Girl and City

It’s 7:30 AM. I’m sitting in the common room of our hostel, eating Nutella on toast. Well, their version of Nutella at least.

24 hours ago, I was just waking up with a dull hangover, after a night out with my trip-mates and 50 other hostellers.

Rewind.

We had finangled our way onto the train, after being bussed from terminal to terminal at the airport, looking for the train station. Our luggages were huge and awkward, so we had to take up six seats for the four of us. Vin Diesel asked for some Spanish lessons during the ride, and I obliged, teaching him the most important phrase of the trip: ¿Dónde está el baño? (Where is the bathroom?) (more…)

$500.

That is, apparently, the cost of my vanity.

I went for a Japanese Straightening earlier this week. Four hours, $500 later, my hair was sleek, shiny, and pin straight.

It was exactly what I had wanted.

But I felt uneasy. When did I become so vain that I would drop $500 on my hair?

It wasn’t just about vanity, it was also (mostly) about convenience. I may be vain, but I am damn lazy. I want to look like a high-maintenance girl without being one, especially on this Europe trip¹.

I used to have zero-maintenance, naturally straight hair, but after I permed it, it became a frizzy mess that required blow drying and flat-ironing every day. It’s been a huge pain in the ass, and the more I flat-iron it, the more damaged it becomes.
Japanese Straightening is supposed to keep your hair straight without requiring any effort – you can step out of the shower and your hair will air-dry straight, you can put it up in a pony tail and it won’t leave a kink, etc. When I researched the effects of Japanese Straightening, many people said their hair actually became healthier, because the straightening lasts for 6-10 months, so the hair is saved from being flat-ironed for all that time. It sounded like the perfect solution.

After the straightening, my hair wasn’t too different from what it used to be before my perm, albeit smoother and shinier. Given that I had naturally straight hair, the hair stylist said that this will last at least a year for me, and it may revert my hair back to pre-perm conditions, which means I may never have to do this again.

So it wasn’t so much about vanity as it was about getting my old hair back.
But I still can’t believe I spent $500 on my hair.

What’s the most expensive treatment/product you’ve ever given yourself in the name of vanity?

1. I considered the fact that we would be staying mostly in hostels, sharing a closet-sized bathroom with upwards of ten people, potentially not even having a mirror in the bathroom, etc. and I realized that there was no way I could prep my hair for 40 minutes every morning. [↩]

On Sunday, while I was out shopping for a money belt, BI texted me the following in three separate messages:
Two things.
I miss you.
Where’s a good place for brunch in The City?

When I received the first two messages, I thought she was drunk-texting me. I have never been drunk-texted by a girl, much less on Sunday morning, so I was quite amused.
The Drake Hotel, I texted back.
She asked if I could join her for brunch.
I am with some guys from last night but they are leaving, she said.
I raised an eyebrow but only texted back, No problem.

Two hours later, CMA and I arrived at The Drake Hotel (I invited CMA at the last minute because she was a classmate of ours that had just moved to The City and I knew she was dying for me to take her to The Drake, or anywhere for that matter). I spotted BI immediately, lounging with – not one, not two – but four guys on the couches by the window. (more…)

I have always been a very picky eater. Before I could talk or walk, I already knew the difference between good and bad food, and I refused to eat bad food. Even if I was force-fed, I would promptly throw up after the meal. Unfortunately, you can’t reason with a toddler, we do as we please. So my father would rush to the market every day after work to buy fresh vegetables, the best cuts of pork, and live fish¹, and would spend hours cooking when he got home.

As an infant, I was what one may call a vegan. I disliked meat – it was never tender enough – and I would chew a piece of meat in my little mouth until it was all fiber, and then spit it out. I never swallowed. I also disliked seafood – it was never fresh enough. Basic human instinct should tell us not to eat something that smells like ammonia. I would throw up if I even glimpsed dairy (my parents had to feed me milk when I was asleep).
Food-wise, I was a difficult child to raise, and I have been making up for it in other aspects my whole life. (more…)

1. This was in China in the late 80s, so supermarkets did not yet exist, and everyone bought their groceries from farmer’s markets. When it came to meat, for example chicken, you had to buy a live chicken and slaughter it yourself at home. [↩]

It’s amazing how crazy things can get when you’re with some of your closest friends and you know it’s going to be your last time out together and you just don’t want the night to end. What was supposed to be a night-in with some Thai food and a board game turned into a fancy dinner, clubbing, strip club, and a very late night (or early morning) shisha session.
My night in numbers:

• Number of cigarettes: 5
• Number of lesbian kisses: 2
• Number of lap dances: 1
• Number of unattractive strippers: 6
• Number of attractive strippers: 1
• Number of slices of pizza: 3
• Number of units of alcohol: what do you think?

(more…)