Scrabble anyone?!!!

INICTEH..can anyone come up with a 7 letter word? I did, and completely instinctively. It was challenged, and I ended up getting 5 extra points. I didn't know the meaning or origin or how to even use it, but nevertheless was a valid 7 letter. To come and think of it, I wasn't even sure if it existed or not, it just sounded one of those duh-challenge-it-if-you-like words.

Scrabble is just plain simply an amazing game. It's a very good pass time and at times really jogs the mind; 3 consecutive Scrabble games, a guaranteed headache!! I have come across some really weird words, especially those two lettered 'unfair' ones. I mean c'mon man, 'CH' is a word, or 'AA' is a word - the latter actually meaning 'flow of hot lava' or something like that.

There is one other word which actually got me into a fight with his highness, thy Hamster :D - 'QI'. He never used to play against me, maybe out of fear that he would lose and he'd discover that I was a deadly player...HA..no, definitely no. In fact, I do recall somebody higher up letting me know as politely as it can sound - 'Sufo, you just aren't that important'. Anyways, getting back to the incident, so here we were playing ourselves out, trying to outdo the other, going neck and neck, with only a few tiles at hand, and he comes up with, not 'EN or 'AN' or 'BE' or 'UN' or anyone of those zillion two letter words, but 'QI', and that too on a 'Triple Letter Score'. 'QI'?!!? It sounds more Punjabi than English or any other God forsaken language. Of course, i ended up losing the game and, in the process, my cool. But yea, just to get the record straight, 'QI' is in fact a word. It's pronounced 'CHI' and means 'life energy', in short.

For those of you who don't know - 'Q' has the highest points, 10, out of all Scrabble tiles, hence, a 'Triple Letter Score' would give the player 30 points straight away. So, bloody unfair, right?

Scrabble has been an integral part of my family's entertainment, along with trekking and hiking. Trips to Kalabagh meant a walk to Meran Jani, and loads of Scrabble to be played while basking in the sun. Oh, good old days!! Every single time we used to be pummeled by the General - experience!! Besides, he is a genius when it comes to this. I'm not sure if Hamster has had any success against him. As far as I recall, I've only been able to best him twice or thrice.

In the recent past, quite a lot of Scrabble has been played at 6/21. Mu'adib and Sakeena make a pretty decent team to play against. So far, the score is 5-1 in my favor. I had the pleasure of introducing this beautiful game to them with all those two letter controversial words. The rules and plays of the game are always met with such disbelief and shock combined with loads of 'nahi yaars'. It's always fun.

It's sad that there aren't a lot of people I can play with. I miss the old times, and soon will be playing against my old competitors again :). Till then, Scrabble anyone?!?!?

Oh, by the way, the 7 letter word was 'NITCHIE' - disparagingly offensive. :)

Cheers