Mahjong

That is the one thing I can look forward to this coming weekend.

Mahjong is the glue that has brought my extended family closer together. It is also a game that will always have a tinge of sadness looming over it (for me, that is).

It was 2 Chinese New Years ago when we were playing mahjong at my eldest uncle's home. It was a yearly affair, not a monthly one then. At that point of time, I used to think that the West end of Singapore was a little too far for me to travel to so often. That same year, my uncle caught a fever that would not go away. We found out later, that it was caused by an inflammation / infection of the colon.

Through the infection, we also found out that he had cancer of the colon. He lived with the cancer for one year or so and then he passed on just last June.

It was not easy at all for my aunt. While she played mahjong with us, my uncle cooked and played host. He would only play occasionally, letting his wife, my aunt, enjoy the game. He was her pillar of strength even though she was almost always the one giving orders and being the gungho one.

While it was during mahjong that this series of sad events unfolded, it is also mahjong that is bringing us back together. My cousin now arranges for regular mahjong sessions so that we could meet up and also keep my aunt company. It was not as if we were not close before either. They were the closest to our family, at least that's is how I see it. We used to stay next to each other and I am practically inseparable from my cousin. I also went to Hong Kong with the whole of my uncle's family in December 1997.

Whenever we go to her house to play, my aunt would cook up a feast! Yum!

I, I get to meet my cousin (the one I am closest to) and her lovely dog, Brownie a.k.a Ah Choy (which means wealth in Cantonese). Plus I get to brush up my mahjong skills.

Like I always tell my friends, do not underestimate the game of mahjong. It is a game that makes one think and strategise. Makes one alert and sharp.