Once in a while

"Once in a while" is the same as saying "every now and then" or "from time to time".

1. I don't get on Facebook every day… just once in a while. 

2. These days, do you see your best friend(s) once in a while because you are so busy living life?

3. From time to time I transfer or upload the video clips stored on my phone to the internet so that they are not lost if I lose my phone or it gets stolen. It's a good idea to back up any type of information periodically, just to be on the safe side.

4. Standup paddle surf is the type of hobby that gets boring (for me) if you practice it every week… So I only go every now and then.

5. What activities do you only do once in a while because they are kind of expensive? It's not every weekend that I travel out of the city.

6. From time to time I clean my air-conditioning units… However, I really should clean them more frequently. What activities, responsibilities or tasks do you think you should do more often?

7. Every once in a while there are strikes throughout Brazil. Once in a while it's the post office or the schools… But most often it's the banks.

Go through (something)

When you go through something, you use, consume or finish it. 

1. Newborn infants and babies go through a lot more diapers than older kids because they need to be changed more often. This would only be a point of interest if you were a parent!

2. Do you think you go through a roll of toilet paper quicker or slower than the average person? It also depends on what you use the toilet paper for.

3. I go through about four or five LaserJet printer cartridges a year. When the prints start to get light or get streaks, I know the ink is running out.

4. Imagine how many light bulbs Las Vegas goes through every year… I know they have neon lights… but many hotels still use screw-in light bulbs, especially for their huge signboards. 

5. What household items do you go through a lot quicker than the average household? Is it because you have a big family or because you simply consume a lot of whatever it is? I go through a lot of bananas and oatmeal because I eat that for breakfast every day.

6. Brazilians go through a lot of coconut water… So there is an industry devoted to using the coconut husks. What do people in your country or region go through a lot of?

Didn't see it coming

If you never saw/ didn't see something coming, it was totally unexpected.

1. Sometimes an event or circumstance takes us by surprise. Often, the untimely and premature death of celebrities (or loved ones) shocks us, because we never saw it coming. 

2. When the ending of a movie turns out way different to what we expect, we call that a twist (in the plot). The storyline is designed in such a way that we don't see it coming. Can you remember a movie that turned out completely different to what you imagined?

My example: Memento.

3. Do you know someone whose husband or wife cheated on them? I'll bet they never saw it coming. 

4. The Turkish prime minister has recently banned Twitter in Turkey, because of its power to mobilize masses and the quick spread of information. This follows a tragic mining accident where more than 300 Turkish miners were killed. The families of the victims never saw the accident coming. The prime minister didn't see the protests and the general unrest coming. The population didn't see the banning of Twitter coming. It is still possible to connect to Twitter through alternative routes… The prime minister didn't see that coming.

5. If something happens "out of the blue", it happens quickly and unexpectedly. If something happens out of the blue, you don't see it coming. It appears from “out of nowhere”.

6. Sometimes, important characters in the TV series "Game of Thrones" are killed... and unless you have read the book, you definitely don't see it coming.