FRIDAY TRACK: “…How Was Ur Night?”
Posted on Thursday, May 27th, 2010 at 7:00 PMBy BellaNaija.com
Yes, we know its Thursday but here is a special ‘extra’ edition of the Friday Track.
Another brand new one will be published tomorrow on schedule
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Kilon Sparkles!
It seems like the grammar bullets are firing serious rounds at me this morning. As I walked into the office in my usual chirpy mode, someone goes to me “…Good Morning, how was your night?”
I had to continue faking the funk and pretend like that bullet didn’t just take out the entire front set of molars and premolars. I literally doubled my steps to escape into the trench that is my office before sighing heavily. I mean, how else could my night be? Errr….it consisted of sitting in traffic, eating late and sleep late.
Seriously how does one respond to that question? What could I possibly respond with, “FINE?!” Actually bin that, responding with ‘Fine’ would be a cop out so you will never get that out of me, it’s just too easy.
Perhaps,”…it was full of ghost…”
What night exactly are we referring to, the night pre-or-post sleep, OK, if it were pre-sleep then, I watched Mad Men and played Super Mario Bros on Wii.
You may not understand why this has got me puzzled but it’s the second time I’ve been asked that question in a month, and you know I am not a rude guy so I’d like to be prepared for the next time I hear it. And believe me, someone will ask me the same question possibly tomorrow morning after tonight’s intended bar-crawl.
The first time was as I checked out of an Akure hotel. After a bliss night sleep in a hotel room with blue blubs, as I handed over my room key to the receptionist (not quite a concierge), she softly goes to me “How was ur night?” I wanted to respond “It was dark,”, or perhaps “…noisy thanks to the scratchy speakers of your Faji bar”
So I started thinking perhaps it is me that have a problem with the question, in that case, let’s imagine the responses of other people & professionals.
Professional 1 – Prostitute: “How was your night?”, “Well, I borrowed a married man for the night, it was quite sloppy”
Professional 2 – Bus conductor: “How was your night?”, “I don break bottle finish…”
Professional 3 – Landlord, “How was your night?”, “Half of my duplex tenants dey sleep for free…”
Professional 4 – Female bank clerk, “How was your night?” My husband ate suya for dinner.
Between “How was your night?” and “…I’m on phone”, will I ever expand my vocabulary in this office? Sigh.
This week’s Friday Track is Beyonce’s Why don’t you love me.
Enjoy!
Tags: Bobo Omotayo, Friday Track
hoooooooooo
You are a trip!!
Bobo, I love you & I think u r so funny. Bt seriously, this dint quite cut it. If u r going 2put out a special thursday edition, let it b special! It was like u jst wrote it bebe so ur editor cud get on ur neck.
lol @blue bulb
seriously, if u find out how to answer that question pls let me know, it irritates the hell out of me, as in what does it mean? firts time someone asked me i was worried that maybe they saw what i got up to at night? between tthat and ‘he/she is not on seat’ i dont know which is worse!
Lol @ kemi’s bebe muhahahaha….
yeay its you that has a problem with the question “how was your night”
Lol, but seriously I think I say, infact I KNOW I say I’m on the phone. wot exactly is the proper thing to say?? and about “how was ur night” it’s almost like saying how are you (I think) it’s not all the time you are fine but the standard reply is “fine.” would u prefer “did u sleep well?”
hello everybody, HOW WAS UR NITE???
LOL.
I despise that question. Always leaves me wondering whether I should give an honest answer just for laughs.
Lol @ “He/She is not on seat” and “I’m on phone”…I’ve learnt to ignore though.
We should just make Nigerian English an official language and call it a day.
I get asked that question every morning when i walk into the office. It is so bleeding annoying, i could kill someone.
Please don’t kill anyone o! Lol
Okay peeps. Could someone please post the correct term to use when a colleague is absent and her phone rings besides saying ‘She’s not on seat’? I sya that all the time and would really like to know the right phrase to use.
As for how was ur nite, I usually answer fine though I ask ‘did/hope you slept well?’
Also is it right to say ‘He/She is making a call instead of he is on phone? I often use them interchangeably.
If your colleague is not at his desk, he/she’s not at his desk. He’s not on seat is just wrong.
How was your night…I have no words Lol
If pesin dey phone, dem dey phone. ‘He’s on the phone at the moment, can I take a message’ will do just fine. He’s on phone? My days!
Not on seat i soooo wrong, @ olojugba you’re right, he/she is not at his desk is
appropriate.
how was your night… wonder if they truly want to know how my night was. it’s
irritating.
i didnt think there was anything wrong with ‘he’s on the phone’ till i read this.
people enlighten me.
some people here are confused. what the author of this article is trying to point out is the absence of the definite article, “the”, when some people say “he is on phone”. “he is not on seat” is considered wrong because the pronoun “his” is missing. in essence, the correct phrases should be “he is on THE phone” and “he is not on HIS seat”.
I also think the author was trying to see how many of us would notice all his errors in this write -up. Read through carefully and you’ll see them…..at the end of the day though, English isn’t my language. I’d have more of a problem if my yoruba or urhobo was terrible. I had to get a yoruba bible when I found my yoruba was going down hill…..O se o Jesu, mo ti n so yoruba daada ni si n yi..
lol…I think everyone that goes to work gets asked that question. The receptionist at work always asked me that questiin every morning and i always answered fine because i dont think any other answer is appropriate. There are soo many other bullets as you call it, he’s not on seat, my names are, can i be on to ………..they all crack me up.
Please people,what’s wrong with “How was your night”?
It sounds wrong,but what exactly is wrong with it?
Wats d correct grammer?
I hate that question too, “how was your night?” Why the heck do you want to
know? Thats usually the response in my head.
It is such an invasive and pointless greeting.
I don’t like small talk. period.
Lwkmd, this is hilarious, I love it!…
@ winneR, I don’t think the statement is grammatically wrong but who knows, I could be wrong. I think it’s the “night” that throws ppl off. It’s different if you ask “how did you sleep last night” but when you say “how was your night”, what exactly you are referring to, I’m not sure but that’s what I think is wrong with the statement
hate that question? the first time I was asked..i was like ermmhhh….fine ..”iguess”….thinking inmy head what they needed that info for…before i realised it is menat to be a greeting. @ Molicious:even with ‘how did u sleep’…what business is it of anyone especially strangers!!!