website and namesake

Hi here is my website. Did you see this one coming? To be honest, this one is half serious and half a social experiment. Hey, help me propagate the web by linking to this page from your website. Of course, this is my first website, and I might have a more commercial one coming soon. Stay tuned.

Now go back to a blog called "namesake". Before I came to the states, having an English name was very fashionable in college, and it probably still is. Isn't that an indication of openness and adaptation? After I came to the states, the Chinese name seemed to become a liability. Because it was hard to pronounce, I felt sorry for other people for their efforts. So I had an English name, "Robert," in an English class. It never felt right, but that's the best I could do.

Then there was this one older Chinese fellow in my department. I did not like him as a person too much, but I always thought his opinions were of high values. He was quite a sensitive thinker, just like me. So one day he reasoned to me why we should keep our original name, and I thought he was right. So "Robert" went to the history, and I stuck with my name Songhua in all situations from then on. I did realize one advantage: its uniqueness. For example, I have no trouble in picking up email addresses or blog sites based on my first name. Also, the power of sticking with my own name, as if it was a strong statement of independence and identity. Psychologically, while I am not aware of any evidence, I firmly believe that the name could play some tricks on you. Of course, I still make one compromise now. When I am in Starbucks or fast food places, I am "Kevin" or "Erik", just to make things easier for both the cashiers and me.

Really, the more I think about it, the more valuable an asset my name become. So if everything has to have a grand purpose, then my website can be regarded as my small effort to manage this brand name - "Songhua".