going bald, managing baldness

it is an interesting experience going bald 2 days ago. after so many years of wanting to go bald, i finally took the plunge and went bald two days ago. and no, it was not genetics, i wanted to shave my head to remind myself not to be too attached to vanity. anyway, back to the story.

there were 2 barber shops and i chose the empty one. i thought it would be easier on me cos it was a rather weird feeling going bald finally and i thought i would do it in the quiet of the shop without people around me. i walked into the shop and i asked in english for "skin". the girl (from the way she spoke, i guessed she was from malaysia). she ask me what was "skin". i explained that i wanted to have my head shaved. she went "ahhhhhh... arrrmmm, ok ok come sit sit." i took my seat and she prepared me as she would anyone who came for a haircut and once she was done, she asked "i give zero ok? we can give you as close as possible. also very very like shave la. ok?" (she replied in malaysian mandarin). frankly, i was a little disappointed but i okayed her, considering i had made myself comfortable and she had also "dressed" me up for the haircut. she started her job and we went on to have a little small talk. as we spoke, i learned that she didn't know how to shave heads. in fact, she was afraid she might cut people. and so for me, the most she would dare venture was to use number "0". she related how more ang mos (caucasians) go bald compared to non-ang mos. she added that more people in the city would choose to cut bald compared to suburbs. as we spoke, her colleague joined in. she bantered about the practicalities of going bald. no need to use shampoo, just use soap, no need to buy comb, save money, cool head in the current hot spell, la la la... there was just no end to their bantering... at one stage, they were both arguing whether soap would be harmful to the scalp! i felt kinda weird after a while cos by then the shop had 2 more customers waiting and i noted they were staring at my head as it gradually began to turn bald and you know how horrible a person can look with patches of baldness amidst patches of hair - i thought i looked like someone who's sick/ undergoing chemotherapy.

anyway, i walked out of the barber with my zero head. i came home, looked into the mirror and decided no-can-do. i took out my shaver and decided i would shave my own head. it was not that difficult after all. and in no time, my head was shining clean. yes, ai cho, cho sui sui... (if you wanna do something, do it well) i thought and i smiled. easy peesy. i went to bed that night thinking how nice to have a maintenance free head... until...

i woke up the next day (yesterday), walked to my bathroom, look into the mirror and alamak! my head of hair had started growing! you know, the kinda unshaven, untidy look when you wake up... only that this time, it was not just my chin and upper lips, it was my whole head! and so, i had to shave my head, on top of my usual upper lips and chin... hmmm... a lot more maintenance than i had thought! hahaha... but well, it has been interesting. also, a newly bald head looked kinda weird cos the face is a little more tanned compared to the scalp. i should go and tan myself these couple of days to get my scalp as tan as my face!

:-)

ps: thus far, it had been a new experience for me. last evening, i walked into a lift at suntec. there was a family waiting for the lift too. in the lift, the light shone directly on my head, and frankly, i felt like a candle. my head literally shone! hahaha... and suddenly, the world seemed to have a lot more bald people. i see them everywhere! hahaha...