Intelligent time

I won an award from a TV show/ quiz/ intelligent broadcast answering to a question that all the other people in the audience could not. And here is the whole story...

It was last Sunday morning when my router was down, all the other in the house were sleeping so I decided not to make noise but rather to go out. Yes, it was very cold and yes, I know very well that cold weather is not good to my face at all, but being part of the audience of the TV show I have watched for years sounded more attractive to me. Now is the time to give some background about the program itself. Well, this a weekly quiz show that has been broadcast for 29 years. There are four rounds and between them the leader asks questions to make the audience involved too and treats them at a correct answer.

I had checked on internet several days before it cut off whether there were any recordings of the show before me getting back to work and luckily I found they had.
So I headed to the place that Sunday early morning to find a bunch of people already there.
I would like to do a lot of things since I am on a sick leave (i.e. have some free time). I want to cram my time as much as I can, especially when I have a week of relax left!! Time gets sweeter and sweeter!

Finally, we started!! After around two hours of hustle (all the people bringing the show come true were constantly frantically running - I did not get why?!) We, as audience, were asked to do a scene several and several times though, which made the whole experience boring. I went to be part of the show, to feel the live spirit and get together with very intelligent people. Well, it did not happen like that exactly! Since it is not paid audience everyone goes there out of curiosity. So did I! Others, however, were there just to promote how much they know. I do not put on doubt their knowledge, but I really question the way they presented it all the time. Someone says something about Mozart, for example, and they start to throw out different facts endlessly hopping through all the German dynasties and end up in Schloss San Sousi, near Berlin that is built up resembling Versailles, near Paris. Ha!! After a lot of interruptions of the show and doing one and the same scene again and again just because part of those people do not how and when to keep mouth shut, I growled to one of them. They shut up! At least it worked!

There was another person on my other side who seemed pretty normal and young. He had big thick glasses (I considered him as a dweeb but this was rather personal and thus subjective) Did I say with all his sense?? Now comes the objective part though, he started taking out all his boogers and then eating them. And this went on for two hours. (His cave seemed limitless!) I was ready to puke at this sight whereas he did not seem to notice, to bother or let alone to be ashamed! I started questioning myself at some point whether I was wrong! Gah! I anticipated for the break and then left hurriedly. I could not stay a moment longer! Later on, on a sound mind I cleared to myself that it was not my mistake!! I am glad I did not remain at this depressing place - I am intelligent enough to win a book award from the contest and at the same time to have manners! Man, is this that difficult?!

Sketching my experience I would like to put some nice and positive drawings! Although as a whole it was a wasting of time, I was proud and still am actually that I won a book prize from the contest. Durings the breaks between the rounds they involve the audience by asking questions participants could not answer! I was the first to reply to "Which is the other country in Central America besides Mexico and Panama whose capital is named after the country itself?" by shouting out Guatemala!

So I was rewarded with a book about Chinese Heath Care Secrets which I found in the very same afternoon interesting and informative! A nice prize from the whole not-so-nice experience!

My pre V-day

Actually, my V-day was very comforting and even kinda boring. Andrew has been sick for 8 - 9 days now and our plans to eat out at a flashy restaurant ruined two days before the holiday. It became clear that he had no progress with his illness. The truth is that he wants me not to catch a flu since my immune system is weak now and stays away from me in all those moments - and he gets sick easily and regularly. Gah, due to his countless allergies, we do not see each other - for mutual security! I, however, appreciate this behavior and am glad he does understand me.

So coming back on the pre V-day topic. This whole week when he was sick seemed even longer for me because I had a lot of problems with my router and rarely was I at the computer. At one of these nothing-to-do evenings I was lying on my bed reading the book I am about to finish - "On the Eve" by Turgenev (Russian classics again ;O) when there was a door signal and since me and my roommate were not waiting for anyone we were even a bit scared to open at first. In the next moment, I decided to check who's there and was astonished with a beatiful one meter high bouquet in the dark pink-white-green shade. And that was not all, there was a scarlet helium heart for me too!! I was speechless!! Furthermore, my roomate tried to comfort me as I was looking a bit scared. My sweetie did not make an order for Sat Feb 14th, but for the evening before, so that my amazement could be bigger. And it really WAS!!! I have neither before (this is not my first St Valentine ;)) had that huge a bunch of flowers, let alone surprised by a courier, nor some of my friends had. So imagine how I felt!!! I dialed up his number immediately to have him answering pretending he did not know anything! Even more AWESOME! His words "You inspire me to do it!" continue resonating in my head!

The flowers are still fresh and I take good care of them. Who would not?! They are so wonderful! The balloon at first followed me everywhere I went (I had it tied to my wrist) but now is settled on the window so I can shout out to all what a lovely surprise I had and how much I adore my dear! WOW what an evening!

a random list of things about me between 16 and 25

I was tagged on facebook. com in one of those notes that spread from person to person, so I think it will be funny (if not anything else) to write my note here! The note on facebook says that you have to tag the person who tagged you and people you would like to know more about, but since I do not know whether tagging is possible here or not, let's just say that whoever reads this has to write a list of his/ her own and to let me know!

1. I miss my brother terribly - I miss the meaningful conversations, very often short though, we had, his humor, the way he challenged me mentally, his ideas for the world, etc

2. I am ambidextrous - I can actually only write with my both hands, anything else, like cutting with scissors, slicing bread, sewing, etc, I do with my left hand. I even started writing with the left hand when in the first grade at school, but my teacher at that time, asked my mom to learn me to do it as all the other students did it.

3. Unlike most of my friends, I like fruits (by that I mean having at least one or two per day) that are considered strange - kiwi and grapefruits, but can't stand pineapple!

4. Really enjoy drinking wine every day - I do not want it to sound posh, though!

5. I like getting dressed elegantly. Who does not? I know it sounds strange, but some of my friends do not pay any attention to their appearance. I am one of those people, however, who believe in the Bulgarian proverb: "People welcome you according to your attire and send you off according to your mind!"

6. I am painfully straightforward! That is the reason why a number of people do not like me.

7. I love reading at any possible moment - I even have "David Copperfield" by Ch. Dickens transcoded on my iPod now and in case I cannot read, I just listen to the narration. Another passion I am up to now is Russian literature. I am reading Turgenev and his masterpiece "V navecherieto" ("On the Eve") where a Bulgarian guy is one of the main characters.

8. I love playing sudoku! I do not use it for killing time, it is an enjoyable and meaningful way to spend a whole day, for example!

9. I have never dyed/ colored my hair - it is naturally black black!

10. I am a hopeless romantic!

11. I don't enjoy cooking but I believe it is kinda hereditary because I am good at that without much effort and for sure have taken this from my mom and grandma.

12. I love songs with meaningful lyrics I can get (not like metal songs where they scream all the time)

13. Did not believe that the facial problems will make me that shy. Apparently, my awkwardness makes me feel inferior to others!

14. I love watching based-on-true-stories movies and skip sci-fis.

15. As a whole, I am not a telly lover, though. I even do not have a TV at home!

16. I love going to mountains and seaside shores (not for getting tanned though). One day I hope to be rich enough to afford at least a winter AND a summer vacation!

17. More than anything I love traveling.

18. I started taking private lessons in English at the age of 7 when I started school. (a side note: in Bulgaria my peers started studying English as a second language from our 5ht grade (at the age of 12)). Yep I know how to write in my native language well before school.

19. I used to dance ballet from the age of 4 to 11. Then I gave it up because I did not like my new teacher!

20. A year after that I started playing tennis until two years ago. I was even part of the university team!

21. I put my hands at something and tend to chase it till I make myself really good at it. Often, this tactics turn out to be harmful, self-destructing, though! (seriously)

22. I don't already like the word "patience" and the phrase "c'est la vie"!

23. As a last tidbit - I try to be as green as possible - I live at a easily accessible place and don't drive, I have used one and the same shopping fabric bag for a year and three months now, I always turn off the faucet when I brush my teeth, I put paper and plastic bottles in different bins apart from the other trash, etc. (a side note: in Bulgaria separate trash gathering is not required!)

I discovered the taste of wine in cooking!

ok ok, stop asking me....
I am explaining the idea of my blog background!!

First, I should tell you I lack an oven. I have a microwave, but not a real oven for backing stuff!!
Then I have to add that lately I have been doing masterpieces, given the fact that I use only the small grill I have! I am not saying it to shop for compliments, in any way!! I don't like cooking as a whole!! I consider it as a waste of time, time that can be spent with friends, reading good stuff or just napping, or anything else rather than stirring eggs, peeling potatoes or crying over onion! I just believe there is a better way to spend a day! But this skill comes to me somehow hereditary - my grandmother and my mother are GREAT cooks! It is not only me who says that, believe me! So I have never tried to pay attention to my mom cooking and do not know how things are made, but now when I try to prepare something for myself it turns out to be delicious without much effort! Maybe part because I am the one to try it, part because I bring this skill! who knows.... but one thing is true - I want my husband either to be a good cook, or to be rich enough to bring me to restaurants! Actually, both of these is the best....

Last night, however, at around 10 p.m it struck me to start my adventure! A day ago I had prepared rice with sour (pickled) cabbage (hm I doubt this could be found in the US) and meat, so I was not running out of food. The more interesting part was that I did it on the grill - just putting the baking tin over the grid of heating elements to let it boil for around 40 min and then when meal is almost ready I put it under this grid for several more minutes. Things happen to be delicious!! I had done like that some potatoes with kashkaval (yellow cheese) and another dish of broccoli.

So last night, I cooked the livers I had bought. The livers were unfrozen in my so called fridge, and they would have gone right into the bin in case I had not cooked them. Here, I should say I do not have a real fridge, but rather a cooler that can not freeze anything in and moreover, things could easily go wrong, if left for several days (but this is another story!).
So I sliced 5 medium-sized onions and slightly fried them, then added the half a kilo liver (in my case chicken liver, but as a kid I remember me eating only out of pork), already got into pieces and fried them together for 7 - 10 more min. After that added 2 smashed pickled tomatoes and around two mugs of water. Then I left it to boil on the grid of heating elements, rather than on the hot-plate where I prepared the fried onions, for a couple of more minutes to have the water evaporate and added half a mug of red wine and left it for some more minutes. Having poured alcohol in my baking tin, I presumed it required more time to make meat crispy and juicy, so, bearing this in mind, I used the grill in this case. It is not as powerful as the hot-plate and things can get gradually there. Adding wine to meat makes it really tasty. At the end, I poured a homogeneous mixture of 1/3 of the cup oil and 2 spoons of butter to make the whole thing more saucy!

Do not get me wrong - this is not a food blog! I just wanted to give a try to this alcohol trick and now knows that I am going to use this hint every time I cook any kind of meal!

an eye update

To sum up the several last weeks, I would just say I had a weird experience between Monday and Thursday. For several weeks now I have been tugged back and forth all the time.
My eye was very sore, extremely red and dry!! The awful part was that I could not fix it with any kind of ointment or drops.

I believe it is all my fault.

On Jan 5th, right after the Christmas - New Year's season, I started visiting all my lectures and even trying to compensate for the lectures before Christmas I had no opportunity to go to. After two or so weeks of desperate running against time, hunting after books and computers (I read almost 100 pages per day), my eye gave up. Above all, I tried not to waste a minute and was even devoting my time in the bus to reading, to my new love - Russian literature. Yes, I subscribed to the city library and started bringing home some more stuff from there, too. At the end, my eye decided to act against my will. The result was me abandoning all the books, computers and TV for the first several days and now staying away from them most of the time.
Usually, when I take a break at the weekends (the past two I traveled to spent some time with my parents and to ask my uncle about some math problems ;)), my eye is pretty relaxed for the check-up at the beginning of the week . Unfortunately, I stay in Sofia from Monday to Friday, and obviously cannot take myself apart from the computer, so on Thursday check-ups my eye looks miserable and the doctor tapes it, warning me to sew it shut next time. And so the circle goes on. Hopefully, I will be able to smash it at some point. It has been well, neither tensioned or irritable, nor red, for the past two days and try to keep it like that. Wish me luck!!