Ting Sie Bing, the inventor, designer and entrepreneur, has added another jewel to his glittering crown of innovation awards. The metaphor 'Thinking Cap' coined by Edward De Bono, would probably have more meaning to Ting, for the fact that he is always thinking, inventively that is to say.

Now at his golden age, hovering over sixty. Ting has left a blazing trail of innovations. His inventive mind has ventured into in a myriad of innovations, ranging from mechanical devices, sports equipment, and furniture to board games. He has no less than 10 patents to his credit and has earned a string of innovation awards such as the National Furniture Design Award, Malaysian Invention and Design Competition Award, Medals from Geneva International Invention Exhibition, and Good Mark Design recognition form the Malaysia Design Council.

The latest and most coveted award that salutes Ting's blend of creative and entrepreneurial skill is the Special Award for Design Excellence, under the category of Product Excellence Award 1998, The Annual Award is conferred by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry and last year saw for the first time a Special Award for Design Excellence was introduced. Ting captured the award with his brilliant and innovative Congkok. He was one of the few candidates nominated for the award by the Malaysia Design Council. His nomination was on the basis of his earlier success in gaining the Good Mark recognition from the Design Council.

The story behind Ting's challenge to innovate a traditional game like Congkak in the era of Tamagochi and the likes of cyber games is indeed an interesting one. When asked to share his wisdom, Ting said: "Board games are old as civilisation itself. A game like Congkak is over 3,400 years old, and is still played worldwide. There will always be a niche for such a game because no degree of industrialisation and computer technology would change the need for games with human interactiveness".

The Egyptians called it Mancala. Its origins were found in the roof slab of a 3,400 old temple in Kurna, on the west banks of the River Nile. In the West Indies and Guyana it was called Wari, in Zimbabwe it is known as Hus, while the Sri Lankans and Tamils of Southern India played it as Pallanguli. It was brought to the shores of then Malaya some hundreds of years ago by Arabian and Indian traders plying the spice route. The method of playing the game and its name in Malaysia evolved to what is now known as Congkak.

Ting had extensively researched the historical evolution of the Congkak. As an earnest inventor, a prior art search is a must in order to establish the novelty and origin of products being developed. During research work, Ting stumbled upon the Congkak's rich heritage. He also surveyed the market potential for his new object of invention, and immediately realised that the Congkak's ancient chronicle can also be packaged to enhance the value of his re-invented Congkak.

So how can something that has been around for over thousands of years be invented over and again? Ting, a veteran inventor knows how. As he puts it: "The process of inventing is a continual evolution. If you put your imagination to work, new products and technologies can be created out of existing ones. The range of innovations is only limited by one's imagination."

Guided by this principle. Ting was able to create a more vibrant version of the traditional Congkak, which no one else could have imagined. Its novelty features are extremely distinctive and so very different from the conventional wooden Congkak that remain unexplored for hundreds of years. The conventional Congkak is made of hardwood, which at present time is a precious material that should be used sparingly. Ting's version is recyclable, lightweight, foldable, adjustable, and colourful. It is a trendier versionthat suits the changing lifeslyle of today's young generation.

Lots of thought had to be put into the concept and design for the new Congkak. Consideration to its appeal and aesthetics, manufacturing technology, safety of young "players, as well as environmentally-friendly was among the factors Ting had taken into account. After months of R & D and pilot production the new-look Congkak evolved. It incorporated CAD-styling, uses 100 percent recyclable plastics and is manufactured using high-volume plastics injection moulding technology.

So impressed with the stylised Congkak, the Malaysia Design Council granted the product the Malaysian Good Design Mark last year. The product is readily available in all major department stores and toyshops, bearing the mark now. With an average retail price of RM 30 each, Ting is obviously reaping and enjoying the fruit of his labour.

For budding inventors, Ting has this to say: "Inventors usually become frustrated and disillusioned when the people and organisations they approach are not able to support them financially. A determined inventor should not be deterred, instead he or she should critically review their approach in asking for any form of support. I took a lot of time and effort in trying to understand what is required of my innovations and me. Only when I had understood their needs and conditions, I became successful in convincing financial institutions and government agencies to support the development of my innovations".