Tuesday 28 April 2009

la ninja bloguera

cajón desastre

The first bit of the title is basically a play on words.
"Cajón de sastre" could translate as hotchpotch, jumble, confused heap of stuff and things. However, it literally means tailor's drawer or box. i.e. the little chest where an old-school tailor would have kept ribbons, buttons, oddments, bits and bobs, trinkets... This and that basically.
To me, "cajón de sastre" perfectly describes this little, humble and messy virtual space of mine (within the immensity and iniquity that the Internet is.)

"cajón de sastre" can also be used in Spanish when referring to someone fighting (à la pell-mell) a vast array of chaotic and confused ideas in their head or imagination.
Rather appropriate for this ninja.

Tweaking it a little bit you get "cajón desastre", a very simple pun achieved by pushing "de" and "sastre" together and forming, instead, "desastre", which (yes, I know you've already guessed) means disaster.
Even more appropriate.

where is that ninja?

One fine morning, at work, while coming back from the kitchen and holding a cup of coffee, the Italian-Dutch colleague sitting across from me at the time tells me "M just came over and asked ¿Dónde está esta niña?, which I have obviously translated as Where is that ninja? "
Obviously.

It made me laugh no end and I thought it'd be an ideal name to use here (both colleagues involved in the minting of the name gave me the thumbs up so here we are.)
Oh yeah, and we work/ed with languages and obviously love this Babel-like linguistic nonsense (at least I know I do.)

who is that ninja?

I haven't gotten that far yet plus I'm not sure what I want to write on this one either. I reckon I shall sit on it for a bit...

Oh yeah. I ramble. Often.

Note: In real Spanish "¿dónde está esta niña?" obviously means "where is that girl?". Well... Obviously.

4 comments:

  1. Nice to know a little background!

    X Guusje

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  2. Always wondered how you (and the blog) became the Ninja. I like that story :^) and I'm glad you are here. Keep up the good rambling...

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  3. so are you saying that there is no real ninja here? lol...kidding.

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what's that I hear (read rather)?