Crazy 8s
How obsessed with the number 8 are Chinese people?
When I worked at a Hong Kong company, all the phone numbers had lots of 8s in them.
When I worked at a Hong Kong company, their American law firm that works with lots of Hong Kong companies had lots of 8s in its phone number too, perhaps hoping that that would entice Chinese clients.
Or how about the fact that the Chinese are starting the Olympics on 8/8/08 at 8:08 pm?
The number 8 has long had mystical qualities. There are 88 keys on a piano. There are 8 hours in a workday. We are said to need 8 hours of sleep. The number 8 when turned on its side looks like infinity. Track 8 of Radiohead’s Kid A is Idiotheque…great song.
Where does this mystique come from? Well, have you ever heard the expression, Gung Hay Fat Choy. The “fat” means something like bling and it sounds remarkably similar to a certain number. It’s as if 9 could be a lucky number because it rhymes with goldmine.
By the way, the above picture is of my speedometer. Yes, I actually stopped to take a picture of this once in a lifetime phenomenon of a reading of 188,888, the second highest number of 8s possibly achievable and the most achievable if you take into account the probable life of the vehicle. Note also the 8 on the small speedometer…icing on the cake.
And let’s celebrate this great 8 date with an mp3. As far as I know, Soliloquy is Frank Sinatra’s only 8 minute song…there are longer ones of course, but this is the only one that’s 8. It’s from the musical Carousel.
August 26th, 2008 at 10:01 am
actually.. you achieved the same number of 8’s 100,000 miles ago. not to be combative.