May 2006 Articles

• • Tattoos In Japan Tuesday May 30, 2006 in: Body Art Tag(s):

    Remember those movies about the Japanese criminal underground? There's Michael Douglas's Black Rain, and Dolph Lundgren's Showdown in Little Tokyo, an otherwise forgettable movie if not for the luscious Tia Carrere.

    At least as far as these movies are concerned, what else do Japanese gang members have in common, aside from their usual brutality and general meanness? Tattoos. Elaborate, colorful and ultimately beautiful tattoos.

    » 4 comments | read more | login to subscribe
  • Flying Cars, Anyone? Sunday May 28, 2006 in: Import Car Lifestyle Tag(s):

    OK, that would be asking a lot. I personally would want a flying car to save me from the horrible traffic that's getting on my nerves every time I drive to work, but the invention of a flying car is probably a few centuries more into the future. The only time we see cars take flight are in movies like The Fifth Element.

    However, an Aston-Martin did just that a little over a week ago. As a matter of fact, that Aston Martin car flew farther than the Wright Brothers did in 1903.

    » 3 comments | read more | login to subscribe
  • Hair Transplants From A Certified Surgeon Friday May 26, 2006 in: Hair Loss Tag(s):

    Most hair transplant commercials tout their surgeons as being 'certified.' But what does certified mean? Why is a 'certified hair transplant surgeon' important to you?

    Hair transplant surgeons are certified by an organization called the American Board of Hair Restoration Surgery, or ABHRS for short. Formed in 1996, the ABRHS was meant to meet the demand for some kind of self-regulating certification process in the industry as well as advisement from the Federal Trade Commission.

    » 8 comments | read more | login to subscribe
  • Wooden Memory Sticks Thursday May 25, 2006 in: Toys For The Boys Tag(s):

    If you see a computer with a piece of wood sticking out of it, don't be alarmed. You're not in a haunted house where trees grow through apparently abandoned stuff.

    What you're looking at in fact are wooden memory sticks, plugged into that computer's USB port. Yet another cool and definitely eye-catching innovation in today's world of seemingly endless cool innovations.

    » 2 comments | read more | login to subscribe
  • UK Plastic Surgeons Denounce Makeovers Wednesday May 24, 2006 in: Female Perspectives Tag(s):

    Makeover shows are becoming more and more popular in the United Kingdom, as British television producers churn out their own versions of American television makeover shows. This passion for makeovers is perhaps one of the reasons for the 35% increase in the number of cosmetic surgery procedures done by members of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) last year.

    Britain's largest group of plastic surgeons, however, is none too happy about the makeover boom, especially with more clinics offering discounts for multiple procedures. BAAPS, in fact, is warning patients against makeovers

    » 7 comments | read more | login to subscribe
  • Fight Skin Cancer With Exercise Sunday May 21, 2006 in: Diet and Exercise Tag(s):

    Much has been written about the benefits of exercise. It regulates blood pressure, helps improve cardiovascular endurance, lowers cholesterol levels and so on and so forth. The benefits of exercise are too many to list.

    And that list just got longer, as a new study reveals that, on top of everything else, exercise helps reduce skin cancer risk. In mice at least, that is, according to the study conducted by a team of doctors and scientists from Rutgers University, the state university of New Jersey.

    » 3 comments | read more | login to subscribe
  • Boob Job Blues Friday May 19, 2006 in: Female Perspectives Tag(s):

    A lot of awful things have been written about breast enhancement and breast implants. Surf the Internet and chances are, you'll come across an article enumerating reasons not to have a boob job. There's also this ongoing Silicone implants vs. Saline implants debate which has yet to be resolved.

    And yet according to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, a total of 364,610 procedures were performed last year, a nine percent rise from 2004. That's a significant figure for a cosmetic surgical procedure that has lately had more than its share of publicity, both good and bad.

    » 6 comments | read more | login to subscribe
  • Kiss Hay Fever Away Thursday May 18, 2006 in: Dating Tag(s):

    Allergic to pollen? Then go liplock someone for about half an hour and kiss your hay fever miseries goodbye.

    At least that's what a research team from the Satou Hospital in Japan is saying.

    According to the scientists, a 30-minute kiss reduces allergic reaction to pollen. The tests they've conducted, they say, show that smooching for that particular length of time relaxes the body, and reduces the production of histamine, a chemical cell given out in response to allergens.

    » 5 comments | read more | login to subscribe
  • Cosmetic Surgery in Saudi Arabia Wednesday May 17, 2006 in: Rhinoplasty Tag(s):

    I was surprised when I came across this report by Arabnews.com, saying that demand for cosmetic surgery in Saudi Arabia is rising.

    According to the report, among the most popular forms of cosmetic surgical procedures in the Kingdom are rhinoplasty and liposuction. The report also says that women make up 70% of the demand.

    I've always thought that Saudi Arabia, being one of the few Middle Eastern countries adhering to Islamic laws to the letter, is just as strict about cosmetic surgery as they are with eating pork, imbibing alcohol or showing women's faces in public.

    » 8 comments | read more | login to subscribe
  • The World's Most Fuel-Efficient Car Monday May 15, 2006 in: Import Car Lifestyle Tag(s):

    With skyrocketing oil prices and the world's dwindling oil supply, scientists and inventors are working at warp speed to find solutions to the problems an inevitable worldwide gas shortage would surely present.

    Apparently, a British inventor has already found one.

    According to a Scotsman.com news article over the weekend, a 45-year old inventor by the name of Andy Green claims he has built a car that can do 8,000 miles to the gallon.

    » 3 comments | read more | login to subscribe
  • Musical Breast Implants Saturday May 13, 2006 in: Female Perspectives Tag(s):

    This is not exactly news, as this story about musical breast implants came out sometime in October last year. But I couldn't resist commenting on it simply because it is amusing as it is fascinating.

    The article says that in 15 years or so, breast implants containing computer chips that could store an MP3 player and the wearer's entire music collection could be available in the market. Everything would be controlled by a panel on the wrist, and a signal would be relayed to headphones.

    » 6 comments | read more | login to subscribe
  • Face Your Facial Problems Friday May 12, 2006 in: Facial Plastic Surgery Tag(s):

    I once had a classmate in high school with a terrible case of acne. His breakouts practically covered every square millimeter of his face that bullies at school (which, I'm ashamed to admit, included myself) called him not as "a guy with acne" but as "acne with a guy". It sounded really funny then.

    Then I got my own case of the zits. A really big one.

    » 4 comments | read more | login to subscribe
  • PS3 Launch Set For November Wednesday May 10, 2006 in: Video Game Consoles Tag(s):

    Gamers rejoice!

    The highly-anticipated Sony Playstation 3 launch will finally take place in November this year.

    According to the MarketWatch.com news article, the much-hyped Playstation 3 will be released in two versions: one with a 20-gigabyte hard drive and another with a 60-gigabyte capacity. The console also features a digital high-definition video connector, a memory card reader and a Wi-Fi adapter.

    » 3 comments | read more | login to subscribe
  • Who's the healthiest of them all? Monday May 8, 2006 in: Diet and Exercise Tag(s):

    While all sorts of hullabaloo bombard the citizens of the United States on the daily basis, another concern that deserves to be given enough consideration has popped up into the scene.

    A news story from National Geographic said that Brits are healthier than Americans. This claim is produced by a study that was published just recently in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The thing is, this would have been not as interesting as it should be if only we are not aware of the fact that Americans spend twice as much as our British counterparts on health care. Sadly, that fact is staring at us in the face, and it drives home the point that being the richest nation in the world does not guarantee the position of being the healthiest also.

    » 3 comments | read more | login to subscribe
  • Hollywood Booby Trap Saturday May 6, 2006 in: Female Perspectives Tag(s):

    In today's highly opinionated and demographically diverse world, polls and surveys have become as natural as breathing. There's always a poll for just about everything, ranging from the mundane ("Line to a movie you most wish you had said") to the downright silly ("Male celebrity you would most like to slug"). But an online survey got my attention yesterday that I had to put in my two cents' worth. The question: "Who do you think has the best looking breasts in Hollywood?"

    I have been a breast man ever since the day my big brother was careless enough to leave a copy of Playboy in the bathroom (What he was doing with it there I absolutely had no idea. Perhaps he enjoyed the "intellectual" articles too much he couldn't put it down while heeding nature's call?). My 12-year-old self picked it up, looked at the pics, and suddenly had this strange and inexplicable craving for milk. I've been hooked since and never looked back. Not on milk, but on those lovely mounds we love to call boobs.

    Back to that survey, I see many familiar names: Salma Hayek, Jennifer Connelly, Gwyneth Paltrow are on the list, and so is the barely legal Lindsay Lohan. Even Britney Spears, whose mysterious breasts are often the subject of much speculation, is included in the poll.

    I couldn't help but notice that the women in the list have varying sizes. Gwyneth is an A-cup or a B-cup at the most; Salma and Jennifer are most definitely in the C to D cup range. Does this mean that people have already outgrown that "big boobs are the best boobs" mentality and realized that size, for female breasts at least, doesn't really matter?

    For me, perky breasts are the best breasts. It doesn't whether they're big or small, natural or a result of breast implants. After all, celebrities, breast implants and plastic surgery have always gone hand in hand.

    » 5 comments | read more | login to subscribe
  • The Snoring Stopper Friday May 5, 2006 in: Facial Plastic Surgery Tag(s):

    I bet you have experienced sleeping with someone who snores so loudly. That must have been one hell of a night. Those snorting, and whistling sounds do not make excellent background music for getting a good night sleep.

    Well, there are a lot of ways to deal with a snoring bedmate, or roommate. One might be to endure the noise. But that does not sound like a good solution though. Or let's say, just get used to it, and sooner or later, you may be able to find out that you can't sleep anymore without that soothing noise. That sure doesn't look good either.

    » 5 comments | read more | login to subscribe
  • The Real Plastics Thursday May 4, 2006 in: Female Perspectives Tag(s):

    Normally, teenage girls splurge on pizza, clothes, makeup, Avril Lavigne CDs, or whatever cool stuff in existence whenever they get their hands on some money. Apparently, nobody told these teenagers featured in the May 1 online issue of Australia's The Courier Mail newspaper about that.

    While most teenage girls, like the members of "The Plastics" clique from the movie Mean Girls, would be more than happy spending hundreds of dollars on a shopping spree, the Australian girls featured in the article plunk literally thousands of dollars shopping, not for clothes, not for make-up, but for a brand new pair of breasts.

    » 5 comments | read more | login to subscribe
  • Taming Wild Expectations Wednesday May 3, 2006 in: Facial Plastic Surgery Tag(s):

    For plastic surgeons, it would be quite an annoyance to hear patients babbling about how they would like to have their looks resemble that of Nicole Kidman's or how they would like to get a hold of that full pouty lips like Angelina Jolie's, especially if what surgeons see as of the meantime is a total wreckage. Not that plastic surgeons are mean-hearted and are easily annoyed or something. Dealing with an issue as sensitive and as expensive as plastic surgery, surgeons would surely accommodate patients with the utmost care and kindness they deserve to get.

    » 5 comments | read more | login to subscribe
  • Going Ape Monday May 1, 2006 in: Facial Plastic Surgery Tag(s):

    After hitting a bellhop with a telephone and exchanging scathing remarks with just about everyone in Hollywood, Russell Crowe has once again trained his guns on another celebrity. This time, however, a female actress, and a former co-star to boot, is at the receiving end of the Kiwi's tirades.

    According to this article, Crowe says "Basic Instinct" star Sharon Stone looks like an "orangutan", due to the plastic surgery the Oscar-winning actor believes her "The Quick and the Dead" co-star has undergone. He reportedly said:

    » 5 comments | read more | login to subscribe