Miguelsitokalachoomchoom...

For those who don't know me at all, I've got a really complex name for a Singaporean. And it rocks! Here's couple of reasons why...

1) Mispronounciation.
Every year, whenever I get a new batch of teachers to learn under, they always want to 'level down' and 'mingle' with the students for the first lesson. And I watch them as they read out the class register list with ease, with the name's owner raising his or her hand or standing up to response. Then suddenly, the teacher stops. She stares at the list for 5 seconds or so, giving that face which people ussually give out when they're caught in a sticky situation. And boy, is that teacher in one. She then tries to read out the name, the eyes still fixed onto the list. Stammering at certain moments, she says in a soft voice, "Ra... Ra... Rai... Raimee... mee... meegwell?" I respond acordingly, smiling on the outside and rolling about laughing in the inside. I then answer a few questions which the teacher may have on me, most common being, "Did I pronounce it correctly?", "Are you local?" and "Are you Spanish/Filippino by any chance?" The best part is, IT HAPPENS ALL THE TIME!!! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!

2) The Nicknames.
As I always say, "With every long and complex name comes a longer and more complex list of nicknames." For my case, I've definitely got a lot of nicknames. Miggy is the original one, and anyone who knows me for quite some time can call me that. The story behind this nickname is that after receiving many complaints from others, even the doctor who was giving me, as a month-old baby or so, regular check-ups, my Mom decided to simplify the matter. Basically, she just simplified my name from Raemiguel to Miguel to Miggy. The title of this post is Officially the Longest Nickname given to me that is used at a regular basis (Used by Filippino relatives.). Here's a list of all the OFFICIAL nicknames I've got so far. The list may expand in due time;

Miggy
Mig
Miguel
Rae
Raem
Remi
Migs
Miguelsitokalachoomchoom
Abracadabrepuitnangmiggy
Mickey
Mike
Michael
Mr. Bean (2003 only)
RainGel
Raymond
Rumigel
Raemigweel
Raimygal
Siao Di Di (Reserved for the elderly)
Ah Boy (Reserved for the elderly)
Master of ChinUpBar Valley
Master of The Point
Fusion
Fu
TouFu
Who-Lives-In-A-Pineapple-On-The-Ground
Snow and Jelly man
Spongeremi Normalpants
Doctor Miguel Victor Fusianalo
French Captain Francis Von Galilier
The Animator
New Kid
Michael of Spades