Talking points in the cubicle
Chat sessions and coffee breaks are an integral part of office life. From the meltdown and 26/11 to good old politics and family issues, there are many topics spicing up conversations nowadays? We catch some sound bytes…
Between the blur of vehicles that squeal past, to eating out in a messy canteen, to standing in a queue waiting for a bus, to dinner at a posh club- discussion forms the heart of any conversation.

Work up your green quotient
From recycling paper to sending emails to shunning plastic cups, find ways to make your office eco-friendly
You don't need to drive up to Mars, take a sabbatical in the Himalayas or give an arm or leg. Or be a thespian, philosopher, erudite. Or even be a doctorate in global warming, writing a research thesis on carbon footprints, hold a copyright on forest preservation practices! In short, one doesn't need to be extraterrestrial to drive home the significance of being ecologically friendly. Nor belong to United Nations' decision-making club to bring about a difference. Environment preservation starts with you, in your homes and right now. Only this time, it's your office we are talking about.

Love story 2008
SRK’s latest movie wins hearts the world over
A career best performance by Superstar Shahrukh Khan as the ''self effacing yet endearing'' Surender Sahni and the ''heartwarming cinderella love story of this ordinary guy-next-door with his Princess Charming'' in Aditya Chopra's Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi has set the box office ablaze, leaving exhibitors and distributors smiling after a spate poor run by Bollywood films over the last few weeks.

Blame it on big sunglasses
Shilpa’s glares lead to foot injury
Bollywood beauty Shilpa Shetty recently injured her foot and blames her big sunglasses for the mishap. The actor says that it has disrupted the schedule of her international project Desire. "I hurt my foot bad enough to get 15 stitches... don't ask me how. In a freak accident, thanks to my big sunglasses and nose in the air, I overlooked a sharp metal piece that slit my foot, thankfully not below but over the foot," Shilpa posted on her blog www.shilpashettylive.com/blog/.

World view
Ghai wishes he had been exposed to world cinema earlier
Subhash Ghai, who churned out hits like Saudagar and Ram Lakhan, regrets that when he started directing movies in mid-'70s, he had no access to the world cinema to study the works of filmmakers from other parts of the world.

Common concern
Pakistani actor Mikaal Zulfikar shares India's pain over the Mumbai attacks
Pakistani actor Mikaal Zulfikar, who played a terrorist in Britain-based Indian filmmaker Jagmohan Mundhra's controversial film Shoot On Sight, says an average Pakistani does not endorse terrorism and it is "cruel and unfair" to blame all his countrymen for the terror strikes in Mumbai.

Sami shocked
Singer Adnan Sami shaken by Jagjit's criticism
Crooner Adnan Sami, who has given hits like Bheegi bheegi raton mein, refuses to believe that Indian ghazal maestro Jagjit Singh criticised him by saying "he can't sing and should go back to Pakistan". "I can't believe Jagjit saab would talk like this about me. He's always been so sweet to me. I'm his biggest fan. And why would he say I came to India to become an actor? "When I came here, I weighed three times more than what I am. And why would he accuse me of sending my money to Pakistan? I earn and pay taxes in Mumbai, I can show you my PAN card," Adnan said.

Launch PAD
Foot tap
The Shoe trends for winter 2008 - 09 are distinctly bold and guarantee to dress you up even on a cold winter day. And to help keep your feet stylish yet warm, MOMAK presents its chic and affordable winter collection. Whether you prefer a stylish boot or a light and comfortable ballerina, the brand has it all.

Cozy comfort
What all do you do to keep yourself warm? Wear three layers of clothes, woolen socks, snug gloves, a cap and whatever else is possible? While you support all these things, there is something you lose out on-style. We certainly aren't saying style is more important than shooing away chilly winds but why not carry comfort and style together. All you need to do is pick up the right stuff from the market and accessorise your clothing to look chic. Here we have some accessorising tips for you to look your stylish best this winters.

Sketched success
A city boy Utkarsh Singh, class IX student from Bhawan Vidyalaya has won the first prize in the 'Sketch the i' competition. A unique educational initiative organised by Hyundai Motor India Ltd. called across the country wherein children from various schools participated in a painting competition on road safety.

Exam fever vs fest-o-mania
There are students bogged down by the exam fever but there are others gripped by a fever of another kind: festival mania
Exams, report cards, vivas, attendance sheets, practicals, sessionals, dissertations, semesters, assignments, tests, huh! Yet, they say student years are the wonder, the best years in anyone's life! The flipside is more than made up by well, bunks, backbenches, breaks et al.

Sing along
After late Ishmeet Singh, Arshdeep Kaur from Ludhiana gets ready to sing to the tunes of Bollywood
Music runs in her family, an everyday dose with a dash of passion that comes with a tinge of struggle as well. So we have Arshdeep Kaur, from the industrial town of Ludhiana, feeding on her daily khuraak called music and carrying forward the notes that her city-sibling Ishmeet Singh left unsung. The singer was in city to perform at the ongoing Youth festival at Panjab University and left everybody enthralled by her ghazal. "The audience was good, ghazals are my forte and I love performing onstage," says the singer who had adopted music and made it her own at a very young age.

I tone
Yeh dil maange more
Publicity, please
Though I am totally satisfied with the way the event is being handled and received, still they should have publicised it more. Half the hostellers have left for home because of holidays. Had they known they would have stayed. I think the university should have advertised the event more aggressively by further playing on the highlights. Even those who are aware of it don't know what's happening at what place. The complete itinerary of competitions and venues should have been made available to every student.

Madame in expansion mode
Women's fashionwear brand Madame is planning to invest up to Rs 35 crore in the country in the next two years to double the number of its single-brand outlets from the current 51. "We have currently 51 outlets across the country and our target is to have another 50 exclusive brand outlets by 2010.