Questions about Me

 Posted by on 11 May 2010 at 1:30 pm  FormSpring, Personal
May 112010
 

Some FormSpring Questions and Answers on me:

How is your last name pronounced? by AbsoluteKeenan

The simple way is to pronounce it like “Shay.” The more complicated (and correct) way is to pronounce it like “she” and “eh” mushed into a single syllable.

Notably, that’s how my Taiwanese in-laws pronounce it. Mainland Chinese pronounce the name slightly differently. Also, it’s now spelled “Xie” in China. That would be super-awesome if it weren’t communist. (Yes, the spelling of names has been a hot political topic in Taiwan.)

How old are you?

That’s really a question that you should ask Paul. He keeps track for me. But… doing the math… I’m 35. (And yes, I verified that with Paul.)

Why are you such a sucker for the incessant button pushing of Mafia Wars? It’s so dumb. Why am I? by vizionpix

I think that such games are satisfying because they give the illusion of purpose and accomplishment.

For me, Mafia Wars is a quick break from work that can’t occupy more than a few minutes. That’s really good, as otherwise I can get engrossed in my break fun rather than getting back to work in a timely way.

[Mafia Wars has gotten boring. So now I'm playing "Words with Friends" instead.]

Are you proficient in any foreign languages? If so, would consider writing for foreign media?

I only know French, and that’s pretty rusty. I’d like to brush up on it, not for writing, but so that I could read French literature without the distortion of translation.

Someday, I’d like to learn Latin, then all the Romance languages, then ancient Greek, then Mandarin. That might have to wait until my 70s though. I’m pretty well-booked until then.

Do you say soda, pop, or coke?

Soda, but I rarely say it because I’ve always hated the stuff.

   
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