An Auspicious Start...

We finally registered #3's name on the 1st November 2011 - an auspicious date I have googled. :p

Hereby introducing baby #3 as......

ALYSSA ANG XIN YUE (洪欣悦)!^__^

It was a major headache trying to come up with a perfect name that clicks. I spent more than a few sleepless nights thinking about it.

I was SO SO close to naming her Amanda that I even told a few people close to me that I was considering that name when they asked. I mean, I would prefer to keep everything under wraps until it is confirmed....

So no.3 was almost Amanda UNTIL I happened to check the urban dictionary which states:

A women named Amanda is typically very beautiful with an incredible body and nice eyes. They are known to be very loveable. Amandas are envied by other women.

Erhm... an incredible body and nice eyes?!?? *faint* How shallow!!

Goodbye, Amanda!

Kimberly and Sophie were also high on my list but their numerology (!) combination with Xin Yue (hubby's choice name) didn't go down well. :p

Besides, I still longed for an A name to go with surname Ang, just like Angie's. I just love it when a name starts with the same letter as its surname. Though I didn't think of that when I was naming Faith. :p

(Note to self: Maybe I should call myself C______ Chng. High time to get an English name... Sometimes I am reluctant to use my given name for trival purposes like making enquiries, bookings, purchases or even filling out contest forms because it feels too personal, KWIM? Oops! Sorry, I digress. :p)

As if God was trying to help in my dilemma, a few days before the registration, I came across a news article claiming that children with names starting with A tended to have a higher self-esteem than children with names starting with other alphabetical letters. Hmmm!

The reason is because A is traditionally linked to excellence. e.g. A-student...A-star...Grade A... Not sure if this could be the reason why names starting with A are so popular - I realised that when I once tried to buy a set of wooden name letterings for Angie but I couldn't because letter A was OOS!

So A it shall be! It was a little challenging because hubby thought.... Audrey (too old-ish), Adora (too comical), Andrea (too ambigious to pronounce). Ashley/Ashleigh were also out because we have friends' kids with this name already..... Sigh!

Then suddenly out of the blue, I thought of Alyssa which a friend has mentioned but I didn't consider it seriously then because I felt it sounded too "angmo". Faith has a pretty and bubbly classmate with that name and she is a Chinese-Australian...

Traditionally, Alyssa means "the noble sort" (whatever that means). What eventually won me over were the various definitions proposed by the urban dictionary (again):

1) The kind of girl who still manages to find a way to smile; the one that you'll see walking down the hallway, having her head up high, trying just one last time; the kind of girl that will get back up, each and everytime she falls... the kind of girl who NEVER gives up.

2) Everything a true best friend should be. Someone who can always make you smile and knows her way around your head. One of those amazing people you meet in life that you should never let go.

3) A one of a kind person whose sence of fun never wears down. Always up for fun and being silly, laughter is contagious so watch out!

4) Alyssa is a beautiful person that brings happiness to everyone she meets. Alyssa is entertaining, funny, and always a blast to talk to. One who has befriended Alyssa should thank the heavens for it.

WOW.

Special thanks to Janet for suggesting this name. Hope you are reading this. ;)

As for Alyssa's Chinese name, I suggested consulting a Fengshui Shifu but hubby refused because he didn't believe their "methods of calculation". He only trusts the Chinese dictionary to provide him with meaningful names. Ah well.....

I had originally wanted Xin Jie 洁(pure) but it wasn't well-recieved. ILs said it sounded like a boy. Hubby was neutral about it until he realised it sounded like "a knot in the heart".

In the end, I left the final decision to hubby since his command of the language is stronger than me. Afterall, he took Higher Chinese and Chinese Literature for his O levels..... So,

Faith is... Xin Ying - 欣(Happy) 颖(Clever)

Angie is... Xin Lin - 欣(Happy) 琳(Gem)

Alyssa is... Xin Yue - 欣(Happy) 悦(Contented)

Best of both worlds: Alyssa Ang - mummy's choice; 洪欣悦 - daddy's choice! (^__*)