God, today was just all kids of fail.
I guess it all started last night err-- really early this morning. My dorm mates and I were all pretty sloshed, and decided to make a massage train after a long night of low budget drinking courtesy of Circle K and McDonald's. What seemed to be a nice, relaxing, and likely one of the most surreal experiences of my life ended up being the most painfully rude awakening this morning.
Since I'm always the one giving massages rather than receiving them, my shoulders were in complete and total agony from actually being attended to... and I was slightly hungover, which didn't help things. -___-;;
Then I got a haircut. Going to the salon was fun-- I spoke nothing but Japanese, got my gray roots covered and was talking shop with a lot of the girls, explaining how there are only 2 months left in my trip with sooo much left to do. They all seemed so nice and understanding, telling me places I had to see before I left and how much better my Japanese has gotten, yada, yada, yada. More like...イヤーだ!I must have dropped some sort of bomb that caused THIS to happen:
God dammit, I look like a freakin' soccer mom. I'm praying that it looks better when it's wavy-- and doesn't make me look like a drive a minivan. I look like I'm 20, going on 40. GAWD.
I think I said something along the lines of,
Me: My friends from out of town are coming tomorrow, I want to show them how "Japanese-y" I look.
Hairstylist: What do you mean, "Japanese-y?"
Me: Well you know, cute and fashionable.
Hairstylist: *Bwahahaha... foolish kid thinking she's knows what it means to look Japanese...* cough cough I know exactly what you mean!!
Or something like that. Nah, just kidding. They were really nice, but it's COMPLETELY different from the picture I had shown them which looked something like this:
Ugh. Whatever. As the Japanese would say, しかたがない。Shikata ga nai. It can't be helped.
After that amazingness, I went to $hibuya and decided to go aimlessly wandering around for a while since it was about 1:30 and all the rest of my friends were still sleeping off their chu-hai and beers. Plus, there are only 2 months here and I've basically gotten myself into a painfully predictable groove of going to the Sendagaya Flee Market or Shimokitazawa every Saturday and cleaning my room and doing homework on Sundays (and you all thought I was blowing off this blog because I was doing something interesting...)
First, I went to Loft, my favorite "everything" store. It really makes me feel comforted looking at their beautifully designed furnishings and housewares. Shit-- this hairdo might be more fitting than I'd like to admit... Anyway! I bought some new green headphones because I thought my old ones were broken. Turns out, my iPod is what's broken, not the headphones. So not only did I waste money, I found out my iPod only plays music in my left ear! YAY.
Then I went into Shibuya 109, hoping to finally have the stamina to see all 9 floors of frilly, overpriced goodness. Got through 6 floors and 70 bucks and decided to call it quits.
It's weird how many boater hats I tried on today. Of course, none of them fit really well, and of course, they all looked terrible on me because I'm not a brown-haired 60lb Japanese girl in a floral romper and a jean jacket. But somehow... I wanted one. It's really weird how seeing everyone wearing something makes you want it... and it'll be something you'd NEVER wear-- like this flippin' boater hat.
Click this to make it bigger.
Another thing I can't stand about Japan is how you basically get bullied into buying things with kindness. People are so nice to you, so flattering and so accommodating, that it's basically impossible to say no once they've caught you gawking at something. In these types of situations, my friend Jordan simply says, 高すぎる(taka sugiru) "It's too expensive," and just walk off. I admire her complete shamelessness. And her spine.
Today, this really nice (slightly cross-eyed?) girl saw me eyeing a lacy 60's looking top. The conversation basically went like this:
Wonky-Eyed Shop Girl: Irasshaimase~
Me: . . . *touches cute top*
Wonky-Eyed Shop Girl: Do you like it? We just got it! It looks just like what you're wearing right now. You have such a cute style. It goes with your leggings. I'm wearing the same one in pink! I'm wearing it as a dress, but you're taller than me so you can probably wear it as a shirt! And since summer's coming soon, it'll be perfect! You should try it on! What color would you like? Pink? White? Navy? You're already wearing Navy~ is that your style!? Is that your favorite color?! It's cute, isn't it?!
Me: . . . yes, it is cute.
Wonky-Eyed Shop Girl: Oooooh you should try it on, I can tell it's your style!
Me: . . . Well . . .
Wonky-Eyed Shop Girl: The fitting room JUST opened up! You can try it on now!
Me: . . . Well . . . ok.
In the dressing room.
Me: Goddammit, how the flip am I going to get out of buying this?
Wonky-Eyed Shop Girl: How does it look, oh honorable customer??
Me: Uhhh...
Wonky-Eyed Shop Girl: Let me look at it.
Me: *Hesitantly opens the curtain*
Wonky-Eyed Shop Girl: (*≧▽≦) KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA~ KAWAIIIIIIIIIIIII~!!!!!!!
Me: Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck.
Well, here's the shirt that goes along with this awesome story:
Yes, it's hanging from my water heater controls. I'm in college and am getting increasingly more broke by the minute. Don't judge me.
Beautiful craftsmanship... better be for frickin' $60...
Well, at least I have an outfit to meet the Inouyes with.
( ・_・)
wait, i dont know if hearing it from me helps, but i am actually a huge fan of your new haircut. no one thinks you look like a soccer mom...especially cuz they dont exist in japan.
ReplyDeleteembrace the layered short hair! it's fab! (i'm growing it out right now which is a little gross, i feel like chad whats-his-face from nickelback)
LOL~ thanks Cha-ray-see.
ReplyDelete"I'd even cut my hair and change my name..."
I LOVE this blog post. You are so freaking funny. And I gotta say, your hair looks really really good in that style, once you got the salon out of it (^_-) No soccer moms here! (judo-moms?)
ReplyDelete