When I was born back in ‘81, my mother wanted to name me Maximilian. That’s right, I was almost Maximilian Liew. Thank God my grandmother intervened and suggested the name Ben. My mother agreed as ‘Ben’ was her favourite MJ song at the time. Years later, after much torment at school, I learned that the song was actually about a rat!

Ben, the sequel to the 1971 horror film Willard, was about a lonely boy who befriends a rat that leads a swarm of telepathic killer rodents. This rat, whom the boy names Ben, becomes his best friend and keeps his spirits up in the face of bullies.

A young Michael Jackson recorded the song for the film and it became his first number 1 hit as a solo artist. ‘Ben’ was later included on Jackson’s album of the same title. It won a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song.

Looking back, I’m glad I got this name. Although I probably would have been a successful businessman if I were named Maximilian… Bleh!