Little things

One thing about being so far away from home is that you realize how you've always taken so many things for granted, especially the little things. On top of the list, a good haircut. Both Jude and I have had little luck with the haircuts we've gotten in the States- Aveda is always a hit-and-miss thing with me, and the Asian lady who cuts Jude's hair makes him more frustrated than anything else.

Which is why one of the first things both of us do when we get home here is to get a haircut. Few men in this world understand me like 1) my husband, and 2) Ashley, my hair guy. The man's a genius. I barely say two sentences and he intuitively understands what I want. Any woman (heck, any person) who's had haircut problems, knows how difficult it is to find someone who just gets you, or at least gets your hair. And Ashley's such a lovely person too- I love the fact that he's still so sweet and down-to-earth despite the theatre people in Singapore having just given him a public tribute for helping them with their styling all these years.

As for Jude, his heart lies with the men we've affectionately termed his "surrogate fathers"- the Hainanese barbers at the basement of the Shangri-La. Jude and his friends have been going to them for years and as Jude put it, these crusty old men have pretty much tracked his life for the better of the last 10 years. They've even been asking Jude's friends about him every time he doesn't visit for months on end. Besides, where else in Singapore can you get a perfect scissor-cut haircut (none of that electric razor routine), a rock solid Hainanese neck massage, a warm face towel, and a good old-fashioned blade shave for under S$25? And as a plus- if it means anything- they cut Rock Hudson's hair when he was in Singapore those many many years ago :)

So folks, don't take your barber/ hairdresser for granted. You'll never know when you'll miss them.