Top 10!

Ladies and gentlemen, Team Teh Tarik has arrived! In only our 3rd ever hunt, and with our 3rd pair of teammates, we have managed to finish a very respectable 9th out of 50 teams.

The Top Gear Malaysia Motor Hunt 2008 was the least stressful and, dare I say, easiest so far. Well, for the latter I guess our experience in the past two hunts have helped us tremendously in knowing how to solve the clues and what to look out for in the answers.

The hunt took us via the North-South Expressway to Hulu Bernam, Tanjung Malim, Ipoh, Butterworth and to the final station just before the Penang Bridge. As there were only 50 teams and the hunting areas were well spread out, we didn't have to battle for room and space with other teams and the morning breakfast crowd. Busy Puchong on a Sunday morning this certainly is not. Most of the clues were found without stopping and searching on foot. Which is just as well, as some of the hunt sectors were along the main road. And the distance between sectors - more than an hour at one point, provided ample time to recharge our batteries and wring our brains to solve the treasure clues.

I did my homework on the hunt sponsors the night before, and boy was I glad I did! Quite a few of the clues (including the treasures) assumed knowledge of the sponsors - nothing too detailed, basically just based on stuff in the goody bags. In the end, we got 30 out of 35 answers right, but only got 1 treasure right. Must work harder on the treasure clues!

During the prize-giving ceremony, each team's points total was not mentioned, so we really didn't know what to expect. As other teams' numbers were called out as the finishing positions got higher and higher, we honestly didn't know what to expect - on one hand it is a good sign that we have a better chance of finishing higher, but on the other hand, maybe we did so bad that we weren't even classified! 20, 19, 18... the positions got higher and higher, and still no mention of our team. 13, 12, 11... then we got to the magic number of 10th position, STILL our team wasn't called out. And then for position number 9, FINALLY we were called to the stage! 9th! And all we wanted at the start of the day was to finish in the top 20! Only bummer though was that our reward were these steam facial sauna thingamajigs. Yeah, I hear you laughing. And to think that teams BELOW us won cufflinks and Ray-Bans!

All in all, a great weekend in Penang. And we even brought back RM200 worth of DVDs back as souvenirs! Our next proposed hunt would be the MENSA Hunt on 14th December - apparently one of the Grand Slams of Malaysian treasure hunting. Now, getting Top 10 in that hunt would be REALLY special.

Treasure Hunting for Dummies

After joining my first two treasure hunts, I've learnt a lot of tips on getting the answers and treasures right from my experience. I'll write them down as a Treasure Hunt 101 for other newbies and potential hunters.

1) Look out for the indicator word

Most of the clues you need to solve are cryptic clues, where a lot of time and skill is required to decipher the clues before you even start looking for the answers! The first step to solving these cryptic clues is to look out for the indicator. The main ones are:

• anagram indicators (Change, mix, sort, could be, perhaps, awkwardly, perm, chaos etc)
• backwards indicators (returns, recall, etc)
• rhyme indicators (sounds like, I hear, etc)
• initial indicators (Firstly, initially, etc)

Once you've figured out the indicator, then you're already halfway there. Most are obvious, but the hardest to spot are the anagram ones, as they can be ANY word that can carry the meaning "to change" or "mixed up". But usually when the clue doesn't make sense grammatically, then it can either mean two things - (a) it's a cryptic clue and you need to play around with the words/letters to find the answer, or (b) the clue-setter just has a poor grasp of the English language!

2) Know the sponsors

Well the sponsors did not pour in so much of their money for nothing - they do want some publicity in exchange. I have found that for some of the clues, really knowing about your sponsors (or at least being aware of them!) would really help. The name of the sponsor itself could be the answer, or you may need to know the business or motto of the sponsor. Even the treasures themselves could be one of the sponsor's products (it may even have been included in the goody-bag all along!).

3) Know your Roman numerals

This is really important. There would be clues which may contain the words "hundred" or "five" or even "a number" where you're actually needed to substitute these words with the corresponding Roman numerals. So do look out for any reference to numbers, especially if they're specific single digit Roman numerals such as below:

I - One
V - Five
X - Ten
L - Fifty
C - One Hundred
D - Five Hundred
M - One Thousand

4) Every. Word. Counts.

Yup, do not dismiss or overlook ANY word. And this goes for both the answer as well as the clue. If you think you get an answer, try see if it can somehow fit in with the clue. If only part of the clue describes the answer, then chances are the answer is wrong. If only part of the answer fits in with the clue, then chances are that answer is wrong too.

5) Mind your language

Having a decent command of the English Language is imperative! You no speaking England, you no win Treasure Hunt.


So that's all the beginner tips I can think of for now. I'll add more in the future as I gain more experience in this new hobby/sport of mine.

Top half!

Yup, after a TIRING day spent hunting, we managed to finish in 100th place out of 240 teams. Top half, which is a marked improvement over our bottom half finish in the Lexis Nexis hunt, and especially as it was only our SECOND EVER hunt! But to be fair, we did get 12 questions out of 35 wrong, and the fact that most of the other teams were newbies did contribute to our position. Encouraging achievement, anyway, and keeps our hopes up for the Top Gear Motor Hunt this coming weekend - only 50 or so teams, so we have an excellent chance of finishing in the top 10!

Anyway, Philips were the prize sponsors and the winners won a 37" LCD TV - for EACH team member! Our prize for coming in 100th? A Philips steam iron each. Well, it is something, and is waaaay much better than going back empty handed! Onwards to Penang and the Top Gear Hunt!

Maradona the gaffer?

Seems that Argentina have PANICKED and have made the seemingly BAFFLING decision to appoint one Diego Maradona as the new head coach of the national team. Yup, the same Maradona who single-HANDedly won the 1986 World Cup for his country, and the same one that ballooned into a cocaine-addicted ikan buntal after his retirement (and we always thought that drug addicts were all skin and bones!). He has almost ZERO EXPERIENCE as a coach, but at least he would have Carlos Bilardo, the man in charge of that 1986 triumph, as his right hand man. So expect most of the more important decisions to come from Bilardo, then.

Some may argue that Argentina are full of great individuals, you can put any Tom, Dick or Juan in charge and they'll still come out winners. Well just take a look at England then, 10 Englishmen started the 2008 Champions' League Final, but with a muppet like McLaren in charge of the national side, they still managed to fail to even qualify for EURO 2008. And look at them now under the guidance of Fabio Capello - their best EVER start to World Cup qualifying with 4 wins out of 4, including 2 tricky away games.

But then, Argentina haven't done too well themselves in their own qualifying campaign so far. I guess all they needed was some sort of inspiration, some sort of MIRACLE. And to most Argentines, Maradona IS God, so all fair to them for turning to him. But I do secretly hope that it all goes balls-up and Argentina fail to qualify for World Cup 2010, as this would mean that Carlos Tevez would have a proper rest before the 2010-11 season - provided he's still with us!

Spa Retreat!

The missus and I went on a deserved weekend break to Avillion in Port Dickson. Really nice and scenic place, staff were very professional, and the place was really clean - even the beach (surprisingly for PD!).

Anyway, the highlight of the trip was our couples session at the Avi Spa. A spacious building set on stilts right above the water, with an unrestricted panoramic view of the Straits of Malacca!

The Hunting Season Begins!!

We really enjoyed our first ever hunting experience, so we decided to sign up to two back-to-back hunts in November! The first one is the all-famous theSun Motor Hunt, where there'll be a total of 250 teams! Well, actually more than 250, as we registered after the maximum number of teams have already applied, but received a call yesterday confirming our late late participation! It's on this Sunday 2 November, flag-off from Sime Darby Convention Centre in Bukit Kiara. So with the huge number of teams involved, those of you early birds on Sunday look out for stickered vehicles on the road, and expect HEAVY traffic at the designated hunt sites, with lots of people wearing the same tshirts STARING at the shop signs looking for the answers!

The next one we've signed up for is the Top Gear Malaysia Treasure Hunt. An interesting one this, as it starts in the Klang Valley but ends in Penang, with a night's stay at Tanjong Bungah inclusive! This is Top Gear Malaysia's inaugural hunt, and with ONLY 50 teams, I expect really attractive prizes - and the goody bags should be interesting too! Only snag with this hunt is that two sets of couples who agreed to join had to pull out due to unforeseen circumstances, so anyone who's interested to have a fun weekend, please do email me ASAP!

I'll let you know how we did in the above two hunts in future posts.

WISH US LUCK!!!

Bahasa Jiwa Bangsa

Ingin saya ketengahkan satu gejala berat yang menular masyarakat kita dewasa ini. Masalah ini adalah berkaitan dengan penterjemahan beberapa istilah Bahasa Inggeris ke Bahasa Melayu. Penterjemahan yang langsung telah dilakukan ke atas istilah-istilah Bahasa Inggeris ini walaupun terdapat istilah-istilah Bahasa Melayu sedia ada yang sudah cukup memberikan maksud yang sama dengan istilah-istilah Bahasa Inggeris tersebut.

Contoh terbaik pada fikiran saya adalah "informasi". Jelas kepada kita semua bahawa "informasi" adalah penterjemahan langsung perkataan Bahasa Inggeris "information". Istilah ini sering digunakan dalam media massa, malah kebanyakan daripada kita tidak berfikir dua kali untuk menggunakan istilah ini dalam percakapan harian. Sebenarnya tidak ada sebab untuk kita menggunakan istilah "informasi" kerana penterjemahan "information" ke dalam Bahasa Melayu adalah "maklumat". Apa salahnya dan apa kurangnya jika perkataan "maklumat" digunakan berbanding dengan "informasi". Sebenarnya banyak lagi istilah lain yang pada fikiran saya tidak perlu digunakan, sebaliknya istilah Bahasa Melayu yang sedia ada sudah cukup sesuai. Senarai contoh istilah-istilah ini adalah seperti berikut:

Informasi - Maklumat
Konsumer - Pengguna
Bajet - Belanjawan
Final - Perlawanan Akhir
Opsyen - Pilihan
Fokus - Tumpuan
Global - Sedunia
Transformasi - Penukaran, Perubahan
Program - Rancangan
Rasis - Perkauman

Saya pernah membangkitkan perkara ini kepada teman-teman. Alasan atau sebab yang diberikan selalunya:

1. Bahasa Melayu sememangnya bukan satu bahasa yang asal, dan kebanyakan istilah Bahasa Melayu berasal dari bahasa-bahasa lain - Indonesia, Inggeris, Portugis, dan sebagainya.

2. Tidak ada sebab perkara ini perlu dibangkitkan kerana jika kita menonton rancangan dari negara jiran kita, penggunaan istilah-istilah Bahasa Inggeris yang telah diterjemahkan secara langsung adalah berleluasa.

Alasan-alasan di atas pada fikiran saya tidak dapat diterima sama sekali, dan seharusnya tidak digunakan untuk menyembunyikan kemalasan masyarakat kita untuk menggunakan istilah-istilah Bahasa Kebangsaan kita ini.

Senarai di atas akan saya perbaharui dari masa ke masa. Saya juga mengalu-alukan apa-apa cadangan atau pandangan pembaca, samada hendak menambah kepada senarai istilah ini, atau pun hendak mempersoalkan istilah-istilah yang sedia ada. Saya mengaku bahawa penguasaan Bahasa Melayu saya sendiri tidaklah begitu sempurna, malahan di peringkat PMR dan SPM pun saya tidak pernah sekali pun mendapat tahap "A" dalam peperiksaan. Oleh itu, saya amat berbesar hati jika pembaca dapat sama-sama memberikan pandangan terhadap masalah yang berat sebegini.

In-ger-landd!!!!

None gave them a chance. Justifiably so, given they lost both ties last time round. And with the miserable performances under Capello so far, some even hint that they just should've stuck with McLaren and saved a lot of money in the process. Even Bilic, the Croatia coach, was critical of England's struggle to a 2-0 win over part-timers Andorra on Saturday, and was confident of his own team's success. I wouldn't blame him, after all, they are unbeaten at home FOREVER (well since they were formed in 1990), and have let in a measly ONE goal in their last 10 home games. For England, merely getting a draw would be a huge achievement, and noone really took Capello seriously when he said he wanted to go for the win.

It was a convincing 4-1 MAULING of Croatia.

Forget Beckham, forget Wright-Phillips. With his awesome display in Croatia, Theo Walcott has made the right-side of midfield his own. Yes, his crossing may not yet match the best in the business. But then Walcott's business is scoring, and he's someone who has a real chance of hitting the target when he gets a chance in the area. But despite his hattrick, it's not all Walcott. Rooney, under heavy fire so far early in the season for his lack of scoring, ran Walcott close to be the man-of-the-match. His 2 assists and 1 goal showed they you do not neccessarly need to score in every game to be a great striker. Lampard showed his club form, and it's not a mere coincidence that every time Gerrard does not play, Lampard excels. In fact, the first 11 is the most balanced and settled England have been in quite a while. Ideally a naturally left-footed player is needed on the left, but with the inconsistent Downing the only contender, swashbuckling Joe Cole would do for now, though I would prefer him more as a supersub, which he has proven with devastating effect with his 3 goals in the previous 2 games.

England now have to build on this win, and hope that in the time to the next qualifying game, they don't get too over-confident and cocky. They haven't won the World Cup yet. Problem for Capello ultimately is how to fit Gerrard into the first 11. I say, if both Lamps and Barry are fit, the balance of the team should not be upset, and Stevie G can provide some company to Defoe, Downing, et al on the bench.

Anyway, this win is Capello's "Munich" moment. Munich here referring to the famous 5-1 AWAY win over Germany in Munich in the 2002 World Cup qualifiers that marked the start of the Sven-Goran Eriksson era. I just hope and pray that the Capello era ends on the highest note for England.

England til I die!
I'm England til I die!
I know I am, I'm sure I am,
I'm England til I die!

Introducing.... Honda Civic 2.0s - Nighthawk Black

After more than 2 months of waiting, we finally got our new car! It's something I can finally be proud of driving. Don't get me wrong, my trusty 'ol Wira's contributions in the past have been immense. But now, for once I'm not envious of other drivers on the road. It's a really FAST car, which is evident even in the current running-in period when I try not to exceed 3000 revs. Getting behind the wheel, with its two-tiered dashboard and the LCD speedometer feels like you're in the cockpit of a jet fighter. And I just love changing through the gears with the paddle-shifts located behing the steering wheel - ala Formula 1. An additional extra is the "Aux in" jack, which means I can listen to stuff on my iPhone without headphones (don't get me started on those FM radio iPod transmitters - they SUCK). The only problem so far is that you can NOT see the front of the chasis from inside the car - means that I have be extra careful when manouvering through tight spaces and even when parking the car. Getting used to it now, but may still opt to install front bumper sensors, just to make sure.

I'm also a fully-fledged member of the 8th-Gen Civic Club of Malaysia, and with the help of my new brethren, our Civic would be slowly but surely transformed into something special. Watch this space!

Fergie gets a Bulgarian

So, there ends the summer transfer window. And after a day of high drama (Spurs accepting a higher offer from Man City), United finally sealed the deal for Berbatov at the very last minute before the window shut. Going out the other way were Saha to Everton (how on Earth did he pass his medical test?), Silvestre swapping the United reserves for the Arsenal reserves, and Frazier Campbell going on loan to Spurs.

Rooney, Ronaldo, Tevez, Berbatov. Now THAT'S a strikeforce to be reckoned with. Can't wait for the chants from the Stretford End, though I honestly can't think of anything that rhymes with Berbatov! And the Bulgarian has the perfect opportunity to make himself an instant legend with the Old Trafford faithful in his very first game - Liverpool at Anfield. With both Gerrard and Torres out of the game, I'm really really looking forward to 13th September.

For now, I just hope that Berbatov doesn't get crocked in this week's World Cup qualifiers. Speaking of which... COME ON IN-GER-LAND!!!!!!