ivy and her coffee, and what's in a name
I used to give my real name for coffee orders when I first moved to Melbourne. Sometimes, I would happily spell it out for them. Other times, I couldn't be bothered and ended up getting a lot of different variants: Yuvi, Loofy, Luffy, etc. Until one day, the regular barista at Castro's somehow decided that my name was Ivy.
I quite liked it. Since then, Ivy has become my cafe pseudonym.
Especially during peak hours, it's just a bit paiseh to me when the cashier has to double check my name, or the barista shouting out a different name to me not realising that it's for me. I like to conform to normalcy and sticking out makes me feel, well, paiseh.
Especially during peak hours, it's just a bit paiseh to me when the cashier has to double check my name, or the barista shouting out a different name to me not realising that it's for me. I like to conform to normalcy and sticking out makes me feel, well, paiseh.
I get it, my name is not a common English name. It's just way less hassle for both parties if I simply give a common name instead of sticking with my guns and go with my slightly unusual real name. However, sometimes I can't help but wonder if this simple decision is partially motivated by my desire to fit in the new society. It's only natural for humans to want to belong in their surroundings, but does it have to entail bending oneself to fit into the mold of society while stripping away individualism in the process?
A friend of mine actually noticed this pseudonym of mine. I didn't get to ask her how did she notice it and what she thinks about it, but I will when it comes up again in a conversation. I think she probably doesn't think too much about it, though. This is something I only recently learned as well. People might notice things about you, but most are non judgmental about it. The majority of people just want to get along with others so as long as you are not overly negative about things, they really don't think too much about it.
This leads me to my concluding point. I guess it's very important to make sure that everything you do, you are comfortable with it. Granted, we live in a society where there are social norms to be observed, but in the end as long as you are being reasonable, just do what you want to do. Own your decisions. Own your identity. You might regret it in the future, you'll never know. However, it will certainly be a valuable life lesson for you.
What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would still smell as sweet.
A friend of mine actually noticed this pseudonym of mine. I didn't get to ask her how did she notice it and what she thinks about it, but I will when it comes up again in a conversation. I think she probably doesn't think too much about it, though. This is something I only recently learned as well. People might notice things about you, but most are non judgmental about it. The majority of people just want to get along with others so as long as you are not overly negative about things, they really don't think too much about it.
This leads me to my concluding point. I guess it's very important to make sure that everything you do, you are comfortable with it. Granted, we live in a society where there are social norms to be observed, but in the end as long as you are being reasonable, just do what you want to do. Own your decisions. Own your identity. You might regret it in the future, you'll never know. However, it will certainly be a valuable life lesson for you.
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What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would still smell as sweet.
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