If your post-Valentine’s Day sugar crash has left you feeling bitter and despondent, then pint-sized Thai singing sensation Gail Sophicha could be just the thing you need to put some sweetness back into your life. This eight-year-old musician has the voice of an actual angel and some impressive guitar and ukelele-jamming skills to boot.

Gail got her big break on the 2012 edition of Thailand’s Got Talent, and has since begun to make a name for herself on the interwebs by uploading a variety of videos to her personal YouTube channel that showcase her vocal and instrumental skills. Her recent video features an adorable rendition of “Leaving on a Jet Plane”, and it currently has over 100,000 views.

Here’s Gail at six years of age auditioning for Thailand’s Got Talent. She sings two songs and plays her ukelele, and while we don’t speak Thai, it’s obvious that the audiences and judges are going crazy for her. (We love it when the hosts pick her up and carry her offstage at the end!)

Gail also has some impressive language skills – here, she speaks excellent English as she introduces her cover of British boyband One Direction’s mega-hit “What Makes You Beautiful”.

This medley of Over The Rainbow and “What a Wonderful World” was recorded when she was still only six years old.

We’re sure that Gail has a bright future ahead of her in the music industry. We’ll be keeping our ears open for her!

Source: Trending News Portal
Main Image: Screenshot via YouTube

Related Stories

• Cute 13yo Thai-German talent speaks five languages and sings with the best of them
• Unhinged Japanese boyband fan stalks “rival” on Twitter, demands they delete their account
• Beautiful guitarist in new female J-rock band LoVendoЯ captures netizens’ hearts
• Awash in a sea of sound: The ambient electronic music of Sapporo artist Unii【J-Tunes】
• Bird’s got talent! Cockatiel belts out karaoke favourite ‘My Neighbor Totoro’ 【Video】

Origin: Talented eight-year-old Thai musician brings a tear to our eye with her angelic singing voice
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

Remember a while back when we told you about the Malaysian girl with 229,000 Instagram followers, who uploads pictures of herself holding things? Well, it turns out that she has a sister who is just as cute, and since we know how much you all love pictures of cute girls (and guys!) we decided to introduce her to you! Join us after the jump to meet Min Chen’s sister, model Brandy Akiko!

Now, the more eagle-eyed of you will remember that we already knew Min Chen had a sister, but it turns out that the rest of the internet has only just caught up. And now, photos have surfaced showing Min Chen and Brandy Akiko posing together. Brandy, a Tokyo resident, has her own Facebook account with over 149,337 likes. She also has a blog, Brandy Beauty Blog, if that’s more your thing than Facebook.

▼ Can you see the family resemblance?

▼ Sisters who take selfies together, stay together!

▼ Someone get these girls a selfie stick, pronto!

▼ Brandy and Min Chen just love waffles! …Apparently.

▼ It turns out that beauty runs in the family, as the sisters also have a mother who’s totally beautiful, too.

▼ Brandy Akiko is currently a full-time model based in Tokyo.

▼ In 2007, she won the Miss Malaysia Trendy competition.

▼ And in 2006, she was 1st Runner Up in the Miss Malysia Oriental Pearl competition.

Unfortunately, Brandy doesn’t seem to have an Instagram account (yet), but we reckon she could totally give her sis a run for her money – look at her holding those dried flowers! She’s practically a pro at holding things!

Source: Stomp
Images: Stomp

Related Stories

• “Malaysian girl holding things” is our new favourite Instagram account 【Photos】
• How to master the elements by setting ice on fire, then eating it 【Recipe】
• Man Faints and Falls into Cesspool Rescuing Woman Who Fainted and Fell into a Cesspool Attempting to Rescue a Pig Who Fell into a Cesspool
• Malaysian mother wows Japan with meals that are too cute to eat!
• Retired soldier and his wife finally get their wedding photos taken after 68 years!

Origin: Malaysian girl who got famous for holding things has a beautiful sister【Photos】
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

On 18 February the Indonesian National Police issued a warning to citizens about some harmful matter which may be circulating amongst the public. The article in question is a child-sized cotton top which features images of two cartoon pandas engaging in numerous positions of sexual intercourse.

The warning came over the Indonesian National Police’s Facebook page run by the PR division.

According to a translation over on Coconuts Jakarta, the message asks anyone who may see clothing bearing these “indecent illustrations” being sold to go immediately to the authorities…presumably so that the purveyors of this panda porn may be punished.

Also noted by Coconuts was the 9GAG watermark on the image posted by the police. That combined with the cropping of the image make it hard to tell if this photo was even taken in Indonesia to begin with. Still, that’s no excuse for slacking when it comes to vigilance.

We’d like to lend our support to the Indonesian National Police in getting these awful clothes out of the hands of impressionable youngsters. It’s sending the wrong message that intercourse between pandas is a fun and carefree affair involving every move of the Kama Sutra rather than the incredibly frustrating drudgery of trying to get real pandas to mate. It could very well set animal conservation efforts back an entire generation.

Source: Facebook (Indonesian) via Coconuts Jakarta (English)

Related Stories

• Badass art: Ono Gaf and his giant metal turtle
• Woman Despairs Over the Size of Her Son’s Penis, Drowns Him in the Bath
• Zoo Dwelling Panda Turns Yellow, Bums Out Visitors and Enrages Internet
• One brave young woman’s fight to replace shark fishing with ecotourism – We talk to Kathy Xu
• Panda Love: Ueno Zoo Invites Animal Lovers to Watch Its Rare Bears Get It On

Origin: Indonesian police proclaim pandaporn PJs prohibited
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

It’s a fact of life that copyright laws just aren’t as strictly enforced in many other parts of Asia as they are in Japan. So when photos started making the online rounds showing a resort in the Philippines with a statue of anime robot Gundam that’s as huge as it is fake, we responded with a laugh and a shrug of our shoulders.

But maybe having their clear case of intellectual property infringement become laughed at online made the management of Jed’s Island Resort rethink their decision. Recent photos show that the statue has been repainted, and its new color scheme doesn’t look like Gundam’s at all. So, is it an original design?

Of course not! They just found a different famous robot to copy.

To review here’s what the statue, which stands on the resort’s property in Calumpit, looked like when last we checked up on it.

▼ How big is the toilet bulimic mobile suits throw up into?

While the proportions are more than a little off, the coloring is an exact match for that of the original RX-78-2 Gundam from the 1979 TV series that started the entire Gundam franchise.

The official, 1:1 scale Gundam statue in Tokyo’s Odaiba neighborhood has become a popular sightseeing destination. Perhaps inspired by this, the underclassman of Twitter user Tiny Key, during a trip to the Philippines, decided to swing by and see the Jed’s Gundam for himself. When he got to the resort, however, what greeted him were not the gangly pure white limbs of the malnourished Gundam, but this:

フィリピン在住の後輩から、例のフィリピンガンダム見てきました！って写真送られてきたが、色がすっかり魔改造されてた http://t.co/pT4GkiA2L3

—
タイニ・キー (@fazz0611) March 02, 2015

Honestly, this is about the biggest backpedal you could ask for. After all, it’s not like they’re going to tear down the statue after going to all the trouble of putting it up, right? Bearing that in mind, recoloring just about every single part seems to be the most comprehensive option left for Jed’s in trying to make amends.

▼ Although, oddly, the crimson and gold J-marked crotch remains completely unchanged.

But you know something? Even if the statue doesn’t look like Gundam anymore, we can’t help feeling like we’ve seen that combination of hues somewhere before. Hmmm…

Ah hah!

It may not be as blatant as it was with Gundam, but there’s a very strong resemblance to The Transformers’ heroic Optimus Prime, especially when looking at their heads.

All of this raises two questions. First, did Jed’s Island Resort make the switch because of a guilty conscience, or simply the logic that with its live-action films becoming international blockbusters, Transformers is the hotter franchise to ride the coattails of? And second, is it safer to have Gundam or Optimus Prime angry at you?

Source: Jin
Top image: Jed’s Island Resort Facebook, Twitter (edited by RocketNews24)
Insert images: Jed’s Island Resort Facebook, Wikia, Twitter, Wikia (2) (edited by RocketNews24)

Related Stories

• Resort in Philippines has literally giant Gundam rip-off, plus Disney and Marvel knockoffs galore
• Overhauling your Gundam model for maximum cuteness
• iPhone iOS6 Map Takes Our Reporter on a Quest for the Pachinko Gundam Train Station
• GPS-lacking Gundam gets lost on the streets of Taiwan, asks locals for directions
• 7-Eleven escalates anime goody arms race with gigantic Evangelion statue that could be yours

Origin: Resort in the Philippines decides to stop ripping off Gundam, rip off another robot instead
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

No one would blame Paul Allen if, having reached the age of 62, he decided to relax and take life easy. After co-founding Microsoft and becoming one of the wealthiest people on the planet, most of us would feel we’d earned a little break.

Allen, though, continues to take on new projects. Owner in whole or part of three professional sports teams, Allen is also major philanthropist who makes donations to further medicine, science, and ecological conservation.

He also owns the 15th largest yacht in the world, the Octopus. While it’s luxuriously appointed, the ship also takes part in humanitarian and research missions, with its latest accomplishment being the discovery of the sunken Japanese battleship Musashi.

Along with its sister vessel the Yamato, Musashi is one of the two largest battleships ever built. Measuring 263 meters (863 feet) in length, the Musashi was equipped with nine eighteen-inch guns, among other weapons, and two catapults for launching the roughly half-dozen floatplanes it carried with it. To further illustrate its massive scale, the Musashi’s armor plating measured 18 inches thick, and two 15-ton anchors were used to hold the position of the ship, which under full load weighed 73,000 tons.

After being commissioned in August of 1942, the imposing vessel served as the flagship of the Imperial Japanese Navy’s Combined Fleet. It was personally commanded by Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto up to his death when a plane he was traveling in was shot down by U.S. forces in April of 1943. The Musashi itself would meet a similar fate a little over a year later, when it was sunk by U.S. Naval aviators on October 24, 1944 during the Battle of Leyte Gulf, but not before 18 aircraft were lost in the assault. Roughly half of the ship’s crew of 2,399 seamen perished when the ship sank.

Due to the chaotic circumstances surrounding its final moments (some scholars claim the Battle of Leyte Gulf was the largest naval conflict in history), the exact resting place of the Musashi was unknown for decades. This is where Allen comes into the story. The philanthropist and entrepreneur’s father served in the military during World War II, and out of reverence to all those who have done likewise, one of Allen’s many endeavors is the preservation of historical military artifacts. On March 2, a remote-operated vehicle launched from the Octopus discovered the wreckage of the Musashi on the floor of the Sibuyan Sea, near the center of the Philippine archipelago.

The video above represents the results of an eight-year quest by Allen to find the Musashi’s remains. According to his website, he hopes the discovery will help bring closure to the surviving relatives and descendants of those whose lives were lost in the war.

Related: PaulAllen.com
Sources: PaulAllen.com, YouTube via Hachima Kiko
Top image: YouTube
Insert images: Wikipedia/Tobei Shiraishi, YouTube

Related Stories

• Hello Kitty’s workload about to get even heavier with the introduction of Battleship Kitty
• How anyone with a computer can help search for the missing Malaysian airplane
• Five fun facts about the flag of Japan
• South Korean ferry disaster: Rescue ship was fitted with salmon-fishing sonar
• Questions raised over the mental state of Korean ferry captain

Origin: Shipwreck of massive Japanese battleship discovered after more than 70 years 【Video】
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

A clinic in Malaysia has shot to fame after accidentally diagnosing a student with “chicken chop”.

An image of the medical certificate, which was given to a secondary school student suffering from the chicken pox, has been circulating on WhatsApp, causing much amusement – and embarrassment for the clinic in Sungai Buloh.

Chicken chop, for the uninitiated, is a popular Malaysian-Western dish similar to a schnitzel. We guess it must have been lunch time in the clinic, as the individual who filled out the form clearly had food on their mind!

▼ “Doctor, doctor, I think I’ve got a coleslaw.”

Julian Gan

The clinic has apologised for the mistake, telling news outlet The Rakyat Post that it was “an inadvertent error” from which they would like to move on. Adding that the mistake was made by clinic staff, not the doctor, the representative told the news outlet that the clinic had been inundated with calls since the picture of the medical certificate began circulating on social media this week.

The only question now is, how can we too get a diagnosis of chicken chop? And does it come with a KFC foldable trolley bag?

KFC via saimatkong

Sources: Coconuts KL, The Rakyat Post
Featured image: via Coconuts KL

Related Stories

• Roppongi’s Russian doctor treats the rich and poor of Japan’s international community
• Plastic surgery clinic in Seoul makes art out of patients’ jaw bones
• Fly-kicking good?! KFC Malaysia apologises after employees brawl in front of customers
• Scandal as hospital staff take selfies, play games & hold parties while patients lie unconscious
• Kanji fail – Even Japanese people don’t know the true meaning of this term!

Origin: Malaysia clinic left red-faced as student gets five days off school with a case of “Chicken Chop”
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

The frozen food section at the local convenience store may not hold any lofty culinary treasures, but it does hold the key to saving time and energy after a long day. All around the world, people value frozen foods for their convenience and, sometimes, their deliciousness.

But can you really trust the picture on the front of the package to be what comes out of the microwave? One Thai netizen went on a quest to demystify the frozen food section of Thailand’s 7-Elevens and posted photos of 24 heated up meals to see how they compared to people’s expectations.

Lonelynite, a user of the Thai webforum Pantip, posted the photos to share what a diet of only frozen meals from 7-Eleven would look like. The meals all cost between 30 to 45 baht (US$0.92 to US$1.38) and were a variety of Southeast Asian, Chinese, and Western cuisine. There were even a few Japanese foods including karaage fried chicken or Japanese-style curry. While some of the food looked pretty good, some did not look appetizing at all. Check out all 24 meals below!

1. Fish in red curry fried with rice

2. Pork fried rice

3. Japanese curry and tonkatsu (pork cutlet) with Japanese rice

4. Stir fried mixed vegetables and omelette with rice

5. Shrimp fired rice

6. Korean-style chicken with rice

7. Spaghetti carbonara with ham

8. Spaghetti with chili pork basil leaf

9. Stir-fried Japanese rice with salmon

10. Chicken sausage fried rice

11. American fried rice

12. Stir-fried basil shrimp with rice

13. Stir-fried chicken with chili paste and bamboo shoots

14. Fried mackerel and shrimp paste sauce with rice

15. Hainanese chicken rice with soup

16. Pork panang curry with rice

17. Karaage chicken with Japanese rice

18. Spaghetti tomato sauce with chicken

19. Stir-fried basil vegetarian protein with rice

20. Stir-fried pork and basil with rice

21. Noodles

22. Stir-fried pork with basil leaf and rice

23. Grilled pork steak with Japanese rice

24. Crab fried rice

How did the frozen meals of Thailand’s 7-Eleven match up to the photos on the package? Did any of them completely miss the mark?

All Images: Pantip.com (lonelynite)
Source:Pantip.com (lonelynite), h/t Coconuts Bangkok

Related Stories

• Chinese restaurant has the most epic English menu of all time
• The 6 best frozen foods at a Japanese grocery store
• We try Denny’s Japan’s Massaman curry: The world’s most delicious food
• McDonald’s Thailand Ditches Beef and Buns for Chicken and Rice
• Hungry for love – 10 dishes Japanese men want their girlfriends to cook for them

Origin: The defrosted reality of 24 frozen meals at Thai 7-Elevens [Photos]
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

A Taiwanese college student tragically chose to set himself on fire recently after an apparently pretty harsh argument with his father over video games.

Xue Zhenjun, a student of Taiwan’s Chienkuo University of Technology, reportedly chose to end his own life in one of the more horrific ways imaginable because his father told him to get some sleep instead of staying up all night playing an online game.

Singapore’s Stomp magazine says that the student got into a fight with his father after his father told the boy to quit playing an unspecified online video game. Xue supposedly then took off on his motorcycle or moped – which are ubiquitous enough in Taiwan as to not warrant specification – and doused himself in several gallons of petrol before setting himself on fire.

As much as I would love to talk about this in a way that is hilarious and interesting as we usually do here, there’s nothing funny about a kid killing himself over family drama.

According to Stomp, Xue was being pressured by his family to finish his college studies and quickly find a job, which very likely means Xue was using the online game as a form of escapism from said pressure. There’s a tendency in the media to blame gaming on suicidal and/or homicidal tendencies while mostly ignoring family pressure, depression and other teenage dilemmas.

It appears that Xue just happened to reach his breaking point after an argument over a video game. Here’s hoping his family manages to cope with their loss.

Source: Stomp
Image: Wikimedia Commons

Related Stories

• Deathigner – the short animation made by a group of college students that just stole our hearts
• Put away your textbooks, kids – the key to learning Japanese is Minecraft
• Figurines, Wii U consoles and free vacations – Grab a sweet prize in 7-Eleven’s ‘Jump Heroes’ campaign
• “Business Nail” – the latest trend among young Japanese businessmen looking to get ahead
• “If I don’t download free music, I’ll get bullied!” – IT worker’s experience with net-using kids

Origin: Taiwanese student self-immolates after argument with father over video games
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

Who doesn’t love a good prank? Well, it might not always be so great being on the receiving end of the joke, but it sure is a lot of fun for the viewer. This Czech girl also seemed to have a lot of fun tricking her boyfriend into thinking he had slept with a ladyboy one night during their vacation in Bangkok.

During their vacation in Thailand, the girl in this video apparently decided to get back at her boyfriend one night after he drank too much and passed out. She went out and found herself a ladyboy, as you do in Bangkok, to help her out. With a couple of props (“used” condoms – ew) thrown in for good measure, the girlfriend hides in the closet and the ladyboy goes to wake the victim up.

▼”Wake up. Let’s do it agaaaain.”

Even better than the man’s reaction, I think, is the ladyboy’s performance.

▼”It’s just me here… And we did it!”

Watch it for yourself here, but just a word of caution for some expletives.

There is always speculation with these kinds of videos that they’re staged, but real or not, it’s still a pretty funny watch.

Source: Coconuts Bangkok, YouTube
Images: YouTube

Related Stories

• Genka Bar, where your drinks never cost more than what they’re worth!
• Free Boyfriend Rental in China: for Busy Career Women Trying to Prove They’re Not Gay
• Little girl gets a makeover but doesn’t like what she sees, Mum can’t contain her laughter【Video】
• Bloodbath: Why Do So Many Anime Characters Have Nosebleeds When They’re Aroused?
• Incredible (and almost impossible) paper craft – this rose doesn’t smell sweet but certainly is beautiful!

Origin: Girl enlists the help of a Bangkok ladyboy to prank her sleeping boyfriend【Video】
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

The continent of Asia itself contains over half of the world’s population. Looking solely at the numbers, this means that there’s a much higher chance for something crazy to go down here than in other parts of the world.

So when you see pictures of people like the woman above, you might get the sense that a lot of Asians are a little bit out-there, but actually for the most part they’re just as plain as you, me or my buddy Kenji who dresses up like a panda at his local zoo and pretends to mate with another panda-dressed co-worker to encourage the real pandas to get it on.

So please keep people like Kenji in mind when viewing these 14 photos of strange occurrences around our lovely continent.

▼ Looking at this at first I wondered how the dog could stay on that thing. But the more I watch the more I wonder how anything can stay on anything in this photo, namely those glasses.

▼ We all have those days when you just can’t figure out what weather to dress for.

▼ Growing up, those boys always were the best of chum.

▼ Her parents always scolded her for her unusual way of sitting in restaurants.

▼ But mom and dad ain’t around no more, are they!

▼ That’s debatable.

▼ Considering someone is taking a picture of girls taking pictures of themselves, the one holding the shoe makes the most sense.

▼ The hairdressers keep looking back at the picture of Che Guevara for some kind of sign from him to stop braiding. It’s been 14 hours and still nothing.

▼ “Alright, I’ll distract old man Ng with this octopus on my head while you make off with his prized wok collection. This can’t miss!”

▼ These poor young men were simply enjoying a day of dirt biking when they were attacked by Dr. Calypso and his freeze-ray. They’re currently being kept in the lab for observation.

▼ That’s probably how I’d look if I were in his situation, too.

▼ This appears to be a scene from the million-duck march of last June.

▼ They must on the underwater level.

▼ And so, as we can plainly see in this final picture, despite the occasional eccentric Asian people eat noodles out of a pouch in a shoe in front of Jesus pictures just like everyone else.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Source: Izismile
Original article by Takashi Harada
[ Read in Japanese ]

Related Stories

• Chinese Model Takes Beauty Tips From Aliens, Terrifying Results
• Scenes from the Trains of Japan: Pigeons, Gas Masks, and Sleeping, Oh the Sleeping
• The little test that’s blowing Japanese netizens’ minds
• Who’s afraid of the big Four-O? Not this Kitty!
• Chinese Photoshop trolls part 5: Testing the limits of the PS masters!【Photos】

Origin: And now for some photo fun from Asia 【Pics】
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

How did the Civil War in the upcoming Captain America film really start? If these photos are any indication, everyone’s favorite Marvel superheroes are largely at fault.

The social media sites of Indonesian photographer Edy Hardjo have experienced a recent surge in popularity for his hilarious renditions of Marvel characters (with the occasional DC character thrown in) in some not-so-innocent situations. Wolverine acting naughty? Spidey (“the new guy”) being picked on? Hardjo’s photos are sure to tickle your funny bone, whether you’re a fan of the comic book characters or not!

When Asian news site Coconuts Jakarta recently shared samples of Edy Hardjo’s “Inappropriate Avengers” ongoing series of photographs, we couldn’t stop laughing to save our lives. The photos have picked up thousands of likes and shares on social media, and even Mark Ruffalo, the actor who portrays The Hulk in the 2012 Avengers film (and its upcoming sequels), shared Hardjo’s photos on his Tumblr site:

Hardjo, who has a background in chemical engineering, lists only one personal detail on his Facebook and Instagram sites: “I’m a nerd who had no idea of what I’m talking about [sic].” It sure doesn’t look that way to the rest of us, though. His photos combine a certain artistic sense with a dose of humor while he poses action figures as if they were in the midst of amusing scenarios. Funnily enough, several of those scenes have something to do with resident Avengers hottie Black Widow…

You can check out Shutterbug’s interview with Hardjo here to learn about the creative process behind his comical scenes. Let’s take a look at some of them now!

▼Aww, poor Spidey!

▼Sometimes his creations take hours to complete!

▼What the?! Mr. Bean/Batman crossover??

▼You’ve got to be kidding me…

▼The Joker does not look pleased.

▼Hmm, what are they all looking at…?

Finally, here are some behind-the-scenes shots:

You can see all of the above and more on the photographer’s personal media accounts on both Facebook and Instagram. Keep ‘em coming, Hardjo!

Source: Coconuts Jakarta
Top image: Facebook (Hrjoe Photography)

Related Stories

• If The Avengers could have one Japanese superhero, who would it be?
• Hello Kitty superheroes would make the world a safer and cuter place for mankind
• Bad Disney girls: Fan artist reimagines princesses as the seven deadly sins
• Big Hero 6 gives Japan its first Disney hero 【Video】
• Model criticised for posting mocked-up “drowning selfie” as South Korean ferry sinks

Origin: “The Inappropriate Avengers”: Marvel/DC heroes like you’ve never seen them before 【Photos】
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

You generally don’t have to look too hard to find a business capitalizing on the appeal of scantily clad women, but recently there seem to be more and more places using half-naked dudes too. Hooray for gender equality, I guess?

Earlier this week, we told you about the upcoming Macho Cafe in Tokyo and the handsome dentist who cradles patients in his lap while doing a cleaning, but neither of those places have anything on this hair and nail salon in Da Nang, where your beauty comes with a side of beefcake.

According to a post on a Vietnamese blog, the salon, which is only open to women clients (sorry, gay dudes), is staffed entirely with men between the ages of 20 and 25. The official uniform is a pair of black briefs and nothing else. The better to see those lovely pecs, of course.

While Japan is usually the reigning king of weird, sexy businesses, the half-naked stylist hasn’t reached these shores yet. But judging by the comments on our Japanese sister site, it’s a market just waiting to be tapped.

“What amazing service!”
“Please, please, come to Japan too!”
“Hubba hubba.”

Anybody thinking of starting a new business? You’re welcome.

Photo: Noi Hay
[ Read in Japanese ]

Related Stories

• Sorry, studs, you’re just too handsome for your own good!
• You’re probably not as genki as this old lady!
• Japanese men have spoken: they don’t like your nail art
• You’re not seeing things, that’s a cat selling roasted sweet potatoes
• Beautiful Japanese Christmas Confectioneries if You’re Tired of Regular Christmas Cake

Origin: Get a haircut, a manicure and an eyeful at this saucy salon in Vietnam
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

Depending on who you ask, your wedding may be one of the most important days of your life, up there with the birth of your children and the first time you watch Breaking Bad. As such, it makes sense that the ceremony to incorporate at least a few of the things you love!

And if you’re in charge of Thai Toku, a group of cosplayers in Thailand, we’re guessing you have no choice but to fill the crowd with more heroes than an Avengers movie.

Loucipher, the handsome gentleman without a costume in the photo above, apparently got married earlier this month. And while we’re sure that Thai weddings are lovely events, we also probably wouldn’t be talking about it if not for the photos he posted on Pantip showing off some of his guests.

▼Someone better keep an eye on that minion!

In addition to the three Spider-men (Spider-mans? Spiders-man?), Loucipher got moral support from the Flash, Captain America, Iron Man, Superman, the Green Lantern, and…one more superhero that we can’t identify. Who is that guy in the black suit with the red gloves?!

As you might expect when superheroes show up at your wedding, they tend to steal the spotlight. Though the sheer number of heroes is perhaps what’s most surprising. On the other hand, we suppose you have an obligation to show up when your fearless leader gets married!

▼We’re a little bummed Loucipher wasn’t in a superhero costume himself…

Fortunately, it looks the heroes didn’t have to fight any villains. In most of the shots, they’re just standing around looking pretty…though we have to admit that they are very good at filling that role!

Unfortunately, we’re not sure how Loucipher’s family reacted to seeing more Spider-men in one place than the clone saga, but we’re guessing they appreciated the extra security.

▼Loucipher doing his best Tony Stark impression.

▼The happy couple and their posse of future babysitters.

In addition to more spandex than an 80s hair metal band, the couple also apparently cut the cake with a light saber! No word on if she used the force to smash a piece into his face, but we can hope.

There’s also a video of some of the cosplay members goofing around. Apparently the trick to fitting into a spandex superhero suit is…safety pins?

Here are a few more photos for all of you planning your wedding ceremony right now. It’s a tall order, but these are the guys you have to top!

▼There’s going to be so much webbing to clean up.

▼We really want to know who brought a minion to a superhero fight.
Because they win all the Internet points.

▼This photo totally deserves a caption contest.

The wedding was apparently held on March 22 in Saraburi Province. Congratulations to the couple and a round of applause for all the cosplayers for finally managing to give us a reason to care about wedding photos!

Sources: Pantip, Coconuts Bangkok
Images: Pantip

Origin: Superheroes invade Thai wedding, guests just smile for the camera 【Photos】
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

Related Stories

• Joker weds Harley Quinn! Guess who walked the bride down the aisle
• Japan Rail searching for couple to get married on Yamanote Line train
• Getting married? Love video games? Why not hold your wedding at this Tokyo video arcade!
• Tokyo Disneyland Sees Its First Ever Wedding at Cinderella’s Castle, Fairy Magic Starts At US$96,000
• If The Avengers could have one Japanese superhero, who would it be?

Being a driving instructor has to be a scary job. After all, every day your responsibilities include climbing into the passenger seat next to someone society says hasn’t yet shown the ability to safely drive a car.

For one group of instructors though, the source of their terror wasn’t that they were stuck with a bad driver, but with one that was too good, as they fell victim to a prank of their “student” for the day being a professional drifter and racer.

Malaysia’s Max Man TV describes itself as a digital entertainment company “catering exclusively to the Manly Man,” with an emphasis on video content featuring “mixed martial arts, fast cars, sexy babes, [and] awesome weaponry.” A quick look at the company’s YouTube channel brings up an entire video series of women in low-cut shirts riding shotgun in drifting sports cars, but Max Man’s latest project puts the woman in the driver’s seat, reigns in the sexiness, and dials up the awesomeness.

The starring role this time goes to Leona Chin, who’s described in the video as a “professional motorsport athlete” and “women’s racing champion.” For this video, though, Chin ditches her racing suit and instead puts on this disarming disguise.

Chin isn’t Max Man’s only partner in the video though, as they’re also in cahoots with a Malaysian driving school that’s breaking in a new crop of instructors. For their first day, each of the unsuspecting teachers is being assigned to evaluate Chin’s driving, without knowing that she’s anything other than an ordinary young lady still studying towards getting her license.

▼ At the 1:57 mark they find out otherwise.

Chin does a great job keeping up the ruse. When asked about the tuned Nissan Silvia sports coupe she’s pulled up in, she nonchalantly explains that it’s her brother’s car.

Still playing the part of a nervous noobie, she pops the clutch, accelerates clumsily, and comes off as generally confused and even a bit intimidated about the whole driving process. One instructor seems frustrated at her repeated miscues working the pedals, and another gives her a reassuring pat on the arm, telling her not to be scared before imploring her to “go faster” as she timidly inches the car forward.

As a matter of fact, Chin’s acting job is almost too effective, as we see one kindly instructor getting ready to send her back to the parking lot.

She begs for once more chance, though, and then it’s time to show her true colors.

The same women who, just moments before, was telling Chin not to be scared and to pick up the pace can’t even bear to look, covering her eyes and letting out a shocked, piercing scream as the pro driver shows that she probably doesn’t need any coaching in parallel parking or expressway merging, seeing as how she’s already progressed to more advanced skill sets such as power-on opposite-lock oversteer.

▼ Meanwhile, backseat passenger Rilakkuma remains stoically calm.

After producing a few more impressively elliptical drifts and billows of tire smoke, Chin brings the car to a stop. As soon as she does, the instructors are out the door, with one exclaiming “You almost killed me!”

That’s when Max Man TV lets them in on the joke, revealing the hidden cameraman who’s been filming exterior shots the whole time.

Truly an unforgettable way to start a new job, and even if these instructors won’t ever actually have Chin as a student, they’ll always have the memories of their time together…plus the generous parting gift of skid marks she left all over the parking lot.

Related: Leona Chin Facebook
Source: Game Over
Images: YouTube

Origin: Pro drifter disguises herself as driving school student to prank first-day instructors 【Video】
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

Related Stories

• Korean fitness guru goes from cute to drop-dead gorgeous, sparks beauty standards debate 【Photos】
• China goes gaga for versatile yoga beauty
• Chinese Model Takes Beauty Tips From Aliens, Terrifying Results
• Toyota’s official anime itasha car finds a home
• Extreme Drifting in Modified Kei Car, Even Better English Subtitles 【Video】

It looks like the Vietnam national soccer team has extra motivation to practice hard in the next two months.

Popular Vietnamese actress and model Diem My, who is known to be an ardent supporter of her country’s soccer team, amused Japanese net users last week when she declared that she would reward each member of the Vietnam national soccer team with a kiss if they manage to win the upcoming Southeast Asian Games tournament. Not to sound shallow or anything, but that sounds like one heck of a deal!

The Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) is a biennial multi-sport event between athletes representing 11 different member nations of Southeast Asia. Incidentally, Singapore will host the 28th SEA Games this year from June 5-16, in which approximately 7,000 athletes will compete in 36 different sports.

Unsurprisingly, one of the most eagerly anticipated events of the Games is the soccer tournament. Diem My, a popular Vietnamese actress and model, recently promised to give each player on the Vietnamese team, plus team manager and Japanese national Toshiya Miura, a celebratory kiss if they’re able to win the tournament.

Here are some clips of the lovely Diem My:

My had previously promised to kiss everyone on the team if Vietnam either won or drew against Japan in the AFC U-23 Championship qualifying match on March 29th. Sadly, the team members were unable to collect their prize since as they lost 0-2 to Japan. The team did go on to win 7-0 against Macau on the 31st; however, as that was predicted to be an easy victory from the start, My didn’t offer a reward for winning that match.

We hope the team is now working their hardest in order to secure a spot, and kiss, at the top of the SEA Games tournament!

Sources: AOL News Japan, Southeast Asian Games
Top image: YouTube (costamohouse)

Origin: Vietnamese actress to national soccer team: “If you win, I’ll give each one of you a kiss!”
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

Related Stories

• ‘LEAGUE OF LEGENDS’ FINALS: Meet the kids facing off in the biggest sporting event of the month
• Yamagata high school baseball team becomes Twitter sensation with their impeccable manners
• Adidas launches surprisingly powerful ad campaign alongside Japan’s new official football shirt
• Is there a correlation between sex and World Cup success?
• Internet turns Japanese referee into member of Brazil’s soccer team after controversial call

Like many countries, Thailand’s military has conscription by way of a lottery. Draft day is held each April, around the time of the traditional New Year, and all men over 21 – even those who no longer consider themselves to be male – are required to attend the conscription lottery once.

Thailand is widely considered the trans capital of the world, and more gender reassignment surgery takes place there than in any other country. So Thailand’s unusually high number of trans females (kathoey or “ladyboys”) makes this conscription process somewhat unique.

When their name is called during the conscription lottery, each individual must walk up and draw a card from the ballot box. Those who pull a black card can go home; draw a red card, however, and you will undergo medical checks before potentially being drafted for two years’ service.

In practice, kathoey ladyboys are almost always exempted from military service – but they are still required to attend the lottery. Thai law forbids people changing their gender on national identification documents, so all trans women remain officially recognised as male.

Until 2011, kathoey were commonly disqualified from military service on the grounds of “mental disorder” or even “permanent insanity” – labels which, once on a person’s medical record, often hinder job prospects in a country where employers typically ask male candidates to submit documentation proving they have stood for the draft. The military now uses a straightforward phrase: “This person’s body is not consistent with their birth sex.”

For many kathoey, draft day is a humiliating experience as they are expected to prove their ineligibility for military service. The draft is open to the public, and one kathoey told GlobalPost of people climbing up to the second floor to look down at trans women undressing for medical examinations.

But these annual scenes of beautifully dressed women sitting among crowds of more conventionally male-looking recruits could come to an end sooner rather than later. A proposed amendment to Thailand’s constitution this year would give official recognition to a “third gender”, giving trans people the right to reject the gender they were assigned at birth.

Many kathoeys identify as belonging to a third gender, while others see themselves as male or female. If the proposed changes go through in August, Thailand will join Nepal, India and Pakistan in officially recognising third gender in this way. And assuming the military chooses not to conscript third gender individuals, this could enable trans women to avoid the draft entirely.

Sources: rabaQ, Contended, GlobalPost, DAWN, Independent
Featured image: via damncoolpictures
All other images: via damncoolpictures

Origin: Beautiful soldiers: This is what conscription looks like for Thailand’s trans women
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

Related Stories

• Vietnam mulling moniker modification as part of constitutional revisions
• South Korean military under fire after severe hazing leaves private dead
• LDP’s Education Revitalization Headquarters Compiles Draft Proposal
• Middle-aged Chinese man’s “stomach pains” turn out to be his first period as a woman
• Hand-stitched cards are leading the trend in Korea this Christmas

Do you serenade your loved one by comparing them to a coffee table? Do you imagine being together forever like a cable car and its cable?

Then chances are you’re Chen Tianwen, the Singaporean actor who’s the star in the music video Unbelievable. The video is going viral, and if you haven’t seen it yet, now’s your chance. It’s truly something that needs to be seen… to be un-believed.

The music video Unbelievable was produced for the Singaporean sitcom Spouse for House, as a flashback to explain why a character says “unnnnnnbelievable” all the time. While the sitcom itself has some funny moments, it can’t compare to the hilarious monster of a music video that it inadvertently gave birth to.

You definitely need to watch it right now:

▼ It starts off innocently enough, but then….

▼ Oh yes. We are in for something special.

▼ Each “un” out of his mouth is like an arrow through my heart.

▼ With a pose like that, I’ll happily be a coffee stain on your sofa.

▼ I… I just lost it at this point.

▼ Yes, this is an accurate description of the viewers of this video.

The above screenshots give a taste of what the video is like, but it is really something that needs to be watched to be fully experienced. The intentionally awful dubbing, the wig that’s about to fall off at any second, and of course Chen Tianwen’s dance moves that will have you melting in your seat.

According to an interview with the creator of this masterpiece, Wang Guoshen, Unbelievable was inspired by ’70s Hokkien (dialect of Chinese) karaoke songs. They specifically identify the song Maili by Huang Qing Yuan, and watching the video it’s not hard to make the connection at all:

I’d just like to take this time to personally thank Mr. Guoshen and Mr. Tianwen for creating and singing this monumental achievement. You will forever be remembered every time we see the following image posted all over the internet in forums and on social media for years to come:

Source: Facebook, mothership.sg
Featured/insert images: YouTube – MediaCorp Channel 5

Origin: Un-un-unbelievable music video by Singaporean actor will leave you stunned like vegetable 【Video】
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

Related Stories

• Think you could stay on key when this distractingly unique karaoke video actor pops up?
• China’s biggest online retailer has a ‘Rent a Boyfriend’ section — Here’s what you’ll find there
• Samsung is making its own hour-long sitcom starring a fictional employee
• Just a typical day in Australia watching kangaroos fight in the middle of the street
• His coolness is over 9,000!!! Vegeta’s voice actor starts a new rock band!

To celebrate Singapore’s 50^th birthday, Australia sent four koalas to the Singapore Zoo for what is possibly the best birthday present ever. As one of Australia’s national animals, these four fuzzy marsupials were given top-notch treatment as they were upgraded from the cargo hold to “Koala Class”. Pictures appearing on Qantas’ Facebook page showed exactly how good people and bears have it in business class.

The four koalas, Paddle, Pellita, Chan and Idalia, flew from Brisbane to Singapore on Australia’s national airline, Qantas. They experienced all the amenities one would expect from high-class travel, hot towels, complimentary drinks and food suited for their exact tastes.

▼ “What do you mean I only get one towel?”

▼ “This drink is too fizzy, bring me another!”

▼ “Excellent, shouldn’t someone be fanning me as well?”

Their time in Koala Class was short-lived as they made the actual trip in a specially designed temperature-controlled habitat that was stored in cargo. But RocketNews24 was able to grab a quote from one of the koala’s after their experience, and she called the Qantas service, “Koalaty”.

Seems like a completely missed opportunity though, how many people would be scrambling for a chance to spend some time in First Class with some koalas? It would be the flight of a lifetime. Some might call keeping animals on an airplane “animal cruelty” but that’s just another name for economy class.

Source: 9 News via All Singapore Stuff
Images: Facebook (Qantas)

Origin: Cuddle koalas pose in business class as part of trip to celebrate Singapore’s 50th birthday
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

Related Stories

• 16 photos that show why Singapore has the world’s best airline
• Today’s trivia: Strange new koala spotted in packs of Koala’s March cookies
• How to live long and prosper: Tips from real-life supercentenarian pros
• Snacking in Singapore — A Japanese visitor’s list of some favorite Singaporean snacks
• Hugging, “borrowing” Wi-Fi and 8 other things that can get you arrested in Singapore

Surely nobody can deny that over the years we here at RocketNews24 have been good to those who love pretty ladies, given that we’ve brought you many an article featuring a bevy of beauties. In fact, “cute girls doing things” is practically a meme of its own.

“But what about the good-looking men?” we hear you cry. Well, ladies and gentlemen-appreciators, this one’s for you! Meet Christopher Sengseng, the manager of a branch of KFC who’s also a regulation hottie…

When the above snap montage of the hunky KFC manager hard at work manning the gravy station hit the interwebs, a bunch of thirsty ladies went on a stalking campaign to find out more about the sizzling fast-food hunk. Unsurprisingly, they quickly located his public Facebook page and began fanning themselves over a variety of selfies he’s uploaded of himself shirtless and smiling gorgeously for the camera. Enjoy!

▼ Check out those wings…

▼ We’re getting a serious craving for some fast food…

Unfortunately (for those who like a touch of sexy with their fries and are still looking for Mr. Right), his Facebook page also reveals that he’s been married since 2005 and is a daddy.

▼ Aww, what a cute family.

Looks like we’re going to have to find someone else to provide us with fast, tasty eats and a fairytale romance. Keep your eyes peeled next time you go to KFC, you may spot something a lot more finger-lickin’ than just chicken…

Source: Genxy via Trending News Portal
Images: Genxy, Trending News Portal

Origin: Gorgeous Filipino KFC manager is tastier than a whole bucket of hot wings
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

Related Stories

• Kentucky fried rice bowl – KFC’s Kentadon expands throughout east Japan
• KFC has its own potato chips in Japan, and we’ve got them in our bellies
• KFC Japan unveils even more amazing, ridiculous fried chicken merch
• KFC now selling bento lunchboxes from exclusive chain of Japanese-style outlets
• Face-Blurring Tech Goes Rogue: Google Maps Shows Its Respect For Colonel Sanders’ Privacy

Those of you who spend much time thinking about sports, international politics, or moaning, naked women might recall the incident a few years ago where Chinese soccer fans held up banners proclaiming “The Senkaku Islands belong to us! Sola Aoi belongs to the world!” The dual proclamation served as a simultaneous declaration of their territorial stance towards the disputed land masses and their egalitarian attitude regarding the Japanese porn star-turned singer and actress who’s amassed a massive fanbase in China.

The Senkaku issue remains a thorny one, in part complicated by the islands stubborn refusal to simply pick a side in the spat between Japan and China and move themselves closer to one country or the other. Sola, on the other hand, is much more mobile, and may be taking the comment about the whole world having the right to bask in her aura to heart as she’s reportedly considering moving her target market from China to Southeast Asia.

While Aoi first made a name for herself in Japan, her popularity in China exploded just about the time her adult video career in Japan seemed to be tapering off. As she entered her late 20s, Aoi was already transitioning towards more mainstream TV and movie work that allowed her to keep more of her clothing on, and shortly after she made her Chinese social media debut, she found herself with millions of followers in the world’s most populous country.

Since then, she’s been showing up less often in the Japanese mass media, and some might even argue that China had become the new focus of her professional activities.

▼ Sola Aoi

ついに本日18時開始！当日券出します！💖【 蒼井そらの蒼そら教室９】蒼井そらとナマ交流できる話題の大人気イベント！お気軽に遊びに来て下さい！ #蒼井そら tcc.nifty.com/cs/catalog/tcc… http://t.co/pWhTUsDEQO

—
東京カルチャーカルチャー (@tokyoculture2) April 12, 2015

You may have noticed, though, that the Chinese government isn’t known for its open and permissive policy regarding media content. Even as pop culture becomes increasingly globalized, the country’s State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television is seeking to put the brakes on what it considers the increasing vulgarization of what citizens watch, read, and listen to.

Aoi doesn’t seem to have appeared in anything that can be classified as pure pornography for a while, but her sex appeal is still a major selling point for productions she’s involved in. It’s also kind of hard to make people forget about your prior body of work when your resume includes items such as the politely phrased Wouldn’t You Like to Be Shown Sora’s Sex Thoroughly?, terrifying Certain Kill! Cum Face Shot!, plot-summarizing Sola Aoi Becomes a Prostitute, and doesn’t-initially-sound-like-a-porno-but-most-definitely-is Super High Image Vision Hollywood Standard Sex.

As such, Hong Kong media outlets report that Aoi is being targeted by the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, or SAPPRFT.

▼ Just a tip, Chinese government: when even your acronym is too long to remember, you might want to consider a more succinct name, like Aoi’s 2004 film Sexy Butt.

Apparently, Aoi is no longer being allowed to make live appearances at fan events, which that used to net her some one million yuan (US$161,000) a pop. With this source of revenue plugged, some are speculating that Aoi may start shifting her focus away from China, and give more of her love to film and TV in Southeast Asia. This wouldn’t be her first time working in the region, either, Aoi has previously acted in Indonesian and Thai films, including 2014’s I Fine…Thank You…Love You, a romantic comedy that was Thailand’s second-highest-grossing film for the year.

▼ Aoi as I Fine…Thank You…Love You’s Kaya

If this is indeed the end of the China-centric section of Aoi’s career, at least her Chinese fans can look back on their fond memories of their time together as they shed a tear while watching her aforementioned sexy butt walk away.

Related: Sola Aoi Twitter
Source: Record China via Livedoor
Top image: Sola Aoi Twitter
Insert images: Wikipedia/Daderot, YouTube

Origin: Is it time for China to kiss Japanese AV star/actress Sola Aoi’s sexy butt goodbye?
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

Related Stories

• China Reportedly Sends Fishing Boat Armada to Senkaku Islands, Fails to Show Up but a New Challenger Approaches
• Inconsistent with Current Claim, Chinese Diplomatic Document from 1950 Clearly States Senkaku Islands Are Part of Okinawa
• Anti-Japan Protesters in China: Oops! We Thought Samsung is Japanese
• Japanese-Owned Store in Shanghai Asserts Chinese Solidarity amid Violent Protests ***Updated***
• 【Newsflash】 Japan Produces Documents Revealing Sizeable Holes in Chinese Senkaku Ownership Claim