Really Bad Hair Day

Yesterday Jin's mother asked that I help her find a Korean hair salon to get her hair done. Her once curly coif was growing out and she needed a touch-up perm. So, we ventured to the nearby Korean grocery store (apparently there's only one in Oakland that services the entire east bay) in hopes of spotting someone with a respectable do for a salon referral.
For those of you who don't know, Jin's mother is a very sweet lady who can start a conversation with just about anyone so I knew she would have no trouble finding a friend to aid us in our predicament. Lucky for us, in the middle of the Korean video rental section, a nice young lady with a stylish head of hair appeared. Jin's mother quickly approached her and got the number to a Korean hair salon in San Francisco. Hmmm... perhaps I could get a haircut as well. It had been nearly a year since my last trim and my locks were looking anything but fresh lately.
At first we were both a little reluctant to call because we had abandoned poor Jin at home alone with the baby. Driving to SF to get a perm would undoubtedly take an extra 3-4 hours. But after debating the issue, we called the salon for an appointment and soon we were on our way across the Bay Bridge into the city.
Once we arrived, Jin's mother took the salon chair first while I picked up a magazine and waited my turn. I soon realized I couldn't read the magazine because it was in Korean so I opted to scan the stylish hairdos for a flavor of what I wanted for myself. If any of you have ever seen a Korean magazine (or any asian fashion magazine, for that matter), all the girls look freakishly similar - like clones. There's no doubt, the models are beautiful, but practically every girl had the same hair, same nose, eyes, lips, etc. No doubt, this was likely a product of surgical enhancement, but I wonder what it would be like to live among people who looked exactly like me. What a scary thought!
Anyway, I continued to flip through the mag when I stumbled upon a picture of a girl with long, wavy locks. Her hair seemed to be full of body. Each curl bounced gently on her shoulders - a far cry from the typical long, straight, razor-cut asian do that all the other models had. Hmmm... "Perhaps I should get a perm, too.", I thought. Of course it would be a very loose perm that would produce a wavy look rather than a tight, Ronald McDonald-like hairstyle. I further justified this sudden urge by noting that my hair was already quite long so the weight of my hair would keep the curls loose and bouncy. And besides, all asian mothers have perms, right? Since I'm now a mom, I might as well join the ranks!
To make a long story short, I persisted in my crazy pursuit, despite my better fashion judgement screaming to me that my hair would be fried like an egg over easy. Even my stylist seemed less enthused and warned me in the limited english that she spoke that my hair would look "different" from the picture I was showing her.
Truthfully speaking, the final product at the salon did look strikingly similar to the original picture, but once I got home, it was a total disaster! How do you keep the curls loosely separated? and no one forewarned me that perms and girls with wide faces don't mix. I looked like a female asian version of Hurley on Lost or Felicity on a REALLY bad hair day.
So today, I am frantically trying to wash out the chemicals that have already wreaked havoc on my once-shiny, straight locks. And no, I did not take a picture of it. Hopefully, my hair will return to its normal state the next time I'm seen in public...