of the early cold and afternoon slumber

The liaison officer from the school told me two weeks ago that they're unloading from me some classes which means that I'm off Tuesday afternoons (aside from having my days-off on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday) coz they're giving these classes to the new foreign teachers.

I beamed at the idea. In my mind, I was thinking of blogs and books and tea and coffee, or movies, or self-study of some Chinese words.

And so this afternoon, after my "so-so" late lunch composed of chewy (Chinese) pancakes with fried eggs mixed with shrimps (okay, I was lost with what I ordered); I left the restaurant thinking about the books I would be reading for the afternoon - Tad William's The War of the Flowers, Kris Valloton's The Supernatural Ways of Royalty or the classic I'd recently borrowed from the school library - Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights.

The wind blew against my face as I walked out of the restaurant. It was cold. Last week, the temperature dropped to 7 degrees celsius which is quite early compared to last year's. Once inside my room, I felt the inevitable cold as well. The whole heating system in the Northern part of China officially functions starting November 15 of each year. I hate the heater from my room's AC but have to use it every once in a while to warm my room. There's no stopping for winter but I never expected autumn cold to be this early.

After an hour or two, I was sitting on my bed and was reluctant about what to do. My mind wanted to read but it seemed like my bed was calling me.

That's the thing about the cold, you see. It makes you lazy, well, at least for me it does. It's like some parts of me are frozen or something. I grabbed a book in the shelf and placed it above the bed to remind me to read it but several minutes after, I was off catching some zzzzz. Sorry, book.

Did I tell you that I felt cold so I covered myself with the blanket and...and...well...I fell asleep.

I awoke to the familiar voices of other foreign teachers who were talking on the hallway, outside my room. I thought it was morning and wondered why they were up so early. I grabbed my cellphone and looked at the time. It's 7:51 - in the evening!

I thought of the books that I should be reading and figured I'll read it later, unless I get busted with the cold again.

The famous Russian writer Alexander Pushkin wrote about the cold in Autumn:

"When gracious autumn comes, my heart feels gay and
light,

I am alive once more...Benign and salutary

Our Russian cold is, friends. My sleep, my appetite

It benefits, I vow. My very step grows airy;

The daily rounds of life brings me renewed delight;

Desires within me seethe...I'm young again and merry.

So am I built, so made, for which dull turns of speech

Your pardon, readers mine, herewith do I beseech."

Here's wishing I could say the same...cheers!