Why My Name is Hapi

A lot of people I meet for the first time have one question for me. "Why are you called 'Hapi'?" Good question. Not many girls around this place are actually named after an adjective. But then the answer to that question is not as simple as you might think, so when asked where my name came from, I'd simply shrug and say "long story".

Actually, this long story began way back in the psychedelic 70's after two people fell in love. A young man in a crazy afro, and a young woman with Cat-woman glasses met on campus during their college days. At that time, the guy had gone thru many bad relationships and wasn't exactly ready to begin another one. But POOF! Love does have a way of surprising people. Before he knew it, the girl in the glasses had caught his eye. Not long after their meeting, they became a couple.

As they continued to study, this couple often got together on the sidewalk outside their campus to eat siopao and fishballs (this is where my name comes in). Incidentally, every time they get together, a certain song by Chicago plays on the radio. It is entitled "Happy Man ". It went: "Maybe by chance, very unsuspecting, you caught my heart unprotecting me...now I'm falling in love with you..wooohooohooo...and for the first time in my life, you made me feel like a happy man..."

There it is...a song for someone who fell in love "unexpectedly" and considered himself "a happy man". So there.A few years later, the couple decided to name their kids "Asher", which in Hebrew meant "blessed" or "happy."

When my sister came into this world, she was named "Hannah Asher" with the nickname "Glad". I was called "Grace Asher, nicknamed "Happee", and my brother John Asher was later on christened as "Joy". But somehow, their names didn't stick. Someone said "Glad" sounded like a garbage bag and "Joy" wasn't exactly a name befitting for a guy--so their names were scratched.Mine stuck.

But since "Happee" looked like a toothpaste brand, they changed my spelling to "Happy". Later on, when I was old enough to realize my name was spelled like I was always greeting someone's birthday, I changed the spelling to H-a-p-i. That was before I found out that Hapi was actually an ancient Egyptian god of fertility with breasts of a woman. Ironically, my parents thought I was a guy before I was born--all my cute baby stuff were blue. (Not that it has any connection.hehe)

Hapi - the Egyptian god of fertility

SO now...I'm called "Hapi" by my family and close friends. If you call me "grace" that means we have a lot of getting-to-know-you stuff to do. =) I actually don't mind being called "Hapi"--even though it prompts a lot of smiles, and makes people sing "It's so nice to be happy..shalalala" everytime I pass by them--it's like my theme song. Others like to ask me "Hapi, are you happy?" then they'd go off laughing. I'd just shake my head and say..."No..i'm actually sleepy." Some people like to call me "Sad" just to try to be funny. I don't mind. I think my name is great..unique--even if it is an adjective. So i guess I'll just sing along with the folks.." It's so nice to be HAPI..shalala!" =)