Crash & Burns

I’ve got this nice looking burn pattern on my hand now. Honestly, I do think that it is the most beautiful burn pattern that i’ve ever gotten on my hand. For some reason, it keeps reminding be of the tail patterns of a peacock. But maybe my brain is just wired differently. And yes, it’s not the first time that I had gotten an interesting burn pattern, usually from the oven or hot oil.

I’ve also learned something interesting through the years. During my training as a first aider, many years ago, I had always been taught to run a burn under the tap for several minutes to prevent blisters. For some reason, this has never worked for me at all, back home in Malaysia. Then, there are many other old wives’ techniques that involve applying various things, such as butter and toothpaste to the burn. Regardless of what I do, blisters ultimately develop after a while.

But the technique actually works here in the UK. I just need to run it under the tap for about a minute and I’ll never see a blister at all. I think it’s because the water here is terribly cold. Holding my hand under the tap for more than 20 seconds is like holding it under ice. So, the result is the burn patterns that develop and stay for several years. But that’s probably because I’m getting old and my skin can no longer rejuvenate as fast as it used to.

Talking about getting old. I really do think that I am getting old. I used to be able to sleep only every other night and burn the candle at both ends in order to get work done. Over the last couple of weeks, and particularly last week, I was so zoned into my work that I totally lost all track of time. I would sit down in front of my computer and before I knew it, it would already be morning and I had not had anything to eat or drink for more than 12 hours. Then, I’d push myself on until I could no longer keep a straight thought. Then, I’d go to sleep.

After depriving myself of sleep and proper food for many days, I finally crashed over the weekend. My body simultaneously screamed for nourishment and rest. I was so tired that I had no appetite to eat and only wanted to sleep. But I couldn’t keep running on empty. Luckily I had some milk and fruit with me, which were good at providing a quick energy boost. Then, I made sure that I forced down some carbs before hitting the sack, to conserve what energy I had left. But I had a restless sleep, waking up every couple of hours to consume more food.

I do feel much better today, after spending almost 24 hours in bed. However, I still feel a little weak, like when I recover from a bout of illness. I also don’t really have an appetite but I try to keep myself fed with food. Personally, I think that my work will eventually kill me if I don’t get out of here as soon as possible. But in order to do that, I’ll need to push myself for another few more months. So, I’ll just have to set up a proper regime of rest and food, and stick to it.

PS: I’m not trying to elicit sympathy from this entry. It was just time for a personal entry. Doritos + hummous probably does not constitute a meal, regardless of how nutritious chickpeas are nor good they taste together. d: