The Land of Smiles Once Again

It's already Xmas, and it has been more than 1 month since I last updated my blog. Wow, time really flies. It's not that I was lazy... I just didn't have the mood to. (Actually, yeah, I was kind of lazy...) I don't know how many people still read this blog, but I'll still update anyway. I think it's sort of... meaningful(?).

And before that, let me wish everyone a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year.

Let me start with my Thailand trip in December. I just came back this Tuesday morning from the Land of Smiles. Basically I went there for 3 country friendly tournament, but the results were not really satisfactory. This is my second time participating in this tournament if I'm not wrong, and the last time I got champion. And this time, I was aiming to get it again, and I had some sort of confidence. However, I didn't manage to do it... Anyway, here's what happened...

17th December Thursday

The competition started on the 18th, and we went to Bangkok one day earlier. This time it was Singapore airlines, so the flight was much more comfortable. Again it took us 2 hours to get there. Those in the Singapore team include me, Karen, Munyi, Shi Hao, James, Zhixiong, Genial and Hansiong. Mr Poh and Mr Chua came along with us. Actually I wanted to spend the time on the plane to relax, but James and Shi Hao had a very nice Life and Death book, so I spent the time doing questions on the books. 

When we reached Tara Park it was already quite late, but we were not ready to sleep yet. Immediately all the guys went out to the 7-Eleven to buy food and miscellaneous stuff. While myself, being lazy to walk, just stayed inside the room to browse through the database. When they came back, I told Genial that this database is very good, and asked him whether he could give me. He said by right he will need to charge people for the database, but if I got champion for this compy he would give me. I said, why not, I've got nothing to lose. Well, in the end, I failed to meet that requirement...

Anyway, we were still not ready to sleep! After taking a shower, James, Hansiong, me and Genial gathered in James' room to play cards, which were apparently bought in 7-Eleven. At first we were playing Tai Tee (Big 2), but Genial suggested we play bridge. I agreed, but the problem was James and Hansiong didn't know how to play bridge. So we tried to teach them how to play. Shi Hao joined in also, acting as the advisor for James and Hansiong. They were all smart people, and learnt the rules quite fast. (Well, maybe it took them some time...) Very soon the bids were getting higher and higher, with Hansiong bidding until 10 no trump (lol, classic =D). It was a fun night with all of us laughing away. In the end we slept at 2 plus am.

18th December Friday

The competition only starts in the evening, so basically we had nothing much to do during the day. The staff there told us that breakfast is at 7 am, so we all woke up before that and gathered in the hall. However, we waited until around 7.30 am before the staff came out and said breakfast is ready... To think I actually woke up so early. Usually I don't even wake up before noon, you know. But luckily the breakfast was good enough to ease our anger. After breakfast all those who stayed up late the previous night went back to sleep...

Woke up again at around 11 am. All of us including Mr Poh and Mr Chua went to this place called Health Land nearby to get a full body thai massage. Yes, the very same massage that I had the last time I came, just that it was done in a different branch, and that time it was done at night. Maybe because this time I was really tired, and the TV was also not switched on, so I fell alseep. What I didn't expect was not I didn't even realise the massage lady was turning my body over! I didn't feel a thing! When I woke up the lady had left already, and I felt as though I had skipped the whole part. But Shi Hao, who was having the massage beside me, said he saw me flipping over. What a weird experience...

After the massage was shopping time. We went to the Central Plaza nearby and shopped until 4 plus pm. Had lunch at a restaurant which was meant more for Chinese people. There were a lot of interesting dishes there, such as Gyoza Samurai and The Bomb... I tried the Yellow Curry with Rice, and it tasted quite nice. Apparently all the dishes were spicy to some extent, and Munyi couldn't take it. 

For the shopping, I didn't buy anything much except for Luffy's strawhat. Zhixiong bought one also. We are comrades indeed, haha. Suddenly there were 2 Luffy's in the Singapore team. Shi Hao bought 2 shirts, and it was almost time to leave already.

Went back to Tara Part for the opening ceremony. All the usual faces were there, including Ms Vantanee and Mr Shi. Some professors whom I saw during the last competition joined this time as well. And the strongest player from Thailand was undoubtly Mod, or Apidet Jirasophin. If I'm not wrong, he got quite a high ranking in the Asian U-Go Tournament, and I didn't get a chance to play him that time. This time, I would definitely get a chance. But I didn't expect the chance to come so fast... I actually met him in the first round! If it's not fate, then it must have been pre-arranged... I can say that this game will almost decide who will be the champion... I wasn't really mentally prepared... But it's ok, as the next day we will be playing 4 games, so it'll be better to play him while I'm in a good condition. I started our game with that thought in mind. 

The game was progressing quite smoothly, and even though I didn't make the best moves, I was still leading. But maybe because it was too smooth, I always had the thought that I was leading, and when I realised that I may lose it was already too late. This shows my judgement problem, and it was a weakness on my part. In the end I could do nothing to salvage the situation, and watched as the game ended with me losing by 8.5 points. That's a huge loss... I didn't expect to lose by so much... I was too careless in the middle game. The feeling was like my whole purpose of going there was denied...

Well, what's done cannot be undone. Since I lost 1 game, it's almost impossible for me to get champion already. Therefore the rest of the games didn't really matter to me anymore, and I could play with a more relaxed mind. That night I also slept quite late, playing cards, watching James, Zhixiong, Shihao and Suzanne from malaysia play pair go and eating cup noodles. 

19th December Saturday

This day was a busy day. We had to play 4 games and after that there's still closing ceremony. For that day, I wasn't prepared to lose, but I wasn't prepared to win either. (Sounds chim, huh.) It was more of the "anything lah" attitude. I had a hard time for some of the games, but luckily still managed to win all 4. Some of my team mates also did quite well, but on the overall, we still lost to Malaysia and Thailand. Hence in the end Singapore got Group 3rd, Malaysia 2nd and Thailand 1st. What a big difference from the 1st time I joined this comp...

Anyway, this was just a friendly tournament, so the results didn't really matter. What matters is that we had a wonderful time playing Go together, and having a great chance to come to this wonderful place. As for my Go skills, all I need to do is to train more! 

After the closing ceremony there was a teaching game conducted by Mr Shi. From the Singapore team me and James played. Actually I wasn't really serious in this game also, and in the lost by a lot. But it was nice to see other people trying their best to beat the teacher. Once again, that night concluded with us playing bridge.

20th December Sunday

This day is the day we toured around Pattaya. We left Bangkok quite early with all our luggage, and reached the hotel in Pattaya called Zign at around 10 plus am. It was a very beautiful hotel which was just near the sea, and from my room you can get a very nice view of the beach and the sea. The swimming pool was also very beautiful, so beautiful that we even played bridge beside it. I also went to swim together with Shi Hao and Genial, and walked along the beach after that. What a nice way to spend a holiday.

We also went to this place called the Floating Market, where many of the things were sold on boats and the whole place was filled with water. Had traditional chinese dumplings for lunch, and walked around the place. Too bad we didn't get a chance to ride on the boats. At night, we went to a restaurant along the beach to have dinner. The sunset was very beautiful, and having a dinner while hearing the sound of sea waves is so romantic. If I had a girlfriend I would definitely bring her there. The dinner was also very yummy with lots of sea food, some which I never even see before. Poor Zhixiong who couldn't take seafood... Haha.

After dinner we went to watch a show called Tiffany's show. It was performed by "Thai girls", who were... not really girls. I don't think there were any real girls on stage. Nevertheless their beautiful costumes and the elaborate set-ups still earned our applause. After the show James and Shi Hao even went to take photo with 2 of the "girls".

Went back to hotel after that, and once again it was bridge time. It was kind of a waste to sleep, especially when you know that you'll be leaving the next day...

21st December Monday

I wanted to wake up for breakfast. In fact I did wake up at 8 am. However after that I went back to sleep, and when I woke up again it was too late for breakfast already... Both me and Hansiong missed the breakfast, which was hyped to be very very delicious. Indeed, I shouldn't have missed any meal in such a nice hotel...

We played bridge until 11 plus am, before we packed our luggage and checked out of the hotel. We had our lunch at this MK restaurant, and the food was steamboat. Strangely they just used boiling water and didn't put any base inside, but well it was still quite nice. At one moment there was music and the waiters and waitresses started dancing along the music. It was so funny.

Went to shop at this Outlet Mall after that. We were all separated, and I bought a Jeans and 3 shirts. At around 4 plus pm, we proceeded to the air port.

At the air port we bid farewell to Ms Vantanee and Mr Shi. After that we checked in and did our last shopping inside the airport. Actually there was nothing much to buy, because most of the stuff were branded... I only bought some tibits. In the end I was still left with a few thousand bahts...

This time, I could really relax on the flight. I watched a movie called "Accident" because it looked quite good, but in the end it proved to be a lousy show... I could have spent my time watching a better movie. But well, the graphic is not so good anyway.

22nd December Tuesday

Reached Changi Airport at 12.30 am. Back to Singapore.

All and all, this trip was very fun and enjoyable. The food was nice, the people were nice, the accomodation was nice, and the scenary was nice. We also spent many fun nights playing bridge and eating potato chips. The only regret I have is the game... Maybe if I had done better in the first game, our results could have been better. I had disappointed Singapore once again... Hopefully, next time, I will be able to do a better job. And next year, let us clinch the Group Champion!

Amazing U-Go

2009.10.17 Saturday

It was the day that we set off for Bangkok, Thailand. The flight was at 7.30 pm, and I was supposed to reach the air-port by 5.30 pm. I was surprised to see only James and Mile there, because I didn't know that the NYP people had already left for Thailand early in the morning. Seems like they found the air-ticket too expensive, haha. The flight was a bit delayed, and we reached Bangkok at around 9 plus. But the funny thing is that even though the flight to Bangkok takes around 1 hour, the time in Bangkok is also slower by 1 hour, so in the end it will seem like you didn't spend any time flying. Ironic, huh?

Boarded a coach to Tara Park immediately after we left the air-port. The weather was not as cold as I imagined. Guess I shouldn't have brought 2 jackets... After some time, we reached Tara Park, where we would be staying for the night before going to the actual competition venue. I didn't expect they actually prepared dinner for us, cos it was quite late. The last time we went there, I remember, they gave us cup noodles as supper. But this time they gave us yummy dishes! 

They also distributed the booklet for the competition and the shirts that we were supposed to wear for the next 2 days. Haiz, if I had known I wouldn't have brought so many shirts along... The booklet also let us know who our opponents could be... Some were quite... scary...

2009.10.18 Sunday

Today's schedule was full of lectures and "tutorials", which made the day very boring. Well, having a lecture at the resort wasn't such a bad idea, just that maybe the lectures could have been more interesting, haha. Or maybe the team leaders could attend the lectures, while we players go play?

Basically the lectures were about research on Go and it's effects on people. In the afternoon we even had a guy come and teach us how to meditate! It's not impossible though, but a bit hard to achieve in a lecture theatre, isn't it? In the end I think almost everybody fell asleep...

We spent the whole day at the resort. For the lunch and dinner, the environment was ok, but the food... I'm not really sure. I can't really get used to Thai food, even though I came here so many times. While Xie Tang kept complaining that the food sucks and he wasn't able to fill his stomach, haha. For dinner we even had to go to a riverside restaurant despite the fact that it was raining heavily, making everyone drenched when they reached there...

Oh yeah, in the evening every team were supposed to make a presentation on how they came to know about Go and what they feel etc. Singapore team was first, followed by Malaysia, Taipei, and Hong Kong. I don't know why the other teams didn't present, haha. The officials even told us that if we didn't finish they wouldn't send us to the air-port on the last day! Really?

At night we proceeded to our accomodation, which was something like a school hostel. But the rooms were very nice, just like a hotel, except maybe there were too many mosquitoes... The beds were very soft and very comfortable! I was tempted to just lie down and rest, but James went to play a friendly match with the Japanese, and I was also curious to know how well they were, so I went to watch.

2009.10.19 Monday

Finally the competition was going to start. We were going to play 6 rounds swiss rule, 2 rounds per day. It's actually an individual competition, just that your individual scores will contribute to your country's team score, just like Lanke Cup in Singapore. The competition hall was divided into 2 parts, one for the Thai U-Go and one for the Asian Go Tournament. Mile, me and Xie Tang joined the Asian Go, while the other NYP people played the Thai U-Go, against other Thailand universities. 

The opening ceremony included some big shots talking, some performances, and all the country flags going onto the stage. The performances were nice, especially the Hip-Hop dances, and it was also nice to see the head of 7-eleven giving a speech. 

Our first round's opponent was Vietnam players. All 3 of us won. It was a good start, considering that Mile's opponent was 4d, their strongest player. But of course, everybody's attention was on the fierce fight between the China and Korea players, who played against each other in the first round. 

In the end China won by 2-1. I didn't expect the professional player Yang Qian to lose! But well, this shows how strong the Korean players are...

We packed food for lunch, but I don't know why I feel it tastes better than the food we had at the restaurants... Oh well, never mind. In the afternoon we 3 played against players from different countries. Mile played Ho from Hong Kong, I played Tsai from Taipei, while Xie Tang played Yang Qian, the pro 6d from China! Unfortunately Xie Tang lost that game in the end. He said that he wasn't mentally prepared, and played a lot of bad moves, other wise he would have had a chance. I also lost my game, due to making a wrong move during the opening. Mile was the only Singaporean who won both game during the first day! Wow...

During the dinner at the competition hall, there was a muay thai performance. We were very anxious to see the fight, but it only started after about 10 minutes of warm-up, haha. Nevertheless it was still very exciting. Just when the NYP teacher in-charge Mr Wilfred who came with us was complaining that back in NYP the don't even allow food inside the hall, a black dog roamed into the scene and among our tables. Looks like they allow anything to go inside, haha~

I think it was on that night, that we and many others were invited to the Korean players' room to drink Shochu after we got back to our hostel. The alcohol level was like... 40 degrees? But I was still alright after drinking it. Guess I'm getting stronger now, haha. It was a fun night when we introduced ourselves and got to know more about each other. The Koreans also taught as a new way of eating Nong Shim noodles. Open the packet, break the noodles, pour out the sauce, and just eat! Don't even need to cook! We were all amazed by this method, but surprisingly it tasted quite good. There were also magic performances by Yukihiko from Japan and Ho from Hong Kong. They were very professional! I hope to learn from them if I had the chance, haha.

2009.10.20 Tuesday

3rd round of competition. I played Dong from Vietnam, Xie Tang played Peng Bei from Macau, while Mile played Tsai from Taipei. Xie Tang and me won, while Mile had his first loss. There was also a close match of Yukihiko VS Chen Xiao Chen from China. In the end Chen won by a bit. The review with Xie Tang after the match was very funny. Everytime the players were reviewing  game, they would talk about if Xie Tang was around he would be able to kill this group, make this group alive etc. And when Xie Tang really came, they made him prove to them that he can kill a particular group. In the end it became a let's-all-gang-up-against-Xie-Tang instead of a game review anymore. LOL

In the afternoon I played Ding Ding from Taipei, Xie Tang Yukihiko, and Mile Shogo from Japan. I was surprised that my opponents for the 2nd day are from the same country as my opponents for the first day, in the exact same order! And my results were also the same... I lost again... Even though I lost by only a small margin, It still shows that I wasn't up to standard. Xie Tang won by killing off one group, while Mile lost, but he kept saying that he could have won.

Dinner was at this place called Texas Steak House (or something like that?). It was outdoors, so everybody wondered what would happen if it were to suddenly rain. But soon everybody started to worry about something else... The mosquitoes. Just as Mile said, we were well fed, so were the mosquitoes, who started appearing in swarms when the sun set. After a while everybody was literally running away from the dining tables... You can see how powerful the mosquitoes are!

At night we went back to the competition venue for a teaching game... by us! Or rather by the high dan players, and apparently I was one of them. Each of us had to play against 9 to 10 players, all giving a handi of about 6 to 7. However it was more fun than I thought, and Xie Tang apparently enjoyed it. The other players were playing teaching games with the Korea and Thailand coaches. They also provided us with tasteful porridge after the games. What a nice evening!

2009.10.21 Wednesday

For the 5th round of competition, my opponent was Patcharapol from Thailand. Xie Tang played Shogo, and Mile played Peng Bei. Two Taipei players were playing against two Korean players, so it was like a match between the 2 countries. In the end it was 1-1. Congrats to Tsai for beating a Korean player! 

For the final round, I played Yukihiko, Xie Tang played Cui Chao from China, and Mile played Jimmy from Malaysia if I'm not wrong. Since it was the last round, I wanted to play a good quality game, but it ended up in a very bad one... Xie Tang won his China counterpart with a smile, and Mile also won. There was also a final fight between Chen Xiao Chen from China and a person from Korea (sorry, I forgot his name...). In the end Chen Xiao Chen won, and as a result of winning all 6 rounds he got the individual champion.

Xie Tang got 2nd, and even he himself was quite surprised, as he thought his SOS couldn't make it. For the team rankings, China was first, followed by Taipei, Korea, Japan, and Singapore. As for my individual ranking... I don't want to mention anymore... I actually got the lowest from my country... Haiz... 

Prize presentation ceremony was carried out at night in the same competition hall. They first gave out tokens to those who played the teaching games, followed by dinner and some performances, and then the prize presentation. The food was nice, and the performances also had beautiful girls and guys and... those who belong to neither category. Haha, but they were fun to look at, and everybody was laughing. 

After the ceremony instead of leaving everybody was busy taking photos with each other. As if no one wanted to leave, people were just crowding outside the hall flashing their cameras. The officials even had to come and ask us to hurry up before we moved up the bus. This shows how unwilling we were to part from each other...

That night back at the hostel was spent playing table tennis, drinking, and playing Go. Even though we had to wake up at 6.30 am the next day, no one wanted to sleep. Sleep is such a waste of time! Everybody wanted to spend more time with each other instead. That applied to me as well. In the end I played pair go with Chien Chong, Mile and Lok Yan until about 3 am before we really went to sleep.

2009.10.22 Thursday

This day was spent touring around Thailand. We went to the Grand Palace and some other places which I cannot recall the name... Thailand is nicer than Singapore in some ways. For example when boarding the MRT (they have another name for it) people actually queue up in front of the doors, unlike Singapore where everybody fights to be the first to get in. And their trains also look better than Singapore's. 

Night time was free time so the Singapore Team went to Siam Paragon, which was incredibly far away. Furthermore it was peak hour, and the traffic jam was at it's maximum, hence it took us more than 1 hour by taxi to get there... After dinner we had only 1 hour to shop around before we went for Thai traditional massage. It was actually the first massage that I had, and all I can say is... very painful. Yes, while Xie Tang said it was very comfortable, I kept holding back my screams during the massage... I really can't understand why people pay so much for these things...

The night won't end there. After we got back to Tara Park we joined the rest in drinking and playing games. The Koreans taught us a very fun game called the "I Love You Game" or something like that, and everybody enjoyed playing it. The video can be found here: http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?comments&v=515299086528  After that I played pair go with Chien Chong, Jimmy and Mile until about 6 am before we slept.

2009.10.23 Friday

Left for Singapore very unwilling at 1 pm. Was back in Singapore by 4.30 pm Singapore time.

On the whole, I feel this was a very fruitful trip. I didn't do well for my games, but I didn't plan to achieve any good results, and I only treated this as an ORD trip, so it was still okay. Memories and friendship is much much more important, and I still regret not creating more good memories. But I hope the friendship I gained in this trip will always be there, and also hope that one day we will gather together again. 

PS My photography skills didn't improve much during this trip... I wanted to take nice photos, but all of them ended up very dark... The external flash I brought also screwed up and the photos didn't turn out as bright as I wanted... How can I shoot better without flash? Was it my settings' problem? I tried by increasing the ISO but that would just increase the noise level... Decreasing the shutter speed would also make the picture more blur... I don't know. The officials did a very good job. I'm definitely going to do some research next time... And guys, sorry for some photos that were very badly taken... ><