2 months later, I will be holding you in my arms. Thus Daddy is giving you a name, it is about time.
Your mother is not agreeable to this name yet. I shall address you as such temporarily until permission is granted. In this letter, you will know why I chose this name for you.
Albany is a place in South-Western Australia. It is this fact that your mum dislike it. She has your well-being at heart, that you may be made fun by your future friends for having a name of a town.
Let me share a story with you. Long ago Mummy went to Australia to study for 2 years while Daddy remained in Singapore. It was then the absence made Daddy realised that how important was Mummy to him. After a year I saved up enough money to fly over to Australia to visit Mummy. It was winter. I didn't like the cold. I was fearful of strange friends of Mummy, foreign from all over the world. I didn't enjoy the food. It was miserable. But I was finally with Mummy and I felt happy.
We visited many places while I was in Australia. Many of them were nice places. Personally I liked the quiet forest of Pemberton, the 2km jetty of Busselton, the treetop walk at Denmark and the ancient lighthouse of Ausgusta. However, nothing struck me more like the town of Albany.
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| Typical nameless beaches along pockets of coast of Albany |
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| The enchanting blue ocean |
In Albany, Daddy fell in love with Australia. Mummy and Daddy finally had quiet times driving aimlessly with no plans, exploring the charm and beauty of the place. We would stop our cars at places with scenery that took our breath away and we did that many times. The oceans of Albany was especially calm and bluer than any than I had seen. Mummy and Daddy held our hands and gazed at the horizon for long periods with no words exchanged.
A few years later, Mummy and Daddy got married and we brought Grandpa and Grandma to Albany. Grandpa and Grandma never had a proper honeymoon before so all four of us enjoyed our honeymoon together. In Albany, Grandpa and Grandma held their hands and enjoyed the awesome views of Albany just as we did. It had been years since I saw them excited and rave about things. In Albany, 2 generations of your family shared a special bond and brought back special memories.
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| Albany wind farm |
Mummy will be reading this when Daddy goes to work later in the day. While she is reading it, give her a kick. Once for 'Yes', twice for 'Yes, Yes' and none for 'Absolutely'. Good luck :)
none :)
ReplyDeleteWhich is absolutely! Hello Albany!
ReplyDeleteI am sure this has nothing to do with the conversation we had over dinner about my friend naming her daughter Esperance!
ReplyDeleteAlbany has a nice ring to it though.
hmm, tough one bro...how abt these? was some I've considered. Audrey, Alsa/Alsie, Amma, Adna...naming can be crazy hehe.
ReplyDeletethis is so sweet !
ReplyDeletei can imaging Albany will bring u & jen to Albany travel tgt =)
#10513
Awww... thts so sweet.. only thing is it sounds a little teeny bit like Albania. Your wife does have a point.
ReplyDeleteThis is a really sweet post nonetheless..congrats on the impending bundle of joy.
your best blog entry so far - unknown (punggol forum)
ReplyDeleteno please... your daughter will be made fun of by her friends! to adults, that name might be symbolic and meaningful. but to children, they don't understand and she'll definitely be a laughing stock among her friends
ReplyDeletehahaha... actually your wife does have her point.. lolx~ everyone wish to have a special name or a unique name... especially girls..
ReplyDeleteyou can actually try to name her something that sounds a bit like Albany... For example... erm... Albee.. Ailey.. Alny.. etc.. or try to play around with the alphabet.. no matter how, you will still be to tell her the story about her name..
I think Albany is good at least she has a story to tell. Victoria Beckham named her first child Brooklyn as she loves that place...Maybe people might poke a fun about it but sooner or later, they forget! Go ahead singaporean, you get my support!
ReplyDeleteI'm so surprised I got so many comments for this post...
ReplyDeleteWhen I hurt, get cut and have aches nobody care. But name my daughter, everyone interested. Haha!
@ Jen: I take it as yes?
@anonymous1 : :D
@Patrick: Nah, but it is somewhat similar. The feelings a place could invoke in us can be very surprising at times.
@chincilla: sis, so you don't find Albany nice?
@saltvinegar: your first visit? Thanks for visiting and commenting. I take it as a -1 for the name I chose :)
@annoymous2: Unknown: Bro. I am surprised you know my blog. How come you know, I didn't talk about it in PR. Anyway, I'm glad to have someone familiar communicating with me. Everything is new here I felt quite daunted by it.
@annoymous3: Don't worry, I'm not naming my daugher Paris Ris or Clementi. Albany should be ok.
@memories: Yeah I get what you mean but there is not many unique names in the world. And you know what's the problem with unique names? People pronounce and spell it wrong ALL the time. :P
@ellis: Finally some support!!
After some days not coming up, I find that this post is really really a good one and I shared among my friend. It i so sweet and it really bring the image of four of you travel in Albany.
ReplyDeleteWhat a shame that I still havent visted the place before. I must make a trip there no matter I'm going alone or going with friend.
In fact I find Albany is really special enough and I AGREE with it...
I really would want to say "Hi , Little Albany" when I'm around in Perth. I do have a friend called Honey. Guess what.. she is just totally proud of her name. I believe your daughter will like it as there is a touching story behind her name.
@ Peyning, yo long time no see. how's life in sg?
ReplyDeleteDidn't know u like Albany too, maybe we'll visit one day together.
Actually I'm following your blog but just din put down a comment for it. Life in Singapore is just as usual. Working , sleep and eat with the accompaniment of squeezing the MRT.
ReplyDeleteRecently happen to transfer to another department but the job scope still the same and yet the industry that I handle still the same. Things has become tough.
For me, Albany is still a place in my dream. Many people was saying that Albany is really an awesome place and I just happen to miss it so many time. Let's give a promise, we shall all go to Albany when the little Albany is out to see the world. When the time reach, you should have given yourself a short break for this memorable vacation. Let's finger crossed and we must make the trip....Cheers.....
This is indeed a beautiful letter to a daughter. I love the concept of the name and do not worry about your daughter being mocked in the future.
ReplyDeleteNo matter what name you have given, anyone who has creative ideas will think of a way to laugh at people's name. After some time, we tend to forget or just make fun of it. It is not such a big deal and good way to teach one to be stronger and more positive.
I really love the pictures you have taken and would travel to Albany to see for myself one day!
In the meantime, please take good care of yourself, especially during work and help me send regards to Jenny.
Kind regards,
LXL
Nice letter to your daughter. And nice name chosen! Your wife will be touched reading this blog. Your daughter will appreciate it with the story behind her name. Blissful always! Take care!
ReplyDeleteRegards,
Anthony Tan
QUEST 92-95 ;)
@ LXL: hi old fren. thanks for visiting. haha Albany is not paradise so don't get hopes so high but it should be a satisfying trip for anyone by any standards. hopefully you'll get to visit one day too.
ReplyDeleteI'm not afraid my daughter being mocked. A lot of places were named after people and a lot of people are named after places. It's really fine.
@ Anthony Tan, thanks for visiting. U're a year my junior. It's been a long long time since i seen QUEST. It is a great way to identify ourselves. I love it. My wife wasn't quite touched though. She is still apprehensive with the name.
ReplyDelete@ Peyning: Life is Singapore is like that. It's ok actually. Just that sometimes when you feel frustrated there isn't much places to go to have some time and space by yourself.
ReplyDeletehappy to hear you have made the BIG decision. we'll be waiting for you here.
Long-time friend, thanks for your response. I like to travel to scenic places to look at the ocean or feel the breeze..nature (where I can feel peaceful and at ease). Although I have travelled to quite a number of countries or certain parts of Australia, I will not feel bored just looking at the sea or clear blue sky :)
ReplyDeleteA name with a touching story behind it is definitely more meaningful to a person!
@LXL : I hope my baby appreciates it. But it's not done-deal yet. Jen hasn't agreed to it
ReplyDeleteaaww.... tat's sucha sweet post!!
ReplyDeletedin know this name has sucha beautiful meaning to it...
and my! it's really a beautiful place!!!
i somehow recognised tat rock in the 2nd pic..
i think i been there b4..
it was abt 12 yrs ago thou..
went aussie for holidays with my family back then..
would love to go aussie again!
-Julia
@Julia: migrate here better la. I'll support Man U if u come :)
ReplyDeletehmmm so albany is set....but i can imagine her lil nick wil be "Abby"
ReplyDeletesei
@ Sei: not set yet cos i'm getting a lot of objections. I'm steadfast on my intent. If a father cannot even name his daughter, what good am I as a dad?
ReplyDeleteer...can u choose a name easier to read?
ReplyDeleteah pooh
I backtracked for more than a few months to finally search for a post where I had a hunch that you might share how you named your lovely girl 'Albany'.
ReplyDeleteIt IS a beautiful name, my fiance and I agreed. We enjoyed Albany as much as you did, only we found Esperance more of a calling. =) No prizes for guessing what we will be naming our future girl.
Searching about Canning Vale, found your post on Canning Vale market, kept reading on and came to this page. Beautiful story, beautiful place and hope to see u around in Perth:)
ReplyDeleteAt James Tan Immigration Lawyer, We provide Parent, Partner & Spouse Visa in Melbourne, Spouse Visa Lawyers Eastern Suburbs. Our expert will assist to help visa. Visit us at: https://immigrationlawyer.com.au/family-sponsored-visas-melbourne/
ReplyDelete