Tonight after work, Mommy, Daddy and Madison went to Ye-Ye's house to celebrate his birthday - and an early Mother's Day as well for the mommies. It wasn't a huge ordeal, as everyone simply wanted to "hang out," have some tea, and maybe play a game of Mahjong.
Ah, yes: mahjong. This is a game with tiles that originated in China. While we were there, we saw plenty of people playing it in parks, and all over Beijing too. Obviously, curiosity would get the better of us, as all of us wanted to learn to play. While there, Ye-Ye and Nana picked up a mahjong set - and now, three years later, we've finally learned to play.
We can thank our new friend Xuejiao, who we met just two days ago. She's returned home by now, but before she left, she showed Ye-Ye and Nana how to play. And tonight, they in turn showed us how to play. Madison hopped in Nana's lap and helped pass out the tiles - it was somewhat odd to begin with, especially the "shuffling" aspect. But once the game starts, it seems relatively easy - and maybe even slightly addictive. Nothing as addictive as a hand of dominoes can be, in my opinion. Yet still a bit of fun.
Tickets for "Dralion" are on sale now - this is a Cirque du Soleil show we saw several years ago. We'll be certain to attend this one, though we're somewhat disappointed that it won't be in the traditional circus tent that these shows typically take place in. Also, as mentioned a moment ago, we've seen this one before: it isn't our favorite, but it does place a heavy emphasis on Asian culture. It even features the Chinese dragon dance - or is it a lion dance? I think that's where the name of the show comes from: it's a combination of dragon and lion, which makes it "Dralion."
Fortunately, they didn't decide to combine a tiger and a lion, or it would have to be a Napoleon Dynamite-themed performance: "Liger."
Which, on second thought, might be kind of fun! There could be trained llamas, flying steaks, guys getting pulled around on ropes following bicycles, Rex Kwon Do martial artists, wild costumes with large talons, and dancing tater tots.
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Do you like Mahjong? I hope you enjoy playing it. It's a simple and fun game overall.
ReplyDeleteWe really did enjoy it once we figured out the basics. Of course, we are by no means experts and have quite a bit of learning to do. I think we'll make a habit of playing more often now that we are no longer intimidated by all those chips!
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