A rose by any other name

Well, for most of my life I've been introducing myself to people as Sharim Chua. This of course as some of you know isn't actually my real name, legally at least. As far as my passport and the majority of my identification is concerned I'm still stuck with the name of my estranged father; Sharim Putra bin Mohd Shah. Not any longer.

In the interest of getting married next year with a name of my choosing we submitted an application to Queensland's Birth, Deaths and Marriages department to request an official change of name. Of course keeping in line with bureaucratic standards we went through a few iterations of the submission process before achieving the intended result. The clincher was when we received a certificate in the mail for a change of name to "Sharim Putra Chua", all fine and good... except it was for a Mr. Sharim Putra bin Moho Shah. If this seems a little picky then please keep in mind:

• Over four different forms of printed documentation with the correct spelling of my name were included in the original submission
• We had noticed the original error in one of the letters sent to us and we pointed this out to the case officer over the phone AND in writing when we had to resubmit evidence of residency
• The addressed envelope for the certificate today STILL had it spelt as Moho and had obviously been corrected with a black biro before postage

Alison wrote a pretty scathing letter demanding rapid resolution of their mistake. Thankfully they at least got the printing right this time so I guess I'm now officially a Chua and smell just as sweet.



Speaking of roses, Alison was given a rose bush on the wedding we attended last week for being an usher. Against all odds the plant has survived Al's heavy green thumb and started blooming a few days ago. Perfect excuse for me to dig out my much neglected macro lens for a quick play.