As the story has it, one day I headed to the opposite side of the globe – the Flipside. I arrived in Korea February 16th, 2005 and thought I’d do a year, then leave. I was wrong. I stayed, launched my first company, Flipside Fitness, and then opened Korea's largest boxing club, Hulk's Boxing (now called Hulk's Club).

After 11.5yrs in Korea, I then picked up one day and returned to Toronto, Canada. But then I left again.

Now I live in the Philippines where I am the CEO and head coach of Empowered Clubhouse, the Philippines' first and only boxing clubhouse exclusively just for women. I also am the founder of the Lil' Sistas Project, CEO and designer of Slay Gear and Baa Baa Black Sheep .Ph.

Wednesday, January 15, 2020

Craving More Ink... Wednesday, January 15

The other week I had a new fighter join my small team training.  She showed up looking all smiley and cute, sporting hot pink leggings and a little jumper.  But when she took her jumper off, it was like BAM! Holy badass ink!!!  She had all these tattoos on her tiny little frame.  Tattoos all up her arms, basically covering it from knuckles to shoulders, and I was told she had them on her legs too.  It was a lot of ink but I absolutely loved her look.   It was so strong, so fierce... so apologetically badass.

Her look got me craving more tattoos.

All my tattoos, all 7 of them, represent some pretty pivotal moments in my life -- moments of struggle, growth, challenge, and triumph.  So for me they're kind of like the story of my life, how I evolved into the person I am.  

I used to be big into butterflies back when I lived in Korea and not because what they visually looked like because yes they are super pretty, but because of what they represent.  A butterfly starts off as this little rolley-polley caterpillar that isn't particularly pretty and then it actually gets uglier when it then forms a cacoon.  The cacoon is need though, just like the struggles and hardships in life are necessary to helping shape you into the person you're to become.  And then, viola, the butterfly is formed.  

Currently on my arm I have my Korean boxing club's motto, a lyric from "All of You" but John Legend, a cherry blossom on my shoulder, and a dandelion that starts on the back of my hand and goes up my arm.  

To do a full sleeve tattoo, you'd have to consider the above tattoos mentioned that I already have and work with them not to blur them out or take away from them.  I still very much so want my individual tattoos to stand out and not be mashed together like some big collague.  

Now the plan is to see how much this will cost.

My alternative route would be to offer to train this new fighter for x number of months for free, in exchange of her doing my artwork, my ink.  

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