janice

MAHJONG is not just gaining popularity among teenagers.
Many young celebrities are hooked on the game too.

From Campus Superstar finalist Geraldine See to actresses like Ong Ai Leng and Michelle Chia, the mahjong tiles are clacking like never before.

A-listers like Zoe Tay, Fann Wong and Christopher Lee are also known to be fans of the game, with Zoe confessing in an earlier interview that she whiled away the weekends during her pregnancy by playing mahjong.

Celebrity hairdresser David Gan has also said that he plays frequently with Fann, Chris and Zoe - sometimes having to chase them home in the wee hours of the morning after marathon sessions.

Michelle confessed to picking up mahjong a year ago after becoming tired of feeling left out by her friends, who were devoted fans of the game.

She had not interest in the game until then, despite repeated attempts by her parents and friends to teach her how to play.

The 30-year-old actress told The New Paper on Sunday: 'I was never able to sit still for the duration of the game, but last year I decided to learn because I realised it's something good to do during gatherings. It's a way for friends to hang out together and chat.'

Now, Michelle is hooked.

She has been playing mahjong fortnightly with her parents and actor boyfriend Shaun Chen.

Michelle has also developed her own quirky ritual of 'walking around a little bit' to make sure that luck stays by her side, and 'washing my hands to wash away the bad luck' whenever she's on a losing streak.

Despite being a relative beginner, Michelle has been quite successful in her conquests on the mahjong table.

She once won $400 playing with a group of 'experts', her highest winnings so far. Her greatest loss is $30.

But $400 is nothing in comparison to Michelle's fellow actress Ong Ai Leng, who claims she once won more than $1,000 with a 72-doubles victory playing with friends in Hong Kong. She says the group included TVB actress Lee Li Li and a famous movie actor she declined to name.

FAST PLAYERS

Ai Leng, 28, who jets off to Hong Kong three to five times a year for her mahjong fix, said: 'I only play when I'm in Hong Kong.

'Hong Kongers are a lot of fun, because they are very animated and play really fast!'

In fact, Ai Leng plays so slowly that her friends have given her a nickname - Mo Da (Cantonese for 'touch, hit').

'I keep forgetting to 'Mo' (Cantonese for touch) and 'Da' (Cantonese for hit) my tiles, so my friends have to keep telling me to 'Mo' and 'Da' - it soon became my nickname,' she said.

'Hong Kong's restaurants are also very interesting, because if you book a room, they set up tables for you to play mahjong before and after the meal.

'There's a couch, a toilet and waiters to serve you drinks in the room so you don't have to interrupt your game.'

If you think that Ai Leng is hardcore because she flies to Hong Kong to play, wait till you hear about YES 93.3 DJ Cruz Teng.

The 28-year-old was once so caught up with his mahjong game that he and his friends had to order three deliveries in a row - dinner, supper and breakfast the following morning.

Cruz, who has been playing mahjong since secondary school, regularly blogs about his mahjong games, and recently wrote a posting about the mahjong tournament that he had with his friends over the last Christmas.

While Cruz usually plays with his non-celebrity friends, fellow DJ Dasmond Koh has played with Project Superstar 2 winner Daren Tan and the 18-year-old Joshua, before the latter enlisted for National Service.

The 35-year-old, who even spray-painted his mahjong table to match his black tiles, said of the game: 'I like to think of it as a bonding session.'

Younger celebrities are also following the trend. Geraldine considers herself a veteran player at 18, having been taught to play at 11 by her mother. She said she has played every day during Chinese New Year with her family and friends.

She takes her game so seriously that she once even woke her 12-year-old sister up to finish a game after the latter fell asleep at the table.

The See family follow a strict set of mahjong etiquette.

'For one, no one is allowed to watch television while playing. Also, if we start a game, we have to finish it before anyone is allowed to leave the table.'

The Manchested United fan is also the proud owner of a rare red and black Man U mahjong set given to her by one of her cousins.

It is so precious to her that she hasn't even opened it yet.

Of course, not all celebrities are fans of mahjong. Fiona Xie, Priscelia Chan, Apple Hong and Felicia Chin told The New Paper on Sunday that they didn't play the game. Actor Vincent Wu wasn't too crazy about it, either.

The 32-year-old says he was 'not the kind who can sit there and play a thinking game' and had not touched a mahjong set for two years.

He used to play with his parents, relatives and friends.

Despite knowing how to play the game, Quan Yifeng, 33, professed to detesting it because it was too complicated.

'I don't like playing with money because I get upset when I lose, and yet I feel paiseh (Hokkien for embarrassed) when I win my friends' money.'

But, as Michelle puts it, it's not so much about the dollars and cents, but more about the game.

'Ultimately, it's about the bonding, not the money,' she said.

'It's a good game for friends to catch up over when everyone's hanging out together.'

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