rite of passage

I got my Thai tattoo, though not the one I intended, & it’s much uglier.

Motorbike incident. I heard the skin sizzle. Instant 2nd-degree burn. But the real pain wasn’t in my leg but in my vanity. What a big ass ugly scar!!! Boohoo.

But I guess that’s the rite of passage everyone assimilating into Thai life has to go through. Apparently every Thai has the same scar. They know immediately when they see me.

“Motorbike?” they ask.

“Yeah”

(sympathetic grimace) “Here’s mine” & they lift pant leg to reveal very similar scar.

I’m really Thai now dammit. So I have no problems going straight through now when I see signs like this:

This was the sign we saw as we went up to see Doi Suthep, on the mountain that overlooks the city of Chiang Mai. It’s the most sacred temple in Northern Thailand.

There was a Buddhist monk granting blessings in the form of a white string bracelet. His assistant tied mine on me since monks aren’t allowed to touch women. I felt the intensity & wished for many things to come clearer to me in life. It was deep, man.

And then we left the temple, got on the motorbike, & a few short minutes later… I was scarred for life. WHAT THE…?! What kind of blessing is this?! If this is that kind of “hard lessons learned” blessing I feel totally ripped off (never mind that the blessing was free). What’s this supposed to mean? What did I do wrong Buddha? Do you mean to tell me there are bigger things in life than having flawless skin? Vanity is ungodly & a waste of time? Weh!

My kooky friend Ike says maybe I need to have a little bit of bad luck first to get the greater good luck. He told me to buy a lottery ticket tomorrow. Maybe I will.

Here's me modeling my new scar a few minutes after it happened, so it hasn't turned black yet. Don't be fooled by the stupid grin on my face-- it hurt like %#&@* (especially on the inside!!!). Note that the shirt says “No Pain, No Gain” & it’s from the tattoo shop that my friends work at. Appropriate eh? Fuck.