"alternatives" - PREORDERS NOW OPEN.
11. Everything before EP4 & Recruiting Sitta
Singapore playtest 2.0
A few days after MYYC, I went to Singapore—I wanted more players to try the Insomnia 4, and it just so happened that Thawhir was hosting a small Christmas party with the boys.
It was a morning flight, and this time, I met up with Karthik Devaraj first—who took forever to show up. I mostly just stood around waiting for him until he finally arrived (Over an hour late). "Sorry ah bro, my car breakdown and then the train late" - righttt......
As soon as he did, Karthik told me he immediately needed to take a poo, so I spent another 30 minutes waiting...
Karthik sent me this picture when I told him to hurry up
Since he had just won two competitions (Thailand Nats Intl div & Malaysia Nats Intl div), I was more patient than usual...
As the day went on, we caught up with the others and eventually headed to Thawhir’s place for the party.
There were 2 rare humans that night, Christopher Chia, and Lim Aik Hwee – both Singapore Champion and Asia Pacific Champion. So, I asked them if they could try the insomnia 4..
CC: *Tries a few throws, and then puts it down*
Jim: How was it?
CC: Ok ba
Jim: Do you like it?
CC: Ok lor
Jim: How can I make it better?
CC: Ey cibai, I haven’t yo-yo how long sia why you care so much my opinion?
Lim Aik Hwee also tried the yo-yo but said similar things along those lines – “Ok lah”, “Can la”. The Singaporeans kept asking them if it felt like a Draupnir… CC quickly caught on the joke and said "Eh ya sia, you making Draupnir clone? I last time YYR I know 1".
Anyways... to their excitement, there was no forms for them to fill up that evening. Everyone who tried the previous prototype would say the insomnia 4 was huge step up.
The food that night was delicious, and I think Thawhir should host more parties *hint hint*.
It was also a fun night filled with Coconut Shakes, catching up, and trying out new yo-yos. Jeremy also invented a new 3A trick, the BTB overhead Koro-Koro (An inside joke from that evening). If you ever meet him, please ask him to show you that trick.
One yo-yo that everyone was raving about that night was YJ’s Radiance. It was a good yo-yo, and I think has stood the test of time, holding up till today (2025), and is probably their best yo-yo so far.
Announcement of Stronger Yo-yo Cup – Episode 4
I announced Episode 4 a day after Christmas. Not sure why I decided to do an EP4—but I announced it a month before the contest, which, by contest standards, was very short notice. Having done three Stronger’s before, EP4 seemed pretty straightforward since I already had the format and experience organizing contests.
This round, I felt a little more toxic and started making fun of Singaporeans, adding small hints about real drama that was ongoing. The audience loved it. After making fun of Christopher Lee, Karthik Devaraj, and Xavier Ng, people were in my DMs asking me to make fun of their favorite players. I even joked about the Marcus Ee & Luan controversy from MYYC23 lol. Somehow, by making fun of players, it actually encouraged them to register for my event?? SEA is really built different.
Suddenly, there was a huge wave of registrations from international players. It was when Xavier registered, I knew I was cooked.
All the previous Episodes were held in my office, but the ceiling was definitely too low for his tricks. Not only was I afraid of potential damage to the office, but there were also sprinklers that, if knocked, could set off the fire alarm. I had to find a new venue—and fast.
I actually worked really quickly on this and managed to secure Geo Nat Wine in Pavilion—a private bar on top of the most prestigious shopping mall in Kuala Lumpur. I had to pull some strings to get this venue. It wasn’t cheap, but I wanted to create a memorable event for the players traveling down for this.
So, the venue was quickly resolved, and I got back to work.
Sitta Nattasomboon
In entry-9, I mentioned my interest in sponsoring Sitta. Well, turns out he wasn’t sponsored, lol. Azim Jameel told me this at MYYC23 when he overheard me talking about it. I asked Karthik if he could double-check with Sitta to see if he was sponsored and whether he would be open to the idea of joining “alternatives.”
"Why do you keep asking me to reach out to players?" Karthik said.
I started chatting with Sitta, and he mentioned that, for the first time, he was open to a sponsorship. Sitta had previously just wanted to enjoy yo-yoing freely, without any brand attachment, but now he was open to it as he wanted to return to the competitive scene and have a support system behind him. He said he was interested to know more but, of course, wanted to try the Insomnia 7068 first. He said he was very picky about his yo-yos, so he had to be sure before joining.
I mentioned EP4 to him and that it would be a good meeting ground for us. Sitta said he would try his best to attend and would let me know closer to the date…
To be continued...