Names

Pennie Azarcon-Dela Cruz writes about the downside of being a "Josefina Dela Cruz", specifically long lines at embassies and having various criminals as namesakes.

I'm tempted to say that having an uncommon surname isn't all that either.

You end up repeating yourself several times to people unfamiliar with "Salamat" as a family name (Yes, as in "thank you") and, once they get it, be forced to listen to a pun they made up on the spot. What's worse is they expect you to laugh as if it were the most clever joke ever.

Please, I'm a 31 year old who studied in all-boys schools. I've heard it all.

But then again I can do a google search and I'm pretty sure that everything that turns up pertains to me (after weeding out all the blogs thanking their friend "Patrick"). Which is the point of names: to set you apart.