Much is being made of the cold weather “alerts”, as they’re called here. These remind me of those almost-Orwellian efficiency ‘campaigns’ at government departments when suddenly saving a bunch of paper-clips becomes top priority just because a ‘green week’ is being celebrated — when it really should be standard practice.

But if braving Canadian winters (as blogged earlier) in a previous suburban neighbourhood seemed a little getting used to — as I was new to all this — surviving a recurring winter gives one plenty of fodder to ruminate over, if you’d excuse the terrible pun.

If you ever require a referral to a specialist, you first need to have a family doctor who could refer you to one. Fair enough.

However, I had no idea that getting yourself a family physician in Toronto, Ontario would be a task next to impossible – no, I think I’m being impolite here. Let me rephrase: it is impossible for someone new to get a family doctor here.

The questions often pile high on your mind as you prepare to retire for the day, then lie in your bed staring into nothingness.

You reflect upon what you have accomplished – which is little, and what made you begin this journey in the first place. You reminisce the time when you could conquer the world, when you had the world in the palm of your hand. When you were the stuff stars are made of.