Pink Dot

First and foremost, I'm sick right now, with a temperature running at 37.9°C and I have a plastic bag filled with tissue soaked in my mucus and therefore, forgive me if I write in glibberish because I can't really think straight (Wait! No pun intended!!). I almost spelled "think" as "thick" just now so it means something...

Anyway, last Saturday, I went to Pink Dot at Hong Lim Park!!

This is my first time heading down to Hong Lim Park and it's actually the Speaker's Corner as well. In case you don't know, the Speaker's Corner in Singapore is the only legal place to gather a huge crowd to wreak havoc, if you get what I mean. But you if you were to make comments, think through it thoroughly first because you know in Singapore, the wrong things might get you into trouble even though they are true, if you get what I mean again.

The Pink Dot event is a public event for Singaporeans and PRs (though foreigners were welcomed as well~) to stand up against discrimination against the LGBT community in conservative Singapore. Yes~ In this developed country, the old men and old women still think like, well, old morons and old hags. It's probably Singapore's only LGBT event yearly (correct me if I'm wrong) so I couldn't miss it since I'm such a human rights activist! Or so I self proclaim~

Surprisingly, the turn out was quite awesome! The entire park, or field, was covered in people wearing pink, holding pink balloons and picnicking away~ It made the humid and hot day worth the trouble because you see so many people supporting this meaningful event.

Unfortunately though, there was hardly anything to do down there because the stage was so far away so I couldn't watch what the hell was happening so I snapped lots of random shots throughout the day. They should set up a few stages around so that everyone feels involved because I didn't that day. But at least there were people giving free hugs but no thanks~ I don't like being touched...

This group of pink men brought a stool filled with sweets on top for their picnic! I was quite glad that there were older people participating in this event that I thought only young people like myself would give a damn. :) Shows that the nation is really growing more open~

There were obviously celebrities at the scene and this is just one of them that I managed to photograph - Abigail~ Did I get her name correct? Anyway, she represents the T of LGBT and she is fiercely strutting her stuff in her pink dress with what-are-those-pink-sparkling-things. I still remember watching her documentary on TV and her courage is embrace who she is is amazing~

And obviously, lots of people wants a piece of her.

Slight whiny photo - I wore my white shorts to the event and got my shorts stained in mud because I knelt on the ground for some photos. :(

And yes, before you think that I went emo that day and went alone, I didn't - Raven and Chenelle accompanied us there~

While the rest of the world were having their scrumptious picnic, we had Tako balls!! Courtesy of Chua Ying Ying! She specially dropped by Plaza Singapura just to get these for us. So kind~

Raven enjoying her tako balls but before that...

Remember to disinfect your hands with Dettol's disinfectant! Made her pose with the photo because she's been offering me the disinfectant to see if it helps to remove the mud off my shorts but sadly, it didn't. But oh well~ It's handy to have that in your bag, no?

A random shot of some guy with Post It stuck all over himself. Wonder what they say though...~ :P Yes, I'm that kaypo!! :P

Did you know that Pink Dot is mainly sponsored by Google, my best friend? :D Because Google is always the one generating traffic for this blog - as well as Lady Gaga because people are forever searching Her Highness. It's good to know that an international company is sponsoring an event like this~ :)

Chenelle posing with her Puma shoes with pink laces. 

Anyway, the key highlight of the event is for every Singaporean who was wearing pink to form a gigantic dot in the middle of the field and an aerial photo will be taken. If I'm not mistaken, this is one of the camera that were used but I could be wrong because apparently, the crowd was instructed to face somewhere else instead of the balloons.

Finally~ The main event of the day that actually involves me not standing in my own corner taking paparazzi photos of other people - the formation of the dot! See the flags in the distance? The Dim Sum Dollies, Singapore's own musical divas, stood on that stage to get people to surround them to form the huge dot. Everyone moved towards the stage and it was really crowded and squeezy but nevertheless, fun~

While the rest were gathering to form the dot, Raven went to the free drinks station to get this plastic glass of punch. Tastes okay but the glass' yours to keep! So sweet of them! And it's no coincidence that the drink is pink. :)

And DGDD peeps! Look who walked into my frame when I was about to take a photo of yet another group of random photos - it's David! He was our character design/drawing lecturer when we were in Year 1 and I remember the perverted lessons because they ended on 10pm on Monday nights! Really tiring~ Still remember those long bus rides I had to take from Clementi to get home from his lessons...

And apparently, he's one of the helpers for the event because he was shouting through this megaphone to get everyone to move towards the stage to form the dot. The words on the megaphone reads "Slide Operator" and I have no clue what that means though.

Everyone was instructed to wave at the camera which was relocated on top of some hotel and I took this photo where everyone was waving their pink stuff in the air like crazy~

After the photo was shot, everyone released their pink balloons into the air and my god it was such a sight! The whole sky was filled with pink dots and it was really magnificent. Too bad the sky was overcast that day and a lot of photos didn't turn out as nice. This is about the only one that I thought was slightly more presentable.

If I don't tell you that the dots are balloons, would you know? :)

Last Saturday was the second time I actually got a chance to use my Fujifilm Instax camera but unfortunately, I was only left with 3 frames and so, I took photos of Chenelle and Raven because they were nice enough to invite us to this event. I'm such a marvelous photographer, no? :P

And the last shot was saved for us - with Chua Ying Ying being the photographer! :)

Nearing the end, Raven's friend joined us and I offered to take a group shot of them. Presenting to you the Uniqlo staff!! If you see them in the boutique, be sure to say hi because they are really awesome people!

I didn't realize that the park is so close to Clarke Quay MRT station and to think that we walked from Chinatown MRT station! Wasted!! But at least we managed to burn some calories... This is how the place looks like after the event - apparently, a lot of people were still reluctant to go home and decided to just hang around.

After having dinner at Burger King, we went to the Singapore River to just sit around and chill while eating that $1 ice cream. Good thing I brought my tripod for this night shot.

Took a photo of the scary ride across the Singapore River that left a blue trail behind. I don't think I will ever have the courage to get on top of one of these rides because it's so high and scary!! :S

And another photo of Chenelle and Raven. Honestly, have any one of y'all thought what would happen if someone falls into the Singapore River because you know, so many people like to sit by the river bank and yet, there are no safety barriers no nothing but people aren't afraid? Besides, I had never heard of any cases of people falling into the river as well~

Oh yes!! Before I end, I have to say that this year, Pink Dot attracted more than 10,000 people to the event as compared to the 4,000 last year! Here's the comparison of the "dot".

Source: http://pinkdot.sg

The dot in year 2010... Well at least you can see that it's a dot, right?

Source: http://pinkdot.sg

Woa~lah~~ The "dot" in year 2011!! Well, I wouldn't even call this a dot already. It looks like a huge pink mess but this mess is the prettiest one ever because it shows that Singaporeans are starting to be more open minded with others as well as themselves! Cool, no?

Did you know that I even heard that the location for next year's event might even change simply because this year's turn out was so good? Maybe the Marina Barrage or some other bigger field to accommodate more than 10,000 people! In case you're wondering where I was during that day, I'm hidden by the trees on the bottom left if I'm not mistaken because it was just way too crowded!! :P



Okay~ End of this really pink entry but unfortunately, I can't say the same to my health right now because I'm still having the sniffles and the fever is still haunting me. I hope I can recover by tomorrow then I can start "work" on Monday.

Oh well... Off to shower!! :)

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Monopoly Deal - Why won't people believe me!

DISCLAIMER: Slightly wordy post with lots of my game design experience rampage.

I bet y'all had played this awesome 90% luck-based game called Monopoly Deal by the Parker Brothers, no? Well, if you live in a cave, it looks like this...

Source: Hasbro's Official Website (http://www.hasbro.com)

Some brief information about this game. This game is a quick card game which can be played up to 6 players but honestly, you wouldn't want too many players playing at once because it takes forever to complete the game. And as the name suggests, this is the card game version of the classic board game "Monopoly". So basically, you have to get 3 sets of property cards to win. Something like this...

Source: Also from Hasbro's website - convenience!! (http://www.hasbro.com)

Yeap. That's how you win. Brief introduction shall end here.

The reason why I'm writing this entry is because there are many different ways to play this game apparently and while in camp, I realized that they are playing it from a different way that I play it. Well, fine by me because in board games history, there are lots of players who do not really follow the rules and they play their own "home rules". 

For instance in the traditional Monopoly board game - you do not get anything when you land on the "Free Parking" slot right? But some home rules allow you to put money collected from the community chests, chances, etc at that slot and whoever lands there gets the money! Cool, no? But unfortunately, that's not how the rules stated it to be.

Back to the Deal card game. A lot of people in Singapore are playing by the rule whereby rearranging your property cards during your turn counts as a move. The purpose of this entry is to say boldly 

"REARRANGING your cards during your turn DOES NOT count as a turn!!"

Yes! It only counts as a turn because you are playing it by your home rule! I have no idea who came up with this home rule because it kinda spoils the game (well, at least to me) but every time I try to explain to someone, no one believes me and that frustrates me.

You doubt a game design student?! Such atrocity!

If you still do not believe me, I shall show you evidence like the bitchy bullshit lawyer I am. :)

Firstly of all, let's look at the OFFICIAL rules.

I presume you know the other rules of Monopoly Deal but I want to bring your attention to this part of the rules. By the way, the official rule sheet can be downloaded online and this is where I extracted the rules from.

So, every player is given 3 turns to play with during their turn. They may either put money or action cards as cash in their own bank, place properties into their own collections or play action cards into the center. Or, the players may choose not to play up to 3 cards and save his cards for later.

Now, I want you to read the rules carefully and tell me which part of the rules suggest that rearranging your properties count as a turn. I dare say that none of the writings above states that. In fact, you can infer that it does not count as a turn. Let's examine...

"You can only reorganize your property collection on your turn. If you realize you've won during someone else's turn, you must wait until it's your turn to say it!"

Looking at the language, this line indeed did not state that rearranging your card counts as a turn, yes? And furthermore, recall which 3 actions count as a card being played?

1. Putting action cards / money into your cash pool

2. Putting property cards down into your collection
3. Playing action cards into the center

None of the moves indicate rearranging the card. Therefore, rearranging the cards during your turn does not count as a card being played FROM YOUR HAND. Read this...

"Play up to 3 cards from your hand, onto the table in front of you."

Considering that the property cards has to be on the table for you to rearrange it (duh!!), it technically does not come out from your hand and therefore, it does not count as a card being played. Yes~ It's all in the language - read the rules carefully!!

I can actually end my case here and DECLARE that rearranging your cards during your turn does not count into your 3 cards played but in case you're still skeptical over my ability to interpret simple rules, I have better evidence.

Q - CAN I REARRANGE MY PROPERTY CARDS DURING MY TURN?

A - Yes, you can. But only on your turn. Moving a Property card around between sets does not count as one of the three cards you can lay on each turn.

Extract taken from http://www.hasbro.com/monopoly/en_US/discover/faq.cfm

Hot from the Hasbro Monopoly Deal's FAQ. If you don't believe my interpretation, at least believe what the official source specifically said. Moving a property card during your turn does not count as one of the three cards you lay on each turn and therefore, you can freely shift your cards around as much as you like so long as you have not declared the end of your turn!

I REST MY CASE!! TAKE THAT!!

And to clarify the usage of the "Just Say No" card, the rule also specifically said that it does not count as a card being played no matter whether it's your turn or not. Yes, please download the official rules in case you've misplaced yours and read carefully! That's why the rules are there in the first place. Plus, the rules are pretty short so don't be lazy~

Still not convinced? Then I honestly have no idea how to enlighten you but I shall try to give you my interpretation on why the game can still be played using this official rules. Come on~ The game is designed in this way in the first place so it will definitely work. Many have told me that they played the "rearranging your property counts as a turn" rule because they said that if they are given the chance to freely rearrange their property cards, then the game will be unfair and will end quickly.

First of all, this game is supposed to be a quick game, not the draggy, traditional board game. Plus, why would it be unfair if all the players are doing it as well? If you refuse to rearrange your cards during your turn, then you are losing out!

My logic is that rearranging your cards freely creates another layer of depth to the game and makes the player play their cards to their maximum advantage. For instance, you can have a few wild cards and you can rearrange your properties to get the maximum rent and at the same time, defend yourself against the Deal Breaker card. Cool, no?

Then people will start to say that the Deal Breaker card would be useless. True to a certain extent but do you know that there are only 2 Deal Breaker cards and a few Sly Deal and Forced Deals? According to the rules, if your property set is full, the latter 2 cards are unable to penetrate those sets and therefore, no players can steal your card. But if you are so fearful of the Deal Breaker, collect the "Just Say No" or better still, rearrange your cards to your advantage and risk them being stolen via the Sly Deal and Forced Deals.

My logic= Deal Breaker may be painful when played against you but there are more Sly Deals and Forced Deals so are you willing to take that chance? Plus, if you are really fearful of the Deal Breaker card, you can always place it as cash and make the card obsolete for the rest of the game.

The game ending quickly... Not true! If everyone is smart enough to work the rearrangement of cards to their advantage, the game can be dragged to a pretty healthy/unhealthy (depending on whether you like long or short games) length. With everyone changing their arrangements, other players have to be more wary of their opponents moves and to think + plan more to penetrate their defenses. However, if make rearrangement of your cards count as a turn, the players will not be given a chance to plan their arrangements and therefore, you take away a crucial part of this already-luck-based game - strategy.

And I shall official end my lawsuit and rest my case for real here.

The reason why I'm so frustrated by people insisting that they are playing it correctly is because they misinterpreted the rules and still dare to tell me that they are playing it correctly. Well, another reason is because I'm so used to these rules and I'm unwilling and probably stubborn to adapt to other home rules that I just have to stand up and be a bitch to tell the whole wide world that they are playing it wrong.

But in games, I believe that most importantly, you have to have fun and that's that. You can bend the rules as much as possible since the game designer won't hunt you down and sit on you for not following his design because ultimately, I believe he wants you to have fun. So long as everyone's having fun in the game, no one would really care about how the game is played, yes? :)

Well, probably except me because I'm a free bitch but still...~~

Let's play the game the correct way, okay? :D

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ayumi hamasaki - A 50 SINGLES ~LIVE SELECTION~ + Rock 'n' Roll Circus Tour FINAL ~7 Days Special~

Hello hello! It's been awhile since I've blogged because as y'all know, I've been really, really busy last weekend because of all the things that I had to do. Well, now that Kaka is back in Singapore, I can stop worrying about some stuff and continue to live life as per normal. :D Yes~ I think I'm extremely dependent on her already.

Anyway, it's a Thursday and I'm home tonight! I'm finally passed out as an operator! That means no more throwing me here and there and getting bossed around (well, this may not be true anyway since I'm still technically a man). By the way~ I got a plaque!! Photo's on Facebook because it's irrelevant to today's post.

Well, first up...

ayumi hamasaki - A 50 SINGLES ~LIVE SELECTION~

It's ayumi hamasaki's A 50 SINGLES ~LIVE SELECTION~ DVD!! This DVD set comes with 2 DVDs featuring all her singles performed LIVE during her tours. Well, other than her single "kanariya" which she did not performed live at all throughout her career - weird isn't it? This DVD set is to commemorate the release of her 50th single "L".

All 50 clips of her best live performances of her singles! This DVD was originally released alongside with ayu-mi-x 7 but due to the fact that Japan press DVDs are extremely expensive and that they are not compatible with my PS3, I had to wait until the Code 3 Hong Kong version is out before getting this one. It's so much cheaper and it comes with a free toy (which I will show you later on~)!

Surprisingly, this DVD set comes with a sticker! Love freebies!! But I wonder what this sticker can actually be used for though. Looks like something that you would stick behind your iPhone or something but I guess I will just slot this inside the box for keepsake purpose.

Due to the sheer amount of contents, this collection has to be split into 3 DVDs and here is a close up on some of the tracks. Basically, the songs featured are picked from all her major tours (arena tours, Asia tours, etc) and they are supposedly the best! Can't wait to watch this collection - when I can find the time...

How the inside look like - simple and clean.

The lyric booklet that are colored using the colors of the rainbow. Cool concept but sadly, it's all text and there are no photos at all. A little disappointing because I would love to see ayu pose in some costume or something for this DVD set but oh well~ Better than nothing right?

At least she put her personal touch at the end where she thanks her band members, dancers and (can't you just read from the photo?!) of course, me. :) And yeap~ Isn't her signature adorable!

Okay~ That's all I have for A 50 SINGLES ~LIVE SELECTION~... Now...~~

ayumi hamasaki - Rock 'n' Roll Circus Tour FINAL
~7 Days Special~

Ta da!! Finally, the long awaited tour for her Rock 'n' Roll Circus album. This time, there are definitely more photos than the LIVE SELECTION DVD set so keep your eyes peeled. I've watched segments of the tour on Youtube and I must say, I'm really looking forward to watching this concert because it's so energetic and the stage design is awesome! "Microphone" was extremely well done!!

Well, unlike (miss)understood, My Story, ASIA TOUR 2010, this box is solid and opaque - no plastic, no transparency, no gimmicks. Just plain old cardboard holding the 2 DVD boxes inside. Weird design decision considering that the previous designs are so nice. Furthermore, I disagree a little with the front cover because ayu's background is a little distracting. Anyway, here's the back with the track list at the bottom. At least the logo's nice~

OH NO!! I missed out the photo of the second DVD covers! Oh well, please google it because I believe it's on the internet (somewhere) or wish that one fine day, I might decide to be a little bit more hardworking to go and take a picture of it because right now, I'm half-asleep and therefore, I shall not go back to the light box for more photos. This is how the inside looks like for the second DVD casing - 2 DVDs. One of which consists of the continuation of the first DVD (which is the main show) and the other one contains the special features like the MC segments, making offs and things like that.

And the long awaited lyric booklet has ayu's fierce face on the cover! Wow I've never seen her open her mouth this wide and angry before~ I've watched the opening segment on Youtube before and it was really fiery and fierce! Really brings out the whole mood of the "rock 'n' roll"!

"あなただから～"!! One of my favorite songs by ayu by far - "Microphone"! I can listen to it now and then and never get tired of it because it's so fierce and fantastic! Even the performance is good~ Loving her huge dress and energy on stage~ You should totally get this DVD to watch her perform because it's damn good!!

Some other snapshots of the lyric booklets - here's ayu in an Indian/Egyptian-inspired costume performing INSPIRE and Don't Look Back.

I may like the song "Microphone" but I think that these pages are the best ones in the entire booklet because of the bright and cheerful colors as well as the spontaneous energy from ayu. I'm all about good energies and that's why I'm also a fan of AAA~ Makes me feel like jumping and singing along with them!

And since I got these DVDs from Yesasia, I'm entitled to a free toy and here's the toy for this shipment - another Boo from Mario Bros! Just that this time, it's a really small toy but I like it anyway~ I think I can totally collect all the Mario toys from Yesasia one day.

Well, hopefully for the next few days, I may be able to bring you another entry, provided that I have the time and energy. I shall rest well this weekend to prepare myself for the next phase of my NS life in my new unit. Will probably be stuck there for slightly under a year until I ORD~

Can't wait!! Freedom is nearing~~

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