Here is A-si-a
At the YMCA Kowloon, I met Ogi at the front desk. Later in the breakfast room, we sat and conversed, while his Japanese friend, a fellow hotel management trainee, ate in silence.
Ogi had lived in San Francisco and Vancouver, and he asked me the meaning of some English song lyrics. I asked him something too. I don't remember now what my question was, only his answer, which was unequivocal.
"Here is A-si-a," he said, awarding three syllables to his home continent. It was clear that I should expect no further explanation.