All posts filed under: Blog

Around Town: A Hot Plate Affair

Published by Sula H.

Moving always means there’s a lot of errands that need to be done. One of my errands lately was to find a place where I could take my hot plate in hopes of repairing it. (A hot plate is the equivalent to a Western stove, except that it only has one plate to cook on). Mine had somehow managed to get a crack all the way through its ceramic surface, and so I was hoping to find a place that would be able to replace the ceramic plate. In search for one of those repair work shops, we searched all throughout the downtown area, and finally came upon this tiny back-alley garage-type work shop, which was so crowded that we didn’t even fit inside with all the other customers. But no suitable replacement could be found in the pile of spare parts, so all our efforts merely ended in me simply giving away the old plate and getting a new one instead.

Food Corner: Fish & Sauce

Published by Sula H.

Fish is quite common around here, though it tends to be very bony. Often it comes in spicy soup, but this one was prepared in a delicious sauce. The only reason it doesn’t look so good on the picture is because I took the photo too late (after we’d been picking away at it for a while already).  

After the Rain

Published by Sula H.

It rained last night. For the first time since I’ve been back from the holiday. And as I was walking to breakfast this morning at dawn, something dawned on me: you better watch your step, or else you’ll be responsible for a serious massacre. The problem? Earthworms. Hundreds of them crowding in on us, obviously thinking the road was theirs as much as it is ours! And while I don’t care much for earthworms (to be truly honest), I don’t like after-rain-massacres, either. So, I as I was walking, I knew: I’d better be on my guard!

Workers & Visitors

Published by Sula H.

The other day, I told you about surprise visits I get – be they welcome or not. Well, guess what happened to me just the other day when I got home from work and entered my bedroom … I had this interesting sight to behold: Another kind of surprise visit. This time they’d not bothered using my window as access, but the result was almost the same: Someone roaming about outside my window, a little scare from the unexpected scene, and a sharp pang of realization: you’re not alone – big brother’s always watching … or at least hanging in there right outside of your window!  

A Different Kind of Surprise Visits

Published by Sula H.

I told you I’d had more repair stories for you. Here’s one to begin with. As half of our building is still a construction zone, unexpected visits by the workers are not unusual these days. So, on more than one occasion lately, I’ve had  surprise visitors. Not the kind of people who like to sit down for a chat with you. No. The kind of visitors who want to walk into your bedroom, climb on the windowsill and use the window as a doorway onto the roof, where some work or other seems to await them. And while I usually like surprises, I’m not quite sure whether I should be pleased about these kinds of visits.  

First Signs

Published by Sula H.

I found the first signs of fall the other day. When I was riding my bike into town. Of course, the street sweepers were rather busy again, trying to gather all the fallen leaves as soon as they hit the ground. But I, for at least a brief moment in life, was able to uphold the illusion that there is actually something like fall in these parts of the world …

Food Corner: Tuna Salad

Published by Sula H.

I know I should stay faithful to my habit of reporting about Chinese cuisine. But doesn’t this tuna salad look quite yummy? (If you’re one of those people who like tuna salad at least.) Anyhow, I thought I’d share a little teaser with you today, though I’m aware that probably the who gets teased the most is me, since there’s no such thing as a tuna salad to be had here these days!

A Little Like Star Wars

Published by Sula H.

  I have my own “star wars” battles that I’m fighting these days. To be more precise, it’s actually a lightbulbs war! Ever since I moved into my new place, almost every single day a lightbulb decides to quit its service. Last week, during the holidays (when there was no way of fixing them) it was even seven lightbulbs that needed to be replaced. Now, I know the argument for using energy saving lightbulbs, which are said to be long lasting, and efficient. Yet, I’m someone who prefers the soft, warm light of the traditional lightbulb, and as long as the workers keep replacing the broken bulbs with these bulbs, I won’t mind fighting my own star wars battle with the lightbulbs these days (though I’m aware that the days are numbered!) …

Between Repairs

Published by Sula H.

My life is taking place between repairs these days! Literally every single day, I need to have a worker come to fix something in the new apartment. And that’s not even taking care of the most urgent business – the bad sewage smell which comes up from the drains. And I could tell you a story or two about these repair-guy visits (which I’ll probably do), but for now, I have to admit that those colleagues of mine deciding not to move into the new teacher’s flat but decided to stay in the old building were the ones with the smarter brains. Sad thing is, I never really had much of a choice with the move, and so I have to learn to arrange my life and learn how to live between repairs …