What's new, Pussycat?

Although I may not get out as much as I might like (or as much as I might think I might like), surprisingly I do have a large circle of friends, albeit virtual. These are my blog buddies Aoife (on the right) and Lan (on the left). They deign to live with, and be worshipped by, Mr. Celtic Knitter, a local Torontonian, and his husband.

Mr. Celtic Knitter and his husband are Irish and Vietnamese respectively, and my sleek Siamese friends each have a name representing one of these two cultures.

Aoife, pronounced "Ee-fa", is an Irish female given name, often incorrectly regarded as an Irish language equivalent of the female given name Eve, even though the names have very different origins. "Aoife" means "radiant beauty", and comes from the old Irish word "aoibheann".

Lan, pronounced "Lang", appears to be a popular name in Vietnamese culture. I'm sure there are some very famous and important Lans in that culture, but I like to think that my friend Lan was named after the character Lan Mandragoran, one of the main characters in the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan. Lan Mandragoran is often likened to another of my favourite characters, Aragorn, in the Lord of the Rings novels, and has been described as having "a face of stone and chilling blue eyes."

According to Mr. Celtic Knitter, who may be sleeping alone after these comments are repeated, Aoife is a fun-loving, smart and somewhat bossy cat, while Lan isn't too bright and can often be found chasing his tail in circles.

Hi, Aiofe! Hi, Lan! I hope you are enjoying your new pagoda...I am jealous!