Day 2. Monday Madness.

I couldn't sleep. Restlessness, a change of time zone and an incessant need to know just what is going on played with my mind and forced me into a state of alertness. Sigh. I am so tired.

Within minutes of waking, there was a ring at my door and a gentle knock. I raced to open the door, only to find the back of a hotel worker disappearing down the corridor. I looked down and found my brown paper bag that I have come to call my "meal bag." With my freshly made cup of coffee, I excitedly opened my bag and removed the contents. A natural yoghurt, fruit (apple and orange), some tiny French pastries and a little box of fruit juice were awaiting my consumption.

Breakfast done and dusted and I decided that I would try and call the hotline provided by the Victorian Government. After six calls, each lasting for roughly 20 minutes and timing out on their own, I finally got through to someone. Her name was Sheridan and it was 12:21pm. Sheridan was not only incredibly sympathetic, but seemed genuinely concerned in helping me with my queries, something resonated with me in this goldfish bowl type scenario. I just wanted someone to listen.

Dying to buy some extra food from local supermarket Woolworths, I asked Sheridan why we aren't allowed to just jump online and place an order. She couldn't answer as the sheet was clearly reading from hadn't given provision for anything that deviated from the script. I got it, I mean it wasn't her fault after all, I was just hungry. I was told that I would be called by a Woolies representative at around 3pm today and to be patient. I promised Sheridan that patience would be the name of my game and bid her farewell.

Four o'clock had been and gone and now it was closer to 4:30pm and I was getting a little antsy as to why I hadn't received a call back. Surely one and a half hours past the scheduled time was more than enough leeway? A call was made to follow up on my previous and this time, the operator, Janice, was not too impressed. An abrupt, somewhat patronising answer of "we don't offer specified call backs - so you are wrong" was what I was given. I listened and thanked and then ended the call politely knowing that the call, like me, was going nowhere.

Dinner arrived a few hours later, something basic and rather small and to be honest, I just wanted to polish it off and go to bed. So I did. Too tired to process anything else today.

Day 2 done.