What's in a Name?... Everything! Part II

As much as I appreciate the multiple meanings of my name and various parts of my identity it points to, it confuses me.

Do I introduce myself as "Wahling", "Mdm Tan", "Nasyitah" or "Mrs Kamal"?

The first makes me feel Chinese.
The second, married.
The third, a Muslim.
The fourth, a wife.

So who am I really? All of the above surely! But how can I convey all of these identities when introducing myself?

"Hi. I'm Tan Wah Ling@Nasyitah Thara Tan Abdullah"

Not only it is a mouthful (I might just turn purple doing that once too often and frighten people off!) it is also more confusing than clarifying. So I continued to ponder about the name I introduce myself with and what it implies about the way I see myself. I continued to debate with myself over the implications of my self-introductions. Until now.

Writing this, I am slowly coming to terms with the fact that I am all these names and it is alright to feel more Chinese at one point and more Muslim at another. I am learning to accept that one name is used more instinctively than another at times and that I have to stop feeling guilty about that.

So there you have it. Call me "Wah Ling", "Mdm Tan", "Mdm Nasyitah", "Nasyitah", "Cik(aunty) Nasyitah", "Aunty Thara", "Mrs Kamal", "Tammy"(Ah! Dear husband and old friends of mine, I understand old habits die hard).

It really does not matter any more.

Perhaps there is wisdom in the youthful utterance of love-lorn Juliet after all!

I am still who I am regardless of what you call me.

Okay, with the exception of "Kamal". Stop calling me "Kamal" because it is not my name!