Mystery Manila Review

*This is a spoiler free post - it contains references to what's in the themed rooms but limited to what's already available in their website.

After Breakout Philippines, we sought to try out the second (or first, depends on who you ask really) of the latest fad centering around live escape-the-room games currently taking Metro Manila by storm.

Enter Mystery Manila.

There are two "mysteries" available to try - Justice for Jamila and the Chained Chamber. Coming off our victory (read: dumb luck) from Breakout Philippines, I was determined to squeeze this in my schedule during my one week break from work. I think I got carried away though 'cause I booked both rooms in a span of less than a week. Oops.

Last Tuesday, me and my sisters braved the grueling heat to try out the "Justice for Jamila" room. Since I had a case of "north-o-phobia", I kept my eyes peeled for the Mystery Manila logo in the Eastwood surroundings. Although our cab driver dropped us off at IBM Plaza, it was relatively easy to spot the JW Plaza Bldg because of its telltale landmarks. Upon spotting the Mystery Manila banner on the 2nd floor, my excitement grew.

The premise for the "Justice for Jamila" room was to help Mr. Castillo solve the murder of his hired detective, Jamila Torres. Upon signing the waiver and being briefed, we were escorted to the room to start our "investigation" accompanied by the gamekeeper (who was there to give us clues if we asked for it but if provided will add extra minutes to our finishing time).

Needless to say, the effect of entering the "crime scene" was a bit underwhelming since we weren't blindfolded (like in Breakout Philippines). The clues hidden in the room were very hard to find and you really needed to use your noggin to make sense of the connections. After struggling with numerous dead-ends and bickering about whether or not we should ask for a clue, we ran out of time. Looking back, I'd say that the material in this room was overwhelming and strategy + teamwork are key to solving the case.

Today, me and my high school friends went back to try the other room - the Chained Chamber. Eerily similar to the first Saw movie concept (minus the sawing your foot off part), we were told that this room was harder than the other one I tried last Tuesday.

Wait, what? We barely scraped by in Justice for Jamila. Are we going to die in this room? :O

Unlike the other room, we were blindfolded before we entered and were subsequently handcuffed to opposite sides of the room. Now, the effect of this was more terrifying than the previous 2 rooms I've tried out. There's something about being chained that tricks your mind into helplessness and the feeling of being paralyzed. We bucked under pressure 3/4 into the game and asked for a clue from the gamekeeper.

Surprisingly, we broke out just in the nick of time (58 minutes) and were whooping in delight when the gamekeeper reminded us that we asked for a clue and our finishing time was now 62 minutes.

Drat.

But we escaped! (Yay!) and we're super proud of it :) Escaped 2 out of 3 times. Hmmm. Not bad :)

After trying out both their rooms, I commend the Mystery Manila team for creating something like this. It was mind-blowing and exhilarating on our part. I just wish they'd come up with more themed rooms in the future (I can hear my wallet crying already) and more locations closer to the South.

Life will be full of mysteries indeed :)

Mystery Manila - www.mysterymanila.com
JW Plaza Bldg. E Rodriguez Ave. Quezon City

Breakout Philippines: Dare to Enter (and Escape!)

This blog entry contains no spoilers, just general descriptions of the awesomeness that's coming your way when you sign up :)

Imagine yourself waking up in a strange room. There's no one there but you and a pair of your friends who seem disoriented as you are. Then you realize you're locked in and a big ol' digital clock is staring down at you, broadcasting how much time you have left to escape.

Welcome to Breakout Philippines. 

Sort of. (You're not going to be knocked out before being brought to the room :-P)

You won't be put in real danger of course but being in the room for the first time, you WILL be shocked and feel a bit panicked. It seems like there's a myriad of stuff that the room holds. It's up to you to figure out how to use 'em. And fast. With time running out and a whole lot to process, you feel pressure building up and you can't help but think that you have no chance in hell of escaping. Until you find the solution and it all clicks.

In our case, we spent a lot of time engrossed in stuff that weren't even remotely helpful. Just when time was about to run out, (by sheer stroke of dumb luck) we found our way out and had a buzzer beater finish.

Yup, WE ESCAPED :D

It's about time this type of role play genre made its way to the Philippines. I mean, we have no shortage of online games but the feeling of being physically there, seeing the panicked looks of your friends and seeing the daunting clock not to mention being able to work face-to-face with other people (an experience no online game will give you), gives you a different level of adrenaline rush.

And when you escape? Euphoria. Relief. And of course, bragging rights :)

Go try it out. It's worth it :)

Here's to 2014 and beyond.

Happy 2014! Rang in the New Year with my loved ones over bottles of red wine and bowls of shabu-shabu surrounded by the sounds of fireworks and frenzied people frantically jumping (para daw tumangkad).

I am filled with two things: adrenaline and hope. It may sound a little presumptuous but I want this year to be a sort-of banner year. This will be the year that I will look back upon and say "I achieved a lot during that year" or "That was the year when I took steps to reach one of my life dreams".

Starting my graduate studies is something I'm really looking forward to. I start this 2nd week of January and I'm so excited to return to the campus as a student after 3 years. To say that I missed studying is an understatement. You might think me a nerd but I thrive more in a learning environment, Of course I can't be a teacher what with my impatience with kids. For now, its a welcome change to my work-home routine.

Work-wise, I'm looking forward to a lot of things as well but I'm not going to discuss those in detail yet. I'm just filled with gratefulness for everything.

Here's to making more new friends this year.

Here's to leaving everything in God's hands - I will do my best and the rest is up to him.

Here's to looking at the bright side - no matter how many dark days I get, I am thankful to be alive and blessed.

Here's to the single life.

Here's to another fruitful year with my loved ones. My two younger sisters are leaving the country but I hope and pray that they'll be safe wherever they go.

Here's to more laughs, more milk tea, more noodles, more hugs, more music, and more love.

Here's to 2014 - ready as I'll every be. Bring it :-)

An order of sanity with a side of purpose please.

You used to stare at the future with a smirk on your face and la-di-da thoughts running in your mind. The future? That's like, so far off. I'm 15, I have about 10 years to figure out what I wanted to do in life.

Suddenly, life happened. It swooped in and took over your sorry little ass. The next thing you know you're 25, wondering where the 10 years you seemingly thought was forever, went. It's a bit scary to come to the realization that you missed Future's knocks and danced with Procrastination a bit longer than you expected. Growing up meant you needed to bid adieu to Procrastination and welcome Future with open arms.

This doesn't mean that enjoying your life is a crime that warrants a lifetime punishment. You're only young once, you better believe this IS the best time of your life. Once a career, a family and a whole slew of responsibilities figure in, everything changes.

Am I too late? Or am I just being paranoid? Yes, the endless barrage of questions seem to never stop. The self-pity and crushing depression ain't strange either. Welcome to early adulthood.

Then again, if you're still thinking about these things, are you sure you're where you want to be? Order's up!

Babble-o-rama

The title of this blog entry leaves much to be desired. Then again, at this late hour, my thoughts are given free rein to make me feel nostalgic, longing even. For what or whom, I don't know.

For the past 10 minutes, I've been staring at a picture. Whoever said that a picture paints a thousand words (or something along those lines), must have been a photographer or someone who really fancied being one. I can't really make myself agree. The candid pose, the half-smile, the unassuming glint of the eye, all it tells me is that the person looks pretty contented. That's about it. My novice observation aside, I can't really tell what goes in a person's mind by simply looking at a picture. I can come up with a few extra ideas if I observe a person's body language, being the hypersensitive being that I am, but again that's about it. No one is an open book. Everybody's shut tight and the only way they can let me in is if I initiate a conversation.

No one likes a pity party, no one likes an obnoxious victor but most of all, no one likes to be a lone success. Being gung-ho for achievement, I must say that all the achievement in the world does not matter if it is not recognized. If people say otherwise, its either they're lying or they're deluded.

What if. What if all the things I've been constantly worrying about catch up with me? What if I had nothing to be afraid of in the first place and I wasted all this time psyching myself out? What if I never get this chance again? What if I embarrass myself and risk losing a precious thing? Or what if the risk was worth it and the paid off? What if?

I'm not making sense am I? I guess my cohesive thoughts took a break and won't be coming back anytime tonight. Or was it the milk tea? I think being drunk on tea and sugar does something to my brain. Might have something to do with the late hour too. Alas, sleep. You forever elude me.