electric shock!

I usually sleep while my driver weaves his way through the daily traffic. However, last Monday, I found myself keenly observing the street life along our route. It must have been the two cups of coffee I had for breakfast.

There were the usual elements of my morning ride – busy roads, crowded sidewalks, etc. Nothing extraordinary.

Until I saw a dead cat lying on a pavement, its legs stiff and outstretched.

The poor thing had a puddle of blood under its head, suggesting that it fell from above. So I looked up to see where that could be.

I saw an electrical post, with multiple wires that crisscrossed like spider webs, much like the ones on the right. The kitty probably suffered a high-voltage surge before it crashed to the ground!

As we drove on, I was shocked to see countless identical posts along the way. Tall, grotesque structures – what eyesores! How come I never noticed how they looked before?

Then an old saying came to mind: "What you see everyday, you no longer see."

In fact, it took a dead cat for me to realize how badly some communities need a safer and more modern electrical infrastructure. I wonder what it will take for local authorities to wake up and see this problem. 100,000 volts, perhaps?

(Top, left) The Series 4 Horror Be@rbrick, released in 2002, was the first 'glow-in-the-dark' Bearbrick ever released.

a fetish for fishnet

After the brouhaha over Oscar Dela Hoya's alleged tranny pics, I can't help but think: What's the big deal?

Cross-dressing is more common than most people think:

1. In Greek mythology, Achilles (the hero of the Trojan War) dressed up as a girl in the court of Lycomedes to keep himself safe.

2. In The Odyssey, Athena, the goddess of wisdom and war, often came to the aid of people disguised as a man.

3. Joan of Arc, a French heroine and a Catholic saint, was burned at the stake after being convicted by a religious court. Her dressing up in male clothing was cited as one of the principal reasons for her execution.

4. Amandine-Aurore-Lucile Dupin, an early 19th century French novelist who is better known as George Sand, preferred to wear men's clothing exclusively.

5. William Shakespeare made substantial use of cross-dressing for his literary female characters. A lot of his heroines wore masculine clothing in order to carry out certain tasks. In Twelfth Night, for example, Viola disguised herself as Cesario in order to find employment.

6. All roles in Japanese Noh dramas are traditionally played by male actors.

7. Likewise, since it was illegal for women to perform in theaters in Renaissance England, men took over women's roles.

8. In China, a famous cross-dressing opera singer is Mei Lanfang.

9. Rock sensation Marilyn Manson cross-dressed his way to fame and fortune.

10. Kurt Cobain, lead singer of the American band, Nirvana allegedly wore women's clothes at home and on stage.

11. And then there was Boy George.

12. In some parts of the world, men wear skirts called kilts.

13. I just saw an antiperspirant ad on TV featuring guys dressed up as cheerleaders.

14. What were traditionally men's clothes – pants, vests, and blazers, etc. – are now ordinarily worn by women. Even oversized men's watches on ladies' wrists are considered chic!

It's possible that one day, 'unisex' will be the operative word. And Dela Hoya will have the last... giggle!

The 'Glow-in-the-Dark' Madness Be@rbrick (top, left) is by Nexus VII, the next generation streetwear brand from Japan. The goods are available at R*izm, the Nexus VII flagship store in Tokyo. / Dela Hoya pic (top, right) is from X17online.com / Info from Wikipedia