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Boutique hotels in China: The second-tier rush is on
'Fit, sexy, happy' beauty crowned Miss Universe Australia 2011
Dating an expat in Mumbai: A feasibility study
Best resorts worldwide, HK foodie fads, best chippies in Sydney
Faking it at Bangkok's Museum of Counterfeit Goods
How to eat sushi, most expensive cities, amazing press photos
Bia hoi vs. beer hall: Vietnam’s boozy standoff
Calling all 'A-level' Korean women: Stop apologizing for being successful
リチャード・ギア「自分だけの楽しみ」
12の遺跡や自然が世界遺産に

Boutique hotels in China: The second-tier rush is on

Posted: 07 Jul 2011 11:55 PM PDT

No one needs reminding of just how keen Chinese consumers are on branded goods.

Hong Kong's Louis Vuitton stores seem perennially beset by queues of mainland Chinese tourists and super cars parade the streets of second-tier Chinese cities.

But this obsession with brand names also extends to travel.

According to a survey released last month by leading publishing group Hurun Report, 64 percent of the 463 Chinese millionaires and billionaires interviewed admitted that 'brand' was an overriding factor when it comes to choosing hotels.

'Fit, sexy, happy' beauty crowned Miss Universe Australia 2011

Posted: 07 Jul 2011 11:53 PM PDT

So when you think of a beautiful Australian girl, is she young, blonde and elegant with a home by the beach?

From more than 10,000 hopefuls, it was this prototype of Aussie beauty that was crowned the most beautiful woman in the country last night.

Perth beach girl and student, Scherri-Lee Biggs was announced as Australia's entry in the Miss Universe beauty contest to be held in Brazil in September. She also picked up a cool $25,000 in prizes.

"It hasn't hit," 20-year-old Biggs told news.com.au. "I am absolutely shocked but can't wait to represent Australia."

Dating an expat in Mumbai: A feasibility study

Posted: 07 Jul 2011 11:52 PM PDT

It was the occasion of one of Mumbai's much-loved social institutions, Sunday brunch.

Hosted by a popular South Mumbai couple at their high-ceilinged, art deco Cuffe Parade apartment, it drew the city's juiciest slice: bankers, industrialists, businessmen in their Sunday standard-issue gear (floral-patterned shirts, chinos, espadrilles, cigars) accompanied by their wives in summer dresses, their weekend cheer heightened by the Sangria in their hand and the clip-on flower in their hair.

"There was a decided bonhomie in the air," recalls a guest, a female publisher of lavish coffee-table imprints.

After a week of trading, hustling, transacting, Mumbai establishment could kick off its Tod's shoes and kick up its heels.

Best resorts worldwide, HK foodie fads, best chippies in Sydney

Posted: 07 Jul 2011 10:22 PM PDT

Faking it at Bangkok's Museum of Counterfeit Goods

Posted: 07 Jul 2011 07:59 PM PDT

Bangkok's reputation as one of the world's premiere marketplaces for counterfeit goods is certainly deserved, as a quick walk down many a street can attest.

For Joe McSomchai, this is harmless consumerism at its finest. Will Disney -- a company that made over US$38 billion in 2010 -- really miss the $50 they'd charge Joe for a Mickey Mouse doll that cost $4 to make?

Should he feel guilty that he can pick up a pair of "Oakely" sunglasses for a fraction of the cost he'd pay in retail?

Probably not. But if Joe McSomchai knew the full extent of the counterfeiting industry, he might change his mind.

How to eat sushi, most expensive cities, amazing press photos

Posted: 07 Jul 2011 07:38 PM PDT

Bia hoi vs. beer hall: Vietnam’s boozy standoff

Posted: 07 Jul 2011 02:56 PM PDT

Czech beer halls are growing in popularity in Ho Chi Minh City, while Hanoi sticks rigidly to its cheap, cheerful plastic-chaired bia hoi stalls.

Here two protagonists for each duke it out to see which provides the best beer experience in Vietnam.

10 reasons to choose HCMC's beer halls

Vietnam's healthy beer culture is well documented.

Few visitors leave Hanoi without sluicing copious volumes of watery bia hoi while the distinctive roaring tiger logo of Danang brand La Rue is as ubiquitous an adornment on backpacker T-shirts as the words same-same or a faded photograph of Bob Marley tugging a spliff.

Calling all 'A-level' Korean women: Stop apologizing for being successful

Posted: 07 Jul 2011 02:50 PM PDT

Everybody in Korea knows what a "Gold Miss" is -- a well-educated, professionally successful, and, most importantly, single woman. It seems to be the accepted norm that well-educated women just can't get married, or get married "well" in Korea.

But why is everyone pointing their fingers at these women, as if not getting married is their fault?

Why is it that we never talk about Korean men, who still prefer someone who they think is "inferior" to themselves, to the point where they would never consider dating a woman who went to a "better" university than they did, or has a higher-paying job?