(Take note of the
number of pageviews of my blog on DECEMBER 25, 2011)
THE “666” MYSTERY
(Note: I wrote the following article long before the
invasion of Iraq/Babylon in 2003)
The recurrence of like numbers and names
had always been a riddle to me. For many years, my payroll page number was 20,
the regional branch number of Al Rahji Bank through where I send my salary to a
corresponding bank in Manila.
864, the flight number
of Saudia Airline from Riyadh to Manila is very close to
the plate number of my Lancer car, 866. When I subscribed to the Pacific Internet in September
2000, I was amazed to find out that the company’s dial-up-line is 635-1388. My telephone number in Saudi Arabia was 255-1388.
Believe it or not, it is only very
recently did I learn that Saudi
Arabia’s International Telephone code is 966. Although I had been in Saudi Arabia
for a very long time, I didn’t see any reason to call anyone in that country
when I am on leave. Take note, my car’s plate number is 866. (The 9 is
an upright 6)
The Sudanese who processed my papers when
I first came to Saudi Arabia
reversed my name. My first name became Khalid. When I tried to correct him, he told me that it was better
for me. King Khalid Ibn Abdul Azis
was the king of Saudi Arabia
when I first arrived in the kingdom. Prince Khalid Ibn Faisal is the governor of Assir province.
The initial title
of my book was “Places in Time.” Although, one of the interesting topic
in the book was the subject of the Biblical Beast [UN Res.666/Gulf War],
it never crossed my mind to call it that. I considered Time Travel [Jesus’
Second Coming] and the New Jerusalem [Mecca/Ka’aba] as more important
discoveries but my publisher saw it differently. I agreed.
In 1999
which when inverted reads 6661, my book was printed but the launching
date was postponed. It was also in 1999 that the Saudi Government reinstated
our salary increments. It was frozen for several years and when my salary was
computed plus 2%, the amount was, believe it or not, 6664 Saudi Riyals.
In June 1999, the
registration of my Mazda car expired. The antiquated system of 7 digits was
changed to 3 letters and 3 digits. I won’t be surprised I thought if my 3
digits turned out to be 666 but of course it didn’t. Amazingly, the 3 letters
did. The letters were SKS [in Arabic]. If asked to write the number 6 in
words, any Arab will write it exactly in that order because Arabs don’t write
the vowels [as in text messaging]. SKS reads 6 either from left
to right [English] or right to left [Arabic]. It is 6 every which way. Dr.
Kamel Yusef, a Palestinian colleague was laughing when he received his new
plate. We renewed our registration at the same time but he received his plate
one day ahead of me.
He said, “I feel
ashamed of my new plate.”
“Why?” I asked him.
“My 3 letters
reads ‘SEX’,” he replied and laughing.
When I received my plate, we have different
numbers but the same 3 letters, “SKS” that can also be read as ‘SEX’.
Our helper and my
wife’s niece were in the kitchen. I was home in Manila for my annual leave. They were busy
preparing early on for the New Year/New Millennium/1999 party. My
younger brother Omar and his family were staying with us at the time. They have
traveled all the way from Mindanao to give the
children a treat. My niece in law had the AIWA stereo turned on FM radio while
doing their chore in the kitchen. Suddenly and for no apparent reason, the
program shifted to AM. No one was near the stereo. Annoyed, my niece stopped
whatever she was doing and walked towards the stereo. Although she was still
wondering how the program shifted to AM, she was determined to bring it back to
Fine Medium. When she reached for the tuner, the numbers 66.6 MHz were
staring in her face. Stunned, she withdrew her hand and called our helper to
see it.
I was born on the 6th of Ramadan. What
year, my mother had no idea but she was certain that it was on the 6th
because she fasted 5 days before I was born. It was a time when Moslems in the Philippines
didn’t register birth or death. Nobody ever required them to do so. I used to
write in my diary when I was in the high school. It was through this that I
discovered the difference between the Gregorian and the Hegira calendar. The
difference is 11 days. I wanted to know my Birthday in the Gregorian calendar
so I counted backward subtracting 11 days each year. I ended up with believe it
or not, June 12, 1952. I was never aware of the significance of this
date until January of 2000 when my book was released.
Ramadan 6 is
9/6 in the Hegira Lunar Calendar while June 12 is 6/6+6.
I always feel
strange when some people especially new acquaintances call me with my first
name NOSCA. In my childhood, friends and classmates used to call me nicknames
and in college, I was always called Khalid and Dr. Khalid after medical
college. Because of my interest in prophecies, I laughed when somebody called
me NOScadamus. Take especial note of the first 3 letters of my name and NOStradamus.
[Note: I wrote
the above in January 2000. In 2007, two years after I returned to Saudi Arabia…our
clinic installed a new centralized telephone lines. The new phone number in my
bedroom is 108. The PIN number of my Saudi mobile phone is (7)108. Stranger
still, President Bush Sr.; the king who fired the first salvo of the Battle for Babylon and whose son re-launched
the unfinished war was born on June 12, 1924 or 6/6+6/6+6+6+6…real creepy.)
