Jacky Yong

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

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….

ARRRGGGGHHHHH!!! I lost my bloody parking ticket! I knew I put it in my shirt pocket, everybody has seen it, it’s so big and jutting out of my pocket like a fifth limb. But I couldn’t find it when I wanted to leave my office for the weekend. I searched franctically in and around my car seat, I even ran back up my office floor to see if anyone has seen it. No luck there.

As I drooped my head, I kept thinking about my wife who also lost her ticket in Carrefour a few weeks earlier, and managed to convince the parking guy to reduce the lost card penalty from RM50 to RM10.

“Alright” I thought “That will do. I will act like a lost kitten, maybe shed a tear or two! That should get me the discount I want!”

So I drove up to the counter, pretended to search in vain inside my car, and looked at the guy at the booth with a visibly upset expression.

“Sorry, I couldn’t find the packing ticket. Could you please let me pay with RM7?” The fee for the parking was RM7 per day by the way. He looked at me with a blank expression and said,

“Dude, you’ve lost the ticket, you’ve gotta pay RM30 penalty.”

“RM30? But I don’t have that money with me.”

“Well, the bank is just nearby. Just go and get some from the ATM.”

“But I only have RM30 in my bank account!” I need not tell a lie. I really did have ONLY RM30 in my bank account. “I wouldn’t have anything left if I gave them to you!” With an ignorant shrug, he said,

“Too bad dude. Ask your friend to lend you some.”

Not willing to give up just yet, I pushed my luck.

“Could you at least charge lower? Please, I’ve gotta go, I’m late for an appointment!”

“You trying to bargain with me? Do I look like a pasar malam DVD peddler to you? Beat it, pal!”

That didn’t work. Hmmm….. there must be a different approach to this game. I scanned my surroundings. AH-HA!! A LOOPHOLE!! I noticed that the entrance is not blocked! Maybe I can sneak out using that exit! So I thought for a while, then drove away to the back of the parking lot, so as not to arouse any suspicions. Then slowly I drove nearer and nearer to the entrance, and at the right time, floored the accelerator, released the clutch, and screeched my way out through the entrance!! BWuaHahaha…. I did not even bother to look if they tried to stop me or remember my license plate. Whaddaya know, it felt good to break the law sometimes. I know that they are going to blacklist me for the rest of my insignificant life, but who cares? Not that I want to park at that parking anymore!

By the way, they did find my ticket eventually at my colleague’s table! =P