i tell you, I'm so friggin' upset when during the course of one hour for Math just now, my name has four different versions! Four different versions, I tell you! There's this teacher who reliefed Mrs Goh, by the name of Mr Lau. He's a nice man, very patient with the whole lot of us who are extremely slow with Math. But anyhoos, let me go direct to the crux of it all.

When he called out my name, it was right the first time. SHAKIRAH. That's fine by me. However, as the time creeps by, the name SHAKIRAH changed into a different one. The second time he called, it was SHAKRAH. Where's the 'I'? Is it like missing or something? Argghhhh!!!!! Then, about 15 minutes later, the name changed to SHAKIYAH. Hello?!! It's an 'R', NOT A 'Y'! I tell you, I tried to correct him, but still, that stiff tongue refused to soften and speak my name PROPERLY. When I tried correcting him, he said, "Aiyah. I just call you SHAK." My mouth dropped like really big. SHAK??!!!! Of all names? Yong Yong was, obviously, laughing, till perhaps the tonsils might drop off. They all thought that he's calling me the SHARK. =/

So, Mr Lau, say it with me. SHA-KI-RAH. SHAKIRAH. SHA-KI-RAH. SHAKIRAH. COME ON, SAY IT WITH ME, AND GET MY NAME RIGHT. You #%^$*!@ thing!

Some things are bound to stay the same...