Always interested in all tile games...One day I was hiking in the Napa Highlands - I started talking to a Chinese couple, I asked them about Chinese Dominoes - and they went on to tell me about Mahjong. I searched for a set for a while and decided on this one...it took some time to come to terms with all the types of fans. But I have learned it!
There is also a great App that I love to play - when you can't find a game or just want a mahjong fix. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mahjong-13-tiles/id551252620?mt=8
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I have learned to play on dominoes from my trips to Jamaica, Mexico and the Dominican Republic. I love the fact that anyone can play and that everyone is welcome at the domino table. The game is relatively simple (my favorite version is Block Dominoes with No Points), but you do become skilled in the power of observation and learning from what each player has played. There are in fact good and bad domino players - often it just depends are they paying attention or not. I like a fast paced game of dominoes and could really play everyday. Just sit on the beach at a table and invite people over for game after game. I would love to start a dominoes league - where we can meet, play dominoes and listen to roots reggae music!
I have two cats. Simon is the bigger one, he was adopted last August. Veda is the little one, she was adopted this summer in July. I am married with no children, so you can probably guess that these two kitties are my family!
How can one really become a Lions fan? Well, it probably has something to do with being born and raised in Michigan. Actually for me, it sort of started as a joke. My best friend's dad was a sports writer at the Saginaw News. We were able to get free Lions tickets when the Lions played at the Pontiac Silverdome back in the last 80's, when I was in high school. Nobody wanted the tickets, just us two high schoolers, it was fun we could literally sit anywhere in the Dome. Then came Barry Sanders - after seeing Barry run...my fate was sealed...Lion fan for life! Here's a video of Barry Sanders Highlights. My interest in Motorsports began when I went to the Long Beach Grand Prix. The sound of the engines coming around the hairpin and then shooting down Ocean Boulevard was captivating. To me this was the perfect engineering team sport. Building a race car and racing to see who is the best. I like to watch Formula One. They race all over the world and each weekend is an adventure. My favorite part of each race is the anticipation of the start and then to see how the first couple laps play out...Of course I also love changing weather conditions...cloudy skies, possible rain...fun, fun!
Below is a link to some classic overtaking maneuvers. Enjoy! I love to be outside in the mountains and forests. Losing myself in their freedom and beauty fills me with gratitude and amazement. Being outdoors uplifts my spirit and inspires me. I haven't done much backpacking recently, last overnight backpacking was in bear country - Glacier National Park, Montana. Before that a 2-nighter in Desolation Wilderness on Lake Tahoe's coast with a Summit of Mt Tallac. My favorite hiking location around here is Big Basins near Santa Cruz.
Reggae music for me, started with the sweet music of Bob Marley and Wailers. It was a 6 album set by JAD of early Bob Marley and the Wailers 1967-72. A few years later, a friend invited me to see the Wailers play - and it was awesome!
I still follow reggae music. Luckily, there are some great reggae DJs keeping radio "Live!" I also look forward to seeing live reggae, especially outdoor performances. Go to my Reggae page for more links to radio shows and artist that I listen to. I first went to a talk by an enlightened guru, Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, when I was in graduate school at The University of Michigan. I was motivated to take a 7 day yoga program taught by Sadhguru the following Spring. It has been an amazing journey since spending my first week with Sadhguru. I am very grateful for learning about yoga and the yoga practices continue to have a positive impact of my life. If you are interested in yoga, I recommend looking at the following website, isha.sadhguru.org/us-en/isha-usa/
I had been a domino player for some time. One day, I was talking to Lou, a sweet man who owned a little convenience store in my apartment complex (Huron Towers) in Ann Arbor, MI. Lou came from China, and somehow the conversation got around to what games he played in China - and he told me about Chinese Dominoes - I bought a set and he explained to me, his memories of playing Pai Gow. He went on to tell me all about his life in pre and post Communist China. Tien Gow is the original tile (domino) game from China. Tien Gow is played with the same set of dominoes that are used in Pai Gow. Pai Gow is a real fast game, Tien Gow is a little more strategic, sort of like a Chinese version of War. Tien Gow also has the best name for a pair of dominoes, The Supreme Pair (Gee Joon). Here's a great description of the game https://sites.google.com/site/cpsconversationpieces/home/a-chinese-domino-game-tien-gow--heaven-nine YouTube Video of 4 Men Playing Tien Gow |
AuthorI am a teacher at Ohlone College in Fremont, CA. Archives
October 2016
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