Not like Samson

June 4th, 2006 by lynn under Uncategorized

On the 30th of May, my sister and I traipsed down to MidValley Megamall (aka MidValley) to go shopping, cut my hair, buy jeans, and get out of the house before we turn into giant tubs of lard.

First off, I went to A Cut Above to, well, cut my hair. Pictures after the jump so that I don’t mess up the layout of the page.

While I was getting my hair washed (they do it at your chair), the shampoo girl started chatting with me. “You working?” “Where you studying?” “Oh, Singapore’s so clean, isn’t it nice living there?” “Are the clubs good?” and the clincher: “Is this itchy (ticklish)? No? Ok, then I’ll massage your scalp ok?”

Like a surgeon coming in only for the big event, my stylist Davis showed up and started to recap my previous visit. I told him how much to cut off, he thought he got it, I showed him a picture just to make sure we were talking about the same look, and then he got to work. The salon wasn’t busy at all so the counter staff were standing there idly watching the transformation. No shiatt, that’s what they billed me for. RM 110 for a “transformation”.

After he chopped off a significant amount of my hair, Davis and the shampoo girl each took up a hairdryer and turned my wiry hair into a sleek bob. Then he set about again with a pair of thinning scissors to bring out the layers. I didn’t want to take any pictures, because firstly, you do not disturb an artist while he’s working on a masterpiece. And also because I didn’t want him making any mistakes. It’s just hair, it grows back, but it sure as hell takes a long time to do so.

After he blew the bits of hair off my head with the cool setting of the hairdryer, Davis spread something (wax? clay? gel?) on his palms and proceeded to give me the ‘Japanese rock star’ look. It didn’t look particularly wild, but I hardly need to look like someone who has undergone a very large shock.

I’ve had a few days with this look, and run the gauntlet of relatives wishing to pass comment on my lack of keratinous growth. One aunt asked me why I was willing to do so, or in Cantonese, “lei kung seh tak?” meaning “you had the heart?” Well, why not? It’s just hair, after all. I’ve had so much of it for so long, and struggled with the tangles and the inconvenience that right now I’m just enjoying the lightness of being short-haired.

Do I have any regrets? Just one. I wanted to donate my hair to Locks of Love, a charity that collects hair to make wigs for kids with cancer. Unfortunately, they have a 10-inch rule on ponytails, and my hair wasn’t quite that long. Also, it’s of quite rubbish quality - dyed and dry, so even if they were to sell it, they wouldn’t have got much for it.

But for all of that, I’m quite happy with the new look. It’s light and airy and a breeze to wash. Syok. And yes, I still do comb my hair.