Finally! 1000!!!!

Sunday, March 25 2007

My first foray into competitive Scrabble after an absence of about 7 months! Have been busy in my search for a new home, purchase of the home, dressing up the home, exams, family visits from Malaysia and Singapore, etc. etc. etc.

Finally, stepped back into Tomato Thyme pizza parlour at Los Gatos for a weekend tournament. Somewhat uncertain of how I’ll do. Rusty, rusty. Ratings at 960 since the Nationals in August 2006. Seeded 5th in the Division 5 for this tournament.

Game 1: Lynn Johnson, rated 989, seeded 4th

Oh no….. first game and I get her….. Not a good start, with starting rack IILOOOR. Threw off OLIO for a measly 8 point start. But second draft was good, and bingoed next with DIViSOR. Immediately drew COLLIER for the next rack, but could not go down. Sixth move, bingoed with RE(T)AINED, and immediately drew out RETA?NS, which goes down next. Won 477-281 easily. Lucky…..

Game 2: Marina Villena, rated 1164, ranked 3rd

Started fairly equal, with Marina pulling ahead 20-30 points until I first bingoed with ERMINES to equalize it again. Had a few good plays, with DEX for 41 points immediately followed by JOLTS for 48 points. One play later, bingoed with ENDEARs and started closing off the board. Marina fought back well to catch up. Very close ending. Won 397-393. Phew…..

Game 3: Amanda Bonds, rated 856, seeded 7th

This was somewhat of a fishing game, making small plays till mid game where I bingoed with EROSIoN and she replied immediately with ETESIAN. The game remained pretty close but I gain some lead to win 347-317.

Game 4: David Carlson, rated 1187, seeded 1st

Both of us started with small plays. I first bingoed with SLINTER# (British only). David held the play for a moment, and let it go. Why? Because he played QI/QI over my bingo for triple-triple letter! So, still a close game till later when I bingoed with LICKeRS. Held the lead until the very end. At the very end, he bingoed out with TAVeRNS but was not sufficient to overtake. Won by slight lead of 407-404. A boo-boo happened next. When checking tiles after the end, there was a tile left in the bag! Was to be mine, but just a 1-pointer which would not change the results…. Man, I better check the bag at end games next time! He was a good sport about it though.

Game 5: Helen Gendler, rated 1167, seeded 2nd

She had a good start. Bingoed with OVEReAT with her first move! The spread went up with me trailing 85 points in mid-game until I bingoed with PIAStER to even out a little. Continued to catch up, with a good play of PAX for 40 points to even out the score somewhat. In the end game, I calculated and made sure she could not win. Win 372-368. Won 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th seeds! I think I’m gonna see a ratings increase!

Game 6: Marina Villena, rated 1164, ranked 3rd

Back to Marina, and she’s out for vengeance! I think the tile-gods finally thinks I’ve been too lucky…. Had lots of unplayable racks, changed tiles twice this game. Was trailing badly for most part until I bingoed with ReTAINE(R) to catch up somewhat. Had LADDERs as my last rack with nowhere to go…. Lost 352-395.

Sigh…. well, I turned out second in this tournament….. Should have been first as I was the only one with 5 real wins. But Marina was placed first as she had a bye in her first round to equalize with me on wins, and she had a higher spread. With my close wins, spread was not my friend.

But I’m happy! Found out that my ratings shot up to 1,049!!! I am finally above 1,000! Darn, I tried so hard last year to try for division 5 in the Nationals but missed by 1-point. Now, with a 7 month hiatus, I come back and got results like this! Man….

But I’m still happy :)

Our first ice hockey game

Feb 3, 2007

Went for our first live ice hockey game today. The San Jose Sharks against the Chicago Blackhawks. My firm got a private box in the HP Pavilion stadium, and we were hosting an event with my main client. Really nice set up, on the penthouse level. Food & drinks, stocked bar, the works...

Ice hockey, really fast paced. Could hardly follow the puck most of the time. Lots of crashes between players, and even saw one of the hockey stick broke into 2! The SJ Sharks won 4-2, and they are currently ranked 2nd in their division, so it was a good game.

Our first American football game!

December 24, 2006

Won a raffle from work, during a charity drive. 4 tickets to the SF 49ers vs. the Arizona Cardinals! Woohoo, our first football game, live in Monster Park! Vicki and Raymond joined us, providing transport and food! Showed us the culture of tailgate parties at the parking lot, and lesson on how the game works! Too bad the 49ers lost 20-26, but we saw a few good plays. Now I understand the game a little!

Housewarming party

December 16, 2006

Housewarming party at our new home! We had some friends, family and colleagues join us for a Malaysian style lunch, with nasi lemak, satay, lontong, rendang, roti jala.... many contributions to the table! Yummy!

Thank you for all the gifts! We love them!

Click here for more photos!

Tai Chi

Had been going for tai-chi classes at the gym... imagine that?

One big watermelon
Cut into two
One for you
One for me

I always remember this from young..... see if you know those moves!!

Actually, it's not that easy.... doing things slowly takes its toll on your balance and muscular strength when lifting and moving your arms and legs slowly.

I am learning the 'Yang' style of tai-chi, supposedly the most popular form. There's 3 parts, and I am learning part 1 now, at 'playing guitar' #10. When I can move the winds around like Jet Li in 'Tai Chi Master', I'll let you know. We'll spar in slow motion... and eat watermelon after that....

Here are the postures:
1 Preparatory posture

2 Taijiquan commencing

3 Stroke peacock's tail
Ward (right, left, front)
Divert and draw
Squeeze
Press

4 Single whip

5 Close arms and lift

6 White crane exposes wings

7 Brush left thigh and press forth right palm

8 Play the guitar

9 Brush thigh and press forth palm
Brush left thigh and press forth right palm
Brush right thigh and press forth left palm
Brush left thigh and press forth right palm

10 Play the guitar

11 Brush left thigh and press forth right palm

12 Circle foot and carry the hammer forward

13 Serpent slides back and seal with both palms

14 Cross wrists (end of part 1)

Light a million candles

Hello friends, please take part.

The innocent victims of Internet child abuse cannot speak for themselves.

But you can.

With your help, we can eradicate this evil trade.

We do not need your money.

We need you to light a candle of support.

We're aiming to light at least One Million Candles by December 31, 2006.
This petition will be used to encourage governments, politicians, financial institutions, payment organisations, Internet service providers, technology companies and law enforcement agencies to eradicate the commercial viability of online child abuse.

They have the power to work together. You have the power to get them to take action.
Please light your candle at lightamillioncandles.com or send an email of support to light@lightamillioncandles.com.

Together, we can destroy the commercial viability of Internet child abuse sites that are destroying the lives of innocent children.

Kindly forward this email to your friends, relatives and work colleagues so that they can light a candle too.

Happy Eid!!

Selamat Hari Raya!! In the US, yet we can still celebrate Hari Raya in style... a group of friends got together and cooked up a storm of Malay food....rendang, satay, begedel, ayam percik, lontong, sago pudding etc. etc.

Photo, courtesy of Sam.

Vote for your new 7 Wonders of the World!

Of the 7 ancient wonders, only 1 is left standing, the Pyramids of Giza.

Read about this in the news. Go check it out! Vote for the new 7 wonders!

I'm voting for the Giza pyramids to remain, and going for the Great Wall of China (one for the Chinese!), the Acropolis in Athens, the Angkor Wat of the Khmer, Chichen Itza of the Maya, Machu Pichu of the Inca and the Petra palace tomb in Jordan (Indiana Jones' temple of doom!).

The finals of US Open 2006 Division 1, Game 1

See the commentary official here.

I just came to the room, just after Round 1 of the finals for Division 1, between Jim Kramer and Geoff Thevenot. Guess what, even the top players play British words! The official commentary said it was a 'phoney', which in the sense it was, but it is an acceptable British word. Jim played 'ZOOEA', which is good for SOWPODS. Better yet, Geoff responded later by playing 'GENIE', hooking the E to make 'ZOOEAE', another British word. And none of them challenged each other!

Sidenote: I saw Marlon Hill ranting about them playing that word to everyone.

Jim won 390-374. Good luck to both of them. I am back in my room, packing to leave for the airport. Sayonara Arizona Biltmore!

Final Day of US Scrabble Open 2006

Day 4, final day of US Scrabble Open 2006. I feel nervous in the morning, like something is not right.... yes, I screwed up.... Something I did angered the tile-gods and they punished me left and right....

Round 22 - Opponent: Robert Collins, rated 905, seeded 31st

I meet Robert Collins again, whom I lost to by -11 points in Round 11. My first rack is FGHLMRX. I played 'F(I)G', and Robert immediately bingoed with 'VENDoRS'. For the next five racks, I get only 1 vowel each. Yet, amazingly, I managed to score 33, 26, 32, 31, 20 points, so I did not change my tiles. On my 7th rack, my rack became DLLRSSV, and with no where to play well, I changed LLVD to get AYII in return. Yeah, like AIIRSSY is any better. And in the end-game, I failed to catch the Q in his rack, because I missed the play-out of AIRIES(T). Anyway, I lost 305-384. And promptly dropped from 7th to 12th position. And Robert ended 2nd overall.

Round 23 - Opponent: Ben Lam, rated 1137, seeded 1st!

Now, if he is rated 1137, why is he playing in under 1000 raters? I guess he improved his rating after the cut-off date. Anyway, I lost to Ben by -11 points in Round 9, just like I lost to Robert Collins. I actually played pretty well this round, playing 'ZIL(L)s' for 66 points, and bingoed with 'TENNERS' later. Yet, Ben played a better game, maximing with 'J(OB)/JO' for 42 points, bingoed with '(JO)E/ErASION' for 74 points, (A)XIS for 33 points, 'VI(N)Y' across my TENNERS for 42 points. So, I lost 365-404. He played well. Ben ended 9th overall.

Round 24 - Opponent: Matt Canik, rated 906, seeded 28th

This is a young boy, who won several school championships. And he hoodwinked me thrice.... my own fault. He bingoed early with a phoney 'SLEETER' which is no good as well. It should be 'SLEETIER' but since it sounded feasible to me, I let it go. He later phoneyed with 'BEDY' which I did not challenge, since he opened up the triple-word lane. I replied with my own bingo of 'PADDieS' using 2 blanks, which is a waste. I also played 'OXEN/(JIN)X' for 40 points. Later, I had 'SATIRE+M' and he blocked my 'SMARTIE' bingo place with 'ORK' which I should have known is no good. But I did not challenge it. Worse, I totally missed another spot which I could have played 'MI(G)RATES' or 'MA(G)ISTER'. I played 'AM', and drew 2 tiles.... the 'A' and the 'M', the very same tiles I just played. What are the odds of that? So, I missed my all-important bingo. No doubt, Matt played well, with 'QUOINS' for 43 points and (Q)UIVER for 36 points late in the game. I could have won with the bingo. Lost 362-373, a mere -11 points. Guess what? Three of those players who beaten me by 11 points sat on the same table!!! Robert, Ben and Matt! Anyway, Matt ended 8th overall.

So, I lost the first 3 games in the morning! And dropped all the way to 20th position in 3 games!

Round 25 - Opponent: KC Frodyma, rated 931, seeded 48th

My luck finally turned here. I had some lucky breaks, playing 'Zo(O)/Z(A)' for 64 points, KEX for 36 points. I challenged 'CAJON' which was good, so I lost a turn. Later, my rack was 'AEEEEII', which I changed. 2 turns later, I bingoed with 'AWAITED' but I hooked A to a D, making 'DA', a British-only word! But she did not see it until too late, so the bingo stayed. She played a phoney bingo 'INCLOs(I)NG(S)' towards the endgame but I let it go, since I will win without challenging and playing '(C)UBE' at H12 to hit the triple word for 21 points to get ahead and possibly losing by challenging if INCLOSINGS turns out to be good. Well, I found out later that INCLOSING does NOT take the S hook. But I won 393-366, and got up to 17th position. From here, if I win my next 3 games, I can still have the chance to get to Top 10! Still hopeful. Anyway, KC ended in 6th position overall.

Round 26 - Opponent: Richard Hamilton, rated 880, seeded 39th

This was a close game, but I had the luck this time. I bingoed with 'RECITES', later played 'EXES/(JOB)S' for 50 points, and bingoed again with 'ENRAgED'. Richard bingoed also, with 'UnCLOGS' but was not enough. I won 411-377.

Round 27 - Opponent: Chris Nelson, rated 895, seeded 63rd

Another close game. Chris bingoed early with 'CASTINg', and I replied soon with 'SHOVERS'. He scored big with 'JEW(S)' for 30 points, 'FIZ/(I)F' for 42 points and 'oXE(N)/X(I)' for 38 points. And yet, I played close to lose by only 12 points, 320-332. Very very sad for me. Dropped to 18th position. And Chris ended 10th overall.

Round 28 - Opponent: Jeremy Hall, rated 820, seeded 61st

Now, this turned out weird. I wanted to play a good game to win 1 more game to remain in the top 20. If I lose, I know for sure I will go below 20th. And of all my luck, Jeremy was 'gibsonized' [note: not a good Scrabble word], and I am the 'gibsonee' [note: also not good in Scrabble]. Jeremy is from the Bay Area in California, so we knew each other. And he had already won 21 games to win the tournament in Round 27, so this game means nothing to his standing. Due to some rule in US, they don't play King-of-the-hill, but he is 'gibsonized' to play someone who, at best case scenario, will be the 11th position if he/she wins the final round. And that person happens to be ME!!! Man, how fair is that? Just so happens, there are a number of people at 16 wins and I have the highest spread, and for that, I get penalized to play with the champion? I don't understand Americans and their thinking. So, instead of me having a chance to get to the 11th position by playing others with 16 wins, I get to play the best player in the tournament with 21 wins!

The only good thing is, for the 28th and final game, I get to play in Table 1!!

Anyway, I have beaten Jeremy in club game in Palo Alto before, so our standards are not that far off from each other, I think. But I made my mistakes. We were scoring neck-to-neck. He started with 'ZETAS' for 48 points and in his 3rd move, bingoed early with '(T)ITTERED' but I played well to keep up to him. Then, I made my mistake. I bingoed with 'SOL(T)ICES', which he thought for a while, and then challenged it off. But he left the T-spot open, so I bingoed again with 'SOLS(T)ICE', the correct spelling. THis time, he did not challenge. At this point, at the 10th move, we were tied at 296-296. At the 11th move, we both scored 22 and tied again at 318-318. Then, he bingoed with '(BE)S/ STINGED'. STINGED sounds good right? That's because it is a British-only word!!! I thought about it and let it go, coz I have played it before. Turns out, it was not good in TWL2 and I let it stay. Sigh.... There goes the game. It ended in 13 plays, and I lost 352-402, a -50 point difference, coming exactly from the bingo bonus!!! Sigh.....

Dropped like a stone to 22nd position. Not in Top 10, not even in the top 20. And I have a cumulative spread of +1060! If I had won 1 more game, I'd be 15th, and if I had won 2 more games, I would have been 7th! And I really could have done it. My mistakes costed me. So, for today, I have 2 wins - 5 losses, ending the tournament with 16W-12L. Quite bad. Quite pissed, and quite disappointed. Sad. Sad. Sad. Maybe I should just retire from Scrabble.

Hey guys, from Singapore and Malaysia. I know some of you were rooting for me to be in Top 10, and I did actually thought I could do it too. But I screwed up. Sorry to disappoint you guys.

For the round by round standings, please see here.

Day 3 of the US Open

Day 3 of the US Open. Surprisingly, I slept pretty well last night, and was quite refreshed. Guess it must be my workout at the gym plus a good soak in the hot tub.

I met GI Joel in elevator going down, and saw his funny T-shirt. The back of the T-shirt reads 'I HAVE BEATEN NIGEL RICHARDS BEFORE'. I guess Nigel's fame spread far and wide.

Game 1 - Opponent: Cheryl Francis, rated 909, seeded 27th

Met this interesting lady, who turns out to be of a native american origin. Tough fight too, on the Scrabble board, that is. I bingoed early with 'FIShIER' and later screwed up playing a A hook to NULLED, thinking ANNULLED was spelt with a single 'N'. Of course, she challenged it off. Later I lost another turn because I challenged 'OYES', which turned out to be good while 'OYE' is not! Man, TWL2 ticks me off. It was neck-to-neck till the end, and on my last move, it was me 328, she leading with 339. I had IRON? on my rack, but could not go out. Spent a couple of minutes looking around, and saw an opening! Using ?N, I hooked to the front of 'ZIP' to play 'uN(ZIP)' and ? hook to 'N' for 'Nu' for a 31 points to lead 359-339. She ended the game with another 6 points, take my 'IRO' for 6 points. I won a very close game, 359-351. +8 point spread! Whew.....


Game 16 - Opponent: Chris Nelson, rated 810, seeded 63th

This was a heartbreaking game. I was leading for a long time, through half the game and playing a very closed board that my oppponent cannot play (due to lack of vowels), but made the mistake of opening up the board later. I was leading 223-160, so I opened up the board because I fished out one of the blank tile. But he caught up almost soon and bingoed with a simple 'SEALING' with the S hook. And instead of playing 'Jo(I)N' from the I in SEALING to hit the triple-word from H12 on the board, worth 54 points, I just played J(I)N for 30 points. And he hooked ODD to 'D(JIN)' for more points too!!! Lost badly, 310-405 for a -95 spread. Stupid mistakes!

Game 17 - Opponent: Edmond Wilson, rated 888, seeded 38th

Another sad game. I bingoed on my second turn with 'DILATeD'. He responded later with 'DOmAINS'. We were neck-to-neck, at one point late in the game, 301-308. Then, I made one mistake, playing WORE, hooking my E to THE for 'E(THE)'#, another British-only word!! Lost 323-351, probably due to my stupid ETHE. Stupid TWL2!!!!

Game 18 - Opponent: Khim Clarke, rated 684, seeded 92nd

Found out the Khim is Malaysian, from KL too! She has married locally, I am guessing, having adopted Clarke as her last name. She has settled in the US for about 13 years now, and have just started playing Scrabble in local clubs. We played a ladder-step board, ending up with a very closed-up board. At one point, we were playing 1 tile at a time. I bingoed early with 'SUNDIAL' and later on with 'SEATErS'. Won 412-323.

Game 19 - Opponent: Carol Jones, rated 955, seeded 7th

I ran away with this one. I had most of the power tiles, including the 2 blanks. Playing QI for 44 points, bingoed with 'AnIMATE' for 90 points, MAXES for 42 points, another bingo of 'ENLARgE, ZOO for 41 on the triple word at A1, and finished off with my end-rack bingo, 'REPOSED' for 74. She did get a bingo of '(S)TARTING' but did not hit 300 points. I won 520-295, with a +241 spread.

Game 20 - Opponent: Joyce Stock, rated 782, seeded 69th

Joyce won our earlier game in round 6, day 1. This game, the luck remained with me. Plus, she was really tired too. Played QAT for 42 points. I tried a bingo of 'LeNDORS', which she challenged off. (Yes, I do not know RONDELS works!!) # moves later, I bingoed with 'UNRUST(E)d', which I was pretty proud off, bingoing with 2 'U's. Later on, I played 'Z'AI(R)e' at J14 down, which she challenged unsuccessfully. Phew, I thought I played another British-only word! She, on the other hand, must really have bad racks. I won 387-219 for a +168 spread.

Game 21 - Opponent: Neva Slater, rated 857, seeded 51st.

This old lady had a neck brace on. But Joyce, who played her earlier, said she is a sneaky one! She tends to overdraw, and just drops off the extra tile back into the back. She also draw tiles with the bag below the table. I had to spend time watching her while she draws. Once, I caught her with overdrawing too. Man, old lady!!

Anyhow, it was a tough game. She is a pretty good player. She bingoed with 'RUNTIEr', leading me 146-183. I closed the gap, playing another very closed-up board. Later, I played 'ZAIRe' again for 42 points at O-8. In the end game, I vaulted in front slightly, winning 348-326. Hard fought.

Surprisingly, after today's games, I feel pretty good. Went to the gym again, had a session in the hot-tub and lazed in the pool for a while.... this is the life, playing Scrabble in a top-rate hotel.... (well, I DO have to pay for it....so might as well enjoy the facilities).

Found out after dinner that I am ranked 7th after 21 games!!! In top 10 again! Tomorrow, I am slated to play in tables 3 and 4 in the first 4 games, so it's gonna be a tough fight. I am meeting Robert Collins and Ben Lam again, whom I had lost to both by -11 points earlier. I have a shot in this!! Hope I don't screw it up....

OM SATINE OM RETINA OM SATIRE OM blank OM blank OM
OM SATINE OM RETINA OM SATIRE OM blank OM blank OM
OM SATINE OM RETINA OM SATIRE OM blank OM blank OM
OM SATINE OM RETINA OM SATIRE OM blank OM blank OM
OM SATINE OM RETINA OM SATIRE OM blank OM blank OM

p/s: See the my standing here

Ding Ding, Day 2 of US Open 2006

Day 2 started with me in a daze.... sleepy.... yawn......

Just found out today that I am rated 13th in Division 6.

Round 8 - Opponent: Susan Bertoni, rated 954, seeded 8th

Was sleepy, but managed to phoney with a believable 'DANcABLE', which should be 'DANCEABLE' to be good. Won 332-305.

Round 9 - Opponent: Ben Lam, rated 971, seeded 4th

Man, this was a tough one. He had both blanks, 3x 'S', the Q,X,Z. I challenged off his phoney 'OuTWINE(S)' and closed up the board, leaving him bingoless, and of course, me too. Made a bad mistake, playing VOL#, a British only word, and lost by a mere 11 points, 296-307. If I played right, could have won by 2 points by playing out first!!! Man, I am so cheesed with myself.

Round 10 - Opponent: Susan Watrous, rated 698, seeded 94th

Change of luck from previous game. This time, I got the good tiles. She bingoed with 'REmO(V)ING' early, and I replied immediately with 'LORRIES' and later on, with 'GRADINES'. Played the 'X' and 'Z' well. Won 445-328, with a +117 spread.

Round 11 - Opponent: Robert Collins, rated 919, seeded 25th

Man, luck changes like the tide, and Robert got the lion share of it. He bingoed with 'STaRERS', and later phoneyed me with 'OUTG(L)IDE', which I did not challenge after thinking over a minute. I put in all I could to catch up, playing well overall but lost 331-342, another loss by -11 spread, like Round 9!! By the way, Robert ended the day on top of Division 6, with a 12-2 record.

Round 12 - Opponent: Ronald Millard, rated 844, seeded 54th

After lunch, I developed this splitting headache, probably from overuse playing Ben Lam and Robert Collins earlier. Tried to sleep it off during lunch break, and took a 'Extra Strength Panadol' but didn't work. Anyhow, still have to play. Bingoed with 'MUSTIER' and led most of the way. He bingoed with 'REPUgNE(D)', which I challenged but lost. At this point, I was still leading. Won the game 395-311.

Round 13 - Opponent: Jack Allard, rated 906, seeded 31st

Still with a splitting headache, and the noise in the room doesn't help. Learnt a new 'Z' word, 'FURZE', which my opponent played. I bingoed with 'MONStER' and later, 'TOWNIES', leading through to win 395-296, a +99 spread.

Round 14 - Opponent: Angela Dancho, rated 687, seeded 96th

Now, the headache is quite unbearable, but the game goes on. No luck this time. My opponent bingoed 2 times consecutively with 'STUNNER' and 'MaLIGNS'. I played 'ZA' for 55, and tried bingo with 'REF(I)LERS' which got challenged off. Lost 339-406.

Ended the day with a 9 win - 5 loss record, and at 17th position. Since I am ranked 13th, my rating will actually drop. Leading the pack is 4 leaders with 12 wins-2 losses, 1 with 11W-3L, and 11 people with 10W-4L. I am the first of the 9W-5L, with my spread of +785, is way ahead of the next person at only +177. Actually, I am ahead in spread compared to most of the people 10W-4L. So, I still have a chance to jump ahead of the pack if I do well tomorrow.

Time to bed, prepare for tomorrow!!

Day 1 of US Open

Day 1 of the US Open!! Something interesting happened in the morning. I was getting my coffee, and saw G.I. Joel in front of me. While getting sugar and cream for the coffee, he turned to me and actually called me by my name!! I was stunned. How did he know me? I am in Division 6! (Later, he told me he checks out all tournament results. He actually recognizes my face!)

I am player #121, due to my last name. And incidently, we have 114 players in Division 6, as some got bumped up into Division 5 and some no-shows.

Game 1 - Opponent: Edna Perry, rated 470.

Edna is a sweet old lady, who just recently started in the tournament scene. Brave soul, to take part in the US Open. I won 466-123, a whopping +343 spread! This puts me in #1 position after round 1! I feel sorry for her though. I started off with a bingo 'WAGERED'. Turn 6, I bingoed with 'sUI(C)IDES'. I challenged off her bingo, 'EnVIOUS' because she hooked off the U to a B, making BU. So sorry....

Game 2 - Opponent: Dan Doerrfeld, rated 500.

Dan is a young teenage kid, playing in the tournament because his grand-dad is playing too and had wanted him to take part. Again, a real rookie in tournaments, this being his second ever tournament. I bingoed 'LAzIEST' early, and scored another 75 points playing QAId at L1 down, hooking I to VIED at N2. I won 396-319, with a spread of +77. With a cumulative spread of +420, I still stand at #1. Pole position!

Game 3 - Opponent: Paul Rickhoff, rated 644.

Man, my luck turned for the worse. I started, and drew this lousy rack, BDHIUUV. I traded BDOUUV, and got back ADGUW!!! Damn it, got a third U, and the D!!! Throughout the game, I kept getting the I's. Loss 316-411. Lose my pole position.... ah well.

Game 4 - Opponent: Cecille Betts, rated 665.

Tough game! Cecille is legally blind, and was entitled to an additional 5 minutes. And she is a tough one too! Was pretty close through the game. She bingoed with double blanks, REsIGNs. However, I was able to pull through at the end game, and won 326-295, without any bingoes to reply. Phew....

After game 4, I dropped to 17th position.

Game 5 - Opponent: Ruth Brower, rated 771.

No bingoes again, but I won 388-295. Ruth managed to bingo with '(C)ENSURES'.

Game 6 - Opponent: Joyce Stock, rated 795.

Sigh... my second loss here. 306-367. She managed to block 3 of my bingoes by playing exactly where I needed. She blocked 'W(I)TCHIER', UNWRITE#(OSW only), and OUtRI(D)ER. My last rack was 'BEARING', with no place to go... Sigh... She even bingoed on her first move, 'DECLiN(E)D'.

Game 7 - Opponent: Don Ball, rated 868.

Don hails from Toronto, Canada. I played well on this one. Don was fishing for a bingo early on, so I tried to score as much as possible. He tried '(R)AIdABLE', which I challenged off, and he tried again with '(R)AIsABLE' which I challenged but it was good. I lost a turn and he led for the first time 227-229. However, I caught up and bingoed later with 'HALTERS' to pull ahead and win 476-317.

I ended the first day with a 5 wins - 2 losses, and a healthy 547 spread, the highest amongst the 5-2s. This placed me in the 13th spot. Tomorrow, I will be playing against opponents closer to my rating. It'll be tough, but I hope to keep to the top 15, if possible.

On to US Open 2006!!

Sorry, have not blogged for a while. I am now writing from the Arizona Biltmore, a luxury hotel in Phoenix Arizona designed by the famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright. I am participating in the Scrabble US Open 2006!! It is held in this hotel.

For the past months, up till 1st July, I was trying hard to hit the 1000 mark in US ratings... unfortunately, I failed. I got real close too! I hit 999!!! Damn it! Now, I have to play in the lowest division, Division 6, for those rated below 1000.

Anyway, I am looking forward to this tournament. This will give me a taste of what level I really am. Most of the tournaments I have took part so far in the US were small ones, and with 6 games, luck played a big part.

So far, I have met Sam Kantimathi, whom I played against (and lost) in Brands Kings Cup 2005. I have met Jason Katz-Brown, whom I had played a friendly game against in Osaka Japan when we were both visiting a local Scrabble club (he forgot who I am though). I have met Carol of the Carol & Ravi fame, the creators of Lexpert. I have also come across the famous Marlon Hill, the Division 1 player who ranted and raved in movie/documentary 'Word Wars: Tiles and Tribulations in the Scrabble Circuit'. Oh, and I just watched another Scrabble documentary called Scrabylon last night, which featured our very own Malaysian, Ganesh.

Looking forward to tomorrow!! Will update as I go along.

May the blanks and 'S' flow my way....
OM RETINA OM SATIRE OM SATINE
OM RETINA OM SATIRE OM SATINE
OM RETINA OM SATIRE OM SATINE
OM RETINA OM SATIRE OM SATINE

Implicit Associations Test

In the highly 'politically-correct' world in the US, we have many trainings here for 'diversity' and 'inclusiveness' issues. My firm does this, not just for compliance with regulations, but also the management recognizes that in our evolving world, our workplace IS becoming more diverse, especially in the melting pot of California.

At the latest firm-sponsored training I attended, Dr. Tony Greenwald, the creator of the Implicit Associations Tests (IATs) spoke to us. Check out the Harvard website to do the IATs!! The results may surprise you.

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Quoted from website:
It is well known that people don't always 'speak their minds', and it is suspected that people don't always 'know their minds'. Understanding such divergences is important to scientific psychology.

This web site presents a method that demonstrates the conscious-unconscious divergences much more convincingly than has been possible with previous methods. This new method is called the Implicit Association Test, or IAT for short.
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Metrosexual experiences

Hmm, have been trying new experiences recently...

I got a haircut on Monday. Back in KL, it was always Toni & Guy for me, since I've got cousins working there. In the US, it was a challenge to find a suitable place, since I did not want to go to a quick-chop-shop like Super*Cuts or something. Too spoilt for too long.

Found this place online called American Male! Well, this is actually my 3rd visit there, and given that I have been here for about 6 months now. Generally, my hair has been too long for too long. Making up in advance for the inevitable genetically-programmed thinning pate in the future.

I had signed up for the 'Quality Grooming Experience'
From their 'menu':
Custom Hair Services
Men’s Quality Grooming Experience ........................$49
Series of 5 QGEs’ (Save $20) ..................................$225
Our hair services are performed by master hair stylist & colorists.
Included in your 45 minute custom haircut are several free grooming
treatments to ensure you leave looking and feeling GREAT!
• Energizing Shampoo • Warm Paraffin Hand Dip • Mini Face Massage
• Warm Towel Face Wrap • Mini Scalp Massage • Haircut
• Re-Shampoo • Conditioning • Splash • Styling

Eh, I know, not cheap if converted to RM, but in US$ terms, it's alright, I think. RM for US$, I pay more back in KL!

Ever tried a paraffin hand dip? Well, I tried it here! Interesting, dipping your hands 5-6 times into a warm liquid wax container and have it dry up and peeled off later. Supposed to 'smooth' the hands. Nice feelings, but not sure if it really works. The mini face massage is ok, given that they use massage oil, which adds to my already oily face. The warm towel face-wrap is great though. Hard to keep awake with that on! The haircut is quite good as they only use the electric trimmers towards the end of the session to clean up. I dislike those chop-shops that uses the trimmer for most of the cutting.

Oh, we just had a firm-sponsored training event, after which we had social activities. Real fun! All free! Had my shoes shined, got a back massage, played Daytona with colleagues, ate loads of fresh oysters and cocktail jumbo shrimps, and guess what? I made some sterling silver jewelry for Wan (to score brownie points, you know?) AND for the first time in my life, got a manicure!! How about that? Apparently, the manicurists told me that for this particular event, HALF of those in line were MEN!!!

Getting too vain here, people....

Jinxed

I've met my jinx. A real life jinx...

Ever got one of those moments? I've met mine in Scrabble. Purple hair, purple glasses, full of hand and ankle bangles, one bad attitude, rude and irritating, all packaged into a old lady who will look just right as one of Macbeth's witches brewing their potion.....

Yes, I've met my Scrabble jinx. When I am paired to play, I feel drained. Drained of enthusiasm. If you see the tiles I get, you'll know why... Just lost another game this weekend to her. My last three tiles? I, I and I....

Johari and Nohari: Self-reflection

Got this cool website from sonic. Must be brave to try....

Ya, since I just turned a year older recently, I wonder what the world thinks of me, and what I can do to be a better person.

I would appreciate if you could look into my Johari and Nohari windows: my good and bad.

It will help me accentuate my good, and work on my bad...

Prosper thyself!

Just discovered a cool new website, Prosper!

Uses the ancient Chinese way of lending and borrowing money among small groups of people. Prosper takes that ancient concept, merged it with eBay-style bidding to make it into a new business model!

I just started a borrowing group called 'New to the USA' as a way for newcomers to build credit history in the US, as well as getting access to funds for future investments.

Cool concept! Check it out.

Playing golf again....

Started to golf again. One thing good being in the US. Golf equipment are relatively cheap, and golf green frees are cheap too!

Got my golf set of eBay. Full set of Wilson Matrix golf clubs (without putter) for less than $100! Got a carry-bag from Target for $30. Got a Wilson putter for $30. And golf shoes for $80. With miscellaneous stuff (balls, tees, etc.), all in, about $250 in equipment costs.

Started playing with colleagues from work. 4 of us, Malaysian and Singaporean. Just right. Playing at the Santa Clara Municipal golf course. Open to public, fees only $26 per 9-holes.

I love playing golf here. You step out into the sun, and no sweat!! I perspire like a pig when I am playing back in Malaysia. Not even before hitting the first ball off the first tee, I am basically wet with perspiration. Here, cool and breezy. Makes a more relaxing game.

But I still suck at it.....