Source: 2008 TVB Calender uploaded by TVB2008 on Flickr
08-08-08 (which is tommorrow, by the way) must be an auspicious time of the year. Why so? Well, maybe this date (which contains only 1 or 2 numerical digits at most) is easier to remember than a date with many different digits. Or maybe this date looks and sounds special, therefore it will last longer in our memory. Or maybe '8' signifies a positive sign in some cultures. I would say, each of the above plays a part to the popularity of 08-08-08. Anyway, I will list down some -and definitely more, if I have time to rake them - news to support the statement above:
1. Needless to say, media-swamped Beijing Olympic Games will officially launch on 08-08-08 at 08:08PM. The number '8' homonymies good fortune in Mandarin and Cantonese. Unfortunately, there are many (controversial but skewed to negative) issues on the current Olympic Games hosted by Beijing. Given spare time, I may discuss on this matter as a separate entry.
2. As point 1 suggested the digit '8' denoting good fortune for Chinese, China Daily reported more than 16,400 Beijing couples have applied to register their marriages on 08-08-08. This is to compare with just 3,390 couples registered their nuptials for the same date last year. Well, this puzzles me, I would see starting up a business on 08-08-08 is far more correlated than registering marriages. Isn't marriage is about happiness and longevity? Too bad, I don't know where to find data on business start-up date, otherwise, it is possible to test my hypothesis. On a side note, Hindu astrology finds no muhurtham (auspicious time for a wedding) on 08-08-08; besides, it falls in the 7th month of the lunar calender, the month of the Hungry Ghost when the gates of hell are said to be opened (source: AsiaOne).
3. Narrowing to local region, the most significant player in the newspaper industry, the Straits Times Singapore, will be sporting a whole-new-look for its newspaper and website on 08-08-08. The lively refreshing new website covers features such as free breaking news and blogs (the Strait Times).
4. Last but by no means the least, F.I.R. (a popular Taiwanese band) will hold a concert in Singapore on 08-08-08 at 08:00PM (source: Sistic).
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