Akiby and MAF and Korea

So once again we got champion for SP Chess Challenge.

Or is it called SP Open now? Or Battle of the Wits? Whatever.

Our team won most of the rounds without any problems. Except the round against SP Team A. If Xiaojuhua had lost that game the result would be hard to say.

This competition was also a good chance for me to test out my new toy, the Akiby.

It's the EOS 7d which I bought in Japan long ago. I bought it in Akihabara, that's why I call it Akiby.

It's much harder to use than the previous one. The controls are almost the same, but the settings can vary a lot, hence it's hard to manipulate.

So far I'm still using the AV mode a lot.

I need to learn how to start using the manual mode.

I need to learn how to evaluate the correct settings in different situations by my eyes.

And also, how to compose better.

My friend told me post-editting is very important. But I think it's something which is very hard to learn.

I guess I'll touch on it when I have the time.

Yesterday was Mid-Autumn Festival.

I almost forgot about it until Lin Xi told me on Saturday that they were going HwaChong for MAF.

Had dinner with my parents yesterday at home.

MAF reminds me of friends.

It also reminded me something I seemed to have forgotten.

Perhaps I've been too engrossed in my own stuff.

Last time I used to organise gatherings a lot, but ever since the last holiday, not much.

This is quite a sad thing... Maybe I should've used this MAF to organise a small gathering.

Nowadays I'm losing motivation and determination to do stuff.

It's like I'm... tired.

But nobody cares... Life still carries on.

And I still have to fulfill my duties.

To study.

So, in the end, I still decided to go for the tournament in Korea.

Yes, I will miss school.

But I think it's a rare chance.

What if I don't get selected next year?

What if they don't hold it next year?

It's also a good opportunity for me to gain more experience.

What I need now is more experience.

That's what I lack most.

That's why I'm still weak in many areas.

I lack playing serious games.

Therefore, I chose to go.

Of course, I need to be prepared to face the consequences.

Which is much less time to study.

I suddenly realised I have 3 CAs coming up next week.

This week there are also many activities.

I need to start studying right away.

NOW.

SAF and Tickets and Form

Not much studying was done this week.

I was quite frustrated over many things.

One being receiving a letter from the SAF, asking me to report to NSCC for a charge.

Because I didn't clear my IPPT/RT in time.

Huh??

Ok, I don't even want to talk about this anymore. This is so ridiculous.

Luckily, I managed to contact my unit about this, and this kind lady said she will get them to withdraw the charge, and I won't need to report anymore.

And also the good thing is I would not need to do RT anymore. I just need to complete my IPPT before my next birthday.

Another thing is about air tickets.

Air tickets to Japan, air tickets to Korea, air tickets to Thailand...

So many air tickets to worry about...

Especially the one to Thailand and to Korea. Because Thai U-Go and KPMC are just after one another, this is the first time I'm travelling from a foreign country to another foreign country, so I'm not sure what it would be like.

Should I get 3 one way air ticket, or should I get 2 round trip tickets?

And just today I received a email saying that I can join another competition after the KPMC.

It's also held in Korea, and there is prize money involved.

Should I go for it?

If I go, I'll be missing whole 2 weeks of lesson...

Is it worth it?

But then, I'm already gone for 10 days, so another 3 days doesn't matter much...?

I guess I'll discuss this with Mikyung tomorrow.

She will most probably ask me to go though.

Third thing is my off-form-ness.

I still think I'm off-form.

Even though I beat Wei Ran and Xiaojuhua to get selected for the Thai U-Go, my game against Li Chao was very bad.

I didn't have any clear chance from the start.

Just played another tourney game against him today. It was also very bad.

I was leading at middle game, but at one point I played a gote move, and he managed to get more than 20 points in the centre because of that.

I still had time... Why didn't I think properly?

That's the bad thing about thinking ahead... If you already have the move in mind, you tend to play it and not rethink about it.

If I didn't think about it, I would definitely not play there and end up gote.

Haiz... So in the end it's still my own problem.

And the byo-yomi problem. I'm still very weak at byo-yomi.

The Thai U-Go, and the KPMC are all 30 seconds byo yomi.

I must try to do something before that.

One person on KGS actually gave me some advice. He said I should get enough sleep and exercise. Only then will my brain function well.

Yes, of course I agree. But it's just difficult for me to sleep at night... All these years of not sleeping early has made it almost impossible...

But then, that's not an excuse!

Working hard always come with sacrifice.

And I definitely think I should sacrifice some of my playing time.

Only by putting 100% effort, can the impossible be achieved.

Yes, I will do it!

Anybody wondered why studies is not in my list of things to worry about?

Well, I'm also wondering about that.

Library

Instead of staying at home, I decided to go to library to mug today.

The result? I wouldn't say it's much more effective. Only slightly better than at home.

Why? Because I don't have my annoying laptop beside me, which is my main distraction.

My iPhy is also good enough to be a distraction, but it is not as strong as my Asy.

I can look at my Asy all day if I'm at home, but if I'm in the library, I would be slightly motivated to study and stop looking at my iPhy eventually.

That's the slight difference.

I really miss the days I spent in Beijing.

Those days were so carefree. Playing Go and other stuff everyday.

But holidays don't last forever. And they have already ended 4 weeks ago.

Reality is harsh. But you have to face it.

A cup of coffee really works. It drove most of the laziness away and brought me some determination.

I hope this determination will grow, and last me through the semester.

And I will visit the library more often now.

You know what? It closes at 9.30 pm!

Today's Tsumego:

White to kill.

What's the best white can get?