Why...

should we listen to our heart?

"because you will never again be able to keep it quiet. even if you pretend not to have heard what it tells you, it will always be there inside you, repeating to you what you're thinking about life and about the world."

- The Alchemist

some do and some don't. some flatter its ideas but never pursue. and sometimes the best thing to do is to do what makes us happy. this symbol of love is far from simple. if it were that easy, being sad would not be a clinical diagnosis. and it gets more complicated because the love in our hearts don't just apply to our significant other, but a love for our jobs, hobbies, sports teams, movie characters, etc... but easily then said... at least we ARE following what we love.

some of us have trouble listening to our hearts. and when we do so, we feel like rules are being broken. what rules? who are these people writing these rules? i'll tell you... we all are. all of us imperfect people are writing rules we shouldn't be writing for other imperfect people. we should only be writing rules for ourselves, that's all. and we don't listen to our hearts because sometimes we feel like we are trapped in our own game.

one thing i strongly believe is that our heart will never lie to us. because the heart sees nothing other than what's best for ourselves and the people we love. it knows what we want, it knows what makes us happy, it knows our favorite song, it knows our favorite ice cream flavor, it knows who we're happy with, and it knows where we want to end up. but it will also tell you things that you don't want to hear but you must. things that will make us sad, things we will deny, and things we just can't believe. the challenging thing is knowing what to do with what it tells us and when to follow it. timing is everything.

so here's a piece of my mind... follow your heart. what are you afraid of?

another day, another path, another destination.

T'figa Siyady Reve

a friend told me this three years ago...

"as we grow up, we learn that even the one person that wasn't supposed to ever let you down, probably will. you will have your heart broken more than once, and it gets harder every time. you'll break hearts too, so remember how it felt when yours was broken. you'll fight with your best friend. you'll blame a new love for things an old one did. you'll cry because time is passing too fast, and you'll eventually lose someone you love.

so take a ton of pictures, laugh as much as you can, and love like you've never been hurt because every sixty seconds you spend upset is a minute of happiness you'll never get back.

don't be afraid that your life will end, be afraid that it will never begin."

three years ago, times were pretty rough for me, rock bottom status. i don't know if it was just me but i know for others too. sometimes i feel like it's impossible that it's just me hurting, sad, upset, happy, or feeling great. my life is connected to the lives of many people, regardless if you're a friend, family, or complete stranger waiting for the bus across the street. i know somehow i'm creating this ripple effect around me. as a matter of fact, there are ripples everywhere and from all of us. in all directions, angles, and strengths. it's about understanding how life works, not just only what the meaning of it is, but all the other things that make life, well... life.

i've been working at the UCSF Cancer Center for almost 4 years. cancer is not a life ending illness. taking life itself for granted is the life ending illness. i may have to remind myself from time to time that life is worth everything. granting we all go through dark hours and we will, but the thing is going through it, not sitting in it. at some point the wonder of being alive and having the chance to live your life is all you need to get up and keep moving. fill those photo albums, write in your journals, and tell loved ones that you love them. do all the things in life that don't have price tags attached to it.

appreciating the simple things in life is a lost art in recent trends. so live life, love with all your heart and laugh until it hurts...

and i just want to thank that friend for being my inspiration for life. you know who you are.

Ride

Greetings From San Jose

San Jose Tattoo Convention

presented by State of Grace Tattoo.

back work.

front work.

oliver peck on the right.

mike giant the judge.

the winner ben.

gordon combs picking at grez. he got tattooed by him the next day.

skull & swords at work. grime x henry lewis x yutaro.

mike giant making it personal.

bike x mike giant.

Circa 2004