Things 2 Try

Bumper Car

2010-01-30T21:28:00.002+08:00

Sunway Pyramid

Asian Investment 09

2009-07-19T20:29:00.014+08:00

"How to play this game ar?", an elderly woman asked the Game Master.
"Very easy, all you have to do is hit the bell as fast as possible, so that you will be given a chance to answer the question. That is all to it. The questions are not difficult."

This was an investment game being played at one of the exhibitor's booth in the recent
Asian Investment Conference and Exhibition 09 in Singapore.

Beside her was three other participants...let's call them Young Guy 1, Young Guy 2 and not-so-young late 20's (29 years 21 mths to be exact), yours truly (let's call him Kevin Soon).

The Game Master reads Question 1 from the screen a-la "Who wants to be a Millionaire", followed by 3 multiple choice answers. He allowed some time for the contestants to think over them. And at the count of three... "Bing..!" all four participants slammed the bell. The Game Master signals the elderly woman to attempt the question. She answers wrongly.

So the question is opened to the other 3 contestants. And again "one...two...three.." and "Bing!!".
This time Young Guy 1 was picked and he gave the correct solution. Now the screen displays the words "INVEST WISELY". Young Guy 1 has to call out one of the letters to reveal a hidden number which will be counted as his score. And he managed to get 5 points from this.

That's how the game is played. A bit of luck is required for the scoring (range from 5 to 30) and a bit of skill in pressing the bell. Limited investing knowledge is sufficient. There will be 5 questions, 4 participants, 3 co-winners (no losers) and 1 winner (the highest scorer after 5 questions). The 3 Co-winners will receive Starbucks voucher while the winner will receive SGD 30 shopping vouchers.

The game proceeds similarly for Question 2, and this time Young Guy 2 was the quickest one and thus earning his turn for a shot at some points, which he successfully did. He chooses a letter on the screen and it displays a 10! The Game Master commented "See..now you already beat Young Guy 1. Not so hard right?".

Standings after Question 2:
Young Guy 1 (5 pts),
Young Guy 2 (10 pts),
Elderly woman (0 pts),
Kevin Soon (0 pts).

For question 3, I hit the bell hard but...not fast enough. I then realized if I hit it hard, it means the distance from my finger to the bell would have to be greater and hence slower. Sigh.... so no chance to answer anything after all my 4 tries (2 attempts for Q1, and 1 attempt each for Q2 and Q3). Young Guy 1 was the one to gain another 5 points for this round.

Standings after Question 3:
Young Guy 1 (10 pts),
Young Guy 2 (10 pts),
Elderly woman (0 pts),
Kevin Soon (0 pts).

2 more questions to go... I tell myself "I only need to answer 1 question correctly and hope to receive the highest score of 30 points to win this game...this is far from being over..". I placed my finger over the button, with no distance so as to increase the swiftness of my response.

This change of strategy worked well as I was the one this time to be selected to answer Question 4. I gave the correct answer, pluck a letter, and..then earned a measly 5 points. Phew! I am back into the game.

Standings after Question 4:
Young Guy 1 (10 pts),
Young Guy 2 (10 pts),
Elderly woman (0 pts),
Kevin Soon (5 pts).

The final question... do-or-die. "Dear Heavenly Father...help me!!". Once again, my earlier strategical maneuver rewarded me as the faster bell-hitter. I solved the challenge but this time, the Game Master explained "Now, all you need is minimum of 10 points to win the game".
"Wow...that is great" I thought. Since most of the 5 points already appear on the screen, I should have a good chance for a 10.

"W!", I uttered... and behind the W.... uncovers...a 5!. "Oh come on!".

Standings after Question 5:
Young Guy 1 (10 pts),
Young Guy 2 (10 pts),
Elderly woman (0 pts),
Kevin Soon (10 pts).

"It's a tie!" announced the Game Master, much to the relieve of the 2 young gentlemen. The game hasn't ended yet. It is extended to a tie breaker question. A sudden-death to be played among the 3 guys. I need to pull off my quick hitting scheme one last time. What are the odds for getting 3 consecutive opportunities?

"Dear Father, please strengthen me just once more...", picturing myself as the hero in the scene in Judges 16:28. Question 6 was read, and then "Bing!!!". All 3 men were now at the mercy of the Game Master to judge who was the first to hit the bell. Then the gesture made was towards me (again!..wow... 3 consecutive times!). My accurate reply to the question handed a me the victory for the taking.

My final selection (it doesn't matter anymore how much I will score) yields a 10!. "Oh why have you not appeared earlier.....".

Standings after Question 6 (Sudden Death) :
Young Guy 1 (10 pts),
Young Guy 2 (10 pts),
Elderly woman (0 pts),
Kevin Soon (20 pts).

Like I said, there were no losers. As a consolation for those 3 participants, they won themselves a Starbucks voucher as a way for the organizers telling them "Balik minum kopi" (no offence).

As for myself I get extra pocket money for shopping.

Dylan Walking

2009-06-04T23:05:00.002+08:00

Dylan Standing Unsupported

2009-02-17T21:46:00.001+08:00

Dylan Standing Unsupported

Dylan Playing with Bowl

2009-02-16T22:57:00.002+08:00

Dylan playing with the bowl.

Dylan Baptism

2009-02-04T22:01:00.011+08:00

"Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it". And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.
- Mark 10:14-16, Luke 18:16-17, Matthew 19:14

Dylan Arcade Racing

2009-02-01T23:10:00.004+08:00

Dylan trying out Daytona arcade game.

Crawler

2008-11-21T22:48:00.002+08:00

Dylan crawling

Sing-A-Long

2008-11-11T22:33:00.004+08:00

Things to try with your toddler. Sing-a-long session.

Capoeira Pose

2008-10-27T17:55:00.005+08:00

This is me trying out this what's-this-pose.
This is a refinement of my earlier what's-that-pose.

Dylan in Delight

2008-10-15T21:47:00.003+08:00

Dylan can swing his legs in delight

Dylan Eating Biscuit

2008-10-15T21:41:00.003+08:00

Yummy biscuit for chewing...

Locking Horns Against the GrandMaster

2008-09-15T22:50:00.005+08:00

This is me just before the simul against GrandMaster Yasser Seirawan.
This article appears in The Star Sept 12 .

Papa

2008-08-22T21:16:00.002+08:00

Sounds like "Papa" ?

Dylan's Laughter

2008-08-20T20:44:00.002+08:00

Dylan tries to walk

2008-07-13T21:25:00.004+08:00

This is something for toddlers when learning to walk.

540 Kick

2008-07-13T21:21:00.002+08:00

A cool kick to try is a 540 kick. This is like a tornado kick but you land on the kicking leg instead.

This requires height and speed of the kicking leg to execute a launch-kick-land in one movement.

More of Dylan

2008-06-01T22:07:00.003+08:00

Dylan can roll over to this position

Capoeira Au Batido

2008-05-22T18:58:00.003+08:00

This is me doing an Au Batido (broken cartwheel).

Head Stand

2008-05-04T19:22:00.004+08:00

The first step towards doing a head stand is practicing like the below.
Once you have find your balance, stretch your leg upwards.

(Caution!! : Do not do this without supervision by a qualified instructor).

All shook up

2008-04-30T22:13:00.004+08:00

Shaking...shaking...

Baby Smile

2008-04-30T22:01:00.002+08:00

Dylan smiling at daddy.

Pizza Project

2008-03-30T22:10:00.010+08:00

Here is something to try. Making your own Pizza, allows you the freedom to choose the type and amount of toppings that you want.

Here is what I cooked up on my mind, 2 types of Pizza. The ingredients are...

... tomatoes, luncheon meat, mushroom, capsicum (red and yellow), pizza pastry, pizza sauce, mozarella cheeze and roast pork belly.

First to go into the oven, is the luncheon meat pizza.

Bon voyage......

Out from the oven...wah lau eh... looks just like those serving suggestion in Pizza brochures (but you don't really get that much topping in real life).

Success breeds success... but time for my 2nd Pizza... The Roast Pork Pizza. This time, no-holds-barred on the amount of cheeze. As u can see, it fully blanketed the pork.

Adios Amigo, into the oven you go.

Woo..hoo...the cheeze turns into a molten lava of gooey cheeze.

Yummy..... and sinfully tempting.

Signing off for now...

Baby Stretch

2008-01-27T14:34:00.001+08:00

Stretching after waking from sleep. And yawwwnnn....

Capoeira Benefits

2007-12-27T20:50:00.000+08:00

I started thinking a few things on Capoeira, and realized that Capoeira can be useful if..

1) ..you find it hard to balance on one leg in kungfu.

2) ..your boss catches you fighting with your colleague, then you can reply "I am not fighting, I am dancing".

3) ..a robber points a knife/gun at you and orders you to "Put your hands on the floor!!".

Small Progess in Capoeira

2007-12-24T22:54:00.000+08:00

I made a small progress when I finally managed to successfully execute this Capoeira movement.
I have no idea what is it called, because the instructor at True Fitness do not mention the names.

Will try to see how to fit this into some combo and also to do it in one smooth single movement.

Broadsword Makeover

2007-11-18T13:18:00.000+08:00

I took my plain old wooden broadsword...

Then sprayed it with Sparkling Silver and add a red cloth and the result is....

Kungfu Costume

2007-11-17T23:25:00.000+08:00

I purchased this costume at Midvalley.
So I am trying out some poses.

With sword.... and

... tiger pose.

Hand-eye coordination

2007-11-02T19:39:00.000+08:00

Video games are good to improve your hand-eye coordination.
However, there is a cheaper alternative.

Try juggling. It is fun and you can do it almost anywhere.

This is me with 3 oranges.

Windows' Bugs

2007-10-29T10:15:00.000+08:00

Received this in my email.
Thought would be interesting thing to try.

MAGIC #1

Nobody can create a FOLDER anywhere on the computer with the name "CON".

MAGIC #2

For those of you using Windows, do the following:

1.) Open an empty notepad file
2.) Type "Bush hid the facts" (without the quotes)
3.) Save it as whatever you want.
4.) Close it, and re-open it. (open it note pad only)

is it just a really weird bug? :-??

MAGIC #3

Open Microsoft Word and type

=rand (200, 99)

And then press ENTER

Levitation

2007-10-22T20:37:00.000+08:00

Cool trick to try.
This illusion is only effective if seen at a proper distance and angle.

For those who want to know how this is done, you can Google the term "balducci levitation".

Abandon Ship

2007-10-21T16:57:00.000+08:00

In wake of the recent Seagull Express tragedy, here is what we can learn from others regarding the procedures to abandon ship.

This is what I had experienced in Star Cruise (with sound).

Vacation Documentary

2007-10-20T00:23:00.001+08:00

Here is something to try.

If you are on a vacation, try making a documentary. Who knows there is a hidden talent somewhere in you.

Here is a sample of what I had done during my vacation in Star Cruise when the ship is approaching Langkawi.

The verdict ? ... I have no talent.

Blistered Feet

2007-10-17T19:41:00.000+08:00

This is something *NOT* to try.
Doing a prolonged ginga (during Capoeira) barefoot.

The result.... blistered feet.

Kungfu Broadsword

2007-10-15T21:08:00.000+08:00

Year : Around mid 90's
Event : Mid-Autumn Festival
Venue : Dewan Serbaguna Taman Chai Leng

MC says (After translation)
"Next, we have a performance by Sun Rui Xing... 'Bamboo-Leaf-Chasing-The-Wind' Sword No.2 (it means 2nd chapter), by Mr. Kevin Soon Swee Sin."

This was taken around 10 years ago or equivalent to 10 kgs ago, if you know what I mean.

If the ring fits..

2007-10-15T19:05:00.000+08:00

This is me having trouble fitting the wedding ring.
I thought this only happens with glass slippers.

Lesson learned : Rehearse with the gloves on

RM20 per week for dinner

2007-10-13T22:42:00.000+08:00

5 days,....
2 persons,....
RM20, ...
2 survivors....

Believe it? Well let me present some tips from Mr.V, a friend who is kind enough to allow me to share some secrets on surviving on a mere RM20 for a 5-day dinner.

Broccolli = $2.0
Long bean + Xiau Bai Chai (vegie) + salad vegie = $3.0
2 Onion and 1 garlic = $1.5
2 big drumstick chicken = $6.5
Pork = $4.5
Fishball + Tau Pu Pok = $2.5
lots of Chili Padi (free)
---------
Total $20
---------
Hi,

Above are the food I bought last Sat at ss2 pasar pagi.

Monday = Cook tomyam fishball + tou pu pok (steamboat style)
[1 dishes]
Tuesday = Brocolli and bak kut teh (pork)
[ 2 dishes]
Wed = fried pork and Xiau Bai Chai (vegie)
[ 2 dishes]
Thursday = long bean and chicken sauce
[ 1 dishes]
Friday = onion with chicken and salad vegie
[ 2 dishes]

Normally,will cook 2 cup of rice for 2 person permeal.1 cup is the standard cup size of rice cooker.

Drink plain water instead of soup.But once a week,will cook normal soup.

Tips:
Must go to stall that have lots of ppl.Nicely bargain with them to give discount $0.50 cent at least.

Request free chili padi when buy vegies. This is important because chili padi is nice to eat during meal and can make untasty meal into a yummy meal.

Keeping up with Kip Up

2007-10-12T20:57:00.000+08:00

A neat thing to try if for watever reason u fall /trip/ slip in public.
Besides avoiding embarassment, it will add some "cool" factor.

This move is known as the kip up.
Begin by using your hands to push yourself up.
Then, you can try the harder "no-hands" option.
Useful when you need to hold weapons.

Flexibility of the arms

2007-10-11T21:31:00.000+08:00

Basic acrobatics 101.

First things first .... flexibility of the arms.
Target : should be able to twist it, (perferably 360 degrees)?
Purpose : useful for a hand-stand spin.

Capoeira for the acrobatically-challenged

2007-10-10T21:21:00.000+08:00

What would Capoeira be like minus the acrobatics?
Well, here are some basics that can be put together to string up a reasonable performance.

After some time, things will get bored, and then it will be time to beef-up your repertoire with some acrobatics. sigh..... theeese are the things.