My New Origami Crane Tattoo!

I chose the origami crane tattoo as a symbol that inspires creativity. You can fold a square sheet of paper into any shape you want, giving it form and dimension. Something so simple and seemingly uninteresting may be transformed, with the help of your imagination, into something beautiful and meaningful. Folding a crane takes time, patience, and understanding, qualities that are also required in order to transform one’s life.
Legend says that anyone who folds 1,000 paper cranes will have their wish come true. The origami crane has become a symbol of peace because of this legend, and because of a young Japanese girl named Sadako Sasaki. Sadako was exposed to the radiation of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima as an infant, and it took its inevitable toll on her health. By the time she was twelve in 1955, she was dying of leukemia. Hearing the legend, she decided to fold one thousand origami cranes so that she could live. However, when she saw that the other children in her ward were dying, she realized that she would not survive and wished instead for world peace and an end to suffering.
My best friend has the same tattoo symbol, different design. :)

Adding more paint to the canvas...

I love taking my ideas, values, and beliefs and turning them into something visually creative and making them permanent. Therefore, I delight in a regular visit to the tattoo parlor. Here are my latest tattoo ideas that i've been working on. I'm torn on which to get (or perhaps get them all) so I'd really appreciate your thoughts.

Origami Crane and Heart
This one is for my wrists. An origami crane on one and an origami heart on the other. The crane is a universal symbol of peace. And of course, the heart symbolizes love. Together, in paper form, they represent the idea that you can create peace and love. And I will place them above my palms/hands as part of the creation theme. Additionally, legend says that 1000 folded origami cranes makes a wish come true. It's also a reminder of my youth. My dad folds origami and I cherished them as a child. I love that we can create something beautiful and interesting with just a sheet of paper. I'm going to fold the paper heart and crane myself and draw them out when I'm finished... or bring them to the tattoo artist to draw.

Scattering Dandelion
I'd like to place this on left part of my back with a quarter of its seeds blowing across and around my existing quote tattoo ("not all who wander are lost"). It means that wishes come true! I used to wish on dandelions them as a kid. I thought maybe having some of the seeds that are blowing away transform into birds but I'm not sure about this yet... but this would symbolize that wishes come true or more literally, dreams taking flight. Also, a quarter of the seeds blown off the dandelion represents my quarter life... as I just recently turned 25. This tattoo will serve as a reminder to appreciate the beauty in all things, to take time and smell the flowers, as we did when we were young.

Both the origami and dandelion tattoo ideas are similar meanings in that they both represent a strong part of youth and this is relevant to me at this point in my life considering that I am truly transitioning into adulthood. Both are interactive and fun and are reminders of there is joy in youth that ought to be cherished and not lost as we get older.

Peacock Feather and Pearls
This one is almost purely decorative. I was in the tattoo parlor browsing through someones portfolio when I stumbled on this gorgeous back piece where a string of pearls and peacock feathers encircled a larger piece which I can't recollect. I was fixated on the vibrant colors of the feathers and how perfect they look paired with pearls. I decided then that I would use a single peacock feather along with a string of pearls as a tattoo design behind my ear. However, after much research, I discovered that the symbolism and meaning associated with the peacock feather and the pearl are actually meaningful and appropriate. The peacock feather is considered a sign of beauty and knowledge; beauty because it is beautiful, knowledge because it is in the form of an eye. A pearl is actually the result of a ragged, rough grain of sand, transformed over time slowly growing into an object of great value and beauty. It is dredged from the mud, from a clumsy shell. It undergoes a transformation, as humans do... as I have.

Nipple Rings Cause Airport Security Issue

A Texas woman who said she was forced to remove a nipple ring with pliers in order to board an airplane called Thursday for an apology by federal security agents and a civil rights investigation.

Read full story...

Now how in the hell does a nipple ring pose a threat to flight security? A nipple ring is NOT going to explode the airplane. Unless, of course, her nipples rings were cleverly disguised grenade pins.

Coincidentally, I fly to Costa Rica tommorrow morning.