WHAT'S IN A NAME?

Mother Theresa

Bumped into an old friend again in KLCC yesterday after my gym session. I don’t know what’s with me these days that I kept on seeing some long lost friends whom I didn’t think I would meet them again or rather not meet. I guess this is why they say this is such a small world.

Whispering. Oh no… don’t call me that name please.

James Daniel: Eh! Hi Theresa!!

Self: Oh, Hello, James.

James Daniel was my ex church mate. I mean – I no longer go to his church, and I guess he must have changed church too, since the church had moved to Jalan Raja Laut or Chow Kit Road, (above all places!) umpteenth years ago. The last thing I heard from the church was, two members’ bags got snatched in broad daylight.

Nice chap. He helped me with my Physics (the Science subject) when I was in Form 4 for free.

Okay. So…. Theresa used to be my name in church. I chose the name because of its meaning – noble.

Dad gave us Christian names when we were much younger and we adopted them without much thinking. Saja – nak glamer. (Translation: Just for the heck of it. It’s for glamour). Thank heavens (1ooXX) the names are not in our Identity Cards. You will find out soon.

Sister was named Susan and Brother was named Watson. He decided to change his name to Steven when he realized that “W” cannot go along well with our surname initial, which is a “C”.

Mine has a long history of name changing process. My sis said I changed my mine so often that I am behaving like the Government.

Kettleling (dad didn’t know how to spell Catherine then), Kathryn (Yes- Kat. I almost end up with the same name as you), Penny, Theresa then to Gina.

I couldn’t recall the reasons I changed from the Kathryn till Penny. (To change Kettleling is bloody damn obvious.) My good friend, Cynthia, her grandma is given “Theresa” as her new baptism name. Finding it difficult to pronounce, she kept on saying that this is a garbage name. (No offence to Theresas out there – and God bless Mother Theresa's soul. May she rests in peace.) In Cantonese, it sounds like “Tiau Lap Sap” (Translation: Taking the garbage out). I changed mine in a jiffy.

I couldn’t decide what to name myself till this name accidentally got stuck on me.

I started IRC-ing 6 years ago, with my brother’s nickname: Gin Tonic. Not wanting people to know my Chinese name – it is difficult to pronounce anyway, I just introduce myself Gin. Then, a simple evolution theory took its course, from Gin to Gina.

There you have it. Even with Gina – there have been numerous nicknames derived out of it, much worse compare to garbage Theresa… which I think, it would be prudent to keep it (them) to myself.

No wonder parents with newborn babies find it so hard to name their kids. It will affect them a lifetime.

(Warning for parents who accidentally named their kid “Soy Sauce”).