hand poke tattoo by Qiu.poke : my dog and punpun

so i started taking my chloe ting workouts seriously at the end of 2024, starting on december 1. before that, a lot of unfortunate things had happened, including losing my dog a few years earlier. from then on, i slowly started to spiral, feeling like everything around me was falling apart.

on december 1, 2024, i decided to stop waiting for “one day.” no more trying to force my family to understand me, no more carrying everyone’s worries or being the messenger between them. i couldn’t step away all at once, but it became a gradual process—sometimes falling back into those dark places, like being stuck in a swamp, and having to pull myself out again and again.

during my darkest times, i pushed myself to see my friends. i didn’t say much—sometimes i just sat quietly or even fell asleep while they talked—but being around them helped me breathe again.

at some point, i realised i was starting to feel lighter. my body felt less heavy, and the pain that used to run from my hip up my spine slowly faded. i kept going with chloe ting, even if it took me twice as long to finish a program, and eventually started joining teams when i wanted to challenge myself more.

now the world feels brighter, full of colour again. i laugh more, banter, and sing horribly into the night. i’m finally doing the things i’ve always wanted to do, one by one. it almost feels like the universe is aligning—like when a guest tattoo artist whose work i instantly fell in love with suddenly appeared.

i knew i had to get a tattoo of my dog—something i had wanted since high school. the artist listened to my stories and created a piece based on those memories. i laughed through the pain, thinking about how much more my dog had gone through. compared to that, this felt small.

now, with this piece of my dog with me, i’ll keep moving forward.

to you who is reading this, i hope you find the strength to take that first step forward. whether it takes days, months, or even years, no step is too small.

i am proud of you.

below is a link to the hand poke tattoo artist that created this work of art please do check her out (≧∀≦)人(≧∀≦)♪

https://www.instagram.com/aqiushidieqiuzong111?igsh=aDJ6djFsem9sd3Zk