A couple of weeks ago, as I sat in the chair getting my dental procedure, an advertisement on the screen in front of me caught my attention. It featured a lady, perhaps in her 50s, right before getting her teeth whitened. Juxtaposed next to this "before" picture was the lady post teeth-whitening treatment.
What struck me was how yellowish brown her teeth were prior to, like they had been soaking in coffee for say a couple of years. To boot, this madam also looked pale like an albino, she was completely disheveled like a homeless person, and wore clothes which looked like they had been purchased (stolen?) at the local Salvation Army thrift store. But who's judging and all was good thus far, but then came the post transformation. And let's just say it wasn't just the inside of her mouth that had been magically revitalized.
Granted, her teeth where now bleach white, but her hair had now also mysteriously been restored and was fuller than her balding eagle predecessor self (perhaps they had flown in a Hollywood hairdresser for the teeth-whitening ceremony). Her now glowing, rested face, covered in L'Oréal makeup, looked 10 years younger than five minutes before she had arrived for her dental appointment (oh did I mention she was wearing the latest in chi chi clothing?).
Suffice it to say that I was truly blown away. Here I was thinking I was in a dental clinic and not on the set of Extreme Makeover. To be honest, I'm not sure at this point if it was even the same lady (although I wouldn't put it past them....)
And then this evening, as I was watching the news, a commercial came on, advertising some fancy office chair. It featured a normal looking bald dude, sitting on a toilet bowl, working on his laptop (because that's where we all do our office work right?). The washroom looked like the one I used once when I stopped by a train station in Kolkata (and walked right out). The laptop appeared to be a prehistoric device of some sorts, perhaps a 1990s Gateway laptop. He looked angry and uncomfortable, perhaps he was suffering from severe depression. In fact, I wouldn't rule out that this wasn't even his house and that he had stolen this computer. Who the heck knows at this point.
Now let us fast forward to the moment he received this amazing ergonomic office chair. Just like Dorothy from Kansas he magically appeared in a new place, a mansion in this story, and he was now working on this spic n span modern laptop (did I mention his stately new office housed a massive, marble desk?). This dude who had inexplicably gone from rags to riches, was now also wearing a Stuart Hughes suit, and was visibly smiling (who wouldn't be, this new chair seemingly also came with a blank cheque). Lord behold, our friend had even managed to grow hair like a chia pet. It was truly a remarkable feat and one of mankind's most astonishing transformations.
Perhaps what they say is true: the sun really does shine on TV. Hmmm whaddayaknow. Now its my turn to turn on the tele and see what I can order as well, I sure could use a little change in my otherwise humdrum life....
