It’s time to get the hell out of dodge. Yeah yeah, we know, we’re in a recession. But, on the other hand…airfares and hotel rooms are the lowest they’ve been in ages. Still can’t swing it? Ok, well…what are your thoughts on a free trip to Tahiti?

Tahiti Tourism just launched the Invest In Your Love contest and the prize is free airfare, inter-island transport, and six nights of deluxe accommodations on two of Tahiti’s breathtakingly beautiful – and relatively secluded islands. To ener, fire up your video camera and create a convincing video of how a trip to the island nation could “help you invest in your love” and post it to YouTube via their site.

Six contests are being staged, but if you want to attempt to win the first, be sure to submit your entry by June 11th! We’re so there it’s not even funny.

Our friends at Beautiful Decay just released their Spring 09 line of t-shirts, some shown above. Tons of great stuff and plenty of awesome weather here in NYC to wear them (damn, it’s hot here!). The new season features iconic graphics from artists like Jesse Auersalo, and the psychedelic visions of Oliver Hibert. We dig, get ehm while it’s hot!

Do you find that tune from Tetris twisting and turning in your brain all day? Does the music of Metroid make you want to move your feet? Sure you’re probably a video game addict, but there’s nothing wrong with getting those sweet sounds of Super Street Fighter stuck in your head. The only issue you face is trying to find a place that will let you relive the soundtrack of your gaming life. Luckily, there’s now 8bitFM, an internet radio station dedicated to devotees of Double Dragon ditties and Super Mario melodies. In addition to giving you the catchiest tunes ever released by Konami, listeners can also affix their ears for ample doses of nerdcore, chiptunes, and a fresh array of remixes. The best part is, you don’t need to remember any cheat codes just a URL.

Related: 8-Bit Operators

Hundreds of unregistered billboards flood the NYC urban landscape, creating a glut of unregulated eyesores on nearly every formerly barren surface. While the city allows this unregulated illegal ugliness to stand unchecked, Jordan Seiler and PublicAdCampaign.com decided it was high time to do something about this piracy of the common landscape. In an effort to turn those blights on buildings into works of art, they launched the New York Street Advertising Takeover; whitewashing 126 billboards across the Big Apple and then asking eighty artists to do their best to remove our memories of some of that awful imagery. One of our favorite creations of the project sprung from the mind of our good friend Ji Lee, whose Delete billboard showed just how much the previous occupier of this particular swath of concrete was appreciated. Great stuff…

On Sundays, a walk just two blocks away from Ipanema beach reveals a bustling bazaar, where independent crafts-people selling an array of clothes, jewelry, hand-made artifacts and original artwork assemble to form the Feira Hippie, or Hippy Fair. Every stall boasts a variation of Brazillian inspired artistry, from canvases depicting abstract renditions of patchwork favela neighborhoods to clothes hand printed with the traditional patterns of Brazil’s indigenous tribes, with their creators (many of them distinctly hippy) manning their posts with laid back smiles and a mood for bargaining. An American buck goes a long way here, and it effectively beats out any tourist shop found anywhere between Leme and Flamengo.

Coming from any great sneaker city, one would never expect to find something quite as unique as Maz in the tiny burg of Paraty, about four hours from Rio de Janeiro. Tucked away on one of the only paved streets in a town of cobbled lanes lies the tiny boutique offering various cuts of Maz’s soft top, rubber sole kicks in a hundred different color combinations. The basic laced design falls in line with the soccer trainer tradition, but ride like a pair of your most comfortable house slippers. Be sure to stop through if you happen to be trekking through Brazil, or check them out online.