So after exactly a month, I've finally got round to finishing the batch editing of all the photos from my 2012 Chinese New Year!

Don't know why I didn't exactly take as much "proper photos" this CNY - all of the photos you are about to see today are all shot with sub-par phone/tablet camera quality. 

 

If I could sum up Chinese New Year for me every year (in no particular order), it  would be :

 

1. Family

2. Food

3. Hometown

4. Angpows! $$$

5. Red

 

So here's what I was up to this Chinese New Year – in photos!

 

So here we go… FAMILY!

Yup, that's my immediate family. Small, but complete nonetheless

 

At 5'7", I believe I inherited my height from my dad.  Don't know if that's supposed to be a good thing, since I'm always b!tching about my height on Twitter. Heh. 

Anyway, roadtrip up North to Penang with my fellow Penangites! 

 

Penang Bridge during sunset!

 

The moment I crossed the bridge, I felt a tinge of nostalgia sweeping up to me like a morning breeze.

Good ol' Penang; encompassing so much memories of growing up, life, love, friendships and more 

 

KOMTAR: Penang's tallest landmark heritage

 

Brought the boyfie home for CNY. 

Hahahaahah  what does High Expectations Asian Father have to say?

 

lololol just kidding! They got along pretty damn well 

 

Seafood dinner by the seaside with the parents & him for our early CNY reunion dinner. Being islanders, seafood is one of our staples amongst many others!

(Don't say rice. I will smack you) 

Look for cooking classes at www.OnlineCollegeClasses.org and you'll see that there is so much more to the cuisine than simply rice!

 

I daresay this was one of the best dinners I've ever had

 

We had so much delicious, freshly caught seafood on our table!

 

Teluk Kumbar Seafood is the name. 

And that's where you're gonna having your sunset seafood dinner when in Penang

 

Here are only 5 outta 8 dishes we ordered.

 

Where else did we go for our Chinese New Year reunion dinner?

 

To Kok Thai Chinese Restaurant for an 8-course Chinese Banquet dinner! :)

This photo doesn't do the food justice at all!

 

3 generations at a round table for dinner 

 

The boyfie stood out tonight; being the only white in an Asian restaurant on Chinese New Year

 

And that's not all..

 

In my family, food comes in abundance as the cooking never stops!

Delicous home-made reunion dinner meals & yee sang throughout the 1st week of Chinese New Year

 

Spent time with my maid who, if you didn't already know, 

was my nanny & helped to look after me when I was a 3 year old toddler – till now! 

 

Spent time with some friends over Barbeque Steamboat at

Town Steamboat along Macalister Road in the city

 

I was so full & didn't feel like talking. So I got bored. 

 

At Healy Mac's Irish Bar & Restaurant along Straits Quay!

Don't remember what I ordered, most likely along the lines of Kahlua, Baileys, 

Wild Turkey or some other form of coffe-cream liqueurs.

As always.

What's next?

 

It was Australia Day!

Fancy some shisha and a bit of Down Under spirit mate? 

 

Went to the famous Kek Lok Si Temple.

Translated from Penang Hokkien as 'Temple of Supreme Bliss'

 

Welcome to the largest Buddhist temple in South East Asia! 

 

Just for the record, I'm not Buddhist.

So… why exactly did we pay a visit to Kek Lok Si temple this Chinese New Year again?

 

To watch other people pray

 

For pretty lights!  

The elaborate decorations during the festive season were gorgeous!

 

To take photos with Buddha…

 

And take photos with a bigger Buddha…

 

and take photos with Buddha again…..

 

… not just ONE Buddha, but many many Buddhas all lined up in a row…

 

We also wanted to climb up and take photos with the massive Guan Yin (Goddess of Mercy) statue, but alas we were too late.

 

We had to go as soon as the gates began to shut.

Good lord, I felt as though I've just warped back from China for a second! 

 

And last but not least….. gambling session with the buddies!

 

Listen up, lucky cat! Bring mommy some good luck aight?

 

Just so you know, he most certainly kicked some ass

Good job, son!  Black cats aren't harbingers of bad luck after all, in your case, BabyChivas!

 

We caused the banker to be bankrupt and yes, I won double the capital I put in!

 

 

Hope you had a smashing Chinese New Year celebration of the Black Water Dragon just like I did 

A late post is better than none! There you go, my Chinese New Year this year!

 

 

Okay this is it.

Some of you have been requesting to see my tattoos (since 2 years ago – so sorry!) but I somehow didn't quite feel like sharing it in a blogpost.

But finally, I relented. Here's an entire post about my tattoos. Random decision, but here goes!

For those of you in the know, my most recent body art is a Greek tattoo on my ribcage; got it done last month in Singapore.

 

Greek scriptures and an original quote written by me

 

Just before I made my final decision to have it imprinted on my body forever

 

 

Just like all my previous tattoos, my design was printed out and carbon-copied onto my ribcage for positioning and preference purposes. 

 

So far so good!

I took an immediate liking to it and gave my inkmaster the green light

 

 

On the tattoo bench. Yup, I'm all set and ready to begin!

 

 

What did I get myself into?

 

 

Bring on 5 hours of intense and gruelling pain.

 

With each and every time I endure hours & hours of yet another hellish tattoo session,

I ask myself one question :

 

 

But oddly enough, I never fail to keep coming back every year and mark myself with another body art

Simply 'cos I adore tattoos, its intricacy on human flesh & how it is a new experience for me

They say pain is addictive. What say you?

 

I daresay that my ribcage tattoo was the worst, most excruciating experience I've ever had amongst all my other tattoos.

Funny thing was, I've always known the ribcage tattoo to be the most painful spot to ink on.

 

So intense that my inkmaster gave me some Tequila shots to down

 

Felt better after 2-3 shots. It helped to numb my senses

Alright. Breaktime over, continue the buzzing of the needle!

 

 

I've always wanted a tattoo in a foreign language, but never knew what language.

 

Chinese? Nah, I have Chinese heritage.

French? Nah. Too mainstream.

Latin? Nah. Sexy… but *still* quite mainstream.

Thai? Sanskrit? Arabic? Japanese?

 

 

Then it struck me 

A Greek tattoo came vaguely to mind since my high school days.

Unfortunately, I hadn't a single grasp nor knowledge whatsoever about the language and I didn't wanna trust Google Translate – of all things!

 

 

But guess what?

This year proves to be the best & most coincidental time for me to finally get started on my Greek tattoo because my Greek boyfriend and his father so kindly helped me translate the quotes I had in mind and pen out the sentences in perfect grammar for me.

For that, I wholeheartedly thank the both of you, Σας ευχαριστούμε Κωνσταντίνος και Γεώργιος!  

 

SEMI FRONTAL VIEW

After 5 hours into the procedure : and it's done!

So that was it. My latest (5th and counting!) tattoo – the ribcage tattoo in Greek.

What's next? Okay so… I know I owe you stories of my past 4 tattoos in the past.

 

So hit the button and let's begin!

 

 

It was my freshman year of college back in 2007.

So young and innocent… yet wild, bold and raring to go! 

 

2007 : 1st ink

The tribal heart lower back tattoo

 

It was done at a friend's house by a tattoo artist from Singapore who was touring Malaysia at that time.

Oh guess what? I found something quite interesting. My blogpost about this very first tattoo!

 

My reaction after reading that blogpost written by my 18 year old self :

 

Oh geez. Seriously, 18 year old Jess, seriously?

 

 

 

Exactly a year later….

 

2008 : 2nd ink

The tribal cat outline left shoulder blade tattoo

 

 

Trivia time! 

I deliberately requested one of my kitty's right eye to be blacked out.

Bet you didn't know, my own right eye is semi-blacked out as well. My right vision is terribly impaired.

 

 

Felt somewhat proud yet nervous at the same time.

Someone was interviewing & filming me throughout the process!

 

DONE DONE DONE!

Had it done in Mandala Tattoo parlour

 

 

Candid shot displaying my 1st two tattoos

 

 

Expecting another tattoo a year later? Well no, not in 2009.

Skipped a year of tattooing; that year put me through something more painful than that.

 

What can I say? The emotional pain that lingered outweighed physical pain any day.

But once that was over and dealt with…….

 

MADE A COMEBACK

2010 : 3rd ink

The Egyptian Eye of Horus wrist tattoo

 

If you haven't read it, I found my blogpost that I wrote about this wrist tattoo written back then!

 

Since I've skipped out on a year, I had TWO tattoos done in that year to make up for it.

So here's the second tattoo done in 2010 :

 

2010 : 4th ink

A winged camera + film neck (nape) tattoo

 

 

Inking session in motion – outlines first!

 

Keep on going!

 

My not-so-enthusiastic-but-holding-in-the-pain face

 

Had both my tattoos of 2010 in Singapore by this Phillipino tattoo artist who owns a shop in Orchard Road

 

Filling it in….

 

Done before you know it!

 

 

I absolutely love how it peeks outta my back collar like that 

 

 

I hope you've enjoyed the short history trip back into time.

And now…… as mentioned in the beginning of this post.

 

2011 : 5th ink

A Greek scripture ribcage tattoo

 

So there you have it, an entire post which encapsulates my entire journey of tattoo thus far.

Don't ask me why I do this, why I inflict myself with pain on the surface of my skin is honestly beyond me

 

Perhaps, I find it an incredible journey of self discovery, personalization.

Truth be told, it does not, in any way alter my personality even one tiny bit

 

 

 

I know will look back with nostalgia and reminisce my younger days of what was significant to my youth.

My body is a canvas and body art leaves an indelible mark I will hold close & personal to me for life.

 

Bear them to my grave, I shall.