Monday, August 20, 2007

Language experience

My body is here. My mind and heart are elsewhere. It's a strange feeling. Have you felt it before?

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My japanese name is 長谷川 Hasegawa (long valley river) 久美子 Kumiko (eternal beautiful child).

Take your real japanese name generator! today!
Created with Rum and Monkey's Name Generator Generator.



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I was on the phone with my mobile phone/broadband provider the other day, and the service rep was giving me a post code: S63 5ZX, or as he said: Sierra six three, five Zulu X-ray. I repeated, as you do: Ess six three, five Zee X.

He said, "Zee? Are you American?" In a teasing tone of voice, at which I burst into a peal of laughter because I had already caught my mistake!

I replied in the negative (though technically I am), but that I had lived there for a long time, so he said he'd let me off that time. :)

Honestly, though, I do still say "zee" in my head...

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I have a job interview at a picture library on Wednesday, and a two-week temp booking at a risk assessment firm next week.

27 comments:

Nabeel said...

lol, funny story and I say Zee too, used to say Zed before. Talking about hearts (first paragraph), I recently read an article where the guy who underwent heart replacement surgery and has an artificial heart now, complains that he cannot feel emotions anymore. Perhaps the poets were right, heart has reasons that mind can't understand.

Olivia said...

Nabeel - it's E-Z to say Zee, hehe.

Goodness me, last year I saw a whole program about people with transplants experiencing memories/flashbacks that were not theirs...!

Wasn't it the ancient Greeks who thought that the heart was the mind?

By the way, you are the only person who comments on my photo blogs now, oh, apart from the odd person who Googles an image and drops me an email about one that touches them, or a couple have made it into a travel guide and a children's program.
How cool is that?

Olivia said...

I forgot to answer your question on my photo blog as to why 90% of the statues are nude.

It's because they are ancient Greek or Roman, and the Greeks celebrated the perfection of the human body, while the Romans just made copies of their work. If it were not for the Romans making marble copies of Greek bronze originals, we wouldn't be able to enjoy most of the famous statues we do today. Many Greek bronzes were melted down to make weapons, usually by Romans.
The ones we see in museums survived because they were either buried in rubble or shipwrecked, and then recently excavated.

As you can see, I have a lot to say. It is late, I am bored, I had a nap, AND I have recovered from today's headache.

Dan said...

If it's not Zee what is it? Zed?

Hugs to you Olivia,

From,

山田 Yamada (mountain field) 直樹 Naoki (straight tree)

:)

Selba said...

I didn't know that british pronounce "Z" as Zed.

AmitL said...

Hi,Olivia-been a bit too busy,first with work,and now with a bad back..great to see things are going along nicely with you.:)A big LOL at the Zee part.:)Sooo American..reminds me of someone...grin.:)Good luck with the interview tomorrow.

Anonymous said...

Amazingly my real name and my blog name translate to almost the same thing. 石丸 Ishimaru (round stone) 駿 Shun (fast person) and 石川 Ishikawa (stone river) 駿 Shun (fast person) respectively. Kumiko suits you.

It's zed dear, not that it'll change the world if we call it something different. An American chum once told me that zed meant null or nullify where they were from but I'm not sure if it's true or not.

I think that the idea of ghost memories is psychosomatic and while it makes for an entertaining movie I don't think that it's real in any way.

Olivia said...

Dan - Hugs always welcome! Yes, it's zed.

I like your Japanese name!
Mountains and fields are where you always seem to be when you go anywhere, and straight tree, well all that hiking makes you strong and straight like a tree!

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Selba - and so do the Canadians and Australians and New Zealanders. Probably a few others too.

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Amit - I thought I hadn't seen you around in a while. Sorry to hear you have a bad back. Hope it gets better soon.

Reminds you of whom...?

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Froggie - so similar! Well, then they are definitely meant for you. Are you a fast person???

Oh, I know what movie you are thinking of, the one with David Duchovny and Minnie Driver, where he falls in love with the woman who got his wife's heart transplanted.

The Moody Minstrel said...

Yes, ma'am.
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I actually know a Hasegawa Kumiko! (You realize that "Hasegawa" is the surname, don't you?)

I tried the Japanese name generator, and it gave me my son's name!
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It happens, m'lady.
In my case, it has been pointed out to me many times that I now tend to end my sentences with "eh?" (i.e. Canadian) instead of "huh?" (i.e. American), probably because almost all my expat friends here are Canadian.
At least I still pronounce "house" right and don't say the T in the middle of "often".
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Good luck with the ongoing job odyssey, ma'am!

Olivia said...

Minstrel - Are you slowly dropping m'lady? I was going to suggest it in the last post. :)

But ma'am? Aie! I'm not trying to get into officer candidate training, you know. [Tempting. If you keep it up, though...]

Olivia said...

Oh, and I did put my name surname first into the generator.

I say both "eh" and "huh" having spent a bit of time in Canada with relatives who say "eh?" all the time!

It's funny how the Canadians stretch out the word "dollar": "dawwwler". LOL

Lotus Reads said...

Hello, Kumiko! :)

I think my Japanese name was Chiaki, but I did it a while back so I don't really remember.

I haven't started saying Zee yet, but I am finding that my spellings are getting Americanized (a few years ago, I would have spelt Americanized with an 's' instead of a 'z') and it bothers me slightly, especially when my mom decides to treat them as spelling mistakes! :)

Olivia said...

Lotus - when I moved to the US, I had to learn all the spellings which was easy because I was at school and university, then here I had to switch back for more university, and now I will have to switch back yet again.

Anonymous said...

"Zee" sounds so much funner and sweeter and "Zed"!

Anonymous said...

中村 Nakamura (center of the village) 愛恵 Itoe (bless with love)

-michelle

Anonymous said...

It's possible that I was thinking of a different movie where the limbs of a serial killer are transplanted and then come to life to commit crimes again. Clearly the genre and quality of my movies differs from yours. ;)

panda_eyed said...

Olive, sweetpea, sorry have been quiet on the email front. Have been so busy :( Unfortunately this will be so until the end of the week and perhaps longer.

Just wanted to say good luck with the interview - remember to switch your phone off, during it! :) xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The Moody Minstrel said...

But ma'am? Aie!

"Ma'am" is what good Southern boys say to ladies. (And if the "lady" is a Yankee, the poor Southern boy winds up getting yelled at! Don't laugh; I've seen it happen.)

By the way, ma'am, have you read this? How does it feel to be a statistic? ;-)

Olivia said...

Planethalder - welcome to my blog. Yes, now you mention it, zee is quite cute :)

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Michy - you are in the centre of your village, and I hope you are blessed with love ;)

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Froggie - Blimey! That sounds horrific. What movie is that???

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Pandy - yes, ma'am, I did switch off my phone!

Sorry to hear you're busy, but I do hope you keep your health and strength up!

See you soon.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoox

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Minstrel - oh, yes, I forgot the Texas boys use it that way, I guess I had heard it so much from Marines and ex-military types so much this summer that I got used to it.

As for the BBC article, I knew what it would be before I clicked on it. Another day full of signs!

I was asked at my interview today, for the first time, if I would be returning soon. Then I got lost on London Transport, took me two hours to get home. Then I came home and saw the British emigration issue on the news. Amongst other things I will not mention as I suspect I have been googled...

I wonder what signs will appear tomorrow...

kate said...

English Canadians say 'Zed' too, though it is 'Zee' in French. Since my son grew up speaking and studying in French, I get constantly confused.

Your photographs are beautiful.

Beenzzz said...

I haven't said "zed" in such a long time. It sounds so odd to me now! You are an American at heart. :)

Olivia said...

Kate - interesting, maybe only in Quebec? I learned Continental French which uses zede (with accent grave over the e).

Re: photos - thanks! I haven't taken any lately, to which are you referring?

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Beenzzz - I take that as a compliment. The Americans used to say I had left my heart here, but I've doubted that many times!

Anonymous said...

I tend to mix the two, I try to always say Zed but sometimes slip and say Zee because it rhymes with the other letters :|

Hope the interview went well
xx

Anonymous said...

My japanese name is Ishimaru (round stone) Michiyo (three thousand generations)

AmitL said...

Hi,Olivia...tks..the back's much better(touchwood)...Zee reminded me of 'American Boy'of course.:)

ML said...

I am: Michiko (beautiful wise child)

I used to say Zed at a child, but since moving to the states I, obviously, say Zee now :)

Nabeel said...

hmm, yes I visit your photoblog from time to time :) And well if people come to your blog through google, it's a very good thing, nothing weird about it. However ya, the email sure. Hmm @ other memories, very interesting. Human brain is sooo complex, it is miraculous.