And her name is...

After a week of speculation and guessing, we will now reveal the name of our little baby girl! The truth is, we took some time to finally settle on a name (and a spelling for the name) that we both liked and which reflected what we feel. And of course, we had to check and countercheck to make sure that her name didn't sound like a curse word or anything undesirable in English, Malay, Tamil and any one of the common chinese dialects spoken in Malaysia. Meanwhile, an advert was scheduled to appear on our blog, so we are taking this opportunity to get more hits on our website and earn more money! How timely... ;p

Based on standard Chinese tradition, her surname will be Koay. Though it is a common practice here in Oz to give a combined surname (or even for the child to follow the mom's surname), it was unthinkable for us because Koay-Low sounds too much like gay-lo (homosexual) or kwai-lo (mat salleh), and Low-Koay sounds like low-kwai (old turtle)! 

So anyway... we started off by thinking about her Chinese name, which we thought would be slightly easier, since we already had half of it. You see, for generations, the Koay clan has been keeping a list of characters that are to be used to form the first character of the chinese name for persons born in each generation. For her generation, the word is 家 (jiā), meaning 'home' or 'family'. We didn't have to use it, but we thought it'd be a cool idea to follow the tradition, and it also saves us a third of the work! For the second character in her chinese name, with the help of Kevin's parents, we picked 欣 (xīn), meaning 'joy' or 'rejoicing'. So 家欣 (jiā xīn) can be loosely translated as 'home/family of joy/rejoicing'. 

As for her English name, we played around with the idea of choosing something that sounded like 'jiā xīn'... and ended up with (after lots of deliberation on how we wanted to spell it) Jacynth (pronounced juh-sinth)! It is derived from the words jacinth (in modern usage a reddish orange gemstone, but in olden days a bluish gemstone - possibly sapphire) and hyacinth (a bluish purple flower). 

What's interesting is that jacinth is one of the gemstones used to adorn the walls of the New Jerusalem in the book of Revelation, as well as the breastplate of the high priest in the book of Exodus. Some of you will also have noticed the J. R. R. Tolkien quote on Facebook, taken from his poem 'The Happy Mariners', which gave the name its celestial connection. This of course delighted Kevin, not to mention that it also comes from one of his favourite authors.

Since the english and chinese names sound very similar, and to avoid repetitiveness, we decided to spell out her chinese name using the spelling of her English name...

And now we introduce you to...

Remember, it's spelled with a 'y'. ;)

P.S. - To those who thought/suggested that her name would/should be Koay Ko Chi, Koay Kar Pek, Koay Talam, Koay Ban Kek etc... Sorry to disappoint you! :)

The Happy Mariners

J.R.R Tolkien

I know a window in a western tower

That opens on celestial seas,

And wind that has been blowing round the stars

Comes to nestle in its tossing draperies.

It is a white tower builded in the Twilight Isles,

Where Evening sits for ever in the shade;

It glimmers like a spike of lonely pearl

That mirrors beams forlorn and lights that fade;

And sea goes washing round the dark rock where it stands,

And fairy boats go by to gloaming lands

All piled and twinkling in the gloom

With hoarded sparks of orient fire

That divers won in waters of the unknown Sun —

And, maybe, ‘tis a throbbing silver lyre,

Or voices of grey sailors echo up

Afloat among the shadows of the world

In oarless shallop and with canvas furled;

For often seems there ring of feet and song

Or twilit twinkle of a trembling gong.

O! happy mariners upon a journey long

To those great portals on the Western shores

Where far away constellate fountains leap,

And dashed against Night’s dragon-headed doors,

In foam of stars fall sparkling in the deep.

While I alone look out behind the Moon

From in my white and windy tower,

Ye bide no moment and await no hour,

But chanting snatches of a mystic tune

Go through the shadows and the dangerous seas

Past sunless lands to fairy leas

Where stars upon the jacinth wall of space

Do tangle burst and interlace.

Ye follow Earendel through the West,

The shining mariner, to Islands blest;

While only from beyond that sombre rim

A wind returns to stir these crystal panes

And murmur magically of golden rains

That fall for ever in those spaces dim.