Moussa Abdayem: The business of hairstyling

It was his desire to drop out of school that brought Moussa Abdayem to discover his love of hairstyling. The teen brat in him faced up to his daddy one day to say that he refused to go back to his “weird” school. His dad offered a compromise. Moussa would be allowed to choose his next school. So, our Lebanese bachelor decided to enroll in hairstyling because he assumed it would be an easy course. After a year of study, he progressed into cutting hair and started to like it.

Today, Moussa, 26, works at Emphasis Salon in Rockwell. His skills as a technical trainer are an asset he uses daily as he teaches his staff how to color clients’ hair in particular ways. “Even when you look at the color black, it is very deep and a mixture of many colors,” he explains. In the nine months that he has been working in the Philippines, our six-foot-tall bachelor has gotten to befriend many of the ladies who insist on being styled by him.

When Moussa arrived as a tourist a year ago, he spoke only Arabic and French. He decided to learn English and started by memorizing some words as he sat by the Manila Polo Club swimming pool. His diligence bore fruit and now he no longer needs a translator as he speaks English fluently.

One of my goals this year is to have a lot of friends and interview a lot of people to know what kind of people there are in the Philippines because if I want to work here, I want to stay here all my life. I want to follow my work. I went to Egypt, Syria, Dubai, Thailand, but I did not feel the relaxing that I feel here. It is amazing here. You can make friends here. Without friends, I cannot live.

My personal style signifier is my beard. It is my friend. In Lebanon my beard was always long. The first time I shaved was when I went to the Star Magic Ball just so I could change my look. Many friends pushed me to shave.

For grooming and style I rely on Miel, my friend, to cut my hair. We call him Avatar. My clothes? Me, me, me. No one else chooses my clothes. I don’t let anyone choose my clothes.

The last meal that truly impressed me was the Filipino soup that I had. It was not spicy. This soup, I liked it, really. I did not stop eating. It was kare-kare in Leilani Velasco’s house.

What helped me to conquer fear are the prayers of my dad and my name. My grandmother had a dream that told her to give me the name of Moussa — Moses. It has helped me not to be scared.

The last music I bought was Lebanese music I ordered. It arrived last Tuesday. I love music. Every time I listen to music and put it very loud, I can relax.

The last thing I bought and loved are my scissors. Whenever I go anywhere, I stop and look at the scissors.  I used to work with L’Oreal scissors and had them for five years and have not found any of the same kind. I saw them for sale in Lebanon last August; I bought two.

The thing I’m hoping to buy next is a wireless blow dryer. I have not yet found one and I always think about blow-drying without the cable.

If I had to limit my travels to one city, I would go to Las Vegas. I have no visa because after the 9/11, it is very hard for people from the Middle East to get visa to America.

A memorable place I have traveled to in the past year is Dubai. From nothing, it rose to be an amazing city. I like the towers. It is a desert and from that they built even a ski resort. It is so hot. Wow.

The souvenirs I choose to bring home are symbols of the country like flags so when I look at them I think, “This is from Jordan.” When I went to Egypt I bought a haram (pyramids).

The sight that inspires me is mountains. Someplace high where I find peace, where I cannot hear anything, like when I go hiking.

The best gifts I have given recently are the flower bouquet and rosary that I gave Cristalle Henares.

And the best one I’ve received recently is my digital frame where I can put my pictures. It’s like a flat-screen TV where I upload the photos and I can listen to music and the photos go around. Cristalle bought it from Dubai.

In my fridge you’ll always find juice. Pineapple juice. My favorite. Always, always, always. And milk.

My style icon is Brad Pitt. He still looks young. I always want to look good. His charisma and character are nice.

The grooming basics I am never without are Speedstick and L’Oreal gel.

In school, I learned to be a gentleman. To respect and be respected by the people.

After being in business, I realized that I can have more opportunities, like opening a shop for clothes.

I choose my employees by their patience and calmness. I am kind of moody and I need them to understand. Those who want to have fun relax me so I can do a better job.

A recent setback I had was when I got lost in the mountain in Lebanon. I got stuck in Sanin. No car. No cell phone. Nothing for 17 hours. We had a picnic and then I was following something and a cloud came down and I could not see anything. After walking two hours the clouds lifted and I saw my friends very far away. They were looking at me and the clouds came down again. They thought something happened to me.

The sports I do most are swimming in Rockwell and basketball. There is a basketball court in the village near Rockwell.

The way I plan my day is I don’t plan my day. I just wake up early and follow what I have to do. Around 10 a.m. I am in the salon and work till my last appointment at 7 p.m.

* * *

E-mail aurorawilson@gmail.com