August 4th, 2011

I have to keep reminding myself to smile at people and say hello. Whenever I run into a stranger on the street it goes like, Reaction 1: natural impulse to smile, Reaction 2: chiding gut reaction to fight impulse after two years of greeting rejections and people avoiding me as a foreigner, and finally Reaction 3: remembering I'm not in Japan anymore and forcing myself to go with the first instinct haha

Gotta fight some of that Japanese conditioning. It's really nice to be able to go with my guts again without second guessing.

August 4th, 2011 - Part 2

Today I wore my favorite dress in its natural state (without a tank top undershirt) for the first time in two years. Purse free of the weight from my DS dictionary and camera, open-toed high heels without the worry of guaranteed rain, and cleavage roaring, I was a majestic beast.

America looks good on me.