FRIDAY FIVE . . . ON FRIDAY!!!

1. Is the name you have now the same name that's on your birth certificate? If not, what's changed? Yes. First name, last name, no middle name, and that's how I like it.

2. If you could change your name (first, middle and/or last), what would it be? For a long while, until I was about 10 years old, I really wished my name was Alexandra, and that I had an English middle name. But then I realized: I am who I am, and being Alexandra or having a middle name ain't gonna change that. Yes, I realized this when I was 10. What a weird child I was. On the other hand, I would NEVER EVER EVER change my last name (apologies to my future husband). It defines my family, it defines me, it defines everything that I am and that I want my children to be.

3. Why were you named what you were? (Is there a story behind it? Who specifically was responsible for naming you?) Back in the Motherland, Mom read "Wuthering Heights" and fell in love with my name. She didn't think it was weird that the book was essentially a tragedy and that bad things happened to the female protagonist. The individual characters in my Korean name mean "intelligent/learned" and "precious jewel/pearl," and my brother and I were named in accordance with my family's traditional naming structure. Don't ask, it's complicated and goes back farther than I can imagine.

4. Are there any names you really hate or love? What are they and why? Names are so . . . individualized. For example, a girl could have a totally ugly name, but if she is one of my closest, dearest friends, I will think nothing of calling her "Bertha." It might even be charming at that point. On the other hand, I used to really like the name "Meredith" . . . until I went to school with two of the world's most wretched horrible Meredith's EVER. Now, I wonder what I was thinking. There are names that annoy me -- all the trendster names like Ashley, Brittany, Jasmine, Bailey, Marcus, etc. And I hate some of the nicknames I've been given, the most recent being "Pudding head." I don't really know where it came from, but I hope it goes away soon . . . Of course, there are also names that I absolutely love and that I hope to give to my children, but I'll never tell . . .

5. Is the analysis of your name at Kabalarians accurate? How or how isn't it? Well . . . how much do I want to concede? Here's what they tell me:

Your name of ___ makes you easy-going and refined, but detracts from your physical vitality. You desire all the finer things in life--lovely clothes, home, furniture, and environment. However, procrastination is your worst enemy, and you find yourself lacking the ambition to make your dreams a reality. People are inclined to take advantage of your sympathetic, tractable nature. You naturally attract people with problems who seek your understanding and advice. You can give good advice although it is unlikely that you would follow it yourself. You would be most successful in situations where you can use your skills in diplomacy in handling people, but where you are not under pressure or required to carry responsibility and make decisions. It is difficult for you to be individual and make your own decisions, for you lack self-confidence.

Hmmm. A little bit true, mostly untrue. Maybe I'm stepping out on a limb here, but perhaps those Kabalarians are QUACKS. Call me crazy . . .