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Get Lost!
BY KOH JIA XUAN
Disclaimer: The article written is slightly exaggerated for entertainment value and has elements of fiction, comedy and sarcasm.
As the semester ends and we complete our journey of 2015, it is nostalgic and deserving to reminisce at the events that shaped our university life. One of the more memorable events was Get Lost!, organized meticulously by the CN Yang Special Projects Committee. Held right in the middle of semester, on a dreary Tuesday (11 October), it was an event many of us were looking forward to, as it gave us an opportunity to take a break from the snooze-inducing lectures, catch up with our friends and to also meet new people from different batches.
Scholars from multiple batches at Get Lost!
As the name of the event implies, we had the chance to “get lost” from the mundane rhythm of the semester and participate in some exciting games with fellow CN Yang scholars. After all, what could possibly go wrong when you are trapped in a dark and queer room with some acquaintances that you would never ask more than a question or two? As we would realize, the chaos that ensued was an interesting environment to forge new friendships.
As we reached the venue for the real-life room escape game, LOST SG, in an ancient shopping centre that few knew existed, the participants were divided into their respective groups. My group was proudly ushered by the staff into a dark room with blindfolds on. We were compliant in surrendering our smartphones before entering uncharted territories. This was the most important game of our lives – we had to get out of the horrendous room before an hour, or we would never see our smartphones again. Otherwise, some of us might begin to suffer from smartphone withdrawal symptoms, which include: behaving awkwardly, staring into the air blankly, or on the other extreme end, talking non-stop and reminding others that they miss their cats, Pokémon or abandoned empires.
Some of us were worried, some playing a strange game of ‘peace’ signs, some just staring blankly into space
It turned out that we had to complete a mission called Alcatraz, and we were forcibly locked up in three prison cells! However, being the motivated individuals we are, there was no despair, but an insatiable curiosity that Prof. Tan (the director of CN Yang Scholars’ Programme) would be proud of. This would help us seek out clues and solve the puzzles required. The designers of the cell were so proud of their maximum-security facility that they displayed the personal details of former prisoners. With our constant exchange of all kinds of incoherent information through discussions and shouting across the prison cells, everyone not only achieved a distinction for their group work and class participation, we also did the impossible and cracked the prison cells open. Unfortunately, the facility had even tougher security features that we had to crack. As university students would know, there will always be questions that are impossible to solve in the finals even with an open textbook or class discussions. However, this mission was of even greater importance than our usual examinations- it involved our lives and our dearest smartphones. Fortunately, we found a loophole and realized that the telephone that wardens used to communicate with each other could also be used to establish communications with unknown prison ward designers patiently waiting 24/7 to help us. With their assistance, we finally cracked the maximum-security facility. In the process, we also learnt about the ingenious escape route of 3 former prisoners and their fate, and we realized how lucky we were to return back to civilization.
However, our ordeal was far from over. After fighting the notorious prison of the 1960s in America, we were whisked backward by another century to the 1860s, where the British and French empires invaded China. We had an important task – to recover the precious 12 Zodiac Head statues and prevent them from falling into the hands of evil. The room was dark and filled with books and paintings. After stroking and tapping all the objects available, we managed to pry open an exceptionally advanced 5-letter lock which seemed way ahead of its time. Perhaps that was why no Chinese could unlock the vicinity at that time, because few could understand English letters. To add on to that, Latin words were inscribed on the Zodiac statues as well, which was a brilliant security measure came up by Castiglione himself. Despite that, no challenge was too tough for us and we managed to place the statues at the right places after merely a few hundred tries to get to the next stage. Another memorable moment included reflecting a laser perfectly on ominous creatures to advance to the next stage, and we finally appreciated our Physics Teachers as understanding the Laws of Reflection saved our dear lives. For some of us who have mastered the art of mashing buttons in the arcade, this skill was also essential for one of the stations as we pressed our way to victory. Finally, we escaped out of the vicinity one minute short of the time limit, which we totally planned to maximize the game usage. To sum up, I would say that it was an amazing experience for a group of confused individuals with irrelevant skills to come together and save each other’s lives!
Group photo at Get Lost!
To celebrate our escape and opportunity to get back into the boring semester, we went to Casuarina Curry Restaurant along Upper Thomson Road to have some late night supper! Besides the great food, we also had a great time chatting with our friends and talking to seniors and juniors alike. Many of us appreciated this as we often had little opportunities to talk to our peers in different courses, and even more so for other CN Yang mates not in our batch! For me, I had the opportunity to talk to a few seniors about their lives, courses and even interesting moments of their overseas exchange, something I would not have expected without this event! Finally, after increasing our BMI without regrets, we headed back to the obscure west where we continued to languish in the ever-rising waves of the bell curve.
Enjoying our prata before returning to school