Baby Names.

Cousin Z is having a baby boy in 3 months. Earlier today, we discussed baby names. She says she is having a hard time deciding what to name the boy. It's easier to name a pet, she says, especially with the funky, edgy names she has come up with.

The problem she is having is that whatever she names her son, our Filipino/Maranao relatives would bastardize the pronunciation. Take for instance the following:

(Original name --> Filipino/Maranao pronunciation)

* Fatah --> Patak

* Mohammad --> Mokamad (nicknamed Moks)

* Ejaaz --> Etchas (which means "shit")

* Saleh --> Salik

The original names and their proper pronunciations would be gone in about a couple hours after baby is named. It's pretty sad.

Which is why I have resolved that my kids will not have any of those names. If my relatives are gonna mis-pronounce them anyway, I would at least give them something very difficult to mis-pronounce.

For instance, "Ubuntu".