Earlier today I went through a McDonald’s drive-thru. I pulled up to the intercom and rolled down my window…
“Welcome to McDonald’s. May I take your order?”
“I can has cheezburger?”
Pause.
“Nom nom nom…”
*May or may not have happened.
Reader Amy suggested that I try Photoshopping under-eye fat deposits on myself to see if my theory proves correct.
What do you think? Do my eyes look larger with the under-eye bags?
For those who are wondering, this picture was taken after one too many drinks at a wedding,
when I proceeded to steal the ‘fro wig from the photo booth.
I personally think that my eyes DO look bigger with the under-eye fat deposits. Yes, I look tired and perhaps a bit older. But the extra shadow seems to create a more balanced look to my face.
One thing I noticed lately is the prevalence of Korean celebrities who have large fat deposits under their eyes.
This picture of the new girl group Rainbow was what prompted my new curiosity.
Koreans (well, Asians in general) can have very warped views on attractiveness and appearances. I wondered if puffy under-eyes now counted as a desirable trait.
Internet searches brought up nothing, so I decided to formulate my own theory.
Asian blepharoplasty — otherwise known as Asian eyelid surgery — is performed in order to give the appearance of larger eyes. Asians even use glue or tape in order to create the crease that makes your eyes look bigger.
As you can see, a crease can make your eyes look bigger without changing the dimensions of the eyes.
I then wondered why the theory could not apply to the under eye area as well: can puffy under-eyes make your eyes look larger?
I am not talking about the under-eye bags that come with age. I am referring to the genetic kind — the extra deposit of fatty tissue that some people have even at a young age.
There was only one way to test my theory. I decided to take the above picture of Rainbow and remove, via Photoshop, the girls’ under-eye bags. See for yourself:
The difference is especially noticeable in the bottom right picture.
Still not convinced? Let’s try this picture of Kim Tae Hee, who is one of the most popular actresses in Korea right now:
Sure, she may look more tired with the bags, but you can’t deny that her eyes look larger with them.
I must confess that I was a bit disappointed with these results, because I do not possess this extra fat deposit under my eyes. I don’t even get puffy eyes when I’m tired…I only get dark, dark under-eye circles.
I’m still not sure if Korea has caught on to this phenomenon, as my Korean web-trawling skills are limited. However, I would not be surprised if a few years down the line, I start reading advertisements for under-eye deposit surgeries.
Do you have extra fat under your eyes? Do you consider them a blessing or a curse?
Yesterday, J and our sister-in-law Annie were in panic because one of the most-anticipated games of the year was being released the next day (today) and neither of them had pre-ordered the game.
“How could YOU TWO of all people not have pre-ordered it?” I asked.
Neither of them had a good excuse.
(And Annie, I know you gave me a lengthy excuse but let’s face it: you can’t call yourself a true COD fan unless you place a pre-order on the first day that pre-orders are available! 
)
They called a bazillion GameStops in the area. They even had an innocent victim — J’s brother / Annie’s husband — run down to Chinatown to see if a copy was available.
According to J, this is what all the GameStops in the area looked like (image source).
Annie says that she was practically in tears at this point.
She then got in touch with a GameStop a bit up north who said they had some pre-orders left, but they would need to get there in 10 minutes to get it.
Unfortunately, they didn’t get there in time.
They then decided to swing by Best Buy, and as luck would have it, this particular branch was having a midnight launch party!
This is not J or Annie, nor is it a picture taken by them. It is a random image that popped up when I image-searched “GameStop” and thought it too funny not to share (image source).
I don’t know about Annie, but J played until 3am (“I’ll still get 5 solid hours of sleep for work!”) and will be high tailing it home tonight so he could get in a solid 6 hours of gameplay.
I am tempted to make fun of them even more, but came to the realization that I would probably do the same for a game I am passionate about.
What about you? Have YOU or anyone you know caught the COD bug?
At least I’m not the only one who finds humor with the world of COD:
This week marks the fifth anniversary of Mozilla’s Firefox!
I can’t believe it’s been five years — which is a looong time in the digital world — since J first told me about a new web browser that I just had to check out.
“I dunno, what’s wrong with Safari?” I asked. (Yes, I was a Mac geek and an IE hater even then.)
“Just…do it. You’ll like it. Trust me.”
And upon installation, my web experience was changed forever.
Let’s celebrate five years of the world’s best web browser by spreading the word and making the web a better place for everyone!
From kottke.org:
In the opening scene of the season finale of Mad Men last night, Betty Draper goes to visit Roger Sterling in a freshly mowed hay field wearing a huge white wedding dress and gets shot in the head with a rifle by an off-screen Jane. She was aiming for Roger, but the first bullet missed and he hit the deck like a good soldier. As the second bullet entered the back of Betty’s head, the camera swung around 180-degrees in a Matrix-like way and we see the bullet exit her neck about two inches below the ear. A ray of light shines through the hole as the bullet exits, as if Betty is made of pure light.
And then I woke up. I haven’t seen the actual episode yet. (Friends, don’t let friends eat late Vietnamese dinners.)
Seriously though…who watched the season finale last night?
Did you LOVE it as much as I did? I really do think that Season 3 has been the best season of Mad Men yet, and the final episode was the best of the season!
This past week saw the introduction of a new viral photo. Yes, I am talking about the snapshot of Carrie Fisher wearing her infamous bikini outfit, sunbathing on the set of Return of the Jedi alongside her stunt double.
When I first came across the picture on Boing Boing, my first thought was not ‘Haawwwtttt!’ (as I assume the majority the male population who saw the picture immediately concluded).
Rather, it was, ‘Hmm…this looks familiar. Where have I seen it before?’
This self-imposed question bugged me THE ENTIRE WEEK. Can you understand how frustrating it must have been for this Star Wars geek?
(And obviously, when I googled the source of the picture, only the picture itself presented itself as it had quickly taken ahold of major blogs and news sites.)
Then, today, The Official Star Wars Blog came to my rescue. Here is their description of the source of the picture:
….As exciting as the idea of leaked photos is, it’s not entirely accurate. In fact, we can offer you a “top secret” way to uncover this and even more “leaked photos.”
Step 1. Get the 2004 Star Wars Trilogy DVD boxed set. Odds are, you own it. Throw in Disc 4, the Bonus Materials. Navigate to “Video Games and Still Galleries.”
Step 2. Now, go to “Exclusive Production Photos.”
Step 3. Almost there. “View Return of the Jedi Photos.”
Step 4. Okay. Now thumb forward about 30 or so images and, presto! “Leaked image!”
I knew it!
And yes, I hang my head in shame at not being able to recall this factoid immediately.
That is all for the night. I am off to go re-familiarize myself with the Star Wars Trilogy Bonus Materials disc.
A few days ago one of my favorite blogs, The Art of Manliness (yes I know I’m a girl but I still enjoy its content), published a post called A Man’s Guide to Dry Cleaning.
The article was well-researched and well-written, and chock full of helpful information. However, it was apparent from the start that the author does not have any first-hand experience in dry cleaning.
I asked myself why I couldn’t do it better myself.
My parents are Korean immigrants who have been in the dry cleaning business for 22 years. I have helped out at the store since I was 7 years old, and continue to do so to this day. Sure, I may not run the store, or even work full-time (I only started to officially work part-time last month), but I am confident that I have assisted my parents enough to have gained the experience required for this post.
I have decided to make this a 2-part series. The first will discuss dry cleaning in general, and more importantly, the different methods of dry cleaning — the pros and cons, as well as the environmental/health impacts of each. The second will provide an insider’s advice as to how to make the best of your dry cleaning experience.
If you have any questions, or would like any additional issues addressed, please feel free to leave a comment or shoot me an email using my contact form.
Let’s begin.
Dry cleaning is the use of non-water substances to remove soils and stains from clothes. The most typical use of dry cleaning uses a chemical called tetrachloroethylene (perchloroethylene) — more commonly referred to as “perc” — to clean the garments. Perc is by no means a “dry” agent; in is in fact in liquid form and the only reason the word “dry” is used in “dry cleaning” is because when the garments come out of the machine, they are dry.
I will not talk about the multiple steps involved in cleaning and preparing each garment. There are tons of web resources that discuss this topic and if you wish, you can go look for yourselves. What I do want to examine are the most popular methods of dry cleaning (aka the dry cleaning chemicals), what they are, and the pros and cons associated with each.
Perchloroethylene, or “Perc”
Perc is the process long-favored by dry cleaners and still in use by the great majority of dry cleaners in the U.S.. It is inexpensive, cleans remarkably well and relatively safe if handled properly.
pros: inexpensive, and no other chemical comes close to it when it comes to cleaning garments well
cons: it is a toxic chemical that must be handled with care and disposed of properly. It has been known to “wear down” fabrics over time. It has also been linked to both health and environmental issues.
Most of my readers are probably aware of the cancer risks associated with perc. To be more specific, the International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified perchloroethylene as a 2A carcinogen, which means that it is “probably carcinogenic to humans.”
Is this a cause for concern? Of course. I worry every day that my parents will develop cancer as a result of their chosen profession. But the fact remains that at this point, there exists no alternative that can clean clothes as well at a similar price point.
Hydrocarbon, or “Organic” Dry Cleaning
I see many dry cleaners these days touting “organic dry cleaning.” When cleaners advertise the use of “organic” or “nontoxic” dry cleaning, what they are almost always implying is that they use isoparaffin hydrocarbon, which, like perc, is a synthetic petroleum distillate and just as toxic. The only reason they are able to label their process as such is via loopholes in labeling laws.
pros: the dry cleaning establishment is able to advertise “safer” methods
cons: it is no safer than perc, and has a slightly weaker cleaning ability than perc
CO2 Cleaning
CO2 (carbon dioxide) cleaning uses CO2, in liquid form, as a cleaning agent in a pressurized environment. When it was first announced a few years ago, it gained much publicity and reports hailed it as the wonder process. However, when put to the test by actual dry cleaners under various condition, it proved to be a poor cleaning agent.
pros: no known health risks, environmentally safe
cons: a poor cleaning agent, machinery and required supplies are expensive
Solvair (Reformulated Rynex)
The Solvair system was developed to improve on the CO2 system via the use of propylene glycol ether to clean, and CO2 to rinse. The problem with the Solvair system is that propylene glycol ether has been proven to be just as toxic as perc, and studies have shown it to have potentially carcinogenic properties as well (mainly, the presence of tumors in mice).
Solvair has recently reformulated itself in order to decrease potential health risks. However, it has yet to undergo a formal evaluation of its toxicity levels.
pros: environmentally safe
cons: no formal testing has yet to be performed on its health risks, machinery and supplies are expensive
GreenEarth (Volatile Methyl Siloxane)
GreenEarth has been hailed as the safest and most environmentally-friendly dry cleaning process since its inception in 1999. It is mild on clothes, does not fade colors, and has a softening effect.
However, it should be noted that volatile methyl siloxane, or decamethylcyclopentasiloxane, has recently been found to cause uterine tumors in rats. Decamethylcyclopentasiloxane is also under scrutiny for its apparent persistence in the environment and in human and animal tissues.
pros: is probably the #1 choice for health and environmentally conscious dry cleaners in the U.S.
cons: tests are still underway for the potential health and environmental hazards listed above
Wet Cleaning
Wet cleaning uses water, and as such is considered the safest of all the dry cleaning processes (well, technically it isn’t dry cleaning). Water is used in a precisely controlled conditions so that “dry clean only” garments can be washed in water.
The problem with wet cleaning is that it is a lengthy and involved process. The water temperature and levels must be carefully adjusted for different types of garments, fabrics, and even the stage of the washing cycle. Many cleaners stay away from this process for this reason; it takes a true professional to be able to clean each garment without shrinkage or damage.
pros: is the safest and more environmentally friendly
cons: high potential for shrinkage and damage, involved and more difficult process for cleaners
What you should garner from the information I’ve collected above is that there are pros and cons to every dry cleaning process. It really is a trade-off: do you prefer cleaner clothes (at a cheaper price), or do you care more about your health and/or the environment?
The answer to the question seems simple when it is written out like this, but what you have to realize is that many of the cleaners using the safer methods are forced to charge much higher fees in order to make a profit, not to mention that many of the safer methods do not do a good job cleaning!
What would be my unsolicited advice as someone who is part of a dry cleaning family? (Yes, many of my aunts and uncles run dry cleaners too.)
My parents’ dry cleaner uses perc and wet cleaning. They choose to only run the perc machine for certain fabrics, soils and stains. Everything else (about 40%) gets washed in water with the help of a nontoxic detergent.
I’m not sure about other states, but the state of New York has very strict laws concerning dry cleaning establishments that use perc. My parents’ store undergoes monthly inspections, must abide by stringent laws regarding the handling and disposal of perc and its by-products, and even pays hefty fees to both the state and the county so that the regulations remain in place and continue to improve.
I personally think that they have made a good compromise until a good alternative for perc comes along.
How did you decide on a dry cleaner? Are you now re-thinking your choice?
Next up: how to make the best of your dry cleaning experience!
for more information, please read:
A Man’s Guide to Dry Cleaning — The Art of Manliness
Dry Cleaning — Wikipedia
Alternative Solvents: Health and Environmental Impacts — California Environmental Protection Agency
The International Agency for Research on Cancer — The World Health Organization
Posts Tagged “Dry Cleaning” — The Green Way Blog
Paramount’s $15,000 horror flick Paranormal Activity may be the most successful movie ever to propel itself to phenom status via the use of social media and web interactivity.
Beginning with its humble origins, the movie urged fans to “Demand it!” to play at additional locations. The website promised that the film will open nationwide once 1,000,000 “demands” were hit.
Social media widgets were easily visible and easily accessible on the website, encouraging and reminding each visitor to tweet, share on Facebook, email, and paste the URL of the site wherever possible. They even had available a snippet of code that can be used on MySpace, website, fan site or blog to help spread the word about the movie.
Belong long, Twitter users began to tweet their thoughts on the film, and the trend caught on. “Paranormal Activity” remains on the list of the top trending topics on Twitter, even to this day. (This is an actual screenshot of my Twitter page taken last night.)
Word spread like wildfire, and soon, Facebook boasted more than TWENTY-FIVE Paranormal Activity fanpages, the most popular which hosted more than 140,000 fans. More than twenty Paranormal Activity groups were created by enthusiasts worldwide.
Fanpages advertised screening parties, and marketers of the movie took it an extra step further by posting messages such as this:
Moderators also urged fans to upload reaction videos and photos to these fanpages, spurring even more interactivity and creating more content for visitors to enjoy.
And before the buzz starts to wane, the marketers behind Paranormal Activity has decided to look to the next step: DVD and Blu-Ray sales!
That’s right — if you visit the movie’s website, you can submit your name to be included into the “special thanks” section of the credits for the film as a thank you for making it such a success. You’ll get to see your name scroll across the screen once the DVD and Blu-Ray disc comes out.
Will this gimmick work? Well it did for me — I signed myself up immediately!
Have you watched Paranormal Activity? What did you think of it? Do you think it lived up to its internet hype?
I like books, gadgets, spicy food, and art. I dislike shopping, hot weather, and the laws of entropy. Although I am a self-proclaimed computer nerd, I still have a love for handbags and makeup... and I am always teetering on high heels. To learn more about me, visit the "About" page.
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