my first tattoo: StarMan

i had my first tattoo done earlier today. i had been thinking of getting one since last year, but due to a lot of things that i needed to get out of the way, ngayon lang ito nangyari. may ilang designs akong ini-consider, all of which ay balak ko ding ipalagay lahat – but i had to choose one because i believe that my first tattoo should have a personal significance. i have always said that i am a professional wrestling nerd/geek – i go out of my way to watch matches on TV/the internet, get the latest news, analyze storylines, read articles, and even play pro wrestling video games. and speaking of video games, pro wrestling for the japanese family computer console/american nintendo entertainment system was one 8-bit/old school game that i was only able to play once in the original famicom console. why is that so? first, pro wrestling was one of the more expensive game cartridges back in the day – mga 500-600 PhP ang presyo niya – and second, yung mga tapes namin sa bahay, with the exception of mike tyson’s punch out and castlevania, were the cheaper but still entertaining ones like popeye, mappy, donkey kong jr., super mario bros., adventure island, gradius, zippy race, tag team pro wrestling, and wrecking crew. the one and only time that i was able to play the famicom pro wrestling game was during a visit to our neighbor eric’s house. out of the six playable characters, i chose starman, and eric chose the amazon. needless to say, i got such a bad ass-whooping in that 2 out of 3 falls match that we never played the game again. to elaborate, i got several kicks, punches, clotheslines, backdrops and brainbusters – but i never took it personally, hahaha! that was in 1989, as far as i can remember. before playing the game, i had read eric’s nintendo magazine and that’s where i first saw a short article about the game and the six playable characters, plus various screenshots of them in action. with all due respect to the amazon, i always thought that starman was the coolest character in the game. fast forward to 2007, our original famicom console and cartridges have become a thing of the past, but thanks to game emulators like fceux, i have been able to play pro wrestling again and finish it, as well as take screenshots in my PC. the starman design was taken from a screenshot after i pinned the great puma (the game’s boss character) after a match to unify our 2 titles, that’s why starman wears the video wrestling association title on his waist and holds the video wrestling federation title (that he won from great puma) above his head. i modified starman’s colors to make his tights and mask white and his boots yellow gold, as opposed to his original pink bodysuit, blue trunks and blue boots – just to make him look like an old school luchador. and that, in a nutshell, is the aesthetic aspect/reasoning for the design i chose for my first tattoo.

for the philosophical aspect, pro wrestling as a part of popular culture can be likened to a soap opera, a movie, or, when i look at the bigger picture, life itself. i am making an analogy that i am a wrestler, and my life is the game/storyline. each day is a struggle, a challenge to give my best effort in spite of obstacles and adversity - like a wrestling match. ultimately, we are uncertain if we are booked to win or lose our matches, but we can always choose to give a 5-star effort every time – so that regardless of results, we could say that we tried our best. i can accept losing, but i will never love it – and i believe losing with honor is better than winning without it. but i also believe that someday, God will give me that hard push and book me “to be the man.” and if that means that i have to “do the job” and make sacrifices, then i will accept. i will keep working and trying until i get over, until i become “the one” – and i will not give up. oo, para sa akin, ang buhay ay parang wrestling.

going back to getting my first tattoo, i emailed my inquiry as well as my preferred design to P&P Tattoo last November 12. i waited for a reply, but after two weeks there was still none, so i decided to send a message through yahoo messenger last November 26 (friday) – wala namang mawawala kung susubukan, di ba? the secretary, Ms. Ebby did a wonderful job in facilitating/setting up my appointment, so i was both excited and nervous as i awaited November 29. on Saturday, November 27, it was my birthday so i kept busy by eating, watching Forgetting Sarah Marshall, answering birthday greetings, reading Foley Is Good (a book written by then 3-time world champion Mick Foley given to me by my cousin Noel), sleeping, grilling meat, drinking beer, sharing stories, and preparing take-home goody bags for my friends. the following day, i spent time watching the WWE Survivor Series 2010 and Monday Night Raw replay as well as surfing the net. this morning, i got up before 10 am, surfed the net a bit before taking a bath and proceeding to Makati for my appointment. i arrived a bit early at P&P because i didn’t want to be late for my 1 pm appointment. i didn’t know who would be the artist, so i just sat on the couch and read one of my books while i waited. While listening to Eat Bulaga! on the TV, Mr. Ron Poe arrived with a companion and said: “Patambay, ha?” to Ms. Ebby. as it turned out, Ron Poe worked on my 8-bit starman design while i kept reading and some more clients and visitors arrived. he asked me a few questions about the design, such as would it be the same size as the print-out, and where do i want it done, while working on the stencil. Ms. Ebby then gave me a form that was sort of a contract of which the terms and conditions i had to comply with, initial and sign, as well as provide a valid ID. as Mr. Jake Cuerpo and Mr. Myke Sambajon arrived, more clients and guests hung out at the shop also. when Mr. Poe called on me, i was quite nervous as i got my bag and proceeded to sit on the chair at his work station. he set up his equipment and then proceeded to lay down the stencil on my arm. he asked me if i was nervous and i said a little bit because it’s my first time to get inked. he told me that it would not be possible to make the starman design’s tights and mask white so he suggested that we go for gray and i immediately agreed – because i believe that the artist always knows better when it comes to color. he also told me that he was going to do the red parts first, so i just put my arm on the platform and watched Ron ink me. the first few jabs of the needle felt like my skin being scraped like a blade, but the pain was tolerable – at least i didn’t scream, because that would have been quite embarrassing (and probably hilarious). from time to time, Ron asked if i could take the pain, and i said yes every time – i guess i was too busy being amazed at how this artist was placing art on my arm – it was like starman was coming to life. it may seem silly to some, but that was what’s going through my mind while i was getting inked – and i also realized that i had a decent tolerance for pain. after Ron was done, i looked at my arm in the mirror and was in awe of his work – a StarMan 3:16 moment, if you will. Ms. Ebby then took a picture of my tattoo – i guess it would be posted in their gallery – and afterwards, i asked if she could take a snapshot of my tat using Nanay’s camera as well as a picture with Mr. Ron Poe. as i paid for their great services, they told me how to take care of my tattoo for the next few days, and to call them at the shop if ever there’s a problem. Ms. Ebby then proceeded to tape a patch on my tattoo, and they told me that i could remove it after an hour. as i said goodbye, Mr. Poe humbly said that he hopes i could come back again some time. as an answer to that, i say: yes i will.

after all, the bleeding and the pain was all worth it. trust me.

para kay Jhen

nai-text ko na ito kanina, pero i decided na i-post din dito para pwedeng lagyan ng picture.  have a meaningful one, Jhen.  =O)>
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hindi ko alam kung paano ito gagawing kakaiba,

pero sana tuloy-tuloy ang mga biyaya

mo at hindi mo na kailangang magtanong kung: “may kanin pa ba?”

sana ay di ka na masaktan

nang kasing saklap ng: “lintek na spageti yan!”

kagabi ay kinausap ako nina Funshine Bear at Piolo Pascual,

ang sabi nila: “pare, si Jhen ay espesyal.”

hindi man nila sinabi nang literal,

pero sa panaginip ko, yun ang kanilang ini-usal. 

so, before your inbox is full,

i would like to wish you a great 3-0,

if that’s cool with you. 

but deep inside, i know that no celebration

can ever be as wonderful as you. 

these rhymes may be lame – and the lameness part is probably true –

but i’d write over and over again, only for you. 

if i seem like a corny rapper or a wack MC,

let me end this for now with a simple

“Happy Birthday, Jhenskie!”

p.s. yung pictures sa collage karamihan ako ang kumuha, pero yung dalawa sa Ilocos, kuha nina Doni at Ronnel.

One Night Only

Start:	Nov 29, '09 7:00p
End:	Nov 30, '09 07:00a
Location:	Blk. 1 Lot 28 St. Joseph Street, Metroville Subd., Cainta, Rizal

reposted this from Facebook:

uhm... as you all know, it's my 31st birth anniversary on November 27, 2009 (a Friday). i'd like to invite you to a little dinner/drinking/videoke celebration on November 29 (Sunday) at our little home. let me know if you have some special food requests, and i'll see what i can do. as of this time, i plan to serve lechon manok, liempo, inihaw na tilapia, sisig, adobong tahong, leche flan and some cake. marami pa akong lambanog, so if you want to drink up, then let's do it. if you want vodka/tequila/beer/other stuff, just let me know and i'll see what i can score =O)>.

if you plan to give me a present/presents, i would greatly appreciate something handwritten, handmade, handpicked, handy, or handshook. hindi rin ako tumatanggi sa cake, ice cream, hugs, and kisses. hope to see you all =O)>.

nga pala...

para sa mga nagpunta sa tahanan namin nung Sabado, November 29, 2008 para sa aking post-30^th birth anniversary celebration / kainan / inuman / kwentuhan / harutan, gusto ko lang magpasalamat from the bottom of my banana heart. masaya ako at nakapunta kayo – alam ko namang mga busy tayong lahat kaya let me tell you how much i appreciate that you gave me your time and effort on that night.

 

sana eh maging annual event ito sa mga calendars ninyo. mabuti at nasarapan din kayo sa mga niluto namin nina Kuya at Nanay, tradisyon na kasi sa amin na busugin ang mga bisita/tropa na dumadayo sa amin. hayaan ‘nyo, next year baka may take-out pa lahat – yung mga “suki” na kasi sa bahay (gaya nina “A”, “F”, at “K”) ay may kanya-kanyang “loot bag” everytime manggagaling sa amin. pati nga si Kuya natuwa at biglang dumami ulit ang mga “noisy” – kasi in recent years medyo hindi na rin makapunta ang mga tao kasi either mga busy, nasa abroad, may ibang lakad, etc. kaya this year was an improvement in terms of turnout / attendance.

 

salamat din pala Cher sa mga pics (at salamat din kay Sky), re-post ko na lang sila dito sa site ko later. pasensiya na kung hindi ko kayo masyadong naasikaso lahat, i hope you understand. medyo na-overwhelm lang kasi nanibago ako sa dami ng mga taong pumunta. sana next time makilala pa ninyo yung iba pa naming tropa nina Abet from college, para mas riot. =)

 

siyanga pala, na-touch ako dun sa mga isinulat ninyo sa notebook – nabasa ko lang nung magpapahinga na ako sa kwarto. para bang nabasa ninyo ang isip ko na i wanted something handwritten/personal – i remember nung college kasi, whenever merong may birthday sa student organization namin, bibili lang ng folder yung other mems tapos lahat sila susulat dun ng kahit ano para dun sa celebrator. wala lang, yung mga ganung klaseng regalo ang mas nakakapag-pasaya sa akin – mga simple lang, di naman kailangang magarbo. sa sobrang tuwa ko, narito ang mga sulat ni tinutukoy ko:

again, the words “thank you” may not be worth much sa ibang tao, but for someone like me, when i say “thank you”, i speak / shoot from my heart. maraming salamat ulit sa pagbibigay ninyo ng oras – you could have chosen to be somewhere else, but you chose to be with me that night. and i’ll never forget it, trust me.

 

- mic

 

hi God...

alam Mo, dapat kahapon ko ito isusulat, kaso kinailangan naming umalis ng iba kong officemates nang maaga para mag-dinner sa Mang Jimmy's - pero, You probably know that already. masaya naman ang birthday ko kahapon, madaming bumati sa akin sa text at sa guestbook ko dito sa Mulitply. salamat at naging maganda naman ang taong 2008 para sa akin, kahit hindi ako mabait sa Iyo at madalas ay gago pa rin ako, ang dami Mo pa ring biyayang ibinigay sa akin. at saka marami Ka ring ipinakilalang bagong mga kaibigan sa akin since last year pa, at yung iba sa kanila, na-meet ko uli at medyo naging ka-close ko this year - sana pang-matagalan na sila sa buhay ko. alam kong alam Mo na kung gaano ako ka-grateful sa pagdating nila sa buhay ko - at oo, sabihan Mo na akong baduy, pero totoo yung sinabi kong yun. kagabi, bago ako mag-goodnight sa Iyo, tinipa ko sa gitara yung "Panaginip" ng POT, para baka sakali lang na managinip ako nang maganda. kaninang umaga, wala akong matandaan kung nanaginip nga ba ako kagabi o hindi, pero okey lang. alam Mo namang may mga bagay akong ayaw kong hanggang sa panaginip na lang, di ba? sorry kung minsan ay parang naiinip ako sa mga plano Mo para sa akin, kasi naman parang ang olats palagi ng buhay p.i. ko - di ko tuloy alam kung napupunta lang sa "spam folder" Mo yung mga panalangin ko. pero alam ko namang binabasa Mo silang lahat, siguro nga hindi lang ako priority sa ngayon. pero Lord, sana naman, bago ko kailanganing mag-Viagra on a regular basis eh ipakilala Mo na siya sa akin - promise, aalagaan ko siyang mabuti at iingatan ko ang puso niya. sana lang, kapag pinitas na niya ang puso ko eh hindi naman niya yurak-yurakan kapag ayaw na niya sa akin - pakibalik na lang sa akin nang maayos para maibigay ko dun sa karapat-dapat. mababaw lang naman ang kaligayahan ko eh - hindi naman ako hihiling ng maraming pera, kotse, o bahay sa Boracay from You - ang gusto ko lang ay pagkakataon "to love the way i can really love" (oo, alam kong alam Mong hiniram ko lang itong quote na ito sa ex- ko, pero alam Mong walang kaugnayan itong isinusulat ko sa kanya). hanggang ngayon naghihintay pa rin po ako, sana lang kapag nandiyan na ay paki-sampal sa mukha ko yung "sign," kasi alam naman ninyong bobo ako pagdating sa pagbabasa ng "signs." o siya, kakain po muna ako kasi baka mangayayat naman ako, sayang naman ang kagandahang-lalake ko 'pag nagkataon. kwentuhan na lang tayo pag-uwi ko ng bahay mamaya.

hindi ko na rin ni-restrict ang access sa entry na ito, kasi kahit naman private, alam kong mababasa Mo pa rin ito - pero, You probably know that already.

my post-birthday kainan / inuman / harutan / picture-an / celebration

Start:	Nov 29, '08 7:00p
End:	Nov 30, '08 07:00a
Location:	Blk. 1 Lot 28, St. Joseph St., Metroville Subd., Cainta, Rizal

hello po. birthday ko sa november 27, pero since weekday siya, ang balak ko sanang celebration ay sa november 29 para sabado - sana pwede kayong pumunta sa aming tahanan.

magluluto po ako, at gagawan ko ng paraan yung alak/beer. ang mga chibog on the menu ay chicken-pork adobo, pusit, baked/adobong tahong, spaghetti and/or carbonara. di ko pa sure kung ano yung dessert at kung madadagdagan yung courses, depende pa sa aking budget.

for any questions na walang mathematical computations, you may contact me thru the following:

mobile: 09173555055
YM user id: linteknapartyboyjapanyan
or pwede ring PM na lang dito sa multiply