I woke up at nine in the morning today after three hours’ sleep and thought to myself, “I need an alarm clock!”

My sleep patterns have gone haywire ever since I knew that I was homeward bound in a week’s time. I stay awake most of the day watching Remington Steele and The Simpsons and by the time I realize it, it’s already 4 in the morning. I downloaded an alarm clock for Windows and set the timer for nine in the morning and slept with my laptop next to me with a blank screensaver. I woke up to the tunes of Verve’s bittersweet symphony and since then, my day hasn’t been no less than that.

Too many things to do and too little time to do them in. If only I had a time machine, I’d freeze time and get my things done and clear out of this country. But till I find that machine, I’d settle for an alarm clock.