i left my hair in San Francisco

Don't we all love a good haircut? Haven't you, at least once in your life, gotten yourself a new hairstyle to simply change your image or after a major life-changing event such as a failed relationship or death of a loved one...as if cutting your hair will free you from the aches and pains of the past? But then, getting a hairstyle you like is just half of the challenge. The other half is finding a stylist who can transform your messy hair into something that matches your personality and one that you would be happy to wear everyday. After all, it's your crowning glory...

We Filipinos often joke about it. Everytime we see a friend who just had a haircut, we ask him "buhay pa?" (is he still alive?) referring to the hairstylist who did our friend's hair. It's like implying that we are ready to "kill" a hairstylist who messes with our hair. hahaha.
Just as some people have the fear of a dentist's chair, so is the case with me as far as hair stylists go! I remember when i was in grade school, i topped my class so my dad sent me to a beauty parlor to get my hair and face done for the honor's convocation. And guess what?! i stepped out of the salon with a colorful makeup that matched my overly-decorated hairdo. You know those glittery disk-shaped beads about the size of a 25 centavo coin with a little hole in it? They're like sequins but much much bigger. Anyway, i had about a dozen of it in different colors pinned to my hair. I thought then i looked glamorous and mature, my dad thought i looked cheap so my mom had to troubleshoot my hair & face before the ceremony started. hihihi.

And there was another time also in grade school when i decided to have curly hair but after spending a couple of hours at the parlor, my hair still remained straight and flat. I think i had my hair shampooed and conditioned before i went to the parlor and the hairstylist didn't wash my hair before she applied the treatment....or maybe she forgot to apply something that will make my hair curly. Anyway, i was traumatized. That day i made a decision to just stick to my straight hair.

So the only decision left for me was to choose whether to keep it long or short. In college, I have tried growing my hair until it touched my waist then woke up one day craving for a change so i had it cut short, just a couple of inches below my ears. It was after i finished school when i finally settled for a long hair 'coz my friends kept telling me i look better in it and also, when i gained weight, it somehow compensated for my chubby face.

Caring for my hair for the past 16 years was easy because of Ate Amy, our neighbor in the Philippines, who became a close family friend since the day i entered her salon in 1991. When i got here last year, seeing a hairstylist was the least of my concerns 'coz i was pregnant and i didn't want to do anything to hurt the developing baby. Last March, a month after i gave birth, i decided it was time to bring back the glow. I was about to make an appointment with a Vietnamese stylist but Fil's aunts, Auntie Norma and Bella, suggested i try their hairstylist friend in San Francisco. I wasn't that excited at first 'coz Auntie Norma and Bella are both in their 60s (ssssh!) and i was worried that their friend can't do my kind of style. I also don't want to drive 30+ miles just for a haircut (talk about gas prices!) but they insisted and told me they'll pay so why not?

I gave it a try. The hairstylist is Lorna, also a Filipina, who have lived in the US for a long time. She is so busy that you have to make an appointment at least a month ahead. I told her i wanted a Jennifer Aniston kind of hair but not too short and layers not too pointed...just a couple of layers to give my long straight hair some sass. Guess what? She did exactly what i wanted... as if she has been doing my hair for years and not for the first time! She took 3 inches and told me to come back in a few months so she can take 3 inches more and get rid of the dry ends. Yesterday, i went back for the trim and my hair now looks healthier. hmmm, i love my hair! :-)

But baby racrac loves it too! He enjoys pulling my hair and always have a strand or two of it trapped between his fingers. Ahhh....motherhood...it is best worn with a pony tail!

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Jollibee!

I didn't realize Fil's got psychic powers until he asked me this afternoon where I want to have a snack before we go to the supermarket. Without waiting for my reply, he was quick to add "Jollibee?" I was surprised! I mean, i've been craving for langhap-sarap chickenjoy for the past few days and i don't really remember mentioning it to him. In fact, i was even going to suggest we drop by jollibee before we do the grocery but Fil, with his extraordinary power to read minds, jumped the gun on me. hihihi. And so I had my chickenjoy and spaghetti this afternoon at Jollibee Union City, so far only my 3rd visit to this branch during the 9 months that i've been here. Yummy! They pretty much tasted the same way as the ones served in the Philippines except for the hotdog slices in the spaghetti. The difference? they're not purefoods! :-)

When i think about it now, Jollibee was so much a part of my life in the Philippines. I've been to so many Jollibee's - from Laoag to Davao - and here are some of my favorites:

1. Jollibee Philcoa in Diliman, Quezon City - this branch opened when i was a sophomore in UP (and i'm not telling what year! hehe). Memories of my UP life wouldn't be complete without it. This is where i spent hours and hours of brainstorming with classmates for a project, chatting with friends in between or after classes and sharing countless meals with my college boyfriend. Hala! I remember back then, given our student budget, Jollibee was the only place we could afford to regularly go to "outside" the campus. After college, i still frequented this branch 'coz i worked in the area and later took my MA degree. Everytime i visit, i always meet a former classmate or a teacher or a seatmate or a groupmate or a dormmate or a familiar face. I never felt alone.

2. Jollibee Baguio City Upper Session Road - this one is located at the city's old terminal compound. i was spending holy week break 2004 with my relatives in La Union and took the whole family to a day tour of Baguio City. Being the first time for most of my pamangkins to go "out of town", they were very excited...parang mga nakawala sa hawla hihihi. After picknicking and boating at burnham park, we went to SM. There were 18 of us and we walked as a group holding on to the kids so they wouldn't get lost in the big easter sunday crowd. Later Kuya Val shouted anxiously "si maimai?!" We couldn't find her and we all panicked! We retraced our steps and later found my 6-year old niece at the second floor firmly holding to a railing at the center of the mall. She wasn't crying. She said she just stayed there hoping we would come back for her. So in celebration, we all trooped to where else but Jollibee! Unfortunately, we couldn't find enough seats so we left the mall and drove to the nearest branch in the Upper Session Road. We had an instant party! We literally occupied half of the 2nd floor space. Luckily, a Jollibee mascot was in the house and we had pictures with him. The kids were so happy to see a "live" Jollibee for the first time. What a happy ending to an unforgettable day!

3. Jollibee Cebu, Colon branch - this is really funny. Have you ever been penalized by a traffic officer for eating at Jollibee?! Yes, we were! During one of my visits to the city, my (ex)honey took me for a walk down Colon Street, said to be the oldest street in the Philippines. But before we did that, we decided to have a quick lunch at Jollibee. As soon as I saw the store sign, we jumped out of the jeepney without waiting for the driver to stop. We didn't notice the traffic guy who followed us inside and told us that we violated the "no unloading sign." He gave us a choice: to pay the P50 fine or render community service for a number of hours. Of course we took the easy way out and handed him the money (in fairness, he gave us a receipt). Did we argue with him? I think i gave it a try (ako pa!) but later gave up 'coz we didn't want to waste precious time. Later as if nothing happened, we ordered our Jollibee, attacked our chickenjoy lunch, and went on with our "historical walk." Actually, what we did was far from historical 'coz we ended up shopping for cheap CDs/DVDs and celfone accessories. That place is the Quiapo or Divisoria of Manila...piracy showcasing its best! :-)

4. Jollibee Northern Cebu, Bogo branch - so during my third visit to Cebu, we escaped to the northern tip of the province for some post-new year R&R at the San Remigio Beach Club. We had a full breakfast in Mandaue courtesy of my ex-future-mother-in-law (!) so we didn't bring enough baon in the car 'coz we were confident we could easily find Jollibee or McDo along the way. Surprise, surprise! 10 towns later and the only fastfood we found was Jollibee in the town of Bogo! The long drive made us so tired and hungry that we were extremely happy to see one. Once again, Jollibee saved the day! The store was located at the Gaisano mall and we noticed a lot of building construction going on at the town center. At that time, Bogo was stepping up its bid for cityhood which explains all the new infrastructure and of course, Jollibee! You gotta have Jollibee to become a city, right? hehehe. Bogo became a city last year.

5. Jollibee Legazpi City, Landco Pacific Mall - in December 2002, a friend invited me to her hometown in Bicol and i had the grandest time of my life admiring the near perfectly cone-shaped beauty of Mayon volcano from almost anywhere in the province. During one of our road trips, we stopped by Landco Pacific Mall in Legazpi City to eat and after much deliberation, my friend's niece - the only child in the group - won over all 10 of us to have lunch at Jollibee. As we stepped inside, we saw a mascot waving to the crowd but he was already making his way past the store counter and into the kitchen exit much to the dismay of my friend's niece. You think we only stood there and watched him get away just like that? No way! We asked the manager or whoever was attending to us if we could borrow Jollibee for a picture and she must have seen the look on the kid's face 'coz she called on Jollibee to go back. Yehey! We took our picture with Jollibee and made my friend's niece very, very happy.

6. Jollibee Tagaytay - Whether you are going to Tagaytay for some cool fresh air and the breathtaking view of Taal volcano or just passing by enroute to Batangas, this Jollibee is so strategically located at the rotunda making it the ideal pit stop after a long drive from Manila. Usually we leave Manila with an empty stomach and arrive in Tagaytay just in time for a Jollibee breakfast. I've been to this branch as often as i've been to Tagaytay and i especially love it 'coz outside, there is always somebody who sells espasol which i like! :-)

7. Jollibee Kalinisan in Bacoor, Cavite - this one is the closest to my house and located at the zapote-aniban busy intersection. I went here very often for breakfast, lunch and dinner. This is also where i frequently ordered food takeout after a long day at work or food delivery whenever i felt lazy to cook anything at home. One time i ordered their one-piece burger steak meal (nagda-diet kunwari) but was given 2 pieces instead. When i asked for a replacement, my honesty surprised them but what caught them off guard was the fact that i complained about it. I told them "i only ordered one burger steak and you gave me two pieces...you guys are going to ruin my diet." hehehe...

8. Jollibee La Union, Agoo and San Fernando branches - both branches i shared with my ISSA co-workers and our SWS partners when we were doing an EU-funded project in La Union. Who could forget that one trip when Marlon won over the group and we stopped over for lunch at Jollibee Agoo so he could collect kiddie meal toys for his nephew? Not only that, during that same trip, we also ate at Jollibee in San Fernando to complete Marlon's toy collection. Hay..nakakasuka rin pala 'pag palaging jollibee! The only up side was that the chickenjoy meals didn't cut much from our per diem allowance so we ended up with extra cash for pasalubong shopping. The San Fernando branch is also special because this is where i always bring my pamangkins. It takes about 20 minutes to commute from Bauang to San Fernando City and they love going to Jollibee with Tita Maricar (that's me!) for some chicken, burger, fries and crunchy chocolate twirl.

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