A high from haircut

After a new haircut.

JUST love the excitement of getting your hair cut, because you never know what you are going to get.

This is especially so for me who like to try out different hairdressers. Perhaps it is not so much as wanting to "try them out" but more like whoever is around -- whenever and wherever the urge to get on a "haircut high" occurs.

But of course, I am a little more discerning than that. Whoever's around also needs to have a trendy looking salon -- with some respectably trendy-looking clients inside. I do judge hairdressing salons by their covers, I am afraid.

Until this day, I can remember a great cut I've got at Marine Parade. That was some 15 years ago. The salon was at the corner of a row of shophouses facing the main road. It isn't there now of course. I wish it was.

I have been trying so hard to grow out my hair to one length and this impossibility had finally become a reality. But I passed by this salon and suddenly decided to have my hair "trimmed".

"Just a slight trim," I told the hairdresser who was a trendy looking young man with a black apron. "Hmm," he said as he lifted my hair tufts by tufts to check and finally said "OK". He started snipping and I was very sure it was definitely not just a "trim". I don't really have a great amount of thick hair. So I was a little scared when I saw a lot of hair falling onto my lap with each snip.

But what to do, the snipping had begun. So I just sat through it with my hands bunched into tight fists underneath the barber's sheet (or whatever you call it).

After the hairdryer drone has subsided, voila! My hair had a lot of volume which I had never seen unless some mad hairdresser decided to backcomb my hair. Definitely layered, but layered with such skill that it gave volume instead of being flat and lifeless.

It was my greatest mistake that I never kept in touch with this hairdresser...

Another unforgettable haircut took place even much longer ago. I think it was in Orchard Point or somewhere. I went in on impulse and he persuaded me to cut one side above the ear, and the other side long. There was a strong definition at the back and below that, long wispy ends. He asked me whether I want to chop off the wispy ends, but I told him to leave them on. But I chopped them off myself when I reached home. But the rest of the hairstyle was a great favourite of mine -- all time favourite!

In between, there have been lots of disastrous hairdos. The worst being a mushroom on top of my head because of bad layering.

What I have learnt so far is that I am going to tell hairdressers to stop giving me those "finishing touches". The first "raw" cut they do is always the best. But they, being  professional, always start snipping here and there after that first cut -- and then suddenly your hair doesn't look that great anymore.

And never tell them know you want to grow out your hair into this or that style, because they will give you something that is supposed to "take you there" but doesn't look good in between. So you'd end up going to another hairdresser to give you something that looks good NOW.

And, never tell them before they have finished their job "Wah, looks great!" because this will make them feel so elated that they will start to snip, snip, snip with gusto. The result is certainly going to be something to set your initial smile back by about a few cm.

And, even if it is just a fringe, please make sure you tell the hairdresser that you want an overall cut -- to take off more length at the fringe, and a minute millimeter elsewhere. Otherwise he or she will just cut the fringe -- which somehow won't gel very nicely with the rest of your hair.

And, never tell them that one side is thicker than the other side (or longer, or more layered or more anything) because your hairdresser will sure to over compensate and the "good" side will become unbalanced instead.

And, never complain why there is suddenly a mushroom growing on top of your head as the hairdresser will try his or her best to address the issue. In the end, everything will be levelled so much (to get rid of the mushroom) that it will take months to grow back your hair.

There, you have all the advice necessary to get a real good "haircut high" from your hairdresser.

After note:
Ken Wong, Director, Kenari (Wheelock Place) -- he has superceded my favourite Avy of The Scene! He knew my my problem immediately -- that I have wavy hair near my left ear so that I look like wearing a one-sided head phone! He is so very good for limp fine hair and short blunt cut. Yay!

Avy from The Scene at Raffles City, gives good cuts most of the time. Especially, short, blunt cuts. No styling needed to look good.

Jimmy Lim from The Quest (also at Raffles City) is careful to follow instructions -- sometimes to the T (which may not always be a good thing). Safe enough, but not much excitement.

Zelda from The Salon (Wheelock Place) gives very layered cuts which need to be blown and styled to look good. More suitable for tai-tais who have time to do this. 

Tony & Guy at Holland V so far, have given me great cuts that do not need to grow out before they look good. Hanks did my hair, but his layering is so-so.

Can also consult my taichi instructor who has his cut regularly at "a shop" at Toa Payoh. He always has the coolest of cuts -- short straight fringe in front and little short layers all round -- very nicely done -- and all for $2.50.

Never before and while stocks last

I WONDER if any one has the same problem when writing an ad with the phrase "While stocks last". Should it be "While stock lasts"?

I was a copywriter with a small advertising department of a retail company. As it was selling mostly electronic goods, there were many ads which required "While stock lasts" or "While stocks last" (in 9-point light at the bottom of the ad, after an asterisk, or sometimes in reverse white as a diagonal strap at the bottom right hand corner).

I thought "stock" may be used generically, hence it can be used in its singular form -- you know, like the use of the word "fish". But then, my predecessor had always used "While stocks last". My boss, who was the general manager overseeing retail and marketing, didn't really care much as long as I have the statement in all the ads. So I gave a call to my friend who was working as a reporter with the newspaper. She said, "Hmmm, I think 'while stock lasts' sounds more right."

So I requested the graphic artist who laid out the ad, to change it to "While stock lasts". After a while, I asked myself, what if the ad was shouting more than one kind of item "up for grabs" (which was often the case). So there would be more than one kind of "stock" and so it should be "stocks" (like fishes). So the poor graphic artist was requested to change it back to "While stocks last".

While "while stocks last" or its singular version was a variable in the ads that I did, "Never Before!" (with B in caps and an exclamation mark) was a standard. My boss insisted. Though he didn't spot the "stocks" or "stock", he never missed "Never Before!".

"I think add "Never Before!".... people will sit up...Put a burst here," he would mutter each time I showed him the mockup.

"Or how about 'Exclusive Offer!' for the burst? Hmm, never mind lah, 'Never Before!' sounds better,"  he said after some consideration.

There was just one time when I couldn't bear to put the line "While stocks lasts" in the ad for a rather classy handphone -- and my boss said, "Better add 'while stock lasts'..."

Getting rid of an old aircon

I HAVE not tried this -- getting the people who are installing a new aircon for you to get rid of your old one. If that works, then that is happy news, I guess, to many people.

But the world's heaviest aircon has resided in my guest room for about 15 years before I managed to get rid of it. It was an aircon left behind by the previous owner of the HDB three-roomer I am now occupying. It still works -- the parting words of the owner as he handed me the keys.

But then, there was a check by HDB on the house (I think they do this for new owners ) and it seemed that the previous owner had not applied for a permit (there were standards to be met for the brackets that support the aircon -- there being a few falling aircon cases in the past). I had a choice of either removing the aircon, or applying for a permit. Remove, please, I said, thinking of the electricity bill.

So, the contractor came to remove it. He was a nice, old man. After much huffing and puffing, the tremendously aged and rusty aircon was dragged out of the hole in the wall and into the safety of my room. It was the biggest aicon I have ever seen -- and of course, extremely heavy.

The contractor was only able to carry it out of my room before he gave up. "Sorry, I don't have strength left. You've got to call someone to remove for you, " he said, breathing very hard.

So here's how I moved it -- myself:

Slipped a thin rug underneath the aircon (you can use a steel ruler to poke the rug in, from one end of the aircon to the other).

Push  the aircon and pull the rug (alternately) to where you want (hopefully only a short distance away, as this method is not going to work for long distance). Voila.

The old, rusty aircon had been disguised in many ways as a table for my guest room -- placing a cardboard and then a table cloth over it... then books and bookends -- and occasionally a vase of flowers...

But this year, some 15 years after the heroic effort, I decided to renovate my house. And the renovation people said they would remove it for me (for a fee) along with the ancient big, fat oven and gas stove, and the dining table -- all legacies left behind by the previous owner (because "they still work"). Hallelujah!

Till today, I am still thanking myself for not letting the previous owner talk me into keeping the giant double-door fridge in the kitchen. Can you imagine how difficult it would be (and costly) to get rid of it?

How to get rid of old mattresses

You can stack a new mattress on an old one so that it becomes a bed. This way, you don't have to get rid of the old one. But if you keep buying new mattresses, you are going to end up like the Princess and the Pea.

OLD mattresses, what does one do with them? These days, it takes about $20 (probably more) to dispose of one. Even if you buy a new one, it doesn't mean the person who delivers it, will get rid of the old one for you. The karung guni man (rag and bone man) doesn't want it either -- not sure whether he would if you pay him  -- but my guts feeling is that he wouldn't.

Back when I was a kid, and even as a young adult, the one who delivers the new mattress would dispose the old one for you -- without additional payment. Perhaps he could make a few bucks out of selling old mattresses to someone. But these days, nobody wants old mattresses -- I gather.

Well, actually a few years back, I got a new mattress. And the delivery man after much persuasion, grudgingly said he would throw the old one for me. A few hours later when I went downstairs to the provision shop, I saw it propped up against the wall, in the void deck. Horrors!

So, old mattresses really have no value these days. They don't even get stolen. What happened to those people who stole door knobs in broad daylight? (I was told by my banker friend that his mum came home one day but couldn't open her door because the door knob was stolen.) There were also those who stole grills from drains or pry out tyre rims to sell. There are a lot of springs in mattresses which are made of metal and they are welcome to plunder these.

Moral of the story, if you need to buy a mattress -- buy one that lasts forever -- or buy one of those light ones made of foam and about only 3 inches thick -- which you can carry down to the void deck. Oh, ok, to the garbage dump.

It is always useful to live near a garbage dump as I can foresee lugging a mattress, even if it is a thin and light one made from foam, is going to be quite a drag.