I was challenged with two exceptionally tough and brilliant logic problems today and thought I should share them. Don't be discouraged if you can't get the answers!

1. There was once a farm where 50 farmers lived and each of them owned a dog. The farmers and dogs were housed in a manner such that each farmer could see the dog of every single other farmer except for his own. One night, several of the dogs went mad and attacked the other livestocks that lived on the farm. On the following day (which we shall call Day 1), the 50 farmers realized that the mad dogs could be distinguished by their bloodied faces and bodies. The killings went on every night (during which the farmers do NOT wake up) until the morning of Day 11, when all the farmers who were certain that their own dogs were mad, simultaneously shot their own mad dogs. Given the fact that these farmers had no way of communicating with each other, and remembering that they cannot see their own dogs, how did they manage to figure out if their own dogs were mad, and how many dog were indeed mad?

2. A detention barrack once housed 500 detainees, all locked in separate cells such that it was impossible to observe the actions of one another. In addition to these cells, there was one unoccupied room, that has always been left unlit, with only a door (from which one can enter and exit) and a switch that was connected to a bulb in the room (which could be switched on or off). One day, the warrant of the detention barrack decided to gather these 500 detainees and struck a deal with them. He said, "I will choose one person at a time from your numbers at random to enter the [aforementioned unoccupied] room and repeat this procedure indefinitely. A person might be only called upon once, or maybe several times, consecutively or otherwise. If one of you can eventually tell me for certain that every one of the 500 of you has already entered the room, I will release all of you. Now you shall be given some time to discuss a stratagem amongst yourselves, after which all of you will return to your respective cells [where communication is impossible] and we shall begin." Without capabilities to leave any physical mark in the aforementioned room whatsoever, the detainees, however, eventually managed to secure their release. What was the stratagem they used?

I know they are long and convoluted, but I had to make the premises are set without ambiguity. I hope you enjoy solving them!

In a bid to be more gastronomically aware, I've actively sought to try out famed eateries on this culinary island of ours. On Saturday (19th April), Alan, Jonk, Nash and I broke out of our usual visits to town, barely veering from ending up in Marina Square, and visited the much talked about Botak Jones @ 412 Bedok North Ave 2. With a bill chequing in a little above $40, we gorged ourselves in a scrumptious meal flooded with chips (seriously, we had to take-away). Any worry of mine that we'll be sweating buckets was also mitigated by the breezy evening and emptying coffeeshop.

Barely 2 days after, my family and I visited Choon Seng Hng Restaurant @ Upp Bukit Timah Rd where we indulged ourselves in a refreshingly delectable salted-egg crab - even a non-crab lover like me consented to biting on one of the pincers. The service, unfortunately, wasn't up to standard - the waiters frequently lacked initiative and congeniality. However, it's obscure location did provide a pleasant escape from crowded eateries.

On another note, I read this amusing article on the International Herald Tribune: An Orchestra Wearing Earplugs? It's funny and poignant to imagine how the much regaled classical music, hitherto left to its natural decay, should be so unceremoniously discounted by laws prescribing work safety levels. This, however, will not be the end of its effects as this law encroaches on other forms of music - particularly the blaring anxiety of metal. What concerns me more, however, are its implications on the still teething genres on electro-acoustic music.

The past few days have been most trying, shuttling about between work, RJ and home. My composition work with RJ S24 was made more exhausting having to deal with indecisive and uncoordinated people. I finally completed my share of work yesterday and will be awaiting their comments or requests for amendments (if they are ever going to contact me). I'm glad to have been given the chance to discover the wonders of using the synthesizer keyboard, on which I was very reliant.

Well, though celebrating the 444th anniversary of Shakespeare is not exactly very auspicious, come down and support the production if you can! It's on 23rd/24th April, 7pm @ RJC Performing Arts Centre (PAC). Tickets are priced at $8! Please contact Ju Ju at 9155-3202 for further enquiries.

At the same time, I met Mr Rollason during one of my visits to RJ and he enlisted my help to look for politically inspired music from 1945-2000. In my research, I came across a wonderful expanse of songs and instrumental pieces, the most fascinating of which was Nena's "99 Luftballons". This anti-Cold War song written in 1982 narrates how the accidental release of 99 balloons started a nuclear war.

And, boy, was I not jealous when Samantha disclosed the news to me today. Apparently, Philip Glass is visiting UMich on 18th April, with the Dalai Lama, as a guest speaker on Buddhism and Art! I'm not such a big fan of the religious part, but I sure am a fan of the composer! My! How I wish I could just courier my "Einstein on the Beach" over to get it autographed!