I know how I did at one point make a bold statement that my skin had enough permanent blemishes that I didn’t need anything else to further distract people with. But last Saturday afternoon, I did get a tattoo. I had Haring Ulan, Cathy and Francesca in Alibata wrapped around my right arm in black ink.
I figure that depending on how you know me, that might probably come to you as a shock or maybe just something that I’m most likely to do. But to be completely honest, the idea of having ink forever etched on my epidermis was not something I contemplated on before.
So why the change of heart?
Well first off, I would shamefully admit that I was one of those ignorant people who entertained to some extent the stereotype that people with tattoos are the kind my parents warned me about when I was little (Which reminds me, as of this writing I have yet to actually tell my parents I did get a tattoo). But in the last few years, I’ve actually met a lot of really interesting people who had tattoos and I personally know a few nice ones who are actually considering getting some ink done. And though some are more passionate than others, it’s actually great to hear stories behind why people pick certain designs. So unless the tattoo of the person you are sitting next to in the bus reads “Kill Babies” or “Willie Revillame Rocks”, I wouldn’t be too quick to judge.
I had someone ask me why get a tattoo now that I am in my mid thirties. Though of course there is no age limit to getting it, I do understand the question. Personally, I think now that I’m at this age; I really do know what I want without having second thoughts in the future.
Settling on a tattoo design requires massive amounts of commitment. Once the machine buzzes and that inked needle pricks your skin, there is no undo function. I’ve heard of people who had their original tattoos covered up with new ones because they didn’t like it anymore or worse had it totally removed. Making sure your heart is set on a design saves you the trouble of having to say something like, “Well yeah, Robby Rosa of Menudo was really really big back then okay, so leave me alone!!!”
Now comes the question of “What it really as painful as people say it is?”
Contrary to what I was told, tattoos are done by using needles and not soft cotton buds. As you probably already know, I am the type of person that has extremely low threshold for things that hurt. But having undergone an operation last year, I think I can safely say with confidence that I am no stranger to pain. Having a machine repeatedly prick my skin for 45 minutes is definitely a day at the beach compared to the mind numbing excruciating pain I had when I recovered from my hemorrhoidectomy.
I’ve heard some people who’ve had tattoos say that the pain is only temporary and that your body eventually helps you adapt to it. I’ve read accounts of people who even went as far as saying it reaches a point when it feels like a therapeutic massage. I don’t know what those people were smoking when they said all that, but it really does hurt all the way, from the outlining to the actual shading. As the tattoo needle jackhammers, it’s like having hundreds of ants gnaw through your skin. It’s hard to describe, you probably do have to experience it to know what it’s really like, but it does hurt.
It doesn’t help that the area I decided to get my tattoo includes that part near my underarm, which has really thin sensitive skin. I’m not going to lie to you, it hurt the most when the needle slowly inched its way toward it. But the pain was somewhat tolerable. I think I was more stressed about the fact that because the procedure its self was a bit messy with all the inkblots and blood (yeah, there was a bit of bleeding involved), I was afraid that the tattoo wouldn’t come out as good and I just paid someone to actually ruin my skin. I had things going on inside my head like, “What if he misspells it? What if this guy sneezes and jerks while doing my tattoo and he accidentally draws a long permanent line on my arm?”
But my tattoo did come out great. It was actually even better than how I imagined it would be when it was finished. I like to personally thank Jimmy Dy, owner and artist of Ink Nation Tattoo and Body Piecing over at Rosario in San Pedro Laguna for doing a superb job.
In fact, my tattoo came out so nicely that my lovely wife Cathy actually even decided to get one as well that very same day. She has my name in alibata just a little below her nape. I was glad she shared that experience with me; it just made the commitment of getting a tattoo all the more special.
It’s nice to know that in a world where things don’t stay the same as much, there are still ones that are truly permanent.
