A pure gravity HB, Massa, has unfortunate connotations in America... I cringe a little whenever I see it.
(Explanation if it's not clear: During America's slave-holding days, writers often went out of their way to stereotype slaves' speech; this is how they would write slaves' pronunciation of "Master" -- "Yes Massa" etc.)
On a lighter note, whenever I meet
Chres I wanna say "Oh hi Chris!"
... even though it's probably supposed to be pronounced like "crease." Better watch out, you might get FOLDED!