All posts tagged: random

Heater Day Has Come

Published by Sula H.

Finally! Heater day has come, and that’s supposed to be good news. Probably because of the recent chill, they decided to turn on the heat a day earlier than usual. After all, remember – in China the heating system is regulated corporately, which means no one can individually control it, and it usually is turned on on November 15, and will last until March 15 – no matter whether you’re home or not, or whether it’s cold or not; the heat will be on. Except that my radiators have no sign of heat – yet. So I’m still hoping and wishing, and I’m very thankful that the last few days the weather has warmed up a little again. Still, I want a comfy home, and that means I’ll have to keep an eye on my radiators these days. By the way, talking about keeping an eye on things – I saw one yesterday. A tree shaker, that is. Remember Saturday’s post? And yesterday, I was out on my bike, enjoying the sunshine and what not, …

Saturday Feature: The Mystery of the Leafless Trees

Published by Sula H.

I figured it out! I discovered the secret to the question that has puzzled me for such a long time (even in one of my last posts): The question as to why the trees on campus only have green leaves, or no leaves; and why there are never any leaves on the ground that crunch so wonderfully when you walk. (With all my “grown-up-ness,” I love crunching leaves!) The answer to that question: It’s the tree shakers. What? You don’t know what tree shakers are!? Well, let me enlighten you: Tree shakers are the people who shake the trees to make all the leaves fall off. Makes sense, right? Our tree shakers work on campus to keep the grounds clean and tidy (and they do a meticulous job at that, I assure you), and you could either call them gardeners, maintenance people, or – as a matter of fact – tree shakers. So, believe me or not, in China you can actually make a living with shaking trees. (Or, at least it’ll be part of …

Autumn’s Fashion

Published by Sula H.

Autumn is the weirdest thing around here. While some trees still are in full and green summer splendor, others have lost all their leaves already. And interspersed between these two – if you look hard enough – you can actually find them – those beautiful autumn colors that I love about this season! So, whenever fall puts on its most colorful dress, I can’t resist! I just have to pack my camera, and get out there to capture some of the season’s latest fashion. In that spirit I went out for a little walk the other day, and look what I found … And then I went out again yesterday, for the sole purpose of taking pictures with my friends, because it’s fall, and because it was a pretty day. And guess what awful thing happened? The battery died! Yes! It died. Just when we wanted to start the photo session. That is, I knew it was almost dead when I left home. But that’s what you got your spare battery for, right? Duhhh! The …

Survival with the Bike Bell

Published by Sula H.

It used to be a lot better looking. And it even used to have a compass on top – before the compass decided to have a divorce (and it never even asked for my permission – ungrateful thing!). Now it’s just a simple, compassless bike bell. But it’s a good one. And I need it. Almost as desperately as I need the breaks on my bike. Because without my bike bell, trying to get to class with my bike would be an almost hopeless case. There are just too many students on the road when I’m on my way to class. And even with the bell it’s quite the challenge to weave through the crowds of students. So, my bike bell turns out to be a life-saver, both for myself, and for any student that would inadvertently run into my bike if it wasn’t for the bell. What a lucky thing to have that bell. Even if it’s a divorced, compassless bell! Saying Thanks … And, since we’re talking about bikes and bells already today, …

Why Showering Takes Twice As Long These Days

Published by Sula H.

Culture week is over, and I’m sure most of us are very relieved – despite of all the fun it brings. Now, we can focus back on the simple things of life. Like taking a shower. If you remember, just a couple of weeks ago, I posted about my hot water heater, and how it makes me really happy. And that’s exactly the reason why showering takes me twice as long these days. Well, or at least it’s half the reason. Next to making me really happy, my hot water heater also has another big bonus: It makes me feel warm and cozy each time I shower. After all, our heat hasn’t been turned on yet, and my little Mr. Electric Heater – with all his hard work – just can’t keep up fighting the cold that’s been creeping in from all around. So, I am cold; my apartment is cold; outside it’s cold – only my water heater is really, really hot! And that’s why I love spending all that time with my shower …

Happy Birthday Misty Hilltops!!!

Published by Sula H.

I can’t believe that it’s been so long, but exactly one year ago I launched my blog for the first time. Happy Birthday to MistyHilltops.com! Didn’t really have a clue what I’d let myself in on when I started, but it’s been quite the journey and a lot of fun. When I first started blogging, I was afraid that I’d be either running out of things to say within a week (I’m glad that didn’t happen), or that whatever I’d have to say would really bore the world (you’d have to decide on that one!). But 365 days later, I’ve come to realize that my blogging-worries were in vain: NUMBER 1 I’ve got topics I want to talk about lined up all the way through the middle of December already, and new ideas are coming every day! So stay put to see what’s coming! NUMBER 2 I have anywhere between 50 and 100-something visitors a day, and that number’s growing. And while I know that compared to the most popular blogs in the world this …

Shivering Season

Published by Sula H.

There are five season where I live: Spring, summer, autumn, winter, and – shivering season. No, that’s not Halloween, though I’m aware that that’s just around the corner. I’m no American, so quite frankly, I don’t understand why people like to scare each other and call that fun. In other words: I don’t like Halloween. But I also don’t like shivering season. That’s the season right in between when it gets cold and before the heaters are turned on here. This year, shivering season has come early, and it looks like I’ll have to be shivering for at least two more weeks until the heaters slowly will begin to do their jobs to warm our homes and our hearts. Looks like it’s time for me to renew my friendship with lil’ Mr. Electric Space Heater. He’ll keep me company I’m sure until that glorious day arrives that we all are looking forward to, and this year it was announced to be one day earlier than usual: November 14th! Still keeping up with the photography challenge, …

Piece of Evidence

Published by Sula H.

There is a German idiom, which literally translated says “to have a stone in someone’s board,” and which means to be in someone’s good books. I didn’t have a stone in someone’s board this morning, but I did have a stone in my breakfast; that is in my breakfast cereals. I guess that would mean I fell out of someone’s favor? Anyways, here’s the evidence: The truth is, I didn’t just have one stone; I actually had two! I must be in pretty serious trouble then, am I not – getting rocks thrown at me in the morning already? Well, it all started with this one little rock. It felt quite unpleasant to unexpectedly bite on something so hard that it almost hurt. But after I found the stone and got rid of it, I didn’t think much of it. After all, this time, I didn’t lose part of my tooth, like a couple of years ago when there was a pretty decent sized stone in the salad that I had gotten in our dining …

What the Midterm Exam Has to Do With Tennis

Published by Sula H.

I’m sure, most students hate midterm’s week. After all, they are being tested. I, however, like the time of midterm exam. Not because I get to give the exam (the freshman exams usually are later than everyone else’s since their classes started late, due to their military training in September). I like midterm’s week, because it means I get to play tennis a little more. All the students who would have tennis class, have to take their exams, which consist of running around the track. So, the tennis courts are open for whoever wants to play, and one of those people enjoying that extra time of tennis would be me! Photo Challenge Day 27: From a Distance

Golden October

Published by Sula H.

It’s October alright. Where I come from, October means golden days – bright yellow and red leaves against deep blue skies; we call it the Golden October. Here, however, it’s more October than it’s golden. And usually, before you know it, the leaves have turned brown and dead, and then everything is gone! Well, but I have hopes for this year. The weather has turned quite chilly these last couple of days, and so far, this has been the chilliest autumn we’ve had (as far as I remember) since coming to China. So, my hope is that maybe the chill will do a thing or two to help those leaves find their colors. Oh, and guess what? I was just out with my camera today, trying to catch that golden fall (after all, we don’t get sunny days and blue skies very often), when a patch of yellow flowers caught my eye. I thought, those flowers would make a good shoot for my upcoming Friday challenge, when I discovered something even more exciting. Did I …