Scandalous as it may sound, I think I need one more mahjong table. A mahjong party is more fun with eight people. That's a good number for two to four pizzas, one cake, one or two pies, a bucket of chicken, and two family-size bottles of soda.

And, when no one's playing, I can use the tiles for experimenting with three-dimensional stage set models--and for creating magical structures. It is said that General Chuoko Liong/Kung Ming created a small, labyrinthine structure after the ba-gua so that his enemies would lose their way, and that he could summon strong winds with that same structure.