It’s Scrabble Instead Of Mahjong

Don’t get me wrong.  I love the game of Mahjong.  Just that it is hard to find companions who are willing to play by score instead of money.  Play by score, you must be bewildered.  Yep, that was how we played the game of Mahjong back in my university days when students are (or were) still pure … and poor.

Now that my younger sister Lora has finally moved to Singapore and work and coincidentally I am not travelling during this period of time like I usually do, it was time for her first time ever visit to my home during Chinese New Year!  And to prepare for her (and her boyfriend Benny) grand arrival, I have to mobilize Cynthia and her mother to help cooking as well as to take care of the kitchen logistics.  I even set an alarm clock in the late afternoon to remind me to start preparing the dishes!

It was a piece of cake to entertain Benny.  I turned on my PC, showcased my new video card, and we were ooh and aah on the smoke, and fire, and water, and splashes of water on the game’s camera.  Geeks are the simple bunch to entertain.

Lora brought yet another new DVD production from my dad.  This time, my dad has converted some of our childhood photos into digital format and made it into a movie completed with Chinese music!  Erm … not sure if I was entirely thrilled to be honest.  You know how it feels when you see those pictures of your parents taken way before you were born and you go …. eeewww, so long time ago!  It was the same exact feel, except now it is the mini-me when I was still skinny, innocent, and … less handsome.  And we were watching these pictures of me, or rather us, in front of everybody.  OK, we had a good laugh.

But seriously, I do love my dad for making such a great effect in reliving our childhood and I am happy that I have such a great photographer as my dad.

My favorite part of the evening – besides chopping the steamed steamy chicken into pieces – was the group game activity.  In the house-of-not-many-choices, I asked Benny and Lora if they wanted to play Scrabble.  And they asked if I have other games.  We went through few other less attractive alternatives and I said, “Scrabble”.  Much like when I offer my guests drink and they would ask, “What drinks do you have?”  I would answer, “Water”.  They would ask, “What other drinks do you have?”  And I would answer, “Water”.

Since there were 5 of us, Benny and Lora formed one team, Cynthia and her mom formed another, and both teams were up against the almighty me, the king of Scrabble, the walking dictionary, the world champion … to-be, and the dude to beat.

The reality is … far from it.  I keep the score of every single game that has been played since the Christmas of 2000.  Last year, my friend TK – a buddy of mine whom till today I am still fighting for the worst-speller title with – beat both Cynthia and I with a score of 176, which by the way, I am still demanding a rematch.  In last night’s three-way competition, Benny and Lora has set a record score of 247!  That beat Cynthia’s record set in 2001 by 49 points when she was playing against her mom and I.  Cynthia and her mom took the 2nd place with a score of 196.  And the humble king of Scrabble took the last place with 187.

Yet another rematch crying out loud.

PS. Click onto the picture above to take a closer look at the game.