Mr T thinks I should stop starting so many sentences with "what if". He also thinks I should stop prefacing my conversation openers with "here's a hypothetical scenario".
But I really can't help it. My personal form of amusement is to stare at nothing and daydream "hypothetical scenarios" for the both of us, then imagine how Mr T would react in these imaginary situations. It's not a very healthy hobby; I usually end up semi-hysterical and ready to pick a fight.
So, understandably, he cringes when he hears the dreaded words: what if.
What if I'm offered a once-in-a-lifetime job opportunity that requires us to move to a new, exotic country and provides me with a salary better than both of our current pays combined; would we go for it? What if we learn we can't have children; would we adopt? What if I am involved in a terrible car accident (but did not sustain any injuries) and completely destroyed my car; would I get a new vehicle? A convertible maybe?
To be completely candid, however, most of my hypothetical scenarios revolve around two constants: food (or Mr T's inability to cook it) and our nonexistent children.
"What if I'm sick with fever and unable to get out of bed and our child is practically starving; are you just going to order takeaway for the duration of the week because you can't cook? What if I have an early morning meeting and leave the house before you; will you make sure the child has a healthy breakfast and pack a nutritionally balanced school lunch? What if I have to travel for work and you can't reach me to get a grocery list or a list of things to do; would you know what to cook and how to prepare it? What if both my arms fall off and it becomes illegal to order food to the house and we are banned from every restaurant in town; will you cook then?"
I'm always hounding him with similar questions. Judging by his reaction - he takes it all in his stride and chuckles a lot - it is safe to assume I'm not being taken seriously in this matter.
Which is why I sat down to write him a very serious email on January 1, detailing exactly what his 2012 resolutions should be. Number one on the list is very, very specific: "You have 12 months to perfect six meals that you can make with your eyes closed, as in knowing what groceries you'll need, what ingredients to prepare, how to put it all together from A to Z; something that is not processed and not out of a jar, not something you can defrost or take out of a package. Something that is fresh and easy and you can rely on whenever needed. To accomplish this mission, aim to perfect a dish every two months. I will help you."
I am happy to report that Mr T is taking the task to heart; he follows me around the kitchen with a notepad and pen, jotting down strange scribbles that only make sense to him. A few days ago, I received an email invitation informing me that Mr T wishes to share a Google Document with me, titled T's Cookbook. In it, he says: "This is my cooking book. I'll add stuff I pick up here. Only I can add. My way. You can make corrections if anything is wrong or missing something."
I emailed him a reply: "What if you lose the Google Doc? You should probably have a backup, just in case."
hkhalaf@thenational.ae
RESULTS
Catchweight 82kg
Piotr Kuberski (POL) beat Ahmed Saeb (IRQ) by decision.
Women’s bantamweight
Corinne Laframboise (CAN) beat Cornelia Holm (SWE) by unanimous decision.
Welterweight
Omar Hussein (PAL) beat Vitalii Stoian (UKR) by unanimous decision.
Welterweight
Josh Togo (LEB) beat Ali Dyusenov (UZB) by unanimous decision.
Flyweight
Isaac Pimentel (BRA) beat Delfin Nawen (PHI) TKO round-3.
Catchweight 80kg
Seb Eubank (GBR) beat Emad Hanbali (SYR) KO round 1.
Lightweight
Mohammad Yahya (UAE) beat Ramadan Noaman (EGY) TKO round 2.
Lightweight
Alan Omer (GER) beat Reydon Romero (PHI) submission 1.
Welterweight
Juho Valamaa (FIN) beat Ahmed Labban (LEB) by unanimous decision.
Featherweight
Elias Boudegzdame (ALG) beat Austin Arnett (USA) by unanimous decision.
Super heavyweight
Maciej Sosnowski (POL) beat Ibrahim El Sawi (EGY) by submission round 1.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Company profile
Company name: Dharma
Date started: 2018
Founders: Charaf El Mansouri, Nisma Benani, Leah Howe
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: TravelTech
Funding stage: Pre-series A
Investors: Convivialite Ventures, BY Partners, Shorooq Partners, L& Ventures, Flat6Labs
ANATOMY%20OF%20A%20FALL
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Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
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Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
West Indies v India - Third ODI
India 251-4 (50 overs)
Dhoni (78*), Rahane (72), Jadhav (40)
Cummins (2-56), Bishoo (1-38)
West Indies 158 (38.1 overs)
Mohammed (40), Powell (30), Hope (24)
Ashwin (3-28), Yadav (3-41), Pandya (2-32)
India won by 93 runs
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets