INTO THE PURPLE ZONE

(by JayMen)

A month of Sundays

Rajj Melambram of Purple Antz has for some time now been reminding me that I have never joined any of the Antz open hunts. I can't quite confirm it but something always cropped up over the last 2 years whenever Antz had a hunt on.

So it was time to rectify this unhealthy situation as I always believe that as COC, one needs to join as many varied hunts as possible to sense what the tenor and style fo the newer setters might be. Of course, one can look at the questions later in the comfort of one's den but there is nothing like taking part in a hunt - and undergo the challenge in the field.

In fact February/ March has been an extraordinary month. I took part in 4 hunts over 4 weekends! I'm sure no Penang guy has done that. First was Chong Foo Seong's Dragon Drive on Feb 12^th, then came Shandra Dass's Klang Rotary Hunt on Feb 18^th; next was Mahindra Satyam Charity Treasure Hunt 2012 by Purple Antz on 26th Feb and on March 3^rd we had Trailblazers' Publika Hunt.

Four unique hunts by 4 unique CoCs! A lot to learn and absorb since each had their own individual take on the nature of creating clues for hunters. Dare I say that I had some familiarity with only 1 CoC’s style- having taken part in about 6 of Uncle Chong’s wonderfully gruelling hunts. With Trailblazers, it was my 2^nd hunt. The other two hunts were the 1^st time I had joined as participant.

  

Group Photo

Hunter Ming Yang deep in thought!





This must be the answer!
No....no... that must be the answer lah!

If I don't know the answer,
 I meditate in Lotus position!

   

Power of the Hunt

The Mahindra Satyam (MS) hunt was initiated by Venkateswaran – a familiar face in hunts. He had suggested to his company (MS) to use the vehicle of a treasure hunt to collect funds for charity – in this case for PERSATUAN KEBAJIKAN ANNAI ILLAM ,SELANGOR DAN KUALA LUMPUR (ANNAI ILLAM WELFARE SOCIETY,SELANGOR AND KUALA LUMPUR), a Charity outreach Centre for needy mothers and their children. This centre strives to make a rewarding contribution for the fulfillment of the aspirations of the less privileged children and their family to constructively shape their participation in society.  Instead of housing and raising children in a home, the organization helps the single mothers to raise their children on their own by providing monetary & moral support.

Aside from cash prizes, 28 consolation prizes were also given away. The surplus amount (RM3,000) was donated to the charity home on the same day after the treasure hunt.  In addition MahindraSatyam associates had also contributed RM2003 to buy groceries for eight single mothers and their children. Five single mothers together with their children were present on that day to collect the Mock Cheque (RM3,000) and the “goody bag” which contained groceries (their 1 month supply) worth RM200++ each.

The single mothers were also given an opportunity to setup stalls to sell snacks and drinks. This enabled the mothers to make a sales of RM500++. In addition to this, participants had to hand in treasures such as floor cleaner, variety cereal pack, packet drinks, biscuits and recycled newspapers. The estimated cost of these treasures would be about RM1,000. The treasures were handed over to the charity home as well.

Venka provided the information above. With dedication over the years, the annual MS Hunt can bring in more funds and also become a mainstay of the hunting scene. Keep at it, Venka.

      

Happiest moment... answer submission!



Regular Category - 2nd Runner Up



   

Regular Category - 1st Runner Up

Regular Category - Champion



  

In the purple zone

The hunt had 2 categories- regular and novice. This is a powerful attractor of participation. Where a team fits in depends on criteria set by the Trailblazers (if I’m not mistaken).

I had been exposed to Purple Antz questions before – mostly through some toughies being thrown to me over the phone during their hunts! Also, I had got their full set of questions and answers explanations after the hunt. But there is no substitute for field work to really feel the sting of the Antz!

As the hunt began , the sting was not long coming. At Q2 “A tall landmark used to be at the back of this” we had a delightful question which really showcased the best side of the Antz. The mind engaged in a whole routine of cryptic gymnastics and was nowhere near the answer at the end of it! When the answer was revealed, I smiled and winced at the same time. This question was free of the normal jargon that appears in the standard clue! And yet – it was aesthetically and intellectually satisfying. A straight interpretation had been overlooked. The answer appears at the start of this article.

Q3 My name is.. My name is.. My name is… Marshal Mathers is back!   The answer was AMAN.

Here we might read a bit too much into the fact that “my name is” repeated 3 times. The mind is engaged in futile activity of matching some song or album name to whatever answer was out there.

Q4 Kick back must be no alien always at this junction.       

This was a genuinely cryptic question. Because of the alien ordered to be taken out, one must search for a synonym for kick or kickback which has ET in it. This was not so easily done as the word that the Antz had in mind was TASTE. When reversed , it becomes ETSAT and taking away ET we have SAT. Always = AY and so we have SATAY. The answer was SATAY CORNER. A simpler way to tackle this would have been to equate “junction” with “corner”.

So with these 3 questions in the same sector, an enormous amount of time was spent on unnecessary deconstructing of clues. Judging by the range shown in these 3 questions, you have to approach each of them with just the right debugging tool. Otherwise, the door won’t open.

Another sector that did not yield fruit was the one that contained Q16 and Q17.

Q16 Letter contained size?           Answer : Kin’s

Q17 Part agony when retiring later       Answer : Seng Wan Auto Workshop

Two separate and unusual features in the clues made these questions time-wasters. First is the substitution of “contained” for  IN. The answer implies that we are to read it as a charade rather than as a container / insertion clue. If charade is the way to go, then a literal reading ( word for word substitution )would not be sufficient as “contained” is not “in” . But taken as a whole , the phrases match. ( ie K in S matches letter contained size)

In the next question, the answer is indicated as only PART of what is out there. Hence SARA ( for retiring) is added to (later) SENG to give us SENGSARA. We need to ignore Wan. However, the position of PART in the clue does not readily give us that impression that we are to look out for only part of the answer out there. There is an inaccuracy in Q17 which leads us away from the answer.

The questions overall confirm my initial opinion that they seem manageable for the vast majority of hunters. Purple Antz is a popular hunt setter. They cover a huge area that lies between give-away plains and super-cryptic  cliffs. This area looks safe from a distance but in fact crawls with surprises where the landscape harbours treacherous marshes and quicksand! I would most certainly venture in those parts again!

FULL RESULT

Photos courtesy of hunter Michael Pang and COC Purple Antz.