From left: Mr Mok (Council Member of Hospis Malaysia), Margaret Sha, KK Chai, Vincent Woo, Cornelius KohI was lucky enough to secure a ride with some master hunters, known as Hunters "R" Us, over the weekend. Such a long journey from KK to KL to Penang; a very rewarding, albeit exhausting, experience. On Saturday, we hunted from KL towards the north and we ended up in Holiday Inn, Penang. And then the next day, we did the Eye-Q Mensa Hunt in Penang.
I've just arrived home from the airport shortly ago, and I am so excited to tell about those hunts. But I'll write on them separately including, of course, my analysis and comments on some of the questions. By the way, it was the first time that I hunted in a Y S Khong's hunt; as well as Jay Menon's hunt.
I arrived in LCCT-KL on Friday afternoon; took the bus to KL Sentral, and then another ride on the monorail to reach Berjaya Times Square for a rendezvous with my friend, KK Chai. We went straight for the hunt briefing where we bumped into some familiar faces. But I was surprised to note that many master hunters have opted out of the Hospis this year. Later, we were told that there're eight hunts over the weekends!
During the briefing, we were given the hunt statistics, i.e. number of questions and scores etc. Thankfully, this time there were no silly games. Instead, we're given 2 so-called "Bonus Puzzles". After the briefing, I said to Chai that it's probably Sudoku or wordsearch.
Well, after that we went for Bah Kut Teh and then to Chai's home where I met Margaret. We chit-chatted for a bit before I had a quick shower, and then got into bed. But alas, because of the excitement, I didn't get a very good sleep that night.
The next morning, we picked Vincent up from his house and went to the starting point in Bukit Jalil. It was a mass flag-off. Questions were distributed to all teams about half an hour before flag-off, and all teams were free to look at those questions. So there was no need to sneak into the toilets to have a peak at the questions.
Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised to see that one of the puzzles was indeed a sudoku. It was a hard one, but because we had hours to solve it, it was more of an inconvenience rather than a challenge, especially since I've been spending a lot of time playing sudoku online (Linda, if you're reading this, I'm glad to say that all those time spent online wasn't a waste after all!).
In my opinion, the Hospis 2008 was a very leisurely hunt, with plenty of time in between sectors. But it was not without some interesting episodes of heated debates in the car due to some interesting clues which I shall discuss in detail later. I felt comfortable enough around those masters and was therefore able to join in those debates too! I found it amusing that GM Margaret, perhaps due to her unending pursuance of precision, was somewhat "paranoid". She seemed worried over even the smallest and seemingly irrelevant things. But don't get me wrong, I don't mean it in a negative way; I am like that too! Whenever I hunt with my own team, I am the "paranoid" one!
We managed to end the hunt a good 20 minutes before the allocated time. The finish station for the hunt was somewhere near Tambun. When we arrived there, we were happy to find that no other regular teams have arrived. After the submission, we drove on to a little seafood restaurant and had lunch around 3pm.
After lunch, we proceeded on to Penang. That night, we had a buffet dinner at a makeshift tent by the seaside where our charitable hunt went one step further by feeding the mosquitoes there. I was seated next to Master Teck Koon who turned out to be one of the most pessimistic masters there that night. He kept telling me that they didn't do too well—that they dropped this question and that question; this wrong and that wrong. Finally, when it came to the prize presentation, 15 teams were eligible for prizes. As we got closer to the top prizes, Master Teck Koon kept saying that they're up next. Then we got to 5th position, and he was so sure that they're up. Yet it was another team. Then when it was 3rd position, he even stood up to get ready to go up to the stage. Yet, it wasn't his team. Well, in the end, Teck Koon and his team got second! Master Teck Koon, have faith in yourself!
A pleasant surprise for my debut hunt in the Hospis; we won the hunt with a perfect score of 100 points. But the scoreline doesn't give a true picture of the struggle—it required the combination of skill, luck and an efficient time management. As I said, we had some heated debates in the car. All in all, a very rewarding experience. I hope to be able to do another Hospis in the future.
I've just arrived home from the airport shortly ago, and I am so excited to tell about those hunts. But I'll write on them separately including, of course, my analysis and comments on some of the questions. By the way, it was the first time that I hunted in a Y S Khong's hunt; as well as Jay Menon's hunt.
I arrived in LCCT-KL on Friday afternoon; took the bus to KL Sentral, and then another ride on the monorail to reach Berjaya Times Square for a rendezvous with my friend, KK Chai. We went straight for the hunt briefing where we bumped into some familiar faces. But I was surprised to note that many master hunters have opted out of the Hospis this year. Later, we were told that there're eight hunts over the weekends!
During the briefing, we were given the hunt statistics, i.e. number of questions and scores etc. Thankfully, this time there were no silly games. Instead, we're given 2 so-called "Bonus Puzzles". After the briefing, I said to Chai that it's probably Sudoku or wordsearch.
Well, after that we went for Bah Kut Teh and then to Chai's home where I met Margaret. We chit-chatted for a bit before I had a quick shower, and then got into bed. But alas, because of the excitement, I didn't get a very good sleep that night.
The next morning, we picked Vincent up from his house and went to the starting point in Bukit Jalil. It was a mass flag-off. Questions were distributed to all teams about half an hour before flag-off, and all teams were free to look at those questions. So there was no need to sneak into the toilets to have a peak at the questions.
Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised to see that one of the puzzles was indeed a sudoku. It was a hard one, but because we had hours to solve it, it was more of an inconvenience rather than a challenge, especially since I've been spending a lot of time playing sudoku online (Linda, if you're reading this, I'm glad to say that all those time spent online wasn't a waste after all!).
In my opinion, the Hospis 2008 was a very leisurely hunt, with plenty of time in between sectors. But it was not without some interesting episodes of heated debates in the car due to some interesting clues which I shall discuss in detail later. I felt comfortable enough around those masters and was therefore able to join in those debates too! I found it amusing that GM Margaret, perhaps due to her unending pursuance of precision, was somewhat "paranoid". She seemed worried over even the smallest and seemingly irrelevant things. But don't get me wrong, I don't mean it in a negative way; I am like that too! Whenever I hunt with my own team, I am the "paranoid" one!
We managed to end the hunt a good 20 minutes before the allocated time. The finish station for the hunt was somewhere near Tambun. When we arrived there, we were happy to find that no other regular teams have arrived. After the submission, we drove on to a little seafood restaurant and had lunch around 3pm.
After lunch, we proceeded on to Penang. That night, we had a buffet dinner at a makeshift tent by the seaside where our charitable hunt went one step further by feeding the mosquitoes there. I was seated next to Master Teck Koon who turned out to be one of the most pessimistic masters there that night. He kept telling me that they didn't do too well—that they dropped this question and that question; this wrong and that wrong. Finally, when it came to the prize presentation, 15 teams were eligible for prizes. As we got closer to the top prizes, Master Teck Koon kept saying that they're up next. Then we got to 5th position, and he was so sure that they're up. Yet it was another team. Then when it was 3rd position, he even stood up to get ready to go up to the stage. Yet, it wasn't his team. Well, in the end, Teck Koon and his team got second! Master Teck Koon, have faith in yourself!
A pleasant surprise for my debut hunt in the Hospis; we won the hunt with a perfect score of 100 points. But the scoreline doesn't give a true picture of the struggle—it required the combination of skill, luck and an efficient time management. As I said, we had some heated debates in the car. All in all, a very rewarding experience. I hope to be able to do another Hospis in the future.
37 comments:
Dear Cornelius
I prefer to put a face to a name. And since there is a photoshot of your team being the Winner in the recent Hospis Treasure Hunt, my wild guess of you would be the one wearing the green T-shirt. I hope so ... ha ha.
Which brings me a funny thought of the other day when I was attending a Charity function. The MCs for the night were Simon and Caroline of the Breakfast Show. I had a really good laugh when I saw them. I imagined that the tone of a person could actually depict a person's skin colour. But how wrong I were. I thought Simon was the fair skin type and Caroline was the darker skin.And it turned out to be completely the opposite. So never judge a person by the voice. Can be very misleading.
Oops! Thank you for reminding me. I think you meant put a name to a face.
I meant to insert the names immediately after I uploaded the picture, but I didn't know what's the name of the official who gave away the prize. I thought of asking others for his name so that I could insert all the names together.
Meanwhile I guess I was too excited to post my comments and analysis on the questions. I received quite some emails from my fans who couldn't wait for my analysis. I rushed with those analysis, so much so that I have totally forgotten all about the names of those in the picture.
Unfortunately, I still don't know the name of the official up to now. I would gladly insert his name here if someone would be kind enough to let me know.
By the way, I hope I'm not very far from what you imagined. If only I were more handsome, I would have included many more pictures of myself here. I'm still working on learning the Adobe photoshop so that I can somehow merge a picture of my face of say 20 years younger on the body of The Terminator. Perhaps that should help me attract some women fans?... hehehe.
Is there a difference between putting a face to a name and putting a name to a face? English grammar or what?
I was there but I didn't catch his name either.
Nah... to a lot of people, there is no difference. But if you are cursed with this silly inclination to want everything to be perfect like me, there is a difference.
The logic is that in this particular case, the picture was already there, but without any names to identify those persons in the picture. Therefore, logically speaking, we had the faces, but not the names. It followed that we required the names to put to those faces, not the other way round. It's just a small detail that would make some difference to ME. But others are not really bothered with petty things like that. They will understand it, that's good enough for them!
Me too i.e. I've an eye for details. Also want to know what's the logic behind everything.
So, will you be joining the Kiwanis Hunt and be in the same team?
I was wondering if all the masters and grandmasters have their regular teams, surely they will not invite any newbies to join their teams; if so happen that one of their regulars cannot make it. Then I as a novice will not be able to learn from the masters and grandmasters (sigh).
Yes, I will be there for the Kiwanis. And no, this time I won't be joining a full "master" team. Our team this time will comprise ONE master—and a very strong one too—and 3 of us apprentices.
I have been lucky to have been given the opportunities to hunt with master teams when I hunted in KL the last few times. It's been amazing to see how they work together to achieve a common goal.
Whenever I hunt here in KK with my own team members, I always have the heavy responsibility to "carry" the other 3 members. But when I hunted with the masters, it's so much easier because they're generally well-oiled machines and could run on their own! If there's any carrying to do, it's more likely that they will carry me rather than the other way round. It's good to have something different for a change!
However, that is not to say that I will only hunt with the masters. If I can make it, I will hunt with any team, masters or otherwise. But of course if I have a choice, I'd like to hunt with people who I know, not total strangers.
The prize presenter is Mr Mok, a Council Member of Hospis Malaysia.
Perhaps, I will ask Margaret to include me for the next Hunt. Like you say, I would not want to be in a team of strangers.
Thanks for the name, i.e. Mr Mok. Now the picture is complete!
If Team Hunters "R" Us is short of a member, I don't see why not try to secure a ride. It will be a very exciting learning experience too. So far I've hunted 3 times with them. They were generous to share their knowledge with me. I am sure you can learn a lot from them too.
For the Kiwanis, I will have an opportunity to hunt with other friends. I am sure it will be equally exciting, eventhough 3 of us are mere apprentices. We are hoping for a modest top 20 placing. If we can achieve it, it will be a good beginning. If not, then we will just have to improve for the next one. Either way, I know we will have a lot of fun!
Dear Cornelius
I would have asked Margaret many questions about Treasure hunting except that she doesn't have a blogsite like you.
I was lucky to have met this couple at breakfast time during the Hospis Hunt. It was the longest breakfast I've ever taken. There were many questions asked. Now I realized that all the assumptions and notions that I've made earlier are all not realistic at all.
So, I find it's beneficial and enlightening to chat and share with other hunters.
My 1st Hunt, last year, was an obligation. I went in blindly, thinking it was just a fun outing, not prepared for the many kinds of questions posed. Still scratching my head ... But something nice came out of it ha ha. I had many photos taken during the Kiwanis Hunt to Malacca. You see, my driver is also a professional photographer. When he's not driving, he would go clicking on his kind of sophisticated gadget. Not a bad idea huh? I mean having a photographer on board.
It's a very rewarding experience to ride with the masters and grandmasters. Of course you can ask for tips etc about treasure hunting in general, but to me there is not much you can learn about cracking clues etc—you can learn that by analysing past questions etc. What I've learned from riding with th pros is on other equally important aspects (which are frequently neglected) such as teamwork, time management and efficient use of resources.
In order to win, the team members work together to combine their strength, and it is amazing how well they can do that.
Each team member has his or her strengths and weaknesses. The question is how to combine those to produce the best outcome.
Margaret, for example has an eye for details. I can connect with her because I am very much like that too. I would smile from the back seat looking at her considering all those minor details. Whenever I hunt with my own team, I am the one who would do that.
Chai has got an eye for combining driving, navigation as well as spotting answers. I'd say his observation skill is just amazing. Many hunters can't peform well if they're the drivers, but Chai can do it naturally. He is also a very disciplined time keeper. He manages time well.
Vincent is very creative and always willing to consider almost any suggestions, however remote they are.
On top of that they're all very good in cracking clues too. When you combine all these qualities, you'd be amazed at what they can achieve.
The same is true with the other master team that I've joined. For example, Dr Ben is close to a walking dictionary. Johan is almost similar like Chai. In the well-established teams, there is no separate roles for driver and navigator. The driver is the navigator too, thus freeing the other team members for the task of solving the clues.
In my opinion teamwork is equally important, if not more important than, the individual abilities of the respective hunters. If you can coordinate well, you will become a strong team.
Dear Cornelius
Wow! That's what the Winning Team is made up of. How do you actually arrive at forming a team made up of, say 4 persons?
Having said that, I was thinking to myself. IF one of these days, I get to ride with the Masters and Grandmasters, what can I contribute? You see, to be very frank, I would be more stressed and freaked out because KK Chai would be multitasking what I can at least do for the part of navigation and time-keeping. Cracking clues? For the time being, I would best leave it to Margaret and others.
Took your hints to brush up on crytic crosswords and Sudoku.
Ummm... that is a difficult question, my friend. I have not researched into the exact formula of "how to form a winning treasure hunt team"
I can only guess that a lot of the times, you'll have to do it by trial and error. Not all strong hunters can team up with each other I guess. People have different temperaments. Some have no patience—they get frustrated very easily; and they're unable to hide their frustration too. Some are not so serious and have "contented" attitude.
I suppose some times you'll have to take a while to find the ideal team members; people you can get along with; people with wide-ranging knowledge and abilities. And the more you hunt with each other, the more you know each others' characteristics. May I repeat, this is a team event!
About sudoku, don't worry too much about it. It just so happened that I enjoy puzzles, and I enjoy sudoku too. Sometimes these things require a bit of luck. For example if there is a challenge where the hunters are required to solve the Rubik's cube, then I would be able to contribute to the team. The thing just happens to intrigue me; I learned it and am able to solve it.
But on the other hand, for example, in the upcoming Kiwanis, I've been told that there're the so-called crack-a-pot, which are essentially cryptograms. I know nothing about cryptograms, so I doubt that I will be able to contribute to the team. But I'm sure as hell gonna try to!
If I am in the master team, I don't mind a new hunter riding along. But he must contribute something one way or another, even if in a small way. Don't expect a free ride. We're paying good money; this is a competition! That one small thing which you can contribute might deliver the killer blow against the other teams. Your contributions, however small, can make or break the team!
How about the preparations for a Hunt, let's say the coming Kiwanis Hunt? Or is it the same for any other Hunts?
Come Briefing Day on 18 May, definitely it's advantageous, beneficial and knowledgeable for relatively new hunters and not-so-new-but-not-yet-master hunters to familarize themselves with the format and what-nots.
It's also registration and collection day for all teams even though the majority will not turn up as a full team. I'll make sure mine does because I wouldn't want to repeat the briefing another day.
Before I forget, my friend, someone pointed out to me that anonymous reader can still remain anonymous, but at least use a nickname. That way, it's easier to respond to your comments. That's a good point!
GM Vincent, in spite of his primary school standard in Malay language, had a good phrase; he said, "Garam counts!"
The Malays have a saying that when you're older and wiser, you have eaten more salt (Garam), meaning you are more experienced.
2R1I also supported Vincent's thought, saying that it pays to know the styles of the respective CoCs (or something to that effect); and he doesn't always agree to my style too... hahaha! Therefore, if you are not really familiar with the CoC, it pays to make sure that you attend the briefing. But in my opinion, it is much better if you can get hold of some of the past questions by that CoC. You'll get to learn a whole lot more from those!
And yes, I always try my best to attend the hunt briefing even if I've attended past briefings by the same CoC. You will never know what you might learn during the briefing!
Hi Corny (BTW someone who gave you this nickname must have a great sense of humour)
I meant to put in a pseudonym. But somehow, being not IT savvy, miss the part and took the easiest way. Thereafter just let it be until someone like you toe a line and I have to learn how to get it done. Which is good. Hmmm ... there's always so much to learn from everything, even until our last breathe.
Thought you would not attend the briefing since you are a KK local. I've been to KK once. For a very holy mission. Went up to one of the hillside retreats to do Vipasana meditation. Every morning I get to see the tip of Mount Kinabalu very clearly. But all too soon the clouds will cover up the whole mountain. That trip will be another story.
Well done, SWEETS! You finally have a nickname!
Ummm... perhaps you've misunderstood me. I'm not gonna be able to make the Kiwanis briefing.
2R1I in another blog last year, suggested that I should fly over and stay in KL for the entire month so that I could join several hunts. Maybe in about 15 yrs from now, I might be able to do that when I'm a retired man. Right now, there are bills to be paid each month. If I have a formula to win every single hunt in the whole of Malaysia, I might consider being a full-time hunter! But right now, there is just no way the winnings from treasure hunts can outdo what I earn in my fulltime job!... hahaha!
Regarding Mt Kinabalu, so many people have died up there because they underestimated the danger of the fog. There is a time window to descend from the summit. If you missed that window, you will be in danger of getting trapped in the fog. Visibility will be down substantially and you might end up losing your way. Up there, if you lose your way, you're as good as dead! It's just huge barren rock, and you WILL die in the cold. Always that same story; people die the same way. Many died because of the cold. Others died because they tried to find their way in the fog, and apparently fell to their death. People just never learn!
Dear Cornelius
Now I recalled that the Vipasana Retreat was located at Kundasang. It's a moderately cool place where a light jacket would suffice before nightfall and the early hours. But that's the weather around mid-year. I guess the place will be much more cooler by end of the year.
To conquer Mt Kinabalu, if only people can follow simple rules, like Rule 1 : Follow the Guide, then tragedy or any unforseen mishaps can be avoided. Usually when a tragedy happens, it is much publicized. But you don't get to read much about the many hundreds of adventurers who have succeeded. I have a handful of friends who have already achieved this triumph but not without at least 3 months of intensive physical and mental training. It's no picnic affair.
The CoCs for this 25th Kiwanis Treasure Hunt is called the Silver Dream Team. Would you know who are the guys behind this team? Where can I get their past years' questions? Hey! I'm dead serious about getting prepared for my 3rd Hunt thus far ...
Cornelius - not a common name. I would imagine the name would be derived from the Bible. Or a character from the great fables like Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter series ha ha.
Sweets,
We've come a long way from Hospis, to Kiwanis, to longest ever breakfast, to hunt preparation, to Mt Kinabalu, then back to Kiwanis Silver Dream, and Lords of the Rings, and Harry Potter!... HAHAHA! Perhaps we should start communicating through emails, huh? We seem to have a hell lot to talk about!... HAHAHA!
I only know that GM Chong Foo Seong is at least one of those people involved in setting the questions. He said so when I met him during the MAH Hunt last year. It was during a lunch break. His team went on to win that hunt. Anyway, he is the main reason I'm joining the Kiwanis this time.
Regarding my name, I am not sure where it originated from. I fancy that my mom said it was chosen by a priest. I think it had something to do with some sort of Christian holyman, or was it a saint? I believe it had something to do with the month I was born, i.e. July.
But I wouldn't rely too much on information obtained from my mom. She is the worst person I know when it comes to details. She's migrated to Vancouver for almost 30 years now, yet she still can't speak English well. In 1994, when I visited her, I was shocked when she said she's "homo". But we continued our conversation for a while, and in the end I was able to figure out that she was trying to tell me something about menopause.
By the way, Sweets, you came all the way to Kundasang to meditate? That's some meditation! So did you get whatever it was you're pursuing through meditation then?
Dear Cornelius
Ha ha I have a weird train of thoughts, one thing leading to another.
If you surf the net on Vipasana meditation, you will be able to know almost everything about it. Knowing is one matter, to experience it, is something you will not be able to fathom unless you are present there.
The shortest stay at this retreat is 6N/7D. If you are a serious blogger, you will not be able to survive this part of the world. All forms of communication will be prohibited to ensure full concentration, i.e. you have to learn to be disciplined and abide by the regulations at the retreat. No mobiles, no TV, no reading materials, no chatting, no discussions, no laptops etc. Why indeed? Well ... to teach you mindfulness, which is to be mindful of what you are doing one thing at a time.
To cut the long story short, it's a tremendous dose of recuperation process for me. However, I do have second thoughts if invited again. It's because there are just too much activities going on presently.
Another fact I've learnt is that Buddhism is not a religion. It is the teachings of the Buddha. You'll get a lot of good karmas if you do a lot of good deeds in whatever forms.
Cornelius, Sunday is Mother's Day. Since you mention your Mum, also 1994and Vancouver, I don't know what to assume. I hate to guess anyway.
Sweets,
To be quite honest, a fair number of people have spoken to me about the benefits of meditations. I have also had some conversations with my brother-in-law who practises Buddhism. At numerous other times, I've received many, many invitations from my Christian friends to attend their congregations; not to mention the invitations from my Muslim friends and relatives (more than half of my family members and relatives are Muslims). But I turned them all down, because I know I won't ever bring myself to practise any of them. And even if I did, I'd be pretending!
The thing about many religions is that you are forced to follow their ways in order to reach God. Being a good person and doing good deeds are just not good enough. You won't be able to go to heaven if you're not in the "club", even if you've been a good person. You must worship a conceited being. That is the most important requirement. No amount of good deeds will help you if this important requirement hasn't been satisfied.
I try to be good to others. I do a bit of charity if I can afford it. I am not perfect—far from it! For as long as I can do a bit of good to others, I am happy. And God should be happy too.
I shall take my chances; if God is indeed a loving being and knows all, then I'm sure he will know how to judge who's good and who's not. And if in spite of all my efforts to be a good person, I am still punished for not being in the "club", then I hope the punishment will be swift. Get it over with as quickly as possible, please.
Regarding my mom, what is it that "you don't know what to assume"? I hardly ever celebrate Mother's Day. I grew up without a mother anyway (and a father for that matter). Mother's/Father's Days mean hardly anything to me. If anything, they only remind me of how much love I've been deprived of when I was a boy. I'm all over and done with with that ugly chapter of my life. I just hope that I won't give JJ the same rotten deal that I got from my parents.
Hehehe... makes me sound so cruel, huh? Well, sometimes the truth doesn't sound so pleasant. That's life.
By the way, Sweets, this must be the thread that has attracted the most number of comments, thanks to you. Unfortunately, the comments have gone so far off the main topic! I should install some sort of chatbox on my sidebar. I saw something like that in other blogs. But I'd probably take another year before I am able to figure out how to do it... HAHAHA!
Dear Cornelius
I do apologize for having sidetracked so much but I wanted to add other "flavours" along the way. Between the Hospis and the next Kiwanis Hunt, we can talk about anything under the sun. Just follow the train of thoughts ... Ultimately, I would still return to your forte of Hunt Analysis.
The reason why I like to stay on this thread is because there is a photo attached. I don't konw whether there are any other photos in your whole blog. That photo initiated my response and that's how I started here. "Many comments in this thread", do you mean between you and me? I don't see others.
Someone's daughter once told me our looks is the combination of both our parents. There's no neccessity to correct cosmetically. Of course others beg to differ for their own reasons. Like Michael Jackson, the most prominent makeover person, he would have forgotten his "roots".
Perhaps, if you can be more forgiving in your heart, it will soften your expressions.
Happy Mother's Day to Euphemia.
An early Happy Father's Day to You.
Sweets,
My forte is hunt analysis, huh?... hehehe. I wonder why people are so engrossed in my analysis, yet would not share their opinions. Only some would care to indulge in some discussions, whereas the rest preferred to watch from the sidelines. In each of my many hunt analysis, I'm sure many people had a lot to say, but refrained from doing so.
Well, I am sure there will be more analysis coming after the Kiwanis Hunt later this month. And then after my own KK Challenge 4 at the end of June. Sometimes, I just wish that there is a source where I can get the questions and answers of KL hunts, so that I can study those too!
You'd be surprised, you can learn a lot you know! You can learn as a hunter as well as learn as a CoC.
Regarding photos, I've included some other photos elsewhere in this blog. In fact I've inserted some photos during the MAH Hunt last year. And more recently still, I've also included Jay's handsome photo too.
Soften my expressions... hmmm... I must look into that. A lot of the times, I will be direct. Of course many people may interpret that as being rude. I suppose I can't please everybody. But I will try to be "nice". Fair enough?
Dear Cornelius
In this blog, I can only relate to that one photo taken at the Hospis Hunt. It has some reminiscent of my presence there. I enjoy telling friends of this occassion. Especialy the guy standing on the extreme right, well ...he's a blogger. His name is ...
Being direct, I am like that too. It reminds me of one time where I was asking this guy "Are you still with Jane Doe?" His face turned red. I guess I have been indiscreet rather than being rude. But I thought we're adults and you can just replied yes or no. Anyway, I'll learn to rephrase the question the next time.
It's been unusually warm this past week. Makes you want to scramble for any shades in sight. Did it affect your route-charting yesterday? I don't know about KK but I do know about Sandakan. If you are the fair type, then you are definitely not the local people there.
Dear Cornelius
I'm curious to know about the KK Challenge 4. Are you the CoC? Is it a closed Hunt? Are the teams made up of the local people there, with perhaps a handful of non-locals? The cars used must be local as well ...who would think of transporting an outstation vehicle anyway?
Nah... didn't get very much done yesterday. Was raining most of the time. And we had a lot of rain today too. In fact it is raining now!
But I did go around and picked some boards for my intended answers. Been spending some time trying very hard to make some of those questions easier... HAHAHA!
I suppose you can call it paranoia. There is that "fear" that many teams will get full score, you see. But on the other hand, we need to include some easy questions so that the new hunters won't feel totally lost during the hunt. The trick is that we want them to have some idea but not quite enough to actually solve the questions. Of course we will give them some easier-to-crack ones to keep the spirit up! Once they're able to solve some, they will be encouraged to try the rest.
However, somewhere between those easier questions there will be the killer ones—the ones which even the masters will have to work really hard to crack. And finally, there will be one or two which are "reserved only for the CoC".
Sweets,
I will assume that you've read that thread on KK Challenge 4; in which case you were not paying attention! Of course I'm gonna be the CoC, i.e. I set the questions etc. Why else would I go around trying to chart the hunt route?
It is open to all. But most of the hunters are from KK. Some crazy hunters from KL, and at least one crazy hunter from Sandakan. I didn't bother to ask where they get their transportation from. If anyone is gonna drive their car from outstation, only CK would do that. But I don't think he'd drive his own car all the way from Sandakan anyway. Perhaps his friend, Teo would use his car. (Teo, if you are reading this, please correct me if I am wrong.)
Hi there Sweets,
I know who you are, so this is a hint that you should also know who I am. I can see that you are already a big fan of Corny's blog. Since you are anonymous here, I would not want to reveal your identity here. I was thinking.... since we will all be meeting up at Kiwanis really soon, may I have the honour of introducing the both of you. I bet Corny have been very curious to know who you really are, and that will be a BIG surprise for him!
A friend of SWEETS'
Ah! So you guys will be there too, huh? I don't see why not!? It will be fun meeting new friends. I'm afraid I don't know many hunters in the west. Sorry for my ignorance. But I know one thing for certain—no one is gonna be able to convince me to spend a whole week on meditation!
Kiwanis Hunt is very close now. Excitement mounting! Watch out for Team no. 51, we're gonna try to get within top 20!... hehehe.
Dear Cornelius
I meant whether you are THE CoC. The only One whose charting the Hunt route, setting the questions, taking the photographs, giving the briefing etc. No backup, no team like the Kiwanis Silver Dream Team? Perhaps, it's unofficial and on a much smaller scale. Wow!
I've always wanted to find out after reading your "Bargain or not to Bargain". All men who do some form of food marketing, whether in the wet market or the supermarts, will definitely know how to cook. Yes, you are qualified to answer my assumptions. Do you?
To my dear Friend
If Cornelius knows who I am, I don't think I will have any more fun chatting in this thread.
In that case, Cornelius, why don't we chat further through our emails? That is after we have been formally introduced.
Just kidding!
To my dear Friend
Let's not tease Cornelius. He's not commenting. So, I'm not commenting too.
I'll excuse him because he's working very hard on the KK Challenge 4. Take your time, Cornelius.
Oops! sorry about that. I try my best to respond to my readers, for as long as I can cope. But sometimes I'm bound to overlook here and there.
I didn't do very much last weekend. We've had some rains and strong winds. I went to some areas and managed to gather some possible answers. But a lot more to be done. The real work is only on some of those questions. The rest are mainly there to complete the number of questions. The 30% tough ones require a bit of imagination and creativity; as well as including the elements of psychology.
And yes, I do practically everything whenever I do a hunt, i.e. chart the route, set the questions, preparation of tulips, briefing and final presentations. After I've done everything, then I let my team members go for a "test-drive". If they can get around 60%-70% of the total score, then that should be about right.
Whenever I set questions, I'd normally try to allocate about 30% tough ones. It means that most average teams should be able to achieve 60%-70% of the total score. The real fight for the top positions will depend on how well they do to get the remaining 30% of the score.
Dear Cornelius
And fellow Hunters who did not attend this morning's briefing for the Kiwanis Hunt ...
Just to share an unwritten piece of advice from Chong Foo Seong. He did emphasize that since the Finish Control is in Sitiawan, it is advisable to enter Sitiawan at least one and the half hour before the end of the Hunt which shall take 8 hrs and 30 mins. The reasons he gave were the ongoing roadworks, numerous one-way streets and several questions for last few sectors.
Other than that, everything will be as stated in the Briefing notes.
Prizes will be awarded for top 25 placings out of 100 teams. Also some novelty prizes. I hope to get one of them.
sweets,
Thanks for sharing. I'm sure we're all getting very excited as we draw closer to the day of the hunt, especially for me who's a Kiwanis virgin!... hehehe. Well, I did hunt the Kiwanis here in KK 2 yrs ago, but nothing like what I'll be going through this time!
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