I love birthdays!

Did you know that when you add the four numbers of my birth year together, you get 23? 1+9+8+5 = 23 (some of you may have seen the movie The Number 23... if you haven't, you should).

I looked online for some interesting things about the number 23. It just so happens one website gave me 23 interesting things about the number 23. Here are a few of them.

1. 23 is one of the most commonly cited prime numbers.
2. The number has been the subject of not one but two films: the 1998 German movie, 23, and The Number 23, starring Jim Carrey, released (naturally) today. Each has a main character obsessed with the number.
3. Charles Darwin's Origin of Species was published in 1859 - 1+8+5+9 = 23. Two divided by three makes 0.666 recurring (allegedly - actually it makes 0.6666666667). The Hiroshima bomb was dropped at 8.15am - 8+15= 23.
4. The Ancient Chinese believed numbers conveyed sexuality - evens for feminine and odds for masculine. They considered prime numbers to be the most masculine, conferring special status on 23 which is made up of two consecutive prime numbers and the only even prime number - two.
5. The terrorist attacks on America on 11 September 2001 have been held up as one of the most portentous examples of the disturbing power of 23. The figures in the date (9+11+2+0+0+1) add up to 23. The independent US commission which investigated the attacks found the date had been chosen randomly by the hijackers and had originally been planned for later in the year. Alternative explanations for the date included the taking over of Palestine by Britain in 1922 and the fact that 911 is the US emergency code.
6. Each parent contributes 23 chromosomes to the start of human life. The nuclei of cells in human bodies have 46 chromosomes made out of 23 pairs. Egg and sperm cells in humans have 23 chromosomes which fuse and divide to create an embryo.
7. The Birthday Paradox states that a group of 23 randomly-selected people is the smallest number where there will be a probability higher than 50 per cent that two people will share the same birthday.
8. "W" is the 23rd letter of the Latin alphabet. It has two points down and three points up. White supremacists use 23 to represent "W" as a mark of racial superiority.

I can't believe I've made it to 23. I remember when my cousin Rachel turned 23... My 19-year-old brain thought she was gettin' pretty old. Now, here I am. And to have a birthday in China! How exciting! I was so thankful to have spent my birthday with my new friends. We had a great time -- bowling a couple of rounds, with a game of speed bowling to wrap things up; heading to dinner down the street at TGI Friday's; finally, the remaining friends and I went to Whisk (an amazing little dessert place).

So, how will things be on my 24th birthday? Quite a lot can happen in one year. Last year at this time, I was closing a big chapter in my life with college graduation. This year, I am closing yet another big chapter, though short-lived. I'm excited to see how this next year pans out.

On a rather sad note, while I was celebrating my birthday, thousands of others were mourning and grieving the loss of loved ones, their homes, and their lives. I encourage all of you to please keep those cities and those people in your thoughts*. It is such a sad thing to see so many people in need...

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

PS - random piece of information: Some of you know how I've been bombarded with hints of Spanish as of the past few months... I found out today that the kindergartners will be doing a salsa dance (to a Spanish song, of course) at the Kindergarten Graduation ceremony. Just thought I'd throw that out there for ya. Oh yeah, one more thing... I've been assigned the country of Spain for International Day at the end of May.