August 11, 1998. The date when I was born, the date when suddenly I became somebody in the world, the thing is - who was I? My parents were very capricious at the time, and well they still didn't have a name for me. Problem - birth certificate. Technically speaking you don’t exist without one. So my parents were stuck in a dilemma because they couldn't decide what to name their baby girl. My mother, as usual, turned to God for help, a little late for my taste I was already a few hours old. She said, “Lord you are the creator and judge of all things, you are my father and I pray you give me the enlightenment to name my daughter something beautiful, something unique and special” That’s when it hit her - she remembered that a few of her friends were talking about baby names and their meanings, and one of them meant - “God is my judge” DANIELA. She immediately told my father, and well the name stuck. Growing up my friends and family always called me Daniela, no short version, no nicknames, nothing - just plain and simple Daniela. But that was more of a sojourn, by the time I was 6 and moved to the US, Daniela just seemed too complicated, too sophisticated, and frankly way too long for a kindergartener. So I decided to just chop it off and simple it down to just, Dany. (So much better right.) From then on being called anything but Dany was abhorrent, I was extremely finicky as a child, and well sometimes I still am, depends on the situation of course. At first I thought I was the only Daniela in the world, I didn't think anybody else deserved MY name. That all changed when one day I heard a lady call out my name and it was not meant towards me I was a little puzzled and I got mad. (Selfish I know, but then again I was only 4 - I think) I immediately went over to my mother and complained that somebody had stolen my name. I was being extremely truculent, and my mother - of course, said I was being egoistic and that no, I was not