boo hoo day.

i've donned the same look for a couple of years now. my hair is long with curly ends which is very manageable for me. people might think that getting a perm would also require you to work on your hair every morning to keep it looking nice. but really, curly hair is not hard to maintain. all i have to do is comb my tresses and curl the tips using my fingers. very wash and wear. i don't even need to blow dry. i don't need any hair products (although mousse is highly recommended). i've received quite a number of compliments for my hair. curls are sexy, so they say. but lately i have been neglecting my mane and before i knew it, it grew too long and gone dry. it got bad...as in alanis-morisette-thanking-india long. it was too heavy and i keep running out of shampoo. so 2 weeks ago, i decided to finally have it cut.

next question is...where?

i searched far and wide (and when i say far and wide, i meant google) for the perfect salon to subject myself to. i'm not a big fan of salons. i don't like the way they look at you from head to foot, trying to figure out how much you will tip based on your appearance. i don't like the small chit chat and the endless suggestions on which hair treatment is best suited for me. i wanted the experience to be relaxing and peaceful. i managed to score an appointment to this very high end salon that charges too much. i figured, what hell. i have not had a pampering day in a while. might as well splurge.

i thought that was the end of it.

unfortunately, my sister found out and was aghast. she said that that particular salon is too expensive and the cut is totally not worth it. she may be right or wrong. but i will never know of course because a reaction like that sort of ruined the moment for me. i canceled my appointment and scheduled another one with a slightly cheaper (though not really cheap) stylist.

i thought that was end of it.

i woke up today feeling the excitement. i'm going to get my hair cut. weeee. i took a "before" picture first.

then went to this cheap place to get a pedicure/manicure/threading service. i had an hour to kill so i was pretty confident about that. my toenails were done in like 15minutes. then another manicurist was tasked to do my nails. thats when the fun started to fade.

ive been going to this place for years, but this is the first time i encountered this particular manicurist. i didn't catch her name so i will call her luna (as in luna lovegood from the harry potter books). the reason? she has this really interesting blank stare similar to that of lovegood. i saw it while she was cleaning my cuticles. instead of paying close attention to my nails, i caught her staring into space for like 2 minutes. this would've been funny if she weren't jamming a nail pusher on my pinky. i was about to call her attention when she suddenly jerked her head in my direction, looked me in the eye and said:

Luna: ate, nagch-chat ka ba?
(me taken aback)
Me: umm oo naman. pero matagal nang hindi.
Luna: naku ate, nasa YM ang swerte mo. mag-chat ka. pero pag may nakilala ka, dapat alamin mo muna ugali. may swerte ka eh. basta nasa chat yun.
(i was very very weirded out by this time but decided to go with it)
Me: talaga? naku sana maging totoo yan.
Luna: oo ate. basta pag nakuha mo na ang swerte mo, wag mo kami kakalimutan ha. nagtatrabaho ka na ba ate?
Me: oo
Luna: saan? ano trabaho mo? (then blank stare into space)
Me: analyst.
Luna: (apparently not listening) alam mo yung webcam? ayun. mag webcam ka pag nag chat ka. andun talaga swerte mo. nerbyosa ka ba? nakikita ko sa palad mo nerbyosa ka. tsaka di ka magastos ano?
Me: err hindi.
(loob loob ko, wow may libreng fortune telling pala rito. i didn't have the heart to tell her though that i actually have a scheduled appointment with a not expensive but not so cheap hair stylist so the "magastos" part is a gray area)

then she just kept on talking. she told stories about her family or other clients whose fortunes she had read with accuracy. she said that one time, this one particular customer found a foreigner boyfriend and gave her a huge tip (Php20,000...or so she says) because she (luna) brought her luck. it was probably the most bizarre conversation i've ever had. i just kept nodding my head and nervously looking at the clock. luna is a talker alright and any day wouldv'e been fine but at her rate (unfortunately when she talks, she stops working on my nails), i was going to be late for my appointment. and i'm not really sure if i buy her stories. i had a bad feeling she was just doing that to get a generous tip.

anyway, i have to cut the story a bit. i did give her a generous tip (and i mean generous considering she didn't do a good job with my nails which took her 40 minutes to accomplish. and the threading was hideous) and hurriedly took a cab.

i thought that was the end of it.

manong driver was an ass. he said that the trip to the salon would cost me Php200.00. i didn't know i was entering a non-metered taxi. i'm also very sure that isn't the case too but this driver just wanted to take advantage. asshole asshole asshole. and i had no time to look for another cab.

i thought that was the end of it.

at this point, i was already pissed. so i just wanted to get it over with, you know? i went inside the salon and did the thing. i will not go into details. in all fairness, they were nice and accommodating. even the free iced tea wasn't bad. the stylist did not ask personal questions and just snipped away.

but the results i wanted were not achieved. mind you, i even brought a picture of the style i wanted. it did not look like it at all.

again i will not go into details as to what happened next. but this is the final product:

so there you go. need i say more?

i just felt really bummed. and it will take probably 6 months before the entire thing will be long enough to be styled again.

huhuhuhu.