Tuesday 21 October 2008

Username

I never forget my password.
It is almost always the same set of nonsensical characters.
But I always had a tough time remembering my username.
This was until I realised how blessed I am to be named what I am named.

I have a unique name.
I like to call my name unique
– Unique sounds better than words like weird, strange and funny.
I know for a fact there is no other living or non living ‘matter’ on this planet which shares its name with me.

I cannot recall a single instance when a stranger has not asked me to repeat my name at least twice before reproducing an almost but not quite exact duplication of what my name is supposed to sound like.
My name does not start with an exclamation mark or any punctuation mark; in fact I do not have any punctuation marks in my name but still somehow the mere possibility of someone being named what I have been named seems difficult to comprehend by many.

There are times when I have wished my name didn’t sound like a detergent, soap, a mouth freshener, an antiseptic or millions of other things it is not.
I tend to make myself believe it is all a work of my wild imagination and there is no similarity whatsoever.
My name has no meaning – that in itself helps me improve my imaginative skills.
I make up a new meaning every time somebody asks.

It is always after you run away from a bane that you realise it was a blessing in disguise.

The internet gave me the opportunity to name myself whatever I pleased.
My only attempt at naming myself before this was when I started writing poems under the alias ‘Shirley Andrews’.
But somehow as days passed by Shirley seemed to sound more and more like a dog’s name to me – no offence to all the Shirleys out there maybe it was just my subconscious mind trying to fight against being referred to by a name other than the usual ‘unique’ one.

So the internet gave me amazing opportunities.
I named myself all sorts of names.
None with punctuation marks though – I still can’t believe I never thought of that.
I faced two big problems:
1) Username already taken – this irritated me.
2) Invalid username/password – this irritated me more.

The first problem always led to the second.
The username being already taken ended up making me use strange combinations of adjectives and nouns – which I always forgot.

The solution I realised was simple.
I started making complete use of my unique name.

I do not need an ‘in.com’ id to get an id with my name.
I can get an id with my name on any damn site – unless I have signed up already.
And I don’t think I will forget my name.
That is a boon not many people are blessed with.
They need adjectives and numbers added to their names to get an id – that is honestly not just frustrating but also depressing.

Hence I came to peace with my name.
You can call me whatever you please.
You can make fun of my unique name.

You are just jealous your name is not as unique as mine.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

very true- I share the same advantage!

Another Blogger said...

hello elessar 7663436
guess you are new around here.
hope to see you more often.

if u do share the same advantage why do you have that set of numbers in your name?

Chetan said...

my complete name certainly shares the same advntge....n yeah it does feel really good to think dat u r d only 1 in the entire world wid dt 'unique' name :)

k.ø.c.h.ü said...

:-) lucky that u have a unique name! U can now sit in piece! My name ain't unique, n that means i've gotta do things unique so as 2 turn unique in de world :-)

Another Blogger said...

@ chetan : I am pretty sure i got a hint of sarcasm in that 'unique' and I am pretty sure I haven not imagined it into being. now the question is what am i going to do about your sarcasm - nothing.
the best way to counter sarcasm is to ignore it.

@ k.o.c.h.u : They (meaning i really do not know who exactly) say the name carves the path the person takes in life.
my name is unique and meaningless.
and i dont see what you can do to become unique.

Anonymous said...

oc, I ain't King Elessar. I don't like displaying my true identity.(not tht it relly matters in here); But if I do it now,and a passerby notices tht elessar is *,...no no- not good

The point is- I share the advantage- thats all! My identity is trivial to anyone here.

Another Blogger said...

Hmm Elessar, whatever pleases you.

The Genesis of Oblivion said...

jealous of your name??!! Are u kidding me!!..who would want their name to sound like that of a chemical?!

Another Blogger said...

you are in denial. i understand.

Akansha Agrawal said...

hmmm.... google tells me I'm not the only one with this name in this world, but I've sometimes managed to beat my competitors, like here for instance, you can see who I am very well. About the username I had the same problem till I shifted to the policy of "one username evrywhere, no matter where", so I am a contended person right now.

In general, I like your blog and although I came here through a comment of yours, I will not hide the fact that I'd like you to visit my blog, and leave comments if you feel they're worth the attention. Chao...

Another Blogger said...

hello there. glad to see new usernames around here.
i have a junior by the same name as yours in my college and i was pretty sure you were her until i read your blog.
i like how you are frank and let me know how you would like me to drop in at your blog with no pretences whatsoever.
i will drop in once in a while.
do visit often.

Related Posts with Thumbnails
THIS IS NOT THE END, NOR IS THIS THE BEGINNING...
THIS IS ON YOUR ROAD TO ENLIGHTENMENT