$$$ Foods

I never quite understood the purpose of putting gold flakes on food besides enabling someone to be able to say, “I ate gold flakes on my food….(?)” This was, in fact, the first thought I had on the way to Tokyo from Shanghai on a weekend trip — the airline hostesses offered everyone in first-class dark chocolate mousse topped with gold flakes. Economy got a fruit salad of tomatoes and cantaloupe, I believe; the bewilderment of foreigners emanated down the isles.

At Wall Street Burger Shoppe, you can purchase a $175 hamburger topped with gold leaf, black truffles (which are less expensive and less tasty than white truffles), Kobe beef and foie gras. Richard Nouveau (presumably his name stems from a play on the term “nouveau riche”) invented this monstrosity, to mock the extravagant lifestyle sought by many.

Or how about coffee beans defecated by civets?

You know, these guys:

For only $50USD per cup, you can get a purportedly magnificent taste of the civet’s digestive tract. Actually, it’s just coffee that isn’t bitter due to fermentation.

That amounts to $3,000USD/kg for those of you who are actually interested in signing your life away to a ridiculously expensive cup of Joe.

Here’s the poop coffee:

And afterwards, you could treat yourself to a throne of toilets, made in Japan by INAX.

Actually, it’s considered the god of toilets.

To join Puff Daddy in his white truffle adventures, go to: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2029487,00.html

R.I.P. Amanda Todd

she used to paint the wind

her parents didn’t ‘get’ abstract

she wrote poetry instead

her teachers complained it lacked rhyme

she used to love and love to smile

then her school mates called her whore

they punched her, pushed her in a dirt ditch

left her there and laughed, hoped she’d die

the world turned mean before her eyes

so she drank bleach and died

 

http://abcnews.go.com/US/bullied-teen-amanda-todds-video-passes-13m-views/story?id=17548856#.UImgmml25Ig

MS Surface Revealed

At .37in for the RT tablet, the Microsoft Surface really is beautifully thin to hold. Plus, the keyboard cover is inspired by those overpriced, lovely faux-leather (polyurethane) moleskin notebooks. The keyboard is clickable in many manners of speaking ($129 for the model with tactile feedback, and it clicks in place with the tablet).

To see the dancing and clicking revolution in action (outfitted with krumping school girls), allow me to present The MS Surface Commercial in Technicolor:

We don’t actually see anyone using the Surface in the commercial — and I guess there’s a reason behind that. The Surface is a brilliant, clean-cut piece of hardware, but it’s still running Windows. Windows. Uncool. Suits are salivating already, having long awaited an alternative to the iPad which actually lets you create, not consume media for hours at a time.

….Indeed, it’s clear Microsoft means business with its ‘baby’ — which is more a tablet-netbook than it is a tablet-tablet for media consumption (which really originally seemed a cross between a laptop and an iPod Touch). If you look at keynote speeches from MS in early summer, you’ll hear the guys in Redmond averring that they’ve been working in the Surface since before the iPad1 was publicly announced. Whether you buy this or not, it’s undeniable that a tonne of work has gone into this thing:

Magnesium, eh? So that means the Surface is tough. So tough, in fact, MS chief Steven Sinofsky felt confident adding wheels to this thing and riding it around.

MS turns its Surface into skateboard.

 

Besides making a sturdy albeit makeshift skateboard, the MS Surface is cool as in sci-fi techno-music cool: If a sleek commercial and solid, artistic hardware design isn’t enough to make you ALT-Tab and pre-order (doesn’t matter, it’s backordered 3 weeks now)…. Well, actually those aren’t the best reasons. Not everyone is fond of Windows (and for those who are, they tend to loathe Windows 8). As for commercials representing the viability of a product, we only need turn to IE:

FYI the MS Surface won’t be running IE9 — it’ll be running IE10. You (probably) and I are thinking, ‘It’s still IE.’

This is not to hate on Microsoft. I really like the direction the company is going. But it still hasn’t shed the image of the ‘nerd trying too hard to be cool.’ At this point Microsoft is just trying desperately to catch up with its counterpart; it’s still pushing to get a serious foothold in the music industry via XBox (byebye Zune). Images can change, however. Jai You, MS and MS Surface!

To see the official MS Surface webpage, go to: <www.surface.com>.

Stupid Water Commercials

In Korea, you know you’re a seasoned Popstar (Idol) if you can pose with products and make  a pretty penny. Here’s former Super Junior member Hankyung in a Chinese commercial for CF eye drops:

Indeed, Hankyung eye drops make you smart — despite the jingle is mildly grating on the ears. DON’T YOU WANT TO SEE THE BOARD? If yes, buy CF eyedrops. Or get glasses.

On the topic of saline solution, let’s consider bottled water that’s infused with electrolytes. “I mean, it’s just water packaged in plastic, so what’s the big deal?” you might ask. Well, my response would be: doesn’t Beyonce make hydration via spring water seem….awesome?

Moral of the Story 1: Beyonce Water! It’s a beautiful nightmare when you splash it everywhere.

Moral of the Story 2: A billionaire singer with a pretty face, good hair, sparkles and high heels never fails to add a touch of glamour to the simplest things. Including water that tastes exactly like tap.

Now for some Breaking News: Jennifer Aniston is pregnant with triplets. And her foetuses like SmartWater.

Surely the audience is sold on the claim “SmartWater is smarter” because Jennifer Aniston is pregnant and has a closet full of wigs. Not to mention a full grown child and a second child who looks like a little green man.

Last but not least, Naive less Brains Évian-les-Bains water takes the trophy this afternoon for best water commercial. What defines best? Err, CGI trick-rollerskating babies of course.

I don’t know about you, but I think $16.50USD for a large mineral water spray (makes your face wet) is a bargain. And a very good product overall. You can buy one (1) EVIAN: Large Mineral Water Spray at Sephora. Apparently it’s a cult-favorite there.

Makes your face dripping wet.

Sephora BeautyInsider ‘layners’ says:

“I have been made fun of a lot by my bf for using this, because, yes, it is essentially pressurized water in a can that you’re paying $16 for, but it really is lovely. And hey, it’s not like this is just city tap water either. I am obsessed with this stuff in the summer. So refreshing and helps your make up set nicely.”

PEOPLE, there’s no reason to settle for tap water (costs $2.10/748 gallons) when bottled water is relatively much more expensive.

Crime and Punishment

As someone who hates chewing gum, particularly stepping on it, I’ve twice exclaimed in horror, “If I were ruler of the world, I’d have anyone who spat gum on the ground have their thumbs cut off….just a little.” Including myself if I ever committed such an offence.

Just kidding. Maybe 49 lashes as opposed to 50 (Singapore infamously does the latter). And by 49 lashes, I mean eyelash implants.

Vogue Nippon model Judith Bedard looks bitter, devastated and clearly remorseful:

Eyelash implants could be a fitting form of punishment for discarding chewing gum improperly.

Or she has a headache. (For more eyelash ‘dos’, peruse Love Them Or Leave Them: Crazy False Lashes.)

Seriously, there’s no good reason to stick an unwanted gum wad to the underbelly of a table. No good reason to drop it on the sidewalk either. If you don’t want it, neither does anyone else. Might I suggest the trash can?

And on the same topic of harsh punishments….what do you think about labor camps for drug addicts? A legitimate form of rehab, or no?

And if shelling cashews sounds as trivial as shelling pistachios to you….it’s not. Cashew shells are caustic (acid) and cause burns.

For some, a Los Angeles boot camp for teens might hit closer to home:

An investigation revealed that supervisors forced participants to chug water until they vomited.

For your further consideration:

TIME: Tortured in the Name of Drug Treatment.

Now, for those readers who cannot sympathise with drug addicts, what about internet addiction? Imagine if addiction to Facebook (RenRen in China) warranted death by beating….