Coming Full Circle - Almost

Funny how life gets.

I recently met up with a couple of friends from secondary school, and Wham! it hit me like a ton of bricks how old I really am. Well, not old old, just many years - almost 20 - had passed between us. Yet, it appears like nothing has really changed.

We all look the same. Someone commented how even our hairstyles hadn't changed.

That got me thinking - she thinks it hasn't changed but it had. Since then I've had hair that was short, medium length, the bob, permed, ionic-permed super straight, wavy, bobbed again, short again and now - very short. Coming almost full circle.

For every stage in my life, I've had a different hairstyle.

It was short in school because it was unruly and so easier to manage short. When I was in college, it was mid-length. When I went to the US, getting a haircut was expensive. And so, I had it grow out. And it grew - longer and longer. Of course, that also kept me really warm and cosy. I didn't have to wash it often so it became gorgeous (if I may say so myself!) The only snag was the static I had to deal with in the winter. Some days it took more cajoling to keep it from looking like I was caught in a Van de Graaf generator.

Coming back home, I had it snipped off again - just below the ears. The humidity made primping and keeping it in order a nightmare. Besides who needed to spend hours on hair before work when I could catch a few more zzz's.

I had it permed once. What a disaster! Had it cut immediately the next day. For those who don't know me well - I have very thick hair. Every stylist in every hair salon that I've ever been to has commented on this.

"Wah, so much hair hoh?"

"Aiyoh, your hair so thick ah?"

"Phooey-sheh! Hoh toh tau fatt aaaa..."
(translation - "%#@^&*+! Why did you have to pick me to cut your hair?!"

Anyway, you get the picture.

I experimented with a few styles - sometimes it would seem like I liked my hair long, others I would have it cut off. When it gets pass the ears, my hair then starts to take on a life of its own. It starts growing in all directions. Some people call this "wavy", I call it "crazy".

I picked up scuba diving in 1995. Since I was going to the pool to practise breathing under water, I was also bleaching my hair. It turned light brown and then started to look really lifeless, like hair on one of those mannequins you see in the store.

And so - hack! hack! hack! it became short once again. Years passed, and I thought I might have finally found the short hairstyle I could grow old with. But this was not to be - I met the love of my life. The feminine side possessed me and I had to have long hair again!

Thankfully, I had the patience this time to grow it out - fighting wind, weather and all the elements. It grew to a beautiful length and to show it off, I had it all tied and gelled up for my wedding day.... go figure.

Baby Boy Number One, Little A was born soon after. Between nursing, changing diapers, bathing, burping, and playing with him, who had the time to care for the hair? It was tied or clipped up mostly. After living like this for a couple of month, I thought one of those fancy ionic perms would do the trick. After all, straight hair was easier to manage mah.

Stingy ole' me decided that I wasn't going to pay RM800 for one of those ionic perms. So, I went to see Rina at my regular upstairs-in-a-shoplot beauty 'parlour'. EEEkkkkk... I didn't get an ionic perm, I got IRONED. What used to be my hair now lay straight like a rod. It was so smooth and straight, an ant would probably slide right off my head if it ever landed there. Serves me right for not going to one of those fancy hair salons.

Deciding that style wasn't for me, I had it all chopped off. It fell down like a tree, landing on the floor with a thud!

Since then - after Baby Boy Number Two, Little J, and recently Little Girl Number One, Baby K - I've decided to keep it very short. Short works best - no fuss, and no hair products. After all, I am expected to look like I've just come out of a wind tunnel since I am constantly running after three kids!