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.