======================================================
by Philipina A. Marcelo
So, I finally made it to the hair and nails salon! And since this is my first visit in 2011, it's kind of 'special'. :)
Old folks say that whatever state the New Year finds you in, that would be your situation all year round. Since I started the year with a chipped nail and one-month old pedicure, I cringed at the thought of this being my "nail situation" all throughout 2011. And so, I pushed aside laziness and proved superstition wrong!
I was motivated by a guaranteed reading time, a possibility of finally updating myself on the latest trend in the most delicious world of food via my Food Technology magazines, which were still in their unopened plastic packages. I hauled myself out
of the comforts of my room to follow the path to personal care salvation! And, it wasn't without substantial effort. I knew I can withstand the confines of the salon for an hour or so as some 'magician' tried to revive my nails to life, however, I was not emotionally prepared to spend a couple more hours for a hair repair, too. So, I avoided all sorts of eye contact with my hair cutter/stylist and contented myself in getting my nails worked on - for now. It wasn't very difficult to do that either as I was absolutely engrossed in my book, and the people in the salon knew enough of this side of me by now. They knew that once I opened a book, I get lost in another world. I would've preferred to be more social... if TV sets in these "beauty" salons were tuned in to sports channel - but they never were! And it makes me wonder why... oh, well. While my feet were soaked in warm soapy water - aaah, that felt good, my kind manicurist was coaxing my fingernails out of beauty coma. Luckily, my fingernails never play hard-to-get when coaxed like that. :) And so, they 'giggled' with excitement of being groomed to clean state with every stroke of the nail filer and with every twist of the clipper and the tweezers. As dust
of sawed nails and dead skin piled on the floor, my nicely shaped nails were revived to life! Soon, I was holding my book carefully with eggplant-colored nails... and it felt very nice! And then, it was time to dig my toenails from the abyss of extreme unkempt state. I had to set aside my book for a while to pay attention - the process of reviving my toenails as they are hauled out of the painful trap of thorny ingrown is always an experience worth savoring for me. Aaargh, those punishing ingrown - they make every moment in pumps or stilettos seem a forever of torture! Flashbacks of having to inwardly groan as I endured the thorny pain from inside my work pumps, standing in front of my students as I gave lectures or pretending to walk gracefully as I walked with well-dressed colleagues and superiors, I winced in pain. The coaxing started... my stubborn toenails resisted - painfully. More coaxing, my toenails started to soften their
resistance in a flood of cuticle remover... I held my breath, held on to my seat. And then the punishing thorns were slowly pulled out... one-by-one - relief each time! It's like being slowly lifted from a bed of nails and transferred to a bed of roses. And then the biggest of them thorns was finally pulled out... a BIG sigh of relief from me and from the manicurist/pedicurist! Aaaah... on the bed of roses at last!! And then the manicurist/pedicurist started to hum... I knew then that the worst is over... and I went back to my book. In the end, while I loved what she did with my nails, I was kind of "disappointed" with the efficiency of my manicurist/pedicurist... it made me a-wanting for more from my book! But I was just glad to have a few more minutes exploring the furniture and
electronics stores nearby. I ended up buying a new stand for the TV set in my bedroom - on sale... 50% off the original price - and making a vow to myself to think about the economics of getting myself the new state-of-the-art Samsung surround-sound entertainment package... the kind that makes watching tennis and football (soccer) more interactive! :)Contented with my conquest of the day, I "retreated" to my bedroom... and into the sweet coziness of my walk-in closet for some peace and quiet as I browsed the internet for a few things I am passionate about, outside teaching, that is - tennis and Roger Federer, football (soccer) and food, of course! :) And it was extra special to be "turning the pages" of the world wide web with clean eggplant-colored fingertips, and with legs outstretched where the pain-free eggplant-colored toe nails point up nicely into the ceiling in a "thumbs up"! :) My walk-in closet has never been that cozy, I tell ya!
Aaaah... what a day - life is beautiful!
***
Photos: I own all photos.
***
