Lumina

I’ve been working in the dark for two weeks now. My office used to have four working fluorescent tube lights… then became two, then zero. Thus I’ve resorted to using my desk lamp. Initially I was amused by the idea of working sans house lights; I described this setup as working in the mood not in the dark. But now that the second semester has started, I desperately need my house lights back.

Of course I’ve already reported this situation to the people concerned — as early as the day the last light bulb conked out, in fact. But I was given an unfortunate response: we don’t have a replacement for those light bulbs, sorry. In other words, I’d have to wait till kingdom come for my room to be illuminated again. Well, I don’t plan to wait so I took matters into my own hands by purchasing those darned lights with my own money. What can I say, it was a learning experience.

Forget about the number of people required to change a light bulb. Just choosing one is an altogether daunting task. Okay, maybe I exaggerate but it was my first time ever to buy a light bulb. I thought it was going to be a no-brainer but apparently I discounted the list of considerations to make (e.g., wattage, voltage, light output, size, bulb, color temperature, etc.) in selecting one. I lingered along the lighting aisle for a while, trying to independently choose the best bulbs for my room. And then I gave in and sought help from one of the staff. I eventually came home with two 1447-lumen light bulbs, which should be more than enough to brighten my space.

I thought this was a nice little accomplishment, buying (what I imagine to be) the right lights. Now if I’d only known we actually had plenty of unused bulbs (of the same quality) when I got home.