Bald Adventures Ep 2

In the past 3 weeks, I've had varied reactions to my shaven head from members of the public.

Most of these come in the form of blatant stares from the group I fondly call the "Oldies but Goodies". Then there are the "furtive lookers" who look away when I catch them staring and I smile at them. And let's not leave out the ladies who check me out from head to foot, and then double-check the female sign, when we meet at the entrance of the public toilets. Happily, there are also those who will ask me if I'd participated in Hair for Hope and we'd chat about that and the CCF.

Tonight, it was something new. I was at the Yong Tau Fu stall at Koufu. While waiting for my order to cook in that mesh thingy, I noticed that the Aunty was looking at me contemplatively. By now, I’d gotten used to stares, so I just smiled at her.

Then she spoke, asked me if I go dragon-boating. I laughed and said I haven’t had time to do do so. Aunty explained that she asked because I do stuff for charity (I assumed she was referring to Hair for Hope!), and she wondered if I’d tried dragon-boating for charity. We chatted a little about that as she prepared my order and collected payment.

So.... if you have ever seen me walking around with a "wondering" look on my face, half-smiling, and laughing to myself from time to time, just remeber that it's not always because I'm WEIRD. Sometimes, it's because I've just had an interestung encounter like the one at the Yong Tau Foo stall. :D

Bald Adventures Ep 1

Honestly, this is one occasion where my eye condition comes in handy. I strongly believe that becasue I have macula degeneration, I probably miss 50% of the blatant stares and furtive looks that I have been getting in the days following Hair for Hope.

Ares & Reyes

Yesterday morning, he looked at me and started crying. I decided it wasn't that he couldn't recognise me in my new "hairdo", but that he wasn't feeling too well.

Later, as I carried him, I'd look down once in a while, only to see that he was looking at me with that serious, intense look. Mum reckons he was trying to figure out if I am Gou Gou. It's like I look familiar, sound familiar but.......

When Ares came in the evening, he stood at the front door and shouted gretings, and then prompted by his father, came over to ask me what had happened to my hair, laughing all the while.

At the Pool

I walked past the lifeguards, cooling off in the shade, in my pink Speedo with my cap and goggles in my hand. Smiling, one of the lifeguards stopped me, "Nice hairstyle!" He remarked.

My rejoinder? "There is no hairstyle.... because there is no hair!" :D The lifeguards laughed and we spent another couple of minutes talking about Hair for Hope and the Children's Cancer Foundation.

I know there are those who think that the whole shaving thing is just a publicity stunt. In a way they are right. People will stare, and then they will talk about Hair for Hope (HfH) and the Children's Cancer Foundation (CCF), or the braver ones will stop me to talk about them. Either way, it raises awareness of the CCF, and that is ok in my books.

Laps later....

I made a soft grunt of annoyance as I stepped into the shower. I'd forgotten the brush!

The short stubbe has made it difficult for me to wash my scalp properly, and I was supposed to get a brush with soft bristles to use when shampooing. Of course, I'd completely forgotten about it on the way to the pool.

In the act of moisturising my face, I suddenly remembered that I still had the Birthday discount with Body Shop. Shopping!

And on the top of my list... a soft-bristled brush.

Gambling, loan sharks and the CID at McD's

I actually stopped in my tracks, with a regular iced green tea in my hands. You see, she'd not been there when I placed my Sheng Siong purchases on the table. Yet here she was, barely 5 minutes later, sitting at the next table in her cotton printed shapeless shift that many women her age (61 yrs) were fond of wearing, a mobile phone to her ear, looking like she's been there for some time.

She looked up as I approached. I smiled and sat down. Muffled dregs of what sounded like one side of a conversation in Hokkien filtered through my earphone-stuffed ears during lull moments in Hugh Fraser's narration of Agatha Christie.

Then I heard what sounded like a loud sigh and the clatter of plastic on plastic. I looked to my left. She was looking at me. Her mouth was moving. She was gesturing. I unplugged my ears just in time to catch Aunty say, in Hokkien,that we should sometimes cut others some slack.

I kept silent and looked enquiringly at Aunty. She told me abut her mobile phone conversation with her friend, an inveterate gambler. How she'd helped her friend get a loan to pay off loan sharks. She told me about her cousin who is almost 20 years her junior, and how she'd brought him up because he could not get on with his parents. I watched her talk about him with fondness and pride, telling me how much he looked like an actor, how well he is doing in the CID, and how he looks out for her. She talked about her husband, her daughter, her disappointment with her son-in-law. She asked about my life, my work.

All too soon, it was 10.30am and it was time for me to go. We said our goodbyes and I walked out of the McD's at Jalan Besar, making my way towards Kim Hoe Centre.

To Pulau Kapas And Back Again! - Part 1

It's been two days since I swam 6.5km from Pulau Kapas to the Trenganu mainland. Two days for me to ruminate and analyse how I felt about my performance at the Kapas-Marang Int'l Swimathon 2012.

This year, the organisers have procured and secured buoys to mark the swim route. For most swimmers, having huge coloured buoys to lead the way to the finish line was a boon. For me, it was a bane. I was so stressed trying to make out tiny globes 300-400m away. It didn't help that there were so much activity in the water... kayaks etc...

About midway, at the point when I almost gave up, I suddenly remembered how I did it last year. I felt the sense of panic abate. I stopped to get my bearings, using the Trenganu shoreline and treeline in the distance. I estimated where the end point would be and just swam in that direction. Towards the end, I bumped into (literally) two other swimmers. From that point, it became an enjoyable, leisurely swim and we finished the race as a companionable, comfortable threesome.

It was a tough experience,plus a hard but good lesson to learn. Much as I hate to admit it, macular degeneration has handicapped me somewhat this time round.

I emerged from the South China Sea a mass of confused emotions. I was relieved and elated to have completed the swim in safety, but I was also disheartened by the difficulty I faced during the swim. My mind was racing... how do I make sure that I would not be caught in the same situation again? Do I stick to long distance races where I have to engage a support craft, so I only do races with lane ropes? Do I just stick to local swims where the landmarks are familiar? Or do I tell Alex I would like to switch to his open water classes so that I can experiment with tools and techniques unique to those with low vision?

I haven't quite decided. But I know I need to do it soon so that I will not place myself in that position in Bali!

Yogaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa........ !

Yesterday was one of those "chock-a-block" days. I'd started with a session of Gentle Yoga in the morning, then met an ex-colleague for lunch. After that, visited more ex-colleagues in my ex-office, had dinner and drinks with friends, and rounded the day off with an unexpected Facebook chat with somebody I'd not spoken to in a long while.

This morning, I woke up smiling, thinking that I'm very lucky. I stayed in bed awhile listening to the sounds of stirrings outside the bedroom. Heard my brother talking to mum and was momentarily disoriented, trying to remember if it was Thurs or Fri.

And then I had to get up... That was when I told myself I would punch anyone who tells me how RELAXING Yoga is. Only one hour of Gentle Yoga (at True Yoga, Pacific Plaza)can cause such achy-ness in my abs and hamstrings! How am I going to get through the timed trial in Alex's class tonight????

Yoga was something I'd been thinking of picking up since 2010. Someone (I think it was Corina)told me that Yoga helped her clear her mind and focus. Why did I wait 2 years to finally try it?

Well, partly because alot of things were happening at that time.... going on the Blood Type Plan etc.... Another reason is that I lacked the confidence to attend classes.I felt with my eyes the way they are, I would have trouble seeing and following the instructor, that I wouldn't be able to keep up with the rest of the class.

The past 2 years have taught me that sometimes things are not as bad as they seem. So when someone from True Yoga called me up and offered me a free 2-week pass, I decided I should try a couple of the sessions.

Hence the session of Gentle Yoga yesterday morning. I did have a moment of hesitation. I was nervous and felt like turning around, collecting my stuff from the locker and leave. So it was that when I finally entered the studio, the class had already started. I picked a met in the 1st row, followed the pose adopted by the lasy next to me, and started doing the breathing exercises. All in all, it wasn't too bad. The instructor gave very specific instructions so I wasn't toooo lost and I began to relax and enjoy the sessio.

Another reason why I believe that things are not always as bad as they seem!

I've Lost It! So There Is Hope!

For the past 3 weeks I have been in a strange predicament. I have been craving for muffins and cookies!

I know... many of you will be asking "What's the big deal?" Well, what if I were to tell you that I have been "haunting" the breads/muffins and biscuits/cookies aisles in supermarkets, as well as bakeries and coffee joints. I just couldn't bring myself to get THAT muffin or cookie!

And noooo... I have not been through some hypo-therapy thing... :D

In April 2010 I started on the Blood Type Plan as part of a holistic approach to better overall health, hoping that by doing so I would be able to slow down the degeneration of my retinas.

Being on the Plan meant abstaining from wheat so thtat pretty much meant that I had to give up anything flour-related. Of course there had been lapses. And usually when I am eating with others and we'd share. But one thing's for sure, I'd pretty much lost the taste for most baked goods. Hence the "haunting" in supermakets, bakeries and coffee joints.

Soooo... for those out there who are trying to give up cakes etc.... I'd say that there is hope.

Wait... wait.. let's not talk about CHOCOLATES. Not the same thing ok....

Don't talk to strangers????

These things happen to me often...

My earliest recollection was when I was working with CASE. Two Hare Khrishna monks walked in when I was near the entrance of the office, and proceeded to talk to me about vegetarianism. A few of the staff milled around looking at the books and so on. One of the monks then walked over to me, took off the string of sandalwood beads he was wearing around his neck, and handed them to me. He taught me how to use the beads, chant and all, and invited me to visit their library any time I wished.


In 2003, I travelled to Kashmir and Ladakh on my own. On the plane there, the stewardesses would drop by to chat with me. I figured they were just concerned because they were asking me if someone was meeting me at the airport and who my travel agent was in India etc. I was especially touched when one gave me her contact number and said I should call her if the agent did not meet me.

What was interesting was that throughout the journey, children would either come up to play and chat with me, or adults would try to strike up a conversation.

From time to time, such things would happen to me... from Christians telling me about Christ and inviting me to Church to parents using me to scare their recalcitrant kids. Then there was the drunk guy who insisted that I was from China and kept asking me why I wouldn't admit it.


Last year, I hopped onto a coach to Trengganu for the Kapas-Marang Swim. During the 10-hr ride there, and on the return trip, the bus captains would check on me occasionally and we'd have a short chat.

It happened to me yesterday. I was at the clinic waiting to see Dr Goh, listening to my audiobook on my iPod Touch, when this woman walked in. She was all dressed in red and looked to be in her 50s. Suddenly I realised someone was waving hands infront of my face. I turned off my iPod Touch and turned. It was the woman in red. She told me that my hair looked really soft and proceeded to tell me her life story... abusive ex-husband, divorce, kids, alimony, adulterous boyfriend... etc...

This afternoon, I was at Taka looking for artificial flowers and somehow found myself in a conversation with the salesgirls about being overweight and exercise.

I wonder if there would be another encounter tomorrow... :D