Skin Ink
Posted in mundaneity
A tattoo, at least according to Wikipedia, is a mark made by inserting ink under the skin. But what do tattoos really mean? For some, its an expression of feelings. They get portraits of loved ones immortalized on their skin. Others, like me, consider it an art form. Its like wearing a very unique piece of art on your body. In some areas, tattoos can also identify a person's affiliation, like tribal tattoos or gangster inks. And lastly, believe it or not, there are also those who get inked for medical purposes. For instance, those who undergo certain medical procedures repeatedly get marked to ensure proper placement of medical equipment.
Now why am I talking about tattoos, you ask. Or at least I think you did. That's because for as long as I can remember I've always wanted to get one. So late last year, I finally got my first real tattoo.
I decided to get an Asian theme done because I'm Asian and I really admired Asian art tattoos. That's a Kanji symbol that's supposed to mean "respect", although I'm not sure if the strokes on the symbol nailed the exact translation. But I did some research beforehand of course, and this is close enough. I still vividly remember the first time the tip of the tattoo machine touched skin. I'll be honest with you people, it hurt big time. But I told myself I wanted it so I held on as every line, every shade and every stroke was painfully etched on my skin. Besides, I thought it would look really stupid if I had an incomplete tattoo on me. When it was done I looked at it in the mirror and I was awestruck. That was it. I was completely hooked. The first thing I honestly thought was what design should I do next. Credit goes to my friend Rap, he introduced me to his artist Waway. So that was how it started. Actually, I had a glimpse of how it felt to have a tattoo two years before the real tattoo was made when I had a henna tattoo done in Puerto Galera. Take a look.
Incidentally, the day I got that henna tattoo done was the day my niece Keia was born.A few months after that first real (and painful) tattoo I had the itch again. I wanted to get inked again. Somehow I found the pain rather satisfying. So I scoured the Internet for my next piece. I initially wanted a dragon design, but Rap talked me into getting a koi fish design. I went along with it since dragons were pretty commonplace anyway. And I liked his idea. So we hunted Waway down again and on that fateful January afternoon I got tattooed again.
This time I was ready for the pain. I was impressed by how Waway hand-drew the koi fish on my arm from scratch - no templates, not even a picture of a koi fish to copy his design from. It took him two solid hours but when he was done, I was happy to see more art on my body. Again I started thinking about my next tattoo.I kept in close contact with Waway for the next few weeks and not long after the last session I came back for more. And then some.
Then Waway lost his mobile, hid in Boracay for a few months for some reason, and my arm got a few months rest. It's a good thing I had his email address. I am again in the hunt for my next tattoo. This one's going to completely cover my arm above the elbow up to a portion of my back. I'm psyched! If you guys have any suggestions please let me know! 
That's me on the left, and Rap on the right!
