Fantastic Contraption

Fantastic Contraption is simply fantastic. It is a very fun and addictive physics puzzle game. Just watch the video below or play this game (http://fantasticcontraption.com/) if you want to know what it is.



The purpose of Fantastic Contraption to move all red objects into a rectangular goal area. To do this, you are given a blue rectangular building area and various materials in which you can build your device. There are some obstacles along the way, to make it difficult for you to complete your task.

There's a tutorial to teach you how to play so I don't have to tell you the details. After you complete each level, you can look at other players' designs. Their designs are rated from 1* to 5*. Those with 5* are quite rare as they have to be extraordinary. You can publish your own designs by logging in, saving your designs and just publishing it. I have made my own designs but none of them are 5*, all of them are just 3* and 4*. One of my coolest designs is here (http://FantasticContraption.com/?designId=4074261). I have no idea who give the ratings. You can also get the full version of the game for US$10. With the full version, you can make your own level and look at other players' levels. I didn't get the full version as it is too expensive, so I play only the free version, which is good enough.

Wishing All a Merry Christmas!

8 Days China Trip

We went for an 8 Days Nanning/Detian Waterfall/Scenic Guilin/Longsheng + Merryland tour from 13 to 20 Dec. We were on the coach most of the time, averaging 4-5 hours of travelling time a day. The longest was a 9-hr trip (to and fro) to Detian Waterfall which is the largest transnational waterfall in Asia, and was located between the border of China and Vietnam.

This is the Longsheng Terraced Fields - the Champion of the terraced field in the world. We visited the Zhuang minority village and had lunch served by the local villagers.

We went to the Merryland Theme Park, and took many fun rides, which were quite similar to those in Genting Highlands.

During the long coach rides, we passed our time by playing computer games. We had to remember to charge our notebook whenever we were in the hotels.

The Elephant Trunk Hill in Guilin.

Taken from a cruise ride on the picturisque Lijiang River.

In Lipu - the Silver Limestone Cave.

An unforgettable part of the trip was the toilet breaks. Some of the toilets were very smelly and dirty without flushing system and had no doors. Only the toilets in the hotel rooms were the cleanest.

One Minute Painting

Artistic and awesome piece of work!
I will be going to Guilin/Nanning with my family, from 13 to 20 Dec. Will update my blog after I come back.

Genting Trip 1-3 Dec

I went to Genting on Monday morning and came back yesterday night at 10pm. On the first day, we took the Singapore-Genting coach at Boon Lay Place at 7am and reached Genting at 2.30 pm. We waited for our hotel room to be ready for a very long time, as there was a long queue. To kill time, we played games on our laptop. By the time we got into our room at First World Hotel Tower 2, it was about 5pm. As it was rather late, we did not do much except taking our dinner, watch TV and then slept.

The next day we went to the Outdoor Theme Park. We paid RM$125 (family package - 2 adults and 2 children) + RM38 (one child). My favourite ride was the Flying Jumbo although it was really lame, but I like the bumps when the Jumbo went up and down. We also took other rides such as the Pirate Ship, Flying Dragon, Boating (see photo) and Spinner.

The third and final day was the most awaited day. After we checked out, we played games on our laptop again while waiting for the Genting-Singapore coach to arrive. We boarded the bus at 2.30pm and reached Boon Lay Place at about 9.30pm. Throughout the journey, my siblings and I took turn to play the GameBoy. We took a cab home and arrived home at 10pm.

Usually the best part of my holidays trip is the journey to and fro, as I am able to play games on the coach or plane. However this time, there's no games on the coach so the best part of the trip was playing on the laptop and the GameBoy, which we brought along.

"Magic - The Science of Illusion" at Science Centre

This is an illusion of the disembodied head, demonstrated by my father. The exhibit uses mirrors and principle of angles of reflection to make the illusion effective.

This is me.

Lim Li was relaxing herself in the "Mind Ball" game. In this experiment, two competitors wearing a brain signal detector around the forehead, sat opposite each other, with a ball between them. You must relax as much as possible to help push the ball to the opponent. She won twice!

Holidays = Jigsaw Puzzle Time!

I like to fix jigsaw puzzles. These are the puzzles that I have fixed so far since the holidays started.

The 'Mother & Child' and the Japan scenary puzzles are 1000-pc. They are good quality puzzles with interlocking pieces, but are quite difficult to fix as there are not many unique colours/patterns. I took a few days to fix them.


The above puzzles are also 1000-pc, but very easy to fix since they are cartoon types.

Sometimes when I find it boring fixing from the front, I will fix from behind (see puzzle on the left), then turn the pieces over. The completed puzzle is below.

After completing the puzzle, I would divide the puzzle into several equal portions, pile them up in a stack and then wrap them up in an unused paper (see the left picture). During the next holidays, I will unwrap the paper, dismantle the puzzle into individual pieces and then fix again.

I have more than 30 puzzles at home, and have fixed each of them many times. Anyone has new, challenging puzzles for me to fix???

My Year End Results!

Today I got my semestral progress report.

AX1018 Innovation Programme: Merit
BL1102 Diversity of Life: A- (4.5)
CL1102 Chinese 1B: B (3.5)
CM1105 Atoms, Molecules and Stoichiometry: A+ (5.0)
EL1104 Developing Language Skills II: B (3.5)
FA1110 2D Basic: A- (4.5)
HY1101 From Settlement to Singapore (1930s - 1970s): B+ (4.0)
MA1109 Foundational Mathematics II: Exempted
MA1201 IT in Mathematics (GSP) and Loci: A+ (5.0)
MA2104 Trigonometry I: Exempted
MA2109 Basic Statistics and Probability: Exempted
MA3103 Trigonometry II: A+ (5.0)
MA3113 Functions and Graphs: A+ (5.0)
MA4204V Number Theory: B+ (4.0)
MU1341 Group Keyboard For Beginners: Merit
PC1104 Force, Motion and Energy: A+ (5.0)

A+ >=85 (5.0), A >=80 (5.0), A- >=75 (4.5), B+ >=70 (4.0), B >=65 (3.5), etc.

I am happy with my Semestral Grade Point Average GPA/CAP of 4.37 (maximum is 5.0). There is a slight improvement over my last Semestral GPA :-)

Videos on 6x6x6 and 7x7x7 V-cubes

These 2 videos were created by Quek Yu Han from NUS High.

QtPS Gathering Photos

Crystal Balls

Guess what's the above? The tiny balls are in their original state, and they become the large, clear and beautiful crystal balls after being placed in water for 3-5 hrs. Well, it is commonly called 4D Crystal Soil, its chemical components are Potassium Hydroxide/Acrylic Acid/Polyacrylamide/Others. It is used in indoor plants for decorative purposes. It's made from water absorbent polymer which can absorb up to 200 times of its weight in water. It can store and hold water and nutrition, which is steadily released as the plants needs are required. 4D Crystal-Soil can prevent insects and bacteria problem which usually occurs in ordinary soil. It's non-toxic, biodegradable and safe. Cool, right?

Unmoving Images

Look at the images (double-click to get a bigger picture, for a better effect). Both are not moving, but appears to be moving!

Today I am at home. Tomorrow I have Physics and History papers. Sat is Music Grade 3 Theory paper. Monday is the last paper, Trigonometry II. I would consider my exam over on Sat, as Trigo is very easy, there is no need to revise.

QtPS Gathering on 4 November

Attention all Queenstown Primary School friends,

Maam is organising a movie marathon in the Queens Condo function room on 4 November (Tue). The movies screened will be a combination of latest English/Chinese movies and cartoon movies. As usual, bring food (halal). You can also bring along your pillows, mattresses and blankets.

Time: from 4 pm onwards (till 10 pm latest).

IMO National Training Team Briefing

Today, I attended the IMO National Team Training briefing at NUS Blk S16 #05 from 9.30 am to 12.30 pm. The actual training will start next Saturday (25 Oct) from 9.30am to 1pm, and it will be held every Saturday until late April 09 or early May 09. There are four lecturers/teachers in charge of the training - Mr Teo, Mr David Chia, Dr Wong Yan Loi (NUS) and Dr Tay Tiong Seng (NUS).

We got to know some maths pros of other levels from other schools. Most of them are JC1 students and I am the youngest. We played some Maths games like "24", where they would give you 4 numbers and you must make 24 by using only addition, subtraction, multiplication, division or brackets. For example, if the numbers 5, 5, 9, 9 were given, you can make 24 by 5x5-9/9. Try with numbers 1, 5, 5, 5. The answer is below.

After the briefing, I still had to go back to NUS High for a Number Theory (my Maths Elective) test. After that, I went home for my lunch (my favourite chicken rice!) at about 3.30pm.

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Answer: (5-1/5)x5=24

National Training Team for IMO 2009

I have been selected to be in the National Training Team for International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) 2009. Besides myself, a few of my NUS High seniors - Ang Yan Sheng, Ryan Chan, Sung Hyun Lim and Gabriel Wong, were also selected. I heard that the training will be starting soon. Hopefully there will be no training during the Nov/Dec holidays, as my family is going on a trip to China (Nanning/Guilin) in Dec.

My exams will be from 24 Oct to 3 Nov. Ughh .. my sister from RGS has taken her last paper today. I think among the secondary/high schools, NUS High has the latest exam period which means that we are mugging when others are enjoying their holidays :-(

American's Got Talent Magic Trick

I enjoy watching American's Got Talent. Below is a really cool magic trick!

Innovative Programme (IP) Project

Every NUS High Year 1 student has to do this IP project. It is about inventing an innovative product to help the elderly. My team members are Cyrus, Aik Wee, Miao Jing and me. The groups are chosen based on our birthdays i.e. the 4 youngest are in one group and the next 4 in another. Our product is a dustpan. We meet every Wednesday afternoon during the AXIS period (2 hours) to discuss the project. So far, we have made good progress. Our dustpan has a mirror to help elderly look under furniture without bending down, since the old people usually have back problem. It also has a torchlight which can be switched on to light up the area under the furniture, so that the tiny dirt or debris can be seen and swept away.

I think I have a good team as we are usually quite productive and we do not quarrel among ourselves, unlike another team. Cyrus is also a good leader as he is responsible and helps the team to brainstorm ideas.

My Old Photos

Australian Mathematics Competition

The Australian Mathematics Competition (AMC) results were released. I got a Prize award and Prudence award. My sister also won a Prize award. Yay! The prize presentation ceremony will be held at Novotel Clarke Quay on 23 Oct. There will be some cash money and also a scrumptious buffet. Yum yum ...

I checked the Australian Mathematics Trust website. Zhang Aidi from RGS and Ryan Kor from RI got full marks (medal winners). Cool!

V-Cube

A V-Cube 6 is the 6x6x6 version of the Rubik's cube, while a V-Cube 7 is the 7x7x7 version. Unlike the flat-sided V-Cube 6, the V-Cube 7 is slightly rounded. Due to its design, the corner pieces will drop out if it's a true cube shape hence it is impossible to construct a 7x7 with uniform pieces.

The V-Cube 7 consists of 218 unique miniature cubes ("cubies") on the surface. There are 8 corner cubelets, 60 edge cubelets and 150 center cubelets (6 fixed, 144 movable).

My NUS High senior, Nicholas Ho, has a 6x6x6 and a 7x7x7. I think he bought a package comprising a 5x5x5, a 6x6x6 and a 7x7x7 for a few hundred dollars from the Internet. I hope to have a 6x6x6 or a 7x7x7 :-)

I heard there is a V-Cube 11, but i have never seen it before.

Rubik's Cube Competition

I made 3 new friends at the Rubik's Cube Competition organised by Toysrus yesterday. They were all professional cube solvers apparently much faster than me. They were Nicholas Ho, Yuan Chen Yang (both my seniors from NUS High, M08306 and M08302 respectively) and Hai Xiang from Commonwealth Sec School. All of them were friendly and gave me some tips on how to smoothen the cube and solve it faster. Chen Yang lent me his 3x3 cube which was smoother than mine, Nicholas also lent me an even smoother one during 3x3 round 1.

During the 2x2 challenge, I broke my personal record with a 14 sec, obviously not good enough to get into the top 3. For the 3x3 round 1, I again broke my record with a 27.91 sec, where my average time during practice was about 40 sec! However, there were people who could solve it in less than 20 secs. For the 4x4, I broke my own record again in 2 min 22 secs (usually I took about 3 mins). Nicholas was top in the 4x4 with 1 min 38 sec. I think he had won himself $300.

After the 3x3 round 2 which I took 34 sec, I went home knowing that I could not win one of the top 3 prizes. Anway, I have not done some of my holidays homework. TEEHEE!

Rubik's Cube Qualifying Round and NJRC 2008

This afternoon at 3.30 pm I took part in the Rubik's Cube 3x3 qualifying round at Suntec Entertainment Centre. The organiser announced that there were about 300 participants and only the first 100 fastest players would qualify for the final tomorrow. Each group of 8 was called on stage to solve the 3x3. I was in group 2. I was quite nervous and made several mistakes in turning the cube. My timing - an outrageous 56 sec! (usually I took 30 - 40+ sec to solve 3x3).

My sister, Lim Min, and her friends - my senior Nicky from NUS High, Derek from HCI and Jeremey from RV, took part in the NJRC (National Junior Robotics Competition) 2008 held at Science Centre today. They have worked for the past few weeks on their Saving Earth robot, and last night they camped at my house till this morning 6 am, before rushing to Science Centre for the competition. Guess what they won? 2nd in the Open Category! They were very disappointed, as they were 1st in the last two years. They missed the chance to represent Singapore in the World Robot Olympiad (WRO2008) to be held at Japan!

At about 8.45 pm I received a call from Toysrus that I have qualified for the 3x3 finals tomorrow. So I have 3 competitions tomorrow - 9.30 am for 2x2, 11.30 am for 3x3 finals, and 1.30 pm for 4x4.

SMO Prize Presentation and Jigsaw Puzzle Competition

There are 2 events today. In the morning, I went for the SMO prize presentation ceremony which was held at NUS High Auditorium. For SMO(Junior) Team category, NUS High won 2nd, tied with Hwa Chong. We were awarded with $500, however, we couldn't keep the money as it's for the school.

For the SMO(Junior) Individual category, Ang Yan Sheng got 3rd whereas I was 6th. We were awarded with $200 cheque and $100 cheque, respectively. Last year, I got 8th and the prize money was also $100, but in real cash.

After the SMO prize presentation, we had buffet lunch at the Concourse, before proceeding to the Civil Service Club for a jigsaw puzzle competition. It was a 1000-pc puzzle, which was extremely difficult - more than half of the picture was pink and 1/5 was all white (you can see the puzzle from the photo below). There were about 20+ teams competing. After 3 hrs, we did not manage to finish the puzzle, leaving 203 pieces uncompleted. Yet we came in Champion!! The 2nd team had 267 pieces undone, and the 3rd team 293 pieces not fixed. We won a $500 cash cheque. My mother's friend received $125 while the 3 of us kept the remaining $375. After deducting the registration fee of $23 each, each of us earned $102 each. So, today I earned $202 in total, haha!

Soda Green

This is not a drink, it is a pop group 苏打绿. Their song, 小情歌, is one of my mother's favourite songs. She said it was 百听不厌, which means she won't get tired of it even after listening to it for over a hundred times.



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This Sat is the prize presentation ceremony for SMO. I will be meeting Wei Liang, who is 12th in the SMO (Junior). In the afternoon, I am taking part in a jigsaw puzzle competition held at Civil Service Club. Next week, I am taking part in the Rubik's Cube competition (I signed up for 2x2, 3x3 and 4x4 events) organised by Toysrus Singapore.

Olympics 2008

This year's olympics is held at Beijing, China, obviously you all know. Singapore won 1 silver for table tennis team and nothing for table tennis single and for swimming. This year, the swimming pool at the Water Cube is specially designed to be over one metre deeper than usual, so the waves dissipate and reduce turbulence to the bottom. Also, special swimsuit (LZR Racer) worn by the swimmers is extraordinarily light and smooth, designed for better oxygen flow to the muscles and holds the body like a shark's skin. No wonder so many swimming world records were broken, 8 of them by Michael Phelps. Unless future venues are designed with more high-tech methods such as different chemical compounds in the water to further reduce water turbulence and resistance, maybe there won't be anymore swimming world records in the next 20 years! Usain Bolt, aka Insane Bolt, broke the world record for running 100m and 200m. All of these you should know already, so I am just talking crap.

Just some funny videos for you to enjoy.

Future Creations in Year 3000