The fridayfive revisited

[thismaz]

kazzy_cee reminded me that there were no thefridayfive questions this week, so rather than stop posting just after I started again and always in need of a prompt, I went and looked at the first question ever posted to thefridayfive, back in 2004, and am going to recycle them. They are good ones.

1. If you could live in any city in the world, where would you live and why?
Oh, that is a difficult one. I have visited a number of cities that I enjoyed, but as places to live permanently? No, I am where I want to be. But... *g* If I were able to move anytime I liked and had a house in every place, I think I would commute with the seasons, between Sydney, Australia (during their spring, not their summer), Bergen, Norway, for part of the northern winter (for the skiing), San Francisco, USA, in the spring before it gets too hot, Larnaca in Cyprus and Gibraltar, during the Mediterranean summer, and in the spaces in between, V in Canada, so I could regularly see sparrow2000.

2. If you could speak any language fluently, what would it be?
You mean besides English? Because that would be good *g*
Umm... After English, I guess French or Spanish would be useful in a lot of places (oh, the legacy of empire) as would Chinese (but which one? Modern Mandarin/Putonghua, I suppose.) Hmm... actually, I think maybe Japanese, because it is a country I have not yet visited, but one I have always been curious about.

3. When was the last time you rode a ferry and where did you go?
The last time? Umm... I took the ferry across the river a couple of weeks ago, to visit South Shields Market. Hardly an epic voyage, but it is a ferry. You can even take bicycles on it.

4. What was the longest plane ride you've ever taken?
London to Sydney. It was in two parts, but I don't suppose that matters for the purpose of the question. Oh, yes, and back again.

5. If you discovered a country, what would you name it?
Traditionally new countries often get named after the monarch or other sponsor of the voyage of discovery, don't they? I wouldn't want to do that. I am not vain enough to name it after myself, like Cecil Rhodes did.
I am assuming this is a real, really empty country (unlike the terra nullius the British government declared Australia to be so they could take it over with no need to worry about legality) because if it wasn't, I think in a sprit of fairness, I'd have to ask the natives.
*thinks* It's a bit like naming a child, isn't it - you have to consider how they will feel when they grow up (and I haven't had nine months to think about this question). On the whole, and subject to change when I've got to know it better, I think I would name it either Ultima Thule or Atlantis.

Comments

[brunettepet.livejournal.com]

I'd love to have houses in Sydney and San Francisco, too. San Francisco doesn't really get hot but there wasn't any air conditioning when I was growing up so that one or two week heat wave we'd have (we'd start complaining when it was 80° or above and I remember once in the 70's it hit 91° and we were all gasping) every few years would lay us all out. I had no idea what real heat was until I moved to Central Texas.

[thismaz.livejournal.com]

*checks conversion chart* 80°F is too hot for me (which is why I would not be in Sydney during the southern summer. It gets above 105° there *shudders*.) Between 60° and 70° is definitely my comfort zone when it comes to summer. But I wouldn't really want to be in any city during mid-summer. *nods* Towns in the Med are sounding better and better. *g*

[kazzy-cee.livejournal.com]

Cool questions.

Love Atlantis.

When we lived in Bergen there was never enough snow to actually ski (always raining!). Most of the inhabitants went to Geilo instead.

I think you'd have to learn Mandarin now as it's the official language and they are trying to get rid of Cantonese.

[thismaz.livejournal.com]

I thought they were good.

I sat here for a while trying to think of a good name and could not make one up, so Ultima Thule or Atlantis seemed the logical choice.

Ah, I didn't think of that (I lived n the other side of the country where shortage of snow was certainly not a problem) but Bergen is such a pretty place. *nods* I think I'll keep it in my plans. *g*

Although I can't believe they have succeeded in getting rid of all the hundreds of different spoken version, even now, yeah, if I wanted to use it in China itself and be understood it would have to be Putonghua. However, Japan also has a rich literature that it would be nice to read in the original, so in the end I opted for a smaller and more homogeneous language *g*

[kazzy-cee.livejournal.com]

Cool questions.

Love Atlantis.

When we lived in Bergen there was never enough snow to actually ski (always raining!). Most of the inhabitants went to Geilo instead.

I think you'd have to learn Mandarin now as it's the official language and they are trying to get rid of Cantonese.

[brutti-ma-buoni.livejournal.com]

I vote Ultima Thule. As long as it's not right in the middle of a continent, obvs. Best name.

I like your peripatetic living plans. I similarly struggle to imagine not living where I do as at least one base...

Japanese might be fun. I vote German because I am just embarrassed by my toddler-level speaking after many years of half hearted learning. Or, totally differently, Arabic. I feel like I'm missing out on a very local civilisation by not being able to read/speak a word of it.

[thismaz.livejournal.com]

Yeah, Ultima Thule has a rich and satisfying feel. But you're right - it would have to be an island.

I almost picked Arabic. Again, such a rich literature. It was a hard choice - the magical acquisition of instant fluency made me feel greedy. *g*

[sparrow2000.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, you could stop off here as a half way point to your visits to Sydney, and you could just drive up the coast from SF and get on the ferry for weekend breaks - right, sorted! *g*

[thismaz.livejournal.com]

Yay! See you soon... As soon as my fairy godmother turns up and waves her wand *g*