This and tat....

New 'to

I've thought of getting a tattoo for a long time. About 8 years ago, I did have a very light outline of permanent eyeliner put on. Talk about torture. But just think what I can now do with the 3.5 minutes I'll now save over the course of my lifetime, what with being able to skip that step in applying make-up everyday.

It would be hard to say that I've ever look at anyone else's tattoo and thought, "Hey, gee, wow. That looks really awesome. Wish I'd thought of that and had it forever emblazoned on my person." Never. Don't you more have the, "Now, with the pink dragon holding a skull and crossbones, shooting dice, on your neck, tell me about what you were thinking when you...". I've always been protected from myself, knowing that I'm fickle enough to eventually resent what I think is amusing today.

So who knows what Malaysian spirit moved me to get this today. A friend from my travel group took photographs through the process. If there's one thing I can't stress enough, particularly when getting a tattoo in a foreign country....scratch that....particularly when getting one that is visible to everyone you meet 24-7, on your neck, make sure you are really able to communicate with the tattoo artist. Like, say, speak the same language for example. There was some confusion on size (it came out about 4 times as big as I'd imagined), color (yellow with green outlines...wanted graduated shades of orange) and, well, shape. And I donno, the overall design?

At least I know no one else has one just like it.















Outlining

















Me with my "It's perfect. Just what I wanted" face and the artist.

I guess the only other piece of advice I have here is, like I did, get it done in henna. It should be washed off, or at least only resemble lightly smeared poo by the time I get home. It's been fun to watch people's reactions to it today, here in a highly Muslim country.

There was one lady at Penang Hill today, where we took a tram up that overlooked the city....she was eating Pringles, drinking a bottle of Pepsi and making videos with a really nice digital recorder from under her burka. I think we were both trying not to stare at each other.