Growing up I always avoided being called Mary. It somehow felt that the name did not suit my character...it simply wasn't me!
I was too undefined and unruly to be Mary. I am unconventional, I love too much fun, I couldn't be Mary. I wanted a name I could live up to so I chose to use a more relaxed name: Beth. This is who I was known in school and at work: Beth.
Then I started working for OTD and they called me Mary.
Sometimes I still check myself to see if they were really talking to me because they are referring to Mary...and I'm not sure if was me!
I remember an article I read some months ago in Facebook talking about something that's uniquely Filipino: our knack for crazy nicknames! Like calling kids "Baby" or "Boy" as if they would never grow up, hence we end up having Lola Baby or Girly and Lolo Boy for our grandparents. My personal favorite is the "-ing" and the repeated syllables like: Bing, Ping, Ding or Kat-kat, Jon-jon and Bek-Bek. Mine is actually a combination of both: Ning-ning.
According to family legend, I was given that nickname by my brother when we were little. It was allegedly one of the first words he uttered: Ning-ning and so I grew up with close friends and relatives calling me by that name.
Then again, this is the Philippines. Our president's nickname is Noy-noy. His father, a senator and martyr, whose death anniversary we're celebrating today and also perhaps one of the most intelligent and charismatic Filipino we'll ever know is known affectionately as Ninoy.
To add more, we Catholics in this country once entrusted our faith to a cardinal named Sin. One of our respected lawyers and lawmakers is called Joker...so sure, why not? Call me Mary.
It is after all just a name and it is my name. I'll be more than happy to live up to it and let everyone know that I'm still me. The same fire, the same caliber perhaps a little smarter and a better writer sharing a side of me I'm beginning to discover!
