culprit of my recent malaise?

Cedar...すぎ　in Japanese. The government was brilliant, to plant tons and tons of these, not at all thinking of the consequences. Years and many a-choooooos later, they realized they screwed up, big time! Now many people suffer from severe hay fever from the pollen launched from those 'lovely' cedars. So much for the romantic image of 'snow falling on cedars.'

Recently my nose is stuffed up, eyes u-ru u-ru (watery) and breathing system congested...all accompanied by a minor headache. All symptoms prevalent when one has a cold, so I cannot figure out whether I am sick with a cold or simply suffering from mild allergy symptoms. Agh, the frustration. I never had allergies in the past but have heard various stories from foreigners about having developed hay fever after residing in Japan for more than a few years. Booooo.

Umm, I suppose the good news is, if I have allergies, we can suffer together...Hiro and I. He seems pleased to have the company...nothing like the saying, ' misery loves company' in this case. The Chinese herbal medicine he (or soon to be we) takes is pricey at around 300 yen ($2.50) a day but far better than drowsy side-effects from regular hay fever medicine.

Update: Tuesday morning and symptoms show no side of abating. Waaaaa.