TQ’s 6th.
knicq posted in Knicqisms on May 29th, 2007
TQ turned six yesterday Masha Allah. He wanted a kitten for his birthday present. White. He loves cats, and I love that. I love cats too, but I am allergic to cats and cannot be around them; which is why we cannot have cats in the house. I tried explaining that to him, but then gave up. Allergies are difficult to explain to TQ, especially allergies which mean he cannot have a cat. I have a sneaking suspicion though that one of the reasons he wants a kitten is also because his brand new “Mumaani”, who lives next door, is petrified of cats; and I use petrified here for want of a better word. It is not as if he does not like Mumaani, or as if Mumaani does not adore him. Quite the contrary, in fact; they have a wonderful relationship and it is friendly enough for him to plan to scare her at will by producing the cat.
I will be honest here and admit that pretending there is a cat prowling the periphery of our house when she is around brings a level of delight that must border on devilish. One has just to look in a random direction and “shoo” once for her to freeze in her tracks; and as many times as we have done this, and by ‘we’ I mean TQ and I both, it just never fails to succeed. I guess she thinks it better to do the whole “freeze, gasp, widen eyes, and look around quickly to spot the marauding hordes of malevolent cats ” routine everytime than to take her chances not following the routine. She must have it on authority that this routine helps hold a pouncing cat mid-way (freeze), turns it around (widen eyes), and throws it a mile away after shaking it violently mid-air (look around quickly).
Like father like son, you say? Not at all!
Never have I run my hand up wifey’s arm and shouted “chuplee”, just so she jumps a few miles in the air and dives out boring life-size holes in the wall. ‘Chuplee’ is TQ’s pronounciation of “chipkali”, the urdu word for lizard.
Mumaani senior got a delicious black forest, and TQ’s face lit up with a 1000 watt smile. He has this goofy smile which stretches into a 1000 watt smile when he is mighty pleased about something. A couple of weeks ago, we had driven down to Khor-Fakkan. Khor-Fakkan is this lovely little town sandwiched between Dibba and Fujairah City, and after Al-Ain happens to be my favorite part of the UAE. It has the country’s second largest container terminal at the one end, rocky mountains on the other, and a lovely little beach connecting the two. It makes for a beautiful spot to spend time with family, and that time is enhanced by the motor-boat rides they take you out on over there. The motor-boats are often modelled on the Arabian Majlis, and the small trip they take you on while you sit in a semi-circle in the majlis is an experience most kids cannot get enough of. TQ got his first experience on this trip of ours, and he had that 1000 watt smile pasted on his face through-out the 20 minute ride. Delightful sight, I tell you.
TQ’s 6th birthday was a simple affair, the cake was delicious, Mumaani senior’s gesture even sweeter; but the most delightful of all was that goofy 1000 watt smile.
May Allah shower His blessings on TQ, and all the children of this world, and may He fill their lives with Iman, love, joy, success and contentment. Ameen!
May 29th, 2007 at 10:30 pm
Happy 6th birthday to TQ. and Ameen to all those duas too.
So did he get that birthday present eventually, i.e. a white animal named very conveniently, cat?
Just by the way, dont understand why people (excluding kids, ‘cos kids are kids) like to live with animals inside the house? Aren’t humans enough?!
May 29th, 2007 at 11:42 pm
A well deserved “Awww” to this post. Belated Happy Birthday to TQ and “hear, hear and Ameen” to your prayers for TQ and all the children of this world.
May 30th, 2007 at 10:06 pm
tq is 66666666666666… i mean 6. lizards are nice, they eat roaches. all u need is a lizard at home to get rid of roaches i tell you. Khorfakkan is a lovely place indeed. im theonly one in my family of 10 who has gone to the place… haha… baqi sab bore hain… i want to see the entire uae at least befor ei rot and die in this country… animals are nice, but only outside the house… why break the rules of nature?
June 2nd, 2007 at 3:11 pm
Asak,
Awwwwwwwwwwwwwww. MashaAllah!! Duas and hugs to TQ. Bhai, tsk, tsk, tsk… aap ko yeh bhi nahien maloom ke batchey ko kaisey behlatey hain?! Did you know that cats are allergic to humans too? No? Well, allow me to explain. I have discovered this quite recently myself so you see, I can explain. I am allergic to cats too but I love cats. They are so cute and they are so cute. And… Z loves cats too but unfortunately, strange as it may seem, cats are allergic to him. I didn’t believe that that was possible until I saw what happened when you put a cat and Z together. What happens is this: When a man is allergic to cats, he scratches himself. When a cat is allergic to a man, it scratches him. So now with all those scar marks on Z’s legs, I now know that we can’t have a pet cat either. You ought to tell TQ about this. It works to tell a kid that cats can be allergic to people too. May be Mumaani has cats allergic to her and that is the reason why she reacts the way she does.
June 3rd, 2007 at 12:20 pm
Lazybones: Jazak Allah Khair for your prayers. Now what exactly are you implying when you say “a white animal named very conveniently, cat?”
As for having animals in the house as against a cat; though we are blessed with a ‘kushada sahan’ and the cat stays there if/when it comes - btw that is the Urdu sahan and not the Arabic sahan which means plate - just so everyone understands clearly that we do not intend serving our pet up; perhaps it is so because it is easier living with some animals than it is with some people - ask my parents, or even wifey and they will tell you.
The Olive Ream: Jazak Allah khair for your prayers bro.
Lucifer: Your pre-occupation with the number 6 is understandable, and amusing too. Bet you love Shahid Afridi more than any pathan ever will!
Lizards are hugely nice now that you put it this way - because the one insect I love to hate is the roach. I am worried now for the lizards - I know those sneaky people at Pif Paf are up to something to get rid of the lizards!
Your family has not been to KFK???? Girl, rent out a mini-van and hit the road NOW!
Aysh: Salam Alaikum, That is news to me - cats being allergic to people! Mumaani is allergic to the sight of cats. If she chances upon one accidently she closes her eyes and freezes!
With TQ, it might work… it just might work!
June 4th, 2007 at 8:07 am
I wasnt implying anything. Im a simple person & say simple things ;). The word ‘conveniently’, causing this confusion, just slipped into the sentence because it rhymes with the word ‘cat’, but in Urdu and that too only 50%.
But did you really mean when you said you intend to get a pet who will stay outside in the scorching heat while you sit inside with your air cond. on and you dont intend to feed that pet as well? Thats cruel! (appalled expression)
June 13th, 2007 at 2:47 am
salaams!
ameen to the sweet dua may there be many more 1000 watt filled smiles and celebrations.
jazaks for your duas. actually i did go to al ain.. to see the zoo and the mountain.. but didn’t think it was worth mentioning =P of course at the time i didn’t know i was at the place of your birth. i should’ve brought back a souvenir. you’ve moved? i haven’t caught up on your blog yet..
June 13th, 2007 at 12:11 pm
W/salaam Noodlez…
Jazak Allah for your duas too sis.
The place to see in Al-Ain is actually Mubazaraah - complete with its very own ‘aab-e-shifa’, which in aam-faham is a stream of hot water (heated using the best German technology) touted as a fountain of panacea.
We moved from Al-Ain in 1989! A few kilometers to the north of Mall of the Emirates and you would have found a swarm of bloggers along the way - Abez, Aniraz, Halfpastnomad, Hemlock, Baptized Lucifer, tall dark and handsome, and who else not!
But you were in Abu-Dhabi - the blessed land of exalted JB.
My bog was deprived of half its readership while you were gone - good to have you back!
June 18th, 2007 at 7:43 pm
And I missed a birthday, yet again.
Happy belated birthday to TQ. Ameen to your and everybody else’s duas
As for cats, I once had a kitten as a pet. She was cute, a little annoying, but adorable nonetheless. Apparently, she didn’t think the same for me, since one evening she quietly left and never returned!
*grabs his shotgun and shoots the next lizard*
Oh, and TQ, my boy, keep the good work up. And keep flashing that 1000 watt smile as well.
June 21st, 2007 at 4:49 am
Aw, MashaAllah Bhai, you’re right about TQ’s lovely 1000 Watt smile.
btw, you scaring Wifey w/the Chipkali routine- that’s horribly brilliantly evil, haha, I have to find someone to try it on now…
June 22nd, 2007 at 6:39 am
knicq bhai, i updated about london, and put up some pictures not through flickr, for your sake. come see!
June 24th, 2007 at 12:34 pm
Saadat: Jazak Allah for the dua and wishes.
As for the kitten you had, I have learnt that it is a rule of thumb - all things cute will be a little annoying but adorable nonetheless. The not-reciprocating-such-noble-feelings, and leaving-never-to-return are however not rules of thumb, and thankfully so.
Thanks for shooting that lizard. We do not have cockroaches, and hence the presence of lizards is most redundant.
Lil Baji: Scaring wifey is a brilliant idea I agree - regretfully it is not mine. I know better than to try ‘horribly brilliantly evil’ ideas on wifey - she often has some horriblier-brilliantlier-evilier ideas of her own to reciprocate with. I am glad though TQ is trying those out, since she can’t be reciprocraty-formal with him.
Is hpn very fond of lizards?
Anjum: Thanks for the heads up sis. and thanks for the ishpecial pictures
June 30th, 2007 at 6:47 pm
Asak,
Hey Bhai!?! Where are you? Kya? No update? Atleast, kuch Yawariyat hi sahi…
July 4th, 2007 at 10:18 am
W/Salam Aysh,
Have you any idea how it kills me not to have updated in over a month?
There are a couple of posts lying in drafts awaiting completion… if only I could get my act together.
Yawariyat is a good idea. Perhaps I will put up Chal Phir Bhaag Chalen…
July 22nd, 2007 at 9:46 am
السلام علیکم بھائی۔۔۔خیریت سے ہیں آپ سب؟
July 24th, 2007 at 8:43 pm
Ab say main gain houn toh phir SUB ko updates karna pardayga. That is the law. You have been informed. If I do not see regular entries here soon, we will have to send you further notice, and perhaps, threaten to withdraw your baked-goods priviledges.
July 30th, 2007 at 5:44 am
knicq bhai! i missed you at our great blogger meetup on 2007 on the east coast US! but i hate to tell you this.. aniraz totally ratted you out as not being fat OR old, though she has confirmed you to be bespectacled. too bad..
July 30th, 2007 at 5:45 am
( *of 2007 )
August 1st, 2007 at 9:52 pm
Sh_guf: Wa Alaikum Assalam Aziza. Hum sub khairiyat se hain Alhamdulillah. Aap log?
Owlie: Aap ka hukm sar aankhun par.
Is ignorance of the law likely to win me brownies - the Aniraz brownies? I promise I’ll only stay ignorant until I can get started with converting drafts to updates… meanwhile, I need to go see if you are keeping your end of the bargain - *rushes off to Owlpur*
Anjum: I missed being there at the great blogger meet sis.
If its any consolation I was there in spirit, and spirits are not fat OR bald - so now you know why Owlie was mistaken
… and can you imagine how badly one needs those specs, when even one’s spirit seems to be going around sporting one?