I woke up in the middle of the night. I was cold, my bones were aching and my throat was swollen. And I knew. Damned fever. I struggled 3 feet to my medicine shelf and grabbed 2 Panadol tablets. Felt like hell.

I hope I get better very quickly. If not, it will be a nighmarish hell pain in the ass travelling back to Singapore on Sunday.

Right now, I am trying to study for the exam on thursday. I feel so cold. I am a dead thing that has to sit on the floor beside the radiator, compulsively drinking hot tea to keep from freezing. Panadol eases the aching bones a little but it is very hard to concentrate on the theory of how civilisations develop from the availability of agricultural surplus when pretty little stars are bouncing and skipping across my eyes.

My diagnosis is throat infection. My resting pulse rate is 73/min. Usually it is 60/min so I'm definitely sick. It is not my imagination. I prescribe saltwater gargle for the sore throat, Panadol for the fever and body ache, vitamins for the immune system and willpower to aid recovery. God help me.