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Flagged Off (flægd ɒf), n.
Being rejected by cab drivers who flap their hands and speed
off because they find your destination inconvenient.
“Man, I hate living in Kowloon Tong. I’m always getting flagged off when I try
to get home from Lan Kwai.”
“Dude. Try living in Tai Po.”
Caption This
HONG KONG—Next Media Chairman Jimmy Lai meets the press after ICAC investigators
leave his home. (Sam Tsang/SCMP)
Jimmy Lai Takes On ICAC Bucket Challenge
Lai: “I Did It All For The Nookie”
Sneak Preview: Artist Rendering of Jimmy Lai In Five Years, In Medium-Security Chinese Prison
Jimmy Lai Patiently Explains To Press How Hong Kong Has Just Ended
Tattoos aren’t just for triad members anymore.
Tattoo artist Alex Wang talks to Crystal Lee about weird
tats and what his family thinks.
HK Magazine: How did you start
HK: What tats do you have
doing tattoos
AW: I got my first tattoo when I was 17, but
Alex Wang: In Hong Kong, if you only draw, the design was really poor. Eventually I had
it’s almost impossible to make a living. To to find another artist to cover it completely
me, tattoo art and art are practically the with black stars. I also have a tattoo inspired
same, so I decided to try it. I started inking by the movie “Taxi Driver,” and one by
tattoos around four years ago, after studying an artist from Wales who specializes in
design and illustration. It’s very difficult drawing flowers. I honestly don’t know how
to find someone to teach you how to do many tattoos I have, but it’s a lot. Next,
tattoos in Hong Kong, so I traveled to Ireland I want to get one of a tattoo machine
to ask a tattoo artist to be my mentor. on my neck.
HK: What kinds of tattoos do you do HK: Do people think you’re a triad
AW: All of my favorite artists make very member when they see your tattoos
realistic art using a rough, brushstroke style. AW: When I first started doing tattoos, even
To imitate that painting effect when doing my family disliked it, because of how they
tattoos, I continuously mix different colors thought the public would view it. But my
to create depth in the artwork.
tattoos are very different from the ones
triads get. After my family saw that my
HK: What’s popular right now
tattoos are quite artistic, they slowly started
AW: In Hong Kong, people go for colorful, to accept my trade, though I still don’t know
cartoon-like designs. But foreigners seem to how most people on the street see me.
look for various styles to express what they
want. I’d say 70 or 80 percent of my clients HK: Any advice for first-time tattooees
are from abroad; a lot of them fly to Hong AW: Get lots of rest the night before, and
Kong just to get their tattoos.
eat well. If you’re tired and hungry, it will be
more painful. The first time you get tattooed
HK: What’s the weirdest tattoo
you’ll definitely think it’s going to hurt
you’ve ever done
a lot, but the process is not as bad as you’d
AW: Once, I tattooed a smiley face on imagine. It’s like getting a shot: The actual
a client’s knee. He was a foreigner who shot itself is never as bad as you expect.
was on vacation, and just spontaneously
decided to get a tattoo. It didn’t have any Set up an appointment with Wang at Tattoo
special meaning; he just thought it would Temple, 1 Wyndham St., Central, 2801-7300,
be funny because a smiley face is round, www.tattootemple.hk. Be prepared to wait
and his knee is round.
13-17 months until he has time to see you.
Fast Facts
Job Search
Which Jobs Were We Born to Have
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Milk tea brewmaster.
Professional jobseeker.
Steve Jobs.
Keeper of CY Leung’s Jewels.
Your job, in five years.
Street
10 HK MAGAZINE FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2014