"Madonna"

Had my first company CNY dinner with some co-workers from the same floor. The usual chinese dinner. My manager called the restaurant up to reserve a table for us... and instead of using her own name, she decided to go all out - for the fun of it. This is how the convo went :

Lady : Hello?
Manager : Hello, is this New Paris Restaurant?
Lady : Yes...
Manager : I'd like to reserve a table for dinner tonight
Lady : Okay... what time and how many?
Manager : 7pm and for 10 pax
Lady : Okay.... your name...?
Manager : Madonna
Lady : Ma- what?
Manager : Madonna
Lady : (sounds a tad stunned) how to spell???
Manager : M-a-d-o-n-a
Lady : Umm okay... see you at 7

So when we got to the restaurant... this is what we saw on the reservation board...

hahaha priceless!

changing names part II

I was reading my morning paper during brekkie at the hotel today.... parents these days are radically changing names of their kids.... like shortening it... or adding an apostrophe... or spellling it phonetically... I'm telling you it's crazy!

It's like they're all becoming black rappers or something you know. Like from Cameron to Cam'ron, Anne to An... the list goes on.

But you know what hits the most? This kid... no wait, his parents.... were really estatic to see an ultrasound of their baby for the first time realized that they were really have a kid for real... which is of course great.... they decided to name the kid 4Real with the argument that if there are names with numbers at the end (like John Smith III), why can't a name start with a number instead. So of course the authorities rejected it with the reason that there's a ruling that states that a name CANNOT start with a number, the parents had no choice but to revert to their second choice - Superman.

Superman. Wow.... Superman Smith.... HAHAHAHA can you imagine what his siblings names could be? Spiderman, Wonderwoman, Supergirl, Cyclops.... OH MY DEAR LORDY! Apparently now the parents are considering taking legal action to the authorities to reverse that ruling.

Which reminds me, I was out with a friend the other night and we were talking about names and he wants to name his kid Shadow....

That I'm telling you... is bleeping laugh out loud.... Shadow.... might as well name a kid Plastic... or even better still Polymer, Polyvinyl, Polyethylene and Polymethyl :P

changing names

Very often people don't like the names they were given. In fact I know some people who detest their own names.

When I was younger, I didn't like my name... mainly because 8 out of 10 people I meet will never know how to pronounce my name. I mean, if I write it down on a piece of paper and thrust it in your hands and force you to pronounce my name, fine. Earlier this month, I met this girl... who had difficulty pronouncing my name even after I repeated myself three times.... THREE effing TIMES!!!

How hard is it to pronounce Claire? It rhymes with bleh.... or care... or blare.... or where... or chocolate e-clair (okay e-clair a little far fetched but you know what I mean)!

I disliked my name so much, that I contemplated changing it to something... more common when I finally turn 18... like... Elizabeth... or Amy.... or Christine... or maybe even Anne.

Anyways, people have found difficulty in pronouncing my name in the Eastern world not the Western, which reminds me of an article I read in the newsies some time ago about locals who had difficulties with immigrants who had cultural names.

Cultural names are beautiful. Especially when it is painstakingly researched by various members of the family who only wants the best for the newborn child. One of my youngest cousin sister's name was partly chosen by my mother, because she was born on a Wednesday and her Chinese name meant "Coloring of the Dawning Clouds"... so mom named her Wendy.... which of course she doesn't really it but unfortunately has to live with it :P

Unfortunately, when these names come across to the Western world.... they are often misconstrued... mispronounced... misunderstood...

So because of that, the world is slowly ridding itself of meaningful cultural names... and we have more Kevins, Michelles, Jasmines, Andrews, Michaels... you get the picture.

By the way, it's not just non-caucasians who are having this problem. Apparently many Brits who don't like their own names, have switched as well.

Last year, Joel Whittle changed his name. He is now known as Big Crazy Lester (this was taken from Reuters).

You know what? I love my name. I love the fact that my mom took forever to choose which would be the best name for me. I love it that my grandfather painstakingly chose my name over 6-7 choices ever since mom was preggers.

I love it that my name is one of a kind.

I just don't really like sharing it with people because it takes FOREVER to explain my name to them :P