Tattoo #8!
The picture's a little dark (and my arm looks fat because of the weird angle - I took it myself), and the tattoo is still shiny so some parts are hard to photograph, but it says, "Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall" (a quote by Confucius that has held great meaning for me for a very long time), and the flowers are cherry blossoms. In Chinese tradition, cherry blossoms represent femininity; to the Japanese, they're symbolic of the transience of life, as the blossoms bloom only briefly before falling to the ground. That's why I chose them.
For me, this tattoo's going to serve as daily a reminder that life is transient and fluid, that there'll always be good times, just as there will always be bad; that it's human to be imperfect and make mistakes, as long as we're courageous enough to pick ourselves up and try again.
:)
Anyway, the piece is on the inside of my right forearm (the picture doesn't do it any justice), and takes up most of that space. It was done by Matt Myrdal (at Pino Bros Ink) -- a crazy LOST fan, who had the hieroglyphics from the Swan Hatch on the door of his tattoo room, brewed his own Dharma-label beer, and is currently drawing up some LOST tattoos. And? He totally digs Jack. (Oh, and Brian, one of the other artists, came in while Matt and I were talking about LOST; he's planning to get the "execute" button on his arm... LOL.)
I'll probably go back in a couple of months and get my next tattoo -- so stay tuned. ;)