I've reached a curious point in my knowledge of Japanese. I understand that learning a language is an ongoing process and I've a long road ahead of me even now. However, I've entered a stage that is somewhat unnerving, if not a little bit frustrating. I can best explain it, perhaps, through a metaphor. Whenever I see or hear Japanese now it's as though I'm seeing somebody I've seen a lot in my life for the past few years. This person is awfully familiar and I'm sure I know them. Her features aren't too clear but I can certainly notice some key aspects; the color of the person's eyes or skin tone. Yet within that perception, I'm entirely unable to remember her name. I have countless experiences with this person and I'm sure she's a big part of my life but I can't say I really truly know her. We're just acquaintances, as far as I could tell.
Socially speaking then, I've probably reached the point where it's awkward to ask that person's name because I really should remember it. Of course, that's not exactly the case with the language itself. Instead, I'm at a loss trying to figure out how to get over the hump, so to speak. The other day I was listening to some Japanese music (中島美嘉 if you're curious) and it just hit me that I was understanding most of the words but I just couldn't piece them together to form a thought and thus missed the whole meaning. That's where the above analogy came from. Now, that might just be an effect of it being a song and there not being natural inflections to the lyrics, not to mention they are lyrics so there's a chance they make limited sense on their own. However, the same things seems to happen more or less to the same degree whenever I hear dialogue in a japanese video game, for instance.
Maybe what I need is just to spend more time listening to things in Japanese. At least until it reeeally starts to sink in. Maybe that'll just keep me at this level forever! I should just try to find somebody to speak and practice with. I have the sneaking suspicion that might just be what I need to get through this point. Now to actually finding this kind of person... and then hopefully remembering their name!
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Monday, October 12, 2009
The Death of TaT
I've recently gotten to thinking I ought to write about topics other than myself in this blog. However, despite that initial statement, this post is about me. Particularly it is about my nickname: TaT. I suppose it's only fair I explain the origin of TaT for what to me appears the millionth time. Of course, as this is not casual conversation I can actually take my time and give a fuller, more detailed account.
What normally occurs when people ask me about the peculiar name I give is as follows. There's a chance people will begin by asking if it's because I have tattoos. Upon learning that I don't, I generally begin by explaining that TaT is a shortened version of Tatito, "which is my nickname back home." People then invariably ask me what Tatito means, or where that came from. To this I reply explaining that Tatito is the minuscule of Tato, which is, apparently, the nickname naturally given to Emilio's the way Roberts become Bobs and Richards become Dicks, though there may be other reasons certain Richards become dicks :P. The whole Emilio -> Tato thing I only came to know fairly recently. I back that up by relating that my father's name is Emilio and as it's the same as mine, we are both Tato but I am little Tato, thus Tatito.
The next logical link in the chain is how Tatito became TaT. Simply put, I dropped the -ito, and while normally that would revert it to Tato, I liked the ring - and particularly the symmetry, or perhaps balance - of TaT. Now for shortness' sake I often leave it there and people are commonly content with that explanation, as it is already rather lengthy. However, there is more to the story. You see, this change isn't recent. I've been using the TaT moniker since high school. Initially it was the most recent of a string of screen names I used in the MSN Messenger instant messaging client. Previous examples include, much to my dismay ( though I can chalk it off as junior high awkwardness), DragonScythe (as the earliest I can remember and which inspired a short-lived and never finished fantasy novel I had begun to write) and CookySpooky (as the weirdest I can remember), which incidentally has made a comeback as my user name for youtube.
For quite a while, TaT remained as nothing more than my MSN nickname since I didn't have many friends outside of school and I had been Emilio to the ones I had for far too long for them to call me anything else. It wasn't until I started going to youth group at a new church that I was able to give naming myself a go. This was the first time in my life I was introducing myself with no one to recant my claim, which, mind you, makes all the difference. And so, I called myself TaT and somehow it just stuck and people actually called me by it. A comical side effect of said quasi-truthful introduction was that it was several months before many people at that church came to know my real name. Needless to say, I was greatly amused. Ultimately I got so used to be called TaT by English speakers (the youth group was of an American-style church) that when I went to college in the US using TaT to introduce myself was nothing less than a no-brainer. And that's about as much as you could ever hope to know about "TaT".
So back to the point of the post. The other day I was driving and thinking to myself, as I often do when I drive, that the number of people who still call me TaT are people whom I am not in contact with on a very regular basis. In coming to the Bay Area to work at Tiny Prints, I have unconsciously - or so I tell myself - left TaT out of most of my introductions. It goes without saying that for the past month or so I've been meeting a great deal of people.
Probably the strangest part of it all is the fact that I think I might be ok with not being called TaT. It's partially linked to the fact that I've always kept TaT out of my professional life. As an aside, I'll add that "TaT Gandara" is one of my biggest pet peeves. TaT is strictly and exclusively a stand-alone title. Like I mentioned earlier, in school I was always Emilio and even in college, I was only TaT outside of the classroom. In fact, this came to cause some confusion when I shared friends whom I had met within and outside the classroom so that one knew me by TaT and the other by Emilio.
In any case, said confusions have never bothered me. Yet now as the numbers stagnate and even dwindle, I wonder if TaT is beginning to take part in my permanent history and strictly inhabiting my past. I've even gone as far as to wonder 'have I outgrown it?' but the very thought frightens me. I need no further reminder that I'm not getting any younger, even at such an early age. And then I ponder if I, in fact, wish to continue to be called TaT.
For better or worse, there have been recent developments leading to a prolongation of TaT's livelihood. At Eric's (my sempai* at work) church one of the members came to know of TaT during our conversation and in a move very much like how Osaka from Azumanga Daioh got her nick name,
announced to the congregation that I shall henceforth be known as TaT instead of Emilio. I could naught but acquiesce though I can't say I have any true complaints :). Meanwhile at the church in Redwood City, it's rather a mess with me sort of going back and forth adding the TaT part of my introduction only half the time. I suppose I should just pick one, but I am inclined to use Emilio as there isn't that much youth in that congregation. ...Perhaps, seeing as how my litmus test has become there "being much youth", I really might be outgrowing TaT.
So for now, at least, TaT still is alive and kicking. I do believe, however, that so long as I keep in touch with my Rochester, Cleveland or Rocklin friends (and particularly my family, as my nephews are growing up getting to know me as TioTaT), I shall be TaT. Or Tatticus, TaT the rat, Tatterclese, Rattatat-tat...
*sempai (先輩）is Japanese for superior/senior often used in school or work settings.
What normally occurs when people ask me about the peculiar name I give is as follows. There's a chance people will begin by asking if it's because I have tattoos. Upon learning that I don't, I generally begin by explaining that TaT is a shortened version of Tatito, "which is my nickname back home." People then invariably ask me what Tatito means, or where that came from. To this I reply explaining that Tatito is the minuscule of Tato, which is, apparently, the nickname naturally given to Emilio's the way Roberts become Bobs and Richards become Dicks, though there may be other reasons certain Richards become dicks :P. The whole Emilio -> Tato thing I only came to know fairly recently. I back that up by relating that my father's name is Emilio and as it's the same as mine, we are both Tato but I am little Tato, thus Tatito.
The next logical link in the chain is how Tatito became TaT. Simply put, I dropped the -ito, and while normally that would revert it to Tato, I liked the ring - and particularly the symmetry, or perhaps balance - of TaT. Now for shortness' sake I often leave it there and people are commonly content with that explanation, as it is already rather lengthy. However, there is more to the story. You see, this change isn't recent. I've been using the TaT moniker since high school. Initially it was the most recent of a string of screen names I used in the MSN Messenger instant messaging client. Previous examples include, much to my dismay ( though I can chalk it off as junior high awkwardness), DragonScythe (as the earliest I can remember and which inspired a short-lived and never finished fantasy novel I had begun to write) and CookySpooky (as the weirdest I can remember), which incidentally has made a comeback as my user name for youtube.
For quite a while, TaT remained as nothing more than my MSN nickname since I didn't have many friends outside of school and I had been Emilio to the ones I had for far too long for them to call me anything else. It wasn't until I started going to youth group at a new church that I was able to give naming myself a go. This was the first time in my life I was introducing myself with no one to recant my claim, which, mind you, makes all the difference. And so, I called myself TaT and somehow it just stuck and people actually called me by it. A comical side effect of said quasi-truthful introduction was that it was several months before many people at that church came to know my real name. Needless to say, I was greatly amused. Ultimately I got so used to be called TaT by English speakers (the youth group was of an American-style church) that when I went to college in the US using TaT to introduce myself was nothing less than a no-brainer. And that's about as much as you could ever hope to know about "TaT".
So back to the point of the post. The other day I was driving and thinking to myself, as I often do when I drive, that the number of people who still call me TaT are people whom I am not in contact with on a very regular basis. In coming to the Bay Area to work at Tiny Prints, I have unconsciously - or so I tell myself - left TaT out of most of my introductions. It goes without saying that for the past month or so I've been meeting a great deal of people.
Probably the strangest part of it all is the fact that I think I might be ok with not being called TaT. It's partially linked to the fact that I've always kept TaT out of my professional life. As an aside, I'll add that "TaT Gandara" is one of my biggest pet peeves. TaT is strictly and exclusively a stand-alone title. Like I mentioned earlier, in school I was always Emilio and even in college, I was only TaT outside of the classroom. In fact, this came to cause some confusion when I shared friends whom I had met within and outside the classroom so that one knew me by TaT and the other by Emilio.
In any case, said confusions have never bothered me. Yet now as the numbers stagnate and even dwindle, I wonder if TaT is beginning to take part in my permanent history and strictly inhabiting my past. I've even gone as far as to wonder 'have I outgrown it?' but the very thought frightens me. I need no further reminder that I'm not getting any younger, even at such an early age. And then I ponder if I, in fact, wish to continue to be called TaT.
For better or worse, there have been recent developments leading to a prolongation of TaT's livelihood. At Eric's (my sempai* at work) church one of the members came to know of TaT during our conversation and in a move very much like how Osaka from Azumanga Daioh got her nick name,
announced to the congregation that I shall henceforth be known as TaT instead of Emilio. I could naught but acquiesce though I can't say I have any true complaints :). Meanwhile at the church in Redwood City, it's rather a mess with me sort of going back and forth adding the TaT part of my introduction only half the time. I suppose I should just pick one, but I am inclined to use Emilio as there isn't that much youth in that congregation. ...Perhaps, seeing as how my litmus test has become there "being much youth", I really might be outgrowing TaT.
So for now, at least, TaT still is alive and kicking. I do believe, however, that so long as I keep in touch with my Rochester, Cleveland or Rocklin friends (and particularly my family, as my nephews are growing up getting to know me as TioTaT), I shall be TaT. Or Tatticus, TaT the rat, Tatterclese, Rattatat-tat...
*sempai (先輩）is Japanese for superior/senior often used in school or work settings.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Gar
At the risk of getting sucked into it and not going to sleep until much later, I feel a sudden urge to write... which I will not listen to! Honestly there is a lot to say but at the same time that feeling is overwhelming me and it'd take way too long to write out everything I want to. So, this quick note is for the sake of populating my blog even a tiny bit. And, while not an apology, perhaps this intent will eventually turn into a huge long post in the future with everything that's been this past month. Then again, maybe not.
I'll stop now before I keep going!!!
I'll stop now before I keep going!!!
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