Sunday, March 25, 2007

the real me: pink hair and a teddy bear

back in the day i had a wide array of candy-colored hair.
a refresher:


well that impulse never left me, and i was given an opportunity to dress up to the tune of "japanese fashion" for lolly's birthday last week. i was feeling a little confused about why i even agreed to go--after all, i'd be spending $100 round-trip (plus dinner, drinks, and karaoke fees) for a single night of fun. why do i have to live so damn far away? but when i started to assemble my outfit, the truth dawned sudden and strong like a wind that blows you clear off your feet:

i love to play dress-up!

i love it so much that i will pay $150 just for a good opportunity to do it. if fake eyelashes and short skirts are involved, i'll even take off precious vacation hours just to get there early and dress up at a leisurely pace. sitting on my floor in the many whimsical layers of my outfit, i had the undeniable feeling, this is what i was meant to wear. i felt so happy, so myself flouncing around in fur-trimmed knee socks and demure empire-waisted skirts, clutching a soft new bear. the night before, i had searched the shops for a perfect accessory--preferably something cute, fluffy, and pink. the bear (yet to be named) was the ultimate realization of all these things. this was the approximate look i was going for:


marina and i resolved to do it up High School Style and get ready together (complete with makeovers, mousse, and some hair harrassment). allison saved me the cold hundred by offering to drive her suitcase on wheels so we wouldn't have to take the train. i knew the only thing i needed to cement my place in the foreigner hall of fame was some fake pink hair. eureka!

the final product was enough to cause even the few japan natives brave enough to sail the tall waters of drunk gaijin to comment on my succesful rendering of a japanese stereotype. ah, but it was all adulation on my part. here's fiona's shot: she captured my entire outfit, making me look like an enormous doll next to sam and fern. (check out "confused and confusing" in the links above for fiona's website)


marina dubbed it "superior (do they spell it superiour in canada? ;) ) clash trash"







this was actually the first time i had ever been to REAL karaoke, and i could see how it would be Really Really Fun with a smaller group of close friends--belting out your favorite songs with the aid of alcohol and microphones. in the birthplace of karaoke (japan, duh), you get a whole room all to yourself and you rock the night away with no one else watching. there's a phone to call for drinks, and at the fancier places, electronic consoles to search for and queue up songs. this place played the most Boring crap behind the words--like bad footage of unattractive people sitting in outdoor cafes in Britain (why?), but it made me laugh at its incongruity. here's one of the rooms at UpDo.


sadly, just as i finally had a chance to talk to one of the cute boys there, we were leaving.
sigh...
oh PS. did i mention mr. M is MARRIED!? as in: flirted with me one day and got married the next. of course he has neglected to tell me, but i heard it from some of the other teachers. be a doll and wear the "i'm married" sign for at least a week, for heaven's sake!

5 comments:

  1. O, Lauren. You rocked your J-look! And Stan and I were so jealous of your korilakkuma bear!
    As they might say on Japan's Next Top Gaijin Model (if such a show existed), "You were fierce!"

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  2. Thanks Megan! You were fierce too, in less weird way. ps i love ANTM, i admit it!

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  3. We spell it "superiaeour", actually.

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  4. that figures, eh?
    (pulling out all the stereotypical stops while you're still on this island and can chuck me if you want)

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  5. What stereotype, eh? I don't get it. You making fun of me, eh? I don't see it. Eh, I'll still chuck you!

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