1159 HKSAR Name of the Day

Willy Liu Wai-keung, chief executive of property agency Ricacorp, Hong Kong

About Novel HKSAR Names
Name Category: Rare

1158 HKSAR Names of the Day

Rainbow Ng, personal assistant and newlywed to Mohammed Naveed Khan is of Pakistani descent (2013), Hong Kong

 

  see The Things We Do For Love

Other Rainbows on this blog; see 0757 and 0952 HKSAR Names of the Day

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Name Category: Rare; Nature-based

1157 HKSAR Name of the Day

Coolbie Mok, Sham Shui Po, Hong Kong (SCMP letters 23 February 2011)

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Name Category: Creation

What's in a name? Xiqu, Johnny and Yumiko

Chinese Opera and Italian zhajiang mian; or Xiqu and spaghetti bolognese ...

An interesting article that ends on a weird note about the mysterious Xiongnu people.


About Novel HKSAR Names

Reference

Reflections: what's in a name? (Sunday Morning Post Magazine; paywall)

Wee Kek Koon

Some Hongkongers are unhappy that a facility in the West Kowloon Cultural District will be named the Xiqu Centre, arguing that "Chinese Opera Centre" would be more appropriate. However, calling traditional Chinese theatre "Chinese opera" is like calling spaghetti bolognese "Italian zhajiang mian": it's inaccurate and implies it is a lesser or ersatz version of the genuine article - European opera, or Chinese noodles with meat sauce.

If Japanese kabuki theatre remains as is when referred to in English, I fail to see what's wrong with xiqu.

It amuses me to see Chinese Hongkongers who give themselves foreign names such as Johnny or Yumiko go ballistic when a pinyin name appears on a building. It's obvious what's going on here. Some try to explain their pinyin-phobia by arguing that it is "difficult" for non-Putonghua speakers to pronounce. But while consonants such as x, q and c do twist many a tongue, pronouncing pinyin is no more difficult than pronouncing Irish or Czech. Non-speakers will never replicate the actual sounds of words via transliterations but in the case of the ancient Xiongnu people, Chinese transliterations give us a clue as to who they were.

Active from 200BC-AD400, the mysterious Xiongnu founded kingdoms in China and empires across Central Asia but left no written records. Linguistic analysis, however, offers tantalising hints as to who they might have been. The word " Xiongnu" would've been pronounced "hiung-no" in archaic Chinese, leading to speculation that they might have been the forebears of the Huns.

1156 HKSAR Name of the Day

Julio Alberto Tang Chan Kai Ho (Mr), student, University of Hong Kong

About Novel HKSAR Names
Name Category: Rare

1155 HKSAR Name of the Day

Ricky Solomon Yee (Mr), student, University of Hong Kong

About Novel HKSAR Names
Name Category: Rare

The Things We Do For Love

Too many broken hearts have fallen in the river
Too many lonely souls have drifted out to sea,
You lay your bets and then you pay the price
The things we do for love, the things we do for love ...

Rainbow Ng and Mohammed Naveed Kahn hosted a Pakistani-style wedding with 250 friends and relatives in January 2013

Why does it appear to always be the woman who bends over backwards for the male muslim? Cecile, over at China Droll, knows the answer!

The most high-profile example is cricket great Imran Khan and his wife Jemima, who converted to Islam. Let's see whether Rainbow Ng will do the same.

The SCMP has been running their weekly Wedding Snippet for quite some time now, which always spews on about hopes, dreams and happily-ever afters.

Considering the divorce statistics (from The Economist), it would be complementary for the media to run a Couples Spilt Snippet, which can offer their experiences of their marriage so that real and useful advice can be imparted.

By all means "float on air" and sing "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" (here's Izzy's version) but in the long term there needs to be a reality check.

Other Rainbows on this blog; see 0757 and 0952 HKSAR Names of the Day


The Things We Do For Love by 10cc (1977) [YouTube]



Lyrics

Too many broken hearts have fallen in the river
Too many lonely souls have drifted out to sea,
You lay your bets and then you pay the price
The things we do for love, the things we do for love.
Communication is the problem to the answer
You've got her number and your hand is on the phone
The weather's turned and all the lines are down
The things we do for love, the things we do for love.
Like walking in the rain and the snow
When there's nowhere to go
And you're feelin' like a part of you is dying
And you're looking for the answer in her eyes.
You think you're gonna break up
Then she says she wants to make up.
Ooh you made me love you
Ooh you've got a way
Ooh you had me crawling up the wall.
Like walking in the rain and the snow
When there's nowhere to go
And you're feelin' like a part of you is dying
And you're looking for the answer in her eyes.
You think you're gonna break up
Then she says she wants to make up.
Ooh you made me love you
Ooh you've got a way
Ooh you had me crawling up the wall.
A compromise would surely help the situation
Agree to disagree but disagree to part
When after all it's just a compromise of
The things we do for love, the things we do for love....

Reference

Compromise paves path to future for Rainbow Ng, Mohammed Khan (SCMP; paywall)

Ethnic and cultural differences no barrier to couple who cherish their core values
Saturday, 16 February, 2013, 12:00am

Vivian Chen vivian.chen@scmp.com

Rainbow Ng is a Hongkonger born and bred, while Mohammed Naveed Khan is of Pakistani descent. Although they are from different cultural backgrounds, their willingness to compromise has led to a lasting relationship.

Rainbow, a personal assistant, and Naveed, who works for an airline, wed last month in a Pakistani ceremony at Duetto, an Indian-Italian restaurant in Wan Chai, celebrating with 250 friends and relatives. They will host a Chinese banquet in July.

The couple were introduced by a colleague three years ago when they were working for the same airline.

"He seemed really nice, but I was a little nervous when I first met him because he was quite senior at work," Rainbow said.

It took three months before they realised there was more than friendship between them.

"I was on holiday overseas with my family and my mother fell ill. Naveed was really helpful, sending me advice by text message," Rainbow said. "We really missed each other."

When she got home they went on their first dinner date.

"It was a very romantic and memorable date that showed me another side of him - his gentleness and great sense of humour," Rainbow said. "He's a big guy and he's also got a big heart."

They started dating regularly and Rainbow decided she was ready to take a big step that would please Naveed.

"Naveed is a Muslim so he doesn't eat pork. I decided to give up pork out of respect for him," she said.

It was only later that Rainbow realised how big a commitment she had made.

"It was hard to give up my mum's soups," she joked.

Naveed was moved by Rainbow's devotion, as were their friends and relatives, who offered her support.

"When I was prepared to honour his beliefs, I realised I had found the man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with," she said.

Last May, the couple went to Paris for a holiday.

"I thought that maybe he'd propose during that trip, but he scolded me jokingly, saying he'd never do it in Paris," she said.

That turned out to be a well-intentioned lie. When they arrived at the Eiffel Tower, Naveed made an excuse to leave and left Rainbow waiting alone in the plaza. A stranger walked up to her and gave her a rose. A few seconds later, another stranger handed her one, and the roses kept coming.

Next, Naveed returned, got down on one knee and pulled out a ring. Amid a crowd of tourists, he asked Rainbow to marry him, and the teary Rainbow said yes.

Rainbow said she loved Naveed's charisma, kindness and, more importantly, his family values. "He really loves his parents and relatives, and mine as well. I think that's essential in a relationship," she said. "Naveed speaks fluent Cantonese so he can communicate with my family easily. My heart melts every time he and my mum crack a joke."

1154 HKSAR Name of the Day

Dicky Sheh Kin Chung, student, University of Hong Kong

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