Latest mini-addiction

Towards the end of last year, I rediscovered the crossword puzzle as an accessible, entertaining and mildly addictive form of procrastination. On my way to school, I'd often pick up one of the free papers for the express purpose of getting the crossword. {The crosswords in these papers are notably easier than the Times crossword and better for my ego/amusement. After all, if I'm letting myself play a bit before I work, I don't want to have to think TOO hard. Also, the best kinds of procrastination are those that make you feel like you've accomplished something and are being semi-productive -- in this respect, both crossword puzzles and making to-do lists fall in this category.)

Anyways, here in Hong Kong, the free papers do not have English crossword puzzles -- surprise, surprise. I have, however, found a fabulous substitute: Sudoku puzzles.

I first encountered one of these math puzzles in The Globe and Mail, a Canadian paper and was so excited to find them in a fair number of the papers and magazines here (Chinese and English). The concept is simple, but some of the puzzles are challenging enough to keep me occupied for a fair bit of time. The idea is that in every 3x3 grid, horizontal line and vertical line, you have to use each number from 1-9 only once.

If you're looking for some procrastination fun, other than Minesweeper or Solitaire, check it out sometime and keep an eye out for it in your local paper!