Tokyo, Japan

What is the most expensive city in the world? Before you can even begin to answer that, you must first decide what “most expensive city” actually means. Several companies have done just that over the last few years and, due to the different methodologies used, compiled lists with surprisingly different results. We’ve compiled our own list of some of these surveys and the cities they’ve concluded are the most expensive cities in the world.

Mercer Cost of Living Survey, 2010
Highest-ranking city: Luanda, Angola

Mercer’s survey compares the costs of over 200 items in each of 214 cities. The survey covers the cost of housing, food, transportation and other essentials to help employers determine compensation for expatriate employees. This is the first of Mercer’s surveys to include African cities Luanda, Angola; Ndjamena, Chad and Libreville, Gabon. The high placement of these cities in the survey—Ndjamena placed third and Libreville placed seventh—can be explained by the fact that these areas, while rich in natural resources, are generally poor and expatriate employees must rely on newly built infrastructures. Other high-ranking cities on Mercer’s survey include Tokyo, Japan in second place; Moscow, Russia in fourth place and Geneva, Switzerland in fifth place.

Economist Intelligence Unit Cost of Living Survey, 2009
Highest-ranking city: Tokyo, Japan

Unlike Mercer’s, EIU’s survey disregards the cost of housing as it is usually provided by expatriate workers’ employers separately from their wages. The result is a list that may be more useful to the expatriate employees than to their employers. This list places Oslo, Norway in second place; New York City in third; London, England in fourth and Sydney, Australia in fifth. Luanda is notably absent from the top tier.

ECA International Cost of Living Survey, 2010
Highest-ranking city: Tokyo, Japan

ECA’s survey also disregards the cost of housing, as well as utilities, vehicles and schooling. In their survey, Oslo, Norway places second; Luanda, Angola places third; Nagoya, Japan places fourth and Yokohama, Japan places fifth.

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Reminiscence Patchouli Pour Homme is not a strange, cocoa-sprinkled, cramp-inducing patchouli fragrance like Serge Lutens Borneo 1834 (whenever I smell Borneo 1834 my stomach begins to ache). Patchouli Pour Homme is certainly not a loud, “crude” type of patchouli perfume favored by provincial nouveaux riches. (See Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard, where the prissy, aristocratic Leonid Andreyevitch Gaev enters a room, sniffs the air, and complains: “It smells of patchouli in here.” Someone’s wearing cheap perfume…and it’s none other than peasant-turned-entrepreneur Ermolai Alexeyevitch Lopakhin!) Patchouli Pour Homme is also not the variety of oily, overbearing patchouli used by old-time hippies to scent their greasy hair and beards or their sweaty leather boots. Patchouli Pour Homme is a staid patchouli fragrance.

Reminiscence Patchouli Pour Homme contains mandarin, lime, geranium, cedar, patchouli, labdanum, tonka bean, tolu balm, white musk, and benzoin. Patchouli Pour Homme opens with warm lime and geranium leaf; quickly other notes pop: ‘fossilized’ cedar (almost too “dry” to detect), sheer labdanum, well-behaved and CLEAN patchouli…

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When perfumer Maurice Roucel was developing Musc Ravageur (2000) for Les Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle, a young woman belonging to the creative team wore the powerful, dramatic “demo” of the fragrance to brave the afternoon commute home as part of testing. As she was sitting beside an elderly gentleman, she recounts she noticed him twitch his nose in puzzlement and vague alarm. Given that

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Mary J Blige talks to WWD about her new fragrance, My Life.

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Did you feel that Gold iPhone 4G lacked dazzle and was yellowed out with only gold? If so then Stuart has rolled out a dazzling iPhone 4G Diamond Edition. Designed by the master himself, it is touted to be the world’s first iPhone 4G decked up in platinum and diamonds. While the rim on the front is studded with a total of 6.5cts diamonds, the rear is adorned with solid Platinum and Diamond Apple logo. This 32GB handset is unlocked and hence can be used in any part of the globe. For £12,995 ($19,500), it also comes with an exotic wallet crafted out of Ostrich foot to hold it safe. This slim wallet can also hold up to four credit cards too. A diamond studded iPhone 4G and four credit cards are all that a well-heeled individual needs to step out with! Grab one soon as it is available in a limited number of 50 only.

Thanks Stuart
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When perfumer Maurice Roucel was developing Musc Ravageur (2000) for Les Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle, a young woman belonging to the creative team wore the powerful, dramatic “demo” of the fragrance to brave the afternoon commute home as part of testing. As she was sitting beside an elderly gentleman, she recounts she noticed him twitch his nose in puzzlement and vague alarm. Given that

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Annick Goutal will launch Rose Splendide, a new fragrance for women, in September. The perfume pays tribute to the brand’s founder, Annick Goutal, and her love of roses…

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There is good news for all high-flyers who paid the $10,000 deposit for the highly anticipated, Terrafugia Transition flying car. The light aircraft that can convert into a road-legal automobile is all set to go into production after being given a special weight exemption by the US Federal Aviation Administration. Designed as a ‘light sport’ vehicle with a weight of 1,320 lbs, its manufacturers however found it impossible to fit the safety features like airbags, crumple zones and roll cage, etc that are required for road vehicles into that weight. The FAA has however given the green signal to this futuristic machine by granting the Transition an exemption, allowing it to be classified as a light sport aircraft despite being 120lb over the limit. Light sport aircraft licenses require just 20 hours’ flying time, making them much easier to obtain than full private licenses. The major advantage of this dream machine is safety during bad weather as you don’t have to risk flying as you can simply drive home instead.
With wings folded, the two-seater front wheel drive vehicle has no problems meeting highway speeds zooming at a respectable 30 miles per gallon. In air, the vehicle’s cruising speed is 115mph and it has a range of 460 miles, and it can carry 450lb.

According to the company, 70 people have already ordered the car. With the FAA’s special exemption, more buyers are set to come forward for this beauty.

[Telegraph]
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If you are a sci-fi freak your eyes will surely light up at the mention of the movie, Tron. The sci-fi flick struck a chord with motorbike enthusiasts as well, courtesy the cool Lightcycles that were a prominent feature in the movie. Well for all you Tron fans and motorcycle enthusiasts, Parker Brothers Choppers (the same guys who made the oh-so-cool Batpod) are building five custom one off “Lightcycles” to the exact specs of the movie bikes. Not props, but real street legal models which will surely make you the envy of many. Each of the five black bikes will differ in the accent colors. The neon glowing accent colors will surely give the bikes an even cooler look. The wheels are custom made 22″ x12″ dual hubless wheels with custom made tires by Hoosier. Carbon fiber body makes the Lightcycle a lightweight vehicle.
Safety is provided by a Tron helmet which accompanies every bike. The limited edition bikes are available on eBay for a cool $35,000!

[Gizmodo]
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