modern monopoly

Inspired by this post, I thought i'd pen some thoughts about a modern version of monopoly for Singapore.

Firstly, instead of railway stations, there is a chance card that decrees one property of yours be taken over for public transport with compensation by the bank (based on market value)(there may be some fixed public transport stations). That may sound like a bad thing, but it also means that all neighbouring properties and houses appreciate in value by 0.X number of times (determined by double dice throw, so maximum amount of appreciation capped at 1.2 times the market value).

There will be no more free parking space (hellooooo, this is Singapore leh), instead by purchasing the property, you have the option of building a multistory carpark (number of stories = number of houses, with increasing rents).

Instead of luxury tax, there is income tax everytime you pass go. This is calculated based on your perceived income per round, matched with the appropriate income tax bracket. Also, purchase of any house/hotel is subject to stamp duty payable to the bank.

After winning the beauty contest (used to get $20 remember?) in chance/community chest, you have to say "Boomz" each time you want to collect rent.

If you are ever caught speeding in your car (throwing doubles three times in a row), after you get out of jail, you are banned from driving for 3 rounds, afterwhich have to retake your (expensive) driving test.....and you probably will not pass the first time (you must throw double six to pass).

Life and TV

Maybe because of our busy schedules, we hardly watch any TV these days. For movies that we like, we buy the DVD. For TV series that we like, we buy the DVD (box set). For music that we really like, we buy the DVD (concert). You get the picture.

Had a spare moment over the weekend to just vegetate, so i switched on the telly and caught a new sit-com called Last Man Standing starring everybody's favourite toolman, Al Borland....i mean Tim the Toolman Taylor! (okay, Tim Allen). Not to be confused with BBC's dramarealitycontest program of the same name. =)

The format follows the Home Improvement formula, where Tim is this average joe trying to get by and how he deals with everyday issues (by misinterpreting advice given to him for one). What struck me was one scene where he was having dinner with his wife and another couple, and was told to be nice (and lie), because the lady was dating a new guy. This guy claimed to be navy SEAL and just came back from Iraq, etc. And the moment he sprouted stuff, i started wincing because of the factual inaccuracies, which Tim picked up but had a hard time not saying anything. When he told his wife in private, she said "Why do you have to know such things?" "What things?" "The range of an M1A1 Abrams tank!", just reminded me of the wifely person and me (and could imagine her saying that to me). Both of us are repositories of strange and wacky information, which is why i always said that we'd make a formidable team in any bar quiz. LOL.

Also played for mass and it was great to share the love and passion for music with a fellow musician. My regular bassist was away, but i think his stand-in really enjoyed playing with us (and it showed in the basslines played!). I just said "imagine playing like this, tight and funky, week in week out. you really look forward to sundays, and even take to recording what you play because you inspire each other so much, you don't even remember what you yourself played, how you played it, or why you played it. All you know is, it felt real good. Funny thing is, people listening to you will feel it too."

Strange thoughts for the weekend past. That and our offspring fighting a viral fever kinda occupied our time most of the day.

soccer now, soccer then...

I still play soccer these days, although no longer on a full pitch with 20+ other players.  Due to fitness (lack thereof) and space (also lack thereof), we've taken to playing on smaller 4/5-a-side pitches on astroturf. So we can still wear our studs and feel manly about it (heh heh). I have also noticed at a recent game that I can no longer rely on my speed to get past a defender. This is also due to the small pitch, but i think i'm really slowing down, which is a pity, because it was quite fun to do this in the past: face the defender with the ball, run and lean one direction, wait for reaction, then go the other way. =) The only way to counter was for the guy to hold his ground and not commit (no reaction), then i'd run out of space and have to stop or pass.

Stopping with the ball is ok, stopping with the ball with your back to the defender is hard, but somehow, instincts always kick in here and if i do stop, i always end up shielding the ball like this and most of the time, i pass it back. =) Playing with your back towards goal is one of those crucial skills that players need to develop (IMO), and I noticed myself using several methods to get past the defender in this situation: receiving the ball with back towards goal.
1) run forward (or pretend to with a few steps) and if the defender is to your side waiting for you to stop the ball so that he can take it off you, let the ball run between your legs, turn and go. The ball needs to have sufficient pace for you to do this (but not too fast!) and if done correctly, should leave the d in your wake, especially if he was leaning into the tackle already.
2) trap the ball by cushioning it with your instep, then letting it follow your foot backwards as your swivel. This is a move often done perfectly by Fabregas (video here).

I wonder how long can i do these before i have to rely on guile and skill, since these still require a bit of pace (especially 1). Soccer is great fun tho. =)