8-8-8 or no such luck?

It's a field day for numerologists. A once-in-a-century century occurrence, pinballing towards its orgasmic climax at 8.08 PM, as all eyes focus on Bejiing.
Forget the Olympics for a moment though. The Chinese are celebrating today for another reason. Their pronunciation of "8" sounds very much like the word "fah" or "fat" - an expression for fortune, wealth, and good luck. Convinced today's date will guarantee eternal love and romance, 9,000 Chinese couples will have been
herded through registary rooms in the time it takes you to read this blog.

What is it about certain dates and numbers that make people try to etch them into their life, in the belief that they will bring good fortune? Asians pay large fortunes for lucky telephone numbers, household addresses and license plates.

Alarmingly, thousands of women closer to home have been fine-tuning their pregnancy calendar, to ensure their child is born with the trendy 8-8-8 tag. Many have even been trying to delay childbirth till this hour, and maternity wards are inundated with caesarean bookings.

Can we influence are lives positively by scheduling key activities on specific days, or is it simply an atheist cop-out; a substitute, if you like, for prayer and the belief that we can achieve happiness and success only if we work hard for it?
Later today I'll be signing a contract for a new job starting next month. Seriously, I've not been putting it off all week. But it's lovely to think the date on the dotted line might just put my career under a lucky star.

Good lucky today, whatever you're planning!