Names and Nicknames.
When my Little O came to this world, I’ve had a hard time choosing the right name for her. And I have to be extremely careful not to pick a name that can end up being the butt of all jokes in school. Oh! I remember my school days and the fun we had calling people names.
One of the names I experimented with was Khai Yeeng. My surname is Chang. We almost picked that name because in Mandarin, it is a beautiful name. So we end up with Chang Khai Yeeng. But if you were Caontonese …. Oh my God! What a name – with this very same pronunciation it means “fierce b***h”.
We ended up picking a safer name – Wei Shan and my mother even asked a “sifu” to verify it and it turned out OK. There is a belief that the number of strokes in the Chinese character of your name matters a lot. So this one is prefect for the year her was born. And the result, I ended up paying a small fine for being late in registering her name at the national registry.
Some of the more interesting names I have encountered (and these are REAL people mind you) :
1. Thong Sam Fah
2. Wong Tai Hai
3. Tai Lang Koon (prefers to be called LK)
4. Richard Head (one of the lecturers in my university)
5. Wong Tit Meng (as an American, you’d call him Tit because his full name will be written as “Tit Meng Wong”, e.g. phone rings, a female receptionist picks up “Yes, you’re look for Tit??? We've got 2 here, Tit Meng and Tit Beng...”)
6. Koh Keng Choon (initials KKC)
7. Teh Soo Lang (often been called Sui Lang, but really is a nice person)
8. Dino Tan (named after the Flintstones pet ?)
9. Lee Tuk Fat
So now you know what NOT to name your children.
But these 2 really takes the cake :
1. John Woodcock but his nick name is “Splinter Hand” and
2. Rumour has it that Bentong Kali (the notorious criminal) had a girlfriend who’s a prostitute, her nick name was “Banyak Kali”.
So if you know any funny ones, email me or hit the comment link below.
One of the names I experimented with was Khai Yeeng. My surname is Chang. We almost picked that name because in Mandarin, it is a beautiful name. So we end up with Chang Khai Yeeng. But if you were Caontonese …. Oh my God! What a name – with this very same pronunciation it means “fierce b***h”.
We ended up picking a safer name – Wei Shan and my mother even asked a “sifu” to verify it and it turned out OK. There is a belief that the number of strokes in the Chinese character of your name matters a lot. So this one is prefect for the year her was born. And the result, I ended up paying a small fine for being late in registering her name at the national registry.
Some of the more interesting names I have encountered (and these are REAL people mind you) :
1. Thong Sam Fah
2. Wong Tai Hai
3. Tai Lang Koon (prefers to be called LK)
4. Richard Head (one of the lecturers in my university)
5. Wong Tit Meng (as an American, you’d call him Tit because his full name will be written as “Tit Meng Wong”, e.g. phone rings, a female receptionist picks up “Yes, you’re look for Tit??? We've got 2 here, Tit Meng and Tit Beng...”)
6. Koh Keng Choon (initials KKC)
7. Teh Soo Lang (often been called Sui Lang, but really is a nice person)
8. Dino Tan (named after the Flintstones pet ?)
9. Lee Tuk Fat
So now you know what NOT to name your children.
But these 2 really takes the cake :
1. John Woodcock but his nick name is “Splinter Hand” and
2. Rumour has it that Bentong Kali (the notorious criminal) had a girlfriend who’s a prostitute, her nick name was “Banyak Kali”.
So if you know any funny ones, email me or hit the comment link below.
posted by Orion | 9:52 PM
8 Comments:
Anita Kwok! or Ivan Kwok!
I think I can understand something like this though I ain't married yet. So far, me and my gf have only begun thinking of names with surname. The full name however we're just saying it and not putting into writing yet.
Sigh, I wonder who'll help with our chinese strokes when my grandpa ain't around. *sniff*
wingz : Oh yes .... the Kwok or Kok family!!! Father's name is Harry Kok, brother's name is Dicky Kok and sister's name is Annie Kok.
Danny Foo : Gimme a call / email. Will help you with it. I think Jeff Ooi (www.jeffooi.com) can also help you out.
Heh. One of the most ridiculous names I've seen (though I'm sure it's a stage name), is "Lan Pet Pet". It's a local actor, one of the co-stars in Gerak Khas 2 a long way back.
Absurd to the point of hilarity. Here's an article and a *photo* I found on google. :P
yes, i believe it's tough to select names for our children. We want something unique with meaning,certain number of chinese strokes,doesn't sounds vulgar or silly,etc. Thanks goodness I don't have to deal with this anymore.
Goh Pei Si was one I came across.. I hav a friend name Wei Shan too ;D
In high school, a few of us went to visit a friend. Outside her house, we found the gate locked. No doorbell. So we had to yell for her. Her name was See Fun. When yelled out loud, it sounded like See Fatt :=)
Another girl I once knew was called Liew Lai Fong. We used to reverse her name and called her Fong Lai Liew.
thquah : lucky you!
jean : I really pity your friend!
tinkerbell : Thank God your friend See Fun's surname is not Loh.
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