HOT NUMBERS !

Do you believe in the science of numbers?
Many people do. Even those who are not ardent believers may have sub-consciously allowed 'numbers' to have a say in their life. From our birth, our parents may have already consulted oracles and geomancers about what names to give us. And this giving of names is not taken lightly by the older generation and perhaps even by most in today's generation...whatever race or religious background.
To do a 'proper and serious' job, the geomancers consulted would have need of the day, date and time of birth of the infant... all important details pertaining to numbers.
What about me?
My late parents had their own Chinese almanac which they used as a reference for choosing my Chinese name. It was done with some serious thought, care and belief that the Chinese characters so chosen would portend goodness, wealth, prosperity and all the good fortune they had hoped for... not so much in a state of limbo hope but more in certain belief that it would surely happen as that life is lived out.
So, from young, I always understood what my name implies as it was explained to me by my parents. Much later, as I began my own reading and research into philosophy and life, the science of numbers caught my attention again.
The Bible has lots of examples and so have other religious books and sacred texts.
I will do some major posts on this very fascinating subject later.
Today, is the 9th day of September ..the 9th month in the year 2009.
Written in our present style: 090909
That is what you and I will write into the boxes when we fill in any official form
requiring the date to be filled.
Below is breaking news story from S Times online about the significance of this date...
to many wedding couples.

Home > Breaking News > Singapore > Story
Sep 9, 2009
A straitstimes.com Special
090909 - 366 couples wed 10 min
By Ng Xiao Yan and Ess Aubrey Gabrelyn

Simon Wong (above) and Jennifer Lim are one of the many couples getting married on Sept 9, 2009. -- ST PHOTO: AUBREY ESS AND NG XIAO YAN

09/09/09 -
THIS once-in-a-millenium date may seem super-auspicious, but unfortunately, it also falls smack in the misfortune-associated Hungry Ghost month.
Traditions in contemporary Chinese marriages
SCENES of loud gongs and veiled brides being carried on sedan chairs have long disappeared in Singapore.And along with such processions, much of the intricacies of traditional Chinese marriage etiquette have also been done away with.

99cents for a 09/09/09 wedding
AROUND the world, couples will enjoy the 09/09/09 date in interesting ways, while businesses are cashing in on the believed auspicious significance of the day.As 364 couples say 'I do' on Sept 9 at the Singapore's Registry of Marriage, (ROM), nine couples in California will get married for US99 cents (S$1.40), the Business Wire reported.
But it did not deter 366 couples from tying the nuptial knot at the Registry of Marriages at Fort Canning on Wednesday. Among them is Ms Jennifer Lim, 28, a human relations executive and Mr Simon Wong, 29, a technician, who chose 09/09/09 to say 'I do' because the date is 'easy to remember.'
According to Chinese belief, 'jiu jiu jiu' in Mandarin triples the 'longevity' of a marriage, as the number nine represents an everlasting quality. But as this is also the Hungry Ghost Month, is Triple Nine still considered an auspicious day to wed? Apparently, 366 couples were undeterred.
Registry of Marriages (ROM) records show that 366 couples registered to marry on Wednesday, compared to the daily average of 64 couples on a normal day. The record high in recent years was 766 marriages on July 7, 2007 (7/7/07).

But not all couples are doing it because of the date - auspicious or not. For 27-year-old Ms Madeleine Chong, a digital media journalist, and Mr Lai Han-wei, 25, a scriptwriter, Sept 9 is simply 'just a date'. But even if younger Singaporeans aren't superstitious, they have to contend with traditional parents.
'We're not very traditional people... although Han-wei's mother, being a traditional sort of person, insisted on choosing the date,' said Mrs Lai. Mr Lai's mother consulted a temple medium, who chose a date for the couple based on their birthdays, using a traditional method in Chinese geomancy known as 'Ba Zi'. Also called 'eight figures', this determines how a couple's marriage turns out.

'At first, the medium chose December 24th for us. However we decided against that day, since it's Christmas Eve', the couple said. Mr Lai's mother then 'went back and received another 'suitable' day for us.' Officially, Mr and Mrs Lai have been married since last year, although the couple will be having their wedding banquet only in December.
'The married friends that we know mostly seem to have chosen days based on geomancer advice' Mr Lai, 25, added. 'They would be mindful of auspicious days - although we suspect that it has more to do with pleasing the parents and relatives.'

Another couple, Mr Tony Ho and Ms Michelle Lim, chose to marry in January, and did not consider Triple Nine, surprisingly, also because of superstition. They consulted a geomancer and the traditional almanac to help them pick their wedding day based on their 'Ba Zi'. The geomancer reported that their eight figures weren't compatible on Triple Nine for a wedding and was, hence, an inauspicious a day for them.
'We don't really look at 'special dates' like 999,' said Mr Ho, 28, a technician. 'What matters to us most is that we choose a day where our 'eight figures' match. That day would be the most auspicious day for us to get married.'
But if Mr Ho's and his fiance's figures were compatible with Triple Nine, would he want to get married on that day? The answer is still no, they said. 'I wouldn't want to marry during ghost month, as it brings a bad sense of foreboding to a marriage! And I'm sure that many more of my family and friends would disapprove,' adds the technician, who firmly believes that being wedded on an auspicious day is tantamount to a good marriage life'.

Which perhaps explains why Triple Nine wedding banquets are not so hot despite an 84 per cent jump in the number of couples saying 'I do' on Wednesday at the ROM.
Checks by the straitstimes.com with 10 hotels show that just six have 09/09/09 banquet bookings. Only the Raffles Hotel reported higher than normal bookings, with four out of its five function rooms booked for 09/09/09 wedding dinners.
Still - auspicious date or not, at least 366 couples have jumped on the 09/09/09 bandwagon. For many of them, it's 'let's get married first on this special day and celebrate later.'
Read also:Vegas weddings soar on 9/9/09101010- another hot date