427 hobbies: Mahjong

One of the 427 hobbies that I have: Mahjong.

A hobby.. u know.. is typically defined as an activity or interest pursued outside one's regular occupation.. and is engaged primarily, for pleasure.

Therefore, i think i am kind of right to conclude that a hobby can be a way of relieving stress.. u know.. kind of like ?getting away from it all?. But then.. the problem is.. what is it that u are getting away from? Why is there the need to be distracted? U know.. are u running away from something? (these are.. by the way.. rhetorical questions.. there is no need to seek an answer for them..)

well.. think about those people who fish? or play games all day in front of the computer? and dont... dont get me started on those geeks who collect stamps..

anyway.. hobbies can be a little bit fun.. but u know.. they tend to get us off ?the path?.. so to speak.. its like they are the poor substitutes for real accomplishments.. u know.

I ve always had countless hobbies growing up.. u know.. and i was always seeking out new ones.. kind of like an attempt to fill a certain void which I didnt want to admit was there.. u see.. I didnt want to grow up.. I didnt want to wake up from my dream.. I didnt want to realize that I am no longer sheltered by an asylum known to the rest of the world, simply, as ?childhood?.

and anyway, for ur information... I have no idea why I mentioned the above..

u know.. in fact, I just want to touch on one of my 427 hobbies.. which is mahjong.

Some might define mahjong as an evil form of gambling.. okay.. whichever form of gambling isnt evil.

however.. i dont think so.

Mahjong is a great tool to use as u figure and find ur way out of ur ?childhood?. It teaches us to be flexible.. to make the best out of which-ever situation.. u know. It also makes sense of all the statistical studies and correlations which we picked up someway along our imposed education. and in life.. there is always an element of luck to it too...

A hobby gets our minds off life.. but mahjong, it enhances life.

u know.. it teaches us various lessons.. such as to adapt and change according to the current circumstances.. but most of all.. for me? it teaches me not to settle for less.

Take for example u current have 3 ?tais? on hand.. but its possible to make it a maximum of 5 ?tais?? what do u do? Do u accept mediocrity and try to game as soon as possible?

Hell no!

Of course u try to make it 5 ?tais?? okay I know people always play with their mates and when they win.. they win their mates? dosh.. but hey.. arent ur mates trying to pry ur dosh away from u in the first place?

Would they think that winning too much dosh during the game isnt good for friendship and so they down-grade just for u?

Well.. maybe..

but then.. u know .. in the harsh realities of life.. that doesnt happen.. no chance.. not even in hell!

and doesnt that make mahjong a stressful game?

Well.. in relation to real life.. that?s nothing..

And speaking of the stress.. I thrive on the stress of the game. In fact.. I love the emotions of mahjong? and of course the 'trash-talking' and the 'play-acting'. u know.. when u ?zhi mo? a maximum tai game? u cant find a better feeling.. that is like the best feeling in the world u can experience.. okay.. my ex girl-friends might disagree with that statement.. but what the heck.. :P

and thats part of the reason why I play the game.. the first time I did that ?maximum game?.. I was hooked.. it was sheer euphoria..

its not the money won or lost that matters.. u know.. people who dont play the game dont understand how important it is to win..

Its similar to the drive to excel in the tasks that u embark on.. u might think that I am a tad too competitive? but think about it.. the moment u lose.. or suck at something which u are really involved.. no amount of money can buy away that sense of disappointment u are feeling.. u could have great grades and a really hot girl-friend.. or a sleek set of wheels or whatever..but if u ve lost.. u just dont care about it.. u do not even see or bother about how complete or wonderful ur life is..

People might think that they feel terrible when they lose.. but I can promise u that.. however bad they felt.. I am feeling it twice as much.

Hahaa.. come to think of it.. it seems like a terrible plight to be seated at a square table with 3 other players..

Maybe I shall go to bed and start collecting stamps from tomorrow onwards..

Goodnight.