WENT TO MY brother’s new town house for dinner last night. Bro cooked up a fine dinner – sweet and sour pork using the traditional recipe passed down from generation to generation within our family. After dinner, we got into a discussion re our Chinese names and their meanings. We both agreed that the meaning of a person’s name seems to be more significant in Chinese culture than in Australian culture.

Told Bro that I am not happy with the meaning of my Chinese name. My Chinese name – which my mother has told me is a very pretty name – apparently means “I will skip and pick clover from lush fields”. Hate it hate it hate it.