Inking stories of my ink.
A picture holds a thousand words, equally, ink can hold a thousand stories and meanings.
Tattoos are stories, icebreakers, and best of all, indelible galleries of art to carry with you through life. I enjoy building pieces to layer onto another, taking inspiration from artists, symbols, events, and philosophies. I’m grateful for the artists who brought my creative concepts to life, adding their own stylistic touches. My body is their canvas.
The first: Lilies
Jess Chen, whom I played Ultimate with in my early days at the University of Toronto, offered free tattoos during her tattoo apprenticeship at Tattoo People. I loved her intricate floral style and was inspired to get lilies for my last name, which is Spanish for lily.
I placed it on my lower ribs as a personal, private piece. I also love how Jess flowed these flowers along the curves of the ribs and hips.
I chose four flowers to represent the siblings I grew up with and me.
I asked for one flower to be budding to showcase life in a state of flux: flowering, blooming, and not quite there yet; always a work in progress.
The second: Sea of clouds
Dinah, an old colleague from my time as a Starbucks barista, had become a tattoo artist called Kikimo and I fell in love with her style of fading shadows and coffee cherries.
I settled on a cyclical band depicting Mt Pulag, the tallest peak in Luzon, Philippines. My Dad and I went on a three-day adventure to climb it. We drove 10 hours to get to the town, hiked all day while the porters bustled to and fro with everyone else’s gear, and finally, we set up camp before our final sunrise hike at 4am. The last stretch to the summit was during twilight, with the most stunning blanket of constellations. We marvelled as the sun gently blew away the stars, behind a vista of mountain peak islands in a sea of clouds.
I placed the band high on my left arm so that sleeves would shield it from sun rays. I adore how the edges peek out under a short sleeve, just like the peaks peek through the clouds.
The third: “Amie” Amelia the bluejay
My little brother got his first tattoo the same day I got the mountain band. 6 months later, he had three tattoos and I said, no way, you can’t have more tattoos than me.
I settled on a blue jay, inspired by Kikimo’s stunning collection of ink birds. I love the blue jay’s emblematic head and its symbolism of my hometown. The bird in flight carrying coffee cherries is a nod to an olive branch offering and coffee cafe culture as a community space. The placement looks like the bird is taking off from my shoulder alongside three silhouettes in flight, visible behind the right kind of threads.
My blue jay is named after Amelia Earhart, a badass aviation pioneer, whose namesake reminds me to be bold and take risks. Be strong in the face of challenge.
A picture holds a thousand words, equally, ink can hold a thousand stories and meanings.
My ink is many things: stories, memories, reminders, mottos, and art.
The sixth has been simmering for a while now, stay tuned!
meet my new friend, kai
meet my new friend, kai
kai is my 𝓴𝓪𝓲𝓫𝓲𝓰𝓪𝓷, my ride or… 😶
because to ride is to
set your soul free
a privilege punctuated by
rolling landscapes & green lights
as asphalt and rubber burn below.
To feel the gentle purr of an idling engine
roar to life with the twist of the throttle
in turn
heightening my pulse on life
fingertips to toes
pressing earnestly into footpegs
leaning, falling into the crook of the saddle
Falling
In love
Watercolour Landscapes
Inspired by personal photography.
Adventure Lodge
Chickens in Kauai, HI 
Door in Guamasa, Tenerife 
Phone booth series
In this series, I document the antiquated infrastructure of public phone booths. They are a microcosm of communication conglomerates, product placement & design – similar, yet subtle differences. It’s fascinating to see this ubiquitous technology fall into disuse, disrepair, transformation, and innovation.
The map below marks the approximate locations of each phone booth photographed.
Alleyways of Austraya
Short trip to visit Australia in 2019
International Women’s Day reflection: what is strong? what is bad ass?
Originally written March 10, 2020 as a private journal entry.
Recently, it was International Women’s Day.
I reposted [name removed]’s IWD 2017 project, a gallery of portraits each with a caption on a disc.
Mine wrote:
We all need feminism because everyone can be strong and bad ass in their own way.
Which led my wandering mind to consider:
What is strong? What is not strong?
What is bad ass? What is not bad ass?
How are these terms gendered?
Strong is:
- asking for help
- raising children as a single parent
- calling in discrimination; uplifting & encouraging those that surround you
- being vulnerable & honest with others & yourself
- making your health & wellness a priority
- having courage – to say yes or no
Strong is not:
- putting up a front – arrogant & hostile, but hurting inside
- negativity for no reason
- lashing out/taking out frustrations on others
- believing it is someone else’s problem to solve
Bad ass is:
- trail blazing
- working hard for what you believe in, even in darkness, even when no one’s watching
Bad ass is not:
- bullying
I pointedly avoid including gendered understandings of strong and bad ass.
What is the difference between a strong man, a strong woman, or a strong non-binary person? Is the strength of a single parent any different when you apply a gender? What about being a bad ass?
As I captioned my repost, these discussions are still relevant and still necessary.
her name is Dream
Hanging up the Green Apron
The last lattes, the last milk dregs, coffee stains.
The last laughs behind the counter, the last pages of this chapter.
My heart is full for store #4095,
the most kick ass team I’ve known.
You taught me love.
Love is double-barring. Love is delivering a drink.
Love is asking “how are you?”
Love is touch when everything isn’t okay.
Love is… believing in me.
Love is listening to me vent about
the careless spill
the self-entitled that raised their voice
the impatient that threw their change
Thank you, thank you for teaching me
impatience is ugly,
blandness is boring,
skinny is empty.
Bitters in does not have to mean bitters throughout.
To the regulars, the familiar face,
the staple in a sea of shuffling souls
We shared countless sleepy smiles of caffeinated camaraderie
Pervading brevity, conversations evade
A flashing wink sneaks in
the indelible, fleeting moments stained in, permanently.
Lastly, the supernovas whose energy is inspiring nurturing
sharing through sonder
but in and out because
life goes on.
So my friends, this is not a good-bye just a
see you soon
This was originally posted on social media accounts February 2016. It was a momentous leave for me as I said good bye to a community that I grew a lot with, and good bye to a regular pay check for the first time, haha. I took a gap year in school and spent three months in the Philippines with family and travelling to Thailand, Indonesia and Singapore.
Asian Odyssey
Select shots from my 2.5 month trip to southeast Asia in 2016.
Spanning Philippines; Bangkok, Thailand; Bali, Indonesia, and Singapore.
My first ride
A year off the crotch rocket: I felt nervous.
I stalled, got honked at, and overtaken.
Do I even remember how to do this?
Let’s wiki the controls real quick… where do you put Google maps on this thing? I settled in.
The chilling wind pushed me and the bike closer
together until
we were seamless.
I started to push the speed but
everyone speeds in Brampton.
Still overtaken.
What’s the point of speed limits?
Sunday morning, the roads are always quiet.
A light mist was settling on the fields; the sunrise
was brushing sparkles everywhere you turned,
rivaling the colourful autumn forest.
My favourite part.
An audible sigh when I parked the bike, and
I said goodbye until next season.
Sigh of satisfaction, or relief? 🤔
Yeah, some “oh shit”s here and there, but a lot more
“wow”s and breathtaking moments.
Pure ecstasy.
Wanna ride together? 🏍