Spring represents hope.
A fresh start. A new beginning. Even if we dun get any seasons, the spirit of the arrival of spring still holds true.
I never knew this before, but my Dad’s name and mine are very closely linked to spring.
My dad’s original chinese name was å—春 to mean å—洋的春天 or the spring of Nanyang. My grandparents came to Singapore in the early 1940s and this was where my dad was born. It was a hopeful time, Grandad wanted to earn a good living for his wife and sons, one back home. My dad’s name was evidence of that optimism.
Due to some translation errors and communication barriers, my dad’s name got changed to what it is today. It still has the 春 but the å— got changed. Actually, I’m glad his name was changed. It sounds much much better than å—春.
So what’s it got to do with my name??
Well, I was due on Valentine’s Day 23years ago. But as the family joke goes, I came out a week earlier to celebrate CNY.
Mother thought it would be appropriate to give me a name related to spring. No, there’s no 春 in my name. But, as she said, spring is the time of optimism and hope. So she wanted me to look forward to a prosperous time, 拥有欣欣å‘è£çš„景象. And that’s how I got the word 欣 in my name.
It’s kind of strange learning how my name came about. I always thought it just meant æ¬£èµ or being appreciative/appreciated. And on days when I feel hopeless, useless, and jobless, it’s nice to know what Mother wanted me to be:
Hopeful, optimistic and ready to conquer the world.
thats a cute story.. :))