Anguish

Yes, there are many interesting things happening today. It's the 7th day of the Chinese lunar calendar. Traditionally, on this day, every Chinese gains one year in age. Also, our parliament has just been dissolved as our PM is expected to call for snap elections. The whole election machinery has been kicked into service. I should have a lot to say about all that is happening. However, I am not going to talk about these things. I shall instead talk about myself.

What I had planned on doing today:

• Wake up in the morning, go to the florist on Magdalene Street and select a bouquet of fresh flowers, 6 red roses and 3 white lilies.
  
• On my way back, drop by Glassworks to get a gift coupon for a full body massage and spa.
  
• While passing through town, go hunt for an elegant medium sized trinket box. Stick the gift coupon onto the underside of the bottom drawer, out of sight.
  
• Fill up the box with tonnes of chocolate. Wrap up the box with a nice wrapping paper and a knotted ribbon on top.
  
• Write a short note on a small card to explain that the real gift is at the bottom of everything. Stick the card on top of the box.
  
• In the afternoon, get a haircut and confirm dinner reservations.

What I ended up doing today:

• Woke up in the morning, eyes all swollen, and almost immediately, began to continue letting it out.
  
• Checked some email and found out that our parliament had been dissolved overnight. Didn't quite excite me as it should.
  
• Spent the rest of the morning hiding under my duvet. Good thing I didn't have any teaching responsibilities today. I'll be teaching tomorrow and Friday though.
  
• By the afternoon, treated a good friend to lunch (thanks for trying to cheer me up by telling me random stories).
  
• Splurged a little on some really nice sushi and dimsum for the both of us. I recommend J's Restaurant on Regent St for some authentic good food.
  

Your regular programming should resume after a break. Don't worry about me. I'm not a little boy and I can take it. I just need to work through things. This one is very different from any of the others.

*** image is not mine ***

UPDATE+1: I've decided what needs to be done next. I'd like to say thank you to some of my friends for offering to help. However, this is something that I'll need to work through on my own.