The year was 1992…
I felt sharp pain on the frontal top of my head, and almost instantly, my head jerked back. “You are already dead.” A voice said.
While I turned around, I saw the hand that grabbed a bunch of my hair. It belonged to a man in green camouflaged uniform.
He continued, “One of the reasons that you newbies are queuing here for your haircut, so that your enemy cannot do to you, what I just did to this clown. And…”
And, I kicked him hard between his legs. Before his hands could reach his balls, I landed one punch on his nose, one hook on his right temple, one step back and a soccer kick onto his torso. Though the hit onto his chest wasn’t auditorily loud, my foot felt a solid connection. The sound and feel was mentally satisfying.
Had the rest of my recruit mates not dashed forth to stop me from serving a finishing stomp on his neck, I was sure my enlistment day would be Sergeant Adil’s punch card day.
Thanks to three of my scholar recruit mates who helped justified my reactions, to the Officer Commanding (OC). I was let off after a formality reprimand, and transferred to serve my Basic Military Training (BMT) in another Company.
That was, after the induction cut, of course. The mourn for my beloved hair lasted as long as the duration of my haircut. Because, the moment I stepped out of the barber shop, I could not find my recruit buddy. Every head looked the same to me. And from what I observed of their movement, many of them were like me…searching for our buddies.
Before I yak away detailing the everyday of how I spent my three months in BMT, let me share on what insights I gained from keeping a short buzz cut.
Economical
In showers, I used less water and less shampoo.
After shower, all I needed was a good wipe dry. No need to spend time and electricity for hair-drying. The time saved bought me time for rest or to do other stuff.
Less headache
No, I clarify…long hair did not cause me physical headache.
Longer hair allowed the flexibility to set my hair to different styles. Center-parting, side-partings, peacock tall tall, godfather back comb…you name it. But having a variety of choices in itself can weigh on one’s mind.
Buzz cut…one style. Anytime, anywhere.
Eco-friendly
Did I mention how much hair-gel, mousse or hairspray that was used to cement the strands together, to typhoon-proof the hairstyle?
None needed with buzz cut.
Hygiene
A head with long hair is one good breeding ground for kutu (lices) and their descendants. Oh, and also dandruff from the hair styling products.
Dammed, the thought of it made my scalp itch. *scratch, scratch.
Other benefits
Keeping my hair short & neat had kept me in a low profile, making my service in the military smooth, peaceful and attention-free. Leaving the attention of sergeants and instructors to those deserving owners of stylo-milo hairstyles.
Whether in a one vs one fight or melee, sporting a buzz cut made me slightly harder to defeat.
Alright, till the next post, take good care of yourself.
Namaste ๐
6 replies on “Maintaining a buzz cut”
These are all good reasons to keep the buzz cut. Besides, if you do end up missing the longer hair itโll grow back. ๐
Sara, you are totally right ๐๐
I used to dislike short hair growing up, and being a hairdresser in my young adult years cemented that fact. But now I see the value in looking smart and having less hair to take care of. I’m also balding, so I guess it’s an apt time to have short hair ๐
Hi Stuart, thank you for taking the time to read through. I’m sure you will enjoy the economy and efficiency of keeping short hair. ๐
Nice
Hi ๆ ๅๅฏผๆผ, glad you enjoyed. Thanks for dropping by ๐๐