My Kind of Hairdresser

Short post.

Hairdressers who understand your hair, give you hair washes and scalp scratches/massages that make you excited for the next visit, and offer great company & conversation. A hairdresser that ticks all these boxes -- that hairdresser's one in a million. I speak from a place of deep passion on this as I have Indian-thick hair and curls (say: frizz?) and I truly appreciate if I hear a hairdresser compliment my volume vs map out a plan to eradicate all thickness and curls visible to the naked eye.

I found that hairdresser of mine many years ago, let's say 8 years ago. I've followed her through many of her workplace and company changes. You just can't let go of them!

Once she found out, through endless conversations about our pets, that I volunteered at a shelter -- that was it. Every single time she saw me walk through her store, she'd hand me a donation to send to the charity I volunteer at. Even at a time when she was really low on cash, morale and general motivation, she donated.

I like thinking about her because she's such a character. We diss each other (she says I'm dying soon as my hairfall has been just ridiculous), we care deeply for each other (she gives me advice and holds the scissors to my head threatening to use it as a weapon if I didn't lower my stress levels) and we always have a ball.

Anyone can choose to be kind, whatever your profession. What are your kind of people? My kind of people. Full stop.

Kind of still finding my voice

Well someone's fallen off the wagon really quick! Saw it coming a mile away, but not beating myself up about it. Here's what's happened between the first few posts and today --

- Stagnated so well that mosquitoes started sucking my blood when they were in their pupa stage (not at the egg stage, so there is still hope for me!)

- Life crumbled when one of our cat furbabies was diagnosed and succumbed to lymphoma in the span of 2 weeks.

- Puzzle piece count of the grief jigsaw has increased. It been deeply painful, maddening, confusing and frustrating while also being interesting and insightful at the same time. Quite ridiculous, if you ask me.

- Have managed to completely fall off my yoga pattern. Some credit is due though, with me trying to get moving with daily walks, which turned into daily jogs. But I've managed to fall off those too. Discipline, hello! Or, goodbye?

- Semi-clutching-at-straw with my meditation towards the tail end of the year. Lost my balls when lymphoma turned the corner, I still don't know anything about lymphoma or how to survive it. Lost my breath, lost my center, lost my ground, lost my heart. It doesn't matter how many deaths have passed, nothing prepares you for the next.

- Name the self-help / meditation / yoga / ayurveda book, I probably have at least heard of it. I know I have all the grease and energy to get this machine of a body (and mind) moving, I just need to sustain it because this start-stop-start business can be debilitating.

- Seen kindness in the least expected places, and been deprived of kindness in the places I expected to be given at least the benefit of the doubt. But I still come back to this. One Kind.

I've been damn one kind this year. I've been abundant, stripped, flourished, deprived, excited, uninspired. The balance is there, that's for sure. But the scales need to even out just a little more to make room for.. well. Kindness.

My kind of commute

Mama made my favourite fried rice today and kindly sent it over to our home. As we were trekking (sun's been merciless) to the bus stop so she could get a ride to the MRT station, a bus arrived and Mama wanted to make a run for it. So there we were, 2 hobbits under a small excuse for an umbrella -- running for a double decker bus.

Now normally, most bystanders or others waiting for their own bus arrival will either be 1) Looking down at their phones, or 2) Will mind their own business and just let your luck/karma dictate if the bus driver waits for you.

To my surprise, at least 3 people waved at, stood up from their seats and even moved closer towards the front of the bus to alert the bus driver of our best attempt at an Olympian dash -- what must have looked to them like a battle scene from The Little Rascals.

Extremely kind, extremely surprising and extremely appreciated.