So you might be wondering about this hair of mine, considering it’s been almost two months since I shaved it off. Well, it’s like this…it comes and it goes! Originally I had all kinds of ideas of things I’d do with it, and well, most of that hasn’t eventuated but there is still time so anything is possible.
My initial thoughts were that I’d keep it until my birthday which was early April so I could have two bald birthdays, but it got too long before that and was starting to get annoying so I shaved it again! And again….and it’s growing but I don’t know if it will last – we’ll see!
I’m considering playing with colours, all the weird and wonderful colours that look like they’re straight out of a kid’s paintbox but again, we’ll see how things go. I’ve learnt not to make any hasty decisions because it quickly gets to a point where I can’t stand it and off it goes.
I still get stared at, some people just accept it – I really like that – but others stare and wonder and discuss my lack of hair, but if it makes it become a little more normal it’s a good thing for those who feel nervous about the after effects of cancer treatments. I’m really trying to stop people from looking at things that aren’t so common with a more accepting eye!
It’s quite a freeing experience though, I hardly do a thing with it, it’s always ‘done’ and ready to head out the door, though I wish the grey colour was nicer – it’s not too bad though. I can’t quite explain what it’s like to have this but it is freeing and empowering in a way. I’ve managed to shake off my own vanity and do this to discover that hair makes little difference in the grand scheme of things and that’s a good thing to learn. It’s so low maintenance too and cheap to run haha. I use baby shampoo on it and occasionally put some conditioner in it, yes you can feel the difference when it’s been conditioned when it’s so short but I don’t need any other products, it dries with a wipe of the towel and I haven’t paid for a hair cut yet. While we’re on a tight budget it’s a helpful hairdo to have!
Here are some pictures of how it’s coming along and its setbacks LOL (click the pics to bring up the larger version)
Dad, me and Stu
"Experience" aka grey hair!
No wonder I have trouble with this area!
It got too long!
It looks sparse in the light
Most recent photo
I did go ahead with the shave on March 13th, though I can’t believe it’s almost been two months since I posted in my blog – bad wendishness, BAD girl!
Here are a couple of videos from the night and I will follow with a couple of photos.
Well, I did it and I can’t tell you how odd it felt BUT it was more important to me to go “the full monty” with my hair and remove it completely – afterall, it’s not a shave without a razor – right! So, once home….off to the bathroom I went with my sister in tow working the camera.
Many people ask me what it’s like for a woman with a choice to do this? Well, first of all there is such a sense of freedom removing your hair, it’s quite comfortable albeit a little odd at first but it’s definitely empowering to have hair this short.
It’s also quite confronting for people and I get a lot of stares, I’m not sure if people wonder if I’ve had chemo or something or if they think I’m just really ‘out there’ but the stares happen. Sometimes I feel a little self conscious about that but most of the time I feel okay.
Here are some photos from the evening and the final result. Enjoy! (and sorry I’ve been missing!)
Tags: bald, hair, shave, world's greatest shave
Ahhhhh life – it has a way of getting in the way sometimes doesn’t it! Just when you think it’s safe enough to go in the water it drops another bombshell on you! What happened? I’d rather not go into it right now as it’s too personal and kind of hits a raw nerve.
Well, I have managed to get over that hurdle, and once I did I found it hard to get back in the saddle…but a little bit of sweet talking (read: support) from Sayre (thank you for checking up on me) reminded me why I love blogging so much. It’s fun to share stories and things, but we meet some amazing people along the way too.
I’ve got some catching up to do it would seem….but there is a burning question out there – am I right?
Did she or did she not go through with her shave? Well….you’ll see!
Tags: Stuff
Most of you know and some of you don’t but I’m participating in the World’s Greatest Shave on 12 March where I will be having my hair shaved off to raise awareness and funds for the Leukaemia Foundation. My shave will be taking place at the Courthouse Hotel in Southport on the cnr of Nerang St & Davenport St between 6pm and 9pm, come and watch me make a spectacle of myself!
I have reached my initial goal but there is still THREE days to go before my head becomes BALD in support of the brave people fighting these blood diseases and disorders.
I would dearly love to raise more as the Leukaemia Foundation gets no government funding and has a village in Brisbane where patients and their families can stay for free while they are getting treatment, every donation helps.
We have a competition now running, it’s a raffle, anybody may enter from anywhere in the world. I would really appreciate if you would forward this on to as many people as you possibly can on all the social networking sites as it’s such a worthwhile cause.
All you have to do is go to this link – My Profile – and using the secure page, donate AU$10.00 or higher and you will be in the running to win. You can only use a credit or debit card though.
What’s the prize?
One of my dearest friends Rantz has kindly offered the winner the choice of any one of his photos on his flickr account to be printed on canvas and shipped to the winner anywhere in the world. He’s got a wonderful eye for subject, and has a unique perspective and produces amazing photos as well as digital manipulation to create some of the most amazing images. Rantz lives in the “Top End”, in Darwin and comes across some of the most amazing scenery and wildlife that Australia has to offer.
Check out his photos - Rantz’s Flickr Photostream.
How the winner will be chosen:
I get to see who donates, I will write the names down as they come in and keep a numbered list. Rantz will randomly draw a number and then I can let him know who the lucky winner is and we will let them know how to claim their prize. The winner will be chosen on Saturday 13 March and notified by email.
This is a bona fide offer, no gimmicks, it’s just one wonderful person (Rantz), helping another wonderful person (my humble self) to help support the Leukaemia Foundation and the very brave people who fight to survive these wretched diseases such as Leukaemia, Lymphomas, Myeloma and other blood disorders.
Don’t forget to share this EVERYWHERE you possibly can, the more donations, the better. Just imagine how satisfying it is to help those in need and the bonus is you could win a prize!
*Disclaimer: only those who donate from the 4th of March are in the running – if you’ve already donated and want to participate in this ‘raffle’, you will need to donate again!
Tags: canvas photo, leukaemia foundation, rantz, win, world's greatest shave
Gattina @ Writer Cramps is the host of this week’s Fun Monday and here is her assignment for this week….
I want to know how do you do your grocery shopping, every day, once a week, once a months, in different shops or in one big supermarket. A picture of your favourite store and maybe of your trolley would be nice.
Well, I’m not currently the shopping person in the house due to health reasons, it’s too slow, it’s too much like hard work and in the summer months it’s been really hard to do BUT I occasionally pop out for my own things or things that were missed and these are the places I head to usually. You could say I have a “shopping crew”, my mum and husband do the shopping each fortnight!
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- The Health Shelf is where I go for all my health things, natural remedies and supplements. I have a lot of faith in this shop and Mandy who runs it, she really knows her stuff!
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- Pacific Fair is an indoor and outdoor shopping mall, it’s really quite a different style of mall, partially geared to the lifestyle here. If I need to buy things that aren’t food related I will usually go here as it’s closest to home and I like the place. It’s really quite a large shopping centre too so there is a huge range of shops.
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- This is the closest supermarket to where we live, there’s a Woolworths a few stores up as well but we tend to use Coles at Mermaid Waters.
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- Woolworths still exists in Australia, but it’s ONLY a supermarket and doesn’t come with all the added extras that it used to in the UK. I go to this one if I’m down in Robina going to the doctor and we need something.
Go visit Gattina’s to see who else is playing this week.
Next week’s host is Faye at Summit Musings, so pop across this week to see what her assignment will be!
Tags: fun monday, Shopping
This week’s assignment (a reminder) is
1. What memories do you have of your school years at any stage of your education?
2. Did you keep in touch with your friends who were there with you in your formative years, or perhaps you lost touch as I did and are finding them again? Tell us about some of your school friends.
You don’t have to go into detail, you can if you want to add as much detail as you’re comfortable with, photos are optional but you know most of us love photos
I’m a couple of days late posting, I’m sorry…I’m having issues with carpal tunnel syndrome so it’s making it hard typing, so what I’m doing is leaving a gap…I will add my stuff a little later after a rest of the hands/wrists and in the meantime you can follow the links of who is playing this week. Make sure you pop back to see this edited version a little later.
I enjoyed school, here we only have two levels of school before we consider either college or university – Primary school and then High School. I had some absolutely fantastic friends. but I will answer the two questions separately.
1. The memories of my school years are mixed, the friends were great but right throughout my schooling I was subjected to bullying! In High School in particular this had a profound effect on my education because to avoid getting bullied I’d skip classes and because of that I’d get behind in school work, so I’d skip more classes so I didn’t have to explain why homework was late etc… it was a vicious cycle. I didn’t finish high school, I left just before the end of my final year – amazingly the years I did complete I always passed! This really put a damper on my schooling though. I eventually did some college years later though which was a much better experience.
2. I’ve always been blessed in finding good friends, those who helped shape me during the school years were the best! In Primary school I had one best friend but had others that we both mingled with. I was never part of the “in crowd” as such in either school but usually got along with most of them anyway. High school was even better for friends though, those years when you really need close friends to grow with into adulthood. They’re the ones you’re constantly testing life with.
As I’d come from a primary school where not many of my peers had come from, I feel a bit isolated to begin with and didn’t seem to fit in anywhere until I was ‘adopted’ by these amazing girls who I came to think of as the core group. We were the mainstays of the group. We had more interests in common so spent a lot of time together during and after school. The others in the photos would come and go as they pleased as did others, we were friendly with just about everyone, especially others who didn’t fit in anywhere. The whole group were the type of people who never judged others due to style, intellect, religious beliefs etc. One of the things that I loved about this whole group is that it was a really multicultural one and I enjoyed learning so much about their languages at home and the home cooking from many different countries.
By the age of about 21 I’d lost touch with them all, so after the final one had gone, I never saw them again, not even around the area, it’s almost like they’d all vanished from the face of the earth. Over the years I’ve been using the internet I’d occasionally google them to see if I could find them and of course then I moved interstate. Recently both schools had set up Facebook pages and slowly but surely I started to find familiar faces. Some who I only knew through the School Band (yes, I was a band geek), others I knew but were more of acquaintances, and then finally one of the core group. We’ve been catching up in a huge way, so many years have passed and we immediately dropped back into best friend mode as if nothing had changed. We have reminisced about so much, and shared the triumphs and tragedies of recent years. Through her, I was able to find out a little more about the other two of the core group and hopefully will get in touch with them soon.
Then I found some of the others from the group, they’re on my FB friends now, and I will be able to start catching up with them too, I can’t wait! One of the band members too it seems lives fairly local to me and we will catch up for a coffee one of these days and talk about old times…you know “this one time, in band camp….” (If you haven’t seen American Pie you won’t get that!
I love and loathe my school memories, my friends and some of the classes were brilliant, some of the male teachers…ooh la la! But the bullying really destroyed what little self-esteem I had left. Never mind, live and learn!
Just as a side note, I found two teachers from Primary School on Facebook, well, the first one found me after seeing my school photos, he was my teacher when I was around 10 or 11 years old, we’re friends now which is great! He even gave me some homework to do recently for him. 
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- First photo I ever developed myself
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- Orienteering and posing for the local paper
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- Core group, Teddy Bear’s Picnic
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- One of the core group recently reconnected
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- The core group
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- School camp to Adelaide
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- 3 of the Core group at school camp
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- They changed my “diaper”
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- Larking about on the car named “George”
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- Me with another of our group – the hairdresser
Visit the others playing this week:
- count me in ty(Joangee)
- Gattina
- Sayre
- Church Lady
- Murfomurf
- faye
- Life According to Jan and Jer
- Life is Not Bubble Wrapped
Remember to visit Gattina at Writer’s Cramps who will be doing next week (March 8) so keep an eye out this week for her assignment for us all.
Tags: Friends, fun monday, memories, school
In the FM’s Random Acts of Kindness post below, a new visitor posted a link to a beautiful video….I wanted to share it with everyone as it’s got a wonderful message. By posting it, it will pass forward to my other social networks so many will see it!
