Hindsight
While I may
have played well below my own expectations and those of my peers, there is and
was a definite upside. I met fellow ASLers, got to know some of them quite
well, and I was able to offer encouragement and tangible support to those
starting out. I hope I didn’t stress my own opinions and prejudices regarding
ASL too much.
The social
aspect of an ASL event is the sine qua non of why I attend, and is the real
strength of the ASL community. This social aspect has an impact on the
development of sound play and rules awareness that is not always given enough
credit. Despite the length of time I’ve been playing, I’m no more than a
mediocre to average player, but since 2010 when I first started attending ASL
events with some frequency, my play has progressed exponentially so that I’m
consistently trending towards average.
I noted
this improvement immediately after ASLOK XXV where I played more people than I
had played in the preceding 25 years and I could recognize I had become more
consistent. But when It comes down to it, it’s the friendships that have been
made that I take away the most satisfaction from.
Forget
about the so called “Competitive” side of ASL events. Instead focus on the people
themselves and you’ll come away with a lasting enthusiasm for the ASL Community
that will stay with you even as you pump more money into Raaco, Scenario Packs
and Dice/Dice towers and counter clippers.
Singapore
I love the
place. It’s been over 40 years since I was last there (similar to Hong Kong) and
it’s just a special place. I wouldn’t want to work there (the corporate ethos
is just too much for me) but as a place to regularly visit, hell yeah.
The Pod is
located in the Bugis area and as an inveterate pedestrian, I loved being able
to walk around in the evenings soaking up the ambience and atmosphere,
especially along Beach Road.
Now you can
take the boy out of Western culture, but you can’t delete certain aspects so it
was no surprise to anyone that the first place I stopped between Bugis MRT and
the Pod was the Starbucks at Raffles Hospital. Admittedly I was already in need
of a rest to acclimatise to the 30 degree heat, so when in doubt I go for what
always works: a Venti Latté with one
sugar.
If anything
I think next time I’ll allow more time to do some shopping and perhaps more of
an effort to take in a relaxing evening at places like Albert Court. Plus there’s
the whole thing about visiting various museums and sites of historical
significance. Maybe one such site per Malaya Madness can be budgeted for in
terms of an extra day in Singapore.
ASL wise, I
really don’t think Singapore is too expensive as a venue. Sure it’s going to be
a significant cost to get a decent venue at a Hotel but then again, it’ll be
worth underwriting it just so we can say: This is Asia ASL!
