Comments on: The Bad News Barber of Kuala Lumpur

By: Daniel Noll

Daniel Noll — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 19:09:21 +0000

@Matt: Full-service barber. Funny that your tune-up had to be undone. Regarding “one-wife, many girlfriends” my experience has been that it’s not just the behavioral expectations of foreigners, but local men also.

Perhaps a lifetime of haircuts was on offer for his sister.

By: Matt

Matt — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 17:26:23 +0000

There is surely a song in there somewhere..lol The barber had another experience on offer. His brother was there and at the time my scooter was idling a bit slow so while he cut his hair his brother tuned the scooter (Which i then had to adjust myself later). But while sat there he began asking the usual questions “are you married?” etc. etc. and introducing me to his mother, father and then asked if I wanted to meet his sister. I explained I am already married for which the response came “yes one wife many girlfriends” at which point the whole barber shop began laughing.. Its a strange perception here where they expect foreign guys to be disloyal. Bizarre but true.

By: Daniel Noll

Daniel Noll — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 13:39:10 +0000

@Matt: That sounds like a comedy routine. A barber shop comedy routine. We, barbers too, would all like to think we are friends of joy.

By: Matt

Matt — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 09:31:02 +0000

Barbers are always a place for banter, mine cuts my sideburns off everytime I go even though I tell him not to. At the same time discussing the owner (who’s a friend of my wife), I explained I was a friend of Joy.. a pause came about then “Yes Joyous very happy!”. Our conversations seem to go in opposite directions every time and after 4 years still something new everytime I go in.

By: Daniel Noll

Daniel Noll — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 21:16:02 +0000

@Priya: Adding coconut (oil?) and almond oil to the grocery list, stat! Anti-clockwise — now there’s the secret. And if that doesn’t work, time to find some crocodiles.

By: Priya

Priya — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 22:06:34 +0000

Hahaha, hilarious! Mix coconut and almond oil and get Audrey to massage it into your head. Anti-clockwise for fast results

By: Daniel Noll

Daniel Noll — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 11:05:07 +0000

@Tom: Hair salons have a stake in telling you that you need treatments. Deepak, the Indian barber, had no stake other than being straightforward, upfront. That was the beauty of our interaction. Best of luck at the barber!

By: Daniel Noll

Daniel Noll — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 11:02:05 +0000

@Amer: About the innocence, so true. There’s beauty in it.

I’m OK with whatever is said, so long as it comes from the right place. Certainly that was the case here. I think that’s what made the whole situation so funny. Every time we tell the story, we laugh. It would be impossible to make it up. Truth is often stranger (and funnier) than fiction.

Glad you enjoyed the article. Now it’s time to find some croc poo.

@Jeff: For the moment, I’m going to hold off on accepting membership in the baldness club. I still have more than a few good hairs left. Stay tuned.

@James: Well, I’m a little late in my response here. So did you get a haircut while in Kuala Lumpur? How did it go? More importantly, did you receive any unwanted diagnoses?

By: Tom Zass

Tom Zass — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 04:30:49 +0000

I thought you only get this kind of straight forward comment from hair saloons. Because they have the intention to sell you stuff that suppose to safe your hair. That’s why, (yes,i suffer hair loss as well)I no longer frequent the hair saloons, instead an indian barbershop now.

By: James Clark

James Clark — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 08:45:32 +0000

You wouldn’t believe it, I am going to KL in 2 days and I was thinking today that I need to get a haircut when I am there. I don’t wan’t to hear how many years of haircuts I have left, so I won’t be going there!