Razzle Dazzle

So this is it, my last night in Aus. I'm less stressed than I thought I'd be, but then stress has always manifested itself in the most unusual ways for me. For instance, on one of my last days in Melbourne, I awoke feeling particularly rested and optimistic. When I got out of the shower, however, I discovered a weird, unsightfully, non-itchy rash all over my body. Yesterday, I was also in a good mood, but for a sort of haunting nausea all day long. And tonight, I have an intermittantly bleeding nose. What a weirdo.

So I'm all packed. As usual, my bag is enormous and hefty and I am humiliated to find that I can barely move it at all. I've checked the weather: it will be 30 degrees in Vientiane on the day I arrive, this being Thursday morning at around 9.30am. It's been disgustingly hot in Canberra for the past few weeks, so this will be no great shock.

I went to the supermarket to buy toiletries, assuming, rightly or wrongly, that most of my basic supplies will not be available in Laos. There, in the shampoo aisle of Coles in Manuka, I came to the awful realisation: I am high maintenance.

I think I always knew it, deep down. I think it's been getting worse over the years, but I've been pretending the opposite. But as I piled my basket with about 4 different moisturisers, conditioner, mascara, all the things I cannot do without, I was forced to admit that I am, in fact, a girly girl.

Anyway, two things. First, NYE was really pretty bad, but that was nobody's fault but mine, really. I didn't beat myself up about it, as already discussed in the previous post. I did get drunk, at least, and spent the following day with SC and his boyfriend, just lounging around. It was 38 degrees and the air was full of smoke and ash.

Second, the title of this post is in honour of Brooke, Glorious Brooke, who specifically requested that I a) call this post Razzle Dazzle and b) dedicate it to her. Done and done.