On image changes and autumn days

There's something about living in this country that makes me legitimately want to become a better version of myself. I put a lot of effort into things, from work to clothing, to language skills and general appearance, in a way I didn't do before, and I find myself enjoying it. I've started studying again on a daily basis. I pay all of my bills on time. I do skin care. I have the cleanest living space I've ever had (which anyone who's ever lived with me can testify to). I can keep plants alive. I change my bed linens on a weekly basis. I do laundry even when I haven't run out of underwear. I iron. I use fucking fabric softener. Is this what it's like to be a grown-up? Because... I kinda like it. Bet you never saw that coming.

(and can we just take a moment to appreciate how super hot Beenzino is in this fucking video? Like damn, boy, lemme get you some.)

I went out to buy contacts today. I thought it would be pretty straightforward - bring the paper they gave me when I got my glasses, pay, and then get the contacts. Yeah, guess again. First I needed to fill out this long-ass form, all in Japanese, with lots of kanji. A few months ago I would've gone pale and tried to escape the store, but I decided to buckle down and get through it, and to my great delight, I found that I could understand most of what was going on. The rest I kinda just winged, but I appear to have winged correctly, since no one bothered to ask me any questions. Before you guys freak, I did realize which questions were important and which were of the 'How did you find this store?' variety, so no worries about some sort of sudden eye death happening.

Anywho, they called my name, and then proceeded to move me around between three different stations - first to a nurse who seemed to do most of the grunt work checking if I could read the symbols, then to the actual eye doctor who looked at me for less than a minute while only saying simple words and gesturing, then out to try a pair of contacts, then back to the nurse with the symbols only to find that it would be better for me to get contacts that were a little stronger than my glasses, then back to the eye doctor, and then finally to the last station where I again got to put the new ones in. It was like a workout in and of itself, but I ended up with some HD-grade vision. People often ask me what the difference is between Stockholm and Tokyo, and I try to explain that it's the little things. For example, they gave me my first pair of contacts for free to wear out of the store, whereas my optician in Stockholm would have me use two from the pack I just bought. Small kindnesses. I like that.

But damn, I never thought the difference between glasses-me and contacts-me was so huge. I look like a completely different person! Of course with different lighting and all that jazz, but still, it kinda boggles my mind. This is  good though - I like keeping my options open. Nerd-chic has its moments, but I'd rather not do it all the time.

Let's just say that if there was a View-from-my-Apartment-Appreciation-Society, I'd so be the chairman.

The weather's been absolutely gorgeous today, albeit a little cold. It feels strange to see pictures from different parts of the world where it's snowing - in Tokyo the trees are just starting to change colour, and it's only just started to feel a little chilly. It just goes to add to the feeling that this is a completely different place, a completely different dimension. I like watching the changing of the seasons here. Everything just feels so fresh and new. Being able to experience so many 'firsts' really feels like something I needed. Feeling at happily at home is probably my favourite first. That one's pretty hard to beat.