a malaysian abroad

Back in 1891, Karl Elsener discovered with much dismay that the pocket knives supplied to the Swiss Army were actually made in Germany. Being the owner of a company that made surgical equipment, Herr Elsener decided to get working on a true Swiss product for the Swiss Army. His company, which was to be called Victorinox, cornered the market for only a few years before a cutler in the French-speaking part of Switzerland started producing a rival product, later to be branded Wenger.

In order to prevent issues of regional favouritism, and to encourage competition, in 1908 the Swiss Army decided to award half of its required knives from each company. But don’t be fooled - while they might have been rivals in the past, Victorinox took over Wenger in 2005, thus becoming the sole supplier of Swiss Army knives once again. However, for the moment there are no plans to discontinue the Wenger brand.

And now, a Pop Quiz:

Q1: Which brand is advertised as the Genuine Swiss Army Knife?
Q2: Which brand is advertised as the Original Swiss Army Knife?
Q3: Which brand produced the Sith Army Knife pictured below?

image source: MotivatedPhotos.com

Answers:

1. Wenger
2. Victorinox
3. Victorinox (Wenger’s logo is a cross surrounded by a white square-ish box with rounded corners)

.

Do you remember when was the first time you ever heard of the Swiss Army Knife?  Do you have one of your own?  Why, or why not?

Have you heard?  It won’t be the Sears Tower for very much longer.  Sometime this summer, it’s going to be renamed Willis Tower.

Back in my teenage years, I used to hang out at Yow Chuan Plaza. The McDonald’s that is now across the road at Ampang Park started out at Yow Chuan; I had my first (and last) durian milkshake here.  I used to know this one Aunty who ran a photo shop: I’d get my photos printed (and all those reprints!) here. Had countless bowling sessions here too: occasionally with family, most often with schoolmates, sometimes solo - always a good time.  Snuggled with my first bf on the outside stairs overlooking the busy intersection.  Hung out at a music store so often I was friends with the employees there.  Lusted over a poster of Michael Praed that was on the wall of some random shop on the 3rd floor.

Fun times!

Sears Tower Chicago by cikaga jamie

Somewhere along the way, the building was renamed Plaza Ampang: no matter, it was always Yow Chuan to me.

I suspect it will be the same for Chicagoans, in relation to the Sears Tower.

Why rename it? you ask.

According to the Chicago Tribune, Willis Group Holdings, a London-based insurance broker, is behind it all. The Willis Group announced recently that it will consolidate its area offices to Sears Tower and as part of the deal, gets to put its own name on the 36-year-old skyscraper.

“It’s a tremendous boost for the Willis brand in North America,” said Willis spokesman Will Thoretz. “We’re especially well known in the U.K., but we’re relatively unknown in North America. We really feel this will make us a household name in the U.S.”

Umm, “household name”? Perhaps, but probably for the wrong reason!  Methinks WIllis will be on the lips of most Chicagoans, but not in a good way!

After all, while “my” Yow Chuan Plaza was just a shopping complex, the Sears Tower is an icon not just of Chicago, but of the USA! I will always fondly remember how the folks at the Sears Tower refused to acknowledge the PETRONAS Twin Towers as the tallest building(s) in the world (it continues to be the tallest in the Western Hemisphere).

Sears Tower Election Night by Elvis-in-Vegas

When I first got to Chicago almost 3 years ago I didn’t know which one was the Sears Tower - Kosh had to keep reminding me “it’s the one that looks like it’s made up of black lego blocks”.  Okay, got it!

I’ve enjoyed noticing the different colored lights that shine on its antennae, depending on the occasion: pink for breast cancer awareness; blue and orange for Bears games; red white and blue on Election Day; and of course last night’s bright green for St Patrick’s Day.

One thing I’m confident of, though - Sears Tower or Willis Tower, it won’t share the same fate as poor old Yow Chuan Plaza, oops I mean Plaza Ampang: during my last trip to Kuala Lumpur, it was no longer there.  Just another building making way for more development.  I wonder what’s going to come up in its place…

So tell me, how do YOU feel about changing the names of landmarks?