On mahjong and ktv...

Mahjong...

Playing mahjong and going KTV are perhaps some of those things I didn't get to do the past holz. Because of my dad's conditions, I can't afford to stay out late at nite anymore, which means no more overnight mahjong...

I have never viewed mahjong as an undesirable gambling thingy even when money is at stake. It really depends on who your mahjong kakis are. I play social mahjong, and that means I only play with some close friends. I am usually more interested in the conversations and jokes exchanged on the mahjong table rather than the money colllected at the end of the session. But then again, if there's no money incentive, the game will not last. Like Jerry said, "談錢傷感情". Money destroys friendships, but I guess if the amount of winnings is kept within a healthy limit such that the losers don't really feel the pinch, it should be alright.

Mahjong's a healthy game if it doesn't lead to addiction. In The Philippines, it's been proven to be able to prevent memory deterioration, so I guess it ain't that bad for a social game. I am personally not very good at it as reflected by some terrible mistakes I made during those intense sessions with my JC pals. My view is that mahjong's a game that requires luck and foresight. It is fun and doubles up as an afterlunch bitching session.


KTV...

KTV's another thing I personally enjoy very much. It trains confidence and allows you to vent your frustrations over the microphone. Many have this misconception that if you suck at singing, you should just keep the squawking within your bathroom. That is so not true.

C'mon, if you're really that good a singer, you should go join Project Superstar or something. KTV lounges are really meant for people like me who thinks highly of his own singing but actually suck at it.

I think the standard of the lounges in S'pore are quite pathetic. They don't have the latest songs and the peak-hour charges are damn high. They also serve crappy food. I've been to the ones in HK and Taiwan where each lounge basically stands alone in a building of its own. The service is good, the price is just right and more importantly, they have almost every song you're looking for. Don't count the "lar-sup" lounges though unless you're going there for a different purpose.

My advice is..when you go ktv, don't always sing the same old song from your own repertoire! I do getta know some nice songs from my KTV kakis and I personally love singing canto songs. The local mandopop listeners should open up and expose themselves to some really good canto pieces even though they don't quite understand the language. I'm sure they're already sick of the same old familiar tunes - Beyond's 海闊天空, Candy Lo's 好心分手, leslie cheung's 追 and a few more over-played canto songs.

As for those who completely abstain from chinese/canto songs, KTV lounges are really not the place for them and I must say they've missed out on quite a bit in terms of family/social entertainment.