hair modeling

Little by little I hope to elaborate more on what I've been doing during my long period of absence from my blog life (not that it was very detailed in the first place), so please bear with me. I really appreciate the fact that some people still read my entries, or were curious about me. Makes me feel warm inside! I really would like to leave some time aside to read everyone else's beautiful blogs too.

In this update I wanted to talk about my time in the Japanese magazine limelight, which was sweet and short-lived. The magazine world in Japan is completely different from anywhere else. Of course it is an unavoidable fact that the world of print media has seen better days, but that all seems irrelevant when you enter any bookstore here. There are so many publications and print genres, especially women's fashion. They dominate the storefront. Once the allure of the pink and purple colored covers catch your attention, you'll soon feel tempted. Oh this model is cute...oh I love this magazine, maybe I'll just....

Hair magazines are very unique. I feel that the salon business is definitely a culture within itself, having had the opportunity to model for a few magazines. It works like this:

The hunt: Almost everyday, particularly on Tuesdays, hair stylists go out a scout for models. Usually they go to fashionable areas, like Harajuku, Shibuya, Omotesando, etc. The peak time for scouting is typically around early-late afternoon, like from 12-5pm. You can usually sense who they are. They're stylish and cute, but curiously just standing on the side of the street, or next to a train station. If you strike their interest, they're approach you. You're especially vulnerable if you are alone and don't seem to be in a hurry.

The approach: They're not rude, in fact, in my experience they are very polite. But yes, they are kind of pushy. If you say that you're busy, the stylist might plead, "Oh it'll only be 3 minutes!" It usually takes around 10 minutes, but all they need is a snapshot of you and your contact info.

The phone call: Sure enough! They contact you! And if it's a girl stylist, she'll use the cutest emoticons in her text as she re-introduces herself and explains that there's a photo shoot for a magazine that she hopes you can be in. If the time and date works out, as well as the hair length requirement for the photo shoot, you're in! You might be asked to come into the salon so that the head stylist can check your hair, but if it seems like they like you, you got the job.

The photo shoot: Normally, photo shoots are very early. Sometimes I had to get to the salon by 7am, in time for a 9am shoot, and then try to make it in time for class by 11am!! That was tough. But the stylists and photographers are very sweet people. It's amazing how chic and pretty they all look considering how stressful their work schedules are. Imagine having only one day off a week, working long hours, and having very dry, skin-chapped hands from dealing with hair chemicals all the time. It's a hard knock life.

But I'll be perfectly honest, I'm a lousy model. If I had to grade myself, I would give myself a C- because in comparison to all the hair model regulars, I'm an amateur at best. Still, modeling in Japan was a very special experience and I'm so glad that I got to be a part of it. Recently I haven't been modeling because my school schedule is so hectic, but I hope to be in a few more shoots before I leave Tokyo.

お久しぶり～

みなさーん！！！・・・まだいるかしら？
もう５ヶ月間ぶりの更新ですねー　きゃー；；
もちろん、色んな事を書きたいけど、すごい時間掛かるね、確かにｗ
でも、それよりー
最近こそ、あたしはすっごくハッピーになってきた：）　それだけ伝えたい。
帰国する事はもうすぐ！あと２ヶ月！ありえない・・・
だからもっと更新したい！＾＾
これからよろしくお願いします！！


こんな幸せさ・・・あなたのおかげだ☆彡

filling the blank

I forgot about you for awhile.
My empty white space.

It's a little silly for me to be writing on my forgotten blog when I have so much work to do this week.
Although I'm sure I'll get out alive, I just wanted to excuse myself for a bit.

I really did miss you.
You, as in this beautiful wide nothingness that I'm typing on.
It really does feel good.
Lately things have been kind of cloudy,
not in a totally negative sense,
weather-wise YES,

my thoughts have just been here and there.

Maybe I'm really just searching for winter.
Today, despite the uninvited cold rain,
I got to see my own white breath in the morning.
I don't know why it gets me so excited.
I'm sure to most people it just signals how brutal the cold is.

I guess the air just feels newer to me.
Even pure.
Like white, white snow.

I'll try to update my blog more.
Add some pictures.
Talk about myself and my happenings.

For now I just wanted to come back and get lost again.
In other people's words as well as my own.

being active

I usually like to update my blog with a picture or too, but since I've been on hiatus with Flickr lately, I'm too lazy to post anything if I already put it on Facebook. After fully resting and taking vitamins like crazy, I think I can safely say that the big bad germ monster has passed me by. Although I still have to be careful about crowded train. You would think that as hygiene-conscious as this country is, some people still don't have the consideration to cover their mouths when they cough.

This Monday and Tuesday we had off because of bunkasai---school festival! It was a lot of fun, I don't think we have this sort of thing in the States. Many clubs and circles sort of advertise themselves by selling food or sweets to other students or high school kids who are thinking of applying to Sophia. My club wanted to do a sort of "resort" theme and we sold bubble tea. On one day I had to go out on the busy campus street and shout "Bubble tea ikagadesukaaaaa" which is like, would you like some bubble tea?

Lately I've been getting approached by many people. Often when I go to Shibuya or Harajuku, I almost always get asked to be a hair model. I'm not trying to gloat or anything, it's really true. One night I was approached three times by seeking stylists. Just two days ago after shopping in Shibuya, I was about to go into the station to go home when this cute guy with Dumbledore glasses asks me to model for his salon. I was seriously in such a zombie/hobo state, with tired red eyes and shopping bags hanging off of my arms like ornaments on a Christmas tree, but for some reason people still wanted to cut my hair and use my face. Ahhh. Right now I'm doing a hair show for Shima so it's a bit difficult to fit in more salons. Which is kind of disheartening because I would love to help them all out.

Which reminds me, today during 3rd period at the cafeteria I was with my friends and noticed some fashionable people. They must have caught me staring because to my surprise they came up to our table. A girl spoke and asked if I was interested in being a runway model for her designer friend. She introduced herself as Shouko and then introduced the designer, Koji. I was kind of taken aback since I really didn't sense that they would ask me such a question. If this was New York, I don't think my height of 5'4" would get me anywhere, but in Tokyo it seems to be fine. I said yes!

So from next week on it's going to be all this preparation for the hair and fashion show. I'm kind of weary to look at how full my schedule book is getting.

Oh, and my birthday is coming up.

Oh yeah, and so are my midterms.

Work and play are really in a shoulder-to-shoulder race right now.

PS.

Today I had some movie and girl talk time with some girls from my club.
It was called Boku no Hatsukoi wo Kimi ni Sasagu (I give my first love to you).
I had myself a good cry. You wouldn't believe how many girls in the theater got out their handkerchieves.

it's been a long time

I apologize greatly to those who sneak a peek at this blog from time to time; I have not updated for almost a month. But just judging on my comment rate, I don't expect that my absence has been noticed. In any case! I'll go ahead and revive this baby.

Tonight is Halloween! If I was in New York right now (ignoring time difference), I'd be hearing hoots and howls of drunk Lady Gagas and zombies. But right here in this Bunkyo-ku apartment, there's only the electric buzz of the TV. A lot of my friends are probably going to get trashed in Shinjuku wearing pajama costumes and I'm very sad I'll be missing it. I'm staying in tonight because there's a very good chance that I might be getting sick. Although I'm 100% genki right now, I'm just going to be safe and rest. Even though all I've been doing is sitting here going on Facebook and picking my belly button.

It's been a little more than two months since I touched down in Narita airport. WERD?! As strange as it is to say, I almost feel like I'm not in Tokyo anymore. Obviously the illuminated signs and overcrowded trains are a big red flag that I'm not in Kansas, but it just seems so normal now. Many study abroad students have more or less been feeling the downhill tumble from the "honeymoon" stage and have been feeling homesick. I think in my case, it's not so much homesick as it is just being unfazed by everything now. Not that Japan isn't my dreamland, duuuuh this is like paradise. It is a dream being here. I've just become grounded.

School has been great, I love all my classes. However, I should have brought last semester's notes since I'm learning about semiotics-again. Darn you Roland Barthes! Who asked for your opinion, Karl Marx! I can't even pronounce your name, Althusser! Why must these dead white dudes torture me so... But I'm actually surprised that we're learning about such dense material since many of the students in my class are Japanese FLA students whose English skills are somewhat lacking at times.


(click on the link for more photos from the picnic we had awhile ago. if you have me on facebook, you've probably already seen these!)

I've made a lot of friends rather quickly since my last update. It's amazing how many people I've met by just joining one club. It's a club that bring international and Japanese students together...and we usually end up drinking somewhere. Haha. But seriously, it's so nice to meet great people.



Andddd. I'm taken! It's been awhile since I've had a boyfriend. I'm very happy. Except that he's sick right now and I worried that I have his germs. Ahhh...


But he's really good at getting Mickey stuff for me from the UFO catcher<3

So that's why I'm playing it safe with getting crunk this weekend. Although other people might advocate the magic of alcohol as the cure all drug, in the past it has never been good at solving problems for me. I'm really hoping my immune system doesn't bail on me...

This weekend is the Sophia festival. I'm bringing obaa-chan for her birthday because she wants to see my school. Love my grandma.



Ah! Another thing that has been keeping me busy is this hair contest that I'm in. I've been going to Shima salon for practice and stuff, and yesterday the stylist, Motoki-san, was deciding what kind of style to do. It's going to be a kind of baby doll tutu look I think. Hehe. Here's her business card with my face on it.

the walk back home

This week has been overcast and rainy. Although, I hear that Chicago is receiving an early gift of the chills! My mom told me that she turned on the heater for the first time yesterday. It isn't very cold here, but the wind is pretty strong. With the weather, crowded morning trains, and nomikais, I've sort of developed a scratchy throat. But it's not the flu! I swear...

I'm somewhat thankful for the rainy weather though. The walk home from Komagome station was especially pretty.









Look who's peeking out from the corner!

shiro-chan

There are a lot of stray cats in Tokyo.
Whenever I visit my oba-chan, I always see the same stray cat by the train station.
If you look at my back entries, I've taken a picture of one particular white cat. I've really become attached to him (I'm assuming it's a he) and named him "Shiro-chan." Shiro means white in Japanese, so it's not a very creative name, but all things deserve a name, right?

Shiro-chan likes to sleep by the bicycle parking. Except for his white fur and pale yellow eyes, Shiro-chan does nothing to cause attention to himself. He is very calm and I even get the feeling that he likes watching people. Another stray I sometimes see around that station is a brown tabby. He's not as interesting to me as Shiro-chan so his name is Taro-san because he is kind of ordinary.

But just the other night when I was walking from the station, Shiro-chan was just sitting there. I said hello and asked him how he was. Of course he is just a cat and I didn't expect an answer, but I was surprised how still he was. I took a picture and thanked him. I know this is so strange to say, but I really believe that Shiro-chan is more human than animal. I just have that feeling when I see him. That, maybe he was a person in a past life.


Here are the pictures. Isn't he so handsome?

ena ad

I love seeing ena's art everywhere!
Right now it's for a mascara ad. Or rather, eye liner.

small thoughts

This is right next to campus. It's a beautiful hill landscape that oversees the sport fields and tennis courts. I hear that in the spring, this place is canopied by sakura cherry blossoms.

I came here today to kind of sit down and reflect.
There are so many things to come, it almost doesn't feel right to turn around and think, "Wow I've gone through a lot." But there really are many things to think about. One of my most common thoughts is how much I think I know and then realizing how much I don't.

I think about people from home so much, everyday. Not in a homesick-I need to go back- way, more like a "wish you were here" feeling. And it may sound silly, but I sort of write mental letters to people. I guess initially they're probably meant for real letters (I actually have started to write a couple, but haven't gotten too far), yet they just stay there. In my head. Does this make me sound lonesome or loony? Both? Haha.

I have every intention to make a totally different life here. Everything is new and clean. Bleach white clean.

And so far things have been going pretty great.


Hmm...how convincing is "pretty great"?


No, but really! I can't bring myself to complain.

It's just that right now I'm in this stage where I'm kind of in the doorway, still. Only fingertips away from letting go of the knob. I'm awfully close to sounding like "I want to close the door from that other stage of my life!" But there's not going to be any door slamming.

If I could make one thing clear in this mess of thoughts is:
I am always thinking of someone. I wish that when I'm sitting by myself on a bench in that grove near campus, that that someone would come sit next to me. I'm still hopeful that my friends can visit me during the year, though I always remind myself of the realistic complications.

I'm talking about you, Pacific Ocean. How I loathe your fat girth. And what is up with the weak dollar? Can't you stand up on more than 90 cents?

I'm going to be busy with school and meeting new people.
I am very very excited.
But I really am a big wimp and prone to all these small thoughts.



I miss everyone who I associate with "home".

sophia

Time has been going by...fast. Today is the 20th, just four days shy of it being a month since I've been in Japan. It does NOT feel like a month.

But I guess I should be thankful that time has gone by because Sophia Orientation has finally come. I now have more people to meet! Being hitoribocchi was seriously depressing.

It seems that almost everyone arrived last Tuesday so they're just getting settled in. I'm naturally a shy person so I don't know what kind of first impression I make. But I think everything went well! I'm getting more and more excited about going to a Japanese university. After dinner, some of us went to Shinjuku for drinks. We went to this Irish pub, then tried searching for this cheap izakaya. We asked so many people for directions but nobody knew what we were talking about. Finally we asked these wasted young salarymen and their girlfriends, and actually ended up drinking with them. I wish...I brought my camera.



The next night we went to eat okonomiyaki and go to karaoke.



This weekend I went to Spa LaQua for some much need onsen relaxation time, met up with Namiji in Jiyugaoka, and visited my obaachan.



Gift for my obaa-chan.


I'm ready for another busy week!


It's a bit strange, but I've been having such vivid dreams about people from home and New York. Sometimes it makes sense, like dreaming about talking to my mom, but other times it's very...odd.

kagurazaka

Fall weather is settling in slowly. Though I can't really distinguish fall weather from cloudy/rainy/humid weather, so maybe it's a bit too early to say. In any case, Tokyo has been experiencing perfect night conditions. Last night I went to Kagurazaka with my aunt. Kagurazaka in the past used to have a more old town look but nowadays pachinko parlors and other new buildings have been sprouting at each corner so it kind of demists the nostalgic feel.

But don't fret! For those who like the aged appearance of cities as much as I do, Tokyo is no doubt a city that still has huge pockets of eternally timeless places. We walked through narrow alleys, went down city steps, and ended up at a French restaurant for crepes and tea. Kagurazaka has a lot of French shops, though I don't know the history. Afterward we went around more narrow streets lit by glowing lanterns. How ~romantic~, yes... I've been kind of keeping in mind a list of nice date places...so that when I finally get a boyfriend I'll know exactly where to go! I just want to avoid the "Where do you feel like going tonight...I don't know---where do you want to go-?...I don't care whe-" situation. You know what I mean, right?

The night before I went to a hole-in-the-wall jazz cafe. I wish my Jazz school friends were here, they might be surprised that there's a cool jazz scene in Tokyo. I got a little tipsy from strong mugi shochu, but I think I want to go again. It was owned by a cute old couple and their cat Kotaro. The owner is actually a documentary film maker too.

I got a message from Motoki-san from Shima asking if I would model for a hair magazine. At first there was some time conflict with school starting, but I think it actually might work out. That's right...starting from next week my top priority will be school. Aw shucks, my "summer vacation" is actually coming to an end!

cut model

Two days ago I was walking around Harajuku to shop (again). I've been trying to discipline my shopping habits so I restrained myself from making any purchases (although being charged 8000yen for karaoke is not discipline! UGH. I really rather not talk about it, I think we were ripped off).

As I was crossing the street to LaForet, a girl stopped me and asked if I would be a cut model for this salon called Shima. I know the salon from hair and fashion magazines so right away I said yes! She introduced herself as Motoki and we exchanged contact information.

The next night I went to their Aoyama location. My Japanese is still elementary at best, but I was able to have a nice girly conversation. While Motoki-san cut my hair, we talked about Japan, my background, music, famous people we like...I was so surprised when I would say something like "Oh I think so-and-so is cute..." and then she would say, "AH! I've met him! He's so nice!" I think it's been awhile since I've talked to a girl (not including my aunt and grandma) so it just felt so nice to just talk about superficial things---"He's cute isn't he? YEAH I KNOW!" kind of talk.

We took a lot of pictures (egao "smile" -pose and cool-pose haha). Motoki-san kept commenting on how soft my hair is. The pictures are meant to be example photos for Shima customers to pick what kind of cut they want. But if, this is a big IF, they wanted to use me for a magazine, then they would contact me again.

A lot of times I feel like an alien when I'm walking around. It's kind of just a fact that you accept, not looking completely Asian just makes you a little more noticeable. Since I still haven't met a lot of people yet, I'm always just walking around by myself. Motoki-san was very nice and it really made me happy to talk to just to her, even with my Japanese. I told her that if she ever needed a model she should contact me again. She said of course and added that, if I could, not to cut my hair or agree to be a cut model for another salon. I'll try! It's hard to avoid the scouts in Harajuku...

I didn't really take many pictures, just this one from my phone.

yokohama

I made a Flickr account awhile back but I recently just discovered how handy it is! Goodbye Photobucket!!

Sunday I went with my aunt to Yokohama. She was meeting up with some friends so I just walked around and shopped a little at Queen's Square. It kills me how expensive cute stuff is. Fall fashion hits stores hard and it's just so difficult to resist the temptation to by a 23000 yen (~$230) red cardigan. No matter how soft...how...perfect it is. I definitely took a business location card, maybe I can save up and buy it in Tokyo.

After my aunt said goodbye to her friends, we walked around the bay. I don't believe I had been to Yokohama before, and if I did I must have been pretty small to recollect anything. Very pretty. Although it would have been better if I had a boyfriend. It was just one of those places where the couple tally was very high.

For dinner we went to Shin-Yokohama to go to the Ramen Museum. I don't know if I've ever mentioned this, but recently I've struck a big interest in the Showa era in Japan, specifically during the 1950-60's. I think a lot of Japanese have a strong nostalgic feeling for that era--a time where the country was rebuilding after a big war. It was also a time that Japanese cinema was beginning to take shape. Anyway, I only mention this because the Ramen Museum is actually a Showa theme park! Everything there is as if it was a warm twilight evening in 1958.

Here are some pictures, but please take a look at my Flickr account (http://www.flickr.com/photos/41080516@N05/sets/72157622175008329/) for more!

overdue update

Although I have been absent from my bloglife, I come back with nothing really to show and tell. Lately, with the few friends that I have (and by few I mean 2), I just go to izakayas and eat delicious food and drink sake. I feel guilty admitting it, but I guess I have been getting into Japan's drinking culture. I have attained the same night lifestyle as a regular salaryman, getting tipsy but still managing to get on a cramped last train home.

But I promise I haven't been getting into trouble! In fact I pretty much have stayed idle. I just moved into my aunt's apartment, so I still have not officially settled in. She's more of a packrat that I am...so she's been busy cleaning.

I haven't taken many pictures, these are some I took last week. I promise to elaborate more on what I've been up to...hopefully I'll do more than drink! Ha-ha...

finally in japan!

*Note:I wrote this last night, but the internet connection here is unreliable and I gave up trying to update. I've been trying to upload a video onto Youtube and that takes forever too.

Over the summer, many people asked me, "Just how do you pack for a year?"
GOOD QUESTION. At first I assured myself that I wouldn't be bringing that much since my parents will be visiting me in December and would bring my winter clothes BUT there is no easy way around packing 2 check-in suitcases that each meet the weight limit of 50 pounds. At least I didn't find an easy way. When I got to the airport, one of my suitcases was around 5 pounds over. Luckily I knew a woman at the JAL check-in counter! Her name is Miyuki-san and she used to fill in as a waitress at Teriyaki Box when I was working there during high school. I remembered that she had also been working at JAL---It just didn't occur to me that she would be there on the day that I was leaving! SO! She helped me out and I was able to avoid the overweight fee! She also found me a seat with nobody next to me, which made it better to relax on the plane. CHO LUCKYYY.


Gosh, my brother is getting cuter than me.


I said good-bye to my family and departed at 11:30 that morning.



The flight itself wasn't as excruciating as one might imagine of a 12 hour flight. I think my anticipation was probably a big factor. It was almost like the feeling when you're just so anxious to get home, the car ride back seems much shorter.

Arriving wasn't too bad. I did have trouble with my contacts since my eyes were so dry. My right contact fell out on the plane. While waiting in the line for immigration, my left eye felt itchy and when I touched it, my contact fell out! It didn't help that at that moment it was my turn to present my passport. But I had extra contacts so I just rushed to the restroom and all was well.

Yes..for the most part I would say everything went smoothly. I mean, aside from this creepy guy at Narita airport trying to chat me up and getting a bad case of jet lag and throwing up a little (sorry, gross)..everything was fine!

I am just soooooo glad to be here. It still does not feel real in the sense that I'm actually going to live here instead of simply visiting. Right now I'm in Saitama, which is near Tokyo. After this week I will be going from my oba-chan's house here to my aunt Satoko's in Sugamo, Tokyo.

Lately I've been taking it easy to adjust to the time difference. But spending time with my oba-chan has really been fun! I think we've always told ourselves that we get along so well because we're both sasori-za (scorpios) but either way, I just like being around her.

Today we went to Laketown, a huuuge mall. I bought a cute phone strap for my cell phone and other irresistibly cute things. That's something about shopping here. The cute appeal is really hard to avoid.

I bought a small book called Tokyo Sanpo (Tokyo Walks) with my oba-chan in mind so that we could enjoy simple walks around interesting areas. Although I also intend to take lots and lots of walks by myself too.

I know I've only been here for 1 1/2 days and I haven't done anything too big, it's probably the best way to relax and soak it in......YESSSSSSS I'M FINALLYYYYYYYYY HEREEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Stray kitty.


Oba-chan.


^-^v


Lunch time!

quick update: pre-departure

I'm a bit behind on the updates!
I feel bad skipping details, but after days go by, I forget about the specifics!
But basically, I'M IN JAPAN and enjoying every minute!

The last few days at home were spent well.
I went to Six Flags with my brother.



Had a nice dinner with my best friends.



Ate Persian food and saw all of my family.





I am so glad that I got to see the people I wanted to spend time with before I left.
It means a lot that so many family and friends have wished me good luck! Ganbarimasu!

squirrelize it!

By now you've probably seen the viral cheeky squirrel (er, prairie dog? groundhog?) image,
but did you know you could also get into the frame?



Here's the link!

http://www.lutralutra.co.uk/squirrelizer/