Choosing a name for someone is a huge responsibility and one not taken lightly by any mother. While nine months may seem adequate time to decide what you will brand someone for life with, it often turns out that it is not.
A close friend of mine recently gave birth to a beautiful girl - but when asked the baby's name by the first day's visitors, she could only give a dazed and slightly horrified stare. She'd left it too late and the pressure was on.
Living in the era of social networking technology added to the heat, as well-meaning friends logged into Twitter and Facebook to announce the joyous bundle's arrival, only for my friend's various profiles to be bombarded with inquiries over the little beauty's name. The announcement of 9.2lb (4.2kg) beautiful baby girl was not enough for the frenzied mob - they had to have a name!
I raise my hand and admit my shameful part in the "namesgate" scandal. We began discussing names around the sixth month-mark and I gave my suggestions and actually pushed them quite hard, but to no avail. After a week of frantically Googling and then messaging my offerings and having every single one of them (more than 100) turned down, I began to feel a bit miffed.
So when my friend finally said that she'd come up with her own suggestion, I eagerly looked forward to the coming message. And then stared down at it, horrified. I knew I could not let it pass. It did not cut it. It wasn't the name for the little girl I had been waiting eight months to meet.
I knew I should tread carefully - the last thing I wanted to do was bruise my friend's feelings. I failed dismally.
The baby escaped the name but that was it for me - I was out of the naming game. No longer a consultant. Any inquiry I made was met with a tight-lipped: "Hmph! As if I'm telling you after what happened last time."
In my defence, names are something that have always concerned me. Having gone to school with an Adolph, an Einstein and a Cuthbert I was well aware of the impact the wrong name could have.
The next culprit in namesgate was her husband. A man of few words at the best of times, he greeted all suggestions put to him with a slight shake of the head. She could not, after all, name the baby something he did not like.
When asked to come up with a list he did nothing of the sort, that is until little Olivia spent her second night at the hospital. It was an inspired choice. She was destined to be an Olivia before she was born. It suits her so well and karma's hand played its part to a tee.
Although a little upset that none of my proffered names was chosen - I was plumping for Felicia or Felicidad - I am nonetheless very pleased with their choice.
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
The%20specs
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SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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AWARDS
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Abandon
Sangeeta Bandyopadhyay
Translated by Arunava Sinha
Tilted Axis Press
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Results
2.15pm: Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 1,200m
Winner: Maqam, Fabrice Veron (jockey), Eric Lemartinel (trainer).
2.45pm: Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 1,200m
Winner: Mamia Al Reef, Szczepan Mazur, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami.
3.15pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 2,000m
Winner: Jaahiz, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel.
3.45pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 1,000m
Winner: Qanoon, Szczepan Mazur, Irfan Ellahi.
4.15pm: Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Cup Handicap (TB) Dh200,000 1,700m.
Winner: Philosopher, Tadhg O’Shea, Salem bin Ghadayer.
54.45pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 1,700m
Winner: Jap Al Yassoob, Fernando Jara, Irfan Ellahi.
Ain Issa camp:
- Established in 2016
- Houses 13,309 people, 2,092 families, 62 per cent children
- Of the adult population, 49 per cent men, 51 per cent women (not including foreigners annexe)
- Most from Deir Ezzor and Raqqa
- 950 foreigners linked to ISIS and their families
- NGO Blumont runs camp management for the UN
- One of the nine official (UN recognised) camps in the region
Profile Idealz
Company: Idealz
Founded: January 2018
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Size: (employees): 22
Investors: Co-founders and Venture Partners (9 per cent)
Florence and the Machine – High as Hope
Three stars
RESULT
Huddersfield Town 1 Manchester City 2
Huddersfield: Otamendi (45' 1 og), van La Parra (red card 90' 6)
Man City: Agüero (47' pen), Sterling (84')
Man of the match: Christopher Schindler (Huddersfield Town)
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Abu Dhabi GP schedule
Friday: First practice - 1pm; Second practice - 5pm
Saturday: Final practice - 2pm; Qualifying - 5pm
Sunday: Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (55 laps) - 5.10pm
LEAGUE CUP QUARTER-FINAL DRAW
Stoke City v Tottenham
Brentford v Newcastle United
Arsenal v Manchester City
Everton v Manchester United
All ties are to be played the week commencing December 21.
The%C2%A0specs%20
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SPECS
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Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Ticket prices
General admission Dh295 (under-three free)
Buy a four-person Family & Friends ticket and pay for only three tickets, so the fourth family member is free
Buy tickets at: wbworldabudhabi.com/en/tickets
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
Sri Lanka's T20I squad
Thisara Perera (captain), Dilshan Munaweera, Danushka Gunathilaka, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Ashan Priyanjan, Mahela Udawatte, Dasun Shanaka, Sachith Pathirana, Vikum Sanjaya, Lahiru Gamage, Seekkuge Prasanna, Vishwa Fernando, Isuru Udana, Jeffrey Vandersay and Chathuranga de Silva.