Unexpectedly

I remember writing about this topic somewhere in my blog. Today I want to talk about it again with the phone and email on my Nokia 97. :-)

When we bought Nokia 97, we read in the procedure that I could open the attached file to emails. But for a long time, I managed to do it but I failed and I admitted that there was something wrong with the software. Other colleagues teased me that I had such an expensive phone but so sad that it could not read the attached. :-) Their simple phone could. Some days ago, Mai, my best friend, told me that there was an email to us but with a file attached which sounded interesting. I knew the email but I did not read it. I thought it was rubbish so I did not care for the attached file. After Mai said about the file, I took out of my phone. Immediately she said: "It is in the file attached" with a rising voice meaning that my phone was useless :-). The next day, when I was in class, my fingers did something I could not remember and then I could open the attached... When I met Mai again I told her happily that my phone was not useless anymore. For almost one year did I realize that my phone had a very useful function. Just touch the word "details" on email screen.

And today I (in Vietnam) and my friend (in Ethiopia) could call and text each other for the first time for 4 months. When I accepted that we could not contact via sms, it worked. Unexpectedly. The home phone was the same. Suddenly I could not use it although I still can use the internet. I called the post office via mobile. Could not get through. I ignored the problem because we hardly use the home phone. And suddenly (again) I played with it when I was teaching my son and found out that it worked. So funny.

Someone said we could not make plans for our life, just ready for unexpected things life brings to us.

Storm approaching

I was too busy with work and honestly my mind was too obsessed with tasks to care for other things. Suddenly I heard that a storm on the way to the North of Vietnam and my friend was concerned about it because I am travelling away on Saturday, the day the storm is forecast to affect Hanoi. So scaring for the start of a journey. But Hanoi is deep inland so storms just cause heavy rains. When I am writing this, the TV says that the storm strikes HongKong. Some flights in HongKong have been delayed and cancelled. :-( For the time being, it is still dry and not windy outside the balcony of my apartment in Hanoi.

Busy September

Work work work.... all the time, which takes from me so much free time. I myself realize that for a long time I haven't watched a full film on HBO, my favorite channel, and I haven't updated my blog for almost 20 days... What has happened to me in September???

Meetings are too often these days at work. Teaching in the morning and meeting in the afternoon. Since we changed new teaching materials and new methods, so many events have happened. That is why we meet more often to solve them. I can not cope well with work pressure. Every time I work full day I am back home exhausted and I feel I neglect my son a bit. Luckily, he is independent. After doing homework, he comes to my desk and asks me to check. Still know that when we get promoted we have more responsibilities and more income and that not easy to be a group leader in such a complicated working environment at university, sometimes I still have a negative thought of giving up. My close friends often encourage me to be stronger. Truly, I don't mind hard work but I feel disappointed with the management way and "underworld" practices... For the time being I still work as a vice (with other 6 vices) and I am still highly responsible for what I am assigned to accomplish. There are moments I think if we are wasting time and energy...

My friend took this photo in September. I like it and I ask for his permission to post it in my blog... Freedom. Strength. Determination. Beauty. Loneliness... I wish one day I could see it in nature not in a photo like this. That is when I feel peaceful in my life. But now hurry hurry hurry to meet deadlines.

Hanoi is entering its nicest season, autumn. The temperature is under 30 degrees: sunny, cool and windy, which is so ideal/perfect for a walk. My son has not been to his art class downtown since his academic year started and I have my own class on Sunday. As a result, I miss going for walk around the lake.