What 44 Means to Me. A chance to say “thanks!”

Chia-Li Chien | July 12, 2011

Happy Birthday, ‘Jolly,’ on your big 44!!” Wow, I didn’t know what to say. I had been hesitant to tell anyone about my birthday, but there it was!

My mom and dad called had called the day before to wish me “happy birthday.” They also reminded my daughter to do something special for me. Even though she just created a handmade card for me, I appreciated the gesture. My husband TC works 3rd shift so I got a huge hug early in the morning. I think he had forgotten it was my birthday, but it was really no big deal. I am not a typical birthday party person anyway.

But why not tell people about my 44th birthday? Perhaps this story will help illustrate for you:

I signed a contract few weeks ago with a commercial real estate broker named Leigh, to look for a commercial building in which I can create some sort of hybrid commercial rental. Leigh brought me a list of properties to pre-screen. I could see I would need to send her an email to her about some rules of engagement in Chinese culture.

Leigh,

Thu, Jun 23, 2011, at 8:45 AM

Thanks for the additional information. TC and I are still going through the materials. Let me take this opportunity to explain some of the basic search criteria that might save us both some time. Generally speaking, I am looking for a building with a front door facing south, east or southeast. This is Chinese Feng Shui and it is extremely important for us to have the door in the right place for us. Otherwise, we won’t even bother to look at a property, no matter how perfect the building or location is. P.S. Everyone’s prosperous direction is different, so this does not apply to everyone. Even in my currently leased office space, the front door of the building is facing east; my office door is facing south. If there is a number 4 involved in the property, such as 4th floor, the number of the building ends with 4 or has a 4 in it; we will want to avoid the property as much as possible. The number 4 sounds like the word “death” in Chinese. There is no 4th floor in any business/medical/hospital building in Asia. It has always been replaced with the next number such as 5. The lucky numbers are 6,7,8. I understand you won’t be able to get properties with those numbers all the time, but avoiding 4 is a must. If there is cemetery or church, directly, or indirectly facing any of the building (all 4 sides), we will not consider it. Given these requirements, we can narrow down the search quite a bit. I will get back to you our choices for viewing soon. Thank you and have a great day! Chia-Li

You see, the number 4 is not a good number in my culture, and with this birthday, my age now has two 4s! I guess I survived ages 4, 14, 24, 34, so what’s the big deal? Honestly, I am happy as a clam. I have everything I ever wanted to have in life. I have a great husband of 20 years, a great family, and especially am happy to have a daughter who does well in high school and wants to become a veterinarian.

I’ve accomplished a lot in life, so I just want to say THANK YOU! Thank you for giving me great 43 years and allowing me to enter my 44th year with such good fortune. And with that, I decided to give myself a little gift today – a bright future and a great year!

Here is what my friend Linda wrote to me about my big 44:

We’ll add them together and get 8 instead.

Super point of view! Eight is a GREAT number!!

So, you may think Feng Shui, numbers and worries about the surroundings of a dwelling are just superstitions. But no matter what they are to you, I do want to thank YOU for the opportunities you’ve given me. I am so very grateful to have everything I could want in life! Thank YOU!! Watch out 44, here I come….!