Chi Too, artist, rebel

"My tattoo is derived from the orang ulu tree of life motif."

Guest artiste Kosta in Kuala Lumpur

I've been getting a lot of questions about where and who does my 'dreamer' tattoo and it's no surprise as his workmanship is detailed. You can tell a shoddy job when the line is coarse and the image is 'emboss', almost like it's floating above the surface.

Look for Kosta at Zoo Body Art this February 1st onwards. Or check in with Frankie Ng, the owner of Zoo Body Art to schedule an appointment.

Lina, 33, co-owner of Borneo Ink

"I've a tattoo on Hobbes, because I am allergic to cats and monkeys, because I like them! I guess the tattoos explain I'm a crafts kinda person and they are a reminder of a lot of things."

Photos by Chee Minh

Skye of Morcheeba

I met Skye, the lead singer of the group Morcheeba, at Sunburst 2009. Back at that time, I had a rough idea of what I wanted The Tattoo Diary to be; a collection of stories, written by people with tattoos. Of course it was rather difficult to compile this, and Skye was the first and the last person I had her written about her tattoo. With the years passed, I totally forgot about this until one of her songs came on the radio. The picture of her posing with her tattoo on her arm, I suspect, was left in my old computer back at hot magazine. Still, this was a rather gold moment I'd like to remember.

A distance of leap

"We are all at risk of something. Of ending up exactly where we began, of failing to imagine and find and know and actualize who we could be. The only difference is the distance of the leap" - Dear Sugar The Distance of Leap

I've written to two magazines to express my interest in contributing (for free) the stories and photographs about The Tattoo Diary but one said I was polarising people with tattoos whilst the other had no space for feature. I'm not deterred; I just need to get the right medium, at the right time and place.

MK, 28, businessman from Penang

"The one of my arm is 'ohm'; I have one which connotes peace, and the other, anger. A complete 'ohm' shows a holistic balance and you can see one of my other 'ohm' is housed in a dreamcatcher.

I also have on my hand, a tribal sun from Mohicans. The story behind this tattoo is of a Sun God, who hunts for food.

On my left arm lies a lion, with a phrse 'Born Wild' and of course, the last 'No pain, no gain', across my stomach."

Photos by Chee Minh

Fin, 23, Borneo Ink's apprentice/ animation student

"My tattoos used to mean something but now I just get them along the way.; they've resorted more to like a 'collection'. And it helps that I'm working at Borneo Ink!"

Photos by Chee Minh