Minh vs. Tini

Upfront. This is not as confusing as it sounds, but I go by either my real name, Uyen-Minh (pronounced WIN-MIN), or really just Minh (pronounced MIN, as you might expect) or my childhood nickname "Tini" (rhymes with weenie).

Here is the short story version.

• I have a name that is similar to my sisters (my parents clever invention, turned my identity nightmare as I try to get a credit check often).
• When I was a child, and into college, I went by my nickname Tini. 1) to avoid confusion with my sisters and 2) it was a fitting nickname at the time.
• I went to work. I decided to go by my real name: Minh.  This is nice to use my given name in professional settings.
• But that means 90% of everyone else (e.g. friends and family), still call me Tini.
• Its confusing, but usually if you become my friend outside of work, you'll call me Tini since everyone else does.
• Being a Gemini, having so-called different names, hasn't really been that challenging. I respond to both.

It is not a big secret that I have a nickname totally unrelated to my legal name. Just something that happened. It has made things interesting, but somehow I inevitably have to tell this story about myself which is complex and not that interesting.  I guess plenty of people, especially with those with hard to pronounce names give themselves easier to pronounce American names.  I had to be ridiculous since
1) Still go by my very ethnic name.
2) Also, go by my just as ethnic nickname.

Hence, Minh and Tini. Two names. Same person.

Alright, maybe that could have been a shorter story. Working on brevity skills has now been added to the to do list.