On 9th December 2019, an announcement was posted at Mensa workplace:
Puzzles and Magic SIG is holding its first meeting in Puzzle Master Lee Yee Dian’s house on 22/12 Sun afternoon 2:30pm to 4:30pm in Bandar Utama. You will get a chance to see his prized and unique puzzle room that had recently been featured by Malay Mail as publicity for the 2019 IBD. Yee Dian will explain the different types of his 11,000 puzzles personally. But unfortunately his puzzle room can only accommodate 8 persons. Otherwise it will be too crowded. So the first 8 to sign up here will gain entrance.
Gotta admit I'm thrill to finally visit Master Lee Ye Dian's famous puzzle room and get to try his puzzle collection! I know about him for years, and recently he was featured in a local newspaper/article: https://www.malaymail.com/news/life/2019/10/08/pj-mans-40-year-passion-with-more-than-11000-puzzles-puzzle-books-collected/1798273
Mr Lee Yee Dian is a graduate of Osaka University, Japan, with a degree in Electrical Engineering. For many years he was employed in the private sector, and held various senior positions especially in Japanese multi-national companies. Over the past five years, he has been active as a Mind Development Consultant, specializing in the field of Creativity & Innovation. He works mostly with government departments and agencies, helping civil servants to acquire much needed thinking skills through his various innovation programs. He sometimes shares his knowledge and expertise with private sector companies. In his free time Mr Lee serves as the Vice President of the Malaysian Association of Creativity & Innovation (MACRI), a position he has held since 2010. He is also a long-time member of Malaysian Mensa, the high IQ Society, and has been appointed as their National Testing Proctor. In addition, he is very active in the Malaysia Sudoku Society, serving as its Secretary since 2008. Over these years, he has been instrumental in promoting Sudoku as a thinking tool, to all age groups in the country. He is Malaysia's foremost Sudoku expert.
By the way, completely forgot about this and arrived his place late. After getting lost for almost 30 mins (n dropped my phone, damaging the screen), I finally arrived to his place.
Even his house number is pretty unique. I also learnt he is a (unique) teapot collector too.
We headed to the 3rd floor and entered the small room; the (amazing) room of puzzles.
What started out as a hobby to stimulate his brain and challenge himself, soon turned into something much more for Lee Yee Dian. The 60-year-old took his love and passion for puzzles to the next level as he currently owns more than 11,000 puzzles and puzzle books.
It's breathtaking; this is the most puzzles I had ever seen or touch/interact in one room!
Some of the cool physical puzzles we get to try on (and I managed to solve).
WARNING: From this point there's spoiler and solutions to some puzzles and explanation to Optical Illusions!
Question: Among these coins, which one the same height with the stack coins?
The answer is the smallest coin. The diameter is the same height with the stack coins.
All the puzzles I managed to solved. All these really reminds me of Professor Layton games
One of the simple, but tricky puzzles. The lady in front of me solved it first and I glanced away not to look at the solution but I saw something that made me realised the solution.
Then come of the toughest puzzles; The Indian Padlock puzzle. Honestly I should had try harder to think outside of the box; I did joked about taking off the bottom part.
And yup it was indeed the first solution to the rest. I just smacked my head.
Another tricky puzzle that I was unable to figure until Yee Dian gave us some hints.
Nothing much to write here, all the details written up there on the package ahahaha.
This is quite a cute and simple puzzle. I think I would buy this one in the future.
Other Cool Optical Illusions
Well we are Puzzles and Magic SIG after all, so apart of puzzles, Yee Dian entertained us with some of his optical illusion collections as well. He actually meet some of the designers.
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Omo this is just one amazing, intricate, beautiful popup book ever! Gonna get this later!
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Right Pointing Arrow (and vise versa): spin this arrow 180 degrees and it still points to the right- only in a mirror will it point left (and only to the left). Another incredible ambiguous object illusion by mathematician Kokichi Sugihara of Meiji University in Japan, the inventor of this illusion and art form. A clever combination of reflection, perspective, and viewing angle produce this striking illusion.
Sugihara is a professor at Meiji University in Tokyo and an award-winning illusion artist. He has placed four times at the Neural Correlate Society's Best Illusion of The Year contest and won twice, typically for his geometrically complex, 3D-printed illusory objects, like the arrow above.
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Sp!n: the Spinning Top Koma. Sp!n is one of the latest releases from Japanese design label +d. It was designed by Jordi Lopez Aguilo and made in Japan. It can be spun both right-side-up and upside-down. And if done right, it can spin for about 1 minute. It comes in 5 different colors and retails for 972 yen each.
Main site info and shopping: https://koncent.jp/?pid=136109442
The Helicone Kinetic Sculpture. This is something easily to get online, and yet very unique.
Main site: https://www.artofplay.com/products/helicone - But you can get at local shops.
It's an Honor!
After I successfully solved several puzzles, including some Yee Dian considered toughest, he went to take one puzzle he was still unable to solve and gave it to me; he is hoping I can solve it and I had never felt so honored *glittering anime big eyes*
I took this puzzle to other Mensa gatherings to share with others, during the New Year eve gathering, Lee Chin Khuan actually the one who solved it. I immediately update Yee Dian.
After almost a year (20201203) I decided to clean up the puzzle and took it fast as by now I couldn't remember the solution. I wasn't too concerned because when CK solved it, I took the photo of the solution. After 30 mins trying to figure out I managed to! Although I'm not sure if this was the same solution CK did. I do feel mine is a bit rougher. This time I took a proper video to keep the solution for future refferences.
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