Chin's vase puzzle

So I thought that since people were so generous with their exchange puzzles this year, I'd do some blog posts on their puzzles.

Up first: Stephen Chin's vase puzzle.

Packaging: A sparse plastic bag. No instructions or other identifying information was included with the puzzle, so I've turned to some friends for help on what the goal is.

To start: I separated the pieces. There's a small top that's also a whistle, two rings (one with a hole, one with a little rubber tube), a vase, and a stand that has a ring impossibly locked onto it. Overall, very nice woodworking. 

The goal is, apparently, to open up the vase. Since there was no identifying information, I don't know what else the goal might be, though later on I did discover a little something inside that leads me to believe that there might be more. Maybe this is just part one of two?

The first thing I noticed about this puzzle is the smell. Give it a sniff, and you get a slight scent of minty Eucalyptus. Next, I did the standard thing when you encounter a trick-opening puzzle: look for the seams. They're not disguised at all, just kind of there, but they do look in-place in the puzzle. I'm also impressed with the little pattern on the bottom of the puzzle. Does anyone know how that was carved?

So I start fiddling around, shaking, spinning, pushing, pulling, etc and the next thing I notice is a slight rattling. It wasn't long before I found how I could manipulate the rattling. After that, I found the "Main Move", and once I discovered that I had the vase opened in minutes (or had I? I get the slight feeling that I've been tricked...but then that's Chin for you :) ). Turns out it wasn't the wood that gave the puzzle its distinct smell, but something else. A little surprise hidden inside.

I admit: I feel slightly uneasy right now. The puzzle itself *seems* simple, but why go to all that trouble when the extra bits aren't apparently used in the solving of the puzzle...how odd...

Maybe I have to figure out how to remove the source of the smell? Maybe something else? We'll see what the other puzzlers say...To be continued?

UPDATE: Peter W confirms that there is one goal (to open the vase and reveal the surprise) and that the other gifts in the package were included because they were offcuts - instead of leaving a pile of wood dust, Stephen decided to turn them into something nice. The two rings together form an Ooloid - a wobbly sort of thing. The little rubber tube is there to protect the rest of the puzzle from the screw that's underneath. You take the rubber off, screw the rings together, and voila! Ooloid! Apparently this was explained, but for whatever reason (distraction?) I hadn't heard the full explanation, so that's why I was extra-puzzled.

Picture taken shortly after the IPP