"PCC"
[Music || The Corrs, "So Young"]
I don't know why the P.C.C. campus got such a bad rep from SGHS kids. The campus is really nice and I mean it.

I'm taking two classes this summer there. Honestly, I wasn't going to but I need the credits and at this point in my life, I need a distraction. For some reason, when I was in SF, I was looking forward to summer so much. Now that I've had a couple days off, I fell into a slumber, a really bad place. There's a lot I don't want to share with anyone at the moment and I'd rather not think about it.

School was kept me well distracted in SF. It might as well distract me here. I'm only worried because I know the day I have no more classes to take will catch up to me. Or it won't be so fun to get a "F" for my selfish reasons of enrolling.

Why must life be so damn complicated?

"D.I.Y. Dye"
[Music || Mandy Moore, "Hey"]

"So when Rayanne Graff told me my hair was holding me back, I had to listen. 'Cause she wasn't just talking about my hair. She was talking about my life."
-- Angela Chase from "MSCL"

I finally did it. Finally, meaning I D.I.Y. (Do-It-Yourself) dyed my hair. The first time at Helen's place didn't count since it didn't show. I wished it was lighter, but I'm satisified with the subtle brown since I would've freaked if it went blonde or something puke green. In Helen's words, my hair is obviously dyed but subtle enough that people don't think it's dyed. Did that make any sense?

My hair looks kind of naturally lightened by the sun now. It doesn't look unnatural, so that's a good thing. The bad thing is it's not at all noticeable that it's dyed. It's in between. I don't know if I like that or not. I wanted something lighter. I should've learned that my black hair dyed comes out a couple shades darker than the picture on the box.

Well, this is my first time. The next time, I'll be more adventureous. Right now, I feel lighter. I feel like I've left some baggage behind. Last night I had another dream, one where it seemed so real like we were friends again. Now my "Cryin' Eyez" (a Kaci reference) are dryin'. "I'm letting my hair grow long" is what Kaci said; I'm getting my hair lightening up is my motto.

The process: I used L'Oreal Feria Hi-Lift Brown B51 (the one with the Asian American model on the box).

Step 1) The box indicated not to wash your hair before dying; you needed DRY hair. This prevented me from stepping in the shower after coming home from the gym and Rite Aide. I felt sticky. Alas, this is my black hair. I'm trying to "work the camera" like Tyra and failed. (This is what people with digital cameras do for fun)



Step 2) After using less than half the bottle, I felt uneasy. What if it didn't change colors? What if it was too light? What if it killed my hair? It was a long 30 minute waiting process of anxiety. I should've used more of the bottle instead of trying to save it; like the instructions said, the bottle exploded overnight and couldn't be reused. :-
(Cropped because it was just TOO sexy for this PG-blog!)

Step 3) I washed my hair and then used that special conditioner it came with. I was surprise there was change yet it wasn't too extreme. If I could've done it all over again, I would've bought the lighter shade. It's hard to notice in the photo, but if you met me in person, you can tell it's definitely lighter and more caliente!

(This Step 3 photo took several retakes because the lighter hair color didn't turn out)
---
Pictures galore:
As I was uploading those pictures, I saved a couple more recent pics from my camera that I wanted to share.


My "kewl" pal Zoraida from college. Here's us pretending we don't notice the camera on timer. A convincing, nonchalant, natural pose! Work it!


I think we were pretending to be "kewl." I don't think we succeeded.


There's Russell, my first roommate ever! What a swell guy!


This was when I just got back from SF. My friends and I decided to go to the beach at night and get cold. This picture is especially for all those ppl with a foot fetish. Can you guess which one's mine? Yesh, it's the nasty one!

"Borrowed Heaven"
[Music || Mandy Moore, "Hey"]
Just when I thought I was losing faith in The Corrs, I let "Borrowed Heaven" grow on me. I adore the lyrics. From "Hideaway" to "Baby Be Brave," the lyrics resonated with such honesty.

Lene Marlin and The Corrs are artists whose lyrics I love because they tend to fill the voids in my life. They're open to interpretation. They're complex. They're reassuring. If I'm in a low point in my life, I know their albums will be the ones I reach for.

Right now, I'm listening to Mandy Moore's "Hey." This is her best song since "Crush," in my opinion. I love "Hey." I heard it might've been written about her ex-beau Andy. The lyrics are something I can fit into several aspects in my life right now.

It's late right now and I cannot sleep. I am tired but my close won't close. I'm getting butterflies thinking about summer school. I hope it'll be a blast. Lately, I've felt school is a distraction to keep my mind away from things I don't want to contemplate.

[snippet] And then he changed
And proceeded to tear from me
Every inch of soul, you see
And he's kept it to this day

And I turn,
Everytime
I find a piece of him in corners of my mind
So I washed it all away

And time, it took me time
But I have left those memories back and far behind
He called me yesterday
Just to say hey! [/snippet]