Monday 31 January 2011

0738 HKSAR Name of the Day

Gabbie Ho Ka Pik (Ms), Clerical Officer, School of Creative Media, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong


About Novel HKSAR Names
Name Category: Rare

Sunday 30 January 2011

Saturday 29 January 2011

0736 HKSAR Name of the Day

Horus Law, Ngau Chi Wan, Hong Kong (SCMP letters 29 Jan 2010)


About Novel HKSAR Names
Name Category: Creation

Friday 28 January 2011

0735 HKSAR Name of the Day

Vincy Chu, Sham Shui Po, Hong Kong (SCMP letters 8 Dec 2009)

[see similar 0174 HKSAR Name of the Day and 0389 HKSAR Name of the Day]


About Novel HKSAR Names
Name Category: Creation; Substitution

Thursday 27 January 2011

0734 HKSAR Name of the Day

Symon Wong Yu-wing, magistrate, Hong Kong


About Novel HKSAR Names
Name Category: Rare

Wednesday 26 January 2011

0733 HKSAR Name of the Day

Mink Hwee, sales agent, Car City Motors, Hong Kong


About Novel HKSAR Names
Name Category: Creation

Tuesday 25 January 2011

0732 HKSAR Name of the Day

Mercy Wong Chung-yan, Lok Fu, Hong Kong (SCMP Letters, 25 Jan 2010)


About Novel HKSAR Names
Name Category: Rare

Monday 24 January 2011

0731 HKSAR Name of the Day

Denny Tam Bing Man, surveyor (since 1998), Hong Kong

(see 0468 HKSAR Name of the Day and 0643 HKSAR Name of the Day)


About Novel HKSAR Names
Name Category: Rare; somewhat common in Hong Kong

Sunday 23 January 2011

0730 HKSAR Name of the Day

Tona Lee Man Yung, doctor, Hong Kong

(see 0657 HKSAR Name of the Day)


About Novel HKSAR Names
Name Category: Rare; somewhat common among Hong Kong doctors?

Saturday 22 January 2011

0729 HKSAR Name of the Day

Goretti Ng Yuk Lan, accountant, Hong Kong


About Novel HKSAR Names
Name Category: Creation

Friday 21 January 2011

Thursday 20 January 2011

0727 HKSAR Name of the Day

Zarina Lam, art therapist and research fellow, Centre on Behavioural Health, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong


About Novel HKSAR Names
Name Category: Rare

Wednesday 19 January 2011

0726 HKSAR Name of the Day

Kalvin Chao, Hong Kong (SCMP Letters, 19 Jan 2010)


About Novel HKSAR Names
Name Category: Rare

Tuesday 18 January 2011

0725 HKSAR Name of the Day

Antoinette Lee, research fellow, Centre on Behavioural Health, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong


About Novel HKSAR Names
Name Category: Rare

Monday 17 January 2011

0724 HKSAR Name of the Day

Robe Wong (Ms), dog owner, at the Wan Chai Waterfront Promenade “pet park” for last time on 17 January 2010 with two of her four dogs, Milk and Chocolate, Hong Kong


About Novel HKSAR Names
Name Category: Creation; Substitution

Sunday 16 January 2011

0723 HKSAR Name of the Day

Tatia MC Lee (Ms), professor, Department of Psychology, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong


About Novel HKSAR Names
Name Category: Rare

Saturday 15 January 2011

0722 HKSAR Name of the Day

Zita Woo (Ms), administrative staff, Centre on Behavioural Health, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong


About Novel HKSAR Names
Name Category: Rare

Friday 14 January 2011

Ignoring Half the Sky

There may well be some bearded ladies in Belgium, but still … a call to arms for the general population to not shave is certainly not a call for unity!


That was my immediate thought when I read the BBC news story about the political situation in Belgium where they have installed a temporary government ('Grow a beard for Belgium' appeal by actor Poelvoorde).


Ignorance and Man-power (not manpower) is evidently prevalent in Belgium ... unless women there are not allowed to protest or vote.

0721 HKSAR Name of the Day

Byron Lam Saint-kit, Islands district officer, Hong Kong


About Novel HKSAR Names
Name Category: Rare; Literature-based

Thursday 13 January 2011

0720 HKSAR Name of the Day

Royston Chan, reporter, SCMP, Hong Kong


About Novel HKSAR Names
Name Category: Rare

Wednesday 12 January 2011

0719 HKSAR Name of the Day

Carlye Chu Fun-ling, Madam Justice, Hong Kong


About Novel HKSAR Names
Name Category: Rare

Tuesday 11 January 2011

0718 HKSAR Name of the Day

Caxton Li Kin-kei, founder, Wind Chasers group (windsurfing enthusiasts), Hong Kong


About Novel HKSAR Names
Name Category: Rare

Monday 10 January 2011

0716 HKSAR Name of the Day

Cat Kwok, manager, Okada Coffee, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong


About Novel HKSAR Names
Name Category: Rare; Nature-based

Sunday 9 January 2011

0715 HKSAR Name of the Day

Montagut Chuen Kam (Miss), illustrator and cancer survivor, Hong Kong


About Novel HKSAR Names
Name Category: Creation; Literature-based?

Saturday 8 January 2011

Avram Grant ‘Aving Us All On

He’s worse than ‘Arry Redknapp!


Avram Grant, with his consistently poor and lacklustre time as a premier league manager for Chelsea, Portsmouth and currently West Ham, must be incredibly talented at something to be given high-profile opportunities to manage football teams. What this talent is remains a deep mystery!


Perhaps he is a natural con artist? By saying that events will go one's way “by wearing certain clothing”, instead of accepting responsibility for his own lack of talent as a proven football manager, Grant appears to be able to gain the confidence and pull the wool over the eyes of those who stupidly believe him.


[Avram Grant, confidence man (pic from The Guardian)]



His latest example was to declare that he had a “lucky scarf” that has helped West Ham win matches. He claims he was given the lucky scarf on 30 November 2010 for the Carling Cup quarter-final win over Manchester United. But after that 4-0 win, he did not wear the scarf for the defeats to Sunderland and Manchester City, and the draw with Blackburn Rovers. Miraculously, when he used the scarf on 26 December 2010, West Ham promptly beat Fulham.


Grant also claims to have previous experience of having a lucky charm from his time with Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel.

"I remember when I was in Israel it was winter and I wore the same clothes. We won 11 games but I couldn't carry on wearing it, my shirt was smelling. I changed and we drew so the owner blamed me."


It therefore stands to reason irrationality that Grant believes that he has a lucky Chainrai charm. He made a big issue of wearing his lucky West Ham scarf for the next match on 5 January 2011 against Newcastle United.


Outcome: The Magpies promptly thrashed the Hammers 5-0. What are the chances of hearing anything more about Grant's "lucky" West Ham scarf?


This is not the first time Grant has invoked some lucky mascot (see Pompey’s Unlucky Mascot) ... and failed.



0714 HKSAR Name of the Day

Phila Siu, reporter, The Standard, Hong Kong


About Novel HKSAR Names
Name Category: Rare

Friday 7 January 2011

0713 HKSAR Name of the Day

Stanislaus Lai Ding-kee, criminologist, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong


About Novel HKSAR Names
Name Category: Rare

Thursday 6 January 2011

0712 HKSAR Name of the Day

Tazz So, Tung Chung, Hong Kong (SCMP letters 6 Jan 2010)


About Novel HKSAR Names
Name Category: Creation

Wednesday 5 January 2011

0711 HKSAR Name of the Day

Kaylen Chan, Wan Chai, Hong Kong (SCMP Letters, 3 Sep 2004)


About Novel HKSAR Names
Name Category: Rare

Tuesday 4 January 2011

Alien Abduction Assertions Akin to Being Bonkers

“Hello, I’m an abductee”.


And then everyone coughed, made their excuses and left. That’s the basic news story in the SCMP (subscription required) about the audience reaction to American Jim Sparks who was invited to speak by the Hong Kong UFO Club and the local branch of the Hawaii-based Exopolitics Institute.


[Yes, I talk to aliens]


Alien abductees always go for the convenient excuse in that the “aliens” studying them are so advanced beyond our comprehension and have technology that makes them invisible to us. And therefore, these "privileged individuals" are the only ones who can contact them or are in communication with them. How convenient!


Just like religious and cult leaders, these abductees just want people to believe them and “take their word for it” without ever providing any proof or evidence whatsoever. How convenient!


“Hello, I talk to God* and he tells me the most amazing things”.

* substitute for aliens, Allah, flying spaghetti monster, The Jade Emperor, etc, etc.


People who hear voices in their heads, and believe what they hear, are bonkers.


Perhaps the STRANGEST THING about this whole subject is the fact that the news article (partially reprinted below) reported 700 people went to the talk that cost between HK$150 and HK$300 per ticket. However, it is rather strange that the reporter only managed to “interview” one person out of the 700; a 22-year-old student.


Some oddities here (which are far more interesting than alien abductions):

1) Did this 22-year old student really pay (a significant sum, for a student) to attend?

2) Why didn’t the reporter interview others in the 700-strong crowd?

3) Did the reporter actually interview Jim Marsh or just report what he said during the talk?



Related individual ?

0161 HKSAR Name of the Day




Alien kidnap stories too out of the world for some (SCMP)

Adrian Wan

Jan 03, 2011


An American who maintains that he has been abducted hundreds of times by aliens left some members of his Hong Kong audience completely spaced out.


Having paid between HK$150 and HK$300 per ticket, some got up and left halfway through the talk by 56-year-old market researcher Jim Sparks.


He opened his lecture in Kowloon Bay to a gathering of 700 with the warning: "Many of you may find what I am going to say hard to swallow."


And they were prophetic words. While many listened quietly, some decided they had had enough.


One of those who headed for the door, student Derek Lau, 22, said: "He's a pretty good storyteller because he seemed so sincere.


"But for me it's too sci-fi. I'm a bit hungry and would rather go for a bite than sit through his fantasy."


Sparks was invited to make his first visit to the city by the Hong Kong UFO Club and the local branch of the Hawaii-based Exopolitics Institute, which says it carries out research into extraterrestrial activities.


Sparks said aliens first abducted him in 1988 when he was a property developer.


He would buy up raw land and divide it into lots for housing construction. But he was always very careful to preserve the trees on his developments.


This was in line with the claims of other alleged abductees, who said they were warned by the aliens against abusing the environment.


He said: "I had a good business and a good life. But one night, I was pulled from my bed to a craft."


At first he rebelled and refused to co-operate with the aliens.


But as the years passed, he got to understand more about them and even seemed to have won the trust of the extraterrestrials.


He added: "They know us as a person more than you know yourselves. Not only are they telepathic, they also have the technology to be invisible."


He attributed clear memories of his abductions to his anger about the events, which also included some "embarrassing experiences".

0710 HKSAR Name of the Day

Kaylene Hong, reporter, The Standard, Hong Kong


About Novel HKSAR Names
Name Category: Rare

Monday 3 January 2011

0709 HKSAR Name of the Day

Yuky Li (Ms), trainee English teacher, Hong Kong


About Novel HKSAR Names
Name Category: Creation; Phonetic-based?

Sunday 2 January 2011

0708 HKSAR Name of the Day

Kennie Kwok Chor-wah, director of industrial and office department, Centaline property agency, Hong Kong


About Novel HKSAR Names
Name Category: Rare for male; Creation for female

Saturday 1 January 2011

Holy Cow! Halo Deniers and Holly Lobbyists in Hong Kong

Spotted this frozen yogurt shop in Tsim Sha Tsui East and wondered why they used "Holly" instead of the well-known expression usually hollered by Canadians.

There's a cartoon signage of a cute cow with a halo above it so, unless there's an acknowledged Saint Moo or Sweet Angel Bovine around (who I, with my limited knowledge of manga and other cartoon celebrities, may not have heard about), the appropriate name of the shop should be pretty straightforward.

[Holy Cow! Where's the holly in my frozen yogurt!?]


In 2010, frozen yogurt shops have been springing up all over Hong Kong. Cute cows everywhere too!

BTW, there used to be a TCBY shop by Lan Kwai Fong many years ago; whatever happened to that franchise?

[Milky Cow ... not Millky Cow!]

At least the Milky Cow shop on Bonham Road has a name befitting of its product and cute signage.


Note to all: Wishing Everyone a Happy New Year and a Wonderful Start to the Second Decade of the Second Millennium!!

0707 HKSAR Name of the Day

Elvis Mak Ying-leung (Dr), head of a workplace violence task force at Tuen Mun Hospital and a doctor in its accident and emergency department, Hong Kong


About Novel HKSAR Names
Name Category: Rare; Self-important