Beauty and Tragedy

A 20-year-old model who was a finalist to represent Brazil in the Miss World contest has had her hands and feet amputated after contracting a severe urinary infection, media reported Wednesday.

Mariana Bridi da Costa was sedated in a hospital in Serra, in Brazil's state of Espirito Santo, and on artificial respiration following the procedures, according to several dailies.

Bridi was diagnosed with a infection by the Pseudomonas aeroginosa bacterium, which can often prove fatal. Septicemia set in in her limbs, cutting off circulation and forcing doctors to amputate.

Her boyfriend, Thiago Simoes, told the G1 news website that Bridi fell ill on December 30, but was initially misdiagnosed with kidney stones.

The infection quickly spread, causing her to go back to hospital for tests that revealed her condition. Surgeons had to act to remove her damaged hands and feet.

Her father, Agnaldo da Costa, told the Folha de S. Paulo newspaper that "the concern is over her life."



Bridi twice made it into the national finals for the Miss World contest, and last year traveled to China to participate in the Miss Bikini International paegant, G1 said.

Some one so young. So beautiful. So vivacious and full of life. Full of ambition and drive.

Struck down by something so tragically unimaginable. Even she herelf would have thought that a car accident was a billion times more likely.

What is life to her now?

Q .... count our blessings and give thanks to everyday when we wake up a live and go to bed in peace.

Anything can happen. Anything. Even to the most beautiful.

Celebrating Oriental Beauty

The Caucasian standard for beauty has been a benchmark for women all over the world for decades.

But

2007 marks the acceptance of Oriental Beauty on the World stage.

Apparently.

Miss Universe 2007 is from Japan, 20-year old Riyo Mori.


And recently,

Miss World 2007 is from China, 23-year-old Zhang Zhi Li


But is this just another beauty 'in-season' obsession? A passing fad and fancy?

Observe the trend on the world stage for Beauty pageants:

The late 80's were the white Americans of A . The early 90's were the African-Americans of A. The mid 90's marked the dominance of South American Beauties . The late 90's and early 2000's were the Indians. Now, the Orientals?

What next? South East Asians? :-P

Woo!!!

PS: Although, I have a sneeky suspicion that Miss China won the Miss World this year, purely on the basis of political clout. The pageant itself was held on Hainan Island, China. The 2008 Olympics is in China too.

Hint hint.

So what if she's the tallest gal in the competition? Still only a giraffe will get onto the cover of National Geographic.


Miss Angola shud have won. She's the hot one. ^^