All posts tagged: random

The Birthday Cake And Other Pleasures

Published by Sula H.

I had myself a birthday cake today. Of course, it goes without saying that the birthday came along with it. And so, aside from eating strawberry chocolate cake, I had a lot of fun going for a walk on campus with one of my friends in the morning, playing table tennis with some other friends in the afternoon, and having a little celebration with some more friends at night, a celebration which even included a dancing performance a la “If I were a wealthy man” (as seen in the “The Fiddler on the Roof”), which my friends were kind enough to put on just for the sake of my amusement, and theirs along with it, of course! And in case you need more convincing data that today, in fact, was actually a lot of fun, here you go:

Good to Know …

Published by Sula H.

Notices. They come as unexpected as you would think. And they come frequently. Good to know that I didn’t know about this specific notice until after the fact, or else it might have ruined my day. You see, with the holiday and all, I went to play tennis right around lunch time. And of course, after playing tennis, I really needed a shower. Go figure. And the time I took the shower was right between 2 and 3 pm. Had I known about the notice, of course, I would’ve delayed the shower, which would have made me feel rather uncomfortable all afternoon. As I didn’t know about the alleged lack of water in the pipes, however, I was just perfectly content to scrub off the dust and dirt from the exercise, never even noticing that we weren’t supposed to have any water. Well, I guess, sometimes it’s good you don’t know of any notices, right? Or else you might be tempted to actually take them serious …

Somewhat of a Holiday Season

Published by Sula H.

No, we’re not on break. As a matter of fact, school can get even tricky at times, because you always have to keep an eye on the calendar to make sure you don’t miss Sunday school. Oh, wait! Did I say Sunday school? Well, what I mean is classes on Sunday. Yes, I agree with you. Having to go to school on Sunday doesn’t really sit right with me, either. But having classes on Sunday means, on the other hand, that there are some extra days without class. Today would be such a day. Because it’s the Tomb-Sweeping-Holiday. And since I’m lucky enough to teach on a Thursday, it means that I have an extra day off because of the holiday. It also means that I try to get that extra hour or two of tennis (after all, you’ve got to seize that rare opportunity when there’s a day midweek, when there’s no classes out on the tennis courts). But playing that extra hour of tennis also means you’ve got to make some sacrifices elsewhere. …

The Lost Case of the Banana

Published by Sula H.

Admitted. I used to like bananas a lot more when I was a kid than I do now. But every once in a while, I do snatch one from the fruit pile in the dining hall to take with me. I usually don’t eat my banana right away, because I prefer to eat them when they’re sweet. Or I prefer to mix them up in a smoothy. Or make banana muffins and the likes. You get the point. For me, bananas have to be speckled and spotted – in other words, they have to be very ripe. Since they usually don’t come that way when they’re served in the dining hall, whenever I take a banana (which isn’t very often to begin with), I’ll keep it for a couple of days before I decide what I’ll do with it. And so, last week, I took a banana for that very purpose to wait until it’s very ripe so I can make myself something yummy with it. The problem: I never got to keep it until …

The Peanut Quest

Published by Sula H.

I like peanuts. In my eyes, they are a good addition to any diet. Fortunately for me, farmers around here grow them, so peanuts are easily available in all shapes and sizes. And flavors, I should add. Recently, however, I’ve got it into my head to find those peanuts which are still in their shell, and which yet have a slight salty flavor to them. So, I’ve been looking for that kind whenever I got out shopping. The problem is: outwardly, the plain and the salted ones look just the same, and while the first time I tried to buy a bag, they turned out the everyday plain ones, this time, they’re not plain. But they’re not really salty, either. They have a rather funny flavor, and I haven’t fully decided yet, whether I like them, or not.

Waiting for Spring

Published by Sula H.

You would think that with the arrival of spring you’d actually feel something of it, too. But like I told you the other day, sunshine and warm temperatures have an awful hard time these days getting their act together. At least the trees and bushes know what to do, so now you can actually discover a hint of spring here and there when you see a little something budding … I hope – as we all do – that the spring weather will take notice and follow suit!

Freezing Season, Definitely

Published by Sula H.

You’re right! It should be getting warmer. After all, it’s the happy season of spring. Or so it is said. And in due time, the heaters were turned off on March 15. Like it happens every year. Except that in the last couple of days spring decided to give us the cold shoulder. Brrrrr! We don’t like that. I’m just glad that with friends like big old A/C (who also has remarkable heating abilities), my home stays warm and comfy. Off to put on another layer … PS. Keep your feet warm, friends!

Quite the Scare

Published by Sula H.

I’m not against technological advancements. Not at all. But I’m also not someone who needs to ride the waves of every technological advancement there is. Hence, I was used to the fact that everyone loved to make fun of my cell phone, because it was so old and in such poor condition. But I didn’t mind. Seeing how I was used to do anything but calling others and sending messages with my phone, I never saw the need to get a new one, let alone a smart phone. Last year, however, I decided to take a big step and go smart phone. And quickly I began to wonder how I had ever managed with my simple shabby old cell phone. Even just a couple of days ago, I talked to a family member about how thankful I am for the phone I have now since I use it for all sorts of things, not just phoning and messaging. But then something happened the other day. Something dreadful. Something that gave me quite the scare! It …

The Exciting Uses of a Hole Puncher

Published by Sula H.

One of the fun things about living abroad is being able to witness the excitement simple everyday items can cause around here. Take a hole puncher, for example. Where I grew up, basically every member of a family would have their own hole puncher, simply because it’s needed for all sorts of things in school, work, home, etc. And believe me, a hole puncher is no reason to cause excitement there at all. Here, however, things are quite different. Here, people can be fascinated at how a hole puncher works, how it’s able to – yes – punch holes perfectly into a paper! It makes me realize how much gratitude I owe to this little thing whenever it helps me punch holes. And it makes me realize what a lucky person I am to be the proud owner of a hole puncher!

Shady …

Published by Sula H.

Today is the day when I can actually see my shadow. Which means that today is the day when the pollution isn’t all too bad. Which means that today is the day when the sun is out. Which means that today is the day when I can walk outside in a sweater without freezing for the first time this year. Which means that it’s starting to get warmer outside. Which means that SPRING is coming!!!