Friday, April 27, 2012

SUPER HUNTERS ASSEMBLE


PANGKOR 21 APRIL 2012: Just one week before the superheroes assembled in The Avengers movie, the super hunters gallantly converged in NPC-Celcom Treasure Hunt 2012 to confront a trickster ‘god’!

The impressive turnout of 82 teams at Menara Celcom on the fateful 21st April morning predictably showcased almost all the Who’s Who of treasure hunt world, reminiscent of the ‘Secret Wars’ showdown in the comicdom!

Secret Wars of Treasure Hunt

Chief among the protagonists was the fantastic 4-Ekor, the team of 3 guys and a gal who miraculously survived the devastating exposure during a Kiwanis mission to Penang, and somehow returned to KL stronger, by decisively clinching a hat-trick of 3 hunts (Eye-Q Hunt 2011, Jingle Bell Hunt 2011 and Sentul Hunt 2012) within 2 months.
 
Of course, there was also the uncanny 2 Sneakies and 2 Innocents, with the amazing feat of invariably whitewashing most hunts in 2011. They seemed to have developed a mutant ability to read the minds of different COCs, slice through any obstacles set by organizers with relative ease, weather all sorts of storms and travel between hunt sectors in a lightning speed. A bit like X-Men, don’t you agree?

Surely the supreme squad of the super-couples (Razif, Darma, Shahrin and Mawa) must not be taken lightly. After all, this was a potent team-up of the crews of Champion and 2nd Runner-Up teams in NPC-Celcom Hunt 2011.

Also joining the congregation was the swashbuckling Space Pirates, who has vanquished Amazing Shah Alam Hunt 2011 and 5th Hospice Klang Hunt 2011.

Not to forget the irrepressible Salehuddin, fresh from his Putrajaya victory a fortnight ago, but this time with his “Kereta Buruk” team; the magical Vettai Sakthi team who recently emerged numero uno in De Pirates Hunt 2012 and Rotary Club of Klang Hunt 2012; as well as the superhero Ultraman team (led by the newly-wed Asri), who judging by their team name (Ultraman vs NPC), seemed to have a grudge against the hunt organizer.

Lastly there was also a mighty combination of 2 Penangites and 2 KLites; with a gastronomic name of Penang Laksa KL Curry Mee.


NPC Hunt Start Point
Group Photo
  
COC Gary Guna
Co-COC Uncle Chong

Up Against The Trickster God

For these hunters and the others, the challenge with the trickster god of hunt, Uncle Chong must simply not go unanswered. The gauntlet thrown by NPC must be fearlessly picked up by earth mightiest hunters in Malaysia. As they were summoned to answer the call of Visit Perak Year, they already knew what they’re up against – a veteran COC waiting to unleash a plethora of posers on his unwitting victims.

Just like his Asgardian counterpart Loki, he was an expert manipulator of mind, albeit of a different nature. Armed with words and brilliant cryptic sense, he can influence their actions through hypnotic phrases.

No doubt, his illusion casting can fool hunters and most participants were already well aware that his repertoire of tricks can be indeed mentally sapping and daunting.

Participants waiting for flag-off
Participants having breakfast
  
Huawei Media Pad issued to hunters
Hunter Shahrin performing MKJR vow
  
Nick Fury’s moment!

On a day of such high stakes, fate conspired to cause mischief among the hunters. Before the morning flag-off, things definitely didn’t start well for a few teams, when a hardware breakdown ominously threatened to throw them off track.

Well before the hunt started at Menara Celcom, the hunters had been treated to a technical glitch. A team member who preferred to remain anonymous wryly commented “We are still getting our pad fixed just minutes before the flag off”.

Though the failure was fortunately rectified in the nick of time, you can see the incipient fury in his eyes. Can this be called as “Nick Fury’s moment”?

Hardly The Technology of Iron Man!

While the pad technology hardly rivalled those of Iron Man’s armour suit, the malfunction appeared to be ill-fated and ill-timed at the crucial moment. Though the glitch may be arguably solved, just like the Kryptonite’s power-sapping impact on the Man of Steel, the temporary setback undoubtedly drained the energy and enthusiasm of the affected hunters.

Just when we thought the pad problem was finally obliterated, it was not to be. Just as the hunters looked forward to a smooth hunt, the Picture Challenge proved otherwise.

In line with the Visit Perak theme, the challenge required the participants to identify the locations in the state, from the ten pictures given in the Pad. Strangely several teams received the picture challenge in different sequence, which should make the subsequent marking more difficult. A few hunters even noted that there were 2 similar pictures within the ten.

With the numerous anomalies, the COC wisely decided to give every team the full points for Picture Challenge.

5 Reasons why guys should go
treasure hunting more often!

Participants checking out the
Picture Challenge in Media Pad

  
NPC hunt organiser spent quite a bit
on the female models

.... but not so much on the male models!


Hawkeye to the Rescue

Q7 Where to ring an animated character with an odd greeting?

The first tough poser cleverly set by Uncle Chong had an element of trickery. The hunting pack was falsely misled to inspect various phone booths, perhaps in search of Superman in the midst of costume changing. Instead such probe only revealed unpromising Helo and CCI.

Helo seemed to fit the greeting, but sadly the animated character must have gone AWOL. Not to admit defeated, the hunters diligently expanded the dragnet to cover anything related to phone numbers, but again nothing propitious came to the fore.

Just when the outlook looked depressingly bleak, the hawkeye hunter VK somehow noticed Ipoh signboard and instantly realized that it was the Kung Fu Panda that the trickster wanted.

Flag Off
  
Q21 Trading love is in style here.
  

Q25 A sponsor's facility seen after it
gets cash to replace its clothing.

Q26 Knock out some without me
 for no charge.
  
I Thought I ‘Thor’ A Celcom!

Q13 Star measurement is used to create the answer.

According to Uncle Chong, this poser was solely made challenging with the deliberate absence of definition.

The team Penang Laksa KL Curry Mee seemed to solve this question in a uniquely surprising manner. As their navigator leaned forward to search for answers, his team mate spotted the word Celcom emblazoned behind his hunt shirt.

“Hey isn’t there a Leo in Celcom? But how about the measurement?”
“I believe CCM stands for Cubic Centimeter. But was there a Celcom board in the sector?”
“Yeah…yeah… I thought I saw a Celcom sign at one of the computer shops.”

A U-turn was instantly made to confirm the existence of Celcom.


Q30 Using the answer, Celcom users can send photos from one handphone to another.

A rather innocuous question, but perhaps the last 'unintentional' prank by our COC!

Hunters must have anticipated a straightforward MMS sign, yet not even the microscopic scrutiny of all the boards yielded anything close. As the clock ticked into the final thirty minutes, most participants reluctantly raced to the Finish Station, with the other plausible solution of ‘Sim Fashion House’.

Yet when the answer was revealed as MMS Enterprise, question must be asked whether the COC did any last-minute obligatory recce to ensure no missing signboard.  


Hunter Mawar boarding Pangkor ferry


Hunters relaxing on board Pangkor ferry


View at Pangkor island

 View of chalet at Pangkor island
  
Hunter Kar Peng and family members
Saying goodbye to Pangkor island!

Black Wi-n-dow for Improvement

What must be the most glaring black spot during the event were the hours of waiting on two instances. There was an awkward long period of silence at night, as the hunters had to patiently endure hours of tarrying for the answer presentation.

With the Q&A session for both Open & Media categories belatedly started after eleven, it’s hardly surprising that the event lasted well past midnight and beyond the sleeping hours of kids and most adults.

There were pitiful sights of children sleeping in their mothers’ laps, yawning participants with half-opened eyelids and a couple of hunters catching a nap at the dinner tables.

Even the VIP, Perak MB Datuk Seri Dr Zambry has called it a night long before that. And several winners were conspicuously missing during the prize giving ceremony at the unearthly hour of 1am!
    

Hunt Dinner
Participants during dinner
   
Perak Chief Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry
Perak CM with participants
  
Almost Incredible Hulk moment!

As if there was not enough, the waiting game continued well into the next morning. Two boat departures from Pangkor island had been thoughtfully arranged by the organizer, with the hotel at 11.00am and 12.30 noon, much to the appreciation of the early leavers.

Yet the passengers of the first departure were ridiculously forced to sit waiting in the vessel for another 1.5 hour. Unbeknown to them, the boat operator has decided to wait for the craft to be fully loaded with commuters.

When hunter Chian Min called the hotel management for clarification, the hotel employee has conveniently blamed the hunt organizer for the miscommunication. Several participants were discernibly at patience’s end, including hunter Ruben who almost had an Incredible Hulk’s “please-don’t-make-me-angry” moment, when he vehemently bellowed out his frustration at the ferry personnel.

As the boat was finally allowed to leave the jetty, the inevitable question on the mind of the participants was “why announce an 11-am departure, when it can only set sail at 1230 noon!”

For a news organization which deals with instantaneous reports in their daily work, that attribute of immediacy was visibly missing on these two occasions.

Media Category - 2nd Runner Up
Media Category - 1st Runner Up
  
Media Category - Champion
Open Category - 2nd Runner Up
 
Open Category - 1st Runner Up
Open Category - Champion

Antidote for Captain Roger?

Despite the few shortcomings, the feedback on the hunt was generally positive, with high-standard questions, fun and challenging time and sumptuous food.

This was a hunt when the COC was incredibly inspired, the difficulty bar was indisputably raised and the hunters were inwardly stretched.

Not the usual walk in the park, perhaps hunter BL Yeoh, the captain of Jolly Roger summed it up perfectly after the hunt when he humorously said “They gave us a tablet before the hunt; we returned two after the event!

The Pad and a Panadol!” 




A couple of photos here are courtesy of Michael Pang.
More photos are available from his Facebook!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Extracted from theSun (10th May 2012)
Hunting for hidden treasures in the silver state
 
Participants (Team Loving Couples)
 trying out the Huawei media pad.

OVER 300 ‘hunters’ in 82 teams set off on a motor treasure hunt to Pangkor Island in Perak recently, organised by the National Press Club and supported by the Perak state government with Celcom Axiata Bhd as the title sponsor.

The NPC-Celcom Visit Perak Treasure Hunt 2012 was flagged off from Menara Celcom in Kuala Lumpur at around 8am, but not before the hunters were equipped with a brandnew tool – a Huawei MediaPad that comes loaded with a Celcom Broadband SIM card that enabled them to surf on the Net for answers on the go.

Group Photo at Flagoff point at
Menara Celcom Jalan Semarak

Fortified with a hearty breakfast, a doa ­selamat and a road safety pledge, the teams hit the road that would take them on a meandering trail through the small towns and coastal areas on the west coast of the peninsula.

Besides reading the ‘tulips’ (directional maps) to unspecified designated places, participants had to crack the anagrams and cryptic clues to 30 questions on the hunt sheet to find the ­answers along the way, as well as decipher seven ‘treasures’ they would need to buy and submit together with the answers at the end of the hunt.
The hunt came in two parts. The teams had to follow the tulips to the mid-point control before 1.30pm to submit the first part of the hunt in ­exchange for the second part. Latecomers faced disqualification.
The mid-point control turned out to be the Gua Tempurung site, one of Perak’s popular tourist destinations.

NPC President briefing the
organising committee, Steven Foo
at Gua Tempurung check-point.
A mix-up in the instructions led to a mad scramble to find the ‘tattoo man’ for a tattoo that was the ‘key’ to submitting the answer script and receiving the questions for part two.
Some teams were also unaware of the packed lunches provided at the control point. They went off hungry, not just for treasures or clues but also for food!
The teams also had to keep an eye on the time. Teams had to hand over the treasures and part two of their answer script at the finish control – the Shell Lumut service station – before the end of the regulation hunting time of nine hours from flag-off, or risk a penalty of losing five points for every five minutes late. Those who came in half an hour late were disqualified.
After check-in at the finish point, teams headed to the jetty for the ferry ride over to the Pangkor Island Beach Resort.
The Perak state government paid for the ferry ride for everyone in the hunt. It also hosted a barbecue buffet dinner at the resort’s garden beach that night.
The dinner was attended by Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir who later surprised everyone with a promise of a gift of some of Pangkor’s delicacies to take home as a memento of their visit to the island.
Fed and entertained by the resort’s live band, the participants waited for the highlight of the hunt – getting the answers to those questions that eluded them, finding out how many they got correct and, of course, if they are among the winners.
It turned out to be an agonising long wait and it was close to midnight before they had their answers and winners. The 10 top teams in both the media and open category received cash prizes as well as other prizes. There were also lucky draw prizes to be had.
Proton Holdings Bhd and Naza Group of Companies also sponsored five and three cars respectively for the use of some media teams and the organisers.

The NPC-Celcom Visit Perak Treasure Hunt 2012 turned out to be a memorable experience and a chance to see some of the less-trodden paths of this silver state.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Extracted from Bernama (22nd Apr 2012)

Media can shape rebranding of Perak tourism

PANGKOR, (Bernama) - All views and comments raised by various media on the development of Perak, especially in the tourism sector, should be seen from a positive angle, said Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir.

He said the views could assist the state government improve its tourism products besides organising important activities to stimulate the sector.

"In conjunction with Visit Perak Year (VPY) 2012, the state government is rebranding Perak state. It should not just end like that (VPY 2012," he said when speaking at the Visit Perak Treasure Hunt dinner organised by the National Press Club (NPC) and Celcom here last night.
 
Also present were Perak Industry, Investment, Entrepreneur Development, Tourism and Women Affairs Committee chairman Datuk Hamidah Osman, NPC president Mokhtar Hussain and Tourism Perak chief executive officer Ahmad Fathil Abdul Ghani.
Through this approach, Zambry said, the state government could promote all the unique Perak tourism products to both local and foreign visitors.

Apart from that, Zambry said other efforts to promote the tourism destinations in Perak included the publication of pictorial books on the beauty of the areas involved.

"At the moment, I am compiling a collection of beautiful pictures on Pulau Pangkor inspired by a Pangkor resident who lived here more than 20 years ago," he said.

He said the person had recorded every moment of beauty in Pulau Pangkor and the state government would print all the pictures in a book entitled ''The Beauty of Pangkor’ soon.

On the treasure hunt in which 300 participants took part, Zambry, who is the State Assemblyman for Pangkor, was thankful to NPC for picking the island as the destination.

"Thanks and congratulations to NPC and Celcom. Celcom is a partner of the state government in its effort to develop tourism in Perak," he said.

At the ceremony Ahmad Fathil presented prizes of RM5,000 and two units of Blackberry Bold smart phones to the "Kereta Buruk" team comprising Rozaman Ismail (Utusan), Wan Tajuddin Ismail (Utusan), Salehuddin Yusof (TV3) and Abdul Muin Abdul Majid (Bernama) who emerged as champions in the media category.

Meanwhile, the Penang Laksa KL Curry Mee" team with members Liong Chian Min, Chin Kar Peng, Margaret Sha and Chong Voon Kiat also took home the same prizes for being champions in the open category of the treasure hunt, which started from Menara Celcom in Jalan Semarak, Kuala Lumpur and ended in Lumut near here.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Extracted from theSun (21st Apr 2012)
Treasure hunters equipped with tech-gadgets

KUALA LUMPUR (April 21, 2012): The National Press Club (NPC)-Celcom Visit Perak Treasure Hunt 2012 was flagged-off here today with each participating team equipped with tech-gadgets in the form of Huawei MediaPads and Celcom Broadband SIM cards to assist them during the hunt.

NPC President Mokhtar Hussain said the latest communication devices would assist treasure hunters surf the Internet for answers to clues.

"Through this programme, we will also help encourage domestic tourism especially with this year being Visit Perak year," he told Bernama after flagging-off the 82 cars involved at Menara Celcom, Jalan Semarak, here.

Also present were Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) Editor-in-Chief Datuk Yong Soo Heong, NPC vice-president Muharyani Othman and Organising Chairman M. Govind Nair.

Some 300 participants are involved in the treasure hunt from Kuala Lumpur to Pangkor, which also attracted participation from the public and families from Johor and Penang under the 'open category'.

Mokhtar said the hunters would also be able to enjoy the experience in terms of voice, video, music, e-mail, surfing or multimedia messaging via Celcom's enhanced network throughout the journey.

Meanwhile, Yong said the programme would help to strengthen the ties between the media fraternity and non-media apart from promoting Perak.

"This activity is good because through the interaction between media and non media people both parties would understand each other's responsibility...people outside the media line will also have the opportunity to understand on how the media works," he said.

He said the activity was also a fun way to promote tourism to the locals and tourists as the interest in treasure hunt activities had not diminished until today.

The 25 teams in the media category and 57 teams in the open category stand a chance to win cash prize of RM5,000 for first place, RM3,000 (second place) and RM2,000 (third place).

All participants, sponsors' representatives and guests will stay overnight at Pangkor Island Beach Resort and Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir is scheduled attend the prize-giving dinner. -- Bernama

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Extracted from New Straits Times (19th April 2012)

Treasure hunting we will go!

TULIPS AND ANAGRAMS: 400 eager hunters to navigate their way from KL to Pangkor while looking out for clues and treasures

IPOH: SOME 400 people, from all over the country, will be participating in the NPC-Celcom Visit Perak Treasure Hunt 2012 on Saturday.

The annual event, organised by the National Press Club (NPC) and supported by the Perak government, will take participants from Kuala Lumpur to Pangkor.

The hunt has two categories -- media and open category -- which offer RM5,000 for the champions, RM3,000 (first runner-up) and RM2,000 (second runner-up).

Beside boosting domestic tourism, organisers hope the hunt will also promote cooperation among participants, foster the spirit of goodwill and camaraderie and facilitate acquisition of knowledge and information.

State Tourism Committee chairman Datuk Hamidah Osman handed over a RM50,000 sponsorship pledge by the state government to NPC recently.

"The state government will host a dinner and absorb the cost of the ferry fare to Pangkor for all participants, officials, representatives of sponsors and guests."

Present were State Tourism chief executive officer Ahmad Fathil Abd Ghani, NPC president Mokhtar Hussain, vice-president Muharyani Othman, club manager Steven Foo and the hunt's organising chairman M. Govind Nair.

Mokhtar thanked the state government for the sponsorship and said the NPC was excited with the overwhelming support for the hunt.

He said competition would promote the many tourism attractions in Perak.

"The NPC hunt is a major event this year. Our hunts have always promoted domestic tourism and Perak has an abundance of historical attractions which lure many tourists to visit," he said.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Extracted from theSun (18th April 2012)

Hunt, seek and win in Perak

PETALING JAYA: The National Press Club (NPC) and Celcom aim to promote domestic tourism through the NPC-Celcom "Visit Perak" Treasure Hunt 2012.

The hunt, to be held this Saturday, will take about 300 participants in more than 80 cars from Kuala Lumpur to Pangkor.

The hunt will be divided into two categories - media and open. Each category offers prizes up to the 10th placing with RM5,000 as top prize and RM3,000 and RM2,000 as second and third prizes respectively. Prizes also include electronic products and hampers.

NPC president Mokhtar Hussain said the treasure hunt would promote cooperation and foster goodwill among participants, encourage critical thinking and promote safe driving in a fun environment. Mokhtar said Perak was chosen because of its tourist appeal and historical attractions.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Extracted from The Star (7th April 2012)

Communication devices take centre stage in NPC-Celcom Hunt 2012


KUALA LUMPUR: Communication devices are expected to play a significant role in the National Press Club (NPC)-Celcom 'Visit Perak' Hunt 2012, scheduled to take treasure hunters from Kuala Lumpur to Pulau Pangkor on April 21.


Celcom Axiata Berhad, the title sponsor of the event, will provide each team with a Huawei MediaPad for the hunt to assist in the delivery of several of the clues or questions as well as to enable hunters to surf the Internet.

Celcom Axiata Berhad Chief of Operations (Advanced Data) Afizulazha Abdullah said clues or questions would also be delivered to the hunters through a Celcom-registered mobile phone number.

"The use of these devices showcases the ample opportunities that the treasure hunters and the public at large have at their disposal to experience Celcom's mobile broadband services.

"The NPC-Celcom Treasure Hunt acts as a platform for us to provide the hunters with a unique experience on their hunt journey either via our network or the fun-filled activities that we have prepared for them," he told a press conference on Friday.

NPC president Mokhtar Hussain said cash prizes of RM5,000, RM3,000 and RM2,000 await the top three winners of both the media/NPC members and open categories.

He said prizes would be awarded up to 10th placed winners in both categories of the hunt, which is an annual NPC event.

Mokhtar said communication devices such as smartphones and broadband modems were also among the prizes which the hunters could win both in the media and open categories.

This year's hunt was not only about just man and machine (vehicle) working together but about man, machine and communication device working in unison to achieve excellence, he said.

"Usually the hunt is more on participants driving a car to look out for questions and answers, this time around we add another element which is the MediaPad to make it more challenging, interesting and exciting," he said.

He said more than 70 cars were expected to participate in the hunt which would be flagged off from Menara Celcom, Jalan Semarak in Kuala Lumpur on April 21 and end in Lumut, Perak.

Huawei Device for Southern Pacific Region chief marketing officer Alan Wong said Huawei was confident that the use of its smart tablet was well poised to capitalise on Celcom's new High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) and mobile network.

"The Huawei MediaPad is one of the world's first tablets to come pre-loaded with the new Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system which was first launched in June 2011 and we are proud to support Celcom in the upcoming NPC-Celcom Treasure Hunt," he said. - Bernama


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Extracted from The Star (20th March 2012)

NPC-Celcom treasure hunt to Pangkor next month

KUALA LUMPUR: The NPC-Celcom Trea­­sure Hunt is here again.

Participants will be in Pangkor Is­land on April 21, in keeping with the National Press Club’s (NPC) decision to support Visit Perak Year 2012.

The organisers are targeting up to 100 cars with 400 participants, all of whom will stay one night at Pangkor Island Beach Resort.

As in past NPC hunts, Cel­­com Axia­­ta Berhad has shown its support by coming in as a title sponsor.

Celcom Axiata chief executive officer Datuk Seri Shazalli Ramly said: “We are continually looking for an avenue to build closer ties with the media as well as the public, and this treasure hunt is one way of establishing a close relationship with them.

“The competitors also stand a chance to bring home smartphones and many other latest devices as prizes for the top winners of each category,” he said.

Other major sponsors include the Perak Government, Transport Minis­try, AmBank Group, Syarikat Prasa­rana Negara Bhd, Trans Resources Corporation Sdn Bhd, Bank Rakyat, Naza Group, Affin Bank, Maybank and Touch ‘n Go Sdn Bhd.

The hunt carries the slogan “Visit Perak” in line with Visit Perak Year 2012.

It is divided into two categories – Media and Open. Each category offers RM5,000 as the top prize.

The entry fee is subject to the type of hotel room selected, with the fee ranging from RM130 to RM220 per person.

Details and entry forms can be obtained at the NPC Clubhouse at 84 Jalan Tangsi here by contacting club manager Steven Foo (tel: 03-2694 0525 or 019-245 8073 and fax: 03-2691 6331).

The closing date for entries is April 6. — Bernama
 



















































































































































No comments: