Bad Hair Day Alert

Warning: Read from marked indicator if you wanna skip readin all my complaints.

Beijing is my home for the last time this trip round. Went to Xi Dan yesterday and got conned! Some dude pulled me over to some hair dresser shop and started saying all sortsa stuff bout how they were having a promo activity and he wud tell me how style and take care of my hair. Since alone and bored with much time to kill, I thought why not.

He blabbled a while and asked me to head to the other side so he sud give my hair a wash. Asked him personally whether he was gonna cut my hair like three times n he sed no since I wanted to keep it long. He started snipping my hair afterwards n i thought watever lah, my mop-like hair needed a trim anyways. He was nice and started askin wher I was from n stuff. Friendly I was till he wanted to perm my hair. The poof type on top and straight beneath - the Ah Lian type I wud assume.

I demanded for the price which he kept persuading me to do so then look at the price. Suspicion crept in then. Insisting till he did, when he showed me the price did I realize ok this is getting too far.

555 Yuan! Expect me to pay 555 Yuan for a perm and turn my hair Ah Lian, Id rather die. So much of a how to keep my hair talk. It turned into a talkback show. I insisted my way and he insisted his. I've got enuf when he started critisicing me. This girls onli 18 and she's still immature, shudn go around telling ur a Msian cos of this, you look more like you come from the Sixth Ring area (Beijing counts their areas by rings, the outer the rings the further away it is fromt the city) This is what you get when ur friendly in China..

WTH?

Demanded him to take off watever was on my head and that was it. So much of being friendly to start with. Askin me to show off my new hairdo from Beijing (this was before the whole debate), I sure will. When someone asks, what happened to ur hair?! Will kindly let them know a Beijing shop in Xi Dan did it. Pfffttt

Complains stop here.

My mood was gone to shop for the night but somethin kept me feeling guilty. Before I stepped foot in dat crazzee shop which was crazee bout conning ppl and their money plus spoil ppls mood, I lined up for bubble tea where an aunty came up to me and begged for money. All I had was notes in hundreds and I just acted dumb and kept quiet hoping she wud leave me alone. She didnt so I did. Went to a store two doors down instead.

So many stories of beggars who steal ur wallet after you give them some money, using money for cigarettes and beer and so forth. It was probably -5 degrees or more then and I don't even know whether the aunty had enuf clothes on to keep her warm. What if, just what if she really needed the money? The thing is, you'd never know whether she does.

I felt bad but didn't know how to. 100 notes din help.

Decided to get myself a hotdog to munch on on my way back. Wud be nice since it was freezing cold anyway. As I was about to pay, another aunty beggar came up to me. I asked her whether she wanted one and she nodded. Buying someone a hotdog has never been this rewarding man. She kept thanking me and sat down on a railing nearby, smilling while she munched away.

Satisfied, I passed through the same row of shops I got my bubble tea from as I head for the train station. The same aunty I saw the first time was still ther begging. Went up and asked whether she wanted anything to eat. Got her what she wanted, some pita bread like thingy and left. She happy, I happy :)

Money spent buyin them food is way better than paying it for da crazee barber. Summore have to waste my breath to get out.

Still ain't know where money for beggars go to, but at least I know two had something for their stomachs that night.

Signin off: Pictures of the Aus trip shall come SOON :)