Names, names and more names

I remember during the days when I was in secondary school, my friends and I would get together and think about what we would name our children. I would be rather uncreative, use the names of characters that I liked from drama serials as references and create permutations of them. It was just a carefree, innocent sort of imagining.

Fast forward to today. 15 years on, I find myself thinking hard about my children's names again. However, the thought processes are no longer carefree, but instead fraught with some amount of pressure. The difference is of course attributable to the fact that I'm now 37 weeks pregnant. I've officially reached the full term of pregnancy, and baby's head is apparently engaged. This means I might go into labour anytime now. Further, given that I have to officially name my baby daughter within 14-30 days after her birth as stipulated by law, it means that I have to come up with baby names. REALLY SOON.

Not that Hubby and I have not been thinking, but naming a baby is really serious business, and not the 'masak masak' activity of yesteryear. Names carry the blessings, virtues or qualities that parents wish for their children to have. If you believe in geomancy, the name also determines the child's future life development -- whether he/she will be blessed or not so blessed in life. Hubby and I have names we like, but we also have to respect the elders in the family, who may weigh in with their opinions; opinions that may at times conflict with ours. So naming a newborn is serious and a FAMILY business, or more precisely, an exercise in family politics. (I correct myself: having a baby in itself is sometimes an exercise in family politics -- choosing the name is but one of the many potential points of contention.)

I wonder what name my little girl will have eventually. For now, I'm just contented to call her 'baby' or 'Loi Loi,' which is literally 'girl girl' in Cantonese. I know for sure she responds to those names. (*Kick kick, turn turn*)

P.S. I thought I should update the look of my blog, since Blogger came up with new template designs. Love this new one with the grass and dandelions! =)