If It Looks Like An Immigrant, And It Talks Like An Immigrant…

Under the Saltire Flag

I have decided, against all odds, to stop being an immigrant. I admit this is a somewhat difficult task. After all, I was born in Jamaica but have been living in Scotland these past three years; I am a black man living in a largely white country and whenever I open my mouth what comes out is many miles away from a Glaswegian accent. How many miles can in fact be calculated precisely. The point is I look like an immigrant and I sound like an immigrant. But I have made my decision all the same.

I have been wondering about the words we use to describe those who engage in the act of migration. The words are not all equal, though in all fairness, words never are. (Incidentally, I remember a wonderfully titled chapter in a book trying to make this point about words. The chapter’s title was: ‘A…

View original post 1,032 more words

playing, photos

New photos are up! Find them here.

Yeah, we don’t play very often.

playan

Played a game with friends, took some photos. Bad camera, so you’ll excuse me for that. Might have forgotten to take photos of one hand (actually, I don’t think I did), but eh.

Since wordpress sucks and won’t even let me post photos 800 wide, I’ll link to my very hastily made gallery, hosted over on azaz.se:
photos.

I’ll make sure to get better shots next time, even if nobody cares.

I made a thingy

I could blurb on about teaching mahjong and all that, but I won’t bore you. My players wanted a reference sheet, I gave them one.

A few basic deals:
This is a yaku reference sheet – it doesn’t contain any scoring tables or rules; you’re assumed to know the rules yourself, and most mahjong sets come with scoring tables.
It’s based on Tenhou’s yaku table, so EMA players will cry rivers of blood because tanyao is, indeed, open.
What’s cool with this is that if there are any mistakes, you can just tell me and I’ll update the sheet. Pretty funky, eh?
Image quality sucks, I made it for local friends, not for the internet. Also, I really can’t be arsed in taking photos of my own mahjong set(s), so you get the Tenhou tiles (appropriate, considering).

Oh yeah… here it is: Yaku overview.

EMA Tournaments

Now that TACOS has finished the tournament post, I’ll continue with a few thoughts I’ve gathered through playing in EMA tournaments.

EMA’s tournament system is based on total score. You play a number of games – amount depending on the organizers – and the person with the most points at the end of the day(s) win. Before I go on with this post, you’ll probably need some background on me – because a random nobody with no experience running or playing in tournaments is most likely not the best guy ever to listen to.

Be prepared for another wall of text behind the cut.

EMA Correspondence

A while back I contacted Tina (vice president of EMA) regarding why there’s no Open Tanyao in the EMA rules. A little while after that, ReachMahjong.com’s Gemma posted about Open Tanyao again (since I’d mentioned my dislike of it being concealed only in EMA rules), and a forum discussion was suddenly underway.

Now, Tina isn’t answering my emails any longer, for whatever reason. So I’ll give the email response I got from her, as well as the reply I sent (yet never received a reply for).

Be prepared for a WALL of text.

wat

A short while ago, someone joined the channel. Nothing weird with that, we’re pretty hueg as it is. But, as we shall see, he had shadier things in mind than just playing mahjong.

[00:05:36] * mib_iqrz2j7h (cgiirc@37389662.32478467.3B043F6.IP) has joined
[00:05:45] mib_iqrz2j7h> any parents here?
[00:05:58] @CRiX> ya i got 2 kids
[00:06:30] drob> “in the basement” doesn’t count as parenting, you sick fuck
[00:06:55] @CRiX> -3-
[00:07:06] mib_iqrz2j7h> http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Agu1.EGcXbqTtilrQ_nRus7sy6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20090804115823AAuCKH3
[00:07:34] @CRiX> wtf
[00:07:41] mib_iqrz2j7h> what?
[00:07:45] mouwork> im a kid
[00:07:51] @TRA> ihm, what
[00:07:54] * mib_iqrz2j7h (cgiirc@37389662.32478467.3B043F6.IP) Quit (Quit: http://www.mibbit.com ajax IRC Client)
[00:08:02] @TRA> fucking spammer
[00:08:08] drob> wat
[00:08:22] +Necrosis> Take that bitch! http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/5815/1228728767449.jpg
[00:08:22] drob> >of their kids being giants, ages K-4th grade, shaking the ground with every step? And rawr sometimes?
[00:08:24] @CRiX> he msg’d me
[00:08:26] @CRiX> [17:05:33] mib_iqrz2j7h> in school?
[00:08:26] @CRiX> [17:05:50] mib_iqrz2j7h> there is a video request
[00:08:26] @CRiX> [17:05:59] CRiX> no they don’t go to school
[00:08:26] @CRiX> [17:06:02] mib_iqrz2j7h> ok
[00:08:26] @CRiX> [17:06:11] mib_iqrz2j7h> http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Agu1.EGcXbqTtilrQ_nRus7sy6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20090804115823AAuCKH3
[00:08:26] @CRiX> [17:06:17] mib_iqrz2j7h> go to that link
[00:08:26] @CRiX> [17:06:22] mib_iqrz2j7h> any kid’
[00:08:28] @CRiX> that
[00:08:40] drob> lol
[00:08:41] @CRiX> think he’s some pervert looking for kid videos
[00:08:42] mouwork> Open Questions in Other – Entertainment
[00:08:43] mouwork> * were can i watch the teen choice awards on the internet what website can i watch the hole thing please help?
[00:08:43] mouwork> * What are some things to do?
[00:08:43] mouwork> * Can I bring a camera to a Jonas Brothers concert?
[00:08:43] mouwork> * Why doesn’t Obama buy a llama, and start a new White House custom?
[00:08:45] drob> yo got a pedophile after you
[00:09:14] mouwork> drob: a pedophile with a very elclectic taste
[00:09:18] drob> very
[00:09:21] * mib_b8e0zcoz (cgiirc@37389662.32478467.3B043F6.IP) has joined #mahjong
[00:09:24] mouwork> apparently he only wants a certain age band and going rawr
[00:09:26] drob> who said pedophiles are unrefined anyway?
[00:09:28] mib_b8e0zcoz> i’m back
[00:09:35] @CRiX> yo welcome back
[00:09:41] mib_b8e0zcoz> http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Agu1.EGcXbqTtilrQ_nRus7sy6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20090804115823AAuCKH3
[00:09:41] mouwork> its like wanting a bottle of wine, stating year, month and day
[00:09:54] mouwork> and the last name of the grape stomper
[00:09:56] mib_b8e0zcoz> did you read all of it?
[00:09:58] drob> yeah, exactly
[00:10:03] mib_b8e0zcoz> ?
[00:10:06] drob> crix did, yeah
[00:10:12] @CRiX> you bet i did
[00:10:14] %tenhou> #START Kupo Azraiel だぞ
[00:10:19] mib_b8e0zcoz> so are you guys going to send it?
[00:10:27] @CRiX> it’s on the way bud
[00:10:29] mouwork> sure why not
[00:10:34] mouwork> i got a kid
[00:10:35] mouwork> hang on
[00:10:41] mib_b8e0zcoz> being giants?
[00:10:52] mouwork> how does that work exactly
[00:10:54] mib_b8e0zcoz> in a city?
[00:10:57] mouwork> do i have to inject him with something
[00:11:00] @UmaiKeiki> what exactly do you mean by being giants?
[00:11:08] %tenhou> #END Croatia(+39) CWX(-2) Naritori(-37)
[00:11:08] %tenhou> #END Croatia(+39) CWX(-2) Naritori(-37)
[00:11:09] @CRiX> what exactly do you want this video for
[00:11:12] mib_b8e0zcoz> you know like being giants
[00:11:21] mouwork> CRiX dont ask
[00:11:22] mib_b8e0zcoz> btw to watch it
[00:11:29] +Plate> (to fap to it)
[00:11:32] mouwork> obv
[00:11:34] @CRiX> woah plate
[00:11:38] @CRiX> WOAH
[00:11:43] @TRA> don’t think he’s going to do that
[00:11:44] @CRiX> why would you just go there like that
[00:11:49] @CRiX> so rude
[00:11:53] @CRiX> to our guest
[00:11:57] +Plate> sorry,
[00:11:58] +Plate> >internet
[00:12:00] +Plate> >children
[00:12:05] @CRiX> ya
[00:12:07] @TRA> >@ramus
[00:12:11] * phrosen (~phrosen@Rizon-83E977AF.dip.t-dialin.net) has joined #mahjong
[00:12:11] * [^_^] sets mode: +v phrosen
[00:12:12] @TRA> Krynn, this your doing?
[00:12:17] mib_b8e0zcoz> are you going to upload it to youtube?
[00:12:27] @UmaiKeiki> youtube might delete it
[00:12:27] mouwork> can your fap vid of choice be any more specific than it already is
[00:12:28] @CRiX> it’s on the way BE PATIENT
[00:12:30] mib_b8e0zcoz> ok
[00:12:30] mib_b8e0zcoz> ok
[00:12:43] mib_b8e0zcoz> MORE?
[00:12:54] +DTwinWarrior> tenhou q
[00:12:54] %tenhou> 三喰アリ赤: 2,0
[00:12:58] @CRiX> why did you join #mahjong to get a video of children being giants?
[00:13:03] mib_b8e0zcoz> idk
[00:13:14] @TRA> can you play mahjong?
[00:13:18] @TRA> this question is important
[00:13:25] mouwork> try this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vy_xbXIJ898
[00:13:42] @TRA> is it bad that I know where that links to>
[00:13:43] mib_b8e0zcoz> what is it?
[00:13:48] mouwork> being giants
[00:13:54] * drob was just on his way for a fag, but has to stay until this is all over
[00:14:03] mib_b8e0zcoz> no it’s not
[00:14:07] mouwork> dont worry drob theres one here as well
[00:14:09] mouwork> =3=
[00:14:12] @CRiX> haha mouwork
[00:14:17] mib_b8e0zcoz> actually make one and send it
[00:14:28] @CRiX> ok i’m bored now
[00:14:31] mouwork> Plate has 3 kids
[00:14:34] drob> mou: but I don’t want you
[00:14:35] * CRiX sets mode: +b *!*@37389662.32478467.3B043F6.IP
[00:14:38] +Plate> do not
[00:14:41] * mib_b8e0zcoz was kicked by CRiX (no pedophiles)

Yeah, just another normal day in our lovely channel.

Tournament. Travels. Thoughts.

Let’s get something straight here: when RM.com says “All smiles and happy faces start the day”, you start to wonder if the person reporting it has got a few screws loose. I was not “all smiles and happy face”; I was shaking badly because I’d gotten shitfaced last night. Indeed, it wasn’t even a hangover, I was just feeling unwell. Regardless, I stoically entered and started playing. Ran out of cigarettes after the first game, which blew, and managed to find beer for sale after the second game (which was good – not really that good of a beer, but enough to keep me drunk enough to not feel sick).

Opera Girl. Feet. Water.

Figured I’d go with two British guys I met two days ago, so yesterday night we went clubbing. Met a girl from LA that studied Opera. Quite a fun one to talk with, until we drunkenly stumbled into a pool of water, and she ruined her $200 shoes.

Me? I don’t DO $200 shoes.

Anyway, after that she blamed me for it, and sure… I might have had a part to do with it. To be honest, I don’t remember that much of the later evening/night to be able to say; either way she and her friend left us when it started to turn into morning, and I doubt I’ll ever see her again.

Got back to the hostel and crashed in the lobby. They let me sleep there (by the side of the lobby really; they’ve got couches and shit there), and I woke up a couple of minutes ago to the noise of people having lunch. breakfast.

Tonight I’m going to a classical concert. 25€ for a ticket, quite acceptable, and a bit cheaper than what I’d pay where I live.

Shit I’m tired. Also, fuck German keyboards. Again.

Feet. Weather. Hangover.

My feet are sore. It’s still hot as fuck here, although we had a brief moment yesterday when it was POURING down, a real thunderstorm… for roughly 5 minutes, then it stopped raining. Rained to and from most of the night, but when I got up – with a massive headache – it was sunny and blistering heat as usual.

Speaking of hangovers. Drank a bit yesterday. Paying for it today.

“If I crawl on the floor, I won’t fall over”, was the last conscious thought when I got back to the hostel, so I crawled to bed and woke up suffering.