Wednesday, April 04, 2007

The Fab Four: Mao, Chiang, Jing and Ringo

Hong Kong's richest woman, Nina Wang, dies at age 69

There is only one reason I'm posting on this story, and it has to do with the name of the spokesman for this rich woman:
Wang's spokesman Ringo Wong said Wang died from an illness Tuesday, but he declined to give specifics.

Let's just take a stab at this:

The information I saw stated that China's population in 2006 was estimated at about 1.3 billion people. Let's just assume that the male population is half that number, though it is probably higher, that would make it around 650 million males.

Of those 650 million, how many do you think have the first name of Ringo? My guess is 1.

When I transferred to Gustavus Adolphus College, back in the late 70's, I was put in a room with a guy who happened to be from Hong Kong as well--- Micci Wong. I don't remember what his real first name was, but I remember him telling me that some Italian friend of his gave him the name Micci, and that's what he used.

I lived with Micci for one semester during my sophmore year. We had some problems at times understanding each other; but basically we got along great, and he'd come home with me over breaks. The rest of my time at school, we would see each other around campus and talk, but we never really hung out with each other. Well, about a year after I graduated, I got a call from Micci and he asked me to be the best man in his wedding. His girlfriend---Sue, also from Hong Kong had transfered to a college in Mankato, which was about 20 minutes away from our school.

I found it rather odd, but I agreed, and went down to Gustavus on the big day. They got married in the school chapel, and had just a little reception there after the wedding. Someone suggested, it may have been me, that we go into Mankato and hit a bar to celebrate a little further. So, off we went---me, the bridesmaid (also American, and who had lived with Sue for only one semester of their college life as well), Micci and Sue, and about 10 other Chinese people.

Needless to say, the bridesmaid and I sat in a corner by ourselves, drinking, and listening to a dozen Chinese people talking to each other in their language. All in all it was a very surreal night; and it ended with me carrying around a very tiny Chinese girl who had passed out after drinking too much. Micci didn't want me to drive home, so he, over my objections, got a hotel room for me. Well, the passed out girl didn't have a key to her house, she was living in a home with her brother and some other people from Hong Kong, so I ended up bringing her with me back to the hotel room. Around 3 in the morning, she was in the bathroom throwing up when her brother, along with about 5 others, knocked on the door and came in to get her.

The good news is they were very polite and just took the girl and left. That night was the last night I ever saw Micci. I heard he had stayed in the Twin Cities, but even though I had tried a few times to locate him, I was never successful. I never did learn to speak Chinese, but I just went out and found this---how my name looks in Chinese.


David=

To find out what your name looks like in Chinese, go HERE

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