Absolutely Fobulous

Sometimes we come across human beings who are simply gems, a cut above the rest of us mere mortals.  Meet Ahmed Angel, an 18-year old from Iraq, who has recently been popping up all over the internet — and no wonder, what with that disarming “Blue Steel” pose (a la Zoolander), perfectly gelled hair, and immaculate airbrushed makeup.  He’s got a treasure trove of photos on his Facebook, and apparently a rapidly growing fan base.

Sure, the title of his YouTube video, “Ahmed Angel is Planet,” doesn’t really make sense.  But after you watch it, you’ll realize that making sense really isn’t the point.

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Remember Krang, the evil brain from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles who controlled a massive robotic body?  Well, it seems some inventors in Japan thought it would be a brilliant idea to equip children with the equivalent of Krang’s body.  Called “Kidswalker,” it’s basically a metal exoskeleton that allows a child to sit inside and, just like Krang, use levers to control the robot’s arms.  Oh, and just to make things even more interesting for parents, the robot’s arms feature a metal claw and a drill.  Because that’s exactly what you want to put in the hands of a bratty kid.

You’ve got to be a pretty special mom or dad to get your child this gadget, especially since it costs $21,000.

Now, admit it. Doesn’t it have a scary resemblance to the charming creature?

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(Thanks, Lia!)

Human cloning has finally been discovered!  OK, that’s an exaggeration but seriously, there’s something a bit off with this year’s Miss Korea contestants.  South Korea has the highest rate of plastic surgery per capita according to the Economist, so you do the math when it comes to the picture below.

The photos sparked a fiery debate on Reddit, with users doing some serious bashing on how ubiquitous plastic surgery has become in Korea.  One user wrote, “I live in Korea, and older women complain how girls don’t look Korean anymore because of all the plastic surgery. It’s so common to the point if I meet a girl, I just assume she has had something done. Girls here consider eye surgery just like using makeup.”

Don’t get me wrong, these girls are very pretty.  But it’s uncanny how similar their chin, eyes and nose are.  I’ve actually heard that those three features often come as a “package” at many plastic surgery clinics in Korea.

(Thanks, Julie!)

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I don’t know what you were doing at age 14, but Tianlang Guan is proving that even a skinny Chinese kid can make international headlines.  The teenager from Guangzhou, China became the youngest golfer to qualify for The Masters Tournament.  At age 14, he’s literally an 8th grade boy competing amongst men, and many professional golfers much older than him struggle to even get to Guan’s current level.  To put things in perspective, the legendary Tiger Woods didn’t even qualify for the Masters until he was 19 years old.

“It’s frightening to think that he was born after I won my first Masters,” Woods said. “I mean, that’s just frightening.”

It’s pretty interesting watching interviews about Guan, as I would have assumed he attended an expensive sports school (there are many in China).  However, he just goes to a regular middle school in Guangzhou, balancing homework with practicing golf after school.  Golf isn’t a huge sport in China, but Guan’s passion for the sport started at age four when he tagged along with his dad on the golf course.  When he was just six years old, he traveled for his first international competition.  Watch this kid — he’s going to be the next big thing in golf!

(Thanks, Hubie)

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I was watching Bizarre Foods America featuring the local cuisine in Charleston, South Carolina and was totally shocked to see some of the dishes they featured: chicken feet, pigs ears, pork trotters…even pig snout!  Whoa whoa whoa…hold up.  What am I doing in San Francisco?  I should be living in the South!

For all foodie snobbery that San Francisco touts, nothing warmed my chicken-heart-loving heart as much as seeing this sweet old African-American granny stirring a big pot of chicken feet.  Then, Andrew Zimmern starts serving out slices of pig ears, a sausage-looking dish made of snout, and a stew of pig trotters.  You don’t even know how much I love pig ears.  They’re so crunchy — the texture is like no other.  These dishes have apparently been around for hundreds of years, dating back to the days of slavery.  Impoverished people would make do with leftover cuts of meat, and turn them into delicious soul food dishes.

I wonder how Southern-style chicken feet compares to my favorite dim sum claws?  Anyone tried it before?

Here are the highlights of the episode — chicken feet part starts at 3:50.

You have to meet my cousin, Howard, who looks like a certain dictator who’s been on the news a lot lately.  He’s definitely got a critical eye when it comes to inspecting the grocery store goods.  Hilarious!

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Remember a couple years ago when we came across the Japanese “floating girl” pictures?  This might be even more awesome.  In Japan, it’s a photo trend among schoolgirls to re-enact Street Fighter’s “hadouken” superpower move.  One person unleashes the imaginary explosion, which totally blasts the other people away.  It’s a hilarious meme, and I’m even starting to see people here in the US doing these poses in their pictures!

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Happy Holi!  This week, thousands of Hindus around the world will celebrate Holi, the festival that welcomes the new season of spring.  According to Hindu legend, Lord Krishna  visited the city of Barsana, where his lover Radha lived, and teased her with colors.  The word “Holi” comes from “Holika,” the name of a Hindu deity known for her special gift of being able to withstand fire.  During the festival, people also celebrate by burning bonfires.

These beautiful photos show how freakin’ awesome and joyful it is to get completely doused in color.  I’ve never had a chance to celebrate Holi, I just did the Color Run and it was AWESOME!  It’s a 5k race, and every kilometer is a different color…by the end, you’re completely covered in brightness.

Celebrate spring the Holi way and sign up for the nearest run near you!

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Holy crap, I think I just found the most amazing / creepy gadget ever: the iPhone case shaped like a human hand.  Now you can feel like you’re holding Siri’s hand when you whisper sweet nothings to her.

For $52, you can get this handmade (no pun intended) delight, made out of soft silicone so it feels like a real human.  However, you apparently have to remove the case when taking pictures, since the fingers get in the way.  Also, putting the phone in your pocket makes it look like a zombie is trying to escape out of your butt, as seen in the hilarious picture below.

Get yours here.

(Thanks, Tony!)

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