Tuesday 19 February 2008

Irritating Habits

A few weeks ago, I put up a post about revolting habits and one of the comments, from 30+ I believe, suggested I put on a warning sign for readers. 30+, you know I love you but one would have thought the word ‘revolting’ was enough of a warning.

For these irritating habits, no warning is needed, they are just as described on the label: things I find irritating and sometimes annoying.

Media Words
Some words have crept into the Nigeria media usage, which makes me just want to ‘commit’. Words like:
* ‘sanitize’ - “…in a bid to sanitize…”
* ‘actualise’ – “he wanted to actualise his mandate…”
* ‘mobilisation fee’ – “the company collected a 50% mobilisation fee…”

Contemporary Language
* ‘Basically’ – how I have come to dislike that word
* ‘To be honest…’ – spoken by the patently deceitful
* ‘Let me have your digits…’ – said mainly by men of a certain ilk to request a woman’s telephone number. Digits? Next, you’ll be asking for binary numbers. Are there some people out there who actually respond to that sort of request?
* ‘I just came by to say “Thanks for stopping by my blog/Thanks for stopping by/Thanks for your comments on my blog”…’ – for crying out loud, just return the visit as a matter of politeness, if you find it interesting and engaging, by all means leave a comment, if you don’t, quietly slink back to what floats your boat, but do not visit some person’s blog simply to say “I just came by to say thanks for stopping by my blog”. Gosh, it does annoy me so!

Deeds
* People who ‘flash’ you in order to speak to you. I experienced this a lot in Nigeria and they even flash me from Nigeria in London. I just look at the sky in wonder and beseech God to provide me with an answer to why anyone would want to speak with me but ask me to pay for the experience. The last time my family member ‘flashed’, I called her deliberately and asked why she could not invest N500 to speak with me. I continue to thank God that the people I know now do not do that.

* Nigerians who clap when a plane lands in Lagos. If you need to say a prayer of thanks, why not do it privately? If you want to congratulate the pilot for bringing the plane down in one piece, why don’t you inform a steward who will let the captain know? The amazing thing is that these same passengers will not clap on their return journeys to London or wherever.

* Our people who buy food e.g. roast chicken from Selfridges to take to Nigeria (hmm…London chicken, tasty!). Many years ago on a trip to Lagos, when it was still fashionable for the airlines to deliver your luggage one week after your arrival, I went to the airport to collect my bags and you will never believe the stench in the hall where the luggage were left. It was like a sewer run riot. I immediately remembered an ‘aunty’ who had told me a few weeks earlier that she got roast chicken from Selfridges to take to Nigeria, and trying to persuade her that chicken in Nigeria is actually tastier was like pulling teeth without anaesthetic.

75 comments:

Brilliantly Me said...

FIRST~~

Brilliantly Me said...

I'm glad you brought up the "thanks for stopping by" thing. Geez! I understand that the person is being sincere, but when you have to thank someone for reading your words and then responding to it, that's a problem.

Note:You should also add "misconstrue," a word that is often misconstrued.

Ms. Catwalq said...

Dang, the things u have seen with your eyes.
So, BASICALLY you want to SANITIZE your world by a MOBILISATION that these double DIGITS of irritating habits be stopped? Abi?

Thanks for stopping by.

beautiful soul said...

I agree with you about people thinking london chicken is nicer than nigerian chicken. Even more annoying is when people like my father's pastor come to jand and decide to buy sliced bread from sainsburys to take back home cause they are better than in nigeria. I find it ridiculous!

Oh, i just came to say thanks for stopping by my blog..lol.. but seriously, it was cool to have someone read and even give opinions, i usually just write for myself in an attempt to clarify things but i only end up getting more confused.

xoxoxo

guerreiranigeriana said...

you know what i'm saying...and like, yeah...i just wanted to say thanks for stopping by and commentating on my page and stuff, you know what i'm saying...it would be real cool to conversate with you one day...seems like we be having some of the exact same issues, you know what i'm saying?...we could conversate about the groundation that people be needing and stuff, you know what i'm saying?...

...did that jibberish above irritate you?...it irritates the shit out of me!!!...this was a great and rather amusing post...i thought i'd indulge you in some of the fuckery that pisses me off...but i would need a post to adequately and completely address it...

...make and sure and stop by my page and i'll stop by yours...lol...(just kidding...more fuckery)...

Jinta said...

* rayo - so true, misconstrue (even had difficulty spelling it)

* catwalk - ms, they bring out the primeval attitude in me

thanks for thanking me for stopping by

* soulS - lol at sansbury's bread, even worse than selfridges chicken. what i would give for agege bread...

guerreiranigeriana said...

the little tidbit you left for me about sankara, i did not know...i love him more!!!...thanks for sharing that...

Jinta said...

* g-nigeriana - that just succeeded in irritating the crap out of me and fried my brain silly

Jinta said...

* g-nigeriana - you're welcome, but you make me jealous...

guerreiranigeriana said...

lol...why do i make you jealous my friend?...

Eyin'ju Oluwa said...

Jintaaaaaaaaa, i just love doing that.

LOL@ london chicken, some people are just fascinated by everything 'janded'

Errrmmm its just being courteous now, saying thanks and all, okay i'll stop...didnt think it was such a big deal...lol. Buhahahahaha its funny sha, now that i think about it.

The "Basically" thing, really irritates me.

Maybe the clappers are excited to be home now, cant blame them. Or just thankful their enemies didnt succeed in pulling the plane down.

Hehehehe

Jinta said...

* g-nigeriana - on these pages?

* 'sewa - hmm, be careful o, that name has meaning as you dey call am so.

i think the clappers are happy their enemies did not pull the plane down. lol. so they cant pull it down on the return journey?

Eyin'ju Oluwa said...

So i should stop calling it?*sulking*

What does it mean?

Haven't you heard 'it' cant cross the atlantic?? LOL.

I can understand clapping after a domestic flight, God knows i'll shout 7 hallelujahs and then clap!!!

guerreiranigeriana said...

so you know i have perched here at this your blog, curious about this newly revealed jealousy...further intrigued because you can't reveal it on these pages...pray do tell...what is it?...where will you tell?...abeg, don't drive me mad with curiosity o!!...

bumight said...

to be honest with u, I just came by to thank you for stopping by my blog and all, but while I'm here I'm glad u brought up the clapping when we land thingy.
oh! reminds me of my last trip to naij, some lady packed paper towels! huge rolls of Bounty paper towels!!
I also think NTA should copyright the word 'sanitize' afterall, nobody uses it as much as they do.
Basically, that's all I have to say!

Rinsola said...

if they can buy chicken to Nigeria, then how about them try buying sugar home. Thats quite silly 'cos u honestly get some nicely made chicken in Nigeria. na them sabi jare.

Tandra said...

LOL people clappin when the plane lands..LOL

((wonders how close the airport is to the general masses or if they clap from afar))

This i havent heard before!!

some of those contemporary language category thingies ((fink u dont like that word either, lol)) have become such a part of life you dont think about it anymore.

I cant resist...im really fighting it but i will not slink back to what rocks my boat silently...

Thanks for stopping by my blog ((grins)))

anonymous gal(retired blogger) said...

hahaha.u will not kill me o.A nu word being used is riveting esp on african magic. "Rivetting viewin this month".
mhen that flashin stuff drives me crazy o.lol catwalq. gosh u bloggers wont kill me.

For the love of me said...

lol at the 'digits' if someone did ask me for my digits, I honestly wouldn't have understood before now. It reminds me of university when 'brothers' would say to 'sisters';I appreciate you, what happened to simple-I like you.?
Interesting post and thanks for stopping by my blog, duh, I said it, sue me.

Jinta said...

* 'sewa - 'no, no, pls dont stop...' lol
if 'it' cant cross the atlantic, the atlantic can cross it. lol

* g-nigeriana - ahh, guerreira domingos...(and no, i dont speak porto)

* bumight - lol at bounty paper. you're right - 'thingy' is another irritant

* rinsola - seems it's not only chickin that's the bane of our silliness, soulsearching has added sainsbury's bread! and bumight, bounty rolls

* tandra - oh, the clappers are usually the passengers, not spectators. i think i would die of trepidation of spectators were that close to a 777

* anon gal - your comment was riveting

Ms. emmotions said...

hehehe,

i just stopped by to say thanx for stopping by mine,

you see, to be honest with you , i enjoyed the read,

basically, am tryna see if these things do irritate me,

am wondering if i can talk to u lata tonight, so can i falsh u? so u can call for us to talk?
RFLMFAO............HEHEHE

Ms. emmotions said...

ehen? i forgot to ask for d digits to flash u on,

so, can i honestly have ur digits pls?

lol

Jinta said...

* for the love - na so? you know what they say: dada cannot fight but he has a younger sibling he depends on? i'm going to get my brother, the lawyer, to sue you.

meanwhile, let me have your digits now...

Jinta said...

* ms emmo - basically, i think we have to sanitize your language, but yes, you can have my digits

Afrobabe said...

Hahhahahhahahhah Can't stop laughing at the chicken one..

Pls add this to the irritating things....YOU KNOW WHAT YEA!!!

If I knew what you wouldn't be telling me would ya????

lmao @ cat...

ShadeCrown said...

LMAOOOOO GOODNESS GRACIOUS!

The clapping and london chicken killed it.
I witnessed the clapping scene when i went to naija, but this time it was needed! There was dis lady on the plane, dressed like dem bin laden kinda ppls (no offence oh), covered from head to toe, and went to the bathroom with a backpack and another big bag. People got really scared cuz she wuz in there for a long time, they got one of dem cabin crew to attend to her and he knocked on the door, she didnt open it, and they eventually opened the door only to find out that she was brushing her teeth and needed to change outfits. It was hella funny, ppl were praying n speaking in tongues, waking other ppl that were already sleeping, and whatnot, cuz it happened after all those terrorist stuff happened.

I was hella scared too oh, reciting all them bible passages n whatnot.. So of course ppl had to clap when we landed @ lagos...


and as per the 'thanks for visiting ma blog thingy'.. lol.. NO COMMENT!!

Jinta said...

* afro - that 'you know what yea' appears to be a particularly south & east london thing, and they always seem to be chewing gum!

congtatulations on passing your exam

* sha - lol at reciting bible passages - you always struck me as a 'come-what-may' woman

guerreiranigeriana said...

...*really confused look...he just wrote (translated): sundays female warrior or female warrior sundays*...what?...like say i no go know this one o...

Jinta said...

* g-nigeriana - that being the only porto word i knew and i just came abt it a couple of days ago. also recognising the fact that you're quite fluent in that language, thot i'd use it anyways, but tell me, what do sundays mean to you...?

guerreiranigeriana said...

lol...lie lie...you have yet to answer my question and you are now asking me philosophy!!!...hahaha...resposta pela resposta...estou atrazada...tenho que tomar banho, comer e sair da casa...depois a gente fala...entendeu?...go and look that up, querido...muah....

Jinta said...

* g-nigeriana - you have challenged me and i will rise to the occasion. lol. you can bet your bottom dollar i will not be the only one trying to translate

Anonymous said...

lol....lol....lol...lol "binary numbers" lol

Jinta said...

* pink - can you just imagine someone saying 'let me have your digits'? i've heard it said here

* g-nigeriana - i think i've got the gist of it...

Eyin'ju Oluwa said...

Jintaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

lol...just saying helloo:D

Jinta said...

* 'sewa - i hear you

Eyin'ju Oluwa said...

No hellloo back at me??

Sherri said...

okunrin meta!
pls refund out mobilization fee, u have failed to sanitize but u have rather actualized the thingy.
plz provide ur digits for flashing purpose only..lol

how are u?

btw, thank u for not stopping by and not leaving a comment.

Jinta said...

* sewa - omosewaaaaaaaaaa

* sherri - i'm fine, thank you. who says i have not stopped by? that faint whiff of cologne you smell on yours is mine

okunrin meta ke? i'm still trying to manage one of me

laspapi said...

Mr. Jinta- you beter qualify that bit about your 'family members' flashing you from Nigeria. Mention those who do by name and gender. Your brother's a "Lagos Big Boy". He doesn't flash.

Bet you hate that L.B.B. phrase too.

The Indecent One..... said...

LMAO!!!! u will not kill me! lolllolllol..mehn I don laff die. And 4 some reason i thot u are female, dont ask me why, I just thot so. Very funny post mehn, I feel the digits one. That shit pisses the eff out of me, i mean come on. But i thot it was a naija thing sha coz i only hear it in nigerian movies, lol.

As for "basically", me i love it o. infact use it frequently with "actually"...:D

Thirty + said...

"Honestly speaking" Jintagry, you are such an Egbecious Guy. Na me you come take make sample like dat?!

Here goes: "Thanks for stopping by my blog". Na na na na :), catch me if you can.

I don miss u small, don't let your head/belle swell o.

guerreiranigeriana said...

you have the gist of it?...what is it?...

♥♫♪nyemoni♫♪♥ said...

Mr Jintaaaaaaaahhhh!
Basically, to be perfectly honest wth you, I just came by to say Thanks for stopping by my blog....now please can I have your digits?

Jinta said...

* 'papi - ok,laspapi, i 'fess up. no be you. in fact, you dey call me well-well with your credit and when one phone runs out, you jump to another one.

now that i've set the record straight, how come you never take me to silverbird to eat guguru and watch film, apart from that once???? enbh? enh??

* indecent - i performed an involuntary back flip when one of my acquaintances used it in my presence, in trying to chat up a woman

* 30+, no be you say i for put warning up?

...and my head don swell well-well. thank you o

* g-nigeriana - again, on these pages? my email address link is on my profile

* 'moni - you can have my digits anytime. how's the baby?

Onome said...

jinta 1st things 1st I like ur new pic(lmao)..I just looked closely at it..2ndly if am not mistaken dats wat i said wen i came over to ur blog for d 1st time.....i came to say thanks for stopping by..(lol)

ShadeCrown said...

huh a 'come-what-may' woman?? worris dat 'posed to mean??

Jinta said...

* onome - things are not always what they seem

* sha - chineke, am i in trouble? i just meant that you handle like you can deal with any situation. i somehow cannot picture you in a worried state

Edirin said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Edirin said...

lol, i must confess, if i dont have money to t op up, i can live on 50p, ive become a very skilled flasher, ive even flashed nigeria b4,(shame on me, and they accually called back)

can i have your diggits::theres the way, certain guys wud say it, that itll sound smooth.


Selfridge's chicken ke!!. its all in the spice mehn..

thanks for stopping by anyway (LOL)

Edirin said...

I JOKE I JOKE!!

Allied said...

50 comments already?

Well thank you for stopping by my blog and i hope you also thank me for me stopping by your blog...

I just confused myself

Jinta said...

* fresh - you flash nigeria???? omg! osi gini? Allah seriki!! you're one of a kind. in that case, you can have my "diggits"

* allied - you're welcome and i must mention that i love your blog. thanks for stopping by mine also and taking the time to leave comments. lol

The Indecent One..... said...

lol @ flashing naija. wonders will never end...

just remembered another thing that annoys me, when pple call me "babes"! WTF?! I haaaaaatteeee that word. especially wen they use it with an "S".....Babes!....rather u say Babe than Babes.. *hiss*

Simi Speaks said...

thx for stopping by my blog today, last week and the week before. no really, i really appreciate ur insightful comments. thx again. for real for real, thanx. u have been awesome!

ok, did i annoy u enuff?! hehehehehe

i aim to please!

The Indecent One..... said...

gosh...y'all shud stop jare. ish is becoming redundant.

guerreiranigeriana said...

i have just emailed you o!!!...

Desy said...

haha- i don't know how i got this far across the pond- but i was crackin up..

explain what 'flash' is... cause I have no idea what that is

ohhh- you would hate going to university here.. 'basically', 'like'. 'you know', 'honestly', designated to be heard within a 20 span utterance... so special

digits?... yeah i've heard that once, but more in a joking 'don't you remember the 90s' kind of way

and you don't have to thank me for stopping by... lol

57th- i don't have a complex about being first... i just need to matter...lol

Unknown said...

dang...

Jinta: when I read your blog - I kinda get a picture of who you might be.

LOL!!

A lot of things irritate you, I see...


:-(

"by the way thanks for stopping by my blogs" AND "can I get your digits" hehehehehehee

Unknown said...

dang...

Jinta: when I read your blog - I kinda get a picture of who you might be.

LOL!!

A lot of things irritate you, I see...


:-(

"by the way thanks for stopping by my blogs" AND "can I get your digits" hehehehehehee

Nine said...

Lol@clapping when the plane lands.I think that's something that only happens whent he percentage of Nigerians on the plane hits 80-90%.I've never figured out if they're actually glad to be back or just glad to have landed safely:)

For truly irritating,try the person who attempts to lead you all in prayer once you enter a bus.Usually preceeded by a song session,and followed by either a sermon or an attempt to sell you the cure to diabetes,sickle cell,erectile dysfunction and infertility.Which may or may not be one drug.

Nine said...

Kids do love foreign candy.Cheap and plentiful.Ever try buying a Mars bar in Naija?Not quite the same thing for some reason.

el~correcta said...

jintaaaaaaaa! i could get used to that.thanks for stopping by my page the other day. i'm truly grateful.

i just took a break to laugh heartily after that paragraph.i like the way you express yourself '...I just look at the sky in wonder and beseech God to provide me with an answer to why anyone would want to speak with me but ask me to pay for the experience.'.that line really got me.ironically i flash my sis in london sometimes but mostly just for fun.

cheers man

Jinta said...

* the inde - that babes one. i'd wondered abt that as well and make a point to steer clear of women that respond to it

* simi - you're welcome. you did not thank me for leaving the comments.

pls tell me you're not the lady i saw at Murtala Muhammed Airport with the bag of sainsbury's bread - in your case, that would be wal mart or albertsons

* desy - flash is when someone phones you and only lets it ring a couple of times before cutting off, in the knowledge that their number will be displayed on your phone and with the unspoken demand that you call them back right away

desy, you do matter and thanks for stopping by

* honeywell - 'uncouth' is right on the button. what surprises is that some girls do appear to like it

* pamela - in my old age, pamela, in my old age. thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment. i will be right by yours and you must remember to thank me for stopping by

* nine - i experienced those cure-all medicine salesmen, for lakuregbe and jedi jedi. lol

i see your point on mars bars in nigeria and am not averse to buying the odd tin of chocolate myself, but roast chicken? bounty rolls? bread? bread????? lol

*el - where have you been?

you're one of the flashers? oh lawd mercy...

Nine said...

Funny, but while I was in early university, I used to impress some people (who shall remain nameless)with Ivory soap.You know,the one that floats in water

For some reason,that soap was madly popular,particularly with girls.Guys too,although some feigned indifference.They were usually the ones who tried to palm one lol.

Jinta said...

* nine - did the soap cure-all? lol

* pamela - pamelastitch?? omg! had to go to yours to discover your nice new face, you have your boss to thank for that.

great holiday pics in san fran

Nine said...

I wish

Desy said...

oooooooooo- that shyt drives me nuts... but thankfully i don't know anyone who does that to me. i've seen it done to others and i make sure i place a disclaimer in that moment that the action should not be duplicated with me because you will never get a call back...

it's good to know someone cares *wipes tear as she looks around at the 60 or so fellow commentors wondering how could that be so, but believing it all the same*

oh yeah


thanx for stopping by my spot...lol (jus kidding- don't ban me....lol)

laspapi said...

ehrr, jinta... you're the wrong gender to be carrying to silverbird...Will I hold your hand when we're watching 'cloverfield' and things are creeping out of the ground? (By the way I saw that one alone, even though my detractors say 'laspapi alone' is a contradiction in terms).
Seriously now, when next you're here, we'll see 3 movies.I'm going to see 'Jumper' tomorrow.

Jinta said...

* nine - if wishes were horses...

* desy - ur sugar-coated cynicism tells me tears will be hard to come by.

* laspapi - i have printed out your promise and framed it on my wall. hopefully you will be holding my hand when we go watch cloverfield and brokeback mountain (i can see that customary cringe on your face as i write)

Jennifer A. said...

LOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL....@ people buying roast chicken to take to Naija? Do people really do that????

About Nigerians clapping, I guess it's now a habit that can't be thrown in the gutter anymore...(i'm used to it...lol).

Now, abt people coming by blogs and saying, “I just came by to say thanks for stopping by my blog”...I thought I was the only one that felt kinda uneasy abt this. I usu. appreciate people commenting because they actually "read & actually have somn to say" about a post and not just merely commenting because I stopped at their blogs...ha ha ha!!!! But the thing I understand tho is that frequent visitors tend to form a network of readers, so I understand the fact that you can build up a network by frequent communication (that's understandable).

Jinta said...

* jaycee - it's the chicken we know, and the sainsbury's bread, and bounty tissue rolls, and baked beans. only the Lord knows what else people carry in their luggage...

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
rethots said...

...deep calls unto deep.

Jinta said...

* rethots - your comment IS deep. still trying to decipher it

UnNaked Soul said...

ROTFLMAO @ clapping at touchdown... with all these plane wey dey fall from sky like bird shit, very soon dem go dey do holy communion levels after touchdown.. LMAO!!!