Body Art on the Brain ...

Well, I got a job at a bridal boutique somewhere in the Bukit Bintang area ... But that's not the topic of this post ... Nearby my workplace are a couple of tattoo parlours ... Now, I have always entertained the idea of geting a tattoo, but there are reasons not to ... Firstly, as a Muslim, I'm not allowed to get one ... And because of that, secondly, my mother will definitely blow me to smithereens if I did ... Nevertheless, I do find body art compelling ... I don't think I'd get a lot of it, but perhaps a very significant piece of art ... Something that has meaning to me ... I've been thinking of a phoenix ... It's a symbol of resurrection, rebirth and renewal ... I mean, I've been to hell and back three times ... That should count for something ...

So, the other day when the store's manager was on leave and I found a bit of free time to roam about, I went into one of those parlours ... First I ask whether they do temporary tattoos, to which they said no ... Then I went back and forth in front of the parlour, going to the toilet and whatnot, but really just thinking of how I was going to ask what I wanted without being looked on as a wack job, me being a hijab-wearing Muslim ...

Which actually brings me to the another reason why I want to get myself inked ... One day, a Middle Eastern woman walked in looking for a bridal gown ... Firstly, I did not think they would get married in the gowns that we have ... Anyways, she tried on a few gowns, and then I saw it ... A tattoo in Arabic on her arm ... Cool ... I don't know what it said, but the woman obviously had no qualms showing off her body art ... Of course, there are those who are supposed to be Muslim who have tattoos ... But, this was an Arabic woman ... She has balls ... Of course, this is not such a strong reason for me to get a tattoo, but I feel emboldened looking at that woman ...

Anyway, back to my story with going in and out of the tattoo parlour ... After thinking about it, I went in again, but instead of saying that I wanted to get a tattoo, I asked, "If someone wanted to get a tattoo of a phoenix, how much would it cost?" ... As it turned out, one has to bring a photo of the art they want to ink ... The man suggested I google photos of what I want ... So, I had a look through and these are the best candidates ...

This one looks rather large ... I only want one which fits my upper arm ... 

This would look impressive if the background is indeed black, but I don't think it will shine through, in a manner of speaking, on my skin ...

As for my mother, I don't really need to ask for her permission ... She will never give it ... And I know her reaction if I were to ask for it ... Instead, I'm just going to tell her that I'm getting a tattoo and see her reaction to that ... If it's really acrimonious, I might reconsider ... It's either that or I get a job far away from tattoo parlours, because as far as my mind is concerned, it's already made up ...