What's in a Name?; Origins of the "Surot"; The Purple Baby
It has been pointed out to me hundreds of times that my real name, Sarah Ruth, is beautiful. (My whole name is very biblical, actually: Sarah - Wife of Moses, Hebrew for "princess"; Ruth - one of the first superwomen depicted in the Bible; Matias - apostle post-crucifixion. Had I chosen to become a nun, I would have been extremely redundant.) This is why people who just met me always (as in always) ask how or why I'd rather be called Surot.
"Surot" is, in Filipino terms, is a very strange nickname. Reactions regarding my nickname have ranged from amusement to disbelief to disgust, but whether people are comfortable calling me a butt-biting insect or not, I am proud to call it my own. And hey, it sticks.
I was a very sickly kid, spending most of my formidable years in hospitals and taking at least four pills a day, and it goes without saying that my immune system was indeed very weak. So yes, I was the kind of kid that had snot running down my nose most of the time.
I was also, and still, small. My cousin, Kuya Peter, made fun of these two facts and called me "Surot the Uhugin" (translation: The Phlegm-Filled-Bedbug). Whenever people asked him why he teased and called me "Surot", he would make all sorts of excuses like, "Surot - Sarah, Ruth - Sa-Rut = Surot!", but most of the time he would just say, "Well, you know, she's tiny."
Yesterday, I was at the baptism of Kuya Peter's first baby - little bundle of joy called Pauline - and was really weirded out with the name of another baby being christened along with her.
The baby's name is Purple. Yes, Purple. And get this: Purple's Mom and Dad were also wearing, what else, purple. Purple Mommy was in a purple dress with purple heels, a purple handbag, a purple file case and, get this, purple feathers in her hair (why one would wear feathers on her head while her baby is being baptized escapes me). Purple Daddy was wearing a purple shirt. I did not bother to look down at his feet to see if he was wearing purple shoes, otherwise I would not have controlled myself.
This family was so keen on the color purple that even though the church specified that the baby should be dressed in white, they dressed their baby in purple. During the family's photo-op with the priest, I felt like I was looking at a garden of yams.
I believe the act of naming babies should be given much thought and consideration, because unless one is willing to go through the tedious and expensive process of a name change or be exiled to a tiny island that is there in the morning but disappears in the night, it's the name you have to carry with you to your grave. I'm actually glad that some of my friends have given me new nicknames out of my original nickname - Su, Sue, Surs, Xui - because I wouldn't want to be called "Lola Surot" by the time I'm old enough to get a 20% discount on movie tickets and restaurants. Just last summer Mayen's niece, Moira, even called me "Tita Surot". Imagine my horror: I'm being called "Tita" by 16-year-olds. I know, I know. It's only a matter of time before people's children and nieces and nephews start calling me "Tita", and that's why I'm glad to have my nickname's nicknames take its place. When that day comes, I would tell the kiddies to call me "Tita Sue", because it makes me sound rich and sophisticated.
I Googled the weirdest names on the record, and here are some of them:
1. Urhines Kendall Icy Eight Special K - "Urhines" is pronounced as "Your Highness", and yes, "Special K" does refer to the illegal drug Ketamine;
2. GoldenPalaceDotCom Silverman - online casino Golden Palace actually paid $15K to the Silvermans;
3. Brfxxccxxmnpcccclllmmnprxvclmnckssqlbb11116 - a Swedish couple thought this would be a great way to show their protest on the law imposed by their government regarding names. In the end, they had to pay the $680 fine;
4. Nicholas Unless-Jesus-Christ-Had-Died-For-Thee-Thou-Hadst-Been-Damned Barbon - nothing like going all-King-James-Version on your child;
5. Batman Bin Suparman - so where can we find him when someone is terrorizing the village? In his Bat Cave or in his Fortress of Solitude?;
6. Dick Assman - No, he is not gay at all;
7. @ - Again, no, this is not a typo.
Calling me Surot doesn't sound so bad now, does it?
"Surot" is, in Filipino terms, is a very strange nickname. Reactions regarding my nickname have ranged from amusement to disbelief to disgust, but whether people are comfortable calling me a butt-biting insect or not, I am proud to call it my own. And hey, it sticks.
I was a very sickly kid, spending most of my formidable years in hospitals and taking at least four pills a day, and it goes without saying that my immune system was indeed very weak. So yes, I was the kind of kid that had snot running down my nose most of the time.
I was also, and still, small. My cousin, Kuya Peter, made fun of these two facts and called me "Surot the Uhugin" (translation: The Phlegm-Filled-Bedbug). Whenever people asked him why he teased and called me "Surot", he would make all sorts of excuses like, "Surot - Sarah, Ruth - Sa-Rut = Surot!", but most of the time he would just say, "Well, you know, she's tiny."
Yesterday, I was at the baptism of Kuya Peter's first baby - little bundle of joy called Pauline - and was really weirded out with the name of another baby being christened along with her.
The baby's name is Purple. Yes, Purple. And get this: Purple's Mom and Dad were also wearing, what else, purple. Purple Mommy was in a purple dress with purple heels, a purple handbag, a purple file case and, get this, purple feathers in her hair (why one would wear feathers on her head while her baby is being baptized escapes me). Purple Daddy was wearing a purple shirt. I did not bother to look down at his feet to see if he was wearing purple shoes, otherwise I would not have controlled myself.
This family was so keen on the color purple that even though the church specified that the baby should be dressed in white, they dressed their baby in purple. During the family's photo-op with the priest, I felt like I was looking at a garden of yams.
I believe the act of naming babies should be given much thought and consideration, because unless one is willing to go through the tedious and expensive process of a name change or be exiled to a tiny island that is there in the morning but disappears in the night, it's the name you have to carry with you to your grave. I'm actually glad that some of my friends have given me new nicknames out of my original nickname - Su, Sue, Surs, Xui - because I wouldn't want to be called "Lola Surot" by the time I'm old enough to get a 20% discount on movie tickets and restaurants. Just last summer Mayen's niece, Moira, even called me "Tita Surot". Imagine my horror: I'm being called "Tita" by 16-year-olds. I know, I know. It's only a matter of time before people's children and nieces and nephews start calling me "Tita", and that's why I'm glad to have my nickname's nicknames take its place. When that day comes, I would tell the kiddies to call me "Tita Sue", because it makes me sound rich and sophisticated.
I Googled the weirdest names on the record, and here are some of them:
1. Urhines Kendall Icy Eight Special K - "Urhines" is pronounced as "Your Highness", and yes, "Special K" does refer to the illegal drug Ketamine;
2. GoldenPalaceDotCom Silverman - online casino Golden Palace actually paid $15K to the Silvermans;
3. Brfxxccxxmnpcccclllmmnprxvclmnckssqlbb11116 - a Swedish couple thought this would be a great way to show their protest on the law imposed by their government regarding names. In the end, they had to pay the $680 fine;
4. Nicholas Unless-Jesus-Christ-Had-Died-For-Thee-Thou-Hadst-Been-Damned Barbon - nothing like going all-King-James-Version on your child;
5. Batman Bin Suparman - so where can we find him when someone is terrorizing the village? In his Bat Cave or in his Fortress of Solitude?;
6. Dick Assman - No, he is not gay at all;
7. @ - Again, no, this is not a typo.
Calling me Surot doesn't sound so bad now, does it?