2009 December Egypt Memories

 

2012 50 Birthday Get Together with the Saints

The First Hour

I am aware that the first hour of the day is the time when the mind is at its most acute and cognitively, the most focused and clear. 

Hence, for us, we have only this time to get the most important of things done.

For the spiritual, Christians like to use the first hour as 'quiet time' to communicate with God by either reading his word (the Bible) and hence setting the day right.

For others unaware of their cognitive bearings, it passes on like any other - a loss of the mind's capability to do the most important task of the day.

Some days I waste this first hour by relaxing or doing trivial things.

Nowadays, I believe it is imperative that I use this first hour to stratagize and plan ahead for the day, week, month and till the end of the year.

Useless musings ?  

Not where I am concerned. 

 

Debt to Equity Value for Companies

I am embarking to attain first financial literacy and then financial competancy as I realise I am a dumb ass in this field 

The more competant I get, I will realise whether I can make it in the business world. 

How to Win even the toughest Sudoku challenges

This 'diabolical' game took me 3 hours to complete on a humid and hot Sunday afternoon in my house attic. The difficulty of the game ratings given by the Daily Telegraph depend on the day of the week each game in played. 

Monday is 'Gentle' or easy Beginner level. Tuesday and Wednesday is 'Moderate' for Intermediate, Thursdays are 'Tough', Friday and Sundays are 'Diabolical' meaning next to impossible or Gamer Advanced and Saturdays are 'Moderate'   

I've been a fan of the Japanese puzzle game for almost 10 years now, I believe.  Sudoku is the innocuous looking 9 square puzzle where there are numbers from 1 - 9. There is no number zero used in this game.

Rule of the Game 
The objective of this game is simple. In the 9 squares, the player must fill in each row and each column ONLY ONCE the number 1 to 9. There cannot be a repeat of the number on any row or column. In addition, each outlined box can only have the number 1 to 9 appearing only once ! 

                                                              Tricks and Tips

Unless you are very experienced and clever, I would advise to print out the game, and write the possibilities of that number coming out in the square - for the diabolical or very difficult levels.

a) Print Out the Puzzle

Write out all the possibilities inside the small square for easy recollection and deduction later in the game. 

b) Use the elimination level method to fill in the empty square. 

If for example the 2 9 x 9 squares have the same number which are above and below that of the empty square when extrapolated, then there is the high possibility that square will show up that number. (Its very hard to explain in writing).

c)   When a square within the box has the same 2 numbers, they are 'booked' meaning 

This means that within the 9 square box, these 2 squares can only have these 2 numbers, hence by logical deduction, the remaining 7 other numbers need to be filled either within the 9x9 square, the column or row   

e) Count each line and column to ensure there is only 1 number between 1 to 9  

This is the hardest thing for me to do. There are so many lines and columns (9+9 or 18), so it tries my focus thinking to the maximum and this is where I reap the greatest benefit, I can easily spend 1 - 3 hours (not continuously but with breaks in between) on a game, but normally most times I can finish the most difficult sudokus within 30 minutes PROVIDED

 

> my mind is clear and focussed

> I have had a good sleep the night before

> I have no other distractions  

d) Gwendolin's Thread 

Finally, when all else fails, when I have deduced and eliminated all the other possibilities and put in all the 'given' or confirmed numbers, I am left with a puzzle where there are about 10 - 20 possibles and the rest are 100% givens and filled in, I will do what Princess Gwendolin did, 'guess' (either a 50 /50)

and circle the possible number at the top corer of the square and try to finish it. There will be a 'thread' or a path where I can backtrack using the 'string' I had placed for myself especially if the path turns out to be wrong one. I do not want to be going in circles and coming to a dead end and encountering 2 number 9s along the same row or column. 

So,  if along the way, I find there are (for example) 2 number 8s along the same row or column, then I will need to backtrack to where I first made that guess. 

It is obviously the wrong route, so I will erase my error, and start back to the original point where I chose one number out of two (a 50 / 50). I will then proceed to take the other number and proceed on from there.  

Normally I will be able to finish the game this way.

So that's it folks 

Sudoku Game De Mystified !

Have Fun Playing ! You only challenge yourself on time and patience.

Becoming a Top Level Player is not difficult. 

2nd August 2020 Afternoon Musings

Its a warm and humid afternoon. We are well into the 2nd half of 2020, and this year on all fronts has been nothing short of a disaster, economically, socially and healthy wise. Singapore has registered 2 quarters of contractons and is in a recession, probably the worst since it was an independent country in 1965, 55 years. The USA, the world's largest economy is also experiencing the worst economic situation since the Great Depression 90 years ago. 

The COVID -19 which had started out as a 'bad 'flu' from Wuhan in early January has evolved into a global pandemic killing almost 500,000 and infecting 16 million people with many more expected to fall sick in the coming months and possibly years as countries race to find a vaccine and possibly handle this as best as they can.

Its so easy to blame countries for the start and then once it is released, the scenario gets so convoluted with each country taking tough steps such as lockdowns of cities, states and enforcing wearing of masks in all enclosed places such as shopping malls, supermarkets, and restaurants. 

The countries which supposedly controlled it well, China, New Zealand, S Korea, Hong Kong, Auatralia, Japan and Vietnam are experiencing second and third waves of the dreaded disease as people start moving back into the workforce, moving between states, and again cramping together in popular dining areas.

People are slow learners. So used to habits and the need for mingling, we inadvertedly revert back to our 'bad' old days of crowding for the sake of saving a few minutes (to take the next lift) or eat at the restaurant which is full to capacity after almost 3 months lockdown  - where everything was shut and only takeout was allowed. (Late March till 18 June) 

There is the usual talking after eating and drinking, merriment and exchanging of long grandfather stories.

The virus lurks in unknown places, in people who are asymptomatic carriers and those who have caught it, but decide to shrug if off and soldier on - a cardinal sin - all in the name of not wanting to 'lose out' or miss the long anticipated reunion of classmates, someone's birthday and a celebration.

The New Normal is upon us. We need to be mindful 100% about the risks when going anywhere. I sound neurotic but only the paranoid survive (as Andrew Grove of Intel so aptly puts it).

Currently in China, the country which the virus first originated, is facing massive flooding in the Yangtze basin. Its so sad to watch the millions of people along the basin (AnHui district for one) who have lost their livelihoods, their homes, their businesses and their community as the floods continue unabated for at least another few weeks.

Its impossible to comprehend their suffering and  sense of helplessness. 

2020 -  Will we see any happy end to the year ? A vaccine would be at least a hopeful sign and something for us to look forward to. 

  

5 Dec 2010 Marathon No. 5 Video

Marathon No. 5 after 10 years of training and body conditioning. The run seems like it was just yesterday and  I had all the 'tricks in my bag' with me. See previous post.

My ultimate goal now (2020) is to aim for 3 - 5 more full marathons before my body tells me 'enough'. Too many friends and family have gone, that Ceteros Parabos (all things being equal), there is no time like the present.

Carpe Diem.