PERSPECTIVES

Don’t judge a book by its cover -even if the cover is completely missing.

"You've gone bald!" she exclaimed.

The "you" in question was yours truly, and the "she" was someone I hadn’t seen since Mt. Pinatubo blew its top. Yep, that long.

Back in the day, I used to carry a comb like it was an essential survival tool, and I’d slather on the styling gel like I was prepping for a GQ shoot. As opposed to today, I’ve adopted a more minimalist approach. Hair care budget? Zero. Barbershop visits? Only in my dreams. Though I do miss the good ol’ "kwentong barbero" (barber shop tales). Might invite my barber over for coffee one of these days, just for the inspiration.

Anyway, my dear old friend only saw what was happening on the outside. What she didn’t see was that, over the past couple of decades, I’ve become quite the certified hotshot who started one of the country’s top lighting design firms. And, by the way, I can still run 5 km without needing an ambulance. She also missed an important fact: I can drive a golf ball 220 yards on a good -extraordinarily good -weekend.

She didn’t know what I’d been through or what I’d gained along the way. Can’t really blame her though. My scalp was shining like the bright glorious sun rising over Mt. Pulag. Hard to miss that, especially on a cloudy day.

But hey, she’s only human. I totally understand. I had my own human thoughts when I saw her that cloudy day, too. But I’m not telling.

That’s my little human secret.

Cheers!