You know that girl from school with ever the perfect hair? This blogger was never that girl. In fact, I don’t think I’ll ever be completely happy with my hair. People think I’m stubborn, but wait till they meet the strands of dead cells sprouted out from my scalp.
It all started in 1997, the year I entered secondary school. I remembered being really thrilled. The change of uniform, the change of environment, bigger chairs and desks (I was pretty tall for my age), getting into Class 1 A 1 (I loved how the classes were named cause I’m such an elitist bitch, even then) and better canteen food (turned out that was a lie).
All was well until this untalented cow from Hong Kong named Gigi Leung made it to local televisions. Long story short, Gigi Leung was the Jennifer Aniston in the world of SMK Pandan Indah. Everyone wanted her hair, including me. I begged and begged my mom to let me chop off my locks (which were manageable and fuss-free up till the year 1996). My mom tried to talk me out of it as would all mothers who know better. But I won in the end, as would all rebellious daughters.
Gigi Leung some time in the late 90s.
Mom took me to a nearby salon where she had regularly gone to since we moved to the area in 1986. I loved the owner of the salon, she let me read all the stash of Lau Fu Tze comics whenever my Mom was trying out a new hairdo. A petite lady, quite pretty….I would describe her as a Paula Abdul, post-singing career. Lets call her Ms. Hairwrecker (HW).
I never once doubted her capabilities as a hairdresser as her salon was always packed with customers. At that age, I didn’t realise that the customers were made up of mostly women still stuck in the 80s (sorry Mom, to your defense you were a young housewife then!) or perverted men trying to get in Ms. HW’ pants.
I asked Ms. HW whether she knew who Gigi Leung was. She nodded enthusiastically and soon enough the entire filmography of Ms. Gigi Leung was narrated by Ms. HW. Finally I asked if she’s aware of her latest hairstyle and she nodded enthusiastically again and started on how many of her customers had asked for the same do and she’s done them a million times. I was satisfied.
I sat down and let her performed her magic. 10 minutes later, tears were welling up in my eyes and I was trying not to bawl.
Kelas 1 A 1, 1997. Spot me?
I spent the entire year trying to gel my hair down and clip them to the back of my ears. Everyday I prayed for my hair to be longer so that I could tie em up. Boys older than me insulted me during assemblies and even my own form teacher laughed at me :(
It was daunting and I can’t imagine how I could still go to school everyday without fail, when a few years later I skipped almost a full year due to “bloatings”. Sorry, I digressed.
The year after, I tried another hair salon and I asked them to salvage my hair. Ms. HW had managed to butcher my hair so bad, that even after a year they were growing in all directions and was completely unmanageable. The new hairdresser suggested to me to cut them off in order for them to grow out properly. I had a deja vu, it was freaky. But the lady was very reassuring and I allowed her to fix my hair.
Kelas 2 A 1, 1998. Spot me?
I think I finally got my Gigi Leung hair but I was not happy. I felt like a boy! What was wrong with me…why did I want to look like a boy so bad? Most of all, why did boys then want to marry another boy????
Anyway, the year was 1998 and I never had a major haircut till 2006 :P. Talk about paranoia.
Here’s something to remind you of what I look like now :P
Kelas Atas, 2008.
Did you really read all of that? Hehe. Since you’re here, I just want to know whether you managed to spot me in my class pictures??
1st photo, i couldn’t see properly, too small.
2nd photo, yah i spotted you.
but why you go post photos of your class? later someone will complain that the girls’ sitting positions are too provocative and sexy and will cause them to want to molest and rape the girls leading to babies born out of wedlock and in some cases, prostitution.
You still have the same smile so yes, spotted you :) And that was also the Demi Moore “Ghost” hair wasn’t it? I’ve just come full circle with my hair. Short – Long – Shortish. And I agree with Suanie – school uniform … don’t play play
the mushroom 2nd from left in the front row on first pic. :D
2nd pic is too easy la =D
1st photo – girl front row, most left.
2nd photo – girl front row, second from left.
Am I right or am I right?
1st photo – Seated, 2nd from left with the Princess Leia cinnamon rolls.
2nd photo – Seated 3rd from left.
Wahahaha…. guessing game ah? Let me get my glasses first. :)
is this a contest or something LOL
1st photo – first from left
2nd photo – 3rd from left
correct not? :P
1st photo sitting second from the left.., 2nd photo is third..
you got the same smile. :)
eh, the last photo was not 2008 photo right?
OMG the shroom head was a disaster. Must be traumatised for life already :x You look great now btw :)
i couldn’t spot you in the pictures,
but i spotted you with your mom yesterday at Ikea restaurant!
*stalks haha
aiya sekali tengok dah boleh nampak la come on….. shape of ur face never change oso….
suanie: heh a way to de-sexify the uniforms…get bad haircuts!
parisb: but demi didnt look like a boy. sigh…
ky: ahah!!!!!!! you’re right
david: wrong guess for first pic. i was the girl with the mushroom head.
thatjames: lol spot on!
randy: hehe go go
slowcatchupkuan: alamk, no prize for right anwers. spot on for 2nd pic but i was 2nd from left in first pic *sniff*
dy: sharp eyes eh. it is 2008, i just took it with my webcam right after publishing this post.
jane: yes it was :(
linsey: haha should have said hi!!!
andrew: you’re the only who have seen me when I was younger mah!
you look so beautiful now! hehe… funny how those old pictures can make one realise their current self is actually quite pretty compared to then. :P
Yeah, I could tell it was you on Class 2A1 (front row, third from the left) but I couldn’t spot you in the Form 1 class. :)
Hahaa… nvm I had the same experience b4.. once was gigileung & victoria beckham wanna be! but FAILED kau kau! :)
yahui: haha you’re too kind!!! actuallly, i believe my best time was when i was a toddler hehe. seriously, i was a pretty child :p
hb: hehe here’s a tip. mushroom?
rach: your VB hair looks good what!
i had very traumatising hair cuts in secondary school too. my papaboo managed to convince me to get an aaron kwok do in form 1. cried tonnes bcoz i hated it.
weirdly, got more wolfwhistles and phone calls that made papaboo regretted the suggestion.
no1>first row first on left.
no2>3rd from left first row
Your Form I haircut – so brutal! so violent!
(I was in Form I in 1988.. har har!)
naeboo: omg aaron kwok! WHY!??? lol must have suited you though the style. no 1> 2nd from left. no2>correct :D
suertes: yes it was brutal :(
noooooo i hated it!! didnt suit me then didnt suit me now. i think those boys who whistled mostly were having gay fantasies lar!
Spotted u. Your new hair rocks.
Gawd. I went through the same phase. Hahaha. Seriously, I blame my mom for the cuts I got in school.
2nd from left with lotsa hair.
3rd from left with too little hair.
by the way, is the hair wrecker still around? can we meet her for a hair cut?
naeboo: lmaooooo. either way it’s not good!
simon: thanks.
s-kay: but mommies know best..maybe not always hehe
matthew: yes she’s still around! my mom mentioned her over breakfast that’s why I wrote this post haha.
hahaha!!! it wasn’t really well in my memory.. then u refreshed the new mushroom in my head!!! haha!! tat was really…urm, weird? probably it was during the times.. looking at my pic in 1A1.. i couldn’t even imagine myself lookin like tat last time… hahaha!!!
I gather that last time when you were younger, you were quite self-conscious (not vain). Am I right?