Video Of The Day: Holding Hands With Strangers In NYC And China

by Elizabeth Seward on

You could call Andrew Hales a comedian. You could call Andrew Hales a people person. No matter what you call him, he has a good thing going: filming himself holding hands with strangers (or attempting to) in different places around the globe. The group he pulls these stunts off with is called Losing All Hope Was Freedom. In this video, Hales is getting to know the people of Chengdu, China, through impromptu handholding. His approach to making new friends is cute, sure, but it also shines a light on the culture of any given place he films. Enjoy.

[Thanks, Laughing Squid]

Living in IKEA: It can be done

by Jamie Rhein on

Anna’s post about IKEA brought back fond memories. Going to IKEA in Singapore and Taiwan were wonderful outings that helped us add affordable, aesthetically pleasing items to our apartments. IKEA saved me from despair in Taiwan. Not that I didn’t absolutely love our Taiwan apartment’s glass coffee and end tables with their chrome legs and the aquamarine colored vinyl-sided couch with its matching chairs.The chairs and couch had chrome legs to match the tables. When the apartment came furnished, I wasn’t quite counting on the colors and chrome. Let’s just say tastes differ. IKEA area rugs and throw pillows helped me tone down the noise a bit.

Each time I visited IKEA, a part of me wanted to live there. Mark Malkoff, a comedian/filmmaker did live in IKEA in Paramus, New Jersey for 6 days in January when his Manhattan apartment was being fumigated for cockroaches. Here’s the YouTube video of Mark’s first day. You’ll see some of the items Anna mentions. All the videos from the six days are on Mark’s Web site, Mark lives in IKEA . Here’s a link to the ABC News clip that gives a rundown of the story.