The Paper Clip Challenge!
Last night, “The laughing all the way” group had its weekly meeting.
On the agenda: loads of funny jokes and hilarious stories, loud laughters, walking on our hands, making people on the street smile, bringing 5 BRICKS to the meeting to fulfill the task of becoming a member, etc.
And, at some point, when our creativity was just too much to handle, we came up with: the one week PAPER CLIP challenge!
We (Basti, Maggie, Radu, Rizwan, Yasmine) decided the challenge goes like this:
- We all start from a PAPER CLIP (a normal one, not golden, diamond, or whetever)
- We exchange the paper clip for a more valuable object (and then exchange what we get further…and further…)
- Wednesday, 8th April, midnight, we see what each gets as a final exchange
We will update the others on the progress by posting comments on this page.
Okey, let the FUN begin!
PS. ANYBODY can join in at any time until Wednesday, 8th April!
PS2. Let your friends know about it! The more the merrier!
I just got myself a Smile Coffee bombon for the Paper Clip.
And NO! I am not going to eat it!
(though it is a SMILING bombon…what a cool name!)
Okey, trading it further and let you know how it goes…
Traded the SMILING Bombon for a McDonalds voucher
So heading to McDonalds after work to see what I can get for that…
here’s my day 1
red paper clip -> cute looking giraffe paper clip -> cute cartoon mouse phone holder with a packet of green tea -> forever friends coin purse (keep the green tea) -> a packet of hot chocolate (keep the coin purse) -> a burger king figurine (keep the coin purse) -> a red cross pluff toy + a lion wearing graduation figure
The bartering is fun, altho it seems that i keep on exchanging for just-for-fun stuff, but its cool and interesting to see my colleagues stuffs are now lying in different corners!!!
I will see what happen after work
Worked on my strategy: i have a paper with the name of the website (break–free.com - imagine I get to promote the blog as well), and a tabel in which I write what I get in return and ask them to sign.
This way I make myself more credible to strangers on the street.
My score tonight:
McDonalds voucher=> Lighter =>Choolate Milk Shake (got to keep the lighter)=> 10 cigarettes (2 mentol, 5 normal, 3 other type)
And I have in my mind the perfect smoker to trade it with!
Oh, and some learnings out of today:
- do not take open food (like muffins, drinks, etc) because then when you trade it they may think yo dropped it on the ground, sipped from it, etc. Take only closed food!
- give them specific ideas of what they can give you back (i almost convinced a guy to buy a bottle of wine!); when I just told them to give me something back they usually said they had nothing
- SMILE!
I like your little contest
can’t wait to see the result!
Can I join from Paris?
Anca
Sure!
All you need is a paper clip.
The challenge will end on Wednesday…really curios how it goes in Paris!
Send us updates!
Good evening,
I started with two paperclips yesterday night, one of them I gave to my flatmate Andries, who just started of to Belgium.He will also go to St Petersburg and Moscow - so I expect him to bring back something special.
I forgot my paperclip on my desk at home, so I just started trading it in 30 min ago. I was wondering around our HDB until I found a open door and what did I see? Four Chinese guys playing poker in serious matter and there was money on the table. I didn’t have the guts to disturb them so I just walked by. But there was no other open door so I had to explain them that I wanted to exchange my paper clip.
They where not happy with the interruption and I didn’t explain the idea of the paper clip good enough. All they wanted was to get rid of me. So they gave me a red pen, produced in Thailand was written on the pen.
Luckily my neighbour Miranda came home the same time, with her two friends which are on a visit here in Singapore. They understood the barter concept and wanted to give me something really nice. After a while Miranda was offering me a pack with massage oil.
I don’t know if the girls wanted me to stay longer. Anyway I took the oil and went home and just realised that I still have the pen.
So I really enjoyed my first day of trading.
First 2 exchanges happened:
- for the paper-clip, I got one pen
- for the pen, I got a stress-release ball
I’ll keep you posted!
Anca
radu, i dun have strategy (haha), but for day 1 i exchanged the stuffs randomly - just telling them wat i am doing and they can exchange anything that they think is more valuable - i didn’t bargain tat much of coz, and today was only around my colleagues so it would be easier
but now i got two stuffs which one is destined to be exchanged for “useful” stuffs from my colleague….
i will try sth different on day 2
btw, i wonder who is the perfect smoker u think of, haha
nice game! I take the challenge for Timisoara
Zuper!!
The Paper Clip Challenge is becoming international!
Yuhuuuuu!
hehe… i cant believe u guys have been doing this from 9 am! Well my paper clip is now a pen… and lets see how it works out tomorrow…
I traded my yellow paper clip to a pen corrector… I can’t wait for the next trade.
guys,
thanks for inviting me in - gonna go looking for a nice & sweet paper clip:) i’ll keep you posted!
lots of luck everyone & have fun!
xx
Okey, my events for today…
Since last night, by trading on the street, was not quite a success- people didn’t have objects with them- I changed my strategy.
Today, went to a condominium. Directly to their doors.
(by the way, their elevator is total glass! Outside the building.
When going up up, it is like a bungee jump jerk in the sky!
And the best part: you can see the ground underneath! 100 m underneath!)
Banged on 3 doors.
First one, gave me two packs of chewing gum!!
Yuhuuuu!
Second one, it was the Philippino maid, so she couldn’t give me anything. It was not her house.
Third, I terrified a woman. She took me for somebody who wanted to sell her something!
She just turned and left.
Oh well, you can’t have them all!
But I did leave the condo after that…facing security was not an option!
And then, I traded one of the packages of chewing gum for…
Tatatataaaaaaaaaaaaa
A Silver Tiger Eye NECKLACE!
It is beautiful I tell you!
It will brake my heart to trade it further!
Well peoples, here is my first report of the so X-citing paper clip journey to my fortune.
Day 1 - Thursday - 02 Apr 09 - Picked one steel paper clip.
Negotiated with my American colleague, was very convinced, quickly handed me a cool florescent highlighter. Voila! My journey to break–free ( Radu, do acknowledge! ) starts in bright colours…
Day 2 - Friday - 03 Apr 09 - Taking things forward, i talk my Singaporean colleague into this deal of giving me something more meaningful in return for this highlighter. He digs into one of his drawers and gives a correction ink bottle. The best part is, I even got to keep the highlighter.
Think i might set up my own stationery collection, so heading in another direction… I rush back home and pamper my Romaninan housemate into giving me her handmade artbook and get a aroma candle in exchange for the highly useful correction ink. ( Hahahaaaa…. Maggi, follows pursuit and gets another piece of those candles in exchange for one dumb dead tiger piece! )
Well, thats the status till time. So, ANYONE WANT A cool designer handmade book and aroma candle, please get in touch with me ASAP… 9465 3969. ( Radu, is this allowed? ), ( Well, if not, it is now…)
Thats the outline so far.
Over n Out!
Day 2 Progress
I was a bit stuck today, was attempted to exchange with my ex-colleague but then i didn’t, i attempted to exchange with my church member but she didn’t have anything to exchange with me…
back home the other contestant (i.e. Riz) & I started fighting over to exchange stuffs with our flatmates - so you know what he got right…and i exchanged the tigeress pluff toy with 3 super nice candles, then 1 of the candles was exchanged for a whiteboard marker…
tomorrow, (or today!), i will break free!!!
(btw, the lion pluff toy is due to be exchanged for a notebook on monday)
Inventory after the weekend:
- one silver Tigar Eye Necklace
- one package of chewing gum
- one new Eye Shadow (i will get it on Monday)
Three more days to go…so let’s see what other surprises come up!
PS. Also read the book “The Red Paper Clip”- it was where we got the idea to start the contest (a guy in Canada traded from a paper clip to a house). Highly reccommend reading it!
Yupppppppeeeeeeeeee!
Just exchanged the Silver Tiger Eye Necklace with a Professional Photo Shoot session worth $350.
Here is the website:
http://zurinabryant.com/
Now going after somebody who would like to ahve his portrait taken by a professional photographer.
Wow, I am amazed guys! I must admit my enthusiasm got a bit down during the weekend as noone wanted my stress-release ball
they kept on promising me things and did not bring them along!
So I have just one more move:
- I exchanged the stress-release ball with a mousepad in nice colours
Waiting for more to come tonight and tomorrow! When do we end this, as we are in different timezones?
Enjoy!
Hepp di Hoo!
the most important thing - I met a bunch of cool people living in my HDB!
Yield of tonight:
- Bracelet from Tibet
- Guitar
Have fun!
:)…yeap, that was an important lesson i also got: never trade unless thay have an object to give straight away. Promising is easy!
Now, regarding the finish, since this is a challenge, not a competition, you can finish whenever you like.
Frankly, given how much fun I had, I will keep doing it for a while.
And to get an idea of how everybody participating is doing, it would be good if by end of today (in your time zone), everybody shares what they got!
Okey…a bit late, here are my trades at the end of Wednesday, exactly one week after we started the challenge:
- one Photographic Shoot worth $350
- one Tibetan Bracelet
- One Chinese Wealth Coin
And quite frankly, after this week I had so much FUN, that I will keep trading it!
(also, about the learning in the process, I will write a separate post
What did you get?
hi dears i appreciate you all people that you are doing such activities to have some fun with people and make them happy. i just say only one thing that is HANDSOME PEOPLE DOES HANDSOME WORK means happy people always do happy activity to make people happy. keep it up thanks a lot
Thanks, Avi, for your positive feedback.
Will definitely keep it up and come up with new and exciting challenges that people all over the world can join in.
