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The carpenter came to fix my back door (change the lock because the key had broken off in the lock with it locked shut) and I asked him how much he would charge to fit the 'bowaba ota' and showed it to him (the cat flap) - the look on his face was a picture! If he had thought bubbles over his head it couldn't have said more clearly 'what will these crazy foreigners come up with next'.
He turned it round and round in his hands - so I guess when he does come back I'll have to stand and watch to make sure he doesn't fit it upside down. Posts: 5593 | From: Egypt | Registered: Dec 2005
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Old bag just for the record and I am not picking on you here, If I hear some one says BOWABA OTA then I have to laugh .. it is called in arabic BAB LL OTA , also is it BAWABA not BOWABA and it meansthe very big gate , usually for the entrance of the very big building/Palace , by the way there is a bus stop in Cairo called ELBAWABA it is in old cair area , and it meant BAWABA of OLD CAIRO
Posts: 1373 | From: London | Registered: Mar 2004
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Good you point this out SLM, but in a nice way? Im SVFL wife - just stole his laptop for a minute! we all get mix up mistakes. You know about the KOS Lettuce in UK? well I asked for one in Egypt - all shop look at me and husband nearly choke on his drink ! he said, why you ask for "beaver lettuce?" hah hah I never make that mistake again!
Posts: 98 | From: Firmly On The Ground | Registered: Sep 2007
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She can hire Door man ,, opps I mean DOOR CAT in this case his name in arabic should be OTAB
Posts: 1373 | From: London | Registered: Mar 2004
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Shirly ,, it is alwaus fun when egyptian hear foreign ones talk in Egypt ,, speically when they try to talk arebic and say to the women INTA and to man INTY.. I used to have in the flat above my Flat in Maadi in Cairo american woman who lived there for many years and worked as english teacher in school there, any way for more than 5 years there she never changed the mix of INTA and INTY that was really fun,,
Posts: 1373 | From: London | Registered: Mar 2004
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Tiger Well depnds on how many flats old bag will move to and how man BAB LL OTA she will install.lol, I hope she does not keep saying BOWABA , otherwise she will need cat flap of the size of the main door...loll
Posts: 1373 | From: London | Registered: Mar 2004
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yes I have done these things many times. my husband gets fed up trying to help me say some things right. right now hes fed up I stole the laptop I give it back in a minute! Arabic is a very beautiful language, but very difficult if you are not born with it. I cannot ask for chair in arabic without saying the dirty word instead! its too close for me. I try hard because i had Egyptian grand father and my son speaks reads writes arabic perfectly as well. he and my husband have brilliant conversations that I cant understand at all!
Posts: 98 | From: Firmly On The Ground | Registered: Sep 2007
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quote:Originally posted by ShirleyValentinesFantasyLives: I cannot ask for chair in arabic without saying the dirty word instead! its too close for me.
You need to pronounce the 'r' more!!
تيجرليلي
Posts: 30135 | From: The owner of this website killed ES....... | Registered: Feb 2004
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I cant - I have a slight lisp problem with R. but I know an Egyptian like that, and he cant ask for chair without getting laughed at either. Strangely though, it seems more acceptable from him than from me! Whoops, I really better give him his laptop back now, hes looking sad..........
Posts: 98 | From: Firmly On The Ground | Registered: Sep 2007
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quote:Originally posted by south_london_male: Old bag just for the record and I am not picking on you here, If I hear some one says BOWABA OTA then I have to laugh .. it is called in arabic BAB LL OTA , also is it BAWABA not BOWABA and it meansthe very big gate , usually for the entrance of the very big building/Palace , by the way there is a bus stop in Cairo called ELBAWABA it is in old cair area , and it meant BAWABA of OLD CAIRO
This is too funny. Who will be coming through Shanta's cat door?................ Posts: 588 | From: an oasis near the pyramids | Registered: Oct 2005
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Samak, well Old bag has to tell us was it BAB or BAWBA? so we can tell the number of those who will come as well..lol.. Catwoman outfit? well I liked that movie , the cat woman by Halle Berry
Posts: 1373 | From: London | Registered: Mar 2004
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quote:Originally posted by south_london_male: Shirly ,, it is alwaus fun when egyptian hear foreign ones talk in Egypt ,, speically when they try to talk arebic and say to the women INTA and to man INTY..
Err ... I often get this the other way around, some people address me with "enta" and the male form of the verb. Posts: 2803 | Registered: Feb 2007
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By the way BAWABA is also the female name for BAWAb , so you can cal the door woman: ELBAWABA, So when you talk about her you say ELBAWAB JANE or ELBAWBA AMY or ELBAWBA Valery..etc .. so is your BAWABA called OTA? lol
Posts: 1373 | From: London | Registered: Mar 2004
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This is very right Malika,, I have seen that happening , some of the egyptians in Egypt think that the foreign ones as long as he say it in that way then thye would only understand itin this way ,, most of ELKHARTIAH in Egypt do that ( sure you know what this word mean.lol)
Posts: 1373 | From: London | Registered: Mar 2004
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LOL - when I'm on the microbus I always say the name of my place, then "bowaba kabeera" (because there are 3 entrances) baw-aba (with baw rhyming with raw) than bo-aba (like 'bo peep' of sheep fame). Difficult to transliterate the vowel sounds I use!
Posts: 5593 | From: Egypt | Registered: Dec 2005
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Is there a way to get a "bell" on a cat door like when you walk into a store a bell rings letting the clerk know a customer has entered?
I have seen this here but hooked up to a home security system.
My ex asked about a cat door so a cat could come and go and not need a cat litter box. :rollingeyes:
My daughter got a pair of birds as pets, one died within weeks so out of mercy the other bird went back to the pet shop.
Her highness wants two pure white long haired cats, persians or himalayans it doesn't matter. I can see her now in full Dr, evil from "austin powers" regalia. Very bad image in my head.
I have a main coon that she loves and wouldn't mind a red main coon, but hell no to a persian.
Cat door forget it, some little girls would get stuck in it every day with a few more little girls kick her in the butt.
Posts: 251 | Registered: Sep 2008
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quote:Originally posted by Shanta Qadeema: The carpenter came to fix my back door (change the lock because the key had broken off in the lock with it locked shut) and I asked him how much he would charge to fit the 'bowaba ota' and showed it to him (the cat flap) - the look on his face was a picture! If he had thought bubbles over his head it couldn't have said more clearly 'what will these crazy foreigners come up with next'.
He turned it round and round in his hands - so I guess when he does come back I'll have to stand and watch to make sure he doesn't fit it upside down.
...I can't believe you STILL havent fitted that catflap! I brought it out to you in February!! Posts: 1917 | From: WALES | Registered: Apr 2007
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shanta, is the security before the cat flap good? A guy here was robbed by someone kicking in the kitchen extractor fan, a cat flap would be easy. Hubby also told me there are some willing to cut the lower half of your front door off if you dont have locks top and bottom.
-------------------- If you don't learn from your mistakes, there's no sense making them. Posts: 15090 | From: http://www.egyptalk.com/forum/ | Registered: Jul 2004
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I used to live in Walthamstow so I know about things like burglars who remove entire window frames from the walls instead of breaking windows or simply saw round the locks in doors to get them open.
I've sat in bed when I was off sick and seen a hand come through the curtains thinking he was gonna break in (but not noticing the security bars did he run when I screamed 'who the h** do you think you are' in my best 'death metal' growl Posts: 5593 | From: Egypt | Registered: Dec 2005
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quote:Originally posted by Shanta Qadeema: The carpenter came to fix my back door (change the lock because the key had broken off in the lock with it locked shut) and I asked him how much he would charge to fit the 'bowaba ota' and showed it to him (the cat flap) - the look on his face was a picture! If he had thought bubbles over his head it couldn't have said more clearly 'what will these crazy foreigners come up with next'.
He turned it round and round in his hands - so I guess when he does come back I'll have to stand and watch to make sure he doesn't fit it upside down.
...I can't believe you STILL havent fitted that catflap! I brought it out to you in February!!
That is exactly how long it takes to find a carpenter here. But we don't mind we have all the time in the world Posts: 588 | From: an oasis near the pyramids | Registered: Oct 2005
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quote:Originally posted by Shanta Qadeema: Yes, security is pretty good round here.
I used to live in Walthamstow so I know about things like burglars who remove entire window frames from the walls instead of breaking windows or simply saw round the locks in doors to get them open.
I've sat in bed when I was off sick and seen a hand come through the curtains thinking he was gonna break in (but not noticing the security bars did he run when I screamed 'who the h** do you think you are' in my best 'death metal' growl
But now Shanta has a very big cat door for cat burglars. Posts: 588 | From: an oasis near the pyramids | Registered: Oct 2005
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We have a bowaba ota - we have a bowaba ota - my friend's husband came and fitted it today - Advocate you will be pleased to know that it came in almost exactly on the year Posts: 5593 | From: Egypt | Registered: Dec 2005
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Finally indeed! Just make you don't have more cats and whatever else coming into your apartment!!
Posts: 30135 | From: The owner of this website killed ES....... | Registered: Feb 2004
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quote:Originally posted by samakwish: This is too funny. Who will be coming through Shanta's cat door?................
careful there, Samaka and Otta don't go well together! Besides, can you peeps stop saying coming in and entering in conjuction with cat and pussy, some of us have a filthy mind around here Posts: 444 | Registered: Apr 2004
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Shanta can you find a plumber now please? It must be 8 months to the day that I started looking for a plumber in 6th October. Maybe it would be a good idea to move flat and start again. Posts: 588 | From: an oasis near the pyramids | Registered: Oct 2005
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You mean the one who came in October and said 'I'll come back tomorrow at midday' isn't coming back? Posts: 5593 | From: Egypt | Registered: Dec 2005
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SQ, I almost fell off the sofa when I read you have actually, finally had the cat flap fitted! Can I do the official opening when I come at the end of the month?! Posts: 1917 | From: WALES | Registered: Apr 2007
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quote:Originally posted by advocate: SQ, I almost fell off the sofa when I read you have actually, finally had the cat flap fitted! Can I do the official opening when I come at the end of the month?!
Of course Posts: 5593 | From: Egypt | Registered: Dec 2005
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quote:Originally posted by malak: We wanted to test it, but could'nt get hold of a cat to shove through it......lol
Hehe, I know this part really well . . . I finally got one of mine shoved thru my cat door and the other 3 were totally intrigued by her going back and forth . . . If she learns something the others will imitate her so that was how I got all 4 using the door.
Posts: 895 | From: NorthTexas, USA | Registered: Mar 2004
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quote:Originally posted by Shanta Qadeama: We have a bowaba ota - we have a bowaba ota - my friend's husband came and fitted it today - Advocate you will be pleased to know that it came in almost exactly on the year
Goodnes me! makes you feel proud to be living in the 21st century to witness this historic moment when one of the greatest problems facing humanity has finally been solved. Yep, that's the problem of bawaba otta. Now we can move further down the list to other problems like global warming, hunger and world poverty, knowing deep in our hearts that never again will man and otta face this horrendous problem. Ladies and gentlemen, I hereby declare that in the year of our lord 2009, and during the reign of her majesty the Queen "Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of Her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith", that the problem of bawaba otta has finally been eradicated. Ladies and gentlemen, my Lords and Ladies, we are standing on the threshold of a dream, we are witnessing history in the making.
One small step for Otta, when giant leap for mankind.
Now if you excuse me, I'll go skin the bloody cat!
Posts: 444 | Registered: Apr 2004
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chaos theory RN - have you not heard of the 'quantum weather butterfly'? Flaps its wings in Brazil and causes outlandish weather in the Himilayas?
"the ancient sages say: do not despise the snake for having no horns for who is to say he will not become a dragon" (The Water Margin)
Who is to say that the fact that my cats (or me) may or may not be in a certain place at a certain time due to having a bowaba otta may not, in some small way, alter the entire history of humankind?
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OMG I have two plumbers in my flat..... I can't believe my luck. If only I had known the right person to ask in the first place! Soon I may have hot water and two working toilets, I am soooo excited. Posts: 588 | From: an oasis near the pyramids | Registered: Oct 2005
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quote:Originally posted by Shanta Qadeama: Who is to say that the fact that my cats (or me) may or may not be in a certain place at a certain time due to having a bowaba otta may not, in some small way, alter the entire history of humankind?
yep, I am familiar with chaos theory. and yes you're right about the potential of you or anybody for that matter affecting world history. Probably the 9/11 thingy started by a chance meeting between some of the guys, and see how it turned out to shape the world for the past 8 years. and no I wasn't in any way making fun of you, "may my tongue be cut" ya shanta. There's another euphemism for your other thread about the lion in the well!!
Bawaba otta, lol, that is sooo funny. I mean in Arabic it sounds hilarious. May the otta enjoy its bawaba for many years to come. Take care.
Posts: 444 | Registered: Apr 2004
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