CHINA SQUARE IS THE PLACE TO GO

China Square is the place to go if you have ever wanted to own that fully articulated action figure of your favourite comic book hero or cartoon character. From ground up, it contains shops that are littered with all sorts of rainbow coloured toys, from vintage Star Wars action figures to the latest highly detailed Batman figure from the mega blockbuster comic book movie The Dark Knight, whatever toy you can think of China Square has on sale and more, all at mostly affordable prices. Even the pricey ones deserve the price they command for the detail on some are so realistic it almost feels alive.

Robot fans will delight at the toys based on the Transformers robot characters from the hit TV series that even come with individual descriptions of their character profile, background stories and a nice box to boot. Moreover, fans of Japanese Manga (Japanese graphic novels) and/or Anime (Japanese animation), there are also scores of figures made with loving attention to detail by their respective sculptors.

China Square is a real gem of a place for toy lovers everywhere, with an assortment of toys based on timeless classics to contemporary film, TV and video games. Everyone big and small, young or old will find something they fancy. The young will cheer at the sight of the largest amount of toys ever seen and the old will feel a tinge of nostalgia as they roam from store to store. All in all, a place perfect for family outings. But be sure to visit early, for the stores start closing around 4.30p.m. in the afternoon.

BOHNANZA (CARD GAME REVIEW)

Bohnanza, a trade and negotiation game for the family.

Do not be fooled by its cute depiction of various beans, Bohnanza is a fun and challenging game of trade and negotiation. Created by Uwe Rosenberg, a German board game designer with a penchant for creating games with a twist, Bohnanza is unlike most strictly competitive games. It actually favours the use of a glib tongue, coupled with shrewd deal making tactics over brute force to beat the competition.

In Bohnanza, players take the role of bean farmers, trying to plant and sell as many beans as they can to become the most successful bean farmer. Players are restricted to planting only 2-3 different types of beans which are taken at random, from a centralized deck of cards. During each player’s turn, he/she picks 3 bean cards and must play their cards in the order drawn from the deck. They can choose to plant them or keep them to trade with other players for specific bean cards of their choice. Each type of bean has a different monetary value based on its rarity. Thus, players must also strategize which beans they should specialize in growing and be willing to part with some of their other cards via trade with other players so everyone prospers in a sense. This challenges players to think differently from most traditional games where it is everyone for himself from the get go. Here, players must learn to aid others via trading in order to help further their own bean farming business for everyone draws from the same pool of resources. Of course, an aggressive and competitive play style can still be applied but it may not be as successful in Bohnanza as it is in other games.

Whatever your playing style, one thing is certain; every game of Bohnanza is an opportunity to hone one’s skill in trading and politics. The young might enjoy the novel game mechanics, while the old will appreciate its depth and complexity disguised in a cute little package.

OUTSIDE

My eyes are closed. Am I blind? Am I dead? I can still breath. I can still feel the cool breeze blowing past me, refreshing. I am not dead...

I hear footsteps and the distant voices of people talking, someone giving instructions perhaps? Curiously, I am not afraid. Perhaps it is the cool breeze, not hot, not freezing cold; just nice and cool, relaxing my nerves.

I am about to sit down and rest my tired legs as I hear a vehicle stop behind me. Its squeaking engine, grinding to a halt. Men came out, taking with burly voices. Strangely, I do not fear their intentions. Is is the sound of dripping water that reminds me of home that tampers my paranoia?

Soon, the rumbling engine noise and the voices fade away, leaving me alone again. Or am I? The water continues to drip as the wind continues to blow. Both comforting and relaxing, compelling me to stay.