The World According to... Boring John

These include:

1. The first night I spent living in Blantyre (Malawi, Africa) working for a new employer. I had just spent two years working for a voluntary organisation for little money, but in a comfortable home. This entrepreneurial home had nothing in it, no sheets, no blankets, no pots or pans, nothing...
   
   This man missed his Mummy!
   
2. The day my girlfriend moved out of our flat to live much nearer to where she worked (45 minutes down the M5). I took the day off work to help her both move her stuff out of the 3-storey flat and into her new house. Unfortunately, there was a major IT production problem at work (Bristol & West) that same day and I had to go in to fix it, as it was my program change that was causing the problem and losing the building society business.
   
   I didn't want to go into work at all on this emotionally awkward day, but compromised by going in at lunchtime. I felt very drained and very low once I left the office at 7pm, to return home alone.
   
3. The day my girlfriend moved out of our rented flat, and left me to me, myself, I. I had no job, no friends and decided in my wisdom to repeatedly listen to Blur's Tender.

Hey, you say, you haven't lived if that's the worst 'stuff' that's happened to you.

Yeah, I reply, you could be right, or you could be being a tad arrogant. Walk in my shoes, I'll say, add some 'context' and maybe those days were not so fun.

No death, drugs or rape?

Yeah, oh Chinese mixed-race one, I haven't lived!