Poltergeist and an X-file “style” Mystery (and some ketchup too!)

To contextualize this story, through a variety of factors, my insomnia has returned again, and i am back to about 3 hours of broken sleep a night. This is not particularly conducive to thesis writing, or much else unfortunately.

Long term sleep deprivation is a terrible ordeal to endure and can only be fully understood and appreciated by other insomniac sufferers. May you never have to know.

I went to bed at about 3am last night with my regular glass of juice placed next to the bed. I toss and turn before drowsing off. About 4.30ish i turn a little too far and i hear the glass fly off the bedside cabinet. I sleepily turn on the light to see what the damage is. Fortunately, the spillage isn´t big and emptied on the carpet rather than my thesis notes.

Whilst sponging up the residue, i note there is no sign of the glass as i squint through sleepy eyes and spectacles. No worries, i´ll worry about it when i awake.

I´m up by 7 this morning and there is still no glass to be found on the floor.

The bedsit is small, spartan and immaculately kept – housework over dissertation writing every time. I´m seriously getting spooked.

A few hours later, i open the bedside draw and the glass is lying inside and everything is juice free. I´m relieved to have found it, but it is too weird that it ends up in a closed draw.

I see my friend Mhue onto the Delhi bus this evening. He insists i take a copy of Living Dharma by Jack Kornfield which is one of the more accessible Buddhist texts incorporating wise words from 12 Masters. His backpack is the same size as my day-pack, but he takes a huge box of fruit.

I feel very sad as we hug goodbye, for he doesn´t think he´ll be back in McLeod Ganj for several months. He has been a good friend and i´ll miss our chats, drinking sessions and laughs.

From the onset of flu symptoms last week, it has now moved to my stomach, and the toilet is only just withstanding the punishment. My throat feels like squatters have moved in and there is no lemons in town for my usual herbal treatments. If i still feel crap tomorrow, i´ll head up to Tibetan clinic tomorrow, although they always tell me not to ingest all the things i like.