Stepping up on the game

Since she is beginning to win me at Reversi (Othello), I've upped the game by introducing to her, my self-invented rules.

It goes like this-- I'd toss a seed/disc and she would choose a colour (black/white), if the result is the colour of her choice, she will have the "advantage". (if not, the opponent will be assigned the advantage). Each player is being issued 16 seeds. At any point during the game the player with the advantage could use his/her advantage to "swop colours" with the opponent, this Swop must be made before using up the 16 seeds. However, advantage to swop is an option, it is not mandatory to make a swop. The game will carry on as per normal after the 16th move. If the advantage is not being exercised, the advantage will expire after the 16th move. 

So, for the player without an advantage, he/she will have to decide if he will go all out from the start or play a safe game in the first half. If he plays too well, his opponent will call for a Swop. If he doesn't play well, he might not be able to catch up or turn the tides in the second half of the game. 

I also don't know how I came up with these rules but I think it honestly reflects the tilted emphasis our society has. Those people without an advantage has to work not just harder but smarter not to outsmart the people with an advantage but just to have a chance in winning. It is all right, really. It will teach tenacity and resilience which in my humble opinion, are valuable life skills. 

 She was the black seed player, she swop to white at this point.

After the swop, me being the black seed player, couldn't fight my own game.

So fun to add another layer of strategy to this strategy game.

This Raj writes Chinese

I mean this decal has been around for many months, just that I didn't read it. 

One morning, I happen to just have a glimpse. I thought okay lah, tell old uncles to go health check-up etc. Then I thought I saw the name "Raj". Ya man. It's Raj (photo of a tan man). So probably Raj speaks Mandarin and learned Chinese lah. Not so common but not impossible. More likely is that HPB Marketing made these with English running thoughts, and then just make a language translation to make Chinese decals lah. No need to bother about relevance because in Singapore, we are multiracial anyway.

Beijing got idea.

 the developer did not obtain a license hence the project is considered illegal. western designed houses including a German tower were built on the roof top of a mega shopping mall in Beijing.
the houses now house the workers and immigrants who built them (for the time being, awaiting the fate of the license).