An Ahha! Moment

I think anyone from Wisconsin can remember that special ahha! moment in life when they realized that the old Brewers logo was not only a baseball glove, but also the letters M and B, to stand for the Milwaukee Brewers.

Yesterday I had another ahha! moment to that same level of delight.

I've noticed that there always seems to be something affectionate that Thai people feel for the number 555. I've seen it in my friends' blogs and Facebook posts, but I never knew why Thai people used that number so often. In my cultural background, there is a meaning associated with 666 and 777, but 555? The closest thing I could think of was the first three digits of a fake telephone number on any sitcom TV show.

But yesterday I was chatting online with a Thai friend, and in the course of the online conversation he replied with 555, and instantly the meaning clicked for me!

You'll appreciate this if you know your Thai numbers. The number five in the Thai language sounds like "haa." So in instant messaging language, while English speakers will type 'haha' and Spanish speakers have their 'jaja,' Thai speakers have cleverly put it this way: '555.'

Just like the M and B in the glove, it was an ahha!, or better put, a haha! moment for me.

555,

Eric