bonjour celine header

24.1.10

house numbers

888

fourty two

seventeen

I have an aunt and uncle that bought a house because it had a good number.

It was the number "8". "8" means fortune in chinese, so whoever lives at "888" has fortune x 3!

"42" is not a good number, from what I understand, it can be interpreted as "easy to die". The number "4" is death, and "2" is easy.

"17" doesn't mean anything (I don't think it does anyways!). I just love how perfectly it is carved out of the fence. I think it would be really elegant if it was backlit at night. Jin loves house numbers that light up. It is easy to find.

I don't really believe that house numbers determines your fate, but part of me wishes I had an eight.

do certain numbers mean anything in your culture?

23 comments:

  1. Hmm... I once lived in a 646 but I don't think there have ever been any other "4"s in my addresses. I live in a "2" now -- "easy" isn't too bad, I guess! At least I hope not!

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  2. hi anabela!
    yes! "2" isn't bad, depending on if it is paired with something! like if it was with an "8" that would be "easy fortune"! Who wouldn't love that?

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  3. Oh man! Now I must live in a 28! Or even better, 288!

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  4. Ah! I'm at a 908 now, and it the past a 32. The only numbers I know about are 7 for good luck and 13 for bad luck.

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  5. And apartment numbers are annoying.
    I've always hated street address, then unit number, blah blah blah. I like it simple.

    45 Smith Street.
    So nice.

    4503-321 Smith Street - not so nice.

    I can't wait to live in a house again.

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  6. a chinese friend of mine (who is otherwise not superstitious at all) once refused to move into a very nice apartment with her husband because the door number could be interpreted to say "die every day" (I forget which number it was)...

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  7. whoa...42 huh? that's scary

    i really do like the idea of having the carved numbers!!! ahhh so good

    mine is 1101 looks like a binary code or something for maybe...awesomeness? hehe i have no idea

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  8. a few months ago a new apartment building here in hong kong was built with an extreme floor numbering system, the top floor being labeled as the 88th (when it's not) just so it can sell for a higher value!
    most, if not all buildings here skip floors with the number 4 in it too.

    gotta draw the line somewhere...

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  9. heheh us suspicious chinese

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  10. 13 is unlucky in Britain. Lots of buildings don't have a 13th floor, and house numbers in streets frequently skip 13 (or have a 12a)

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  11. My building also skips all of the floors with 4's on them (4, 14, 24) and 13... so even though I live on the 30th floor it is actually the 26th!

    Canada is so accommodating that way.

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  12. Oh! I live at an 8, I didn't know it was a good number until now :)

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  13. In my culture, the word for "9" also has the same sound but different spelling (like in english: too, to, and two) for the word "to progress" or "advance forward". So "9" is considered a very lucky number. In fact last year there were so many weddings on 9/9/09 for people that I knew.

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  14. Ah, that's so interesting! To my knowledge we don't have anything like it in Sweden. Just personal lucky numbers or bad luck numbers.

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  15. hi celine!! I'm back surfing again, from what I can see your new place looks lovely!

    a friend of mine claims that our house number 107 is in fact 8 (1+0+7), I'm happy to go with that :0)

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  16. Number 7 means fortune and prosperity in our culture(persian). :-)

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  17. Oh and our house number is 7! :p

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  18. This is so fun to think about numbers and their meanings. My home is 115...I think it symbolizes new beginnings and spontaneity.

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  19. thank you everyone for sharing your great stories with me!

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  20. oh no! i live at number 42. so far it'sbeen a happy place to live, though... (phew..)

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  21. Nice finds. I love your blog.
    As for numbers... I personaly don't believe they mean anything, although I live on number 13. hehehehe...

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  22. Hello - been exploring and expanding my blog stomping grounds today and have happily found your lovely blog through Flickr.

    As it's the same characters, the Japanese have the same thing with 4 for death and I do find myself always counting out 3 or 5 things! and never leaving four kisses. Very Silly.

    I live at number 88! :)

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  23. beautiful photos of the numbers on the home. numbers dont actually mean anything specifically for us,but when giving money (pakistanis always give money as gifts on holidays and weddings) it is always given in an odd number like 21 or 51 or 101 or 1001. it means that there is a sense of continuity, ie the gift will be given again and again, an even number symbolises an end to the giving since it's a round number. wonder if this makes sense...

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