Its feeling-all-gurlie'n-pretty good!

I decided to splurge on myself this weekend and booked an evening slot at the ULTA salon.The prices are steep but the service at the salon is just awesome and the end-result is worth every damn penny!Mind you,the salon itself does not look all glamorous and spa-like.In terms of appearance and visual appeal,it lies in between a decent spa and a regular Super Cuts.So I was a little skeptical about what to expect especially since I was just about to burn a huge hole in my pocket.I was looking forward to get my hair cut by a gay male stylist with an exotic South American or French lineage and an unpronounceable name and incomprehensible accent.The lady at the front desk said that my stylist for the evening was "Naaa-chhh-chh-mae".It turns out that the stylist assigned to me was in fact this elderly Pakistani lady called Najma.So much for all the anticipation!I was so disappointed that my fantasy was shattered this badly that I forgot to greet the lady even.

Now as a rule,I usually refrain from conversing in Hindi with fellow-countrymen-strangers because some of them mistake this friendly gesture as an invitation to discuss all aspects my personal life.If it is a lady and she is older,the conversation invariably goes something like this :

[1] Older desi lady : Are you married?
Me : Yes

[2] Older desi lady : Do you have kids?
Me : No.Not yet.

[3] Older desi lady : *Loud Gasp* And pray,why not?
Me *smiling politely and shrugging shoulders and thinking* : None of your damn business,lady.

So I was somewhat pleasantly surprised when Najma turned out to be the non-conversational kind.After about 20 minutes into my appointment,we started conversing generally and discussed hair maintenance and conditioning.And then she abruptly announced that she was from Pakistan and asked me about my origins.I explained.In my head I go "Uh-ooooh,there we go." Then, in true desi style, followed the much dreaded questions.She asked me questions [1] and [2] and I answered them as mentioned above.And then she said , "Oh,whats the hurry anyway?Enjoy yourselves thoroughly before the inevitable responsibility falls on your shoulder." I couldn't believe my ears! The jinx was finally broken! I gradually warmed up to her and found myself talking to her in Hindi! We went on to discuss a variety of subjects ranging from real estate in the city to recipes to weather in our respective countries and I actually quite enjoyed our conversation! She even rattled away the recipe of her famous gosht biryani while she deep conditioned my hair.Just that she kept saying gosht over and over and over again that I finally had to admit to her that I was vegetarian and that I would probably stick to vegetables for my version of the biryani. She of course was shocked and tried to convey to me as politely as possible that biryani without meat was akin to sacrilege of the highest degree. She was relieved to an extent only after I revealed that M was as carnivorous as one could possibly be and he would certainly enjoy her gosht version of the dish.But the highlight of the evening was most definitely the super haircut that she gave me...just the perfect length and the perfect number of layers!She even recommended some hair-care products and made sure that I got a 10% off coupon at the front desk.Nice lady!

So here I am with a brand new hair cut and with my hair feeling all soft and shiny and silky.I feel all girlie and pampered and pretty.So what if it cost me a fortune?I am so worth it!*Grin*