SPLOSHY WEEK

Hungry and Persistent Canada Geese at Warwick University

I did start work on Monday. But the dept. was very quiet. Where's everybody? SH told me that 3 of my colleagues was also off last week and he expected the phone to be ringing soon. Oh boy, guess I wasn't alone.

Then my PC failed to recognise me. Some upgrading had been done and I was not in the system. A few frantic calls and I was in. But not for long. My Outlook needs to be reconfigured again. More calls. Spent the morn just going through my e-mails. It's going to be a loong day...

Thankfully, J came in laden with bags. It was her birthday last Saturday and she has brought in mouthwatering cakes and biscuits. The festive mood was still on.

Lunchtime, I went for a walk to say hello to the natives by the lake. They must have missed me cos they were queueing and quacking when they saw me. Bet they were just hungry. The lake was frozen and there wasn't anyone dropping by to feed them. They hissed at me when they saw me empty-handed. Poor things...

Midweek, I got a very nice surprise. I've won £31 in a lottery draw. That really brightens my week, especially when it has been pouring everyday. Looking forward on spending my winings.

Thursday was the start of the Islamic New Year 1429. It was known as Awal Muharram or Al Hijra. It coincides with Prophet Muhammad SAW journey or hijra from Mecca to Medina in 622AD on the first of Muharam. Wishing all Muslims that they too will have a good hijra for 2008.

But mine wasn't that good. By morning break, I was starting to feel woozy with tummy cramps. After my 3^rd trip to the ladies, I decided to go home. The virus has struck again. Kevin took me home. After having plentiful of fluids, straight into bed with a hot water bottle and paracetamol. Slept the whole day and called in sick the next day.

According to the Health Protection Agency, 3 million people were affected by the norovirus. A few hospitals were on red alert and some were even closed down. It was an epidemic and there's nothing you can do but wait and let it flush out of your system. I went to work when I was feeling better but you're in constant contact with others who might be harbouring the virus. Then you're off again. It's a never ending circle.

Spent the weekend resting and reading. Kevin and I had also started a new hobby, card-making. In a year, we would usually sent about 200 cards for various ocassions to friends and families all over the world. After some time, these shop-bought cards started to get monotonous. I wanted to inject a personal, special and intimate (?) touch. The time, effort and money I spent on each card shows how much I care about the person who is about to receive it. I really hoped they appreciated it too.