Tagged: tattoos

Customized Skin

High

Your skin is a canvass. With your skin, you can write stories, paint images and create immortality. With your skin, you are able to understand RESURRECTION.

Yes, tattoo is an act of resurrection, of restoring lost images and finding dead texts buried inside your nostrils, hidden inside your shirt, or covered by your hair. Your tattoo is your beautiful scar, where the eyes can hunt for meanings and read paragraphs, sentences, lines, words, letters and more meanings.

Low

In some parts of the world where tattoos are part of the culture, the idea of getting a tattoo is a part of acceptance to the beliefs and ideas of the tribe. In the Philippines, the only surviving tattoo artist in a certain tribe claimed that the culture of tattoo art in their tribal community is no longer recognized by the new generation. In fact, her grandchildren refused to learn tattoo art. She is in her 90s, with her body full of tattoos which she did on her own by using a sharp stick. In her early years, she was able to perform body tattoo without the use of a tattoo machine. Sadly, with no one interested to learn tattoo, their tribe’s tattoo art will no longer be passed from generation to generation and it will be lost forever.

Location: Philippines

I have  high respect towards the American and European artists and I believe that paying my high respect is enough to let them know that there is no need to post their works here on my page. This time, I will pay respect to my fellow Filipinos who are able to show that   Filipinos are not just good in screaming in the streets all for the purpose of exercising freedom.

Choco Borromeo, a sick friend who enjoys torturing demons in his sleep (inked by another sick friend with a sick twin, Klief Dofredo)

Ocho Toleran, a musician who is in love with tattoo machines (as what I’ve noticed)

Mak Patindol, another sick friend, an aspiring tattoo artist.

Ian Tayao of Queso and Wilabaliw, a human who is obsessed with the idea of “universe”

Rehabilitating Pop Culture

sex__drugs__rock_n___roll_by_bloodonthemoon5-d30zbj6

When rockstars scream sex, drugs and rock ‘n roll, everyone then made their conclusion: rockstars are drug users. When they heard about guys in dreadlocks, they then believe all guys in dreadlocks are smoking weed. With such false conclusions, why not be fair and suspect everybody a drug user?

Here are two fair judgments: 1. not all rockstars are drug users (though 70-90% of them do use drugs); 2. not all guys in dreadlocks are drugs users either (well actually 80% of them really smoke weed). Here is one good explanation why I don’t blame you for your unfair judgment: You’re just too trapped with the popular idea that popular culture is dependent on drugs.

Everyone can be a victim of drugs, even your favorite celebrities just like Lindsay Lohan. In fact, I think 50% of her popularity comes from going in and out of rehab. Well, don’t be surprised, celebrities are paying big money for their drug rehabilitation and then expect them to be back after a couple of months. When they’re not making movies or recording albums, they’re probably spending a lot of time in rehabilitation centers for drug detox.

While the third world countries are promoting birth control pills and fighting freedom over their leaders, the thirty something, the twenty something and the below twenty something have one strong voice- to legalize marijuana (though in some countries, marijuana is just a non addictive weed so it’s not illegal). When people heard about the Rastafari movement, 60% of them are convinced that marijuana should be legal. In the Philippines, there are more marijuana plantations than banana and rice plantations. What a cool country to plant and smoke weed.

Drug abuse has always been a part of popular culture. The generation X or the baby boomers enjoyed the wild days of Rolling Stones and The Beatles. The members of The Rolling Stones were actually accused of being a bad influence to their public audience for producing songs promoting sex, violence and drugs. The Beatles also received negative criticisms from the older audience when they released their song entitled “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” which was interpreted and abbreviated by critics as LSD. If not sex, pop culture is definitely about drugs.

Of course as a law abiding citizen I say pop culture should not be dependent on drugs. But the ironic thing is that songs, movies and books are popular because they revolve in one universal theme: DRUGS. If Eric Clapton’s “Cocaine” was a hit, then thanks to drugs. If The Goodfellas has a good story, then thanks to drugs. If love lines such as “you’re my perfect drug”, “I’m addicted to you” and “you make me feel so high” are in every card or love note, then thanks to drugs. If drug rehabilitation centers exist, then thanks to drugs. Well, I say hooray for the paraphernalia, for the bongs and the not-so-hygienic needles!

Seriously, drug abuse is still a criminal offense. That’s why rehabilitation institutions and online sites promote drug detox for the users and for the society to slowly withdraw from drugs and eventually rehabilitate our pop culture.