Jul 4, 2011

423. Bad Romance

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrO4YZeyl0I&feature=fvwrel

Have you ever seen those middle-aged men roaming Shibuya and Harajuku, taking pics of pretty girls on the street with their state-of-the-art cameras equipped with huge lenses and powerful zoom.

You might think I am paranoid, what can they do with the pics? But I absolutely hate it when someone does that to me.

Unfortunately it happens to me quite often, considering I don’t go out that much. For example, last week in a park, I caught a middle-aged Japanese man taking pics of me a few yards away. He didn’t even try to hide it. And believe it or not, he kept on at it despite the death glare I was giving him!

Several days after that, I had to go to Shibuya, and I caught 2 western men doing it too. Both were middle-aged, bald, and had gigantic cameras, one patiently waited for me outside a shop and the other one did it right on the main street.

Once I took a friend to the famous old temple in Asakusa and a middle-aged Japanese man suddenly came over to ask if we would like him to take a pic for us. We were surprised, but of course we readily accepted his offer. So I gave him my camera and he took a very nice pic of us, then we thanked him and  turned to leave.

But he stopped us, quickly gave his own camera to my friend and asked, “Could you please also take a pic of me and her?”

My friend did, probably thinking it was another weird Japanese custom he couldn’t explain but should respect. And I was speechless, couldn't even say no. All I can think about now is, why didn't I make a funny face in his pic?

I’m really sick and tired of this. So I have vowed to be brave from now on. I will confront all those dirty old men when it happens again and demand to have my pics deleted from their cameras!

They probably think it’s just a harmless sport, like fishing. You see, when you catch a big fish, you take a pic, and perhaps release the fish next, depending on your moods, then go to the pub and brag to your mates with the pic as the evidence, or go home and enjoy the pic in private.

To be honest, I pity those pathetic paparazzis. They are probably just the result of bad romance. They are sexually frustrated and hungry for any stimulation, visually and otherwise. I shudder when I think about how they are going to entertain themselves with the pics they stole from me!!