A Hella Weekend for MTG

Hi Everyone,

I know that I have not been blogging personally and just for work, and finding things to do that are more productive. I have been slacking and there is absolutely no excuses over it. I have been playing and thinking about things that I have no control over and thoughts about falling in love with well the game that made me almost gave up my "O" Levels and falling in love then and now the same thing happens all over again after nearly 15 years ago.

I SOLD my entire collection because of the need of money for my MLM, and in turn earned the money for my ex-girlfriend's gift, I have come back to the game about half a year ago in the Rise of the Eldrazi expansion back in Zendikar Block. The likes of Jace The Mind Sculptor tormenting Standard. Now the same thing has happened to this Innistrad Block. Snapcaster Mage Tormenting Standard at the moment, but not as much as Jace TMS. Oh well there was a joke about Jace TMD, I mean TMS...>_<

We were playing Standard Constructed before being engrossed in Drafting last weekend. This was the schedule of Drafting...

New Years Eve Overnight (New Phyrexia) Draft - Roy, Derrick plus Jason(Me)

What I got (Worth Mentioning)... Foil Sword of War and Peace (Woot!)

GH Afternoon Draft (Innistrad) Draft - Roy, Fei, Derrick, Mark(GH), Sky plus Jason(ME)

What I got (Worth Mentioning)... None of I remembered Off Hand...

New Years Day Overnight (M12) Draft - Derrick, Louis(GH), Fei, Patrick, Sky plus Jason(ME)

What I got (Worth Mentioning)... Phantasmal Image, Dungrove Elder, Grim Lavamancer

Overall I remembered that I had well...Took money for all 3 drafts and it was really fun although I had lost all 3 drafts to pretty good deck drafts. The reason to my losts were the failure to draft good creatures as well as the failure to predict cuts and power spells. The previous drafts back in Jcube which resulted in I won a Snapcaster as well as the Garruk Relentless in prize was a example of a clearheaded strategy with cleancut no cuts.

This is an example of being smart and being outwitted by smart....LOL...

Hope to learn my lesson in terms of drafting through experience an hopefully by dark ascension I will have better intuition to combat my opponents no matter in limit or constructed.

Woot!

- Jason Synn Tan

Magical Thoughts - SplinterFright Tweak

It might not come to a surprise that actually I had come back to magic and in a style that was never before. Ever since I broke up with my gf about 1 year plus ago. I had plenty of time to spare and at night to forget the torment 6 years ago, so well I went all out on Innistrad set which is the newest one and net another card named Snapcaster Mage today, which is going at around $25sgd currently. "Nap shot" my friend Fei Said.

Kind of pleased at my luck i carefully sleeved up the card and in it went into my file. This is the third Snapcaster Mage after opening 3 boxes of innistrad and about 20 packs. 3 + 6 packs during pre-release, 3 packs opened with Derrick, and 5 packs yesterday in J-Cube. Sold the other two for $25 each which nets me $50 back. Not bad! Said Derrick when he wacked a pack and got a foiled Hinterland Harbour which I applauded. After saying Hi to Wayne who didn't even notice us back in Northpoint MacDonalds.

Well Back to yesterday. I was quite disappointed that my deck has played towards my friends who are playing White Weenies (Fei's only deck), a Permission Poison Deck (Sky's Deck) and Tempered Steel (Roy). Mine seems to be looking in the sky and playing Draw-Go most of the time in the Chaos Match Up. It wasn't a surprised as I was playing with some cards that didn't over a punch over competitive decks like what they are playing. It was a "fun" deck though. This time round I put my heart into really forming one that is going to pack a punch at least in tournaments.

Not wanting to play Red Deck Wins (RDW), I search around playing with Laboratory Maniac. Something which allows me to win perhaps the first match, and then completely removing this winning condition on the second match up by playing all out aggro. All thanks to Fei who actually accompany me in J-Cube until ten with a match up with a mirror deck against my Splinterfright Self Mill Deck. Sorry that I forgotten his name, and he looks Chinese but however speaks a slangy English, more to really American style, great time talking to him. His is a more sorcery based rather than creatures...therefore I am in a complete surprise at how the deck performs at the Self Mill.

Game 1 - I was losing to a faster mill process which made his Splinterfright to 7/7 Trampler in no time which I changed his Splinterfright into a 3/3 beast with beast within. And than following it with a boneyard wurm. Mine is 7/7 as well. He was laughing when he said "Free 3/3 beast, not bad!", I'm glad as his forbidden alchemy fetches another Splinterfright into his hand and drops another 2 creatures in..., I replied "It could be 9/9 now, glad that I only have to take care of the part 2 Splinterfright". My beast within didn't come and I was overwhelmed by a part 2 12/12 Boneyard Wurm and a Part 3 14/14 Splinterfright from his Noxious Revival. Ouch!

Game 2 - He kept a one land hand and I had not much good hand as well as reality unfolds to my advantage. His land stalls and thank god for Mulch as I draws 1 more Hinterland Harbor dropping Kessig Cagebreakers, Deranged Assistant and a Splinterfright (MY SPLINTERFRIGHT!) I was yelling....However I had something on my sleeves next turn...On Turn 3 I played Skaab Ruinator on this face and he was saying "Oh! A flying fatty". I nodded and said yeah...Pleased with the Mulch that gives me 3 creatures to Exile. Turn 4 I swing for 5 on his face when he got a LLanowar elves in to help with his mana woes. A Turn 5 second Island was too late as I layed my fifth land casting a  0/0 boneyard wurm which goes into the graveyard and then a 1/1 Splinterfright. Swing for 5 again and he is down to 10. The 2 card mill from Splinterfright sets him at 2/2 and I draws a beast within. But scoops at my Ruinator. He said "Reminds me never to keep a 1 land hand" and we both laughed.

Game 3 - Hands down to him as he managed to pull off a great self mill with Forbidden Alchemy, Dream Twist, then using Noxious Revival to bring the SplinterFright Back on his Library and casting a Turn 4 6/6 SplinterFright. On Turn 5, due to the flashback from Dream Twist, and the SplinterFright Self Mill, puts it at 10/10, downs me to 12 after I blocked it with my 2/2 Wurm. I draw and concede. It is great to see another deck and one that is performing better... :)

However his deck still loses Hands Down to Fei's White winnie which the O-rings on the SplinterFright Shuts down his Deck completely, and without Skaab Ruinator he is unable to Flash back anymore creatures....Not bad I thought...I might want to play with Crackling Counterparts the next time :)

Time to tweak the Deck Further!

4 x Birds of Paradise

3 x Boneyard Wurm

1 x Merfolk Looter

4 x MindShrieker

3 x Phantasmal Image

2 x Laboratory Maniac

3 x Skaab Ruinator

4 x SplinterFright

2 x Mirror-Mad Phantasm

4 x Mulch

3 x Beast Within

4 x Forbidden Alchemy

8 x Forest

11 x Island

4 x Hinterland Harbour

SideBoard:

1 x Beast Within

4 x Mana Leak

1 x Phantasmal Image

4 x Acidic Slime

2 x Back from the Brink

3 x Noxious Revival

I'll see how this deck Fares next week in FNM or Saturday / Sunday Afternoon Magic with my playgroup :)

- Synn

Love...

Sometimes I wonder if I will get it back...it is constantly on holiday...when will it come back? :)

I am always looking out for it recently....ever since 2011 started...the feeling of loneliness has also started....work is no longer able to help me to relieve this part of my emotion. I have been trying to work hard....when I start to feel lonely. 

Today my laptop is not with me....I have not brought it back home with me...on purpose. I wanted to find substitutes....I have been working and thinking...what can be done...and now I have been entrusted on a task with an innovation to help my company and also to relieve some of my colleagues off work...

Hopefully....i will be able to find her.... Soon.....:)

- Synn

Dream Dreaming...

Future by Dumnezeu (DeviantArt)
(http://browse.deviantart.com/digitalart/photomanip/?qh=&section=&q=future#/dht1oy)

A glimpse into the future in my dreams is something that I have dreamt alot ever since the Countdown. I met up with Yu Ting back in december when she was in Singapore for her holidays. We chatted and although she is super busy back in Taiwan for her modelling and might be going into showbiz, she is also hoping that she will be able to really able to enjoy more freedom before going into business. Oh well I told her to go for her dream, or perhaps to fast forward your life in your dreams to live in it for a while, perhaps it will tell you more.

The movie "Inception" gaves a concept that the time in our dreams travels faster, although while I'm writing this blog I really forgotten the equation they gave in the movie. I do know that each time you think, the cycle will be much faster in your dream than in reality...My glimpse into my future? *Laugh* Perhaps even I am afraid.

I was dreaming and I was glimpsing as a person from the future to my early days. The days which I am not like I am today, the more sinister and narrow person I am, a bad guy, someone who keeps on saying the untruth about everything, trying to be better than other people. I really hate myself, my friends who has been together with me since than will know...and I really thank them for still being by my side. I sought out ways to change, and gradually. I transformed and now I am who I am today. The new friends, invisible to who I am in the past, accepted the new me and I felt reborned. Forever thanks to the people, Jackson, Kelvin, Steven, Ervin, Wayne. Without you guys I will forever be the bastard I am before.

Anyway my future...I wanna me able to get what I want before 30. I am still on track I guess...just that I will need to work very hard...Surviving on a concept that tells myself to spend only 30 bucks a day for 6 months. If I can do it, I will be able to extend it further till a year. Why 30 bucks? I want to be able to sustain a lifestyle that I can save the amount of money I want to get what I want. That is all. Sacrifice activities or perhaps doing it less often, and getting more jobs. Freelances, and also trying to make up a nice blog for adsense clicks. 

A nice girlfriend, so that I can forget about Mai...she has been forever in my mind.

A new intuos wacom pad, although the current one is ten years old and still alive :D

Car license.....Long overdue......

That is all.....

- Synn

Countdown with KTVClub

I am very happy to be with the KTVClub folks, and I will always feel that way even if I am to be less involved due to work and personal commitments. I wanna be more efficient and effective in work and doing what I am supposed to be. This is my new year resolution.

Countdown party was a success, and it is a great hit in my opinion, although Nigel says that it is a disappointment as the number of people who turn up is lesser than our expectations. No doubt I wanna thank Cordelia, Wendy, Eddie, Roy and Winston for preparing their song for their performance during the chalet. While I am not really an expert guitarist, I actually survived.

The games is great and although we are not feeling well, Nigel, Hacktor and I continue to be sporty and really push the mood level up to another gear. It is great. New year started with a pop from Allan with a "champagne" and hacktor's popped a few seconds later.

It is great to be there, although drenched with sweat and finger aches due to practise....I felt that well that the day is memorable, there are hiccups and opinions but well nevertheless....I love everyone...There was no spoiltsports and no petty moods....it is everyone together....Happy....I hope I will continue to be Happy....Continue :D

- Synn

Macau Trip October 2010

Just came back from Macau on tuesday, took a break yesterday and not posting much also have left my workblog: http://realtorsnews.blogspot.com stranded for a while LOL. Need more work to make traffic eh I guess. Oh well I am trying my best to do it. Need to edit all the beautiful pictures that I have taken in Macau this time round. I am quite happy that the percentage of my happy pictures has gone from 15% to about 20%. 

Had a damn nice night photowalk with Donny, and both of us really WALK. Haha....Took a damn long walk along the coast of macau to capture two bridges and some nightviews along the shore. Mad Love. Check out my deviantart for more panoramic photos that I taken.

I didn't really went shopping and only sightseeing, went disneyland Hongkong, and drinks and retake some photos that I don't really like on my last trip.

Will update more when I am done converting the photos. It is on my mac now, my PC has gone up the lorry already. Sianz...Anyway need to buy new computer already....Thinking Thinking Thinking......

- Synn

Reflections: 110 Contestants and Me as 1 of the Judges....

Listening to 110 songs a day might not be difficult for anyone of us i guess, but ever try to rate all of them before? Lol i had my first time last Saturday during the KTVclub Idol Audition in Marina Square Kbox. I bet that all the contestants must be scared stiff seeing Nigel, Kue and Myself in the room with a sometime serious face and the mood must be unsettling. Most of the people didn't perform to their fullest potential and even if we gave more chances, some just gave up and said sorry to us and left the room.

It is an experience to see that some of them are really good but gave way to their nervousness, it is really a pity when we the judges were discussing about some of the really good singers didn't pass the bar due to their lack of composure. Perhaps people will challenge to me that Hey, Jason, you didn't go for competitions before therefore you don't know.... Hey man....you are right LOL.

I gave lenient marks, tried to save some, however there is only 18 slots, and I can't fit everyone into the slots. To the people who came and say that they didn't come to win, and some came not to lose, some came to prove a point, some came because their friends registered for them. I heard screaming on the phone when I break the news that she is selected, I also heard unbelieveness that she is receiving this phonecall from me. I am happy for those who are selected for the big stage in Swee Lee, and sad for those who are not. I hope the people who came, got something to bring back to think about their singing. We all gave constructive comments and hopefully, you all will be able to come back with a better resistance to stress and this time to be able to gain top marks and come to the finals.

For the rest of the people who want to listen to the ones that made the judges grasps at the quality of the singers, can come to Swee Lee Music Cafe on the 30th of this month. Get more information from our website http://ktvclub.blogspot.com .

Sincerely hope you people have the time to come to see us :)

- Synn