[TM] Your Name, Explained

by - June 12, 2017


Dear Peanut,  

After our second prenatal checkup at Columbia Hospital, SC and I went to Starbucks in Jaya One for snacks. We ordered a slice of lemon loaf, which I love so much.

You see, even before you were conceived, I've been drinking hot lemon tea and lemon water every single day. We buy lemons at the supermarket, I squeeze out every bit of juice, and turn them into ice cubes for use later. So convenient. I've always loved lemons! And I'm so happy they're cheaper here in Malaysia compared to the Philippines.

Anyway, during that lemon loaf date, SC and I talked about possible names for you. Back then, we still didn't know that you're a boy. Although at this point, at #19weeks, we're still not that super duper sure that you're indeed a boy. I mean, Dr.AZ could have interpreted it wrong, I don't know. I just I need to see you growing bird again on the screen when we have our 5th prenatal checkup this June), so we thought of two names:


Johnny Jameson E. Derla
Veronica Kit E. Derla


"Johnny" is the name of the male lead in my #BeforeIDo trilogy. The character "Johnny Montreal" is based on your father. Since your daddy was named after Justerini & Brooks (the story was that while your LolaMama was in labor, your +LoloPapa and his brother were drinking J&B in the waiting room). So we thought we'd pay tribute to the alcohol-naming tradition.

One time during our Singapore trip (we weren't pregnant yet, but we've been talking about baby names even then), we thought of naming you "Jack Daniels" or even "Johnny Walker" for obvious reasons. But you'd be the butt of everyone's joke. Of course, we won't do that.

So we simply took the "Johnnie" from Johnnie Walker and combined it with a second name we both like, "Jameson." Actually, I like James better, but SC insisted on Jameson after the whiskey. So that's the story behind your name.
Your daddy was named after this alcohol. They just turned the "Juster" into "Jester." Your daddy is literally the Joker. And we've always joked that I'm as crazy as Harley Quinn, Joker's girlfriend. Don't worry, you'll understand DC and Marvel geekdom as you grow older.

Remember that you're named after one of the most popular whiskeys in the world.

Now, for the baby girl's name, which I hope would be reserved for Peanut #2 (your future baby sister). Naturally, I insisted on the name "Veronica" for 3 reasons.

First, Veronica Lodge is my all-time favorite character in Archie Comics. She's rich, beautiful, ruthless, and unapologetically real (yeah, even if she's a comic character).

I have a massive collection of Archie Comics, which I hope you'll enjoy when you learn how to read. When I was young, your LoloDaddy often jokes that I am as spoiled as the comic character. I even asked for a credit card extension because "I want to shop like Veronica Lodge." They finally gave me one when I was in college.


Veronica Lodge from Archie Comics

Second, Veronica Mars is one of my all-time favorite TV series. It's not as popular as GOT or Mad Men but it has a cult-like following. Kristen Bell played the role and her portrayal is just so powerful. I hope by the time you're in high school we can still download all 3 seasons of Veronica Mars. It's just so hard to explain.

Veronica Mars

Naturally, there has to be a "Veronica" somewhere in our future baby girl's name. The name "Kit" comes from the female protagonist in my #BeforeIDo Trilogy. I used Kit because it's sort of reminds me of a pun in my own name "Kat." Kit-Kat. And, yeah, I also like the chocolate.

Wow, this is some blog post huh? You see, we have really given a lot of thought for your name and your future sister's name. But for now, we've gotten so used to calling you Peanut that we'll probably call you that until you're say, 3?

And who knows, you might end up like Kit Harington, who played Jon Snow in GOT. He didn't know his full name until he was 11. He knew nothing.

xoxo,








Update (as of March 29, 2018): Changed my codename from Queen Bitch (QB) to Tiger Mom (TM).

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