Fated.
After completing the major examinations for the first semester (look, “major” because there was a relatively unimportant paper a couple of days after all the important ones are over), together with a few buddies who also completed all their exams and eager to leave Pulau NTU, we went for a tour around Singapore. I woke up late alright on the day for the tour…was gaming till sunrise on the night before.. (oops.. =p) Anyway, I eventually met up with the rest at Orchard.
So, we continued the day walking around the streets, visiting malls and shops, looking around, exploring the city and so on. Wow…this is Singapore. Hahaha. Had not really had the opportunity to leave the rather faraway NTU Island throughout the semester, expect maybe before semester began. Yeah..a well deserved day out there in the heart of Singapore Island.
As we were looking at the items at some shops, some of my pals called on excitingly, pointing towards the objects arranged properly at one corner. It was a 5 by 5 by 5 Rubik’s Cube!!! Wow!!!!!!!! Have been hunting for it since…since..er, since I knew its existence! I already had one of it: the 3 by 3 by 3. But as Veefessional, there was no doubt at all that I would push myself to greater challenges and to try solving more complex cubes of higher dimensions, or even pyramids or cylinders! Ah..finally found a 5 by 5 by 5…the 4 by 4 by 4 was also there actually.. But the attention my friends paid to were the big one, though for me, of course I wanted ’em all!
I held it up with both my hands, stared at it, turned it (I mean the package, as I could not really get my hands to “turn the cube” because it is sealed) to look at it from all angles. Wow…fascinating!! I am gonna get it!!!…until…..I looked at price……….$29.95??!!!!!! That’s…~RM70?!! =((( Sigh…crap… I just took another hard unwilling stare at it..before I put it down… Sigh. This was..so depressing. Nevertheless, my chums persuaded to get it, saying it is fated, it is mind, it is a “once in a life time opportunity”, bla³.. Wait, once in a life time opportunity?? Lol… Hahaha. Had a good thought at it.. Sigh. I took it up, had another good look at it..before finally putting it down and just kissed it goodbye. Someday I would surely get it, I told myself and the gang, for whatever it takes.
Well, we continued our tour around the busy streets in Singapore. Had lunch, and basically just looking at stuff, exploring the area, just loitering around the malls. What a minute, what’s that over there?? Another 5 by 5 by 5!! The price…same… Sigh. Okay, move on. Forgot about it for the time being. Hold on..after getting into another shop, I saw it again! Urg!!! Same price! What is this?! A haunting?!! MOVE ON! It was not long before I saw it for the fourth time at four different locations!!! ARRRGGGHH!!!!! So my friends kept persuading me, “Go get it! It is yours! You have seen it again and again!” Well, they sounded really fishy to me. These people were actually asking me to get it?? Did not sound like the typical character of these bunch of people. =p Something must be wrong somewhere. Then I proclaimed, “5 by 5 by 5 huh? If only I see it for the 5th time, shall I buy it!!”
Afterwards, we visited Suntec City, a place where five towers are linked together. A great landmark in Singapore, most definitely. Another place with lots of things sold, lots of shops. Alright then…oh no…I encountered it for the fifth time!!! ARG!!!!! Okay, slightly cheaper this time, $29.90. ARH!!!! Lol. I refused!! I did not get it! Partly because I feel that these people were persuading me so badly, with lots of odd efforts, when they usually did not. Okay..I admit..it was expensive! Come on…70 bucks Malaysian currency?! Sigh.
Okay, getting late, so we went back for dinner, before returning to Pulau NTU.
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Now, after some weeks back in Ipoh, enjoying a much sort-after semester break, hmm..Christmas is near. Some relatives came back to spend Christmas in Ipoh. And I received a call from my uncle who live in Singapore. He told me that my aunt had sent a Christmas gift to me through the relatives who just went back. What was it, I asked. THE 5 by 5 by 5! WOW!! I am absolutely flattered!! Yeehaa!! It is mind!! Hahaha. Thinking back, thankfully I did not buy it. That’s RM70, and having two means one is redundant. Wow!!! It is mind!! Perhaps not only am I a great physicist, but I am a psychic as well. 
Somehow, I refrained myself from buying it, but was ironically rewarded in the end! What a splendid Christmas! A special gift, from Chimney. Merry Christmas!! =>
Well, I had not yet gone to touch the 5 by 5 by 5. Would get my hands dirty right after this.=p But had most undoubtedly been thinking of the solution. I reckoned that it is just an extension of the solution to the 3 by 3 by 3. The solution is vivid within my neurons. Thinking further on, the 4 by 4 by 4 (do not have it yet) would need a bit of modification, whereas the 5 by 5 by 5 a direct extension of the 3 by 3 by 3. The reason, 3 by 3 by 3 is odd, whilst 4 by 4 by 4 is even. It makes perfect sense. =p
