Salon timekeeping.
"Do you know of any good Salon nearby?"
Quite a few guys who came to live in Hyderabad and ended up in my neighbourhood have asked me this question.
"Yes. Go to Salon O. But go only when you have enough time on your hands, " I always reply. Because while they are very good at what they do, they are very slow too, jutisying the saying "Slow and steady wins the race. How slow? Well, I go to sleep. Not when they are cutting my hair. But that's when they are making my shave. Yes I do go to a salon for a shave because for my lifetime, I can not learn how to shave a french cut properly. And when they are giving my hair a cut? Well lets just say, I come out fresh for another good 4-5 hours if I am dead tired. Thats how slow they are.
So this morning, after bicycling, I went to the salon. Wrong time. 8.00 a.m.
I am working on my punctuality timing at the office (read my last post) and in that endeavour, I have pinned a HUGE POST IT "AM I ON TIME TODAY" in my cubicle. 9.00 a.m. is the official start time.
So I tell him, I am in a hurry. Just make it quick. Well, now that I think of it, that was a big mistake. Absolutely unpardonable. Dim wit that either he is or I am, he relaxes, breaks his knuckles and goes out for a smoke. And well, he knows me very well because I am a regular there besides, if it matters, I tip them heavy.
I am a patient of patience and normally one needs to really do something weird to me to make me angry, actually to even raise my voice. (Boast all you can.)
So when he did not come back in even after 10 minutes, I did not gnaw but just shifted uncomfortably. I thought body language is a mighty language, messages from which his colleagues would pass on to him. Wrong again. No one bothered. Now, I think he must have been smoking a cigar because there is no way one can take more than 10 minutes to smoke a cigarette. Whatever that was, it took him more than 10 minutes.
Almost 8:15 a.m. 30 minutes for the shave, a quick shower, Thank God, office is close to my home. I can still make it. Wrong again.
He came in, put some towels around me, went to the reception area, put on some good music, taking on all the time in the world, to select his kind of music. If only I could tell him that, at that time, everything was music to my ears, albeit a jarring kind of music.
Almost 8:20 a.m. But I wouldn't speak. I wouldn't tell him, " O Lord, I am getting late."
Finally, His Majesty is standing next to me, applying the lather cream. I don't like the foam. He likes lathering it good. (read he takes another 8-10 minutes). Then he changes the blade, which thanks to the fear of HIV, I would like him to change, even if that means, taking the day off.
8:30 a.m.
He is working on my shave and the clock is ticking on me. Finally when it's done and he puts the cologne on my face, I get up and see the time on my wrist watch.
Almost 8:50 a.m. Not good. I pay him, pick my bicycle and reach home in a dash. I take a quick shower. And I am in the office at 9:15 a.m.
Not bad, eh?
Well I realized one thing. Next time whenever someone asks me if I know of a good salon in my neighbourhood, my reply will be, "Yes. Go to Salon O. But go only when you have enough time on your hands, and never, NEVER, ask for a quick shave or a quick hair cut."
Quite a few guys who came to live in Hyderabad and ended up in my neighbourhood have asked me this question.
"Yes. Go to Salon O. But go only when you have enough time on your hands, " I always reply. Because while they are very good at what they do, they are very slow too, jutisying the saying "Slow and steady wins the race. How slow? Well, I go to sleep. Not when they are cutting my hair. But that's when they are making my shave. Yes I do go to a salon for a shave because for my lifetime, I can not learn how to shave a french cut properly. And when they are giving my hair a cut? Well lets just say, I come out fresh for another good 4-5 hours if I am dead tired. Thats how slow they are.
So this morning, after bicycling, I went to the salon. Wrong time. 8.00 a.m.
I am working on my punctuality timing at the office (read my last post) and in that endeavour, I have pinned a HUGE POST IT "AM I ON TIME TODAY" in my cubicle. 9.00 a.m. is the official start time.
So I tell him, I am in a hurry. Just make it quick. Well, now that I think of it, that was a big mistake. Absolutely unpardonable. Dim wit that either he is or I am, he relaxes, breaks his knuckles and goes out for a smoke. And well, he knows me very well because I am a regular there besides, if it matters, I tip them heavy.
I am a patient of patience and normally one needs to really do something weird to me to make me angry, actually to even raise my voice. (Boast all you can.)
So when he did not come back in even after 10 minutes, I did not gnaw but just shifted uncomfortably. I thought body language is a mighty language, messages from which his colleagues would pass on to him. Wrong again. No one bothered. Now, I think he must have been smoking a cigar because there is no way one can take more than 10 minutes to smoke a cigarette. Whatever that was, it took him more than 10 minutes.
Almost 8:15 a.m. 30 minutes for the shave, a quick shower, Thank God, office is close to my home. I can still make it. Wrong again.
He came in, put some towels around me, went to the reception area, put on some good music, taking on all the time in the world, to select his kind of music. If only I could tell him that, at that time, everything was music to my ears, albeit a jarring kind of music.
Almost 8:20 a.m. But I wouldn't speak. I wouldn't tell him, " O Lord, I am getting late."
Finally, His Majesty is standing next to me, applying the lather cream. I don't like the foam. He likes lathering it good. (read he takes another 8-10 minutes). Then he changes the blade, which thanks to the fear of HIV, I would like him to change, even if that means, taking the day off.
8:30 a.m.
He is working on my shave and the clock is ticking on me. Finally when it's done and he puts the cologne on my face, I get up and see the time on my wrist watch.
Almost 8:50 a.m. Not good. I pay him, pick my bicycle and reach home in a dash. I take a quick shower. And I am in the office at 9:15 a.m.
Not bad, eh?
Well I realized one thing. Next time whenever someone asks me if I know of a good salon in my neighbourhood, my reply will be, "Yes. Go to Salon O. But go only when you have enough time on your hands, and never, NEVER, ask for a quick shave or a quick hair cut."
posted by F-ftOS at 11:12 AM
2 Comments:
Would you believe, I'm still grinning over this.
Is it like that everywhere? Or just that place?
Only that place. Conspiracy theory.
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