List of Names

Name (full): Mohamad Faizal bin Mohamad Sharin.

Name (in USA): Mohamad F. Mohamad-Sharin [Note: 1st name - middle initial - last name]

Name (used by family and relatives): Along [short form: 'Long]

Name (used by close friends): Lalat [short form: 'Lat]

Name (on the Internet): YBLalat, lalat_1881

Name (used by strangers):
(i) "Mohamad" - used by lecturers, U staff, fellow students, TAs, non-Malay Muslim brothers/sisters.
(ii) "Mohemed Sherin" - used by Qwest (local telephone company), telemarketers, junk-mail/spam agencies.
(iii) "Mohamad M. Sharin" - used by US Postal Services, TCF Bank, US Bank, American Express.
(iv) "Mohamad Faizal" - used in formal occasions in Malaysia.

Name (in special cases):
(i) "Faizal" - used by Rafique, a close and respected friend, and Puan Rosiza, Petronas' Student Advisor in Washington D.C., reasons unknown.
(ii) "Bang" - used by Mamat, U roommate and high school friend, reasons unknown.
(iii) "Jet Lee" - used by Marcail Parker, former apartment building caretaker, reason: an African-American who loves kung fu movies, claims that my face (especially eyes) reminds him of the martial arts star.

Name (of personas): Chronic Mass, The 3rd Persona.

Story behind the names

1 - "Mohamad Faizal" - given by Dad, historical reasons unknown, meaning [Arabic]: (i) "Mohamad" - the Prophet's name (p.b.u.h), and (ii) "Faizal" - none (a made-up Malay name, as in 'Bujal'), but closest Arabically to 'Faisal', as in 'King Faisal of Jordan'.

2 - "Mohamad F. Mohamad-Sharin" - created accidentally, while completing US Student Visa application form before coming to study in the States, last name sounds cool eh?

3 - "Along" - self-explanatory, eldest son of three siblings, eldest grandson on Dad's side of the family tree.

4 - "Lalat" - nickname given by fellow classmate (Ali Imran) during high school days, Form 1 (1994), reasons: (i) class desk at the time was closest to the (always full and fly-infested) garbage bin, and (ii) incident during Kemahiran Hidup class activity, was asked to do facial presentation of 'a terrified person' in front of class, widened eyes, tucked lips, whole class laughed out loud.

5 - "YBLalat" - created on my own, reasons: self-mockery in nature; (i) the 'YB' part refers to the typical Malay's idea of a bright future (becoming a politician), and (ii) also refers to 'Why Be Lalat?', meaning 'Why be yourself when you could be somebody else?'

6 - "lalat_1881" - my email login name, high school nickname attached to it my birthdate (1st August 1981), started using email during high school days (Form 5 - 1998).

7 - "Mohemed Sherin" - wrongly spelled by a Qwest operator while registering for a home telephone line, junk-mailers and telemarketers look up the Qwest telephone directory book for my home phone number.

8 - "Mohamad M. Sharin" - TCF Bank (and several other institutions) thought that my last name was actually just 'Sharin', this is how my name is printed on my debit and credit cards.

9 - "Faizal" - Rafique calls me this always, reason: following a hadith to call another Muslim by their given (and meaningfully good) name.

The concept behind the three personas

1st Persona: "Along" - a family person [loving, religious, emotionally mature, shy, secretive.]

2nd Persona: "Lalat" - a dedicated student [serious, focused, diligent, ambitious, idealistic.]

3rd Persona: (officially is yet to be named, but often referred to as 'Chronic Mass') - still in development, at a crucial (yet chronic) state of forming an identity, thus the name 'Chronic Mass' or as in physics, 'critical mass' or 'jisim genting' [imaginative, sarcastic, bold, sexist, egoistic.]