My brother just lost big time on a mahjong game with his friends today. Come to think of it, how long was it since I last played mahjong? I have not touched a single tile for more than a year.
My friends are surprised that I can play mahjong, as they think I shun anything Chinese and adopt anything Western. In a way it is true. I can play a bit of chess, but I cannot play Chinese chess. I go for Western operas and musicals, but I will not be caught dead in a Chinese opera. Different strokes for different folks I guess.
I remember when there was a gathering at my best friend's place years ago, I was there with my ex, her ex, and our group of school mates. It was just a casual lunch get-together, when someone suggested playing mahjong. Since she has a set, she set up the table and took the tiles out.
Only three of them were playing, so they got her sister to join in. My friend wanted me to play, but my best friend told him not to bother since it was highly unlikely I could play. Well.... she was right there.
I started learning how to play when I was with my third ex, as his friends all are "gamblers". I started observing, questioning, and sort of learnt the strategy through observation. Then I started playing online mahjong, and got to learn the proper and actual strategy how to win and score.
The real test was when I first started playing with my ex and his friends. Usually I would be the only girl in the group, so his friends were rather considerate. As much as they could, they let me win and score points, and gave me pointers on what to do and what not to do.
Needless to say, I still lost more than I won. Luckily we never played high stakes, so the losses were not that great. But at least I learnt how to strategise in winning as much as possible, especially when there came the situation when one could not decide which tile to throw out.
It was pretty enriching actually. Although mahjong can be addictive, but it is also an intellectually stimulating game. It helps one think, analyse, strategise and process how best to go about winning the goal.
Given a chance, I would like to play again. Right now, I can only go back to playing online mahjong, hopefully to hone my techniques.
My friends are surprised that I can play mahjong, as they think I shun anything Chinese and adopt anything Western. In a way it is true. I can play a bit of chess, but I cannot play Chinese chess. I go for Western operas and musicals, but I will not be caught dead in a Chinese opera. Different strokes for different folks I guess.
I remember when there was a gathering at my best friend's place years ago, I was there with my ex, her ex, and our group of school mates. It was just a casual lunch get-together, when someone suggested playing mahjong. Since she has a set, she set up the table and took the tiles out.
Only three of them were playing, so they got her sister to join in. My friend wanted me to play, but my best friend told him not to bother since it was highly unlikely I could play. Well.... she was right there.
I started learning how to play when I was with my third ex, as his friends all are "gamblers". I started observing, questioning, and sort of learnt the strategy through observation. Then I started playing online mahjong, and got to learn the proper and actual strategy how to win and score.
The real test was when I first started playing with my ex and his friends. Usually I would be the only girl in the group, so his friends were rather considerate. As much as they could, they let me win and score points, and gave me pointers on what to do and what not to do.
Needless to say, I still lost more than I won. Luckily we never played high stakes, so the losses were not that great. But at least I learnt how to strategise in winning as much as possible, especially when there came the situation when one could not decide which tile to throw out.
It was pretty enriching actually. Although mahjong can be addictive, but it is also an intellectually stimulating game. It helps one think, analyse, strategise and process how best to go about winning the goal.
Given a chance, I would like to play again. Right now, I can only go back to playing online mahjong, hopefully to hone my techniques.
2 comments:
Okay, I totally agree with you.
Mahjong is an intellectually enriching game. My auntie told me that the CJ who was retiring soon said that he was going to play mahjong when he is old. It kind keeps the brain thinking and it might prevent Alzeimer's disease.
That's what my mum said. Mahjong is for those who ahve retired as it keeps the brain active. Not for young people to waste their time on as it'll become rather unhealthy and addictive.
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