I read with interest about teenagers getting various tattoos before they reach 21. Although I would admit that getting a tattoo that young doesn spell a wise decision at all, especially if you get one with thinking hard enough. But still, getting a tatto wouldn't have seem at that bad if you consider a few things in mind. The report goes on to say about how cool a tattoo was and how the girls like it but finds it ugly and disgusting after a few years down the road. Worse still, if you are a teenager who sports a tattoo in Singapore complete with colored or bleached hair, people will tend to associate you with street gangs or in secret society. And if you are thinking that this isn't so bad, try having a few tough looking teenagers asking you which gang are you from just because you have a tattoo. All this seems way so different from back in the old days when sailors had tattoos for different reasons, most notably in the event that if they drown at sea, the tattoo serves as a way for your kin to recognise your body from the others. Then there was this other report about this 18-year-old who has difficult finding a job, is estranged from her mother and even got mistaken for a thief all because she has multiple body piercings and body tattoos and the irony? She is from a convent school in Singapore. She got her first piercing on her tongue when she was 12 (I only contemplated about getting my earlobes pierced when I was at that age..) and the biggest surprise was the word "deceit" tattooed on the soft inside of her lower lip. Apparently, it's just something to remind herself of what she had done but apparently, she still tells lies. But the best part about her, despite all her numerous tattoos and piercings, her boss was impressed by her punctuality and willingness to work - traits that are difficult to find in the average employee, clean-cut or not. But after all, the most important thing about getting a tattoo is whether if you really wanted one in the first place at all. And if you still seem hesitant, it's best to get a real small tattoo in the event that you suddenly regret everything and finds the tattoo ugly and an eyesore. A few of my colleagues had asked my opinion on whether they should get a tattoo themselves and I gave them the same advice which I had mentioned above, on whether if they really wanted the tattoo badly and give themselves 2 to 3 months and see if they are still crazy about getting one. If despite all the time had passed and they are still insisting, then they can go ahead without feeling much guilt after everything is over. Seriously, getting body piercings and tattoos are similar to getting hitched, you have to live with it without regrets. Because if you do, then there's no point in doing it in the first place at all.