Mahjong 2010 Resolutions
The major news outlet columnists are publishing their New Year resolutions for 2010 and I didn’t want RM.com to be left out.
The major news outlet columnists are publishing their New Year resolutions for 2010 and I didn’t want RM.com to be left out.
Well… when I say all the major news outlets I mean the female columnists of the Daily Mail and their resolutions all involve either dieting or “learning to love my curves.” The choice of my reading material recently leads nicely to my first resolution…
1) Read Less Rubbish and Replace with Mahjong Strategy
I do not want to know how much time I spend reading crap. I need to spend more of that time reading mahjong strategy books. After my performance at the 2008 European Riichi Championship, I ordered a load of books from Japan to read up strategy. My game improved massively and I lost a lot of my bad habits. I need to refresh my game again.
2) Reach Less
One of the bad mahjong habits I have at the moment is reaching without thinking. This is a habit I’ve picked up from playing mahjong mostly online. I reach just so I don’t have to think or click to discard my tiles as I wait… That’s incredibly lazy and tragic. I need to consider when I’m reaching and use the strategy I’ve gained from applying resolution one.
3) Learn Chinese Rules
Promised myself this one for a while. This time I’m going to do it. I will print out a list of the hands and I will memorize it. No more wussing out.
4) Keep in Contact with Fellow Players More
Last year I was always so busy with work that I really failed at this. It really isn’t that much effort to chat and email people. But I’m sure you’ve all understood the feeling of being snowed under that even a few hundred words seems too much. This year with the recession continuing is for better or worse not looking to be so busy.
5) Improve my Maths
The product of the British education system, my mental arithmetic ranges from poor to terrible. It’s caused me much embarrassment at tournaments as I’m hunting for a calculator to perform a simple sum while my fellow Europeans can complete far more complicated sums in their head.
Not exactly the most life-changing resolutions but I did qualify that these were mahjong resolutions. Of course I’m maintaining all the usual female resolutions – exercise more, eat less chocolate, shop less. These I guess will last all of one week at least my mahjong resolutions are more realistic! 😉
