Well, I knew September 30th was supposed to be significant for something, but I guess it completely slipped my mind that it marked a full year since I shaved my head. I have a very short memory span, I guess. :P It seems like soooooo long ago already.
Funny anecdote from the weekend: One of the bridesmaids at Alex and Teresa's wedding is engaged to a guy I know from my early UT days. I mentioned the connection to her and she said my name sounded familiar and wondered what my last name was. Since her fiance, Melvin, was the one who first put the head-shaving notion into my head, I said, "Kat Fan... I'm the one who shaved my head?" Then she said, "Ooohh, yeah!!" and proceeded to look abashed. Upon coaxing, she revealed that he'd told her about a girl who'd said she'd shave her head if he did it... his comment was, "She shouldn't've done it." I was very entertained. No worries - I'm not offended or upset... I've gotten plenty of comments like that this past year.
It's been a fantastic year for me. I'm so, so glad I did it despite everyone's admonishments otherwise. Most significant on my "pro" list was meeting/getting to know Hena and Timbo. Both of them are now really close friends I can't imagine living without... they've both mentioned that while they "thought I was cool" from a distance or whatever, they prob wouldn't've talked to me without the shaved head... so there you go. I don't regret the shaving at all, but even if I had wept bitterly for my hair every night, I'd have done it again in a heartbeat if that's what it took to make either of these friendships happen. (I can see Timbo doing his little hand gestures... darn)
Along those lines, I really liked how many people would talk to me just because I looked "different." Maybe it's weird pride, but I liked not being "just another Asian girl" with the generic long straight hair. (Mine isn't straight anyway ;p) I've always been different (homeschool, etc. etc.) and I am starting to appreciate it more, and I like looking it. I donno why.
While researching "worthy causes" for which to solicit donations (which I never did, come to to think of it), I came across some literature on human trafficking, and now my vague "interest in human rights" has some direction to it.
I also learned that it's okay to do what I want to do. I'm a big girl now and can make decisions for myself. Obviously, this can be taken too far, but I'd like to think that I have reasonable common sense. :P No, but without going into details, this was a huge breakthrough for me and boosted my confidence in a lot of obscure ways. ;p I really needed this, and I think I have become a much stronger person for it. I made a reasoned decision and followed through on my "convictions" (I hesitate to use that word... it sounds so Christian-y and this wasn't a religious decision at all) despite a lot of protests to the contrary. I learned to not listen to people whose opinions should not matter so much to me (i.e. casual acquaintances, boys who tell me I look much better with longer hair), I learned to respectfully disagree with people who do matter to me, I learned to live with the consequences of what I chose to do, and I learned to love myself regardless of how I look. Haha.
Also, I really feel like I behaved completely differently... it's sort of hard to explain, but hair makes a big difference in how you view yourself (lol, brilliant, eh?). I felt like I was a completely different person in a lot of ways, because I've always had long hair - I'd catch glimpses of myself in mirrors and marvel that that was me. I felt more free to explore a lot of options I'd never considered before. I learned to ask, "Why?" or "Why not?" to things I'd never considered before (God included). I've never found that questioning process to harm me yet (well, the consequences could but I've thus far found the reasoning to be a great experience).
I liked waking up and looking different every morning. The worst time for me was probably when it was almost long enough to look cool, but not. These last few months have surprisingly been the hardest on me. My hair texture is so crunchy (Michael calls it "character") that it will really hold whatever shape it's given... so I have mad bed head. It's cool, but often hard to tame for interviews and the like.
I've discovered that I really love short hair.
I got a haircut yesterday and probably have my favorite style yet from this past year. I found a new stylist I love. My bangs are growing the way I want them to (a small, unexpected bonus from the shaving!). I like my side pieces. I LOVE the back... I need a pic of that.
Hi, it's me. I'm Kat. A short-haired Kat. ;p
