Who’s Jeng?!

All of us have at least that one thing that is both a gift and a curse. Your charms can probably be always leading you to the easier path but it can also bring troubles at times. Your fierce attitude can drive bullies away but it can also prevent potential friends from entering into your lives. I’m definitely not excused from this. If there is one thing which I consider a gift and a curse at the same time, it’s my name! Akala nyo face ko no? Hindi naman ako ganu’n kaganda! Chos! :p

It is a gift because of its uniqueness. When people meet me for the first time, the history of my name has always been a way to break the ice. Whenever they ask me to tell something interesting about myself on trainings, seminars or meetings, that same story has been my default answer. Though I have been stereotyped as the shy and quiet girl, my name has somehow made me unforgettable among the crowd.

It is a curse because for countless of times, I have been mistaken as a boy because of my name. I used to be referred as HE in office emails. And when people finally meet me for the first time after numerous email exchanges, they are always surprised to see a petite girl in front of them.

It is a curse because my name has been misspelled and mispronounced ever since I could remember. Some people call me JEREL, JERET, JERELI, GERALD and the list goes on. Imagine how many documents and identification cards were redone because of typographical error on my name. When I graduated from college, I was ecstatic to finally get hold of my diploma as a sign of my five years of hard work and perseverance only for me to be disappointed because it has the wrong name.

My grade school and high school classmates used to call me either JERELLT or ABENOJA. Ganun sa school di ba? Last name basis! Bwahaha! I never really had a decent nickname until I got into college. The nicknames given to me by my relatives are so humiliating! I remember that even years before we started going out, Boyet was the first person to call me JE. First term of endearment! Naks! :p

Since then, I have started using JE on instances when my real name is not required. In that way, my life becomes easier. But even my two-letter nickname isn’t spared.

Last week, I had lunch at BonChon with my office mates. As we were waiting for our food to be served, we failed to notice one of the servers in front of us. Since we were quite busy chatting, we didn’t hear what he was saying. After repeating for a couple of times, I finally realized that he was saying, “Chicken wings for Ma’am JENG.” My office mate uttered it again. It took me a few more seconds to comprehend which made me involuntarily peek at my receipt. And to my utmost horror…

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Hahahahahahaha!!! Ako pala ‘yun?! JE na lang nga, mali pa?!

1 comment :

  1. Cutee! Naiisip ko na ngayon kung anong mae-experience ni Cyler when he grow up. Yung 2nd name nya ang daming nagkakamali sa pag pronounce. Cyrus "Schuyler" (pronounce as "Skyler") for sure di na yan babasahin ng mga teacher nya pag mag a-attendance. Haha!

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