CSC E-Scrabble Competition 2020

The CSC E-Scrabble Competition is an annual event for organisations in the civil service to take part in a friendly game of Scrabble. It was held online on 12th Sep 2020 from 9.30am to 3.30pm. A total of 37 people from 8 organisations took part including two from MINDEF.

Here's my match report.

Game 1: Muhammed Farhan (MHA)
I bingoed with COSINES(78) and scored well with JET(33) while he scored well with UNFACE*(42), HOX(48) and HAZE(36).

Won 370-332. 1-0 spread +38

Game 2: Chan Andi Andy (PA)
I bingoed with FALTERS(78), EROTISE(72) and scored well with DJIN(36), LIKE(30) and MUX(37) while he scored well with ZA(33) and HOAX(39). I challenged his TORAN as I was not sure if it was valid but it turned out to be good.

Won 474-189. 2-0 spread +323

Game 3: Marlon Prudencio (LTA)
I got away with a phoney bingo TRELLERS*(61) and scored well with WALTZ(34), HUE(37) and QIN(44) while he bingoed with ELMIEST(90), CAREENED(63) and scored well with OK(38), JAILS(47) and RAND(31). Was quite surprised when he put down a phoney bingo FISHMEN* and I challenged it off successfully! Learned two new words, ELMIEST and SKEN.

Lost 374-438. 2-1 spread +259

Game 4: Joseph Tan (HDB)
I bingoed with sPoRTED(72) and scored well with DORY(36), PIS(31) and KIN(33) while he bingoed with RAVENOUS(72), HORSING(72), STEAMIE(70) and scored well with JEED(40), DEIL(31) and REZ(32). Played two phoneys that were challenged off: SHINT* and WINKIE*. Was considering between WINKIE* and WINKLE which would have scored 50 points but chose the wrong one in the end.

Lost 320-489. 2-2 spread +90

Game 5: Ramamoorthy Rajagopal (MHA)
I bingoed with HUNTERS(78) and scored well with SEZ(32) and MOA(31) while he bingoed with SILTIER(73), BLASTER(69) REPEALER(68) and scored well with HANKY(35), BIRD(32), QI(36) and JIG(30). He put down SLITIER* initially and I challenged it off but he put down the correct anagram on the next turn. Was surprised in the middle of the game when he passed his turn for no reason, then found out that he was trying to change tiles but accidentally pressed the pass button instead.

Lost 372-443. 2-3 spread +19

Game 6: Govinda Ghale (MHA)
I bingoed with cLEAVED(78), TrIAGES(75), ATTIRES(83) and scored well with HIVED(50), ZIG(43) and DEX(43) while he bingoed with UNNATIVE(72), INCASES(67) and scored well with MOW(33), QUIN(36) and ZEL(36). Was quite surprised that INCASE took an S back hook.

Won 496-403. 3-3 spread +112

Game 7: Muhammed Farhan (MHA)
Played Farhan again in the first king of the hill. I bingoed with GUITARS(73) and scored well with YOK(33), ZARFS(81), HON(30) and WUDS(30) while he bingoed with LEAVING(76) and scored well with JEE(30) and QUIT(46). Fatigue might have set in for him as he played OT* which was obviously no good and I challenged it off. That might have made a difference in who won the game as our scores were not too far apart.

Won 418-397. 4-3 spread +133

Game 8: Shahrul Kamal (SP)
I bingoed with TEEINGS(83) and scored well with ZEA(31) and HAIR(30) while he bingoed with COWARDS(86) and scored well with VEX(33), INJURE(63) and RETRY(38). Late in the game, I was 20 points behind and there were 5 tiles in the bag including possibly the Q. There were two I spots on the board and I blocked one of them, thinking he would play a Q on the other I spot. He played RETRY front hooking the Y to be CLAD instead and was ahead by 47 points. He was stuck with the Q though and I managed to outscore him by playing one or two tiles at a time while he passed several times.

Won 393-388. 5-3 spread +138

I managed to play with players in 5 different organisations. A pity I didn't have the chance to play with players in Ministry of Health and Ministry of Law. Final result was 12th placing out of 37. Not too bad in my opinion considering the number of mistakes I made. Hope next year will be an online competition again so that I can play in the comfort of my home!

High Score

This is a documentary about the video game industry, how it evolved from the arcade, to specialised console and then to the personal computer.

Liked the use of the nice cartoonish animation to tell parts of the story! Used to play Street Fighter II quite a bit when I was doing my National Service so it was quite nostalgic to see it on the screen.

Internet Movie Database Link

Athlete A

This is a documentary about a scandal involving the United States Gymnastics Olympics team doctor, Larry Nassar.

Liked the interviews with the gymnasts and the people who were helping them! The doctor should have been caught long ago, thank goodness he is being punished for his bad deeds now!

Internet Movie Database Link

Wanton Mee

The story is about a food critic interviewing hawkers of traditional local food. The film also shows his relationship with his colleagues and with his father.

Liked the heartfelt interviews that focused more on people rather than the food itself! Might be interesting to do a food tour around Singapore to visit those stalls!

Internet Movie Database Link

The Teenage Textbook Movie

The story is about students finding love at a fictional junior college. It is based on the novel "The Teenage Textbook" by Adrian Tan.

Liked the old Singapore landmarks like Borders and the old style bus stops! The characters were a little bit too stereotypical and some scenes were not quite believablebut I enjoyed watching the ups and downs of their relationships.

Internet Movie Datbase Link

The Songs We Sang

This is a documentary on the history of XinYao, folk songs created by young Singaporeans in short.

The second Singapore documentary that I saw during the National Day weekend. Liked the historical footages and the lovely songs! Brought me back to my secondary school days when my friend introduced me to Eric Moo.

Internet Movie Database Link

To Singapore, with Love

This is a documentary about Singaporeans who had to stay abroad because of their political beliefs.

I appreciated how the director made us feel that they love Singapore too despite being treated as outsiders. Perhaps the director should also interview staff from the security department to make the film less one sided. Was quite surprised by how strongly the father of two children felt for the Singapore Armed Forces and the female doctor for the Palestine cause. Can't imagine myself hiding in the jungle for so long without an end in mind.

Internet Movie Database Link

The Speed Cubers

This is a documentary about two of the greatest speed cubers in the world, Feliks Zemdeks and Max Park.

Liked how Feliks and Max encouraged each other despite being competitors! I learned that competition is not just about winning but also about how to lose gracefully too!

Internet Movie Database Link

Spelling the Dream

This is a documentary about how Indians in America came to dominate the spelling bee contests.

Liked how hardworking the kids were in preparing for the contest and how the parents supported them! The interviews gave me a better idea of how the Indian community felt about their achievements.

Internet Movie Database Link

Little Women

The story is about the lives of the daughters in the March family around the American Civil War period.

Liked the nice sisterly bond among the little women! Was pleasantly surprised that Emma Watson has grown into a pretty young lady since I watched her as Hermione in the first few Harry Potter movies! The switching to and fro from the present to the past worked really well and less confusing as I thought it would be!

Internet Movie Database Link

Kramer vs Kramer

The story is about how the husband and wife of the Kramer family drifted apart and fought for the custody of their son.

Great acting by the son who was only about 7 years old at that time! Almost thought that the husband would fall in love with his neighbour downstairs but I guessed wrongly. The couple could have saved much legal fees if they had realised earlier that the best arrangement was to remain status quo!

Internet Movie Database Link

Parasite

The story is about how the members of a poor family managed to all work under a rich family through their street smartness and what happened after that.

Liked the ingenious plans crafted by the poor family! Thought I knew what would happen when the son took out the stone from the bag but I was really surprised by the twist towards the end! Great social commentary about the differences between the rich and the poor too!

Internet Movie Database Link

Leon in Wintertime

The story is about the adventures of Leon the bear during winter time. Watched this at the "We Are One film festival.

Liked how the film tackled serious issues like discrimination based on one's looks! Also liked the budding friendship among the elephant, the bear and the hedgehog!

Internet Movie Database Link

Poppety in the Fall

The story is about the adventures of Poppety during autumn time. Watched this at the "We Are One film festival.

Liked the part where the whale asked everyone to tell him their secrets! The secret came as a surprise for me as I hadn't watched "Leon in Wintertime" yet which was supposed to be the first in the series.

Internet Movie Database Link

Bonnifacio in Summertime

The story is about the adventures of Bonnifacio during summer time. Watched this at the "We Are One film festival.

Liked how proactive the bad guy was to figure out a way to climb up the mountain! The princess and her friends saved the day again!

Internet Movie Database Link

Molly in Springtime

The story is about the adventures of princess Molly during spring time. Watched this at the "We Are One film festival.

Liked the resourceful Molly and the friendship among the bear, the elephant and the hedgehog! The bad guy was really evil too! Great use of language to refer to the wild bear as bare naked!

Internet Movie Database Link

Anna

The story is about how women in Ukraine dated men from United States. Watched this at the "We Are One film festival.

Liked the translator scene and the twist towards the end! The translator did a good job in saying what needs to be heard!

Internet Movie Database Link

Route-3

The story is about what happened when a young man saw a pretty girl on the bus. Watched this at the "We Are One film festival.

Liked how the bus was packed with people and how the young man was able to fix his gaze at the pretty girl despite the distractions! Thought the eating orange scene was a little bit too suggestive though.

Internet Movie Database Link

Cerulia

The story is about a woman re-visiting her childhood home. Watched this at the "We Are One film festival.

This film caught my eye as it was from an unknown film festival: the guadalajara film festival. Liked the eerie stop motion animation! Reminded me a bit of the movie Coraline. Ending was a little bit too scary for me though.

Internet Movie Database Link

see factory sarajevo mon amour

This is a collection of five short stories about motherhood: In Your Hands, The Package, The Right One, Spit and The Sign. Watched this at the "We Are One film festival.

Liked the plot in "Spit" and the black and white cinematography in "The Sign"! I was amazed by how the different issues faced by a mother could be described in a such a short time!

Internet Movie Database Link

Sisterhood

The story is about a middle aged woman who moved to Taiwan fifteeen years ago going back to her hometown in Macau to visit her friends. They used to work together in a massage parlour. Watched this at the "We Are One film festival.

Liked the flashbacks to Macau in the past and the strong sisterly friendship! The film reminded me a little of "Only Yesterday", especially towards the end where the protagonist saw her old self.

Internet Movie Database Link

Toto

The story is about a grandmother's relationship with her grandchildren and her personal digital assistant. Watched this at the "We Are One film festival.

Liked how the grandmother treated the robot just like a human being! Bad idea to upgrade as it erases everything it has learned!

Internet Movie Database Link

15 Shorts

This is a series of 15 short stories by local film directors.

My favorite films were "Plague", "The Listener" and "Shanti". I liked the drama within the small flat in "Plague", the nice soothing voice in "The Listener" and the ordinary unassuming hero in "Shanti"! Learned a bit about history in "Still Standing" and "Majid the Legend". Thought "The Brown Dog" and "The T(h)ree Lives" were well shot too!

15 Shorts YouTube Channel

Black Barbie

The story is about how a young black girl grew up hating how she looked but finally accepted who she was. Watched this at the "We Are One" film festival.

A very nice animation with smooth flowing transitions, words flashing across the screen and voice over narration that sounded like a poem!

Internet Movie Database Link

Travelling While Black

The story is about how black Americans faced discrimination when they were travelling long distance across America many years ago.

Watched this at the "We Are One" film festival. First time watching a movie with virtual reality controls! Not sure how to best make use of it though. Quite sad to hear that black Americans still facing discrimination even until today.

Internet Movie Database Link

Made In Japan

The story is about what happened when a group of friends started to make up stories to the media on what they know about a murderer on the loose.

Liked the interesting relationship between media and the interviewee! The media hopes for scandalous details to bring in more sales so this indirectly tempts the interviewee to make something up.

Japanese Film Festival Link

The Breakfast Club

The story is about five American high school students learning more about each other during a weekend class detention.

Liked how the students sat down and had in-depth conversations with each other! Not as much action as "Back to the Future" that came out in the same year, but I learned a bit more about young people in the '80s from this film.

Internet Movie Database Link

From Up On Poppy Hill

The story is about the lives of a few school children in Japan just before the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.

Liked the old style kitchen and the friendship between the two protagonists! Looked quite fun riding the bicycle downhill!

Internet Movie Database Link

Lady Bird

The story is about a girl growing up in Sacramento California but dreams of going to college in New York.

Liked the snippets of life in a Catholic all girl's high school! A nice coming-of-age story where the protagonist made mistakes along the way but realized that there is no place like home in the end!

Internet Movie Database Link

Excited Death

The story is about a girl who secretly admired her handsome neighbor next door. She then bumped into a man who is a secret admirer of the neighbor's girlfriend and formed plans together to break them up.

Liked the voice over narration of the protagonist and the ridiculous plans which were doomed to fail! Recognized the park near Ghibli Museum for their first plan from my recent Japan trip!

Japanese Film Festival Link

Girl's Encounter

The story is about a shy girl coming out of her shell after she made a new friend in school. There was something strange about the friend though.

Liked the friendship of the two girls! Great suspense in keeping the audience guessing what might happen next but didn't really like the fantasy sequences as they were a little bit weird for my taste! A thought provoking film as it made me wonder if it is really a good idea to not feel pain in life!

Japanese Film Festival Link

Infinite Foundation

The story is about how a girl learned to follow her dreams after she met a mysterious girl who plays the ukulele in an abandoned factory and joined the school's drama club.

Liked the nice songs played by the mysterious girl! Thought the drama club should have backup plans for the lead role. The disagreements among the classmates were pretty intense in my opinion!

Japanese Film Festival Link

Please Don't Go Anywhere

The story is about a girl's obsession with her boyfriend's ex-girlfriend. She imagines what she is like even though they have never met.

The pace was a bit slow initially and I even switched to another movie around the 8 minute mark. But things got much more interesting after she opened her cupboard and got a surprise! Liked the interaction between the two girls! Ending was a little bit abrupt though.

Japanese Film Festival Link

Wander Life

The story is about a girl being bullied in school.

Liked the friendship between the girl and the nurse! Amazing how the band came up with a song in one night! Searched for the music video and thought it served as a nice ending to the movie.

Japanese Film Festival Link

Rent A Friend

The story is about a woman who writes about her experience of renting a friend in an online magazine. He accompanies her to places of interest and chit chats with her while remaining professional by being not emotionally involved.

Liked how the woman, her roommate and her rental friend all made music together towards the end! Thought the woman was confused herself on what she was trying to achieve though.

Japanese Film Festival Link

Inner Loop Couple

The story is about two people walking around Tokyo and chatting with each other throughout the night after they reached the terminal station.

An online Japanese film festival, what a great idea! The film reminds me a bit of "Before Sunset" which has lots of dialogue and walking scenes around Paris. The song is nice and catchy too!

Japanese Film Festival Link

The Platform

The story is about a prison where food is delivered to the inmates on a platform moving downwards. People on the higher levels have a lot of food to eat while those on the lower levels often starved.

Liked the interesting idea and how the director tried to pair up the protagonist with different personalities as room mates! The ending was not very well done in my opinion though.

Internet Movie Database Link

Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood

The story is loosely based on a real life event in Hollywood on 8 to 9 Aug 1969. The characters consist of real people like American actress Sharon Tate, actor Bruce Lee and a hippie cult as well as fictional characters such as a famous cowboy actor and his stunt double.

Liked the cowboy acting scenes and the lovely interaction between DiCaprio and the young child actress! Was quite worried about what might happen towards the end but was relieved when the good guys survived!

Internet Movie Database Link

Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories

The story revolves around the people visiting a dining place in Tokyo that only opens at midnight.

For season one, I liked "Tonteki" about a girl who knit sweaters for people she fancied and "Omelette Rice" about the love between a Korean girl and a Japanese scientist. For season two, I liked "Salmon and Mushroom" about a barber couple and "Kitsune Udon" about two voice actresses who struggled to keep their friendship. All the other episodes are interesting in their own ways!

Internet Movie Database Link

Cheer

This is a documentary about an award winning cheerleading team in Texas.

Liked the interesting stories of the members of the team! Had a better idea of what it means to be fair, strict and empathetic from the coach, something that I should learn as a parent.

Internet Movie Database Link

Arietty

The story is about how a family of small people stayed in a house of normal people but had to move as they were discovered.

Liked the friendship between the daughter Arietty and the young boy! The action sequences of climbing around the big house looked exciting too!

Internet Movie Database Link

Mad World

The story is about the effect of bipolar disorder on a family.

Liked the flashbacks that gradually explained what happened in the past! The friendship between the little boy and the protagonist was quite cute too. Guess sometimes we have a pre-conceived notion what someone might be like but it may not be true once we get to know the person better.

Internet Movie Database Link

Certain Women

The story is about how four women in a small town deal with loneliness in their own ways.

Liked the last story of the rancher the best! Great acting by all the female leads! I learned that talking a lot doesn't necessarily lead to good communication.

Internet Movie Database Link

American Factory

This is a documentary about the people working in an American Factory owned by a Chinese billionaire.

Liked how the film presented both the Chinese and the American points of view! There was no real bad guy here but I thought it was a bit ridiculous for the chairman to have a self portrait of himself hanging in his office.

Internet Movie Database Link

37 Seconds

This is a coming of age story of Yuma, a manga artist who suffers from cerebral palsy.

Liked how independent Yuma was despite her disability! The animation effects were great for both the father holding a baby girl high in the sky drawing as well as Yuma's portfolio sketches for the new company!

Internet Movie Database Link

Ocean Waves

The story is about how two countryside boys fell in love with a girl who came from the city.

Liked the depiction of school life but didn't really like the city girl who didn't show much teamwork at all!

Internet Movie Database Link

A Sun

The story is about how a family mended their broken ties across a few years.

Thought the father looked like Ma Yun from Alibaba! Liked the parts where they showed different pairs of people walking around together. Was surprised by the twist at the end!

Internet Movie Database Link

I Lost My Body

The story is about the life of a young man who became disabled and how his hand travelled around the city to search for him.

Liked the interesting point of view from a hand! Bad idea to try to catch a fly while operating on the workbench!

Internet Movie Database Link

Boogie Nights

The story is about the life of a group of pornography actors and actresses from the late 70s to the and early 80s.

Liked how the film portrayed the community as ordinary people with dreams! Quite sad that some of them were looked down by others because of their occupation! Good to see Roller Girl back to school!

Internet Movie Database Link

Toy Story 3

The story is about the adventures of a group of toys in a childcare center.

Learned not to judge the book by its cover after watching the movie! Another lesson I learned was to pass to others what we don't need instead of throwing them away.

Internet Movie Database Link