Jess' Butterfly Tattoo

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

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

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

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