I Got My Second – and First – Tattoo at 53 Years of Age
My experience of getting two tattoos in 3 months. And the answer to “Where to Find a Good Tattoo Artist in Singapore?”
I got my second – yes – and first tattoo at 53 years of age. I am more than half a decade gone in my life this year and I decided on my second – and first – piece of body art inscribed on my inner forearm.
As an educator for almost the bulk of my life, I have always had something against the tattoo – or at least I would have had lots of things said against the tattoo.
Teaching – they say – is a conservative profession. We are expected to dress conservatively, speak conservatively and essentially, believe conservatively.
But I didn’t call myself the Mad O Level English Tutor for no reason. My ways are wayward, my methods unconventional and essentially, I am everything else but a teacher.
Perhaps that’s why I am hyper-effective for some students. I am not your classic teacher droning away with the answer sheet on the board, asking you to take down the correct answer if you have got it wrong.
Granted – I also do that. But if that’s all there is to teaching and training, well ~ it really doesn’t take much to be a teacher.
Year of Pain
If there is one thing about 2025, it is a year when I had to grapple with a couple of inexplicable health issues.
To be a little more melodramatic, I probably had a close-enough encounter with death, and the fallout of that potential threat was even greater than the very threat itself.
In short, everything changed.
What I used to hold dear to my heart isn’t that dear anymore.
And one of those beliefs that I used to propagate, is the purity of the human body.
I don’t know where I first stumbled upon this concept, but it’s probably something I read in my earlier days, when it was said that the Romans didn’t believe in tattooing since the body was considered sacred.
And since the body was considered pure, tattoos were – “banned”.
Of course, later Romans (who were still earlier than us and yours sincerely here) embraced a reverse concept, especially the soldiers. Tattoos later became a symbol of valour, a mark that would embody your personal beliefs and values.
I am no Roman soldier. I am an educator outside of the service who teaches English for a living.
And the experiences I have been through this year basically means I can never say ‘never’ again – well ~ not that I really said it in the past.
Because I realised earlier on that if you actually said ‘never’, that thing will always come true.
But at one point in my life, a tattoo was a big ‘no-no’.
Now, I have two.
Second and First Tattoo
I had my second tattoo just about two weeks back, towards the last week of September.
And I am always talking about the second tattoo first (just read the title and headings) because I want to emphasise how close the two dates were.
My first tattoo was inscribed on my body in the second week of July this year.
As with all first times, there was panic and uncertainty over the decision.
Like it or not, a tattoo is a permanent decision. The mark will stay on your body for as long as you live, unless of course, you decide to reverse the decision – at a hefty cost.
So you need to be sure, and being sure is nothing more than just a feeling that you get.
No amount of weighing the pros and the cons will deflect you from getting the tattoo when the feeling arrives, and no amount of sales and persuasion will push you into getting a tattoo if you don’t feel an affinity to it.
If you have got the feeling, than it’s gonna be it.
What’s left is managing the fear and uncertainty of getting the piece of artwork on your body, and of course, managing the pain of getting poked.
That’s when your tattoo artist kicks in.
My First Tattoo
I was introduced to Bev Leong by a family member. Bev is the wife of the gym trainer of the said family member.
Yes, that’s how links are formed.
With a lot of trepidation, I texted Bev on Instagram to convey my desire to get a tattoo.
My first concept was a far cry from what I eventually got.
The design was out, the appointment was made, and I was supposed to get my first tattoo in the early part of June.
Unfortunately, I fell really ill at that time (remember why I label 2025 as the Year of Pain?) and all indicators tell me I wasn’t supposed to get that design on my arm.
How do I know the design was too strong for me?
Other than actual indicators, it was just a feeling, albeit a really strong one.
So I had to postpone my appointment, and in between June and July, a new concept emerged, and it was totally unexpected.
I felt a sense of serenity with the new concept, and it clicked.
And that’s how I got my first tattoo – the tattoo of the smiley sun.
What the Smiley Sun Tattoo Means to Me
The appearance of the first tattoo triggered many speculations.
I have always thought that nobody would see it since I asked for the tattoo to be done in red, instead of the classic blue or black ink.
My primary dress code is in red too, so I thought the design would blend in with my attire, creating this illusion of the colour being just an extension of my shirt.
The optical illusion worked for most adults, for only a short while. Somehow, most of them couldn’t detect it, at least in the beginning, so that’s fine.
But students, being eagle-eyed, can definitely spot the smiley sun, immediately.
I guess one or quite a few of them did search it up on the internet, since one of them did ask:
“Is it for good luck?”
“No, XXX, it’s not,” I replied.
“Then why did you get it?” one of them asked.
As a matter of factly, “It’s just a feeling,” I answered.
Three Truths about Getting a Tattoo
You can almost track the whole gamut of emotions and experiences you will undergo when getting a tattoo.
The fear, the uncertainty, the attention, the questions…
As if all these weren’t enough, you will have to sit – or lie – through ~ depending on the complexity of your design as well ~ quite a period of time as you get the artwork painted on your physical canvas.
And let me be plain honest – it’s painful.
How much pain you would feel really depends on your own threshold, but essentially, you are getting poked, so don’t expect no pain.
While waiting for Bev to begin doing my first tattoo, there was this guy at the studio who was getting his umpteenth (I can’t recall the number he told me) tattoo done.
Sensing my anxiety and all that, he went ahead to share his experiences with getting all sorts of tattoos on his body.
The first one is more important than the second one, but the second one is more disturbing.
The third one is the ultimate.
Tattoo Truth Number 1: We Have to Click with Our Tattoo Artist
The first thing he said is that we have got to be comfortable with our tattoo artist. The reason – as according to him – is because we will have to sit (or lie) through a lengthy session with our artist, and if we are not minimally on talking terms, life – as we put it – can get boring.
So you would really need an amiable tattoo artist whom you can click with.
Tattoo Truth Number 2: Getting a Tattoo is Addictive
The second thing which he said – the more disturbing one – is that getting a tattoo can be a rather addictive exercise.
Apparently, our friend here has been tattooing himself sporadically over a 4-year period. And man, he is kind of running out of space on his body to squeeze more artwork in.
Why would anyone put him- or herself through pain – again and again – just to get more and more permanent designs imprinted on one’s body?
Well, everything can be explained by an old adage – no pain, no gain.
We have already settled on the fact that tattooing can be a painful experience. But it’s not meaningless pain – you actually get rewarded with a motif that you can call your own after the ordeal. And that’s where the problem starts.
You get rewarded. You want to get rewarded more.
The Ultimate Tattoo Truth
And according to one of the tattoo artists there (yes, there are more than one of them at the studio),
After two small tattoos (yes, I am an amateur at this and I am milking it to the max), yes, I totally agree with what she was saying.
(She actually has another version of this, which is:
But you get the gist.)
I got rewarded twice in less than three months. Not bad for a noob. Very bad for a noob.
Where to Find a Good Tattoo Artist in Singapore
You are going to get a permanent mark on your body.
Maybe it’s a representation of who you are. Maybe it’s a symbol of your beliefs. Maybe it’s none of the above – you just feel like getting one, like me.
Whatever that tattoo you have been conceiving in your mind, if it’s important, you will have to do it.
“Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.” Napoleon Hill, 1883 – 1970.
Ok, that’s random.
Doing it means you need to entrust the task to a stable hand with a keen eye for detail.
That should be every tattoo artist.
But I will root for Bev. Not just because she is the tattoo artist I engaged.
But because she has been able to calm the nerves of a man who had second and third thoughts about embarking on this path.
Unknowingly, I am already into my second tattoo.
And it got easier, and more painful at the same time.
I really don’t want a third one; a third one is also really unlikely, since it will require the approval of a much higher authority. And this much higher authority doesn’t talk much.
So if you are asking “where to find a good tattoo artist in Singapore”, my answer is ‘You find her here’.
Question: Where to Find a Good Tattoo Artist in Singapore?
Answer: You Will Find Her Here
About the Studio Bev Works In
Like the body art you are getting, why and how you end up with a specific tattoo artist can be a really personal thing.
Mine is pure coincidence, since Bev is the wife of the personal trainer of a family member of mine. (and that’s quite a mouthful)
To me, coincidence is synchronicity, and synchronicity is the will of some unseen force out there poking her/his/its (ladies first) hand in my life.
You might not value a calming influence as much as I do.
Maybe you expect a certain outlook in your tattoo artist.
Whatever the case might be, the choice is all yours.
Bev works at this place called Crooked Spine Tattoo, located at 23 Kelantan Lane.
There are quite a few artists there, one of whom I have taken the liberty to quote in the earlier part of this blog post.
What If a Tattoo is Not for Me?
To each his or her own – that’s my motto.
But if you have been so persevering to peruse my rather verbose blog post till this point on the page, my guess is that you are at the tipping point of getting a piece of really wonderful art to be inscribed on your body.
(Hey, Esther, I am talking to you.)
But if getting a motif done by a body art connoisseur is not your cup of tea or coffee, maybe you will want to try fitness.
Fitness is for everyone, and everyone should aim to stay fit (I am talking to myself).
Gaz, who is Bev’s husband, is a gym and personal trainer. (I hope I am getting this part right.)
I have never personally met him, but seeing how physically fit and strong that family member has become, I think Gaz actually deserves a page of his own.
You can find Gaz here.
You Want Fitness!
You Can Find Gaz
Afterword
This post has been written without the knowledge of both Bev and Gaz, as well as the other tattoo artists at Crooked Spine Tattoo.
They will find out when they find out.
I only wanted to share my experience of achieving such a, or rather two significant milestones; and to give credit to those who have been instrumental in the process.
If I have spread misinformation in any sense of the word, or hurt anyone in the process, please let me know.
I will proceed to take this post down immediately, if there are unintended consequences to this.
Till then, thanks for reading.
P.S.
If you are still a student attending school, and you are not yet 17, getting a tattoo isn’t a decision for you to make.
If you are a student who has crossed the 17-year-old mark, you will still need your parents to give you the nod to go ahead; you really don’t want to raise their ire too much.
In either case, a tattoo is a long-term decision.
You still have many years ahead, unlike me; there’s really no need to rush into the decision.
Also remember: having a permanent body mark might affect the trajectory of your future career. Drop me a note here if you need to talk about this.
If at the end of the day, you will want it – whether you are a student or a fully-grown adult – the choice is all yours, as well as the possible repercussions.
