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12/4/2015 3 Comments Dwayne Johnson “The Rock” Tattoos
Dwayne Douglas Johnson A.K.A. The Rock (b 2-May-1972) is a professional wrestler and actor. He returned to WWE officially in February of 2012 and won the “Royal Rumble” match against CM Punk, becoming the WWE reigning Champion. He has acted in Hollywood blockbusters such as “The Mummy,” “Scorpion King,” “The Mummy 2,” and Fast & Furious 7. 
The Rock has two tattoos. One is a modern single design on his right upper arm of a bull. However, his second tattoo was a departure from modern tattoo design, being a traditional Samoan style of tattoo all over his left shoulder.
The bull head tattoo on Johnson’s right arm corresponds to his Western zodiac birth sign of Taurus, the Bull. The tattoo is a long-horn type of steer and is a fairly straightforward outline style of design. The eyes of the bull are also colored in red. The tattooing on his left arm and shoulder is traditional Samoan style tattooing, done by an artist in Hawai’i. It incorporates traditional tribal patterns and symbols representing Johnson himself, his wife and daughter, his family and spirit guides. This extensive half sleeve wraps all the way around the upper arm, over the shoulder and onto the chest. A later session extended the section on his chest, adding a large symbolic warrior face over his heart. Traditionally, Samoan tattooing was done by an artist, assisted by multiple people. The tattooist would use two tools, one a bone-tipped rake and the other the striking stick. The rake would be dipped in ink, then struck with the other stick to puncture the skin. The assistants had the job of holding the skin of the tattooee taut so that the artist could work. In his recent interview with Playboy magazine, Johnson did mention that that work took sixty hours total to execute, spread out over three sessions and was composed entirely freehand (meaning the artist worked right on his skin without a stencil or transfer). He did not mention if the tattoo was done with the traditional hand tools or if any of the ink was tattooed by conventional machine. Dwayne has two tatoos, one on his right arm of a Brahma Bull that represents his sign of the zodiac which is Taurus the Bull and also he has an affinity for bulls. His next tattoo extends from his left shoulder, shoulder blade, and midway his left arm. It is a Polynesian tattoo (basically Marquesan) that he had done in Hawaii sometime in February of 2003 by Po’oino Yrondi – a famous Tahitian tattooist.
What Does Dwayne’s Polynesian Tattoo Mean? In early 2003, Dwayne traveled to Hawaii to have his family history tattooed on him—a Samoan tradition. Here he reveals the meanings of his tattoo. 
A) These are coconut leaves, or niu, which denote a Samoan chief-warrior.
B) This is the sun which brings good fortune. C) This isa/ga fa’atasi (three people in one), That’s me with my arms open. As it continues on my chest, it connects to my o lo’u to’a/ua (my wife, Dany) and my o lo’u afafine (my daughter, Simone Alexandra). D) These descending swirls represent past, present and future, with the future becoming ever bigger. The pattern continues under my arm, where its meaning is written: “It changes in the place where it is found to be gone.” E) These two eyes, called o mata e lua, represent my ancestors watching over my path. F) This is the Great Eye, It’s an intimidating symbol that allows its user to possess the spirit of his enemy. The eye is used to distract the enemy in a confrontation. G) This broken face, marked by shark teeth—a symbol of strength—is my spirit protector and a symbol of my struggle. H) This is the priest and spiritual guide, who raises a warrior to enlightenment and supernatural power under the eyes of the warrior’s ancestors. I) These are stones of achievement and abundance. They’re the foundation of my life and symbols of my dedication. They bring the right to stand and speak with honor as a Tula Fale—a high talking chief—and they maintain mana, or supernatural power. J) This is a tortoise shell, to deflect evil spirits. Warriors used shells as shields.
It took between 15-20 hours to have done (not counting his chest that was done afterward). According to Dwayne, when you get a tattoo like this, it tells the story of his life and what he represents, what’s important in his life from strength to protection to loyalty to family. It tells a story from beginning to end. During the process of receiving this tattoo he along with his cousin Tanoa’i, who also got a tattoo of the same magnitude that took 24 hours, sat around with other cousins and friends and talked about the story of his heritage as well and played music and sang in order to take their minds off of the pain of getting the tattoo.
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8/4/2015 0 Comments Facebook Saga Hey Guys,
Was just informed by friends in both Singapore and China that I became a celebrity overnight! Apparently, someone innocently asked who am I on Facebook, which garnered many likes and remarks that my tattoos might wash off in the shower (just like watercolour)! Well, I hope to pull off such an interesting magic trick in the future, but alas, its permanent folks! wink emoticon Anyway, the main question was, "who is this girl that claims to be Singapore's best?" To keep it nice and simple, I have been tattooing for over decade. Folks that may not have known me otherwise, came over to get inked by me. Among them were celebrities, politicians, royalties, etc. It's interesting, but I consider myself as one of the best Singapore Female Tattoo Artist currently working in Singapore. Many of my clients would be delighted to share their stories and tattoos with you. If you ask nicely, that is! On top of that, I have also been featured in a few publications including Expatliving.sg as well. So... you be the final judge. 'Nuff said. May artistic inspirations continue to permeate from every living cell of everyone! Inking & Loving IT, Apple Qu 3/4/2015 0 Comments Client's Tattoo JourneyHou Boqiao or Xiao Hou as we affectionately call him, is one of Apple's ardent fan and a close friend of ours. He first came to Apple after learning about her excellent skills over the internet, and one tattoo led to another, eventually we all became extremely close friends. May this friendship continue for many years to come! Below is a description and images of his tattoos that were all done by Apple.  My first tattoo is located on my upper back, which I got while in year two of university. The design is of a cobra and a rattlesnake intertwined together. The cobra represents Oriental Culture while the rattlesnake represents Western Culture. Essentially, it means the merger of these two unique cultures into one universal community. Another more straightforward design element is that I am born in the Year of the Snake!  My first encounter with the needles was awfully painful, and I told myself this was and will be my only tattoo for life! Half a year later, the tattoo bug came visiting again. My second tattoo was of the grim reaper. This unique design has him bald headed without the typical hood that usually covers his head in most representations. One of his arm is also made out of a tree branch, which resembled closely to my outlook on life that although death is the end, but it also represents the beginning of a new chapter. I extremely loved this design, which resulted in me feeling the awful feeling of the needles once more.  And so my woeful tattoo journey begun! Ever since my second tattoo, I believed that I was permanently hooked on. After a month of letting my second tat heal, I went back for my third! This one is on my lower leg of the Chinese character of “Chan Buddhism.” Inside the character is a portion of the famous Chinese painting “Guiguzi.” Below the word is a calligraphic script of the word “ghost” in Chinese. Portion of the word is embodied in the lotus flower. Within the flower there is a small ghost emerging from within. This represents the Buddhist teaching that even a ghost who carries kindness will be able to attain Buddhahood/nirvana. Whereas, the lotus is symbolic of Buddhism.  My fourth tattoo is a complimentary piece to the grim reaper on my left arm. Similar to the snakes tattoo on my back, I believe in complimentary work between cultures, and so I placed the grim reaper representing evil or ugliness of humanity on my left (because I believed that western cultures considers evil to be more leftist), while compassion and peace is represented by the beauty of China’s famous Chinese Opera singers. This being said, I still believe that there can never be a clear difference between good and evil as it’s the differing viewpoints that only separates one from the other.  My last tattoo (at the moment), was made when I completed my studies in Singapore and just before I left for home in China. This tattoo was sort of a keepsake for the few years I spent in Singapore. This is a purely Chinese characters tattoo. It comprises of a large “Dao” which means “the supreme way of the universe,” with a “six” written in red ink within the word, making it “the 6 ways of the universe.” At first, I planned to have it made into a full back piece, however, Apple suggested against it as it did not match the snake tattoo I had on my back. Therefore I had it done on my leg, which complements the “Chan Buddhism” (third tattoo) tattoo I have as well. Just like how the Chinese believe in karma and the affinity of things. Just about everything was planned, my life in Singapore, my friends, my encounters, and now my tattoos!
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