Chrysanthemum

New tatt who this. Thank you Yande from Conscious Arts Tattoo Ubud for the ink!

So I didn't just go to Bali for a holiday... But to also get a tattoo! Anyway here's the story.

I've been wanting to get a chrysanthemum inked on my body for a long time, and I guess now it's the right time. I would say it's a symbolic one too. Now that we're closing the flower farm (in fact we're doing our last delivery next month-ish I think). Also it's sort of a reminder of the past 10 years of my life. And the last 3 years too, where this chapter of my life slowly comes to a close.

When I went back home for good 10 years ago, I never expected myself to land among the flowers. I watch them grow, bloom and slowly die in the past 3 years. The past 3 years was really something that is unexpected. But somehow all the timing makes me realise, there is a reason why I landed among the flowers. So yes this tattoo serves as a farewell gift for this chapter of my life.

In Buddhism flower is a symbol of impermanence. It's a reminder that nothing lasts, like how a flower will wilt one day. So it's quite funny how people think that flower offerings are something beautiful but deep inside there's a deeper meaning to it! This tattoo serves a reminder of impermanence. I mean who would expect whatever happened in the past 3 years. No one expected it, no one wanted it. But it came and altered everything that came on its path. Life is a constant change. Nothings stays forever.

I never expected to land among the flowers

The flowers have taught me a lot of lessons. But one of the biggest lessons I learned is the idea that you cannot stop a flower from blooming. Just like how you can't stop life from unravelling what it has in store for you. I learned this back 4 years ago when our flowers began blooming 1 month before their expected date. And I realised... There's nothing we can do. There's no use crying over them, cursing them or so on. They just bloom, and they will continue blooming.

I would say this is a beautiful metaphor, teaching, and reminder that you can't stop things that are meant to happen for you in life. And as Alan Watts said: no amount of anxiety will make a difference to what is going to happen. But for me I've also learned that no amount of hope, despair, anger, sadness and so on will stop the things that are meant for you to happen in life. So live your life bravely, go on with courage. have faith, keep going - cause you can't stop the flower from blooming.

This is a bitter pill to swallow, but it's also reality. It's the truth. There's no way you can go around trading it or changing it with something else. 

Anyway I got this tattoo at Conscious Arts Tattoo in Ubud. I actually found them a few years ago from Instagram cause I follow tattoo hashtags haha. I like their designs so I thought of getting inked at their studio. I got inked by Yande. I love his works! I actually wanted to get a tattoo of a top view of this chrysanthemum flower but he recommended this angle instead, which makes sense cause you can see the flower blooming from this angle but not really from the top. So yeah trust your tattoo artists hah.

The tattoo took 1.5 hours (with 10 minute break) and the consultation took about 30-45 minutes ish. Well now I know how it feels to get inked for this long. I think I can do a sleeve mwahaha. Once again thank you Yande for this tattoo! If you want to get a tattoo and you're in Ubud, do check them out!

Alright that's all from me and this trip to Bali. I don't have any ideas for my next tattoo yet. But I still want to get a sleeve done haha. Hopefully I'll get some inspiration and ideas soon heh. See you again Bali!