3:03 p.m. Well, after seeing all three of the top horses start their season, the best impression I got was from Gold Ship. Sure, he's a good horse, but he's grown even better in these couple of months. And he's still got some room for even more growth.

On the other hand, Orfevre and Gentil Donna seemed to need some more time before hitting their peaks.

While the horses are getting ready for their big races, I've been attacked by a series of health problems. Starting with the now-a-year-old-pustulosis, bladder inflammation which I'd recovered from merely a week ago, the pain in my left back and chest followed, almost familiar now, since have experienced the same pain about the same time last year. And I've got a toothache from yesterday.

The End

Caterpillar

2:13 p.m. The pain in my lower left jaw feels slightly subsided, though obviously, no miracle had been performed overnight. Am tapping on the keyboard with a constant throbbing pain.

I picked up on the Internet yesterday, that antiflatulent is good to recover from toothaches, because it contains probiotic that will eat up bad bacteria causing the toothache. I've tried crunching my Miyari-san tablet and leaving it to dissolve around the throbbing area, but am not sure if it's working.

Since my chest and back pain still remains, it feels like the whole left half of my body from the waist up is aching. And I'm suspecting that all this aching must have somthing to do with my weakened immune system.

The End

Caterpillar

3:06 p.m. Wild weather. Had to put on my poncho because of the slashing rain. I had a library book in my bag, and I couldn't afford to risk getting it wet.

Meanwhile, eating has become such a dreadful task since it's hard to opem my mouth due to the toothache, let alone chew food. It's also taking twice as much time to eat, for I can only take in small amounts in one bite.

There's a ray of hope, though. I've discovered that the pain is slightly subdued while am keeping myself warm; for example, when I'm sitting on my heating carpet, whereas it seems to get worse in this cold office. So am pulling my fleece jacket collar up to my nose to keep my left jaw warm. And yeah, I do look nerdy, but it's better than being in pain.

The End

Caterpillar

4:04 p.m. At last, worse came to worst and am putting on anti-inflammatory plaster on te left side of my lower jaw. And am tying a towel around my face to keep the plaster in place, meaning that I'm looking even nerdier than yesterday.

So what, who cares. As long as the pain relieves, I don't care how I look. As a matter of fact, I've put a plaster on when I went to sleep last night, and my toothache has improved a little overnight.

Thus the nerdy looks. The plaster remedy proved to be effective, so why not keep them on all day? It might help cure the toothache faster.

The End

Caterpillar

3:35 p.m. Ahh. The pain in my chest and back have reduced considerably, so I assume my immune system is improving, though unfortunately, my toothache hasn't got much better.

It seems now, that it's rather the lymphatic gland in the left side of my jaw that's aching, than my back molar or the gums around it. So perhaps a lymphatic massage might do me some good. Think I'll go and search about it.

As I was about to go searching, Cow has made an annoying comment about my nerdy looks. Wait till you get a toothache.

The End

Caterpillar

12:11 p.m. There was a drastic change in schedule. I've been working on a project for a client which was supposed to be finished by the end of this year. He comes in today and suddenly announces that he wants it finished by mid-May.

Is he crazy? That's only a month and a week ahead. Just because am finally reading Harry Potter, that doesn't mean I can use magic. Besides, Harry doesn't use his magic skills to achieve something, he earns it just as he practices hard for a Quidditch match. How am I supposed to yield results in just a month?

While I'm still wondering what to do with my jaws dropping to the ground, Ouka-sho is going to be run tomorrow. Oh, God.

The End

Caterpillar

6:31 p.m. It was Ouka-sho, the beginning of the classics which usually got me excited, however, I was in no mood to care about horses. My toothache has somehow spread to my throat and am having a hard time swallowing, while the gum where the pain originally seems to have started, is still swollen. And on top of this, the chest pain is back.

With all this aching going on, I was no longer interested in the race. Especially, when there wasn't any particular horse that might do remarkably well. All the horses had a chance to win.

The Demuro brothers had a one-two finish, while Kurofune Surprise, whom I thought to be promising, couldn't hang on and slid down to 4th place.

The End

Caterpillar

3:46 p.m. Finally, I'm going to a dentist. I was hoping that my pain will go away, or at least reduce to a certain level after a good night's sleep, but nothing happened. So I decided to go to a dentist.

Am afraid that they won't give me any pain killers or antiphlogistine, because they didn't when I've been there nearly a decade ago. If my memory is correct, instead I had a full lecture on how to brush my teeth for a few weeks, and was told that proper brushing can avoid most problems concerning your teeth.

Must keep in mind to insist. I just don't think I can stand another day of painful swallwing and chewing.

The End

Caterpillar

3:16 p.m. It turned out that my swollen up gum and throat were pus-filled and, as soon as the dentsit had peered into my mouth, I was forced to make a decision whether to cut open and le the pus out or cure it gradually on medication.

I chose intraoral incision without even thinking about the risk it might present. I just wanted to get out of this uncomfortable pain as soon as possible. A cut and a bit of bleeding would be nothing when compared to a week of suffering. Or so I thought.

The treatment itself went smooth, but as the anesthetic wore off it began to hurt terribly. It hurt so bad that I wasn't sure which part was hurting any more.

The End

Caterpillar

3:00 p.m. According to the dentist, the cause of the swell eventually came down to the fact that my resistance was down. Well, this isn't the first time I've heard that.

Come to think of it, my pustulosis had started around this season of last year, while I had a terrible cold the year before, that took me months to recover from completely. It seems I've been getting less resistant over the course of a couple of years.

That means I'll keep on suffering minor diseases or maybe even get major ones too, if I don't develop my resistance somehow. But isn't that one of the popular questions involving healthcare? Is there any specific, reliable answer to it?

The End

Caterpillar

4:29 p.m. I've been tryingto sleep early. Not to mention I've tried it before countless times. And each time my effort was wasted because of one single person. JoOusama.

After some searching and thinking, I'd decided that the only way to develop my resistance in this current limited circumstance, is to go to sleep earlier. So I've worked hard to fit everyithing in before 12:30 last night.

And just as I was drifting off, the blast of JoOusama's radio drags me out of my sleep. How am I supposed to improve my health condition while I'm living with her?

The End

Caterpillar

3:18 p.m. Went for another visit to the dentsist yesterday. Thankfully, the x-ray proved that my condition was not as bad as the doc and I had feared, and the swelling was recovering nicely under medication.

As I was letting out a sigh of relief, I noticed that my two pairs of sneakers have all worn holes in their soles. Ah, that's why. I've been wondering why the soles of my socks get so dirty lately.

So now that am unexpectedly forced to buy a pair of new sneakers, put it together with the also unexpected expenditure for recent medical treatments, it's weighing heavy on my puny monthly income.

The End

Caterpillar

2:15 p.m. Toothache has gotten better considerably, while I summed up my courage and bought a proper pair of Converse All Stars. Well, I thought I'd try the real thing and see how they are, before I go back to my penny-wise-and-pound-foolish life.

It's time I recovered, really. After all, tomorrow is Satsuki-sho. I wonder why I always fall sick around this time.

Anyway, am counting on Logotype this year. Mr. N-jima announced his interest in Codino as early as last November, but I just can't see what exactly in that horse's performance had struck him as remarkable. From what I saw in Asahi-hai, Yayoi-sho, and Spring Stakes, I have a feeling that Logotype is both faster and tougher compared to Codino.

The End

Caterpillar

10:15 p.m. I did say am counting on Logotype. I was tempted to ditch either Codino or Epiphaneia since their odds were low, especially on a wheel keying my Logotype. But I just couldn't pick one, so I bought 'em both.

And although it might have or might not have been the most favored combination, I've won the trio and exacta. Can't believe it. I just won Satsuki-sho three years in a row. Or am I dreaming?

The End

Caterpillar

3:36 p.m. I have a hunch that Logotype could really be an impressive horse. Actually, there aren't many horses which had won both Asahi-hai Futurity Stakes and Satsuki-sho. The few horses that did have proven to perform well in the top category.

That makes me feel that I should stick to Logotype for this year's classic races. Think he'll do well in the Japanese D'erby, too.

In the meantime (until the Japanese D'erby) am still awing at my own miracle of winning Satsuki-sho three years in a row. Also, have not been able to fully recover from the shock of witnessing a car accident on my way home yesterday.

The End

Caterpillar

2:22 p.m. Am relieved that my toothache has subsided to a tingling only when poked by the dental hygienist. Have now been released from medication and going under the process of what they call "cleaning". It's been much easier to eat though JoOusama has been feeding me only vegetables and fish that I thought I was a monk or something.

Unfortunately, my chest and back pain still seem to stay. Also seem to have digesting problems now.

Don't know what's got into me, really. All I can do for now, is to get information about these symptoms, eat well, sleep well, and try to reduce stress as much as possible.

The End

Caterpillar

3:36 p.m. Suggested by Cow, I'm taking up "radio tai-so" which is a kind of exercise aired on the radio every morning. I'd totally forgotten there ws such a thing but yes, perhaps it could help improve my health condition.

Radio tai-so had originally been created after the Second World War to help keep Japanese healthy. And it was aired on the radio every day, so that anyone who had the environment to listen to a radio, can do the exercise along to the music coming from it. In fact, it's so well-known throughout the country, that any Japanese can do the exercise.

But the problem is, the radio broadcast starts around 6:30 in the morning. I managed to get up at that time today, but am not sure how long I can keep up with that.

The End

Caterpillar

5:03 p.m. Cow has been fumbling with a client's computer. He was trying to install Virus Buster but there seemed to be something wrong with the OS and it wasn't behaving properly. So apparently, he decided to recover the OS, though his client's wife came in today to tell him that she couldn't find any recovery CD.

With nothing else left to do, he launched the manufacturer's system recovery software which fortunately, succeeded to reinstall the OS.

He's been waiting for the reinstalled OS to finish its updates which piled up to 111. He's currently installing the 102nd file and complaining bitterly about having wasted a whole day.

Well, at least the OS has been recovered. Be happy.

The End

Caterpillar

2:51 p.m. Unfortunately, there already has been a dropout from our classic races contestants. I've feared this when I saw that Satsuki-sho had finished in record time.

Fame Game who came in 12th in Satsuki-sho, and was looking forward to a come back in the Japanese D'erby, has been found to have fractured his left foreleg, being forced to drop out from the classic races.

Cow and I have been complaining for a while about how hard the JRA racing courses are, and how much strain it puts on those thoroughbred's legs. They seem to want to stage exciting "speed racesquot;, which we're sure none of the fans are interested in. I really think it's time for JRA to start changing things a bit.

The End

Caterpillar

2:26 p.m. I forgot to add Camino Tassajara yesterday. Yes, there was another calssic contestant that had dropped out.

Camino Tassahara has been found with a bowed tendon, which means his career as a race horse is nearly finished. See? See what happens? I'm sick of seeing at least two horses that unfortunately drop out after every Satsuki-sho.

It's really a pity because horses injured early in their careers, are most likely that they can't make up for the loss later in their lives. The period between the winter of their second year to the fall of their third, can be said as one of the most important period in their lives as race horses, for this is the time when they grow considerably, both physically and mentally. Missing this period by sparing it for the cure of injuries, therefore, would be a critical damage to the horse's career.

The End

Caterpillar

9:01 p.m. Oh,no. Have missed today's race.

I've been having lunch with an old friend and her energetic kids that went way into the afternoon, and by the time I got home, Yomiuri Miler's Cup which Curren Black Hill and Grand Prix Boss was going to run in had already finished. It was a prep race for Yasuda Kinen so I wanted to see how well these key horses would perform. Oh, well. Think I'll check it out at the JRA site.

The End

Caterpillar

4:34 p.m. It's Tennou-sho week. Though Cow, Mr. N-jima and I've been wondering why we still have this race. I mean, what's the purpose in having a 3,200 meter race when there aren't any such long distance grade one races except for Kikka-sho, which only thre-year-olds can run?

We're also wondering why the Fenomeno crew has chosen this race instead of Yasuda Kinen, a mile race. The horse hasn't been in Kikka-sho last year, nor has it been to any of the Kansai tracks before. Why Tennou-sho?

The End

Caterpillar

2:32 p.m. Didn't realise that foreign horses were allowed to run in Tennou-sho. As a matter of fact, I just learned that Red Cadeux was going to run.

It's the second time for Red Cadeux to come to Japan, I think, the first being last year's Japan Cup where he finished in 8th place, however, I have a vague memory that his course had been blocked by Big Week or something. And since Red Cadeux has been in second place in the 2011 Melbourne Cup, am thinking that he might even stand a better chance than Fenomeno.

The End

Caterpillar

2:06 p.m. It's been a while since I'd seen a wierdo on my commuting train. Not that I've missed them, but I've seen one a couple of days ago so think I'd write about her here.

A young woman, age of twenty-something, was standing beside the door applying make up, staring inside a mirror held in her hand. This wasn't an unusual scene, considering it was on a late morning commuting train, but the next thing I saw was pretty shocking (at least to me, it was). She pulled out a pir of tweezers nonchalantly from her bag hanging from her arm, and started pulling out her nose hair.

I stared at her in horror while she went on releasing her nose hair into the air from her tweezers, not so much with a glance around her. Oh, gee. I wonder what her current boyfriend or future husband would say?

The End

Caterpillar

4:38 p.m. I've belatedly been reading the Harry Potter series, recently. I wasn't much interested in Harry Potter at the time these books or the motion pictures were released. But I've ran out of interesting things to read, thought it might be a good chance to try them.

After I'd signed out at the library and started reading the series, I was captured before I knew it. They're different, completely different form "the Ring" series, but the fun and joy of absorbing in their stories are much the same.

Have just finished "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," and am itching to find out if Harry could ever see Sirius again.

The End

Caterpillar

3:17 p.m. Have just been to netkeiba, a horse race Web site. My jaws dropped when I saw the odds on the racing form.

Gold Ship's win odds 1.0 to 1 is perfectly understandable, considering the fat chance he'd win. Fenomeno (second favored) 140.6 to 1, oh my god, Tosen Ra (third favored) 251.0 to 1, and Desperado (fourth favored, not to mention) 279.0 to 1.

As with two defending champions, Jaguar Mail and Meiner Kitz, their win odds are, respectively, 826.2 to 1 (11th favored), and 917.9 to 1 (12th favored). This has got to be some kind of joke. We'll wait and see tomorrow, when the proper odds come out through JRA.

The End

Caterpillar

1:40 p.m. I want to concentrate on calling Tennou-sho, but something has come up. Yesterday, I came home to a bunch of ants around and across my heating carpet. How nice it was to be welcomed home by a group of ants after a hard day's work.

So I've been doing a bit of research on ants, and how to get rid of them, however, it seems essential to identify where exactly they're coming from, to which I have no clue whatsoever. They weren't there on Thursday and the next night they suddenly pop out from no where. Come to think of it, though, I think I heard JoOusama complaining about ants around the same time last year.

What's even worse is that I seemed to have scratched hard where I've been bitten while I was asleep. I noticed my left ankle swelling too late. I'm rubbing in some antibiotic ointment that I had, though am not sure if it's really working.

The End

Caterpillar

10:02 p.m. I screwed up. I've thrown in everything I had on Gold Ship and the horse rewards me with a miserable 5th place. How am I to live on from tomorrow? I'm finished.

The End

Caterpillar

9:50 p.m. In attempt of restoring a bit of faith, have devoted my precious holiday solel to reading "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," which I've finished, by the way. And to my surprise, what happened to Dumbledore! It didn't help lifting my spirits as I had expected, to be honest.

But I'll have to go and check if the library has a copy of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," the latest version of the series. Can't wait to read how the whole story is going to be put into landing.

The End

Caterpillar

1:30 p.m. Have checked out a couple of libraries where I'm a regular, and found out that two of them had "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallow," though one was signed out. Still, the library on my way home seems to have one quietly sitting in their shelf, waiting to be taken out, so am definitely going to stop by this evening. The only thing that might present a slight problem is that the library possibly could be closed for the holidays.

I just pulled on their Web site and it seems to be open. Yess!

1:41 p.m. Now that I've confirmed that I can lay my hands on that final book of the series, my next task would be, to make clear what went wrong for Gold Ship in Tennou-sho which made him sink in 5th place.

The End

Caterpillar