Some days are diamonds

Today isn't one of them.

Well, where to start... I didn't do much today, I haven't even been outside yet. I have been moving my furniture around and I feel so much better with it the way it is now. However the lounge area is a little crowded, but I would say it is more cozy. The piece of furniture I brought out of my bedroom to put the TV on, is shorter but deeper and I have stuck that in the corner of the lounge area with the TV on it (out of the way). The piece that did hold the Tele is now along a wall in my bedroom and it gives me more room to walk around my bed without whacking my shin each time. The lounge suite I have is a three piece modular and one of the pieces was over in the dining area, but I really didn't like it being there, so I moved it into the lounge area, and that's what has made the area more cozy.

Oh my God! The dust under the furniture!!! I spent a good part of the morning cleaning again (no wonder I don't feel very happy). It was disgusting, so I moved every piece of furniture in the house and cleaned under it. Then had the hotest shower I could, although that wasn't very hot, the water isn't the greatest; no pressure and not very hot. I am going to miss my long hot showers, it's funny the things one takes for granted that bring such pleasure.

I also did a bit of DIY on one of the handles on the wardrobe in my bedroom. It was missing, so I took one off the wardrobe in the spare room and put it on mine. Lucky for me I thought to bring a screwdriver with me just in case. Shane always hated that little screwdriver, but it has saved my skin more than once and now I won't part with it.

Under the furniture in the bedroom I found what looks like a diamond ring. With the amount of dust under there I would say it has been there for many years. I'm not sure what I will do with it yet.

One of my friends from home wrote to me and told me what is going on there, and it was so nice to hear from her. At the end of her letter she wrote, "Well Elke, I won't rabbit on as it's all pretty mundane." I was thinking, "No, please rabbit on, it is so nice to hear from someone." I only have one friend who writes regularly from Australia and today I miss home terribly.

I wrote to one friend and told them I needed a hug and they sent the loveliest reply which made me feel so much better, well after I had a good cry that is.

Culture shock, phase 2; sadness, missing home, need a hug. As my beautiful friend said in their reply to my "Need a hug" plea, culture shock is not to be taken lightly, and then something that made me laugh, "Wasn't it Confucius who said, "No pain, no gain."" I have no idea who said it, but you saying it has made me feel so much better.

I get to go to work tomorrow, I don't know what I will be doing, but I need to go to the year seven teachers staff room before first period in the morning. Then I will find out what my schedule will be for the next three days. Thursday I will start with my own classes and I am really looking forward to that.

I was looking through some photos from home earlier, I don't know if it was a good idea or not. I don't want to be back there, but I miss my friends, the photo that really did me in, was one of the little cat that use to come and play once in a while. It was such a sweet cat and I am going to miss it. Seem silly that it would be a cat that brought me undone.

It's nearly time for dinner again, and I will see if I can find something I want to eat tonight, I don't want to just point to something on the menu again, as much fun as it was last night, I am not in the mood to be adventurous tonight. I need comfort.

... and on that note, I will leave this here. Wish me luck finding what I want for dinner. I asked Fiona to write down a few meals in Chinese for me, so I'll take them around to all the restaurants in the area and see if they make any of them. Oh, this is so much fun. Should I laugh or cry? I think it's best to keep laughing.