bongsau

nobody has ever said anything negative to me about my tattoos,if they do I will blurt out something rude & sarcastic,
I always show mine (clothing wise) as much as I can,
even my work is totally cool with it,the inmates actually compliment me on them.
I wear short sleeves at work and shorts & tees all the other time.

Never any comments, just disapproving looks. Some family members have commented, but generally just busting my chops or telling me how little my mom would have liked them.
I'd take no crap from a stranger and promptly tell them to get bent.

A tattoo take 4-6 weeks to heal. You won't know what it's going to look like until then. NO tattoo is perfect. If you go over it with a microscope you'll find things "wrong" with it and make yourself miserable. Look at the big picture when looking at your tattoos. It looks good to me.

Awesome, @bongsau!

You've got this, piece of cake.
I was taught several years ago the technique of "belly breathing". On the inhale you push your stomach outward fully. The idea being that your diaphragm drops further, pulling air more deeply into your lungs. It seems odd at first, but is easy to get the hang of. It really helps relieve stress. Do it slowly, concentrating on each breathe.
Good luck! 👍

long, slow, deep breathing

yeah, man, you really need to relax your body, find your zen, and breathe. being tense will not be good for getting tattooed.
glad it came out well though.
 

Update - awesome time in Belgium and France !
Got to meet my LST penpal danceswithferrets in-person. Him and his wife showed me a wonderful time in Leuven and we had a really awesome tattoo exchange, including this photo op:

 
I enjoyed Belgian sites and people (and beer!) so much that I headed back to Bruxelles after the Southern France wedding for my remaining days.
Met some cool people by chance (one of which was a tattooist) within 5 minutes of leaving my airbnb...got this gothic skull blastover made by my new pal Taul Tattoo at his Atome22 Studio:

 
And spent my last day in Bruxelles at the world class Purple Sun Tattoo:
Hand poked finger dangler by Indy Voet

 
and this incredibly powerful tattoo from Jean-Philippe Burton
 
As an added bonus I got to see the Wim Delvoye exhibit at the Royal Museums of Fine Arts Belgium and see Jamie the tattooed pig from Art Farm and the Cloaca shit machine !

 
Very grateful for the experiences the universe and tattoo-karma provided me throughout this trip. It was a spiritual awakening of sorts. Highly recommend Bruxelles and Belgium, I can't wait to go back 🙂
 

Update - awesome time in Belgium and France !
Got to meet my LST penpal danceswithferrets in-person. Him and his wife showed me a wonderful time in Leuven and we had a really awesome tattoo exchange, including this photo op:

 
I enjoyed Belgian sites and people (and beer!) so much that I headed back to Bruxelles after the Southern France wedding for my remaining days.
Met some cool people by chance (one of which was a tattooist) within 5 minutes of leaving my airbnb...got this gothic skull blastover made by my new pal Taul Tattoo at his Atome22 Studio:

 
And spent my last day in Bruxelles at the world class Purple Sun Tattoo:
Hand poked finger dangler by Indy Voet

 
and this incredibly powerful tattoo from Jean-Philippe Burton
 
As an added bonus I got to see the Wim Delvoye exhibit at the Royal Museums of Fine Arts Belgium and see Jamie the tattooed pig from Art Farm and the Cloaca shit machine !

 
Very grateful for the experiences the universe and tattoo-karma provided me throughout this trip. It was a spiritual awakening of sorts. Highly recommend Bruxelles and Belgium, I can't wait to go back 🙂
 

Update - awesome time in Belgium and France !
Got to meet my LST penpal danceswithferrets in-person. Him and his wife showed me a wonderful time in Leuven and we had a really awesome tattoo exchange, including this photo op:

 
I enjoyed Belgian sites and people (and beer!) so much that I headed back to Bruxelles after the Southern France wedding for my remaining days.
Met some cool people by chance (one of which was a tattooist) within 5 minutes of leaving my airbnb...got this gothic skull blastover made by my new pal Taul Tattoo at his Atome22 Studio:

 
And spent my last day in Bruxelles at the world class Purple Sun Tattoo:
Hand poked finger dangler by Indy Voet

 
and this incredibly powerful tattoo from Jean-Philippe Burton
 
As an added bonus I got to see the Wim Delvoye exhibit at the Royal Museums of Fine Arts Belgium and see Jamie the tattooed pig from Art Farm and the Cloaca shit machine !

 
Very grateful for the experiences the universe and tattoo-karma provided me throughout this trip. It was a spiritual awakening of sorts. Highly recommend Bruxelles and Belgium, I can't wait to go back 🙂
 

Update - awesome time in Belgium and France !
Got to meet my LST penpal danceswithferrets in-person. Him and his wife showed me a wonderful time in Leuven and we had a really awesome tattoo exchange, including this photo op:

 
I enjoyed Belgian sites and people (and beer!) so much that I headed back to Bruxelles after the Southern France wedding for my remaining days.
Met some cool people by chance (one of which was a tattooist) within 5 minutes of leaving my airbnb...got this gothic skull blastover made by my new pal Taul Tattoo at his Atome22 Studio:

 
And spent my last day in Bruxelles at the world class Purple Sun Tattoo:
Hand poked finger dangler by Indy Voet

 
and this incredibly powerful tattoo from Jean-Philippe Burton
 
As an added bonus I got to see the Wim Delvoye exhibit at the Royal Museums of Fine Arts Belgium and see Jamie the tattooed pig from Art Farm and the Cloaca shit machine !

 
Very grateful for the experiences the universe and tattoo-karma provided me throughout this trip. It was a spiritual awakening of sorts. Highly recommend Bruxelles and Belgium, I can't wait to go back 🙂
 

The experience is EVERYTHING in tattoo, at least to me.

The experience is EVERYTHING in tattoo, at least to me.

terrible design/composition.
and what's up with the solid black flower top? - looks like a biker blackout.
 

This can make the tissue stick to the tattoo. So don't do this.
Just use a little lotion, if you you use any at all.

and drying out won't hurt it's healing, either. 

To you. It varies greatly person to person. 🙂

I have friends who talk about how they want their sleeves and tattoos, but don't want any part of the pain.
-- I don't get that.
Never have, never will.
The pain is part of the tattoo process. Suck it up or embrace it. If you skip the pain, you're missing out on a major part of the tattoo experience in my opinion. The pain is temporary, the tattoo is permanent....well, i don't even know about that. Life is temporary.

I want to feel ALL of that tattoo.
The best.
The worst.
The excitement.
The vulnerability.
The fear.
The anxiety.
The confidence.
The strength.
The power.
I have found a lot of peace and healing through the pain. Some people don't get that and can't. Some of you will no exactly what I'm talking about.
Embrace that shit.
 

I have friends who talk about how they want their sleeves and tattoos, but don't want any part of the pain.
-- I don't get that.
Never have, never will.
The pain is part of the tattoo process. Suck it up or embrace it. If you skip the pain, you're missing out on a major part of the tattoo experience in my opinion. The pain is temporary, the tattoo is permanent....well, i don't even know about that. Life is temporary.

I want to feel ALL of that tattoo.
The best.
The worst.
The excitement.
The vulnerability.
The fear.
The anxiety.
The confidence.
The strength.
The power.
I have found a lot of peace and healing through the pain. Some people don't get that and can't. Some of you will no exactly what I'm talking about.
Embrace that shit.
 

I have friends who talk about how they want their sleeves and tattoos, but don't want any part of the pain.
-- I don't get that.
Never have, never will.
The pain is part of the tattoo process. Suck it up or embrace it. If you skip the pain, you're missing out on a major part of the tattoo experience in my opinion. The pain is temporary, the tattoo is permanent....well, i don't even know about that. Life is temporary.

I want to feel ALL of that tattoo.
The best.
The worst.
The excitement.
The vulnerability.
The fear.
The anxiety.
The confidence.
The strength.
The power.
I have found a lot of peace and healing through the pain. Some people don't get that and can't. Some of you will no exactly what I'm talking about.
Embrace that shit.
 

I want to feel ALL of that tattoo.
The best.
The worst.
The excitement.
The vulnerability.
The fear.
The anxiety.
The confidence.
The strength.
The power.
I have found a lot of peace and healing through the pain. Some people don't get that and can't. Some of you will no exactly what I'm talking about.
Embrace that shit.
 

oh awesome @zetroc ! 
Poison Idea is playing Paris on July 10, so who knows I may find myself there! Or perhaps stop-in on my way back to Brussels before my flight back home.