Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Welcome to the Party of Fives Meetups! If you are a gamer who wants to go beyond the usual PARTY gaming fare at boardgame meetups and cafes, this is it! We don't usually play Cards against Humanity, Exploding Kittens and Unstable Unicorns. That's just us. Make us play if you can. We will be playing an assortment of board games ranging from light strategic kinds to heavy thematic ones. Games we usually play range from light ones like Azul, Splendor, Jamaica to medium ones like Yokohama, Endeavor and Nippon and of course heavy ones like Twilight Imperium, Gloomhaven, Tainted Grail and Kingdom Death Monster! Do not be surprised if you see us painting miniatures or are engaged in some sort of insanely time-consuming enhancements towards our game elements in our games. Everyone get their kick in different ways. :) Painting groups are also in their groups of fives ... For the game designers out there, just tell us that you are a creator when you see us and we will have our own private creative sessions mapped out in a feasible way. Most others don't care so we should not disturb the force unnecessarily. We will contact you when you sign up and place you into appropriate messaging groups with different needs to facilitate further communication. Total noobs are totally welcome! While we don't serve food ourselves, we are smack right in the middle of the legendary Golden Mile premises with an huge range of eateries from super curry puffs, loud Japanese izakaya food, heavenly chicken rice with steamboat, hellish black burgers and authentic Thai food that is just sick. All within a pebble's throw away. Tea and dinner sessions (at our own expenses) usually follow the gaming sessions according to our designated groups. Due to the current Covid-19 and social distancing restrictions, you are not allowed to join us for these food consuming sessions only. For your understanding, please If you have something specific in mind, do a shout out below and we see if we can help within reasonable grounds. There will be a charge of SGD $15 (ARENA: $15), (HEAVY/CAMPAIGN GAMES: $25) collected at the door (in cash) to help with the running of the event. How to sign up for our sessions: • Join the Singapore Manga Anime Games & Cosplay Assembly as a member. • RSVP below and retain a screenshot of your RSVP as proof. • Note that without proof of RSVP you will not be allowed into the premises. • Note that those who sign up but do not show up will not be allowed to sign up for future Party of Five sessions. • Note that RSVP closes 6 hours before the event takes place. For those who will like to form groups to play other games, feel free to shout out your intentions at the comments section below: Note that there won’t be any game masters around to help you with your games on site. The meetup will run from the time stated to the time ended. By signing up for this meetup, you agree to the terms and conditions set above.

Where does genuinely new stuff come from, and what does the answer obligate us to do? We are primates, evolved for the African Savana, with meat machines in our heads. These meat machines can do something curious: they can imagine. Even further, they can be “creative”; that is, they can imagine something “novel”. At first glance, imagination seems like a cute quirk. We can imagine fantasies, tell fun stories, paint pictures, make gadgets. Some of these stories we deem “creative” or “novel”. But what actually counts as “new/creative”? The commonly used notion for “creative” in various domains of study is the creation of something “novel” and “useful/appropriate”. “Novel” ensures the new idea/invention is not just a basic recombination of old things. “Useful/appropriate” ensures that the idea is meaningful, reveals something interesting, and is not just a random mess. Both of these terms are broad and contentious (intentionally so). Who defines what is “novel” or useful/appropriate”? Should it be defined by the individual who originated the idea, or by the social judgment of peers, or specifically by experts, or by history/those who come later? The **Systems Model** recognizes that “creativity” is not a property determined by individuals, but through an interaction between the domain/field of innovation, the social ecosystem (gatekeepers, institutions, etc.), and the innovation itself. Other views emphasize the **cognitive mechanisms** of creativity. New ideas do not emerge “de novo”, they emerge from a recombination of past ideas, with a novel “transformation of the problem space”. Hence, an individual needs to make the creative leap with regards to themselves (their past experiences, cultural knowledge, etc.); it is a mental operation. Even if their new idea might already be known to someone else/the public, if they themselves did not know it, it is still a novel creation for them. Thus the question: Is there a rigorous notion that can tell whether something is “truly novel”, or even quantify how much? And who decides? Beyond the domain of fiction and art, our meat sack brains can also imagine things like multiple dimensions, 4D space, invisible forces, and other notions that at the time were heavily criticized as fanciful thinking (imaginary numbers, non-euclidian geometry, microscopic germs). Our minds were shaped by natural selection to solve savanna-scale problems — predators, social hierarchies, thrown objects. There's no selection pressure for imagining or grasping 11-dimensional string theory or quantum field theory. Feynman himself suspected we might not be able to understand wavefunction collapse or superposition. And human working memory is sorely limited. It is surprising that these ideas turn out to be “*real”*. They explain the physical world and give us tremendous power over it. Sometimes, increasing our power over the physical world depends on creating ever more “novel” ideas/absurdities (e.g. Infinite dimensional vector spaces. Subatomic particles. Quantum phenomena. etc.) Outlandishness is not sufficient for scientific success, but those ideas that yielded the greatest increase in understanding/power were often the most outlandish. In other words, the degree of “creative novelty” in science is proportional to the degree of increased physical power we gain. Is there a limit to what our brains can conceive? Science and art are very different domains. But therein lies the puzzle: the process of creativity deployed in science seems no different from the process of creativity deployed in art; so perhaps the same process is generating novelty in both. This suggests a tantalizing unity of what it means to be “novel”. If the same process generates “novelty” in 2 (seemingly) different branches: art and science, and one branch leaves physical traces, then “novelty” might not be mere arbitrary social judgment. Discussion Questions: * What counts as “creative”/”novel”? Who judges this? Is it an individual or social or objective judgment? How do we know whether something is “new” or not? Are we just “doing whatever we do?” * Operationally, how does creativity work? How does creativity “create new things”? Where does the newness come from? * Is the process of creativity in art, social science, natural science, engineering, technology, all the same underlying process? * If it is the same underlying process, how does “novelty”/creativity in science relate to creativity in art? * What’s the difference between imagination, creativity, and knowledge? * Is society obligated to create the conditions necessary for people to engage their creativity? If we disable people’s creativity, is that a form of mind control?

**Novel Biological Aging Clocks** Prof. Jan Gruber from NUS will introduce aging clocks - research tools that estimate biological age rather than just calendar age. These clocks are built from measurable biological signals, such as patterns in DNA methylation, blood biomarkers, and metabolic data, that change in predictable ways over time. In this talk, he will explain how aging clocks are developed, what they can and cannot tell us about health and lifespan, and how scientists use them to study disease risk, lifestyle effects, and interventions that may influence the rate of aging. This talk is designed for everyone who wants to take their health into their own hands, making informed decisions. Opening remarks by: Dr. Hisham Badaruddin Kamil Pabis, MSc 23rd of April, 7 pm (please be on time) Location: TSquared Health, L9 SBF (level 9, rootftop) 160 Robinson Rd, #05-02 · 8749 5846 We thank [https://xandrolab.com](https://xandrolab.com/?srsltid=AfmBOopQnhnmh3hWOnQzwAg3j8t7Hemy0SWxXa6trkrGjnrnj9jJD4Ra) for the refreshments. Notes: Please remember that the venue has limited capacity and the event is first come first serve. For reference, our new venue is slightly larger than the last one.

**🏐 Social Netball Night – All Levels Welcome!** Join us for a fun and friendly session of social netball (both men & women are welcome!!) – perfect for staying active, meeting new people, and enjoying the game at your own pace! 🗓 **Time:** 7:30 PM – 9:30 PM 📍 **Venue:** Australian International School, 1 Lorong Chuan, Singapore 556818 Big Gym (Indoors; Air-conditioned!!) (Nearest MRT: Lorong Chuan MRT) 🧢 **What to Bring:** * Sports attire * Sports Shoes * Water bottle * Towel (optional) 💰 **Cost:** Monthly Subscription - $25 / month (Up to 4 weekly sessions; min. 3 sessions) OR Ala-carte - $10 per Session (Cost covers court booking & sporting equipments) Whether you’re new to netball or a seasoned player, this session is open to all skill levels. We’ll do a quick warm-up & some ball drills before diving into games! RSVP early to secure your spot – limited spaces available! Do drop me a message at 87875095 if you are coming too! Looking forward to seeing you there!

Yup, that's right... We're kicking off a mission in 2026: to hunt down and give our own honest seal of approval to Singapore's Michelin hawker stalls! Inspired by that infamous Tik-Toker who went on a quest to "expose" all the Michelin hawkers, we figured, why not make up our own minds? See for ourselves if the food really lives up to the hype or not. So come join us on this adventure – kill two birds with one stone: eat damn shiok food, enjoy solid meals together, and build community along the way. Who's in? Shiok ah! 🚀🍲 **Details:** 📅 **Date**: 25th April 2026 🕝 **Time**: 12:00pm - 5:00 pm 📍 **Location**: TBA I've curated some stores for selection based on their availability. Make your selection below or make a suggestion of your own by leaving down comments on our social media page :D https://tinyurl.com/cvcbc98p ^^ Above is the link to the slido poll page to make your selection. Polling will start from April 11th 2026 to April 17th 2026

Fellow board game and card game lovers, looking for a place to play MTG Commander? Or looking to learn how to play Magic The Gathering? Come join us this Tuesday and have a fun filled, fireball swinging, dragons casting night! Bring your own commander deck (any bracket) or just bring yourself and your friends if you’re coming to learn how to play! All Gender welcomed! Venue: Unsalted By Lazy Potato Address: 17A Jalan Klapa #02-01 S(199329) Time: 7pm til late Entry: $6 What you get: 1 Magic the Gathering Play Booster Pack + 1 canned drink

Private Group. Closed to the Public Knowing ourselves and understanding our abilities is the first step toward wielding our gifts with control and accuracy. In subsequent classes we will verify and hone our talents with activities and discussion. These are hands-on workshops and participation is expected. The goal of our series will be to develop expertise in areas of particular interest such as mediumship, channeling, divination, healing and, etc.. Our ultimate directions will be determined by class members as we evolve. I look forward to sharing and discovering with you. - Cynthia

This month we’ll be reading Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb. Feel free to come even if you don’t finish the book!