The Barber

I gave myself a haircut today. It's now official, I am a barber both literally and figuratively. It's not really difficult, since I just shave my hair and leave just about 3mm of it (see profile picture). I do admit that I had some trouble in the beginning because my hair was a bit longer than the usual. I get a haircut once every 3 or 4 weeks, but it took me 2 months before I cut my hair today.

The last haircut I got was 2 months ago, before I left the Philippines. The price of a haircut in the Philippines is just 50 pesos or $1 and the price of a haircut here in the U.S. ranges from $10-15. It's just 10-15 times more expensive. My friend Kirby, adviced me to buy an electric shaver to cut my own hair instead of going to a barbershop in the U.S. for a haircut. He made perfect sense, I would at least save $120 dollars a year on haircuts and I can use the money I save to buy other things. And best of all the electric shaver that I bought just cost me $15, the price of a haircut.

The whole process of cutting my hair took about 20 minutes. I was enjoying giving myself a haircut. After getting my hair cut, I took a bath. I again looked at the mirror to see if I got an even shave on my head. I realized that I may just have a hidden talent for cutting hair.

When I was still in high school, I remembered one of my classmates bring an electric shaver to school. Some of my classmates took turns giving one another a free haircut and they pretty much enjoyed themselves. At the end of the day, there were 11 students with shaved heads in a class of 37 students.

The next idea that came to my mind was why not start a barbershop in the future. The barbershop is one of the places where people come to share stories both true and the not so true while relaxing and of course getting yourself groomed. Almost all the barbers I know are friendly and are always eager to begin conversations and share stories. After the haircut, they usually give a shoulder and head massage to the customers. The barbershop is a fun place to be in.

If you also want a good movie to watch, I suggest watching The Barbershop starring Ice Cube. I should practice giving haircuts to other people for free. The next thing for me to figure out is what to name my barbershop in the future.