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.



....

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

SMO Prelim Results Out

The results list is only preliminary, showing top 10 for individual with no ranking. Both Ang Yan Sheng and I are in the top 10 at the SMO Junior National level. I didn't get top but 2nd in NUSH, duh. Anyway, Ang Yan Sheng is better than me but then he is in Year 2. At least my score is better than last year, so I am happy. The final results will only be out during the prize presentation ceremony on 30 Aug. But I think RI's top two scorers have higher marks than Ang Yan Sheng, so NUSH's best individual result for SMO Junior can only be 3rd or more.

Actually, I am quite surprised that Jonathan did not get into top 30. Maybe his handwriting is illegible and the marker could not read it!

NUSH team got 2nd (Ang Yan Sheng, Jonathan and I in the team), tied with HCI, and apparently, RI got first, 5 times in a row, which means they can keep the Challenge Trophy. NUSH also got team 2nd for SMO senior, and the first is RI, duh. NUSH got team 4th for SMO Open. 1st is HCI, 2nd is probably RJC, 3rd is RI, still quite duh.

I am also very happy that I managed to get Gold award (very lucky!) for SMO Open.

Next year, NUSH must aim for team 1st in the SMO Junior!!!

Dragon Illusion

This is a wonderful optical illusion. This little dragon is made out of paper - you simply cut it out and stick it together, and stand it on a table. When you move around, the dragon's head seems to follow you around the room. View the video, to see what I mean.

How does it work? If we move around when viewing a solid object, our brain knows how the object we are looking at should behave. However the dragon gives us the wrong clues, because we mis-interpret what its shape is. We assume that the nose of the dragon is pointing out towards us, but in fact the dragon's head is concave.
You can download a copy of the actual dragon and try this illusion for yourself if you wish.

Amazing Chalk Art

This amazing chalk art is created by Julian Beever, who has spent 20 years creating pavement art in Europe, USA and Australia. He has the nickname the 'Pavement Picasso'. Many of his creations are optical illusions, such as this one, where Julian appears to be perched on a ledge, waiting for Batman and Robin to climb the building and rescue him.

In reality, there is just pavement in front of him, and the street below together with the expectant crowd, plus the blazing building below him, are all tricks played on the eye.

While many of his pictures can take a whole day to create, by the next day they are often gone, vanished under the feet of passing pedestrians.

It's so cool, isn't it?

Subjects in Semester 2

This is the 4th week of Semester 2. The following are the modules that I am taking, from most-like to least-like:

1. MA1201 IT in Mathematics & Loci. I learn to use the Geometer's Sketchpad (GSP), a software system for creating, exploring and analysing Maths. It's fun. I can also play with the GSP's features like animation, whenever Ms Joyce Ng is not looking.
2. MA3103 Trigonometry II. This module is quite easy, much easier than the Maths Olympiad's Trigo topic. Mr Sean Yee is just like one of us (some people think he is a student), and his explanation is clear.
3. MA4204V Number Theory. This is the most challenging among the Maths modules that I am taking now and I like it.
4. MA3113 Functions and Graphs. Mr Li Da speaks with a weird accent and I think no one understands him. But I just refer to the notes, which is good enough for me.
5. PC1104 Forces, Moments and Energy. It's just like Maths, in a scientific way.
6. CM1105 Atomic Models. This is also like Maths, as we learn to find the number of protons, electrons and neutrons.
7. FA1110 2D Basic. I learn to draw using charcoal. It's new to me.
8. MU1341 Group Keyboard for Beginners. This is an enrichment module, where I learn to play on the keyboard since I have no background in keyboard playing.
9. BL1102 Diversity of Life. This semester the Biology module is not as interesting as last semester's.
10. EL1104 Developing Language Skills II.
11. PE1102 Physical Education
12. CL1102 Chinese 1B.
13. HY1101 From Settlement to Singapore (1300s to 1970s). Last Semester Geography is my hatest subject. Now I know History is even worse. I hate memorising.

Ha ha, I did not take Literature. Otherwise it may be no. 14.

Head Trick

This is an interesting illusion ... I watched this on TV many years ago, it was one of the best tricks I have seen.

SMO (Open) Special Round

Today I saw some NUSH seniors at the SMO Open Section Round 2 (held at NUS) but I was too shy to talk to them since I didn't know them very well.

Round 2 was a complete "torture", though not as bad as attending Chinese lessons :-). I stayed inside the LT25 for more than 3 hours (it was a 4-hour paper), but I could only do 1 question out of the 5. Actually I did 2 questions, but the other one was probably wrong. My mother said that it was already an achievement for me to get into Round 2 of the Open Category competition and to be able to do 1 question, since the competition was more for JC students.

When Petrol Price Goes Up

This is what may happen on the road if the petrol price keeps going up and up ....

SMO (Junior) Special Round and SAMC

Today, I went for the SMO Junior Special Round. I saw Wei Liang from Hwa Chong (but didn't see Benny also from Hwa Chong, and Jethro from RI - maybe they were early and had registered before me) and some of my friends from NUSH. The difficulty is about the same as last year, but I think I will get more marks than last year. I did 4 questions out of the 5.

After the SMO, we went to a restaurant in NUS for lunch. I ate chicken rice. Kendrick's parents paid for the meal (thank you!). Then Kendrick's father drove us (Jonathan, I, Kendrick, his sister and mother) to their house to work on our Singapore Amazing Machine Competition (SAMC) project, which is the Toothpaster 3000. Kenryk joined us there. We built part of the machine, which was not as easy as you think. We had to troubleshoot 20+ times and only succeeded 0 time. We suggested removing that part of the machine but Kendrick objected. We would continue working on the machine on Tuesday. The finals is on Thursday so we have to work very hard to make it work.

Fun at IMM

Hi, here is Lim Min again. Last Sunday, Carmen, her brother, Angela, Xun Kai and I went to IMM to play with water. Below are the photos.

Shen Zhen Photos

Hello, I am Lim Min and I am back from Shen Zhen. It was such a fun trip!!

Group Photo

At the Changi Airport

We stayed in a hotel, 2 to a room and the 4 of us were in connected rooms

Playing bubble balls, $20 RMB per person for 10 minutes

Most of the meals provided were buffet kind - breakfast, lunch, breaks, dinner

Our school - Shen Zhen Yaohua Experimental School, where we learnt Maths

The school uniforms were provided

Rebecca, me, Jia Hui and Tian Yu

World Largest Puzzle

Do you know what is the world largest puzzle? It is this 24000-pc jigsaw puzzle, called Life, the Great Challenge. It costs almost US$300, and its size is 4.28m x 1.57m. I wonder how long one takes to fix this puzzle, maybe 10 years! Even fixing the edges will probably take weeks. And where to keep the unfinished puzzle?

Mini Puzzle

My mother bought this 204-pc puzzle (costs $10) from the Jigsaw Puzzle World yesterday. It is in postcard size, with tiny pieces. The pieces are so small the set includes a miniature pair of tweezers for people with blunt fingers.

It is The Last Supper, by Leonardo da Vinci (Italian, 1452 – 1519) who was the most famous painter who ever lived, and was also a prolific inventor, scientist, and engineer. Leonardo began this painting in 1495 and completed it in 1498.

I finished fixing the puzzle within 1/2 hr. Anymore puzzles for me to fix? I hope my mother can buy a 2000-pc or 5000-pc puzzle for me to fix!

Hello from Lim Min

I am now at Changi Airport and I am so bored. Now it is only 11.24am and we can only board the aeroplane (SilkAir) at 1+ pm, the flight will depart for Shen Zhen at 2.05 pm. I have never realized that one can phone for free at Changi Airport! The water cooler is also automated. The souveniers in Changi Airport are really expensive.

Manage to find Internet access (that's why I can type here). Don't know what games to play.

Oh yeah, I am Lim Min, not Lim Jeck. I am joining my RGS teachers and friends, and also a group from RI, to Shen Zhen for Maths training, from today till 20 June.

Hello again, now it is 1.53pm and I am waiting to enter the gate, now in the waiting area. Silkair compensated us for flight delay by providing lunch. We can choose noodles or rice. In the end I chose chicken rice. Actually roasted chicken rice. The trolley is very fun to play with.

Ok. I will type more if I have Internet access at Shen Zhen.

Group Photos (3rd June Gathering)

Click on the photos to get a bigger picture!

Holiday so far

The holidays are going away very quickly, and I haven't done my homework yet, since I have no homework. This is because ours is a modular system, we finished our modules last semester and will have new modules next semester. I actually did nothing during the holidays, besides sleeping, watching TV, playing on the computer, fixing jigsaw puzzles and playing badminton. Below is a puzzle that I have dismantled and assembled many times. I have a lot of other puzzles, which I would fix again and again, whenever I am free.


The only thing memorable is the BBQ (6A class gathering) which was held 3 days ago. My mother did not take any photos but she said Mrs Shahrin would send the photos to her, so I will upload the photos later.