U-NIK

Whenever I received a phone call from those random salesperson wanted to give me some kind of insurance or new credit cards offers, or from someone unknown to me saying that they know my phone number through a banking or credit card agency, and that I have won something via some competition that I never took part, or I will get something if I say “YES” to their weird offers, the starting conversation would be like something as follows:

Caller: ”Hello, may I speak to Mr. Nik Faaa…. errmm… Nik Fahsu… err. Nik Fashussnnn… ehmm… Nik Fazusa…. Ermm.. Nik Fashuzana?”

Me: ”It’s FA-HUS-NA-ZA. Just call me Nik. That will be easier.”

I don’t know about you guys, but I never had any trouble pronouncing my name. Ahahaha.

Here are among the names that I’ve heard people mistakenly call (or try to mention) my name for the first time, without causing their tongue to get twisted.

NIK FASHUZANA
NIK FAUZANA
NIK FASHUSNASA
NIK FA.. (a small silence) NAZA
NIK NAZA RIA (just kidding)
NIK NASA.. (Houston we have a problem!)

When I was in standard six, when the school dentist’s nurse came to my classroom to call for students to go get our teeth checked, she addressed me with BINTI, instead of BIN. In fact, she has that shocked looking face when a boy (me laa) but not a girl, stood up and followed her to the dentist room downstairs. The weird thing is, when I looked at my dentist card, my name was spelled with BIN in the middle. So, I wonder what makes she read my name on the card with BINTI. Did she get influenced to think that somebody might have wrongly written my name with BIN?

Well, I don’t blame them.

I know I have a unique name. And I know the origin of my name when my parents told me that, and I’m so proud of having this name.

And there are about 340 results match today when you Google up ‘fahusnaza’. Almost 100% of that will direct you to me, and no one else!

Most of the times, I find it entertaining when people have difficulties in pronouncing or writing my name. Never that I felt embarrassed or disappointed. But one of the latest trends of incidence related to this is when some friends or relatives mistakenly called me or sent me text messages, while who they actually wanted to call or send the message was to some other NIK on their phone number list.

I can’t help but to share with you one series of SMS that I got very recently from a friend of mine. However I have modified the actually wordings (but the story line is still there) as I can’t really remember every single words, and mainly to protect some privacy.

Sender: ”Nik, let’s join us for the gathering tonight! Meet you at *somewhere in KL* @ 9.30pm. C ya!”
(*actual location has to be made confidential here.. hehe)

Thinking that the SMS was really meant for me, I replied,

Me: ”Sorry, tonight cannot la. I have a gym session to do. Thanks for inviting though. Maybe next time. Have fun!”.

Sender: ”Alaa, come join us la. You can do gym session some other times what… this gathering is once in a while only. Come laa.”

Starting to feel weird, I continued my reply…

Me: ”My friend, I believe I’ve told you that I’m working in JB, right? You forget or you don’t remember?”

Sender: ”Alamak, sorry!!! I actually wanted to SMS to another NIK laa. Sorry ek, hahaha.”

It was so funny

But hang on, the story didn’t end there. A few hours later on (I assume they have just finished with the gathering), I received yet another SMS from the same sender.

Sender: ”Hey Nik, thanks for coming. It was nice meeting everyone again. Keep in touch ya!”

“Oh My God!” I said to myself upon reading the SMS on my phone. And I was laughing when I replied the message,

Me: ”You are welcome. But actually I didn’t come and I think you got the wrong NIK again!”

Instantly the ‘sender’ called me and said sorry and we then broke into big laughs.

Hahahaha.

What a good way to end the day.