On a mission for the best resume photo

I have an extremely low tolerance for heat :( 

I was the only one in wherever I was today walking around with half my faux leather jacket on me and half of my sleeveless top exposed with my open toe wedges.
Even so, I was perspiring most of the time and I felt even hotter than ever looking at the people around me wearing sweaters and coats.
It’s time to bring my summer paper fan around.

It’s quite sad how spring and autumn are disappearing.
Just 2 weeks ago, it was still pretty chilly and I was wearing a new wool coat I got from Gmarket.
Now, it’s so warm in the day…today, it hit 22.3 deg C!

Anyway, I feel really accomplished today :)
Finally, I’ve completed something that has been on my “Things To Do in Korea” list for the longest time and that is…

GETTING MY HAIR STYLED AT JUNO HAIR AND HAVING A GOOD RESUME PHOTO TAKEN

It took me so long to get this done!
I would like to say that I just didn’t have the time to do so but after talking to a CMBA guy last Tuesday during our Post-Welcoming Party party, he said it’s not about not having the time to do anything; it’s about not making the time to do whatever one has to do.

So back to my day:

the only reason why I love spring: flora and fauna. not loving the increase in temperature though

I made an appointment at Juno Hair (Myeongdong Store #1) 11am with my now favourite hair stylist in Seoul- Soyou 소유 (she’s off on Wednesdays). 

Not the one in the same building as Adidas. It’s on the opposite side. 

Juno Hair, or at least at the salon I went to, has 2 types of treatment/clinic (as the Koreans refer to it): the 98,000KRW and the 120,000KRW.
I like it that Soyou recommended the cheaper one to me instead of the more expensive one that most employees like to do to their customers because she knows how I feel about my hair weighing me down and it’s really like a blanket around my neck. The more expensive one is of course better in terms of the benefits for the hair but it also makes my hair heavier which I don’t want.
I also had my hair trimmed a little. A haircut at Juno costs 25,000KRW.
In addition, I told Soyou that I was going to have my resume photo taken after my hair appointment so she styled my hair with a flat iron for a cleaner and more professional look :)

Reading my negotiations case while having the treatment done

Complimentary bread with peanut butter jam and wet tissues provided

This is my 3rd time at Juno Hair. The 1st time was January 2013 in Seomyeon, Busan and the 2nd time was 2 weeks ago in this Myeongdong branch. I’m very satisfied with the customer service here and the quality of the hair services I have received. So I decided to sign up as a member! Signing up as a member is free and you receive 10% off for hair services excluding treatment. On top of that, I received 6,000KRW worth of gift vouchers. The 10% discount can be used on the very day that you sign up for the membership. Juno Hair is definitely on the pricey side and I’ll think twice before getting my hair permed here because I always get my hair permed in Edae area for less. But for haircuts, dry (wash and blow) and styling, I think it’s alright to pay slightly more for the service and some pampering. And Soyou always walks me to the entrance from the 3rd floor all the way to the 1st floor after the end of my appointment with her. 

Juno Hair Myeongdong Salon #1- highly recommended! 

It’s better to make an appointment before going: 02-756-3141 준오헤어 명동 1호점 

My stylist: Soyou 소유 

Towards the end of my hair session with her, she asked if I used treatment on my hair, which I don’t and didn’t quite understand what she meant by using treatment since having treatment done is something I can only get at the hair salon and not on my own. She recommended using “treatment” instead of conditioner after shampooing and it should be done everyday, just like how you would apply essence or serum to your face everyday. Hair essence is more like the sunscreen that you apply on your face at the end. So basically, after shampooing and towel-drying my hair, I’m supposed to apply the “treatment” to my hair, especially the ends, and then wrap my hair up in a plastic shower cap and continue with the rest of my bathing routine before rinsing out the “treatment” at the end. I didn’t know where to get a good “treatment” so I bought the one that Juno Hair has for 65,000KRW:

From Euljiro-1-ga Station 을지로일가역, I took the subway to SNU Station 서울대입구역 (about 36 mins journey) to get to the photo studio that Alice, my junior, had recommended to me. Exit via Exit #3> go down the escalators and enter the building> take the escalators/lift up to the 7th floor to Chaeum Studio.

I actually brought my suit and wore my formal blouse for nothing because you can use the ones the studio has and whatever it has is better than whatever I had; black and white’s more professional than my black and blue and I love the blazer that I wore for my photo! In the changing room, there’s even a vanity corner with hairstyling tools that you can use to prep.

After I had my photo taken, I made payment for it and was told to return in about 3 hours’ time to collect them. But what was I to do for 3 hours in the southern part of Seoul? I’m not a Gangnam person…so I asked if I could collect them in 2 hours instead and also asked them to show me the shots first before I leave for 2 hours because if they aren’t satisfactory, I want to have them retaken immediately rather than to come back 2 hours later and be disappointed. I know they must have thought that I’m a very fussy and problematic customer but I’m just very fed up with taking so many pictures that I’m never satisfied with. It’s not cheap taking them ok!!!! This is like my umpteenth time having my photo taken in a studio and I really need a good picture for my resume and internship/job applications. And today, I even invested in getting my hair done so that I look better for the photo and my mission was to get a nice picture taken once and for all and that’s it.

The next thing I knew, I found myself sitting beside the female staff in the studio (maybe the photographer’s wife?) as she showed me the shots and allowed me to choose the one that I preferred before working her magic. At first, I thought she would just show me the shots as I had requested and then I would go off for 2 hours and come back. But she started doing the photoshopping in front of me and while I was telling her the areas that I wanted to be adjusted, I felt that I might be preventing her from doing her job properly by being there so I was going to leave when the both of them (the photographer and the lady) told me to stay and make whatever requests I have for the photoshopping because they wanted me to have a photo that I’ll finally be satisfied with!!!!!
OMG, so nice and sweet of them…so instead of coming back 2 hours later, I sat beside the lady as she weaved her magic and gave me virtual plastic surgery, acceding to all my requests with regards to the photoshopping. 1 hour later, the photos were printed and I’M SO HAPPY. MISSION COMPLETED!

They saw how satisfied I was with my photos that they asked if I could write a review about them on their Naver blog so I did and while I was doing so, the photographer printed 5 more copies of the white background one for me for free while the lady printed 2 big ones for me (1 for H after I told her about him).

All in all, I paid 40,000KRW: 5,000KRW for each soft copy sent via email (I had to pay 10,000KRW in total for one with a grey background and another with the white background that Yonsei wants) and I had to pay extra for having the white background ones printed too (maybe 10,000KRW? I can’t remember). But frankly speaking, I was willing to pay more than 50,000KRW to have a photo that I’m satisfied with. My Korean classmate had hers taken in Hongdae for about 70,000-80,000KRW but it includes hair styling and makeup done.
So anyway, I’m very happy today because my mission was completed successfully and I strongly recommend this studio for your resume photo. In fact, if you’re here in Korea for a holiday, you could set aside time to get your hair done at a hair salon and then have a nice resume (or even passport) photo taken on the same day.

Let me show you the recent photos I have had taken:

At a photo studio in Anam (near Korea University) in late 2010 and early 2011.

2013: studio in Seomyeon Busan (my passport photo now ㅠㅜㅜㅜ) || studio in Ulsan (my student ID photo…total ajumma)

“Professional” resume photo taking in NUS Biz Sch 2011? || the recommended photo studio in Yonsei University Dec 2013

I swear I don’t look so bad in person ㅠㅜㅜㅜㅜㅜㅜㅜㅜ

And today’s products:

Ok, I’ve been beautified but I would like to think that this is a more accurate representation of what I look like 

Last errand for the day was buying a book I need for my Negotiations class’ final term project at Kyobo Bookstore in Gangnam before I returned to Sinchon.

Love Kyobo! If the bookstore has stock for the book you want, you can click on the “print” button and you get a printout of the location of your book :)