I have been awake for over 24 hours.

All because I opened a drawer and saw a large black disgusting cockroach waving its antennae boldly at me.

So I slammed the drawer shut, reopening it only to shove a large cotton ball soaked in peppermint oil before slamming it shut again. And because I tend to over-do everything (i.e. the proverbial chicken-killer wielding a knife used for slaughtering beef cattle), I decided to stuff peppermint scented cotton balls into every contained space in my room. As a final touch, I mopped the floor with peppermint scented water.

As a result, I am too edgy and over-stimulated to sleep.

And not because I was afraid of a teensy weensy insect.

Maybe it's psychological.

But it does not change the fact that I am awake at 7.32 in the morning typing this.

By the way, said cockroach decided to vacate previous premises at about 1 in the morning. It was whirling and careening wildly in my room before collapsing in an exhausted wriggling heap. I finished it with bug-spray.

But yes, if a bug as hardy as a roach can fall victim to that much peppermint oil, you need not wonder why I am still awake.