Booby's Ink

Kirstie Alley Gets a Tattoo on TV!

noreply@blogger.com (sabrina) — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 12:40:00 +0000

Not much on the actual tattooing itself but Ellen is just funny to watch!
And the end result was very perrrty :p

Tribute To Michael Part #2

noreply@blogger.com (sabrina) — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 18:05:00 +0000

So here i am finally revealing my tribute tattoo to Michael Jackson, more than a year after getting it done!

As mentioned in my previous post, i didn't want to get a picture of his face cos i was afraid how the eyes and nose would turn out.

So i settled on a design which i think best captured the essence of the great man.

I wanted something that truly reflected how much Michael influenced me, especially my love for music. Which made me think of a music bar. And i decided to put it on my hip cos Michael is the one who got me so obsessed with dancing and the performing arts, and as every dancer worth her salt knows, dancing starts from the hips!

But i also wanted something more specific to remember Michael by, other than just putting his name there.

So Dazzie suggested i put the notes of one of his songs on the music bar. So which song did i decide on? Well Billie Jeans of course! His most iconic song with the most iconic video. I remember i was so obsessed with the video when it came out that i used to walk on these big slabs and pretend that they were lighting up one by one, just like in the video! I bet you guys did that too!!!! LOL

So i downloaded the music sheet and picked out the first few notes of the song....again the iconic beginning bass, which truth me told, still sends shivers down my spine to this day when i hear it.

Then i got my pal Neela to go through the notes just to make sure they were the correct ones, given her musical training. I mean i had to make sure i wasn't getting the notes for that Crazy Frog song etched on me! Eeek!

And then of course i put his name there. Now even this took a lot of thought...i didn't want to put MJ, King of Pop or Michael Jackson. So i simply put 'Michael' cos that was how i always referred to him.
Simply 'Michael'.

Now while i am so very happy with the end result, thanks to the amazing Nix, i feel i need to get another one to show how much i love this man cos this just doesn't feel enough! Believe it or not i still cry to this day when i hear his songs. It just really is too tragic and such a waste of talent. I mean not just his music and his performing skills, but that amazing amazing voice. Absolutely gorgeous and incomparable!

A big thank you to Prem, Neela and Jess for helping me out with the tattoo design and for coming along with me to get it done. And a special big thank you to Nix who made the experience so very memorable. I got it done on my birthday itself, which was the day he passed away and she played his songs the whole time. And we spent the hours reminiscing on our favourite Michael moments, songs and videos. It was just lovely!!!! Thanks a bunch girl!

With my tattoo artist Nix

Details :
Tattoo artist : Nix
Location : Tribal Bodyworks Tattoo & Piercing Studio, Lot F028, 1st floor, Sungai Wang Plaza, 50250 Kuala Lumpur
Operation hours : 12pm-9pm everyday
Contact : 0321443308
Email : tribalbodyworks@gmail.com

Tribute Tattoo : Rocksy

noreply@blogger.com (sabrina) — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 11:27:00 +0000

My dog Rocksy died suddenly just before Christmas and needless to say, we as a family were just devastated. Like all our other dogs, she was a stray we had found wandering near my grandmum's place. She had been hit by a car and had an injured paw so we decided to take her home just to nurse her back to health. But again, just like all our other dogs, once she came in she simply refused to leave and soon became the queen in our house!

My brother's first tattoo. He took it like a man and commented that it didn't hurt at all :)

And when i say queen, i mean the most extravagant food and pampering. She would turn her nose up at things deemed not good enough for her and of course my mum would make sure she got only what she wanted. There were days when she would refuse to eat simply because she expected to be fed, by hand, by my mum.

In fact her whole food time was a ritual. She wouldn't eat until i pretended to want to steal her food, then she would growl and bark at me and do this whole cute wiggle with her backside then finally eat. And again only if my mum sat there and watched and coaxed her to eat! A family friend actually told us that she wished she were our dog cos she got such fantastic treatment!

Not only was she the most beautiful dog we had ever had, given our hobbit proportions, she was also the tallest person in the house!! LOL! Whenever my mum took her out for her walk, she would quite literally turn heads and people would come up to my mum just to compliment her.

She was definitely closest to my mum and was her shadow. She would follow her everywhere! Even when she went to the bathroom she would wait right outside the door. And if my mum were to go out for a while, she would sit with the longest face and refuse to eat and until she came home. And when she finally did come home, Rocksy would bark and lunge at her as if scolding her for going out....nevermind that it was only for 5 minutes!

My first coloured tattoo. Prem commented that the red symbolized that she was my blood sister and i thought that was so apt.

Contrary to what Prem likes to say, she was also extremely smart. Pet tricks aside, she could actually open our house door. She would jump up and actually press down on the knob with her paw so that she could sit and wait for my mum to come home. And when it was prayer time, she would jump up unto the couch to sit with us.

I loved how whimsical the design looked. Reflected her playfulness.

My relationship with her was one of two siblings who were always fighting with each other. I constantly annoyed her whenever i could and truth be told, she actually enjoyed it as well. As for my brother, she absolutely adored him! She was with us for 11 years so it was only fitting that we got something to remember her. She was really the sister i never had and i seriously doubt that anyone could ever take her place.

We miss you very very much Rocksy girl!

Thanks to Nixx from Spec Body Art @ Sungai Wang Plaza for the wonderful tattoos!

Contact : 0123200387 for appointment.

Tattoo 101 : Tattoo Design

noreply@blogger.com (sabrina) — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 16:56:00 +0000

There are two main things when it comes to preparing for a tattoo…numero uno would be of course picking the tattoo design (duh!) and second of all is picking the location of the design. To me the latter is just as important as the design itself cos different designs look better in certain locations.

Rihanna's hip tatt

Which is why I always advise people to do a thorough internet search first to see what other people have done. I usually research each tattoo for about a year cos it’s absolutely vital that it looks fab and in the location I want it at. This is for life after all peeps!

Nicole Richie's bow on the neck

Or sometimes you might have a rough idea of what you want but you could be artistically challenged like me (I can’t even draw a decent stick-man!) and need to see what others have done to help ‘shape’ your idea and design. And unless you’ve got a relative or friend who has the innate talents of Picasso…ok so that’s a stretch…maybe not Picasso but at least someone whose drawings elicits ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ as opposed to laughter (yes I’m talking bout me!!!), I would highly recommend either looking through tattoo books (which are available at the tattoo parlours of course) or the internet.

I prefer the internet cos you can Google the most insane things (like “tattoo you should get if you want to kill your grandma and bury her under the stairs”) and still come up with results which are pretty darn close to what you were looking for!

Alyssa Milano's orubus on the wrist

So for ideas on designs, you can check out this website which has pictures of people with their ink(s) all categorized nicely for easy navigation : Tattoo Designs

And while I know they say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, that adage does not apply in the world of tattooing. In fact nothing screams loser more than copying someone's ink and it's (more than enough) reason to get bitch-slapped into oblivion.

So only use it to get ideas for your own design(s)

Good luck!

Images : Source Google Images

Tribute to Michael Part #1

noreply@blogger.com (sabrina) — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 09:31:00 +0000

I've been back and forth about whether or not i should get a Michael Jackson tribute tattoo

But the other day, while listening to his album in my car, i found myself in tears....for the hundreth time since his death. And somehow that helped me make up my mind about it....cos frankly i don't think i've cried over anyone...be it relatives who have died, friends who have passed on, dead pets, ex-boyfriends etc etc....for this long!

I mean sure you feel the pang of loss and everything but to still sob one year on is quite alien to me. This man has without a doubt touched me in such a profound way...of course i would have preferred it literally la :p

For the uniniated, Michael, the first true love of my life, passed away on my birthday. A cruel cruel irony i know. And this friday marks his 1 year anniversary so i've decided to get him immortalized on me forever on that day itself.

I have spent the last one year trying to decide on what exactly to get cos of course i didn't want to get what everyone or anyone else had. An internet search revealed some pretty interesting and some scary tribute tattoos

I had actually initially decided on getting his legs in his signature 'point' pose cos i noticed no one had done it before and if anything, Michael was the one who started me (and about a million other people) on my deep love for dancing. And when i did my search last year no one had gotten it done yet.

But when i googled it again this year i found that quite a few people had gotten it done, so that sent me back to the drawing board....quite literally cos i figured i would actually have to design the tattoo myself. Which has proven to be very very challenging cos i am artistically challenged...i can't even bloody draw a stickman!!!

Design i had initially wanted to get

I did really want to get a potrait of him but i am very very sceptical when it comes to faces, cos one wrong 'stroke' and it could end up looking like Donald Duck with a facial tick! So i gave up on that.

But after several hours researching and going through all my Michael Jackson stuff i have finally settled on a design. It will still reflect his musical influence on me and will hopefully be one of a kind, and more importantly worthy of him

One of the best tribute tattoos i've seen!

I will be getting it done with Spec Ung, the dude who did my first tattoo 10 years ago in penang!! An appointment has been set and hopefully it will turn out fantastic! *Fingers crossed*

Miss you Michael!

Source : Google Images

Kev's Labarum

noreply@blogger.com (sabrina) — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 15:30:00 +0000

Kev picked the Labarum for his first tattoo

Ernesto's initial 'sketch' of the design.....LOL!!!!

"The Labarum was a military standard that displayed the first two Greek letters of the word "Christ" (Greek: ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ, or Χριστός) — Chi (χ) and Rho (ρ)

It was first used by the Roman emperor Constantine when he converted to Christianity

Ernesto at work

The labarum has several 'meanings', among them being it symbolizes crucifixion; the combined letters Chi and Rho standing for chrēston, meaning "good." etc

Bringing the design to life

But i'm not quite sure why Kev got it. The official story is that it symbolizes his faith, but the true story is that he got it as a conversation-starter with the ladies......:p

The completed design....the excessive blood is because Kev was drinking before and during the making of this tattoo :p

The tattoo artist was Ernesto Kalum, who has been extensively featured on this blog. And as expected, Kev was very satisfied with his work and is planning on going back and getting another tattoo done.

Source : Wikipedia

Now I Really Have To Get It Done!

noreply@blogger.com (sabrina) — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 14:41:00 +0000

New Tattoo Studio : Hustla Ink

noreply@blogger.com (sabrina) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 15:10:00 +0000

Attention peeps! There's a new tattoo studio in town and it's called Hustla Ink!

Located at Millennium Square in PJ, the studio has been opened for the past 3 months and has already attracted a legion of fans, thanks to the excellent inking done by its resident tattoo artist Ron (watch this space for a feature on him soon!)

Sandip (Shop Manager) & Ron (Tattoo Artist)

The first thing that definitely catches your eye is the 'design' of the shop itself.....it's got this semi-goth-semi-classy look which is very appealing to the eye and very unlike other tattoo shops. Even the sitting area and 'reception' is very classy with a plush velvet couch. Think La Bodega with its bold use of deep reds and black. Very nice!

Reception area

The only thing it's lacking in is the awesome tattoo smell...which let's face it, is part of the addiction itself.
But give it time....it's still a baby after all (hmm....one wonders if they sell the smell in one of those spray-on cans??....)

~~Torture~~ Work area

And then of course there are the boys, Ron and Sandip themselves who are very friendly, funny and quite insane (not in the they-need-to-be-locked-up-in-a-padded-cell way, mind you!)

The Dirty : Pricing start from RM150 (B&W) to RM200 (Colour) but it could go as low as RM100 depending on the design of course. Prices are negotiable as Ron understands what it feels like to want to get a tatt soo badly and not be able to afford it. For him, it's more about the passion for tattooing.

But personally speaking, if you plan on haggling over your tattoo price, you probably shouldn't even bother getting it done! :p

Operating Hours : Open daily from 12pm till 8pm.

Location : LOT 1046, First Floor Millenium Square, 98, Jalan 14/1, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia (Look out for their banner above Picadilly's Restaurant)

Assortment of books with tattoo designs

They have several books available for you to select your tattoo designs from. They consist of tattoo books from MPH, designs submitted by their friends, tattoo magazines, and even designs obtained from the net.

They also have Internet access and a printer

Ultrasonic cleaner and Autoclave

Ron does any form or style of tattoos but he is known for his expertise in Japanese, Religious & Gothic tatts, with a particular penchant for angel tattoos and anything that is 'dark' :p He is also more comfortable doing black & grey tatts but let me tell you, even his coloured ones are excellent.

Here are a few examples of his work....you be the judge

Contact : You can call Sandip for appointments or directions on how to get to the shop at +6012 673 2405.

You can also check out their website here

Megan Fox Is A Man??

noreply@blogger.com (sabrina) — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 08:41:00 +0000

Apparently the star of Transformers and Transformers : Revenge of the Fallen was born Mitchell Reed Fox. You can read the rest of the story here

Now in my personal opinion, the girl can't act to save her life but she sure has some nice ink on her!

Just above her right ankle, Megan Fox has a crescent moon overlapping a five pointed star. It is the one visibly colored tattoo that she has.

A portrait of Marilyn Monroe on her arm.

On her Marilyn tattoo which she got done after the first Transformers : "She was one of the first people I saw on television, like, literally moments after I was born. Every time I heard her voice growing up I always would cry. I wouldn't know why when I was younger but had my own theories. I've just always empathized with her."

The words "We will all laugh at gilded butterflies" on her back which is a reference from Shakespeare's King Lear.

On the inside of Megan's left wrist is a tribal tattoo of two waves entwined like a yin and yang symbol

She plans on removing this tattoo or getting it covered up as the tattoo artist was stoned while doing it and it's now all messed up.

"The guy was smoking weed while he tattooed me and he didn't do it correctly. Now it's nothing and I'm gonna get it removed. I was told he was a really amazing tattoo artist but he wasn't on his game that night. He was distracted."

On the back of her neck, the Chinese character for 'strength'

On her rib cage : "there once was a little girl who never knew love until a boy broke her HEART"

Fox has said of her tattoos that "Every time I get a tattoo, it's a little 'fuck you' to anyone who tells me not to"

The word "Brian"

On her hip, the name of her on again-off again fiance, Brian Austin Greene of 90210, the original one.

Apparently after this, the star wants to get a sleeve. Hopefully she saves some money for acting classes as well *meow* :p

Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megan_Fox

Tattoo Mishaps #1

noreply@blogger.com (sabrina) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 13:44:00 +0000

A few years ago i decided to get a tattoo of a cross as a symbol of my faith. I didn't want to get a 'normal' cross since most people had it so i decided to get a Celtic cross.

Can you notice that it is crooked? The left side is slightly higher than the right

Another reason is of course its Egyptian symbolism (which i am totally obsessed with!) where the Ankh means 'eternal life'. Strange, i know, given that i'd like to 'check-out' as soon as i hit 40 but it was Egyptian so....whatever......

Ernesto had to draw it free-hand

Anyway i was short of cash (the sad life of a student) so i decided to get it done by these young punks in some house in USJ.

More of a tribal look to balance it out and make it look centered

They only charged me RM70 so i thought i got it for a steal. But once it had healed, i realised that it was actually crooked! That totally bummed me out of course cos i didn't have the money to go and get it re-done.

Nearly 3 years later, i headed over to Ernesto Kalum's shop to 'correct' it.

I had initially decided to cover it up with a huge celtic-styled tattoo, but Ernesto advised me against it and suggested instead that i keep the same design and just work around it. So he added some tribal curves so that it look more balanced.

The end result was better than i could have hoped for. Ernesto is just amazing in a sense that he knows what design would 'compliment' a certain body type, and he seems to have this 'pseudo psychic' ability to know exactly what's in your mind in terms of styling and design choice.

The revised Ankh

Lesson to be learnt from this : never compromise on price and don't get a tattoo from any punk operating out of a house in USJ!

To submit a story, go here

Chang's Traditional Hornbill Tattoo

noreply@blogger.com (sabrina) — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 09:41:00 +0000

For my first tattoo, I wanted something that can remind me to stay positive and never give up easily in whatever I do…

Robin drawing out the tattoo and preparing Chang's leg

Since I had decided to get an iban traditional tattoo, I felt the hornbill was the perfect choice for what I wanted.

The Ibans believe the hornbill or kenyalang is a messenger of the war god and is believed to provide protection against the intrusion of evil spirits living in the jungle.

Ernesto assessing his 'prey' :p

I decided to get it done traditionally cos i heard that the ink lasts longer and it supposedly has a better, more authentic look to it. Plus....less painful la :)

The tattoo artist was Ernesto Kalum. In my opinion, Ernesto is the man la.. i consider him a legend la coz he got to jam with Noel Redding (Jimi Hendrix's bassist)!!! [Chang is obsessed with guitars].

As for the tattooing, he did an excellent job and he made the experience absolutely fun! Really cool dude!

The tattooing itself was a lot less painful than i initially thought it would be. Already planning for my next tattoo which would be on my rib cage...

The finished design

A big thank you to Prem. He bet with me that i wouldn't dare to get it done....guess who ended-up sponsoring my tattoo? Heh heh heh

Chang with his Hornbill tatt

KL Tattoo Convention

noreply@blogger.com (sabrina) — Thu, 28 May 2009 09:41:00 +0000

Hola peeps. Good news...there will be a tattoo convention in Kuala Lumpur from the 6th till the 8th of November at PWTC.

And before you ask....YES!....you can get your fine selves inked during the convention, but best to make an appointment first with the artists.
The Booby one is tempted............:p

For more information, you guys can visit their website here

Tattooed Pigs

noreply@blogger.com (sabrina) — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 19:33:00 +0000

Boobs mailed me these pictures a while back.

If you think you're looking at pigs with a rare skin disease, look again cos it's actually tattoos!

Yes that's right....live pigs with tattoos on them!

Now i know usually tattoo artists, or rather apprentices use pig skin to practice their tattooing, but i think in this case, these pigs are actually tattooed and later these skins are used to make purses!

Pigs' skins may be harder than human skin, but i still think this would constitute animal cruelty!

The end product.....some poor pig had to suffer to end up looking this ugly???

Angelina Jolie's New Tattoos

noreply@blogger.com (sabrina) — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 13:51:00 +0000

Angelina Jolie has added 2 more tattoos to her collection - to represent Knox & Vivienne's birth longitude and latitude .

She showed of her new tatts at the premier of the Clint Eastwood-directed movie, The Changeling.

It comes as no surprise that these 2 were gonna be done......it was just a matter of when really.

The other 4 of of course represent her other children, Maddox, Zahara, Shiloh and Pax. (Have you heard the one about Jolie being likened to Vicky Pollard of Little Britain? Funneeeee!)

It's nice to see her looking a bit 'fuller' than her usual waif-self.

More pictures here and here

Tattoo.com On The Road

noreply@blogger.com (sabrina) — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 04:35:00 +0000

Got this from Tattoo.com if anyone is interested :

Come visit us if you plan on attending any of these upcoming shows! If you cannot attend in person, just join my.tattoos.com to be the first to see exclusive show photos and videos!

This weekend! The Calgary Tattoo and Arts Festival.We'll be there with our godsgirls and purrfect pineapplesn lingerie dodgeball team.Join myself, Bob Tyrrell and eight hot tattooed vixens while we kick butt at the first ever tattoo industry dodgeball tournament this weekend at the Calgary Roundup Centre. Info: calgarytattoos.com

Join us for the Beijing international convention Sep 19-21st 2008
Tattoos.com, Paul Booth, Bob Tyrrell, the Dutchman, Kurt Wiscombe, Dan Allaston and many more as we spend a week in China to visit and enjoy the convention and city of Beijing. Info online : http://www.tattoochina.cn/

Join us in Cape Town South Africa Jan - 23rd - 25th 2009
For Southern Ink Xposure a true international convention with artists form North America, Asia and Europe spending time at the Cape Town international Convention Center in this tropical paradise during their mid-summer. Lyle Tuttle, Paul Booth, Bob Tyrrell and many others - details online at tattoos.com/six

Booby Opts For Peace

noreply@blogger.com (sabrina) — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 08:05:00 +0000

Of all the cliches, i decided to get a symbol of peace.

What prompted me to get this symbol was of course the whole terrorist-threat thingy

I keep going over the incident in my head and i often think about how i could have approached the whole incident differently.

PEACEFULLY!

Placing the stencil

I'm not justifying their action of sending those horrible letters, but i'm just saying that perhaps i should have tried understanding their need to spread their word about the things happening in their country.

Of course at the time i did not know that the guy was Palestinian...i actually thought he was a Malaysian.

But regardless of that, i guess when people feel so passionate and angry about something, logic and reason will most likely go out the door and that's where i should have been more understanding.

Perfect fit!

Then of course there is my high-strung, angry-as-arse personality as well which sees me, more often than not, getting easily pissed-off and picking fights with the people around me :p

Setting up...very excited!!

Anyway i picked an Adinkra symbol : a FUNTUNFUNEFU-DENKYEMFUNEFU or "Siamese crocodiles".

I have been an admirer of Adinkra symbols for the past 5 years now, and have been wanting to get this particular symbol for the past 2 years.

And so it begins....

The Siamese crocodiles share one stomach, yet they fight over food. This symbol is a reminder that infighting and tribalism is harmful to all who engage in it.

Starts with the outline...i often find this part more painful than the filling-in

It is basically a symbol of peace where the 'wearer' achieves peace with him/herself as well as with others.

Outline done...lookin' good :)

And i must say that even before getting the tatt, whenever i got angry and was about to explode, i would think about the symbol and immediately my anger would dissipate!!!!

Location, location

The location of the tattoo, to me, is almost as important as the tattoo itself. To me, this symbol had to be somewhere i could clearly see it...so that everytime the ugly red monster tried to rear its head, i could see this symbol easily and try to take the peaceful approach instead.

Of course i made the mistake of telling my mum the meaning, and now everytime we fight she's like "Look!Look at your tattoo. Now stop fighting!"

Filling-in...at this point the pain is already numbed and actually quite soothing :p

After much deliberation, i decided the best place would be my wrist. But i was of course worried, being in this profession, that i would get a lot of negative feedback. But after much discussion with friends and after testing out the design in several other locations, i decided that it would in fact look best on my wrist.

I would deal with any negativity in my own (peaceful of course) manner :p

Then of course was the matter of the size. Since i was still worried about the location, i printed out several different sizes of the symbol and had actually decided to get the smallest size done. But my tattoo artist Ernesto convinced me otherwise as too small a size would render the image 'unreadable', and so in the end we opted for the actual size :)

Almost done..

The inking itself took all of 20-30 minutes and i must say that it is hands down the prettiest tattoo i have! In fact it seems so odd to have something that pretty on someone like me!!

Imagine the Booby one in a pink dress (a stylish one without frills of course..but nevertheless pink!) and you'll get an idea of what i'm talking about :p

Final touch-up

My friends keep teasing me, saying it looks more like 2 lizards than 2 crocodiles but i don't care. I love it to death! And the more i look at it, the more i am so glad that i placed it on my wrist cos anywhere else and the 'meaning' and 'purpose' would have been lost

Plus is sooooo perrtyy!

Yay! All done!!!

The artist

Ernesto Kalum...a Sarawak-based tattoo artist who is internationally recognized particularly for his borneo tattoos. I first met Ernesto 3 years ago where i got 2 tattoos done by him. Since then i have gone back to have 2 more done

Other than his obvious talent at tattooing, what i absolutely love about him is his humility. I mean the dude is like a total rock star in Kuching and yet he is the humblest guy on earth.

Plus he has a killer sense of humour on him.

With the artist : Ernesto Kalum

I would highly recommend him especially if you want to get traditional Iban tattoos done. I have met people from different parts of the world who flew all the way to Kuching for the sole purpose of getting inked by him. You can check-out his website on the left for more details (i would strongly advise you to set an appointment first)

Thank you Dazzie for my tattoo (it was his birthday gift to me), and thanks to Rob & Ernesto for making the tattoo-experience so fantastic...as usual :p

You can view the video of the tattooing here

Miami Ink in Kuala Lumpur?!!

noreply@blogger.com (sabrina) — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 05:55:00 +0000

According to the buzz around town, it seems that Ami James and Chris Garver are gonna be coming down to Kuala Lumpur!!!!!

Ami James - i don't know of any ladies who don't wanna bonk him!

I don't know of the dates or venue. Hell i don't even know if it's for real since i just overhead it in a tattoo shop, but if it is indeed for real then woo hoo!

Now while Ami James is certainly the ladies man, it can't be denied that Chris Garver is the true genius! And i especially love the fact that he is also a painter - in fact you can see most of his awesome work in the shop itself! Remember that episode where he did the koi fish painting for that house to be placed above the bed? GORGEOUS!!!!!!

And despite being soo famous he still remains soo humble! Wonder if he is still single :p

You can see more of his art work here

Chris Garver - tattoo God!

Ami James also has an official website and you can checkout his work here

Will update as soon as i get more information on this.

Let's keep our fingers crossed and hope that they will indeed be coming...and perhaps bringing along the pretty-boy Nunez? I know my cousin Steph would just go wild!!!

Watch this space

Ronald's Koi Fish Tattoo

noreply@blogger.com (sabrina) — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 04:35:00 +0000

Ronald got this Koi Fish tattoo done about a year ago.

As any tattoo enthusiast will know, the koi fish is very popular among Westerners and Asians alike. Just watch Miami Ink and you'll see at least 1 person per episode requesting for one to be done!

And of course they all request for it to be done by the delicious Amy James since he is a Koi Fish expert :p

The koi fish is a tattoo of the fish Cyprinus carpio. They are often mistaken for goldfish as they closely resemble them, but they are in fact from the carp family.

Koi fish are known for their strength vitality and perseverance. These japanese tattoos are taken most commonly to symbolize luck. It is very lucky to be a Koi because they are so highly prized and well treated in Japan.

Wild Koi swim upstream to spawn. There is an ancient Japanese legend that if a koi swims all the way up the Yellow River to a point called Dragon Gate, and swims up the waterfall at that point, it will turn into a Dragon. Based on that legend, it became a symbol of worldly aspiration and advancement.

Among the different meanings/symbolism of the koi fish are :

In Buddhism, it represents courage. Humans 'swim' through the 'ocean of suffering' without fear, just like a fish swims through water.
Good fortune or luck
A symbol of love & friendship
Associated with perserverance in adversity and strength of purpose.

Sources : I Love Tattoos & Piercings & Wiki Answers

For a more detailed discussion on Koi Fish, the reader is referred here

The artist who did it was Spec and he was also the guy who gave me my first 2 tattoos (back when he was based in Midland's Penang)

I can personally vouch for this dude's work...he is absolutely fantastic and pays great attention to detail.

I must warn you though that he doesn't like people haggling over the price and he isn't someone who will put up with any attitude.

But other than that he is a totally cool dude.

Shop details :

Spec Bodyart
S048 2nd Floor, Sungei Wang Plaza,

Jalan Bukit Bintang

Kuala Lumpur 55200
Malaysia

Tattoo Artist : Frenchman Tattoo

noreply@blogger.com (sabrina) — Wed, 14 May 2008 09:10:00 +0000

This one was submitted by Jacques Pouliot

Jacques doing a tongue-piercing

He owns a Tattoo & Piercing shop in Campbell River, BC, which he runs with his wife.

Tattooing a client...she's biting-down on a popsicle stick :p

The finished 'product'......lower back rose tattoo with tribal underneath

He also owned/operated Dr. Doodle Tattoos in Powell River,BC for over 15 years.

He is a sample of some of his work :

You can check out the rest of his awesome work at www.frenchmantattoo.com

Here are the full details :

Jacques Pouliot

Frenchman Tattoo & Piercing

560-D 11th Avenue,

Campbell River, BC.,V9W 4G4

250-286-8339

Tours are welcome!

Thanks for the submission dude. If i'm ever in your country, i'm definitely coming over to get inked! :p

Jess' Butterfly Tattoo

noreply@blogger.com (sabrina) — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 07:43:00 +0000

This one was submitted by Jess :

My tale of self mutila… I mean beautification started when I was 16

I became obsessed with getting a belly ring but somehow never worked up the nerve to get one, partly due to my fear of needles but more so the wrath of my parents.

Almost 5 years later, I finally got pierced, with much cheerleading from Booby. So it was only right then, that she became my cheerleader yet again 7 years later when I got my first tattoo.

At Ernesto's shop

Once again I became interested in tattoo’s a long while before I finally got inked.

I think it must have been around the time I got my piercing, I was surfing the net and came across a tattoo design which I fell in love with.

It’s hard to describe but it looked kinda like a heart-shaped wreath of flowers with a tiny cross at the end. It wasn’t too sweet looking – it was pretty but it had a bit of edge to it too and it was perfect.

I filed it away under the ‘Maybe’ list of all the things I have to do in life, again uncertain about sharp, pointy needles, the possibility of being disowned, even religious implications and I guess the finality of getting a permanent tattoo........I wasn’t sure if it was just a phase.

Placing the stencil

Finally on the 16th of September 2007, Booby initiated plans with Kogs, J and I for a holiday in Kuching, designed specifically for us to meet Ernesto Kalum, the master tattooist.

For me this was it!

After 7 years I still yearned for a tattoo and being on the brink of major changes in my life, I was finally ready to be inked!

The design.....my butterfly

My issue with pain was dealt with promises that the pain is addictive and that I didn’t actually need to see the needles – in fact I looked away the entire time Ernesto worked on me!

The master at work

As for my parents, I wasn’t sure about how they’d react (more about that later) but I was hopeful that after years of hearing me and my sister (a champion campaigner in opinion reversals) talk about it, they might become immune to the idea.

Might sound odd that I needed mummy and daddy’s approval but if you lived on my planet you would. As for my faith, a little reading, a lot of talking to different people and some soul searching - I was ready.

Ernesto Kalum

So the day soon arrived.

I had wanted to get ‘my’ tattoo design from 7 years before done but my fiancée asked me to get another one instead as he wanted to get a tattoo as well and wanted me to save ‘my’ design for later when we do ours together.

So I decided on wings, on my ankle to symbolise freedom and independence, even as I was getting ready to be married.

Cliché I know, but I wanted it anyway.

I had picked a few styles of wings that I liked but Ernesto, being the artist that he is told me that :

1. I had to choose between a fairy or butterfly as wings alone wouldn’t look nice so I picked a butterfly

2. He would design it himself with tribal strokes which I was delighted about

3. The size I wanted, a teeny tiny one wouldn’t cut it, it had to be much larger.

When he showed me his sketch it was a real shock to my system as I wasn’t ready for something so obvious!

Trying to avoid looking at the needle!

Had I had come to Kuching wanting my original design I might have been disappointed with a redrawn version of it. Instead I loved the butterfly Ernesto had designed for me and suddenly the size didn’t seem to matter.

In the words of Booby, your tattoo chooses you as much as you choose your tattoo.

The process itself wasn’t as painful as I had expected it to be.

Being near the ankle there were times when I dug my nails into J’s hands (Sorry J!) but for the most part I looked away and tried to hold a conversation with Ernesto and the girls.

Admiring my first tattoo!

The next few days I kept admiring it and lo and behold mum actually thought it was pretty.

Dad on the other hand took 2 weeks to ask, ‘What’s that scribbled on your leg?’

My butterfly!

Even now, every time I look at my tattoo or when someone mentions it I smile.

It’s not just that I think its pretty; it’s the entire process, the memory and the meaning of it that just comes flooding back to me.

Thanks for the submission babe :p

Beckham's New Tattoo : Posh In The Nude

noreply@blogger.com (sabrina) — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 11:20:00 +0000

David Beckham recently got his 11th (!!!) tattoo done.

It is a 7-inch tattoo on his left arm and is apparently a symbol of his devotion to his wife

It features the Spice Girl lying on her back surrounded by stars and baring her breasts with her knees raised up seductively.

The new tatt extends the length of his left forearm is wrapped around an existing Hindi inscription of wife Victoria's name.

David is apparently a huge fan of Michael Scofield's (Prison Break) bodywork and is keen on doin the same to his body

Wenworth Miller @ Michael Scofield's ingenious' bodywork

Both of David's arms are already covered with tattoos

Among the other tattoos that David has are :

His 3 children's names, Brooklyn, Cruz and Romeo, on his back

A figure with arms outstretched, tattooed across his shoulders and down his spine, which David calls his 'guardian angel'

A winged-cross on his neck

A lot of the tattoos on his right arm reflects his soccer career as well as his religious and spiritual beliefs.

Among them are cherubs, angels and a latin inscription which reads : "Let them hate as long as they fear" which is apprently directed at those who have slammed his talents

The Roman numeral for '7' on his right arm : his jersey number

Then there is the famously mis-spelt tattoo of his wife's name, wrtten in Devnagari. Under the name is the Latin phrase "Ut Amem Et Foveam" which translates to "so that I love and cherish."

The extra "h" in the tattoo, making it Vihctoria

David has received a lot of criticism for his tatts but we absolutely adore them!

Sources : China Daily & Bellaonline

Pictures : Google Images

Kogi's Traditional Borneo Tattoo

noreply@blogger.com (sabrina) — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 04:39:00 +0000

Kogi had been wanting to get a tattoo for ages but the thought of the pain terrified her so much that she kept putting it off.

When we took her to Ernesto's shop, she initially wanted to get a rose tattoo but could not find a design she liked.

She basically wanted something as simple as possible so that it would be over quickly :p

However after Ernesto told her that getting a tattoo done traditionally is a lot less painful compared with the machine, she immediately elected to do that.

And since Ernesto is quite particular that if you get a tattoo done traditionally it must be a Borneo design, she let him design one for her

Applying the stencil

Below are the instruments used in traditional tattoos. There are two sticks - one which 'holds' the needle and the other which acts as a hammer

The tools

Stick with the needle. Just like the machine, it is frequently dipped into the ink

One stick is held onto the skin with the needle or sharp stick going into the skin and the other is used as a type of hammer, tapping ink into the skin. The thickness, durability and type of stick are varied to which the tattooist prefers.*

Ernesto (artist) on the right and The Nurse on the left

A traditional tattoo typically involves 2 people : the tattoo artist and the person who stretches the skin, nicknamed "The Nurse" :p

Stretching of the skin is very important to the process. Like with the sticks each artist has their own preferred way of having the skin stretched.

Stretching is different on each part of the body and the correct stretching reduces the time taken to do that tattoo, considerably.*

The Nurse also continuously applies some sort of salve (as seen in pix above on his left hand) onto the area to be tattooed..i think to keep it moist so that the ink will be absorbed better.

All done!

Although it was supposed to be painless, the girl screamed throughout the whole process, which thankfully only lasted about 30-45 minutes.

The smile i'm guessing is not only due to the great tatt, but also due to the fact that she's not under the needle anymore :p

For a video on traditional tattooing, click here

*Source : Wikipedia & personal observation

Vicky's Dragon Tattoo

noreply@blogger.com (sabrina) — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 19:31:00 +0000

For his first tattoo, Vicky decided to get a dragon tattoo.

There are a few reasons why he chose to get said tattoo, the main one being that he was born in the Year of the Dragon i.e. 1976

In the Chinese zodiac, people who are born in the Year of the Dragon are simply considered more powerful and lucky than anyone else. They naturally attract attention, are used to finishing first, and have the self-confidence and ego that go along with their tendency to do things on a grand scale. Endowed with tremendous energy, intelligence, and talent, Dragon people enjoy the attention but can also have a helpful and charitable side as well.

Source : www.tattoosymbol.com

Dragon wrapped around a sword

There are many many different depictions of dragons, with the Western ones looking like giant lizards with long tails and a pair of wings, while the Eastern ones often have no wings.

For a better discussion, readers are referred here

He also used to be part of a 'gang' and back then it was very popular for gang members to have Dragon tatts on their bodies, especially on their backs. It was used in this context to portray ferocity and power.

Of course since then Vicky has wisened-up :p

The tattoo was done back in 2002 (and it still looks really good!) in Two-Thumbs Tattoo Studio in Sungei Wang Plaza which, if i'm not mistaken, has moved to the following location :

Lot 03-85, 3rd Floor, Berjaya Times Square, No.1 Jalan Imbi, Kuala Lumpur 55100 Malaysia

Rihanna's New Tattoo

noreply@blogger.com (sabrina) — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 10:00:00 +0000

“I like hanging out in tattoo shops. When I am in New York, after all the photo shoots and performances, when I should be resting, sometimes I get dressed and go to the tattoo parlors in SoHo and hang out. I am so intrigued by tattoos. It’s an entire culture, and I study it. Sometimes I go with friends or just by myself. I get bum-rushed, but I don’t care. I don’t take security.”

- Atlanta Peach Magazine Sept/Oct -

The gorgeous singer recently got a sprinkling of stars on the back of her neck.

Many don't know this but the singer is quite the tattoo aficionado and already has 4 other tattoos

Treble cleff and 16th note on her right foot which she got while in Australia

"I wanted something small and cute that would remind me forever of being here"

It seems Rihanna decided to get the tattoo only minutes after she arrived in the country and decided that an ankle tattoo was the best way to commemorate her first visit there.

Symbol of friendship behind her right ear

Sanskrit prayer on her right hip

Lately she has been seen walking around with this design...a guitar...on her forearm. But apparently it's just a stencil so we'll just have to wait and see if she decides to really get it done or not

But i personally hope she doesn't...it doesn't look as pretty and classy like her other tatts

Video : Traditional Tattoo

noreply@blogger.com (sabrina) — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 02:45:00 +0000

A short video of Daisy getting her Hornbill tattoo done

For those of you who have never seen how a tattoo is done traditionally

Don't let the noise scare you...it's actually less painful compared to the machine