Origin of the name 'Kangsy'

Hello there,

I hope this lovely, calm and rather unpredictable day (weather-wise) is taking you well. This recent downpour makes me think that the El-nino people publicized earlier is about to go down! You think so too, right? Anyway, that aside, i truly hope that you're in a good place in your life right now, or at least you're trying to somehow get there. It's life, i know there are hiccups once in a while but isn't it good to brush that thought away for a moment and just be happy? Do it for you, will you?

Lets talk Kangsy, i.e. how the name "Kangsy' came about.

Over time, at least as I know, most nicknames that stick (kukwama) and are used on a person for a long time are those that were either given to them while still toddlers (read: babu, toto, mum, boi) or were formed out of a habit that this particular person had while still young. Those you form while all grown hardly stick, unless you're creative and the sound of that name resonates with something people know. Kangsy, my nickname falls in the latter category. Here's how people started calling me Kangsy:

Introduced to Facebook...

I came to know of Facebook in 2010 (5 good years after it being developed) . Yes, that late! The news of the fun experienced in this 'famous' social network got to me while in form 3, 3rd term. Myself, together with other girls from my class heard it from the famous and trendy counterparts who were always updated on what's happening in Kenya's showbiz. You'd only stress yourself trying to wonder how they got this information while in the same gated compound with you, for three freakin' months with no access to the internet or to anyone in that industry. Since wondering gave us no answer, we would just sit and wait for 411 from the 'who is who' in the school community and use that information for our common  good. I remember the Insyder magazine was a 'gem' and you'd wait to read it after the 'law makers' have read  and re-read it, their close friend the same, the friends of their close friends and the friends of the friends of their close friends too!!! After this string of participants is when the 'monthly bread' would get to you, in the worst form obviously. Since you also want to fit in and have a thing or two to say while out for a 'Funkie', you'd still read it in whichever form it was in. The trick therefore was to start befriending these people earlier so that by the time the next issue of the magazine came out, you're in the 'famous' circle! But i wonder (just like some fun people i follow on FB do), these people who would hide the Insyder magazine while at their desk, not allowing anyone else to peep and check anything, even a simple pic, are you now employed by Nation Media Group Ltd.? Are you editors now? like what is your career line? hehe - this is on a light note btw.

My digression skills, as you can clearly see, have pretty much exceeded the required digression levels so let's get back to why I'm really writing this post. After getting wind of the existence of this unique platform I decided that I too would try and sign up. The singing up would make me one of 'them', it would transform my existence in high school yawa!! Hakuna kuwachwa nyuma! It'd make me have a say when it came to showbiz talk; who's dating who? Which gospel artist currently has the most touching family background story, how much it was gonna cost 'us' to attend TSO (Totally Sold Out) concert in Dec, which boy school was most rowdy, who had 'snatched' our brother school from us, who had been sent 'salamz' by a secret teenage admirer, et cetera.

Mercilicious Babe Era...

Immediately we closed school for Dec, with my hard earned cash (I was a student-shopkeeper in high school), i sought a cyber cafe. In my mind, I had already registered and crammed all the necessary steps that one needs to follow to be a member of Facebook. I quickly went to the page and started the process. Now, the Facebook  homepage is quite simple; few gaps to fill, less verification messages, na vitu zingine tu mob. Actually, I don't remember logging into my email to acknowledge that i wasn't a robot! Most pages have that now, i think. I filled in all details and was about to click 'Sign Up' when i realized that the name i had put was not as 'catchy, appealing to the opposite sex, fashionable, trendy" as I would prefer it to. I spent quite some time coming up with a name and finally settled on 'Mercilicious Babe'.

"This name would make me fit in, have many friends and possible suitors too!" I thought. Mercilicious Babe didn't quite hold water for long, it was mouthful and didn't serve the purpose (see above). 

Gwantoz ikaToKlezeA...

I changed it after a while and 'Gwantoz' was the next alias, derived from my surname, Kangwato...but with some swag added to it. The interactions would be fun but short-lived while on holiday but being the addicted Facebook 'crew' we were at the time, we would create a fake Facebook site on the blackboard in class and those of us who knew how the site operated would participate in liking comments, sharing pics etc. Others, who were NOW not among us 'Kardashians' would just sit and envy our routine. Siku hizi nawaona wako FB though...hehe...I won't mention names for security reasons!

Moderate maturity kicked in when I was about to clear form four and the standing FB name was just too lame and didn't really fit with the person I was becoming. With this name, i would put up insane post. I go through them nowadays and get amazed by their uselessness! I would post in Patois (Jamaican lingo) and expect my friends to reply back with the same language...haha. I decided not to delete them since they are a reminder of my slow but sure transition into the current me. You're welcome to view them here. 

A good example of a crazy post is this: "Lyf in xul will alwayz b memorable....bye peeps, c ya'll nxt season...GOD FIRST REM!...ADIOS! Awuuoh!"....who still does this?? 'x' in place of 's'?. I'm sure I stopped this madness. Lakini if you didn't do it, you will do it in future..hehe beware!!!

Finally!!...We have a sensible nickname! 

After the previous names failed to satisfy me, and obviously the need to fit in was no longer there i decided to change my name, this time sign up with my real name. I typed the name 'Mercy' but as i was typing Kangwato i forgot that i was typing it  - i thought i was still on the first name - and accidentally put 'y' after 'Kang'. It now read "Kangy". There was something missing in this and after a little bit of thinking...i added the missing 'eS'..yeeah, like the 'this is ess' ess? Yes that one. haha 

That, my honorable friends , is how Kangsy came to be. No hidden meaning, no habit associated to it, no weather pattern associated to it, just creativity...or confusion in this case. I like it, it has not only become a known alias but also a brand...(na siringi btw..I'm jus sayin'). I have other traditional names zenye nikiitwa mi hucheka tu but they're there for life...What's yours? Any story behind it? I'd love to know. 

PS: Apologies for the long post. I didn't know it'll be this long. I hope you're entertained though! Have yourselves a wonderful weekend..ooh, and a love-filled Valentines day! Awwuoh!