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| Power Rengers Malaysia |
HUMOUR plays a large role in the life of Malaysians, be it intentionally, or otherwise.
From the way we perceive everyday woes such as traffic jams, the price of petrol and the rising cost of importing Indonesian maids, humour is an essential self-defence mechanism we use to safeguard against being overcome by the sheer bleakness of a particular situation.
And in the cultural melting pot that is Malaysia, just about everyone, be it Malay, Chinese, Indian, or "dan lain-lain" has their own unique perspective on what tickles each person's funny bone.
The same applies to the subject names in Malaysia. We have the usual Ahmad, Lim and Raju, but every once in a special while, someone will wander down the path less trodden and choose a name which wildly deviates from the norm and becomes a subject of conversation.
The matter was raised recently by none other than the Election Commission, which pointed out some of the more unique names registered on the electoral roll.
Some parents, the EC noted, have taken to naming their children after fruits and produce: Timun, Kangkung.
There are also those who named their children after animals: Kuda, Harimau.
Another unique name that is bound to raise eyebrows upon introduction is Machine Gun, Boeing and Rothmans.
And lest anyone should cry foul and slam this as another fake ID exercise worthy of a Royal Commission of Inquiry, a report in May last year confirmed that these unusual names on the electoral roll were of actual people.
The EC confirmed that checks made with the National Registration Department indeed verified that these people are indeed real, and they do exist.
EC chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof was quoted as saying that those bearing these unusual names usually hail from the rural parts of Sabah and Sarawak.
Other quirky names cited in the report include Elvis Presley; A. Ramlie bin Jefridin; Atas Jalan; and Tepi Jalan.
To the uninitiated. Elvis is the 'King of rock n' roll' whilst A Ramli and Jefridin are popular local pop yeh-yeh singers from the 60s. No explanation, however, was available for Atas Jalan and Tepi Jalan. And only recently, Malaysian Facebook users were thrilled when a MyKad of an individual from East Malaysia was distributed online.
One can only imagine that the reason for the individual's name is due to his parents' love for a particular super hero TV show back in the 1990s.
The individual's name on his MyKad: 'Valintino Power Rengers.' And for the record, Valentino isn't the only one with such an unusual name.
Other similarly eye-catching Malaysian names include: 1. Cahaya Mata binti Karim 2. Wanita binti Latif 3. Reni Suria Pagi 4. Hang Tuah 5. Hang Jebat 6. Putih Jernih 7. Mohd Nur Zakar 8. Tengkorak bin Buruk 9. Farah Putrinegara 10. Puasa bin Raya 11. Nur Asmaradana 12. Ahmad Yamashita 13. Mohd Hitler 14. Temujin
While we may be forgiven for sharing a laugh or two at the names, one must be reminded that what seems unusual in one community could be a source of pride for another.
Perhaps English playwright William Shakespeare, in one of his most-loved plays, Romeo and Juliet, described it best when his lead character Juliet Capulet, said: "What's in a name? That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet."
While there are several ways in which Juliet's famous quote has been interpreted, it has also been deemed to mean that names at the end of the day remain just words, and what should matter is the character behind the person bearing the name.
And at the end of the day, 'Power Rengers' or no, it remains just one of the quirks of Malaysian life that make us uniquely… Malaysian.
Sumber: mD
http://www.malaysiandigest.com/opinion/235561-from-elvis-to-power-rangers-a-look-at-unusual-malaysian-names.html
From the way we perceive everyday woes such as traffic jams, the price of petrol and the rising cost of importing Indonesian maids, humour is an essential self-defence mechanism we use to safeguard against being overcome by the sheer bleakness of a particular situation.
And in the cultural melting pot that is Malaysia, just about everyone, be it Malay, Chinese, Indian, or "dan lain-lain" has their own unique perspective on what tickles each person's funny bone.
The same applies to the subject names in Malaysia. We have the usual Ahmad, Lim and Raju, but every once in a special while, someone will wander down the path less trodden and choose a name which wildly deviates from the norm and becomes a subject of conversation.
The matter was raised recently by none other than the Election Commission, which pointed out some of the more unique names registered on the electoral roll.
Some parents, the EC noted, have taken to naming their children after fruits and produce: Timun, Kangkung.
There are also those who named their children after animals: Kuda, Harimau.
Another unique name that is bound to raise eyebrows upon introduction is Machine Gun, Boeing and Rothmans.
And lest anyone should cry foul and slam this as another fake ID exercise worthy of a Royal Commission of Inquiry, a report in May last year confirmed that these unusual names on the electoral roll were of actual people.
The EC confirmed that checks made with the National Registration Department indeed verified that these people are indeed real, and they do exist.
EC chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof was quoted as saying that those bearing these unusual names usually hail from the rural parts of Sabah and Sarawak.
Other quirky names cited in the report include Elvis Presley; A. Ramlie bin Jefridin; Atas Jalan; and Tepi Jalan.
To the uninitiated. Elvis is the 'King of rock n' roll' whilst A Ramli and Jefridin are popular local pop yeh-yeh singers from the 60s. No explanation, however, was available for Atas Jalan and Tepi Jalan. And only recently, Malaysian Facebook users were thrilled when a MyKad of an individual from East Malaysia was distributed online.
One can only imagine that the reason for the individual's name is due to his parents' love for a particular super hero TV show back in the 1990s.
The individual's name on his MyKad: 'Valintino Power Rengers.' And for the record, Valentino isn't the only one with such an unusual name.
Other similarly eye-catching Malaysian names include: 1. Cahaya Mata binti Karim 2. Wanita binti Latif 3. Reni Suria Pagi 4. Hang Tuah 5. Hang Jebat 6. Putih Jernih 7. Mohd Nur Zakar 8. Tengkorak bin Buruk 9. Farah Putrinegara 10. Puasa bin Raya 11. Nur Asmaradana 12. Ahmad Yamashita 13. Mohd Hitler 14. Temujin
While we may be forgiven for sharing a laugh or two at the names, one must be reminded that what seems unusual in one community could be a source of pride for another.
Perhaps English playwright William Shakespeare, in one of his most-loved plays, Romeo and Juliet, described it best when his lead character Juliet Capulet, said: "What's in a name? That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet."
While there are several ways in which Juliet's famous quote has been interpreted, it has also been deemed to mean that names at the end of the day remain just words, and what should matter is the character behind the person bearing the name.
And at the end of the day, 'Power Rengers' or no, it remains just one of the quirks of Malaysian life that make us uniquely… Malaysian.
Sumber: mD
http://www.malaysiandigest.com/opinion/235561-from-elvis-to-power-rangers-a-look-at-unusual-malaysian-names.html
