The top news of the moment in the staffroom at school, thanks to a report of the morning news show I watch, Mezamashi TV, is that Yamapi has the flu. And apparently, so does Nishikido Ryo! I actually noticed that Yamapi wasn't very genki on 24 hour TV and looked drawn and tired in the most recent episode of Buzzer Beat. I hope he gets well soon! (and it's not just because I don't want Buzzer Beat to go on a break from filming)

Actually everyone seems to make a big deal out of the flu here in Nagasaki because it's supposedly rampant again even though it's summer.  Some kids from another school played badminton against some of the kids from my school and there was a big uproar about flu prevention. I've been marking about 180 3rd grade JHS student diaries and many of them said their goal is not to get sick this year. Our school principal even made a speech at the closing ceremony of term 1 saying he wanted the kids to promise that they'd:

1. study during vacation and keep a regular schedule
2. pursue something they were interested and
3. try not to get sick

But I mean who actually tries to get sick? You never actually expect it unless you run around in the snow naked or something. But even then there people who gargle 3 times a day and wash their hands thoroughly and still manage to get sick.

Anyway right now I'm cho-genki. As in *smacks cheeks* I don't remember feeling this healthy in a long time. I'm not tired all the time even though I have the same amount of sleep (if not less than) I had before.

Wow, my throat hurts whenever I swallow. It feels different from a regular sore throat though. It hurts right up the back on the right-hand side. I wonder if I'm coming down with something nasty... like tonsilitus? I haven't had it for so long that I forgot what it feels like. Man, I so don't want to be sick during a long weekend...

Tonight's Halloween. It was never much of a big deal for me in Australia. For one thing, I was raised in a fairly conservative, Asian Christian family and my mother always told me that Halloween was satanic. In Japan, the stores go crazy with the Halloween decorations due to the American influence here, but I noticed that nobody really goes trick-or-treating or to costume parties.

I bought a costume. I originally wanted to go as a Policewoman but the costume was too small. I read the measurements and it said it would fit someone with a waist up to 60cm. I wonder if my leg has a circumference of 60cm? Nothing like Japan to make you feel like a fatass.

But in the end, I got a sailor high school uniform. I know, it's kind of kinky/slutty but what a better excuse than Halloween. The best thing is another ALT is going as a schoolgirl too (she's gorgeous, tall and blonde though, so she could wear a potato sack and still probably look hot) so we'll be matching!

I wonder if some of you remember Ashley. She was my best friend when I lived in Yokohama in 2006. We worked at the same school and pretty much spent every day together for about 8 months. It turns out she came back to Japan too, shortly before I did and to do the same thing. She's an ALT living in working in Shizuoka prefecture, but apparently lives next to a rice paddy. She actually submitted her resignation last week, despite having only completed 3 months of her 12-month contract. Her contracting organisation freaked out and offered to move her to the city, or an 'inaka bonus', an extra 10,000 (about $100 USD) a month. She had been feeling really lonely as she didn't know any other ALTs in her area, so she's actually coming to the Halloween party tonight and then staying in Nagasaki with me for the rest of the weekend. I'm so excited!

Well, I'm staying a hotel tonight. I had better get ready for the party... I will take some photos and post them if I don't look like death.