I got a haircut yesterday. A REAL haircut. The type of cut that, after experiencing, you just have to say - that's a REAL haircut.

There was a little confusion at the barbers to what I REALLY wanted in my usual 6 weekly trim. Just a little short on the sides, and a little less shorter on top. Once I realised I received the 'reverse mohawk', there was no return.

I hadn't had a problem at the barbers I sometimes frequent - a real 1950's throw-back barber with marble floors, foot-pump seats, cut-throat razor shaves (if you want it), and the smell of Brill-Cream in the air. A true glimpse of the past.

Looking to the present, I now possess a haircut that looks as though I resorted to hair-loss as a measure to remove nits.

My friends have been supportive of my new look - with both Lin's and Lozza's fetish for newly cut hair being revealed, and my realisation on how cold it actually is in Shanghai right now.

My skull feels exposed.

I think I will grumble away for the next few weeks until I can fashion some type of hairstyle.

In the meantime, I've created this list of positives from this experience...

Upsides of looking like a criminal...

• easy to get service in banks
• less time to get ready in the morning
• don't have to worry about cow-licks
• people want to run their fingers through your 'hair'
• dropping (a hat) size
• less overheating of my noggin
• I know now how to order a 8-blade all over my head in Chinese
• no more mullet prone hairstyles (a real and ever-present concern in China)

Things are looking up.

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