[Product Review] Tico Bricks!

If there's something that can keep me away from spending too much time on the computer and mobile phone, it has to be this.

And I am sure you guys will love this new product as much as I do ; especially after reading this post.

Presenting to you...

*drum rolls*

TICO BRICKS!!!!

If you are wondering what Tico Bricks are, they are actually small bricks (measuring at only 3.9mm x 3.9mm x 4.9mm) that you can build many cute things out of them. They have many series that feature different themes, one of which the latest one is the Amusement Park series!

I was really thrilled when the lovely folks from Play Distribution had kindly sent me a set of Tico Brick from the Amusement Park series over for the review. It took me a long time before finally selecting the Ferris Wheel design because EVERY single one looks so adorable!

Initially, I was not sure if my patience would lead me to complete it as it does seem complicated to build - but hey, I DID and was even so engrossed in it that I did not realise that the time was passing so fast.

I have documented my process to share with you guys, and I do think it's pretty amazing to see the bricks taking form with each step! (Please pardon me if the photos are not very well-taken as I was literally making and taking the photos all by myself at the same time)

What's inside the box: - 

Two packets of small bricks, two bigger square bricks that are meant to be the "grass patch", and one instruction manual (step-by-step)

As the bricks are pretty small, I had to be careful and ensured that I had everything in place inside the box. 

                                 

 Let's begin by connecting the two "grass patch"together!

Every brick here was joined together after referring to the instruction manual (Don't worry, the manual is very clear-cut. All you have to do is follow step by step)

And here was the first step done! Still looking nothing like a Ferris wheel yet...

Slowly... Omg, see the colourful-looking small blocks there? Those were actually meant to be human figures that would soon be admiring a Ferris wheel before them. SO CUTE, RIGHT?!?!

And 4 trees were planted...

Here's a picture of how it looks like from the side view:-

It's slowly taking place.. AT THIS STAGE, MY EXCITEMENT GREW. 

You know the feeling of building something using your own bare hands? I was enjoying every single minute of this.

It's starting to take shape now!! *squeals in delight*

And here came the crucial part of the bricks. I had to build the "rod"first before attaching it to the main parts.

Build 4 of the same "rods" and we have this:

  I would say the MOST difficult part would be putting this set of bricks together to form a circle for the wheel. I spent quite a lot of time on this part as the position of the bricks kept shifting when I accidentally touched it while I was trying to secure them during the process. 

There were 3 layers of bricks here to secure them- and it was pretty good at this stage as the bricks were nicely fitted.

Here's a close-up of how the 3 layers of bricks look like :

After completing the wheel, I placed it aside to build the "carriages".  Each "carriage"is a different shade of colour and there are 14 of them in total. This part would require a bit of time too as the bricks would not be really secure until they have been fitted to the wheel.

 Arrange the "carriages" nicely together and combine it with the wheel that was built earlier..

Ta-da! Here we have it.

Now I've gotta join this part to the first one that I did. Gosh. Gosh. I got so anxious that my hand was trembling in excitement. I JUST COULD NOT WAIT to see the Ferris wheel taking full shape.

Pardon that the wheel was not really looking that round in this picture - I had adjusted it afterwards.

AND TA-DA... PRESENTING TO YOU THE FINAL PRODUCT..  I HAD FINALLY, FINALLY COMPLETED IT. 

I am not trying to exaggerate, but I could feel tears of joy when I saw the full form of the Ferris wheel. Did I... Did I... just build it myself?!

The sense of achievement is too overwhelming.

AND DID I MENTION THAT THE WHEEL IS ACTUALLY MOVABLE??! I know I may have said this a thousand times, but THIS IS TOO CUTE.

(I have posted this in my instastory as a teaser and my friends have been commenting about its cuteness)

This is how the Ferris wheel looks like on the whole. And in order to show you guys in live form, I have done a short video that captured the moments. Enjoy!!


Video here:

 Let me show off a few more photos of the ferris wheel. I am so proud to call it mine!

Enjoy the ride, my little humans!

If you guys are fans of bricks building too, I am 100 PERCENT positive that you will love what Tico Brick have to offer. I admit I got hooked to my first set that I am considering to purchase more.

Here's a happy me with my Ferris wheel.

If you were to ask me what do I love most about it, I would definitely comment on its quality. The bricks are really defined - not those cheap and fragile kind. (I read that the bricks are actually originated and manufactured in Taiwan which are made of toxic-free Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene 

(ABS) plastic. Whoa, chim... but if you feel the material physically, I am sure you will be pleasantly surprised by its quality, too)

Most importantly, the final product will be something that you can be proud of. 

Different series have different level of difficulty - but the completion will certainly give you a sense of achievement. This may sound hilarious, but I admired my Ferris wheel so much that I spent almost  five minutes staring at it in awe.

Here are some of their other awesome designs from the same series - I am sure you can tell
why I had such a difficult time trying to choose one. Every single design is LOVE.

In case you are unaware, the recent Starbucks and Toast Box mini bricks are actually made by TICO, too. These little exclusive cuties can be found in-stores at Starbucks and Toast Box!

Look at their designs - How could anyone NOT love them?!?!

For more information and details on how you can purchase and make your Tico Bricks like I did, do stay tuned.

I can assure you that they will be able to provide you with hours of fun! :)

Complaint: SUCKY RIVER HONGBAO 春到河畔 TRIP

So I just came back from my River Hongbao (春到河畔 2015) trip.

If you have no idea what River Hongbao is, it is an annual CNY carnival - Something like a huge-scaled night market a.k.a Pasar Malam.

*Don't ask me why my face look like this. YOU WILL KNOW WHY WHEN YOU READ ON!

I used to visit River Hongbao when I was a kid. (Sigh, those memories...) and enjoyed the CNY decorations, food and most importantly... The GAME STALLS!

Oh boy, those game stalls were one of the main reasons why I loved visiting River Hongbao. I would feel rich after receiving the tons of ang baos from my relatives and spent them on the games that were considered fairly cheap then.

UNFORTUNATELY, this blog post is not abut reminiscing the memories. Instead,it is a COMPLAINT that I felt I HAVE to blog about after my visit. Believe me, I was in a huge rage after the visit, so much that I promised myself that I would blog about this immediately when I get back.

No doubt that the CNY decorations were breathtakingly beautiful, especially when they came up with a special SG50 theme this year.

However, the food and game stall prices were WAY BEYOND ridiculous - almost like a daylight robbery. 

Can you believe that the prices are DOUBLE to that of a normal Pasar Malam (For eg: A Popsicle that can be commonly found at typical Pasar Malams for $1 cost twice as much at River Hongbao) and the game stalls do not come with cheap anymore.

Gone were the times when I could have the choice to try my luck at game stalls that used to be  $2 per game.

Call me outdated, but imagine my horror when I discovered that the minimal price to pay for the games were NOW $22 and $50 respectively, and they come in cash credits form. It's similar to an arcade concept - You top up the card once credits have ran out.

I didn't take any photo as I was too infuriated at the moment. But here are some photos found online:

(Credits to bumblebeemum.net)

As I was tempted by the soft toys that were hung there (one of the games didn't seem difficult), my Dokiboy got us a $50 card to play with.

Of course, I felt the pinch when he paid for it. I am one who doesn't believe in luck games (Yes,I don't believe in arcades even)

I was hoping that I would at least WIN one of the soft toys back. HOPE.

(Image credit to: spunktitud3.wordpress.com.) 

(Of course, what are the chances of not getting any single shit if $50 was invested, right? I mean, SURELY there would be a consolation prize or something...)

BUT BOY, was I wrong.

Here's what we got after $50 was spent:

Yes. A freaking SG50 balloon.

(Actually, we "won" 2 balloons. 1 of it burst along the way)

I mean, I am not complaining because I was unable to win anything.

I AM COMPLAINING BECAUSE THE GAMES WERE NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO WIN.

(Probably the losing ratio is like 8:2)

Even the most supposedly basic Wheel of Fortune is no longer just a simple spin-and-win thing.

I had to "predict" the color of what the wheel would land on before spinning it.
WHAT KIND OF LOGIC IS THIS?!?!

Let's say if I bet on YELLOW and the wheel landed on other colors, then there would be 0 prize for me.

Not to mention that it is $5 per CASH CREDIT. 

That's $5 gone within split seconds.

Wow, easy money for them - Boo-hoo for me as the loser.

And there's another balloon dart-throwing game stall that only offers you 1 dart. It's a hit-or-miss thing and the player only has ONE freaking try for $5.

The worst part is, even if you managed to burst the balloon with your dart... It does NOT guarantee you a soft toy.
You will get this... ... for $5.
Congratulations.



Needless to say, many were on a losing streak.
(Poor thing, most people did not even get a balloon)

OH, OH - and not to mention that we witnessed a group of Indians CHEATING at those games when the stall keeper was not looking. 

One of their friends actually used their hand to swipe the ball and the stall keeper happily gave them the soft toy that they totally did not deserve at all.

I was flabbergasted at the audacity and how openly the organizers have allowed that to happen.

Of course, how could one hide the disappointment of not winning anything and possibly losing all my ang bao money on those games? I was hoping for a sure-win game stall but there appeared to be none. 

Is the organizer really that CHEAPSKATE? People already spent so much money at your stalls and I believe you would already have recouped your $$$. In fact, is there even anything to recoup?! You have absolutely nothing to lose at all and I believe there would still be a truckload of soft toys left even after the event. 

COME ON LAH, I believe I have higher chances of hitting jackpot at casinos than winning 1 single soft toy from any of your game stall.

With the games so expensive to begin with, the difficulty level is unbelievably ridiculous.

I suggest that the organizer should review the difficulty level of the games and the pricing - I will NEVER, ever pay for anything like that again. 

I would rather spend the $50 on eating Ding Tai Fung or restaurant food than spending it at game stalls that require a miraculous amount of luck to win.

So, to those who are considering to visit River Hongbao.... Think twice.

Even if the price are in Ringgit, I would still find it ridiculous!!!

*(#&$*(#$