I'm pleasantly surprised to find that there are more people who can pronounce my name right the first time than it had originally thought. (They just can't remember it though.) Before I left for the US, people were telling me that I need an easier name to go by. So, for the first week or so I switched between "Xin Yang" and "Yak", then eventually settled at "Yak". I figured that although I'll prefer to have people call me Xin Yang to Yak, being called Yak is still preferable to people not knowing or remembering my name.

Interestingly, some people insist on calling me by my "actual name". The first time that happened, I wondered if it was necessary for me to "simplify" my name at all. But I guess it's just some people who are better with names. Now when people ask my name, I'll go "My name is Xin Yang, but you can call me Yak." This gives them the option of using the "easier" name, while not implicitly doubting the person's ability to remember or pronounce my actual name.

The first time I introduced myself that way, I was suddenly reminded of the time when the grad student at NUS introduced himself to me as "My name is _____(which I can't remember), but you can me Dood." It reminded me of the first time I cut vegetables and hand to transfer them to a bowl. The first few attempts always led to some vegetables falling out of the bowl. Finally, I figured the best way to do this was to cup my hand over the cut vegetables, slide the knife under it, hover the hand and knife over the bowl, then withdraw the knife at an angle. It was only after doing that a few times that I realised that it was the same way that my mother or the people on cooking shows would transfer the cut vegetables from the chopping board to a bowl using the knife. Somehow, through different experiences, we just arrive at the same answer, because it is probably the best one there is.

Perhaps that's why adults all seem to behave in a certain way that makes them different from teens or children.