When I first came to China I loffed and loffed (that’s a laugh with a scoff) when I found out that some phone numbers cost more than others.  My Chinese friend tried to explain that 8’s are auspicious (although I don’t think he used that word), as are 6’s but 4’s sound like death so you want to stay away from them.  Also, easy to remember numbers are good so the ultimate phone digits would be 8888-8888.  Loffing I asked, “How much for that one?”
“You couldn’t afford it.”
The longer I live here the more I am amazed at the cultural impact of things like 8 and red and cabbage.  However,  I’m noticing I loff less than I used to.  Loffing involves a thought process (conscious or not) which inevitably arrives at a conclusion that we would never do things that way and therefore frees us up to laugh. . . and scoff.  Pay more for a phone number with 8’s?  Seriously.  Give me all 4’s if it’s cheaper? Plan your wedding to land on the 8th? Um.  No.  Start your Olympic opening ceremony on the 8th day of the 8th month in the year 2008 at 8pm (only because the television networks wouldn’t go for 8:08pm)?  Not my Olympics.  We would never be so swayed.  It is to loff.

Last year I was back in the States when the woman standing in front of me at the convenience store nearly passed out when her total was $6.66.  She bought an extra pack of gum.

July 7, 2007 (7.7.7.) was a record setting day in America for weddings and lottery tickets

Ever been in an elevator and noticed a missing 13?

I told some of my Chinese friends about these things.  They just loffed.

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