
September 8, 2017 What's
in a Name?
Ever since I can remember
I've always had difficulty with my name. I'm named after my Dad but he
doesn't spell it with the letter "O" in the middle. Funny,
to this day I never asked him why he and my Mom decided that I would be
named that way. They could have named me "Junior" or
something completely normal but no, they gave me his name with a funny
"O" smack in the middle.
I have to admit it
makes me pretty unique. There are a lot of Rauls but not
a whole lot of RaOuls. Except maybe in France where there
are more guys with the same fancy spelling. Legend has it that my grandfather
named my Dad Raul because his favorite book was The 3 Musketeers
(actually, The Man with the Iron Mask) and Raoul was the
bastard son of Athos, one of the musketeers (maybe I'm a bastard son?!?!
Now that explains a lot of things!!! :-D) Whatever! To this day
I always have to spell out my name in slow motion --- especially on the
phone. One time I was talking to an outsourced dyslexic tech support and
he could not pronounce or spell my name. I laughed so hard I hung up the
phone to end his misery. Poor guy! Actually ... poor me!
I share all of this
because the video below is about an African with the strangest name ever!
I was bawling in tears because I could relate. Be sure to watch it.
Have you ever googled
your name? If you google my whole name, I'm the only Raoul Pascual
for several pages. No kidding! No SEO (Search Engine Optimization) needed.
Identity Theft may be a little difficult in my case. (BTW, If you're
a hacker, this is not a challenge --- please keep my name out of your
dastardly deeds!)
And what about the
way my name is pronounced? Some of my best friends call me RAY-OOL or
RAWL or ROLL instead of RA-OOL (the right way to pronounce it). I've stopped
trying to correct them. However my name slides off their mouths is fine
with me. Just don't call me "Hey you!"
Another problem with
my name is it sounds Spanish. And so I get a lot of Spanish junk advertisement.
Habla Espanol pero muy poquito! [I speak very little
Spanish]. And when I purchase something in a store and I swipe
my card and the cashier looks at my name and then verifies my face, there's
always the double look: "Hmmm ... Spanish name but Asian features?
Where did you steal this card?"
But despite all that,
I love my name. It's what my parents decided for me. It's what my wife
and I gave to my son. And maybe ... just maybe .. it will be a name that
will bring happy thoughts every Friday morning.
What's in your wallet?
I know! YOUR NAME!
TGIF people!
"The
sole purpose of a child's middle name,
is so he can tell when he's really in trouble."
Fixin'
to Jump in San Antonio, Texas Contributed by
Tom of Pasadena, CA
One day a gentle Texas
lady was driving across a high bridge in San Antonio. As she neared the
middle of the bridge, she noticed a young man fixin to jump.

("fixin' to"
in Texas means getting ready to).
She stopped her car,
rolled down the window and said, "Please don't jump! Think of
your dear mother and father."
He replied, "My mom and dad are both dead; I'm going to jump."

She said, "Well,
think of your sweet wife and precious children."

He replied, "I'm
not married, and I don't have any kids."
She said, "Well then, you just remember the Alamo."

He replied, ''What's
the Alamo?''
She replied, "Well,
bless your heart! You just go ahead and jump ... you little Yankee
rascal! You're holding up traffic."
What
Do You Call Them? Contributed by
Garie of Makati, Philippines

TGIF Videos

Wat's
Yor Nem? Sent by Jun of Quezon City, Philippines
I couldn't stop
laughing. This must be the most difficult name in the world. And
what makes it especially funny is this guy is dead serious. The
interviewer was crying at the end.
|

Expiry
Date Sent by Peter Paul of S Pasadena
Who sez you
need to be married by the time you are thirty? Who sez you need
to be successful by the time you reach 50? Thought provoking.
|

Awww
... Dad! Sent by Peter Paul of S Pasadena
It isn't Father's
Day anymore but Dads could still be appreciated. Here's a Philippine
commercial that went viral.
|
|