The Fungshui Gamble

Coming back from a day trip to Macau with my friends, what a crazy, fun, appetite-filling and blessed journey.

Calling this city the Republic of Gambling is so politically correct. Jasper is right: the number of casinos there is comparable with the 7-11s here in Hong Kong. Though (luckily) none of us went for gambling, it is hard not to get drown by the sea of chips and poker cards.

Whenever linked to luck, everything become intimately related to fungshui. The traveller's guide on my hand has an entire chapter teaching the gamblers how to battle against the "風水陣" set up by the casinos. I have much fun reading it.

First, I got to appreciate the complex 五行 ideas involved. In the older days where science and maths are yet to be the leading knowledges, our ancestors cleverly attributed the in-harmony natural laws to the beauty of nature. It is a good idea to make decisions in line with our mothernature, and yes, there is so much wisdom in it.

But now back to 2010, where probability has become a major syllabus in HKCEE maths (what is it called in the 3-3-4 system?), do you still seriously think that you can outplay the 買大細 by wearing a shiny green shirt and holding a toad in palm? If you doubt, I don't even need a randomised control trial, try the following and you will see.

1) Go get a sum of money, buy 1000 hands in series, if you still have a considerable edge, I paid you double.
2) I come join you wearing the same shirt and holding the same toad species, when you 買大, I 買細, ummm you guess who would the toad help?
3) Go ask the fungshui master: Why dont you get in the casino and win something big, instead of earning the pity penny from the book publisher?

Phew, afterall, I am not the one who is gambling. If I am, you may actually see me holding a frog in my hand too - umm, it does no harm XD