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Showing posts from March, 2006

Mahjong

Because of optimistically economic expectation, I recently received many wedding banquet invitations. In a Chinese wedding banquet, Mahjong game (Chinese: 麻將, Japanese: 麻雀 [まあじゃん] ) is a must. Chinese guests like to play Mahjong before a banquet starts. For the history and rules of Mahjong, you can refer to Wikipeda ( English , Chinese , Japanese ). I am just a beginner and know a little about the game. But I find out the following interesting figures. For simplifying the calculation, the following assumptions are made: No Flower Tile (Chinese: 花牌) is involved. So the total number of tiles is 136. After assigning 13 tiles to each player, there are 84 tiles remained on the table. You are the first player. Your opponents do not keep or later take your targeted tiles. No one Pong (Chinese: 碰), Chi (Chinese: 吃, Cantonese: 上 [Sheung] ), Kong (Chinese: 槓) before you complete the targeted pattern. Case 1a: If you want to have Three Identical Tiles or Pong but you have none of tar

An Unforgettable Tour of China

Since my sister had to write a passage for her Chinese Literature homework, I borrowed this blog to share my work regarding to the subject: An Unforgettable Tour of China. 一次難忘大陸之旅 在數碼的年代, 舊式使用膠片的相機幾乎絕跡. 然而, 在我案頭還擺放著一部"傻瓜機", 珍而藏之. 它珍藏著一份難忘的情懷. 幾年前, 大陸經濟剛剛起飛, 我跟同學到華東遊山玩水. 我們選擇了一個經濟實惠的古剎觀光團. 團裡大部份都是差不多白髮蒼蒼的老年人, 除了她. 起初我們只是各自為政, 一貫華人旅行的習慣. 後來我們覺得她整天跟著老人們不作聲, 太悶了, 於是我們邀請她跟我們一起. 這時候我們才知道她是美國人, 不諳中文. 幸好我們都是品學兼優的學生, 我們這群中國人便在這塊中國土地上以英語來溝通. 一晚, 我們住在無錫一間旅館. 旅館設備簡陋, 沒有什麼娛樂. 我們小伙子倒沒所謂, 一眾人玩撲克也可以開懷大笑一番. 不過她倒納悶兒, 因為每一次她都勝過我們, 反而她想到旅館外逛逛. 當時中國治安惡劣, 加上她言語不通, 所以在"民主"方式下, 我被選為她的保鏢. 我們在街上一邊走, 一邊講述大家的背景故事. 她說她是一個聰明人組織的成員, 智商逹一百五十, 在美國諗博士, 所以玩撲克對她來說沒什麼難度. 我聽了後不但沒有被嚇壞, 反而跟她說: "在中文裡, 智慧不是動腦的, 是從心的. 在這幾天的時間裡, 妳不如嘗試放開妳的腦袋, 用心思考, 用心感受, 感受這片土地, 這裡的空氣, 四周身邊的人." 她點頭同意了. 跟著, 我們在夜市裡尋寶探秘. 似乎聽完我的一番話, 她真的放開懷抱. 對每一件飾物擺設, 她都拿上手玩弄一番, 小販可能氣透極了, 我們依然我行我素. 這跟平日嚴肅的她豁然不同, 當然也因為我這一個良好的聽者在旁吧. 走累了, 我替我倆買了當地特色飲料. 喝到一半, 她突然要求交換飲料. 真是教我驚訝了, 但我很樂意. 我看著她喝飲料的樣子, 不其然地偷拍了她這個表情. 她好奇地看著我, 我則哼

Women's Day

Today is International Women's Day. This festival, commemorated at the United Nations, represents almost a century of struggle for equality, justice, peace and development. Unlike other festivals, the story of International Women's Day has not been the past. Someone suggests that the French Revolution sparked off the movement of Women's Rights. Parisian women calling for "Liberty, Equality and Fraternity" marched on Versailles to demand women's suffrage. And the first Women's Day was observed in US on 28 February 1909. It seems that democracy can bring the Rights of Women. In the ancient Greek, citizens who could vote for the democratic government and public affairs did not include women as well as children, slaves and prisoners. Women were considered as naive, incredible, sensational, dependent and slaved. After two thousand years, some people still think of women in such way today. The movement of Women's Rights can be considered as two directions. O