Sorry, I just can’t help myself……

http://www.rhb.com.my/about_rhb/annual_reports/rashid%20hussain%20berhad…

Updated 18 Jan 08 – It is already a dead link, so I will just provide the actual file here

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I just went bald again. For the third time. People often question me, why in the world would I cut a perfectly good hair away? I made a promise to myself, that I will shave my head bald whenever an important event happens in my life. I forgot what happened the first time I went bald, but I got married on the first time, and now my baby daughter just came to the world. The third time is more meaningful, because I felt that my sacrifice is nothing compared to the sacrifice my wife made who gave me our baby. And besides, I have dandruffs…..

Actually being bald is no fun at all. I’m talking about the inherent society jeer and ridicule that looks down on people with bald hair. Bald guys seem to have be stereotyped as either a samseng, or someone who has just came out of prison. I’m talking about those young men who shaved their head, not middle-aged men whose hair fall off naturally of course. There was once an incident in Singapore Airport where I just touched down from KL with a fellow colleague. He was a picture of typical goody boy, fair skinned, good looking chap, wearing glasses with his hair nicely combed. While I was wearing baggy cargo pants, and my freshly shaven bald hair. As we both neared the customs, the officer looked at me with his “tinted glasses” and flagged me to stop for a check, while my friend just walked on by casually! I could have swore that he checked my id against a list of Interpol most wanted!

The society also has a way to look down on bald guys. Can’t blame them. We are taught from young to laugh at them and see them as incompetent. My brother in-law playfully told his young son to touch my head, calling me a “botak-head”, and try knocking on my head! Another brother-in-law stopped everytime he sees me, and gave me a bow with his hands clasped, a sign of respect for Buddhist monk, all these in full view of his children.

It was not all that bad being bald. I had my share of fun too while being bald. Whenever I go bald, I will never miss the chance to keep my moustache and goatee long. It goes really well with my thick eyebrow and broad shoulder. The combination gives me that killer look. Once a crying child was fussing around her mother, so I just stared at her, expressionless. She immediately stopped crying and looked at me with her eyes wide, then slowly backed off to hide behind her mommy!

There are tonnes of other interesting encounters that really make for an amusing blog. But first let me show you just how I looked like bald. Just taken this picture today….

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