3d illusion arts: Oddity Central

Oddity Central

Woman Has 10 Plastic Surgeries to Look Like Anime Girl
India’s Fascinating Fortune-Telling Robots
Ria van Dijk – The Woman Who Shoots Herself Shooting

Woman Has 10 Plastic Surgeries to Look Like Anime Girl

Posted: 08 Feb 2012 01:59 AM PST

We live in a world where plastic surgeries and beauty 'enhancement' procedures have become the norm rather than the exception. Even so, spending $136,000 on 10 procedures just to get a certain look seems pushing it way too far. But that's exactly what Jacqueline Koh, a 29-year-old fashion designer fro Singapore has done to herself, in an attempt to look like a typical anime girl, with big sparkling eyes, a small chin and nose, a slim face, and larger breasts.

When I looked at pictures of Koh's original face, I wondered why she would have wanted to change anything at all. However, she had long been unsatisfied with the shape of her chin and her protruding mouth. The trigger to actually do something about it came two years ago when she had put on weight. Gaining 6kg in 1.5 years without any change to her diet got her worried. At 1.6m tall, she weighed 48kg. I don't think that's a weight to worry about at all, but she thought she looked chubby. When no amount of exercise would help her lose weight, she went for corrective procedures.

Her first operation was Vaser Lipo, a gentler form of liposuction, and it was a nightmare. The doctor ended up removing fat unevenly and she had dents and zigzag lines all over her body. Her weight increased to 58kg. Far from being discouraged from such surgeries, Koh then went on a rampage of sorts with treatments for her body and face. So far she has undergone Velashape (pulling of the skin to reshape her body), a boob job, double eyelid surgery, nose jobs, shaving of cheekbones, flattening of ears, and chin implants. She intends to get one final correction procedure done in March, after which she says she will be satisfied with her looks.

Photo © Jacqueline Koh

But that's not really the end of it. Koh spends a lot of money to maintain her looks, as well. To smooth out her facial lines and nasal folds, she has biannual Botox and fillers that cost up to $1,000. Her daily skin-care routine consists of a face mask that costs her up to $100 a month. She uses handheld aesthetic machines every week to rejuvenate her skin. Talk about high maintenance!

Koh has written a lot about her beauty transformations on her blog. She also provides advice and information to her 'fans' about plastic surgery treatments and how to find good doctors. "I didn't write about my procedures to become famous," she says. "I wanted to help women become as beautiful as me or even more beautiful. When I was doing research for operations, people weren't that open to sharing their experiences." On average, she receives 800-900 e-mails a day asking for advice on cosmetic procedures.

Photo © Jacqueline Koh

In spite of all this, Koh insists that she has had all the operations done to make herself happy, and that she's still the same person inside. 10 operations seems a bit much, but as long as she feels good about herself… Although Jacqueline Koh’s transformation may look extreme, but it’s actually nothing compared to the efforts of people like the man who wants to look like Superman, or the woman trying to be the real-life Jessica Rabbit.

Jacqueline’s Koh official blog

Story via Your Health

UPDATE

We contacted Jacqueline Koh to see if what the recent articles said about her was true, and as it turns out, the media made some exaggerated claims. First of all, the young fashion designer didn’t have the surgery to become a real-life anime character (although she did admit she likes the look), she did it because she “wanted to look better than before”. Also she added that “I did not say “I am UNHAPPY / dissatisfied with my current looks. I was asked if I felt that I was a perfect 10 now. I said no, I am not a perfect 10 now because my eyes are slightly uneven, my nose tip is a little wide still. But overall, i am perfectly happy with everything. “. Although stories claim she is planning another surgery in March, Jacqueline says there are no upcoming surgeries.

About the reactions to her sharing her experience with plastic surgery online, Jacqueline said:

So far so good… I did not receive any negative comments. Most of the emails i received are asking me for details on my doctors. ALso, when my readers undergo surgery, I am their “cheerleader”, I would encourage them and cheer them up while they are recovering as some of them do not have the support of their family and friends. I am glad to be part of their recovery as well as their research. =)

I am sure there are many many many celebrities/ models / females / males / others out there who has undergone a massive / minor cosmetic surgery/ procedure before. Just because I am honest about my procedures does not make me wrong. If there are negative responses / sarcastic comments, the commentator must have his own reasons, but I chose to live my life my way; just like how the commentator can choose to live his/her life their way. I do not enforce my way onto others and so, I wish for the same amount of respect and that the negativity that these people may have should be kept within themselves. Don’t infect me with your negativity. =)

We lover her positive attitude! Plus, she gave us permission to use her photos, which makes her an awesome person and fellow blogger.

Woman Has 10 Plastic Surgeries to Look Like Anime Girl was originally posted at OddityCentral.com

India’s Fascinating Fortune-Telling Robots

Posted: 08 Feb 2012 01:25 AM PST

Indians have long since been passionate about predicting the future. Horoscopes are created with the help of an astrologer on the very day a child is born and these documents are consulted from time to time during major milestones of a person's life. Especially when a match is made as a part of an arranged marriage, an astrologer is duly consulted to make sure the horoscopes of the bride and groom are compatible with each other.

While all this may seem very strange to an outsider, for Indians it's a part of normal and natural life. In fact , progress in terms of fortune-telling technology has been made too. In several homes, local astrologers have been replaced by computer software that serves the same purpose. One simply needs to enter their name and time/date of birth to receive a complete report of their past, present and future.

Photo by Jitendra Prakash / Reuters

At fairs, festivals and even parks, it is common to find astrologers who read palms and have parrots that predict the future. Of course, several of them could be charlatans. Interestingly, technology seems to be taking over here too – with robots replacing the parrots. These robot fortune tellers are painted in bright colors and come in various shapes and sizes. The most popular design has flashing LED lights and an analog clock display on the front. Apparently, these creations serve the dual purpose of telling time as well as the future!

Photo by Paul Keller

Should you choose to have your fortune revealed to you by one of these robots, all you need is a mere 5 Rupees (that's less than a Dollar). In exchange for this small token, the robot's guardian will allow you to put on a pair of headphones connected to its underpants and listen to a pre-recorded message of the future. Unfortunately, the messages aren't available in English, but only in Indian languages – Hindi, Tamil, Kannada and Telugu.

Photo by Paul Keller

It seems there's a robot predicting fortunes right here in Bangalore, every Sunday opposite the ever-popular Russell market. Now you know where I'm off to this weekend!

via Discover Magazine

India’s Fascinating Fortune-Telling Robots was originally posted at OddityCentral.com

Ria van Dijk – The Woman Who Shoots Herself Shooting

Posted: 08 Feb 2012 01:03 AM PST

It's not unusual to have photographs of yourself taken every year. But in the case of Ria van Dijk it is, because she's in the exact same pose in each of the pictures – shooting a target. The 92-year-old from Tilburg, Holland has been going to funfair shooting galleries every year since 1936, and has won the prize every single time – a photograph of herself shooting.

Shooting galleries at fairs are set up in such a way that when the target is hit, it triggers the shutter of a camera. The result is a photograph in which the viewer is in the position of the target. The picture is the prize that participants win for their efforts. Even before she participated in the shooting gallery, Ria had plenty of practice at home, as a child. Along with her brother, she used to shoot at a target with air guns in the garden of her home. She says they would do this just for fun. So when she went to the fair at age 16, her friends encouraged her to give the shooting game a try. She won the picture on the first shot, and went on to win another one. Ria went back to the fair a year later to win another picture and that was when it all began.

2006

The very first shot of the summer of 1936 shows Ria in short hair and a long overcoat, surrounded by her friends. Her collection now consists of 69 photographs. The only years she missed were those of the war, when all fairs were cancelled. Throughout the pictures, only one thing remains consistent – Ria's pose when she's aiming for the target. Otherwise, the people around her, hairstyles and clothing, and her own ageing, are a testament to the changing times.

1936

Ria's unique photographs have now been compiled into a book called the Almost Every Picture series; it is the 7^th book in the series. Published by advertising agency KesselsKramer, the books depict one subject through a body of photographs. Several of the photographs in the book have already been published in Dutch newspapers, and Ria is a local celebrity of sorts. Interestingly, she says she doesn't really spend too much money on her hobby. "I shoot until I get a photo. But I don't spend more than about 10 Euros." If she's not able to make the shot, she will return the next day to try again.

1938

Ria is completely undeterred by her age, and does not plan to stop her picture series anytime soon. "I can't wait for this year now," are her precise words.