to spread out or not to spread out

11 nov 2009

today i got up feeling even worse, with a hoarse voice, and feeling pain all over the body. i asked myself how i was going to make it to the day, as i would have a class to teach at 9am. well, took a shower, had cereal with banana and yogurt, and headed to uni - avenue campus. i had spent the night coughing too much, and had coughed and sneezed a lot during the day yesterday. i took a bottle of water with me to the classroom and delivered the planned lesson of the day: tutorials. after a while i started to feel a little better.

i knew i had three appointments during the day: - lunch at noon with some friends, to celebrate hsuya's birthday; - a pgr talk at 1pm; and - a calr presentation at 5pm, about which i was highly interested (topic: elf). moreover, i didn't  want any nasty looks on me (remember i looked ill with the cough). i was really not sure whether i should go or not to the canteen for the lunch to start with, but i did go anyway. i did a little - and cynical - survey to feel people's acceptance on my current 'state of the art'. they were all admant in telling me i should not attend any of the talks of the day, and that i could go next week, trying to console me, and obviously to convince me to stay away with my germs. i was at that time - lunch time - thinking of going, cause i was no longer sneezing or coughing.

it was funny because later on i was at my desk, next to hsuya's, and najima came over to greet hsuya for her birthday. nagima took the chance to say that yes i should go to the calr presentation at 5. i also knew they would go to the cowherds after the presentation, as we did the other day. najima asked for hsuya's confirmation that i should come along, which she did, but i knew she thought i was not in the best shape to be in a closed lecture theater with lots of people. i didn't go, after all. i also had an extra good reason not to go: i have lots lots lots to do, about both my research and my teaching. one thing at a time, kalina. i decided not to spread out my so called swine flu. photos: notes posted on campus.

life is about making choices most of the time. this morning i was feeling so weak that really doubted i was going to make it to uni. i thought of going to city centre as well after uni as i have some things to do over there, but changed my mind on this. i believe i ended up making the most sensible choice by staying in the office until half past 6 and doing some important work on my research.

it has been so many days i don't go anywhere with my friends. . . last week i didn't go to the cinema with diana and her housemates, did not go to viktoria's farewell party, did not go to the jazz concert on turner sims i wanted sooo much, and even worse didn't email these people to apologize. i saw diana this afternoon by chance in a trip to the loo, in the corridor. i started to apologize. . . she understands perfectly and said she thought i might have been really busy and that was the reason for my not showing up at all. then we taaaalked standing right in the corridor for a good while. she is such a nice friend. she said i should just invite her wherever i go. nice!

i came back home and decided it was time i needed to cook some, because when i eat at uni it is expensive and nothing special. i did the almost always pasta, but this cooking deserves a post. :-)

i had nice conversations with my students today about learning strategies, but this too is enough for a very nice post. learning strategies is a topic i love and think it deserves good thinking. today i write a little bit but it is about the impossibility of keeping updated track of all that happens during the day as well. the day is nearly gone. . . what's left? this worries me a lot. sometimes the plan and the best is to just keep going.
it's been about 40 minutes i am writing, because i stopped to do some job in a photograph for this post. i am actually waiting for my dishes to dry up a little in the kitchen before i dry them with the cloth and put them away. oh my!

cheers!!! to life!!! i had a tea day today, with chance for one cup of coffee only. when i finish it here i will put my dishes away and have an orange, mango & cinnamon tea. what about you? please drink something along with me, and celebrate joy! cheers!!!