One of my ways to determine how many years I've stayed in Cebu is to count how many sinulog shirts I have. I made it a point to buy a sinulog shirt every sinulog. This is a once-a-year activity that I can make as an excuse to get drunk, stay up very late, watch multiple concerts every night, undermine my budget, and just get crazy.

It is also a very good excuse to have a henna tattoo, something which I've been doing since the first sinulog I've attended. This time, I'm getting me a tribal tattoo. Luckily, the first henna tattoo artist I've met this year, Jayjay Khumar, was demonstrating his tattooing skills when I happened upon him. Very impressed, I immediately succumbed to the temptation of having one, in my arms. For a hefty P100, I got myself a henna tribal tattoo so nice I slept at 2:30 so just it won't get smeared ( it got smeared anyway ).

I got it last sunday, after my weekly massage, somewhere in Fuente Circle. The process took about 30 minutes, under an overpass full of street urchins and beggars. The henna artist, Jayjay, sported a rasta hair ( so I assumed he's a rasta ), along with several others. They were peddling their wares at the vicinity (tribal necklaces) and were bringing with them musical instruments such as hegalongs and djembe and were playing along with the sound of the rain.

I envy these guys lifestyle, they are like the gypsies of the modern times, moving from city to city, event to event, peddling their wares, doing their crafts, bringing their music, and just having fun. It is so different from the sedated lifestyle that I lead. They journey, just like me, but where they move from city to city, I move from thought to thought. Where they physically travel, I travel with my imagination. And where they actually cross seas and oceans, I cross boundaries and limits. If I ever do get filthy rich, I'll spend a year off, and just journey around Philippines, just like them.

Photographic evidence below -+

 My henna tattoo in black and white.

Colored.

Me and the henna artist.

Sinulog is coming this weekend, what are you waiting for? Ali na sa Cebu.