【Original】“My Connection with Sports: Billiards”

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This post was last edited by Douwan on 2017-12-15 at 17:30. When it comes to billiards, there’s really so much to talk about. The story starts back in my childhood. I remember it was when I was around 6 or 7 years old; during the New Year, my mother took me to my grandmother’s house. My cousin from my uncle’s family took me to an arcade, where there were several joystick-based games (like Street Fighter) and some billiard tables ； My cousins enjoyed playing those games like “Hao Liugen”, “A Dugen”, “Dandan Bu Liu Gen”… While I stood by, watching those older guys play billiards, I somehow felt immense joy when the ball went in after a stroke with the cue; at that time I didn’t know what it was called “billiards”. I asked my cousin what it was Only then did I learn that this game is called billiards; so during my few days at my grandmother’s house, I would often go over to watch the older boys play billiards. My first encounter with billiards took place there. A few days later, my mother took me back to the countryside, and I kept thinking about it ever since I got home, wishing that we had a billiard table at home as well! Being clever as I was, I collected all the pills my grandfather took (those with plastic spheres on their outer shells), one by one. Whenever I had time, I would throw them on the kang and then use a chopstick to poke at them in a deliberate manner… During the Spring Festival of the following year, I went to my grandmother’s house again; I rushed to my uncle’s place right away and took my cousin with me to that arcade. Seeing how much I liked billiards, my cousin gave me a ball numbered 3 before I left – yes, he stole it while the owner wasn’t looking. In no time, I was in middle school and high school, focusing entirely on my studies. Once I finished high school and the college entrance exams, I went to the billiard hall with my classmates right away (he didn’t know how to play either, having only tried it a few times). I remember clearly that there weren’t many people in the hall that day; the owner, seeing two kids having fun playing, came over to teach me and praised me, saying, “Your shots are already so accurate on your first try – you’ll definitely get good at this eventually.” Driven by my passion for billiards and the owner’s encouragement, I went there to play for 1–2 hours every week, gradually becoming more proficient. Together with studying diligently the posture of experts and the techniques of swinging the cue, I learned how to pull shots, push shots, chip shots, as well as basic control over the movement of the cue ball in a very short time. My obsession was such that I often dreamed about what kind of force or stroke would allow me to get the ball to a certain position… When I started college, away from the stress of high school, I had plenty of time at my disposal and could pursue my passion for billiards without any constraints; this led to my complete obsession with it. I remember my QQ profile picture back in college read, “Billiards is like my wife; I’m glad I can visit her often” (note: it means ‘visit’, not ‘penetrate’!) Don’t be so evil! After graduating, I started working. Coincidentally, one of the company’s managers liked to play billiards, so to please him, a billiard table was set up in a dedicated room in the office. I went to a specialty store and bought a billiard cue, and after lunch every day, I would take it there to play for some time, enjoying it on my own. (I definitely can’t go during working hours; my boss is out having fun at night.) Later, when I moved to my second workplace, I met new colleagues, and two of them happened to also like playing pool, so weekend entertainment activities became a regular thing. …… …… However, I got married. What does marriage have to do with billiards? The thinking is a bit fast, isn’t it? It matters, it matters a lot! After getting married, I could no longer act as freely as before – going out to have fun whenever I wanted without any concerns. Moreover, a year after marriage, my son was born. Every day, aside from dealing with the endless design drawings and project deadlines, I had to take care of my son: changing his diapers, dealing with his needs. Could he please be quiet for a while? So, gradually, I became less attentive to my “first wife.” Although I often thought of her, my lack of attention wasn’t meant as neglect – after all, I still made time to visit her. I also make sure to spend time with her once a week. Well, it’s just a joke; with the pressures of work and the stresses of daily life, it’s important to find time to relax. Having a hobby isn’t a bad thing – it helps to relieve mental stress. I often tell my wife that when I retire in 30 years, my wish is simple: I’ll take my grandson to school first, then go to the bowling alley for a while, until it’s time to pick him up from school for dinner. My wife retorts, “Retire?” Still playing billiards? Have you paid off your mortgage? Me: Well, I hope I can live to 80 and still have good eyesight, so that I can wait until I retire and then go see my first wife again……