Boots have stormed the fashion scene like never before. Trimmings of fur, studded with zircons, fancy buckles, animal prints... just take your pick
Big Boot (y)
WITH the winter chill forcing one to wear layers and layers of clothes, the fashion scene has gone for a toss. If your imagination has stopped functioning beyond matching up a pair of jeans with heavy coats and sweaters, then it’s time to take a round of city shoe stores. A pair of boots may just be the solution to take care of all your fashion woes. After all, those knee-length boots do not just transform you to a fashion icon, but protect you from the cold too.  “Knee-length boots are definitely in, considering that it is both winter and the party season,” says city-based designer Micky Chhabra.

Coffee & more...
YOU have to go for a date and are bemused. Dating in parks is archaic and oh-so-down market. Watching a movie together at FR will leave you poorer, dining out at local eateries comes with the chances of bumping into a known face from neighbourhood... So, where do you go? Well, the nearby coffee shop. With bright interiors, aroma of coffee beans, comfortable couches, tasteful music and most importantly, no count on the hours you spend here, coffee shops make ideal dating places.

Fusion Dressing
TIRED of getting wrapped in layers of woollens? Looking for something that’ll keep you warm as well as notch up your stylometer? Well, how about flaunting a kurti? Yes, the good ol’ kurti is ruling the winter wardrobe too. Thicker fabric, vibrant hues, richer work, finer details and smarter cuts, run through this style check on the wintry kurtis. Summer fabrics like cotton and chikan have given way to cotton silk, tussar, twill, pashmina silk, cotton jute and much more. At Suvasa-8 are kurtis in cotton silk mix, twill, chanderi and cotton jute. Feminine cuts, kurtis in bright pinks and greens with embroidery on the sleeves and slits, is a perfect winter buy. Also on the shelves are trendy pieces in brocade.

Calendar of adventure
Choose from snow slopes, seascapes, whitewater and more to make 2008 an activity-filled year! 
IF you want to adopt adventure sports as a lifestyle or even if you can only manage to squeeze in an activity or two at intervals, you will get the most out of your time, energy and money if you plan well in advance. So here’s a ready reckoner on what happens when and where in India, and the best season to learn if you are a novice. I am listing only the most popular adventure activities – because the infrastructure is already in place and you have more options when it comes to choosing locales, instructors and accommodation. Be adventurous and have a great year!

Fog, Friends & FUN: A group of Panjab University students welcome the season’s first fog with cheerful smiles.

Health Peg
Chewing trouble
Bad news for people with diabetes who are fond of sugarfree chewing gums. A report in the British Medical Journal Friday highlighted the cases of some patients who lost up to a fifth of their bodyweight after chewing sugar-free chewing gums.

Pamela not pregnant
Pamela Anderson has denied reports that she is pregnant, despite recent news to the contrary. Rumours of the former Baywatch babe’s pregnancy was sparked when TMZ.com reported that her hubby Rick Salomon had been telling friends that Anderson had been ‘acting crazy’ because of her pregnancy hormones and is still hopeful of reconciliation. 

Exhi Watch
Enticing Silk
This exhibition of handloom weavers is a feast for the eye & offers a peep into our rich culture
THEY came, they saw and they learnt how strategically important the city is for giving a boost to the Indian handloom industry. So, with a renewed vigour, Hyderabad-based Revathi Creative Communications has brought back Weaves, the Cotton and Silk Spectrum at the same venue as last year — Kisan Bhavan-35. Within the spectrum fall 42 stalls from various states with their specialties in silk and cotton.

A yogic approach
As part of its Sahayak programme, Fortis Hospital-Mohali, organised a yoga session for dialysis patients at the hospital auditorium. Yogi Buddhadeva (Dr Deepesh) conducted the session for patients suffering from acute renal failure as well as chronic renal failure. Over 100 patients participated in the session. Yogi Buddhadeva taught the patients how to keep the urogenital system healthy and explained how yoga can help in maintaining the water equilibrium in body.

 Lone string, multiple hues
ANYONE who has ever passed by Old Delhi, has surely been awestruck by the colours that dot the sky there. Kite flying or patang baazi, as they call, is the hobby of the people here. On Friday, one such kite flying passionate and specialist, struck the right chord with city’s enthusiasts. Syed Jamaluddin, who claims to be the only person in the country who can fly more than 1,100 kites on a single string, set the mood of Lohri at Sukhna .

beauty studio
Rejuvenate your skin
OUR bodies exfoliate all the time – there could not be better examples than dandruff and dry skin. Exfoliation removes dead skin cells to show a new and better skin surface to the world. While manual exfoliation using scrubs and masks is great for the skin, it fails to address problems such as wrinkles, fine lines, age spots, blemishes, large pores, photo ageing and sun damage, deep lines or wrinkles, hyper-pigmentation, acne marks and scars. The magic word for problem skins is chemical peels — exfoliation using chemical peels works wonders on such skins.

Eggcellent 
For a very very long time now we have sung the jingle, Sunday ho ya Monday roz khao ande. Fried, scrambled, boiled, poached, pakodas, omelette, paranthas, dosas, biryani, the good ol’ egg has come a long way. One of the nature’s perfect form of protein, it’s ideal for breakfast, a quick snack or dinner. We track down the city eateries that serve eggcellent dishes.

BON APPETIT 
Checkin’ out chikki
LONAVALA, a charming little hill station near Mumbai, is the source of all good chikki (apart from exporting extras to the Bollywood!) Here, more than 125 years ago, a gentleman called Shri Maganlal sold a crumbly mixture called “gur-daana” (gur and peanuts) from a huge sack. The combination being rich in iron and protein, was consumed for instant energy by labourers laying the Khandala-Pune railway line. Gur-daana gradually graduated to chikki, which has remained the bread and butter of Maganlal’s family for several generations ever since. Outside of India, a similar candy goes by the name “Brittle” due to its crunchy character. The cooking process requires some tough stirring, but go on, try doing a batch at home!

Ginger Spice
Relish good ol’ ginger in new avtars — cookies, breads, cakes, halwa... 
YOUR throat aches and your grandmother gives you some pungent stuff to chew, a cough and you get the same remedy, you have a tummy ache and again the same thing is fed to you. And, soon you realise that the stuff is actually working wonders. Guessing what’s this wonder-pill? It’s our very own ginger. From being a quick home remedy to being enjoyed as a drink, curry, halwa, cookies or pickle, ginger has indeed come a long way. We help you get started on relishing the spice that comes with a promise to soothe, please and cure.

Cool Stuff