Thursday, November 23, 2006

Say my Name

First day of classes never went without a glitch for me, especially when the dreaded roll call begins. In the 17 years I spent in formal education, I don’t remember one instance that the teachers got it right, my surname that is. Ok, I get it. Udquin is a little uncommon… ok a lot uncommon. I never heard of any Udquin that isn't blood-related to me. But please, how difficult can a two-syllable word be? Name any mutation of my surname and I probably had heard it. I probably might respond to ud-queen, but for heaven’s sake, don’t go adding letters that actually aren’t there just to ease your pain of pronouncing my slightly (ok, overtly) extraordinary surname.

I especially don’t get it when one has the simple task of copying it off an ID or a written form and still messes it up. For my first two years in Ateneo, when PE classes were in the curriculum, I try to buy Loyola School PE shirts. I buy tons not only for the classes, but those things are pretty cheap and are super comfy to sleep on. And every semester, I end up having my receipt issued by this old cashier guy who had bottoms of Coke bottles for glasses, and yes every sem, a very generous somebody named Melissa Joaquin seems to be buying my shirts. Who the farking hell is Melissa Joaquin?!? To this day, two years after graduation, I still haven’t gotten my diploma. Still scared shit that somebody named Melissa Joaquin graduated in ’04 in lieu of me.

I guess there is no escaping it. And since Beb and I have this thing for conventions, I am constantly reminded of the name game I play all my life. But I guess by now, I’m so used to the fiasco, the mutations just become funnier. Like this one for one show we recently attended. Joquin... seriously?

And just today, when I opened up my mail and got this. Three months of waiting for the card to buffer the damage of indulging. And I get this. Oo, pare, this time, I'm Clarissa Odquin. Odquin! Haay, life. Yeah, that's me, alright. Now gimme some cake.