Pampering Friday

The first week of June came with a good start. I caught up with the old and new, all in a day. Not to mention, my dog made a new friend. Consider it a win-win situation for everyone. This was how I got down on a Friday (I had to).

Sunsets are best paired with silhouettes

June 5, 2015

In the afternoon, I got my nails done with my elementary school friend. Her name is Alisha, and we have grown up together since 1996 - that's almost 20 years! It's crazy how you don't see people for a while, and pop! They reappear in your life once again. Not only do we work at the same place, but we tend to have a lot of the same interests. Take for example, this little experience.

There was one time that I got a pedicure and manicure (that was with my sister), but this time, I was only focused on the pedicure. Alisha has been going to this place ever since she was in high school. It's close by her house, and I decided that I would join in with her. This is the place:

Waxing, massages, they do everything here

When we got to the place, almost every seat was taken - I guess a lot of people have their Friday afternoons available? Fortunately, there were two seats left, both being for us. The place had televisions on the wall, nail polish displays that took a wall, and smelled quite pleasant inside (for some reason, I thought it would have a distinguished scent). But anyway, I had to take some obligatory photos:

All of the tools they need (which is mostly their hands)

My feet before treatment

One difference between the last time I went for a pedicure was their procedures, which contained washing my feet before placing them into a bath, and this genius idea of protecting the foot sink with a plastic shield of some sort. The lady, who was the only one not wearing a mask, poured blue crystals into the bath, and I must say, it felt really good:

Nice and warm, just enough to soften my feet

If there is something else to look forward at a nail salon, it would have to be the massage chair. I don't know who supplies them, but they are addicting. Unfortunately, Alisha's chair was broken, which meant I only received such luxury. I must admit that the remote was a bit difficult to control, but if you press a button, something is bound to happen, right? Perhaps some of the commands were a little too aggressive:

Such helpful display

Can anyone really feel the difference between each button?

After my feet were fully soaked, the lady gently held my foot and placed it on a towel before she got down to work. Already I could see all of the whiteness coming out of nail beds. I mean, this is what water can do with the help of some revitalizing crystals? Incredible, take a look:

I even shaved my hairs for this purpose!

Everything felt wonderful; that is, until she started to massage my foot. I almost broke into laughter, but managed to power through it and before you knew it, she was done! Let's look at the final product, shall we:

After treatment

I don't remember my feet feeling this smooth before, even compared to the last time I went with my sister. Who knows how she did it so fast, but I waited for Alisha with my massage. Considering women's feet have more going on, her pedicure was longer than mine. First procedures were similar to mine, but let's look at her legs:

Sexy and inked: what an excellent combination

Soon enough, there was a grater-looking device to get rid of the dry parts of your foot, which made me jealous since I wanted that kind of treatment (but on the other hand, I have some nice feet already made). One more thing for Alisha was the one thing that makes nail salons: the nail polish.

We were looking at polishes, and noticed this pink one that we both thought was appropriate for summer. But look at what the woman does before applying the colour:

To protect your nails, or to keep the colour?

After the painting was over, there was this part where Alisha would place her feet underneath to fasten the pace. I think it's so cool, especially since no one has the time to dry their nails the natural way:

How cool is this device?

Must say, this was fun experience, having a mature outing with conversation topics that are rather juvenile - that's the one advantage of having a friend for so long. And what the heck, let's look at some more photos:

We so happy to get our nails did

Resting in a nail salon is truly a pleasure

Thus ended my time with Alisha, and I must say, spending time with each other was a very short session. I hope that we do something more like this (it's a great way to talk with one another). While she was going to the gym, I had to get to volunteer.

When that was over, my friend Ryan invited me and my dog for dinner. Ryan and I have been friends for the last three years, and despite moving far away from one another, we managed to stay in contact with one another. Recently, he became a Canadian resident so now we get to see each other more often (hooray!) He lives with his boyfriend Alex, who are absolutely adorable.

Was a little bit late for dinner, as I had to feed my dog before he could play with Ryan & Alex's. But when the apartment door was open, this is what I saw:

Look at this adorableness!

His name is Yuzu (which is an Asian fruit similar to an orange). He is just a few months old, and a year younger compared to my dog Oreo - it's kind of like Ryan and myself d": This boy was very excited to get out of the cage, and kept jumping up until he was set free. Essentially, this was him the whole time:

Desperately wanting to come out

Let's just say the moment Yuzu came out, he and Oreo were instant best friends - by that, I mean tackling one another, trying to dominate the other. It was difficult to capture their playful activities, but here were my attempts:

Getting a little frisky here

Whoa there, nelly

Needless to say, they were getting feisty to the point that they had to separated in order to take a breather. For the longest time, they kept panting and wouldn't stop for most of the night. And even though they were tired, they still wanted to play with each other. I mean, look how close they are:

Waiting until they can play once more

Happily waiting

Ryan was making dinner, and wanted to do the cooking all by himself. I looked around the place and noticed one particular heart-shaped box containing some edible confectionary:

Ooh, M&Ms in Valentine colours

These are not your usual candy-coated chocolates, they had print all over them. Alex got them personalized, and this wins cutest gift on earth:

Loving portrait, hearts, and nicknames - I can't contain myself

What could be sweeter than that? Their apartment may be a bit small, but it has fantastic views of the water and the airport. You think that's unusual, but it's incredible when the sun is about to set. As it was a beautiful evening, we ate outside.

Much as I wanted to take a picture of Ryan's cooking, he requested not to, as he thought it wasn't good enough for a photo (oh, Ryan!) He made us Okonomiyaki, a Japanese pancake filled with mostly lettuce and pork. Regardless of looks, it was phenomenal... Again, Ryan wouldn't believe me. It may have been a little bit burnt, but it was still tasty. I always appreciate the cooking of my friends.

Right before we headed back inside for dessert, we had to take one shot (because, good lighting):

Ryan, myself, and Alex

My aunt bought me some chocolates when she was visiting Japan, and I thought how fun it would be to try it out with Ryan and Alex. There were two kinds, with one having the option of baking them. So let's start off with the first variety.

Incase you're wondering, the name Kit Kat sounds similar to the Japanese greeting, which loosely translates to 'good luck.' If you ever look at the packaging of the individual chocolates, they always have a space for one to write a little message (it's very thoughtful of Nestle Japan). Now, let's move on to the chocolate:

Cheesecake flavour

The woman believes you can do it!

I got Ryan to read the instructions for me, which essentially said that all you have to do is place them in the oven without the need of preheating, turn it on to the appropriate temperature, and presto! Magically baked chocolate bar of deliciousness. This was exciting for all of us, I had to capture every moment:

Once in the oven...

...and perfectly burnt for taste

You have no clue how accurate these bars are to actual cheesecake. I don't know if it's because of the toasting, but it was fantastic! If they were to ever sell these in Canada, I think I would buy every stock possible - hey, it's easier to make than cheesecake itself. It makes me wonder what flavouring they use, considering the cheese flavour was quite strong... Oh, how I wish I had some.

Although this may have been June, my aunt went to Japan back around April, and Kit Kat sold a special holiday flavour. Not knowing what the flavour was, Ryan told me this was:

Carrot Apple Pie

Interesting choice of flavour, but still ecstatic to try these little bites. When I was opening the package, I was really excited to see that each of the packages were different from one another! It shows how much detail Kit Kat puts into these little bits of whimsical joy:

Egg-shaped bunny rabbits

And if that wasn't enough, take a look at the bars, the detail is much more intricate:

How can one even think of eating this beauty?

Much as they were visually appealing, I don't think that it really tasted like carrot nor apple, but rather citrusy tang. Can't put my finger on it, but Alex said that it tasted familiar. I still prefer the cheesecake flavour, but this one was the ride in your tastebuds.

We ended the night by watching some television, deciding on a program highlighting the fast fashion industry - makes you think about where to buy clothes, or where it's made and what consequences people pay for cheap clothes. But on a lighter note, the day can't be complete without (attempting) a photo with our dogs!

I think we tried twice for this to happen, but, well, just look at them:

They're so into each other

Can try to hold them down, but they'll break free!

Now in sepia tone

Ryan's face says how difficult it is to take a photo with your dogs

But of all the bunches of photos that we took, there was one photo that was close enough to perfection. Maybe in a year or two, they'll cooperate and learn how to take a photo. Let's take a look now:

Like they're lovers

I think they'll be the best of friends

That sums up Friday for me, spending the day and catching up with friends both old and new. It's amazing to see the change we've all gone through, changes beyond physical appearances and whatnot. Whatever the adventure may be, let's hope that it involves man's best friend as well.