A name is the most important identification of an individual. Everyone has one. Others don't have the slightest idea what their name means or where it comes from. Most names are well-thought. Birth names are the core identity of every person.
My family calls me Eyen. The origin of that name is another story.. Eyen is like my family's term of endearment for me. My siblings came up with variatons, my little sis calls me, Pakyen and my brother calls me Pakven. My cousins in Manila have funny names for me. I'm called with different names by my relatives.
My friends call me Mars, others Cel. My teammates back in Sykes call me lovingly. Mona calls me Love, Bill still greets me with Wavs, and Mami Kris sticks with Wab. Some of my friends call me Marsy, I like the sound of it, sweet.
My given name is Maria Selerina, that's also my baptismal name. It was taken from a calendar of saints according to my mother. I'm carrying a nickname some relative gave me, Maricel. I was enrolled in pre-school with my Christian name. When I was in first grade I was too lazy to write my complete name, Maricel was way easier.
I studied first Grade in Calamba, Laguna. When my parents separated, my siblings and I moved to Bicol to stay with my mother's brother. My mother was somewhere in Mindanao working. I then studied second grade in one of the schools in Bicol. I started writing Maricel instead of Maria Selerina. For lack of better judgment, my teacher scribbled Maricel on my school records.
My mother brought us here in Cebu. I was in third grade then. Since my school records were under Maricel. I carried that name ever since.
On my second semester in UP, the school wouldn't admit me if I couldn't present my birth certifcate. My mother and I went to Calamba. I was surprised to know that I wasn't registered. We didn't have much time, we had to come back to Cebu because I was starting to miss classes. A friend from the local registry made a seeminlgy authentic paper with documentary stamped on it, a birth certificate. It has Maricel Gregory Habil on it. We came home with that document. I used the same paper on my marriage documents.
One of the requirements for Licensure Examination for Teachers or any board exam is an original birth certificate from NSO in security paper. Last month, my aunt who resides in Laguna went to NSO and tried to dig my birth certificate. I was stunned when I was sent the original birth certificate in security paper, MARIA SELERINA. I was registered, huh? That creates too much paper work now.
I prefer to be called Mars because that sounds too close to my real name. Maria Selerina.
You forgot to mention your nickname Marsian lol 
