) Wall. There is also a Hangout Zone and some wheelies for variety.

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Compact climbing room which packs a punch.

Xi en took the high walls immediately upon arrival. He is a very focused sort and wanted to complete a mission card given to all climbers. Being a first timer, I think he did very well (without cheating!) as he navigated through the instructions. He was short of 2 very difficult climbs at the end of the play session which he insisted to return for. Smile

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Scaled the first empty wall he found.

Parents play a big part in the climbs as well. Each child has to be accompanied by a parent/care-giver who will take the role of belaying the child. It is also for the purpose of child-parent bonding instead of parents sitting out and staring at our mobile phones. Smile with tongue out

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Eizac was quite apprehensive about climbing walls initially as he was doubtful that he could do the same as the older kids. So I coaxed him into trying out the Obstacle Wall first. He had fun going for the bell, lopping through the hula loop, pushing himself further to touch a higher bell and etc. Being a IPad fanatic, Eizac also enjoyed the AR wall with “bubbles” which you slapped when you reached them. Towards the end of the play session, he also mustered enough confidence to try out half of the 4meters high wall which is such a booster to his morale!

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Giving his best at the Obstacle Wall.
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Reaching to tinkle the bells
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He caught me by surprise by wanting to try a tall wall towards the end of the session. And he mustered enough courage to scale half the wall. Love that spirit!

During the 30 mins group games, the room was dimmed and the kids played a game to the tunes of Baby Shark Song. It was entertaining though I thought maybe 30 mins might be too long to entertain the hyper active children. Or perhaps more than 1 game might be necessary? The kids were also given little erasers strategically placed at different levels of a low wall to climb and reach for them as a mini reward. Good strategy!

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All eyes on his eraser! Open-mouthed smile
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The Hangout and Wheelies zones prove to be good distraction for those who are not scaling the walls or want to take a break.

Conclusion: My boys liked My Little Climbing Room and asked to be back again. We understood from the owners that they will change the positions of the grips every few months so to refresh the climbs and also introduce new games from time to time. I find this place a good starting ground for those who want to introduce rock climbing to their young ones. It is an easier and less daunting platform for those under 3 years old as well. We will be back: Xi En wants to return to finish his “mission” card while Eizac wants to ring more bells!

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Details of My Little Climbing Room:

Website: https://mylittleclimbingroom.com/

Location: Promenade @ Pelikat (FREE basement parking available!)

We are running a giveaway for 2 free passes to to 2 winners to experience My Little Climbing Room. Check Evespiration on Instagram for more details.

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Admission charges – do check their website for any updates.