Monday, November 28, 2011

Mr XYZ

How are you addressed? By your name? or by your surname?

Well, I have always been addressed by my name. BUT my husband has always been addressed by his surname. It could be because he didnt have a legal Christian name, meaning it was never on his ID, but only called such by his family. But then again you would expect his colleagues to call him by his Chinese name, not? Or another way was to just address him by his surname. BUT, no, they actually address him as Mr XYZ (XYZ being his surname).

Initally I thought they addressed everyone without a Christian name as Mr ABC, XYZ, etc. Then I found out that his previous boss didnt have a Christian name, and everyone addressed him by his initials, without the Mr., and not by the surname either.

Until today, when his (ex)colleagues meet him on the road, they will actually call him Mr XYZ.

Weird, dont you think?

And another weird thing: my son has a Christian name, but his friends call him by his surname!

4 comments:

V e r o n i c a said...

Well... My boyfriend is a Marine and since the day I met him he called his friends by their last names. So, when I got to meeting them I refereed to them by their last name. Even now that that some of his friends are no longer in service, we still call them by their last name. So, In my opinion it's not that weird to give people nicknames or call them by something that is not their legal names.

stay-at-home mum said...

Hi Vero
Thanks for your comment. What I am saying to call some one just by the last name is quite common, but to include a MR in front, all the time?
Lke eg, your bf is Smith, and his friend is Brown. They would prob go: Hi Smith, or Hi Brown. But to see them on an everyday basis and say Hi Mr Smith!

And for a child to call another by their surname? I dont know.

V e r o n i c a said...

Yeah I see what you mean... kind of weird. Men, always coming up with weird stuff. I don't think any woman would constantly refer to another woman as Mrs. _____

Stardust said...

It's a men's thing. My dad's generation behaves like that. My ex-boyfriends behave like that.

My brother entered NS and started behaving like that. Manhood maybe?

N is early then!